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

Chapter 252 Liu Bei is invincible, Yuan Shu allies with Yuan Shao (Seeking subscriptions and monthly votes)
Jiangxia County, Echeng.

Upon learning that Yuan Shao had ceded territory to sue for peace and withdrawn from Ye City, Yuan Shu was overjoyed.

“The son born to a maid is truly incompetent.”

"They pretended to support Liu Yu and his son as emperors, hoping to compete with all the heroes in the world, but now they can only run away in fear."

"Since I ascended the throne, I first beheaded Liu Dai, then captured Liu Biao, and then destroyed Liu Yan. South of the Central Plains, there is no one who can stand in my way."

"Indeed, the affairs of the world are in my hands, and I am the mandate of heaven!"

Since Yuan Shu won a series of victories after declaring himself emperor, his power grew rapidly. As a result, not only did Yuan Shu believe that he was divinely appointed, but most of the officials and powerful figures who were attached to him also believed that Yuan Shu was divinely appointed.

Even after news of Yuan Shao ceding territory to sue for peace and withdrawing from Ye City reached them, the three Zhou brothers, who were loyal to Yuan Shao, began to waver and hesitated about whether to abandon Yuan Shao and truly serve Yuan Shu to the death.

From the summer of the second year of Zhangwu, the wars in various provinces ended, and both Liu Bei and Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu became relatively peaceful.

As Yuan Shu's prestige increased and Liu Bei implemented his lenient policies of giving and taking, a large number of powerful families from Sili, Yan, Xu, and Yu provinces flocked to Jing and Yang provinces.

Even the powerful and wealthy families of Nanyang who had initially gone to Guanzhong to avoid trouble returned to Nanyang from Guanzhong.

As more powerful families and influential figures moved south, Yuan Shu, at Chen Qun's suggestion, implemented a policy of easy entry but strict exit, restricting the departure of scholars and commoners.

The reason is simple: if the common people all flee, who will till the land and perform corvée labor?
Although Yuan Shu changed his policy to lenient entry and strict exit, Liu Bei continued to adopt a policy of lenient entry and lenient exit.

Liu Bei warmly welcomed anyone who was willing to come.

Liu Bei will not stop those who wish to leave.

South of the Yellow River, the distinction between the gentry and the common people gradually became clearer.

The powerful and influential families possessed most of the knowledge of this era.

The wealthy and powerful families who migrated south brought a wealth of production technologies to the Jingyang region, including not only agricultural techniques but also coal mining, metallurgy, ceramics, and weaponry.

Perhaps it was because Liu Bei's new policies were too harsh on the powerful families in the Central Plains that the scholars who migrated south realized that they should enjoy life while they could, and desperately pursued luxurious and novel food, clothing, daily necessities, housing, and entertainment. As a result, it was common to see scholars with a strong sense of the common people acquiring large amounts of land and accumulating wealth.

Money has become more important to the wealthy and powerful than ever before, and they are eager to acquire it and enjoy it immensely.

With the development of commerce, the trend of abandoning agriculture for business and bureaucrats engaging in business gradually became popular. The economy of Jingyang began to shift from the past sporadic and localized development to a stage of large-scale and comprehensive development.

In addition to the rise of a number of large-scale commercial cities, rural towns also saw the emergence of markets that held regular gatherings. Some towns with hundreds of households even had markets, where songs and dances were performed in large groups everywhere.

The price of Wuzhu coins gradually increased, and there were even phenomena of "coin shortage" and "coins being expensive and goods being cheap," which led to a continuous rise in the purchasing power of Wuzhu coins.

Scarcity increases value; anything that is scarce becomes expensive, and the Wuzhu coin is no exception. Over time, the Wuzhu coin has been given a value beyond its intrinsic worth, becoming a symbol of wealth and status.

The collision and convergence of production technologies, along with the changing ideologies of powerful families, led to unprecedented development in the culture, economy, and politics of Jingyang and Xichuan.

Although Yuan Shu was incompetent, he was like a pig standing on the wind. Even though he indulged in extravagance, he could still fly. If we ignore the suffering of the common people, it would not be an exaggeration to call Jing, Yang and Xichuan a paradise for scholars and people.

The third year of Zhangwu (194 AD).

From April to July, the Sanfu region suffered from a prolonged drought, with rivers drying up, farmland cracking, and crops failing.

