Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 4: You treated me as a national hero, and I will repay you as a national hero.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and an old man rushed in. Seeing that his robes were covered in snow, Yuan Shu glanced at him and immediately recognized him as Yan Xiang.

The chief of civil officials is my Xiao He!
"Sir, what brings you in such a hurry? Please take a seat!"

Yan Xiang ignored this and hurriedly bowed to the ground, saying:

"Upon hearing that Yuan Yin and Li Feng came to see the lord, I guess it was about the imperial seal and the proclamation of the emperor!"

What they say is absolutely untrustworthy, my lord. These two men are utterly despicable; please kill them!

Having said that, knowing his lord's character well, he seemed worried that Yuan Shu wouldn't listen, so he kowtowed to the ground, his words earnest.

"My lord! Xiang is stubborn by nature. He would rather die speaking frankly than flatter for glory and wealth."

In the past, King Wen of Zhou controlled two-thirds of the world, yet he still served the Yin dynasty. Although your family is noble, it cannot compare to the prosperity of Zhou; although the Han dynasty is weak, it cannot compare to the tyranny of King Zhou of Yin. This matter must never be done!
If our lord listens to the treacherous words of Yin and Feng, our excellent situation will be ruined in an instant!

Looking at the old minister who had risked his life to remonstrate with him, Yuan Shu was speechless for a long time.

If nothing unexpected happens, this is the most vehement minister in history within Yuan Shu's group who reacted most strongly to the issue of the emperor.

But listen to what he's saying?
Taking King Wen of Zhou as an example, comparing my family to the Zhou dynasty and the Han dynasty to King Zhou of Yin, it is true that the Yuan family is not as prosperous as the Zhou dynasty, nor as unpopular as King Zhou of Yin, and I, Yuan Gonglu, do not have two-thirds of the country's territory!
So?

Therefore, the time is not yet right!
As expected of a den of rebels, even their reasons for dissuading someone from becoming emperor are so unconventional, using the historical example of the Shang-Zhou transition as an example to advise them.

"What are you saying, sir? You are my loyal advisor, how could I ignore your advice and ask you to speak frankly to the death?"

Yuan Shu quickly stepped forward to help Yan Xiang up. "Don't worry, sir. I won't lie to you. Yuan Yin and Li Feng did indeed come to persuade me to declare myself emperor, just as you predicted. But I have already rebuked them for their seditious and misleading words."

"what?"

But this? How is that possible? You, Yuan Shu, don't want to become emperor? Who would believe that?
Yan Xiang was shocked and looked at his lord in disbelief.

"Sir, don't disbelieve me. I even kicked Yuan Yin! My Yuan family has been loyal and virtuous for generations. How could we do such a treasonous thing?"

After giving a brief explanation, Yan Xiang arrived just in time. He also had many problems left over from his predecessor's lack of knowledge and skills, which urgently needed to be resolved, so the topic was changed.

"Sir, let's not talk about these trivial matters. The most important thing now is the suffering of the people and their exhaustion. My previous expansion of the army, taxation, and increased corvée labor were also measures I had no other choice."

Now that the army is well-equipped and the provisions are plentiful, the forced conscription has been suspended and taxes have been restored to their original levels, allowing the people to recuperate and rebuild.

What do you think, sir?

"what?"

Yan Xiang was greatly surprised and remained speechless, frozen in place.

He never expected that his lord would not only disregard the imperial seal and the title of emperor, but would also talk to him about the common people. Was this still the arrogant and conceited lord, Yuan Shu?

This is nothing like Yuan Shu!
Realizing that the matter he had painstakingly advised for so long had been brought up by his lord, Yan Xiang hurriedly pressed for details.

"Is what you say true, my lord?"

Yuan Shu smiled and nodded, "A ruler's word is his bond!"

Yan Xiang: "."

This is so Yuan Shu, no doubt about it, he's definitely my lord!
So you really did have the idea of ​​becoming emperor after looking at the Imperial Seal of the State, and you know that you need to win the hearts of the people and learn how to govern the country, right?
In any case, at least he didn't become emperor. The fact that our lord is trying to learn from his mistakes is probably a good thing.

Yan Xiang bowed deeply, his heart filled with countless words, which ultimately boiled down to one sentence.

"My lord is wise!"

"I need your guidance on the specific implementation methods and related measures."

Yuan Shu, displaying an air of diligence and determination, sat down with Yan Xiang for a long talk about the people's livelihood under his rule.

If it were the original Yuan Shu, he wouldn't care about any of this. He was already planning to declare himself emperor, launch a northern expedition, and fight for supremacy. Naturally, he would continue to conscript soldiers and requisition grain to the death, and after two years, he would have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and ascend the throne.

