Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 201 The powerful clans are in a state of panic, Liu Bei's power shakes the Central Plains (Seeking subscriptions and monthly votes)
A newly established regime needs victories to deter those who refuse to submit.

Liu Bei supported Liu Xie as emperor, killed Yuan Shu, who cut off his beard and abandoned his robe, defeated the rebel army of three provinces with 20,000 troops, and frightened Liu Yu to flee in panic when his army approached Ye City. He also seized most of the cities in Hanoi and Yan Province, and his power shook the Central Plains.

Yuan Shu declared himself emperor in Huainan, defeated Sun Jian, captured Lu Kang, beheaded Liu Dai, routed Huang Zu, and forced Liu Biao to hastily seek help. This also made the Zhong clan a powerful force in Jing and Yang.

Yuan Shao supported Liu Yu to become emperor. Min Chun, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and Geng Wu, the Minister of Justice, rebelled. Emperor Liu Yu and his civil and military officials abandoned the city and fled. General Shen Pei fell into a trap and lost the Henan Commandery. Zhang Miao, the Prefect of Chenliu, was captured. Yuan Xu, the Prefect of Jiyin Commandery, and Ying Shao, the Prefect of Shanyang Commandery, abandoned the city and fled. General Yuan Shao's campaign against Heishan failed.

It can be said that the Ye City court failed to establish any prestige from top to bottom.

If Liu Bei's new policies hadn't involved cunningly seizing the interests of powerful and wealthy families, he could have pacified Hebei after this battle.

As long as Liu Bei's new policies remain unchanged, Yuan Shao will continue to receive support from powerful clans and wealthy families.

As Feng Ji said: Even if you can obtain four prefectures, you may not be able to keep them. And how could the powerful families and gentry of the four prefectures be willing to hand over the fields, houses and servants that their ancestors had seized by trickery and force?
Yuan Shao needed to lie low, to develop his strength, to build high walls, stockpile grain, and to delay declaring himself king, consolidating his resources before challenging Liu Bei.

The descendants of the prestigious Yuan family, which has produced three dukes for four generations, now need to lie low and develop, which seems to contradict the natural order.

Although he was very unwilling and frustrated, Yuan Shao had no way to defeat Liu Bei head-on, so he could only use tricks and schemes to buy time.

Therefore, after the war ended, Yuan Shao sent Zhang Jin to persuade Yuan Shu and Liu Biao, invited powerful families from You and Ji provinces to discuss important matters, and sent envoys to Qing, Yan, Xu and Yu provinces to persuade powerful families from those four provinces.

Since they cannot defeat Liu Bei in a one-on-one fight, they should follow Su Qin's example and join forces with the seals of six states to attack Liu Bei.

During the period when Yuan Shao was actively making preparations.

Liu Bei then directly announced the implementation of new policies in the three commanderies of Chenliu, Jiyin, and Shanyang.

Previously, it was powerful and wealthy families who seized money, grain, land, and houses from the common people by trickery and force; now it is Liu Bei who is seizing money, grain, land, and houses from powerful and wealthy families by trickery and force.

Under the overwhelming power of Liu Bei's victory, the powerful families and clans of the three commanderies, though unwilling, dared not resist.

Even though he desperately wanted to shoot Liu Bei, there was nothing he could do.

They either had to obediently hand over their money, grain, land, and houses, or they had to go to Dongjun or Dongping Kingdom. There was no third way.

The reason why we didn't let Xun Yu boil the frog in lukewarm water like we did in Yuzhou is quite simple: there were no rebels in Yuzhou, so the approach had to be gentler.

Chenliu, Jiyin, and Shanyang were different; these three prefectures had rebel forces and were putting up a stubborn resistance.

Those who refuse to support Liu Bei's new policies are all rebels.

Since they are rebels, they are the enemy; we can simply send troops to attack and kill them.

With a million households in Siyong as a foundation and military strength capable of crushing bandits, Liu Bei no longer needed to slowly implement his new policies in Yanzhou.

Liu Bei needs to gather and combine the resources of Yanzhou, such as money, grain, armor, and weapons, in the shortest possible time.

In the past, Qin Shi Huang's power shook the world, and a key factor was that he collected all the weapons in the country, gathered them in Xianyang, melted down the blades and arrowheads, and cast them into twelve bronze statues to weaken the people of the country.