A major earthquake struck in June of the same year, with frequent aftershocks that further destroyed the infrastructure in the affected areas.

The drought also affected Yanzhou, and the passage of locusts exacerbated the famine.

Although Liu Bei made ample preparations for disaster prevention, he was limited by the productivity of the era and could only reduce the severity of the disasters, not eliminate them.

In the face of natural disasters, human power appears extremely weak.

In an era where destiny was in power, Yuan Shu's territory became unprecedentedly prosperous due to the large-scale southward migration of powerful clans. Although Liu Bei achieved military victories, he was plagued by drought, earthquakes, and locust plagues.

This stark contrast made Yuan Shu feel once again that he was blessed by Heaven!

Ever since.

Yuan Shu had the idea of ​​launching a northern expedition.

"Today, my fate rests in my hands. I intend to launch a northern expedition against Liu Bei. What do you all think?"

Looking at the assembled officials, Yuan Shu felt even more triumphant.

However, just when Yuan Shu thought that all the officials would agree, he saw that their eyes were darting around and they all lowered their heads and remained silent.

The Northern Expedition costs money.

For the Zhong clan nobles, now is the time to build their fortunes. If they have money, why not acquire more land and accumulate more wealth instead of waging war?
Yuan Shu frowned: "Do you gentlemen think this is inappropriate?"

A moment later, Chen Qun, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty is wise. Although Liu Bei currently has a well-trained army and sufficient provisions, it is not yet time for a northern expedition. Although there have been natural disasters under Liu Bei's rule, they have occurred in the Three Auxiliary Regions and Yan Province, while Yu Province and Xu Province have not been affected. Since the occurrence of these disasters, Liu Bei has strengthened the defenses of Yu Province and Xu Province. It will be difficult to achieve success in a northern expedition now."

Yuan Shu was unaware that Liu Bei had been preparing for disasters ever since he first entered Yongzhou.

The swift and decisive implementation of the new policies, along with the permission for powerful families to move south, was also intended to prevent them from taking advantage of any natural disasters to create chaos within the territory.

The reason we fought a major battle with Yuan Shao in Wei Commandery last year was to prevent Yuan Shao from taking advantage of the disaster to march south.

The disasters are mainly concentrated in the Three Auxiliary Regions and Yan Province. If Yuan Shao marches south this year, even if Liu Bei defeats Yuan Shao, it will lead to a large number of refugees in the territory, which will then affect Yu Province and Xu Province.

If Yuzhou and Xuzhou are affected, it will give Yuan Shu another opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

now.

Although Yuan Shao intended to march south, he was dissuaded by Guo Tu with the advice to "wait and see what happens, and wait for Yuan Shu to make the first move" and "stockpile grain and build high walls." Tian Feng, Feng Ji, and others also believed that they should take advantage of the conflict between Yuan Shu and Liu Bei to stockpile grain and train troops.

This allowed Liu Bei to deploy troops to Yuzhou and Xuzhou while simultaneously preventing disasters, thus strengthening the defenses of those two provinces.

Seeing Chen Qun's advice, General Lü Bu also stepped forward and said, "The South lacks warhorses, and its armor is inferior to Liu Bei's. Therefore, I believe that we should first formulate a strategy for a northern expedition, and then manufacture weapons and armor for war, train elite troops, and stockpile provisions. When Liu Bei and Yuan Shao fight again, Your Majesty can lead the army on a northern expedition and surely win in one battle."

General Zhang Xun also stepped forward: "Previously, Yuan Shao repeatedly sent envoys to seek an alliance with Your Majesty, but Your Majesty refused each time. In my opinion, it would be better to send an envoy to Hebei to instigate Yuan Shao to launch a southern campaign. If Yuan Shao does not dare to do so, then form an alliance with Yuan Shao and agree on a strategy of attack and defense. If Liu Bei attacks the south, then Yuan Shao attacks the north; if Liu Bei attacks the north, then Your Majesty attacks the south."

"If that happens, Liu Bei will surely be defeated!"

The other officials also expressed their opinions.

Although their words differed, the core message was the same: conserve energy and wait for the right opportunity.

Yuan Shu's enthusiasm for the Northern Expedition was dampened by the discouraging remarks of his ministers, and he began to hesitate.

Although they wanted to take the opportunity to launch a northern expedition against Liu Bei, none of the ministers were confident of defeating Liu Bei, and Yuan Shu did not dare to really compete with Liu Bei.