But for him now, the more pressing issue is sustainable development. The chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty will not last just a year or two. The current garrison in Shouchun, along with those in the surrounding areas, already numbers 100,000. Without more territory and population, this burden is already considerable. Further increasing military service and taxes would be tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Rather than forcing the people to conscript soldiers and losing their support, it would be better to train these ragtag troops into elite soldiers and generals. This is what is meant by valuing quality over quantity.

With an army of 100,000 men and mountains of grain, weapons, and money, Yuan Gongzi, a man from a family that had held high office for four generations, had never fought a battle with such wealth.

Thinking this through, Yuan Shu proposed, “Sir, although I am reluctant to conscript soldiers because of the plight of the people, we are currently in a chaotic world with years of war, and we need to replenish our losses or prepare for emergencies.”

I intend to allow the people to participate in military exercises and training during the off-season for farming, and those who excel will be exempted from taxes, while outstanding individuals will be rewarded.

These troops in the military exercise may not be considered elite, but they should be sufficient to replenish combat losses and reserve manpower.

Do you agree, sir?

Yan Xiang looked at the person in front of him with surprise and suspicion, wondering if he had a master guiding him.
Is this the kind of strategy you, my lord, could have come up with?

"Sir? What's wrong? Is this plan flawed?"

Meeting Yuan Shu's smiling gaze, Yan Xiang shook his head slightly.

"My lord's plan is quite innovative. By hiding soldiers among the people, the entire population can be mobilized for war if needed!"
However, there are also shortcomings.

He stroked his beard slightly, his gaze deep, as if deep in thought, or perhaps carefully choosing his words, lest he dampen the lord's enthusiasm after he had so confidently put forward such a good plan.

"Although the lord's plan is good, the war broke out suddenly, and there may not be enough time to summon and deploy troops. Moreover, the people will be distracted during the busy farming season, which will affect their farming."

In my opinion, training should be conducted in different areas and in different rounds, so as not to affect agricultural activities.

Furthermore, this system of rewards and punishments needs to be clearly defined. While providing incentives, it must also prevent unqualified individuals from filling positions and enriching themselves. Only with such a well-planned system and clear distinction between rewards and punishments can the lord's hopes be realized.

"Sir, these are your wise and prudent words!"

To Yan Xiang's surprise, Yuan Shu did not get angry at being told he hadn't thought things through. Instead, he held Yan Xiang's hand tightly, showing genuine affection.

"My acquisition of a teacher is like King Wen acquiring Lü Wang, or Emperor Gaozu acquiring Xiao He."

What you say is very true. We must not delay agricultural work. We should include farming in the evaluation, expand the area of ​​military farms, reward the best performers and punish the worst performers, following the old practice of rewarding farming and warfare in the pre-Qin period.

As for those who are merely pretending to be skilled musicians and lining their own pockets…

Yuan Shu's eyes were cold and sharp as knives. He drew the sword from his waist and handed it to Yan Xiang.

"This matter is entirely entrusted to you, sir. You may consult with the strategist Yang Hong to devise a comprehensive plan."

From the top down, the entire army, including figures like Ji Ling and Zhang Xun, will be free to execute anyone who dares not cooperate, even if he is my son!

I hope you will accomplish this task, putting the people's welfare first and not failing my expectations.

Do not disappoint me.

These four short words carry immense weight.

He murmured those four words under his breath, almost bursting into tears.

When did it start?
At this moment, images involuntarily appeared before Yan Xiang's eyes: the boy who studied classics at home, seeking knowledge and aspiring to officialdom; the young man who entered officialdom for the first time, full of vigor and ambition; and the middle-aged man who was exhausted from earnestly advising others.
When did it begin? When did his temples turn gray, his face become weathered, and his hair turn a pitiful white?

He learned both literary and martial arts, hoping to serve the emperor. He was once full of ambition and longed to meet a wise ruler. He also devoted himself to his work, but was disappointed time and time again.

However, today, he came with righteous indignation and was prepared to die to remonstrate with the emperor. The lord was not annoyed by him, but instead talked with him at length about governance and had a heart-to-heart talk. He listened to his suggestions and adopted them as a guiding principle.

Once upon a time, this was something that Yan Xiang could only dream of but never attain.
What a magnificent imperial seal! It truly is a national treasure!
Perhaps our lord, with his lofty ambitions, has truly reformed himself, inspired by this?
At this moment, Yan Xiang held the sword with both hands, bowed deeply, and paid his respects.

"I am but a humble and incompetent man, and cannot repay your extraordinary kindness!"

You treated me like a national hero, and I will repay you as a national hero.

　Thank you everyone for your support! ()
　　
　
(End of this chapter)