I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 178 Hua Xin Resigns
Jinling.

Chen Yu sat furtively in the hall, glancing outside every now and then, clearly waiting for someone.

"Ziyu, why aren't you staying in Yuzhang? What are you doing in Jinling?"

Hua Xin arrived late, and Chen Yu greeted her with a smile.

"You've come at a bad time. Zhongshan is still in Huainan and probably won't be back for some time!"

Hua Xin had a clear and bright face, with three neatly trimmed long beards and a slight frost on his chin. When he saw Chen Yu, he smiled faintly and said, "I have not come here to see General Liu."

"Oh? You're not here to see Zhongshan?"

Curious, Chen Yu served Hua Xin some tea and asked, "What is Ziyu doing in Jinling after coming all the way from Yuzhang?"

Hua Xin took a small sip of the tea, and his eyes lit up as he tasted this beverage for the first time: "Good water."

Setting down her teacup, Hua Xin asked Chen Yu with a smile, "Can't you come and see Gongwei even if there's nothing wrong?"

"Yes, of course!"

Hua Xin's teacher was Chen Yu's father, Chen Qiu. The two were old friends, so it was no problem for them to visit each other regularly!

Chen Yu was puzzled: "Ziyu is now in charge of a prefecture, guarding against the governor of Yuzhang Prefecture to the west of the Yangtze River. He shouldn't be making any rash moves under normal circumstances!"

"Or is it that Ziyu, seeing Zhongshan's victory over Yuan Shu and the pacification of Huainan, is here to curry favor with our lord?"

"Gong Wei, what are you saying?"

Hua Xin took another sip of tea and finally voiced her request—

"I have come here to resign from my post as General Liu."

Resignation?

Chen Yu asked incredulously, "Why is this? Ziyu?"

"Could it be that you have some troubles in Yuzhang? If so, just tell me, and I'll go find Master Zhang, Yuan Tan, or Zhong Shan. There's no need for me to resign!"

Hua Xin shook his head: "Since Taishi Ci stationed troops in Chaisang, Yuzhang has always been peaceful. Apart from the occasional trace of Yue people in Pengli Marsh, there is nothing that is difficult to solve."

"Why is that fish doing this?"

Chen Yu was puzzled.

There's nothing bothering me today, so why would I suddenly resign?
Hua Xin sat upright and asked Chen Yu, "I heard that in the war to quell Yuan Shu, both Cao Cao and Liu Bei sent out their troops?"

"Ziyu is quite well-informed."

Chen Yu admitted to the matter, and then, as if showing off a treasure, pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket: "Zhongshan also wrote a poem on the high platform. Ziyu, would you like to take a look?"

"I have heard of 'Bring in the Wine' before, and it is indeed a work of great spirit."

Hua Xin then asked another question: "I heard that General Liu and Cao Cao also discussed something else at the banquet, namely, that they wanted to jointly attack Liu Biao and seize Jingzhou, is that right?"

Chen Yu naturally knew about this: "Indeed!"

Then Chen Yu seemed to realize something and immediately laughed, "Could it be that Ziyu is afraid of being implicated in the war with Jingzhou? Don't worry! Jiangdong is now recruiting new troops and its soldiers are strong. It's hard to say whether we can take Jingzhou, but we definitely won't be unable to defend Yuzhang!"

Hua Xin: "It seems that Gongwei has a lot of confidence in Liu Biaoji?"

"Ziyu, Zhongshan has even defeated Yuan Shu! Do you know what this means!"

Chen Yu would gesticulate wildly whenever Liu Miao was mentioned!
"Ziyu! If we're talking about who will be able to pacify the world and restore the Han Dynasty in the future, then I'm afraid it's only Zhongshan!"

"Didn't Ziyu often hope for peace and tranquility for the world and stability for the people? If so, why are you leaving us now?"

Chen Yu firmly believed that Liu Miao was the only correct answer in that chaotic world!
Unexpectedly, Hua Xin shook her head at this moment.

"Liu Biaoji may be powerful for a time, but he will never be able to pacify the world."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu was first stunned, then his face quickly turned pale, then blue, and finally red—

"Ziyu! How could you say such a thing!"

"Yes! Zhongshan can be a bit unreliable at times! But his ambition is absolutely real! How could you say such a thing to me!"

Chen Yu defended Liu Miao, listing Liu Miao's achievements on his fingers to Hua Xin—

"Do you know what Zhongshan did in Jiangdong?"

"He established three chiefs, equalized land distribution, trained local militia, and suppressed land annexation... Ziyu! You also come from the north. Have you ever seen any place in the north where the people live better than the people of Jiangdong? Those who are virtuous receive much help! On what basis do you say that Zhongshan cannot restore the Han Dynasty and bring peace to the world?"

Chen Yu's chest heaved violently. If it weren't for the fact that they had known each other, he would have wanted to throw the scalding hot teapot in front of him right in Hua Xin's face!

Hua Xin shook his head and said, "That's precisely why General Liu was able to succeed."

"Liu Biaoqi is acting too hastily! Gongwei, you are in Jinling, so there are some voices you can't hear and some things you can't see. That's why you think everything in Jiangdong is good. But isn't that also a form of stagnation?"

Hua Xin pointed to the west: "I am in Yuzhang, which borders Jingzhou. In previous years, merchants and fishermen from Jingzhou often came to Yuzhang, but this year there are almost no people here."

"The powerful families of Jingzhou have also seen what General Liu has done in Jiangdong."