Winning would be good, but losing would severely damage Yuan Shu's reputation. After all...

Since declaring himself emperor, Yuan Shu has won a series of victories and gained the support of powerful and influential families.

If we cannot defeat Liu Bei in one fell swoop, I'm afraid no one will dare to mention the Northern Expedition again.

Imagine this: when Yuan Shu, who had destroyed Liu Dai, Liu Biao, and Liu Yan, was defeated by Liu Bei, wouldn't the Mandate of Heaven have shifted from Yuan Shu to Liu Bei?

Yuan Shu dared not gamble, nor could he afford to.

Zhang Xun's suggestion gave Yuan Shu some ideas.

Previously, Yuan Shu despised Yuan Shao and was unwilling to form an alliance with him. Now that Liu Dai, Liu Biao, and Liu Yan have all been defeated, Yuan Shu's only option to advance further is to launch a northern expedition against Liu Bei.

Since Yuan Shu was not confident of winning the Northern Expedition, forming an alliance with Yuan Shao became the best option at the moment.

Situ Yang Hong suddenly suggested, "Since we are going to form an alliance with Yuan Shao, why doesn't Your Majesty instigate Yuan Shao to declare himself emperor?"

Yuan Shu's face darkened, and he said with dissatisfaction, "Yuan Shao is merely the son of a concubine; how can he be ranked on the same level as me?"

Yang Hong stated unequivocally: "Your Majesty's conflict with Yuan Shao is a conflict between brothers; Your Majesty's conflict with Liu Bei is a conflict over the succession of the state. Although Yuan Shao is opposed to Liu Bei, it is currently only an internal conflict within the Han dynasty. Even if Yuan Shao agrees to form an alliance, the people and officials in the north may not agree."

"But if Yuan Shao becomes emperor, the people of the north will no longer consider themselves ministers of the Han dynasty, but ministers of the Yuan family. After Your Majesty destroys Liu Bei, how could the people of the north not understand the times? When Your Majesty ascends the Yellow River, the people of the north will surely welcome you with food and drink."

"Furthermore, after Yuan Shao declares himself emperor, in order to gain the trust of the people and officials in the north, he will surely take the initiative to launch a southern expedition against Liu Bei to establish the prestige of his state. When Liu Bei's army marches north, Your Majesty can mobilize all the troops of Jingchu to take Xuzhou in the east, Yuzhou in the middle, and Yongzhou in the west. The world can be pacified by now."

Upon hearing Yang Hong's words, Yuan Shu was immediately tempted.

His dissatisfaction with Yuan Shao being ranked on equal footing with him stemmed from his contempt for Yuan Shao and was a matter of personal pride.

If Yuan Shao could be allowed to launch a southern campaign against Liu Bei, thus creating an opportunity for himself, it would be in the best interest of the nation.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shu looked at the civil and military officials in the hall and asked, "What do you think of the Minister's words?"

Talking without taking action is beneficial to both the civil and military officials in the hall, and they all expressed their support.

See this.

Yuan Shu then asked, "Who can serve as my envoy to Hebei?"

Upon hearing that he was to be sent on a mission, the hall fell silent again.

Traveling from Echeng to Hebei is time-consuming and laborious. People who live comfortably in Echeng don't want to go to Hebei.

Yang Hong then said, “The envoy must be a member of Your Majesty’s imperial family. I believe that Yuan Si, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, is suitable to be sent as an envoy to Hebei. Moreover, Yuan Si has a past relationship with Guo Tu, who is extremely greedy. If we bribe him with money, we can surely accomplish the task.”

Yuan Si felt a chill run down his spine. He cursed Yang Hong inwardly while politely declining, saying, "To travel from Echeng to Hebei, one must pass through Liu Bei's territory. How can we possibly go through there?"

Yang Hong smiled and said, "That's why I said earlier that the envoy must be a member of His Majesty's imperial family. The Minister of the Imperial Household can disguise himself as a merchant and go north without anyone stopping him. If someone else is sent on the mission, they must carry official seals and documents. If they are found out, it will be difficult for them to succeed."

Liu Bei implemented a policy of lenient entry and exit, and did not restrict merchants from traveling north.