Liu Bei, on the other hand, seized the resources controlled by powerful clans in Chenliu, Jiyin, and Shanyang counties, and eliminated their henchmen, leaving them powerless to resist.

Within ten days or a month.

Liu Bei cunningly and forcefully seized most of the powerful and influential families in the three counties.

Using the same methods that powerful and wealthy families use to seize and plunder from ordinary people, it is a perfect example of turning the tables on them.

have to say.

These three counties are quite prosperous.

Liu Bei acquired a considerable amount of armor.

Although the lack of horse armor prevented the expansion of the White Feather Army, they obtained over four thousand sets of armor and a large quantity of bronze and leather armor, most of which were privately forged by powerful families and clans from the three prefectures.

Liu Bei instructed Gao Shun to select eight hundred sets of the heaviest armor to form the Trapped Camp.

This made Gao Shun extremely happy.

Originally, it was thought that it would take a long time for Liu Bei to form the Trapped Camp after he had ceased hostilities with Yuan Shao. Unexpectedly, less than a month after Liu Bei ceased hostilities, he gave 800 sets of heavy armor to Gao Shun.

Liu Bei distributed the remaining armor to the Lingyan Army.

Although the Lingyan Army consisted entirely of elite troops, not everyone possessed armor. The acquisition of over four thousand sets at once significantly boosted the Lingyan Army's combat strength.

In fact, if Yuan Shao had followed Liu Bei's example and integrated the armor of the powerful clans in Hebei to form an elite army, given the wealth of Hebei, it wouldn't have been a problem for him to directly assemble 30,000 armored elite soldiers.

In this way, not only could they crush Liu Bei, but no powerful family in Hebei would dare to say "no" to Yuan Shao.

Although the idea was appealing, it was contingent on the powerful families and clans of Hebei being willing to hand over all the armor they had privately forged to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao now has to rely on the powerful clans and gentry of Hebei to compete with Liu Bei. Even if he has this idea, he doesn't dare to follow Liu Bei's example at all.

Liu Bei, however, did not have this concern.

From the very beginning, Liu Bei's opponents were the powerful and influential families scattered throughout the land. Seizing their money, supplies, armor, and weapons through trickery and force was a necessary tactic for Liu Bei.

In this great Han dynasty, the majority of people were still commoners.

As long as the common people can be fed and clothed, and are armed, they will spontaneously uphold the social rules established by Liu Bei.

Even if some ambitious individuals among the common people become dissatisfied with the status quo, it is not a cause for concern.

Liu Bei did not aim to establish an absolutely fair and just utopian society, but rather to minimize the gap between the gentry and commoners, creating a society where both could live and work in peace and contentment.

Apart from a small minority who thrive on chaos, most people simply want to live in peace and prosperity, each getting what they need.

Liu Bei also did not want the Han Dynasty's fifty million people to be reduced to only a few million due to natural disasters and man-made calamities. In the end, he had no choice but to forcibly relocate the Rong, Di, Hu and Man tribes into the country. This led to the War of the Eight Princes and the Five Barbarian Invasions, which nearly caused a break in the continuity of civilization.

April of the second year of the Chuping era.

Cao Cao, having received Liu Bei's summons, led 30,000 Qingzhou soldiers to Changyi City.

"Brother Mengde, you went to Qingzhou and returned with a strong and well-equipped army!" Liu Bei warmly welcomed Cao Cao into the city.

Cao Cao also looked pleased with himself: "This time when I entered Qingzhou, I selected 50,000 strong men from the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou to form an army, called the Qingzhou Army. 10,000 are in Beihai, 10,000 are in Taishan, and I have brought the remaining 30,000 with me."

Liu Bei chuckled: "The quality of soldiers is more important than their quantity. With so many soldiers, can Brother Mengde afford to support them?"

Cao Cao laughed and said, "I am not as good as Xuande. He can conquer the world with only 20,000 Lingyan soldiers. I should keep 10,000 in Beihai, 10,000 in Taishan, and 10,000 each in Shanyang, Jiyin, and Chenliu. Only in this way can I keep the counties under control. It is not too late to reduce the number of troops later depending on the situation."

Cao Cao's approach was not problematic. After all, when Liu Bei was in Yongzhou, he first took control of Huangfu Song's 30,000 troops to quell the rebellion, and then integrated the troops of Dong Zhuo and other forces in Luoyang after arriving there.

In the end, only 20,000 elite troops were selected to form the Lingyan Army.