"For them, if Jingzhou falls into the hands of Liu Biaoqi, it would be worse than death! Have you considered how Liu Biaoqi would take Jingzhou if they were to resist him with all their might?" Hua Xin directly addressed Liu Miao's current predicament—

"Liu Biaoqi has gone too far in his actions, to the point that scholars throughout the land are overly wary of him."

"In some people's eyes, Liu Biaoqi is probably even more terrifying than the Taiping Rebellion followers back then! Gongwei, do you think Liu Biaoqi has any chance of success under such circumstances?"

Chen Yu quickly retorted, "That's not true!"

“Zhongshan does not intend to rob the rich to help the poor, nor does he intend to become a bandit and seize all the land of the powerful clans!”

Hua Xin: "Who knows?"

Chen Yu exclaimed in anger: "Those powerful and scholarly families, Zhongshan has never killed them! In fact, he has already instructed Liu Yao to prepare schools in various places, and to hire them as teachers and instructors to impart knowledge and resolve doubts!"

"Furthermore, the so-called Three Leaders system does not completely exclude the gentry! On the contrary, those among the gentry who are truly talented can be given priority in being appointed as the Three Leaders! And there is the equal distribution of land! Zhongshan also gave the gentry great benefits! Even their servants, oxen, wives and concubines would be given land! What I am saying is absolutely true! If you don't believe me, come with me to ask Lord Zhang! Ask Yuan Tan!"

Hua Xin exclaimed in surprise, "Such a thing actually happened? How come I knew nothing about it?"

Currently, Danyang, Wujun, and Kuaiji in Jiangdong have all undergone the reform of the Three Chiefs and Equal Field System, but Yuzhang has not yet carried out the reform. Hua Xin is indeed not familiar with these matters.

Seeing this, Chen Yu laughed and said, "How about it, Ziyu? Now that you know all this, do you still think Zhongshan can't bring peace to the world?"

Hua Xin shook her head again, and Chen Yu's expression also froze.

"Gongwei, now I know these things, but how many people in the world know these things?"

"Outside of Yangzhou, scholars will still think of Liu Biaoji as nothing more than a tyrant who wants to seize their land and wealth. If everyone in the world views Liu Biaoji this way, what are his chances of winning in the end?"

Hua Xin remained pessimistic about Liu Miao's future.

How could Liu Miao easily subdue a powerful family that had accumulated power for two hundred years or even longer?
Even if Liu Miao were strong-willed, he couldn't possibly follow his example in Jiangdong and kill all those who disagreed with him, could he?

"This attack on Jingzhou may be the opportunity for Liu Biaoqi to change his mind."

"If Liu Biaoqi insists on sticking to his old ways, he will certainly not succeed."

Hua Xin eventually handed his official seal to Chen Yu.

"Now that the emperor is settled, I have decided to return to Xuchang. I hope you will not be offended."

Long after Hua Xin left, Chen Yu finally came to his senses, looking lost. He took Hua Xin's official seal and went straight to find Zhang Zhao.

"Did Hua Ziyu really say that?"

"It's true."

Zhang Zhao remained silent for a moment, then walked away.

"What is Master Zhang going to do?"

"Naturally, we should list out candidates and see who can succeed Hua Xin as the Prefect of Yuzhang."

"Master Zhang!"

Chen Yu did not believe that this was the most critical matter at the moment.

"Master Zhang, didn't you hear what Ziyu said?"

Chen Yu was also extremely uneasy at this moment: "What Ziyu said is not without reason."

“What Zhongshan is doing in Jiangdong now will indeed make the scholars and powerful families in other places wary! Even if Zhongshan can conquer the area with his strong army, these scholars and powerful families will not submit to him!”

Zhang Zhao then asked Chen Yu, "Gongwei, what do you think we should do?"

Chen Yu immediately pulled out a bunch of papers, wooden boards, bamboo slips and other miscellaneous things from his pocket.

“Ziyu is right! Right now, the scholars and powerful families in other places don’t really understand Zhongshan. They only think that Zhongshan is a vicious and wicked person, a tyrannical ruler who only knows how to seize land!”

"Since that's the case, why not make public the information I've compiled about Zhongshan's words and deeds, so that the world can truly understand Zhongshan?"

Zhang Zhao: ...

He didn't know whether to call Chen Yu naive or too ignorant of the ways of the world.
Even if they make grandiose claims, it cannot be denied that the core objective of Liu Miao's group was to suppress powerful clans and curb mergers.

Now that Liu Miao is about to cut someone's flesh with a knife, Chen Yu actually wants to persuade him not to be afraid or worry...

And even if those scholars and powerful families listened, so what? Did they think they could just obediently watch Liu Miao take away their land?

However, when Zhang Zhao saw the enthusiasm in Chen Yu's eyes, he knew that he couldn't make Chen Yu lose heart or give up just by talking about it.

Helpless, Zhang Zhao could only offer Chen Yu a clear path—

"If Gongwei is worried about these things, he might as well go to Kuaiji to find Wang Jingxing."

“Wang Jingxing is different from Hua Ziyu. He has always supported our lord. After he helped our lord conquer Wu County, he immediately agreed with our lord’s policies of three chiefs and equal land distribution. If Gongwei really has any questions, he might as well go and ask him.”

Chen Yu's eyes lit up immediately!
"Yes! Yes!"

"How could I forget Jingxing? He's not like Ziyu! He supports Zhongshan! In that case, I'll head to Kuaiji!"

(End of this chapter)