Despite the powerful clans constantly clamoring that Liu Bei's new policies were bad, when Liu Bei secretly sent people to buy grain at high prices, the powerful clans in Jing, Yang and Xichuan would still secretly sell grain.

Yuan Shu turned a blind eye to this.

Unlike Liu Bei, who would distribute surplus grain to commoners and slaves, the powerful families and wealthy merchants in Jingyang and Xichuan had full granaries but still wanted to buy luxury items such as food, clothing, daily necessities, and entertainment.

However, the domestic demand in Jingyang and Xichuan is limited. If grain cannot be exported, even if the granaries are full, it is just dead goods and cannot be exchanged for the things needed by powerful families and wealthy people.

At present, the Wuzhu coin is still the main circulating currency in various states.

Wuzhu coins were quite valuable in Jingyang and Xichuan, so smuggling grain in exchange for Wuzhu coins became a business for some aristocratic families.

Besides grain, various luxury items such as Shu brocade and ceramics were also sold to the north.

Liu Bei did not impose any restrictions on this; on the contrary, he provided convenience for merchants traveling between the north and south.

As long as the powerful and wealthy families in the south believe that there are huge profits to be made in commerce, they will become war-weary and fond of business.

For example, the Southern Tang Dynasty was one of the most economically prosperous regions during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, but its military preparedness was neglected.

For example, a certain Song dynasty was incredibly wealthy, yet militarily it was as weak as a chicken, resorting to all sorts of spending to buy peace.

Liu Bei tolerated this because he wanted Yuan Shu's Zhong clan to become like the Southern Tang and a certain Song dynasty.

To weaken powerful clans, it's not necessary to force Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu to follow Liu Bei's example.

By indulging the powerful clans in extravagant lifestyles such as eating, clothing, housing, daily necessities, and entertainment, thereby neglecting military preparedness and abandoning family traditions, and then launching an attack, Liu Bei could gain full access to the knowledge passed down through generations of these powerful clans.

In contrast to the Hu (non-Han) regimes that destroyed cultural heritage, Liu Bei placed great importance on the transmission of knowledge.

However, most of the knowledge is now in the hands of powerful families and clans. Liu Bei needs to first have these families and clans cultivate the carriers of knowledge through specific methods, and then he can then take them over.

For example, artisans trained by aristocratic families who possess inherited skills serve as carriers of knowledge.

Liu Bei was able to introduce woodblock printing and improve papermaking not only because of the knowledge he had acquired in his previous life, but more importantly, because of the artisans with inherited skills brought by Bi Lan.

Under Yang Hong's strong persuasion, Yuan Si, though very unwilling, could not go against Yuan Shu's wishes and could only agree to pretend to be a Shu brocade merchant and go to the north.

Yuan Shu then ordered General Zhang Xun and General Lü Bu to strengthen their troops and actively prepare for war.

Since returning from the campaign against Yuan Shao in early summer last year, Liu Bei has been busy with disaster prevention and relief efforts for more than a year.

Although he still couldn't completely eliminate natural disasters, Liu Bei significantly reduced the famine caused by them, preventing the tragic situation of "rice prices soaring, people resorting to cannibalism, and countless people starving to death."

However, due to this disaster, coupled with the poor harvest in the Three Auxiliary Regions and Yanzhou this year, most of the money and grain that Liu Bei had obtained by plundering powerful families and clans in recent years had been consumed.
However, just because a disaster happened this year does not mean it will not happen again next year.

However, this year's disasters are even greater and more severe.

If human-made disaster prevention measures are not implemented meticulously, famines will occur every year.

Fortunately, printing and papermaking workshops have now expanded in various prefectures and counties, and the simplified Chinese Thousand Character Classic has been promoted in various prefectures and counties. Liu Bei ordered the workshops to print a large number of disaster prevention notices and disaster prevention details, and to distribute them to various prefectures, counties, and townships.

To ensure that policies could be implemented at the county and township levels, Liu Bei selected a number of officers and soldiers from the Lingyan Army who were skilled in both civil and military affairs. These officers and soldiers were assigned to various prefectures and counties as deputy scribes of the governors or deputy scribes of the prime ministers, county commandants, and deputy county commandants.

The deputy scribe was not under the jurisdiction of the prefect, the chancellor, the magistrate, or the county head; he was directly subordinate to Liu Bei, but he would not interfere with the specific administrative affairs of the prefecture, state, or county.

(End of this chapter)