Liu Bei introduced Li Dian, Li Qian, Li Jin, Xu Xi, Mao Hui, Bian Rang, and other civil and military officials to Cao Cao, so that they could assist Cao Cao in governing the three commanderies in the future.

Currently, Cao Cao needs to control Chenliu, Jiyin, Shanyang, Taishan, and Beihai from west to east. He not only needs to intimidate the disobedient counties but also needs to resist the heavy troops deployed by Yuan Shao, so the pressure is not small.

However, given Cao Cao's abilities, Liu Bei could rest assured.

Liu Bei swept through the powerful clans of the three commanderies, filling the treasury with money, provisions, equipment, and land deeds, so Cao Cao didn't have to worry about that. Although Liu Bei had taken all the armor, Cao Cao could still use the remaining bronze and leather armor to arm his Qingzhou troops.

Before leaving.

Liu Bei then handed over Gao Shun and his 800 elite troops to Cao Cao.

The reason is simple: these 800 elite troops require a lot of money and food to support, and the treasuries of the three prefectures have plenty of money and food, so Liu Bei has no need to ask the treasury in Luoyang to provide money and food.

Cao Cao was also extremely envious.

Eight hundred fierce soldiers in armor charged into battle first; who could rival them?
"Don't worry, Xuande, even if Yuan Shao comes in person, I can still fight him." Cao Cao said confidently and boldly.

With 800 armored elite infantrymen, 50,000 Qingzhou soldiers, and the granaries of the three commanderies overflowing with money and grain, even though the Qingzhou army and the elite infantry had just been established, Cao Cao was not afraid of Yuan Shao.

"Then I'll leave Yanzhou to Brother Mengde."

After having a banquet with Cao Cao, Liu Bei led his troops out of Yanzhou.

Liu Bei never intended to fight Yuan Shao to the death in Yanzhou.

After all, Liu Bei was a Grand General, not the Governor of Yanzhou.

The alliance against Yuan Shao that Liu Bei had previously planned in Luoyang involved appointing Cao Cao as the governor of Yan Province.

Cao Cao was unable to control Yan Province because the rebel forces there were too strong.

Now that Liu Bei has forcibly defeated most of the rebel forces in Yan Province, and swept away the powerful clans of the three counties of Chenliu, Cao Cao can officially take control of Yan Province.

As a general, Liu Bei needed to have a comprehensive view of the overall situation, rather than focusing his energy on a single province or county.

Instead of immediately retreating to Luoyang, Liu Bei headed south to Yuzhou.

The wealth and provisions of the powerful families in the three counties were sufficient to support Liu Bei's 20,000-strong Lingyan Army in its southward march.

Liu Bei deliberately ceased hostilities with Yuan Shao because he anticipated that Yuan Shao would not dare to fight him to the death at this time. Therefore, he took this opportunity to sweep away the powerful families and clans in the three counties and to move south to Yuzhou to implement a new plan.

Xun Yu was like a frog being slowly boiled in warm water in Yuzhou, but Liu Bei thought it was too slow.

Taking advantage of the great victory in Yanzhou and the momentum of Liu Bei's sweeping away of the powerful clans in the three counties, Liu Bei wanted to make the powerful clans in Yuzhou officially acknowledge and abide by the new policies.

If this is followed, everyone will be happy, and Liu Bei can still leave the powerful and aristocratic families with some dignity.

Liu Bei did not aim to eliminate powerful clans, but rather to curb the annexation of land and houses, prohibit the existence of slaves, and narrow the gap between the gentry and commoners.

Therefore, after complying with the new policies, powerful and wealthy families continued to hold official positions, become clerks, and remain renowned scholars. Their political status, cultural heritage, and economic level were all superior to those of ordinary people.

However, if they do not comply, Liu Bei would not hesitate to wipe out the powerful clans and gentry of Yu Province.

Having inflicted such a crushing defeat on Yuan Shao, Liu Bei anticipated that Yuan Shao would inevitably send people to persuade powerful families and clans in various prefectures and counties, as well as Liu Biao and Yuan Shu in Jing and Yang provinces, and even Liu Yan in Yi province might respond.

Liu Bei must strike first and eliminate the armed forces of the powerful clans and gentry in Yu Province.

Without armed forces, even if powerful clans and gentry in Yuzhou respond, they cannot stir up any major trouble.

