Three Reconstructions of the Han Dynasty: I Helped Zhuge Liang Perfect the Longzhong Plan

After bestowing titles and honors upon civil and military officials, the newly established structure of Yizhou was stabilized. Liu Bei then set about implementing in-depth governance, changing the long-standing problems of lax laws and rampant powerful clans during Liu Zhang's reign.

When it came to the selection of local officials in Sichuan and the filling of vacancies in the imperial court, the appointment of Xu Jing, a renowned scholar from Sichuan, became a thorny issue.

Xu Jing was a renowned scholar who co-founded the "Monthly Appraisal" with his cousin Xu Shao. Their fame spread throughout the land, and countless scholars considered it an honor to receive his evaluation. He enjoyed extremely high prestige among scholars, and the gentry of Sichuan held him in the highest esteem.

However, upon hearing about this man's past conduct, Liu Bei immediately felt contempt and resolutely refused to appoint him.

When Liu Bei besieged Chengdu, Liu Zhang held firm to the city. Xu Jing, a court official in Shu, not only failed to uphold his loyalty but also openly led the persuasion of Liu Zhang to surrender in the government hall. He even secretly plotted to scale the city walls and surrender, demonstrating a complete lack of integrity and cowardice. Furthermore, this man was merely a figurehead with no real talent for governing; he had served under various warlords throughout his life without ever achieving any real accomplishments, relying solely on his reputation to climb the ranks.

During a meeting in the prefectural government, Liu Bei stated frankly: "Xu Jing betrayed his lord in the face of danger, scaling the wall to surrender. He is disloyal and unprincipled, possessing only a hollow reputation and no ability to save the world and bring peace to the people. Such a person is not worthy to serve under me and should be dismissed."

Upon hearing this, both the civil and military officials in the hall remained silent. Everyone knew that Xu Jing had an extremely high reputation, and rashly abandoning him would surely draw criticism from the gentry in Shu. However, no one dared to speak up easily.

At this moment, Fa Zheng slowly stepped forward, bowed, and calmly advised: "What you say, my lord, is true. I know Xu Jing very well. He is nothing but a man who seeks empty fame but has no real talent. He is greedy for life and afraid of death, and he is neither loyal nor brave. He is not a pillar of the state. It is only natural that my lord would not use him."

He first agreed with Liu Bei's view, then changed the subject and pointed out the key point: "However, my lord has only recently taken control of Yizhou, and his foundation is not yet stable. The gentry in Shu and scholars throughout the land are all watching my lord's personnel choices. Xu Jing's reputation has spread throughout the land. Although he has no talent, he has become a banner for the literati."

"If the lord dismisses and does not employ them, the scholars of the world will think that the lord despises famous scholars and does not tolerate the talented. At that time, talented people from all directions will have concerns and will not come to join us. The gentry in Shu will also be dissatisfied, which will be very detrimental to the stability of our Yizhou."

Fa Zheng, with a determined look, offered a sound plan: "I have a plan. Your Majesty might as well give him a nominal high position, where he can only enjoy a salary and honors, without any real power or affairs to attend to. Treat him as a 'mascot' of the court, to show Your Majesty's respect for scholars and your willingness to recruit talented people. In this way, you won't have to entrust him with real power and delay state affairs, and you can also use his nominal reputation to win over the hearts of the people and appease the powerful families in Shu. It's a win-win situation."

After listening, Liu Bei pondered carefully and realized that Fa Zheng's words hit the nail on the head. He was now determined to restore the Han Dynasty and unify the world, so he needed to recruit talents from all directions and appease the gentry in Shu. He must not let Xu Jing alone discourage the scholars of the world.

According to what Fa Zheng said, Xu Jing was appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Left General, a high-ranking position with a generous salary. He was often invited to participate in court ceremonies and literary gatherings, and was given full respect, but he was not given any military or political power. He was just a figurehead scholar with a sinecure.

Xu Jing was grateful for the official position he received, completely unaware of Liu Bei and Fa Zheng's intentions. He only focused on using his status as a renowned scholar to promote Liu Bei's reputation for treating scholars with respect. Seeing how Liu Bei treated Xu Jing, the gentry of Shu were all sincerely convinced, and talented people from all directions flocked to join him, making Yizhou increasingly prosperous in talent.

At that time, Liu Ba filled the treasury with money and the people of Sichuan gradually became more at ease. However, the old problems of chaotic local administration, excessive criminal law, and powerful families had not been eradicated.

