I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 130 The Theory of Ants
One was a member of the Han imperial family and the governor of Yangzhou, while the other was from the Yuan family of Chen Commandery and the prefect of Wu Commandery. They actually squatted down and studied two ants fighting.

After watching for only a short while, Yuan Huan chose to place a bet.

"The darker-colored ants will win."

Liu Miao didn't believe it and squatted down to watch. But after a while, the lighter-colored ant was indeed at a disadvantage. Finally, it limped into the rice paddies, perhaps to call its elders to avenge it.

Why are you so certain that the darker-colored ant will win?

Yuan Huan was happy to answer Liu Miao's questions.

"The dark-colored ants are actually from the Jiangnan region, and they are larger and stronger. The light-colored ants are from the Jiangbei region, and they are smaller than the Jiangnan ants, so they naturally cannot win."

Liu Miao stared at it carefully again and found that the darker-colored ant was not only larger, but even its claws were sharper!
"Yaoqing is indeed insightful, able to distinguish ants from those from the south and north of the river?"

Yuan Huan finally got up from the field, but because he had been squatting for too long, his legs were a little numb and he staggered. Liu Miao stepped forward to help him up.

After Yuan Huan stood still, he cupped his hands to Liu Miao and said, "Ants are so small that people don't pay much attention to them. The reason I can tell the difference between the two kinds of ants is simply because I pay attention."

"Although it was already extremely commendable that Liu Yangzhou was willing to squat down and examine the ants, he still did not carefully observe the subtle differences in their body size and claws, which is why he could not distinguish the superiority of the two types of ants."

Upon hearing this, Liu Miao found Yuan Huan's words quite interesting.

Why should I bother to observe an ant?

Yuan Huan shook his head: "Since you've already seen the ants and paid attention to them, why can't you put more effort into it?"

"Aren't the common people of the world just like these ants, often overlooked by the feudal lords? Since you, Liu Yangzhou, have already noticed these ants, why not continue to pay attention?"

Liu Miao chuckled and walked towards the main road, with Yuan Huan immediately following behind.

"Although the establishment of the three chiefs was intended to curb the power of the local magnates, most of them were merely popular figures without real talent or ability. When problems arose, they could temporarily restrain the people under their rule, but it was difficult for them to maintain their power for long."

"Although equal land distribution could curb land annexation, it did not differentiate between good and bad land. As a result, the harvests of each household were different, but they were all taxed the same, which did not truly achieve fairness."

"Since you, Governor Liu, have seen the people's plight, why can't you look more closely and fill these gaps?"

Liu Miao looked at the village chief behind him and, sure enough, found him trailing at the back of the crowd, looking terrified after hearing about his and Yuan Huan's identities.

Looking further into the fields, it became clear that not everyone's eyes were filled with joy.

Even though it was the same place and the same people, Liu Miao hadn't seen any of these things on his way here.

Looking closely now, I've indeed discovered a significant difference.

Liu Miao shook his head: "I thought the first thing Yaoqing would say to me would be about the matter between him and the General of the Rear."

Yuan Huan: "I knew about the matter between Liu Yangzhou and the General of the Rear from the moment I first saw Jinling City, the people of Danyang, and these farmlands."

"However, as I just said, there will always be people in this world who look down and notice the ants on the ground. Since they are focused on watching the ants, they naturally have no time to look at other people."

"interesting."

The difference between Huainan and Jiangdong is now like night and day!
The majestic and magnificent city of Shouchun was built solely for Yuan Shu's enjoyment.

The bustling and vibrant city of Jinling served as a hub for people to socialize and conduct business.

The people of Huainan were exploited and forcibly conscripted by Yuan Shu.

The people of Jiangdong whose land was divided equally and who were settled by Liu Miao.

The Huainan farmland is deserted and no one cultivates it anymore.

The fields of Jiangdong are crisscrossed with paths, and the rice harvest has begun.

These things are more effective than a hundred conversations between Yuan Huan and Liu Miao, or between Yuan Huan and Yuan Shu. If that's the case, then why even discuss them?

Upon hearing Yuan Huan's words, Liu Miao immediately praised him, saying, "I remember you, a candidate for the civil service examination..."

"My official position as a candidate for the civil service examination was recommended by Liu Bei when he served as the governor of Yuzhou."

"Yes! It's my kinsman! Liu Bei, a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan!"

Liu Miao exclaimed, "Liu Xuande's judgment is truly sharp. He didn't have many spots for the position of Governor of Yuzhou, and you just happened to be one of them."

"That's right. Yaoqing, you've been lying in the field for a long time, have you figured anything out?"

Yuan Huan replied, "Besides the three chiefs and the equal-field system, there are two more."

"Firstly, the customs of the North and South are different after all. Although Chief Secretary Gu distributed the fields in the mountains and fields to the people of the North for them to grow millet and wheat, it could only treat the symptoms, not the root cause, and could not resolve the real differences between the people of the North and South."

"Secondly, some of the Yue people in the mountains are not adapted to farming and are often looked down upon by other people. These are all issues that need to be addressed."

Liu Miao then asked, "How should this be resolved?"

Yuan Huan was speechless for a moment. Clearly, having only been in Jiangdong for a short time, he hadn't had enough time to observe things in such detail.

Liu Miao did not make things difficult for Yuan Huan, but instead invited him to ride in the same carriage with him back to Jinling City.