After the surprise attack on Ye City, Liu Bei had a clearer understanding of the current situation: In the world today, there is not a single person who can defeat him who is his enemy!

Liu Bei won the battle against Yuan Shu.

Liu Bei won the battle against the rebels in three provinces.

Liu Bei won the battle against Yuan Shao.

The three battles made Liu Bei a powerful figure in the Central Plains, which was also a great opportunity for him to promote his new policies.

If we wait too long, the powerful families and clans in the counties will feel that things are working out, and Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and others will become increasingly skilled in warfare, making it even more difficult to promote the new policies.

"Uncle, isn't this too hasty?"

Upon learning of Liu Bei's idea, Xun Yu was alarmed and hurriedly sought out Liu Bei to offer his advice.

As the Prefect of Yu Province, Xun Yu was able to be described as having done his best in Yu Province.

During his tenure as the Prefect of Yu Province, no powerful clans or influential families caused trouble in Yu Province, which was all thanks to Xun Yu's diligence in government affairs.

Now, Liu Bei is about to implement the new policies directly, which will inevitably affect Xun Yu's prestige in Yu Province and arouse the dissatisfaction of powerful clans.

"Minister Xun, you have made great contributions in Yuzhou. I will petition His Majesty to transfer you to the Secretariat. From now on, you will work with Zhong Yao to assist the Vice Minister of the Secretariat in handling its affairs."

Liu Bei didn't give Xun Yu much explanation and directly promoted him to the position of Minister.

Upon hearing this arrangement, Xun Yu knew that Liu Bei had made up his mind, so he sighed and stopped trying to persuade him.

In addition to being a Grand General, Imperial Uncle, and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Liu Bei was also the Governor of Yu Province.

In Yuzhou today, apart from Chancellor Luo Jun, Prefect Mao Jie of Yingchuan, Chancellor Chen Ji of Liang, Chancellor Yuan Huan of Pei, and Prefect Man Chong of Runan were all promoted by Liu Bei.

When Liu Bei wanted to take action against the powerful and influential families of Yu Province, no one could stop him.

Those who disagree are welcome to go to Huainan and join Yuan Shu; Liu Bei will not stop them.

As expected, voices of opposition from powerful families and influential clans in the counties of Yuzhou rose and fell with the issuance of the decree.

However, Liu Bei ignored the objections of these powerful families and directly ordered ten battalions of the Lingyan Army to be dispatched to various counties to prioritize the confiscation of armor privately held by these powerful families.

Liu Bei needed to seize all the armor in Yu Province as quickly as possible and redistribute the province's resources, including money, grain, land, and housing.

The Lingyan Army had already gained increasing prestige due to its continuous victories, and was also known for its "benevolence and righteousness" among the common people. In addition, every soldier in the Lingyan Army could now speak a few words of reason.

Wherever he went, he would be responsible for publicizing the benefits of Liu Bei's new policies to the common people, and would use the living conditions of the common people in the Siyong region as an example to encourage the common people in other counties to respond.

In the past, Zhang Jiao was able to persuade the common people of eight provinces to join the Yellow Turban Rebellion with just talismanic water and a few words of peace and prosperity.

Now, Liu Bei, with more practical funds and provisions and a higher level of reasoning, can also mobilize the common people of various counties.

Seeing that Liu Bei was serious.

The powerful clans, who had already been subdued by Xun Yu's gradual approach, were increasingly losing their voices of opposition.

The rebels in Yanzhou were defeated by Liu Bei, the rebels in Xuzhou were defeated by Liu Bei, Yuan Shu only dared to fight Liu Biao and dared not go north, and who in Yuzhou dared to really fight to the death with Liu Bei who had the strongest army in the world?
"Liu Bei is far too arrogant!"

"How dare they treat the powerful families of Yan and Yu like this!"

"However, this will make it easier for me to persuade Yuan Shu and Liu Biao. In the past, Wang Mang offended the powerful clans of the land and was eventually destroyed. Now, Liu Bei is following in Wang Mang's footsteps and is not far from his death!"

Zhang Jin, who was traveling south, was both shocked and delighted by Liu Bei's cunning and forceful exploitation of powerful families and clans.

Although Liu Bei was very powerful and ruthless, Zhang Jin's southward journey was intended to emulate Su Qin's alliance against the powerful clans. The more ruthless Liu Bei was towards the aristocratic families and powerful clans, the more confident Zhang Jin would be.

(End of this chapter)