If left unchecked, it would inevitably repeat the mistakes of Liu Zhang's era; but if the troops were forcibly sent to guard the local areas, it would arouse dissatisfaction among the local scholars. The only option would be to rely on the prestige of loyal and righteous veterans in Shu, such as Yan Yan, to suppress them, but this was not a long-term solution.

After much deliberation, it was decided that it was best to leave the foundations of the Yizhou gentry untouched for now, and to plan for their future later.

However, Liu Bei could not allow the aristocratic clans to wield absolute power, so he summoned his core civil officials and appointed Pang Tong, Liu Ba, Fa Zheng, and Yi Ji as the leaders. They worked together to draft the first set of governance regulations for Yizhou, the "Shu Code," by referring to the Han law and combining it with the local customs of Yizhou. They simplified the complexities and combined leniency with severity.

The four men each performed their duties, working day and night to revise their work: Pang Tong oversaw the overall situation and established the framework for governing the country; Liu Ba was skilled in regulations and sorted out the relevant laws and regulations concerning finance, taxation, and officialdom; Fa Zheng was well-versed in the advantages and disadvantages of Shu and eliminated the harsh and complicated old laws to check and balance the privileges of powerful families; Yi Ji was familiar with the classics and rites and perfected the details of etiquette and official system.

After more than a month, the final draft of the "Shu Code" was completed. The laws were strict but not harsh, and the logic was clear and in line with the realities of Shu. It not only restrained officials and suppressed powerful clans, but also appeased the people and protected their livelihoods, thus establishing a fundamental legal framework for Liu Bei's governance of Yizhou.

Liu Bei was overjoyed after reading it and immediately ordered it to be promulgated throughout Shu, instructing all prefectures and counties to strictly comply. From then on, the administration of Yizhou was renewed, the chaos gradually subsided, Liu Bei rectified the loose situation in Yizhou during Liu Zhang's reign, strengthened centralized power, and laid the initial foundation for a peaceful and prosperous era.

It was the height of summer in the eighteenth year of Jian'an (208 AD), and Liu Bei had been in Chengdu for more than four months.

One afternoon, Liu Bei was resting in a side pavilion of his mansion when a close attendant suddenly reported: "Zhuge Jin from Jiangdong has arrived at the inn outside Chengdu and requests an audience with the lord."

Liu Bei frowned slightly.

Zhuge Jin's visit must have had a specific purpose.

Jingzhou and Xiangyang were the foundation of Liu Bei's group. By controlling both Yizhou and Jingzhou, they had the power to contend with Cao Cao. Now that Sun Quan has sent him here, it is clear to everyone that Jiangdong, seeing Liu Bei's gain of Yizhou and his rapidly increasing strength, wants to take advantage of the situation and reclaim Jingzhou.

Liu Bei frowned slightly. He knew that Zhuge Jin was a prudent person and not a warmonger. This time, he must have come at Sun Quan's behest, and his arrival was not to be underestimated.

Pang Tong was away from Chengdu, accompanying Huang Zhong and Wei Yan on a patrol of the northern border of Sichuan, while Fa Zheng was in Jianwei County inspecting official conduct and cracking down on powerful clans. At present, the only one who could discuss matters with Liu Bei and was well-versed in the situation in Jiangdong was Gu Sulin.

He then instructed, "Let him wait a moment. Go and summon Gu Zimao."

Before long, Gu Sulin entered the pavilion, dressed lightly. There were only the emperor and his minister inside.

Liu Bei offered him a seat and then spoke frankly about the matter:

"Zhuge Jin has undoubtedly come for Jingzhou," Liu Bei said in a deep voice, his gaze falling on Gu Sulin. "Zimao, with Shiyuan and Xiaozhi both away, you are the only one by my side who can dispel my doubts. How should this matter be handled?"

Gu Sulin bowed respectfully, his expression calm and composed, showing no sign of panic. He knew this matter concerned the survival of the Sun-Liu alliance and the safety of Jingzhou, and he had already made plans: "My lord, do not worry, this matter has already been settled, it is not unsolvable."

"Oh?" Liu Bei was taken aback upon hearing this, and pressed further, "What do you mean by a foregone conclusion?"

"Back when our lord was in Jingzhou, we had already drawn up a written agreement with Jiangdong, in black and white, clear and unambiguous." Gu Sulin calmly took out a silk document from his sleeve and spread it on the table. "It clearly stated: 'Upon acquiring Xichuan, we will return the borrowed land.' Now that our lord has acquired Yizhou, Sun Quan's demand for it is perfectly legitimate, and we have no reason to refuse."