Many guests were already seated at the banquet, including Chen Yu and Gu Yong.

They were initially angry about Yuan Huan's sudden disappearance, but after Liu Miao explained Yuan Huan's actions, they immediately stopped holding a grudge against him.

A person who watches ants in the fields is far better than someone who comes with hundreds of followers to seize territory.

In particular, Gu Yong discussed many methods of governing the people with Yuan Huan, and after the discussion, he sighed, "If it were about governing a province, Yao Qing is not as good as me. But if it were about governing a prefecture, I am not as good as Yao Qing."

Gu Yong's words can be seen as a sign that Liu Miao's group has completely accepted Yuan Huan.

As long as we don't engage in espionage activities like tipping off Yuan Shu, then we'll all be comrades who worked together through thick and thin to build our foundation!

Liu Miao pulled Yuan Huan back from the field and then said to Sun Ben, another key figure at the banquet, "With Boyang's qualifications, it is well-deserved for him to serve as the governor of Danyang. Boyang, there is no need to worry. Just continue as usual."

Liu Miao's intention was to remind Sun Ben: Although Yuan Shu promoted you to the position of Prefect of Danyang in an attempt to sow discord between us, I will not fall for his trick! Just pretend nothing happened, keep this post and continue training your troops and expanding your ranks. I will not suspect you.

Sun Ben clearly understood Liu Miao's implication and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, no longer as reserved as before.

After attending the banquet, Sun Ben went directly to the drill ground outside the city.

Inside the training ground, Sun Ben was astonished to see his younger brother, Sun Fu, followed by a number of carriages: "What are you doing?"

Both of Sun Fu's parents died when Sun Fu was still an infant, so Sun Fu was raised by his elder brother Sun Ben alone. The two had a deep relationship and there was no estrangement between them.

Sun Fu didn't hide anything, pointing to the carriage behind him: "Didn't I hear that you, brother, have become the governor of Wu Commandery? In that case, you should naturally move to Jinling City to live!"

Sun Fu was completely unaware that Sun Ben's face had turned dark, and he continued to talk incessantly.

“I have long heard that Jinling is now the number one city in Jiangdong, and even Wuxian and Shanyin cannot compare with Jinling. Now that I have finally come here, I should take advantage of my brother’s reputation to go in and have a look.”

Sun Ben finally couldn't hold back any longer and scolded his younger brother Sun Fu: "What kind of stupid things are you saying? Hurry up and take all these luggage down!"

Sun Fu was immediately puzzled: "Didn't General Hou already appoint you as the Prefect of Wu Commandery? Could it be that Governor Liu of Yangzhou didn't prepare a residence for your elder brother?"

Sun Ben was furious: "Don't mention the Rear General in front of others again. Who do you think you are? Always talking about the Rear General like that?"

"From now on, continue to reside in the military camp and do not enter the city of Jinling!"

Sun Fu disagreed: "How can a prefectural governor reside in a military camp?"

“We followed our uncle in his campaigns, never having a single day of rest. Since we came here from Jingzhou, we have been keeping vigil for our uncle in this thatched hut. Now that we finally have a warm house, why won’t you, brother, go and stay there? What kind of logic is that?”

Upon hearing this, Sun Ben also felt sorry for Sun Fu.

However, Sun Ben still firmly declared, "No!"

"Today, Yuan Huan, who was also appointed by the General of the Rear, was humble and spoke of 'the ant's theory.' There was certainly a reason for this to show his talent and demonstrate his morality. But it may also be that he was showing weakness to the lord, thinking that he was an ant and not enough to threaten the lord... It is precisely because of this that the lord's staff can tolerate Yuan Huan."

"Although I have pledged allegiance to my lord, I have not been decisive, nor have I rendered any military service to him. Under such circumstances, how can I possibly voluntarily enter the prefect's residence and truly exercise the prefect's authority?"

However, Sun Ben comforted Sun Fu, saying, "Our lord told me at the banquet today that everything would remain the same, and he did not order me to disband my troops. It is clear that he has no intention of harming me. As long as we are cautious, we will surely be able to preserve our clan and gain wealth and honor."

Upon hearing Sun Ben's words, Sun Fu not only did not agree, but felt even more sorry for his elder brother.

If it weren't for his elder brother's approval, would Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and others have been able to reach Ruxukou to help Liu Miao cross the river?

Without Sun Jian's old troops under his brother's command, could Zhou Yu alone have defeated Zhou Xin, Liu Yao, and others to seize Jiangdong?

But now, they're not even willing to give her a mere governorship of Wu Commandery. Is this Liu Miao's way of repaying the Sun family?

Although Sun Fu wanted to argue, seeing that Sun Ben was clearly genuinely angry, he had no choice but to give up and reply sullenly, "Yes, sir."

"Whether I join Liu Miao or not, I still sleep in a military tent. Isn't that a waste of my time?"

"What did you say!"

"No, it's nothing~~~"

Sun Ben watched Sun Fu's retreating figure helplessly.

In fact, if it weren't for Yuan Shu's inexplicable reward, Liu Miao would have definitely given Sun a generous reward.

Since Yuan Shu has already appointed Sun Ben as the governor of Danyang, keeping a low profile now is the best outcome for both Sun Ben and Liu Miao.

"Guoyi, if we endure for a few more years, the Sun family will surely become rich and powerful!"

(End of this chapter)