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

After Kuai Qi and Deng Xi fell from power, all the positions they originally held, such as prefect and magistrate, became vacant.

Instead of taking the opportunity to promote the sons of the Liu clan, Zhuge Liang ordered all counties to recommend talented people from poor families to fill vacancies in lower-level official positions.

At the same time, he implemented a new official system, added a second examination for the staff, and conducted performance evaluations for all former officials in Jingzhou. He clearly stipulated that "those with poor performance will be given a three-month evaluation period; if they have not made any progress by the end of the period, they will all be dismissed."

This move not only gave former officials a chance to reform themselves, but also broke the tradition of aristocratic families monopolizing official careers, giving children from humble backgrounds a channel to showcase their talents.

A year passed in the blink of an eye. Zhuge Liang once again sent people to inspect the performance of officials. They found that most of the neutral Kuai and Cai clan members relied on their family power, held their positions without performing their duties, neglected their duties, and their performance was far below the required standard. Moreover, they refused to cooperate with the rectification.

Zhuge Liang no longer tolerated this and immediately ordered the dismissal of all unqualified members of the collateral branches of the Kuai and Cai families, and the promotion of outstanding members from humble backgrounds and military households to fill the vacancies.

At the same time, he officially announced: "The previous recommendation system was superficial and unrealistic, relying mostly on family background for recommendation, and it was difficult to select truly talented people."

From this day forward, the practice of recommendation and appointment will be strictly controlled. All those seeking official positions must first pass the staff's examination, which will test their knowledge of classics, practical skills, and strategic thinking. Only those with talent will be appointed.

This move thoroughly threatened the interests of the collateral branches of Kuai and Cai. They harbored resentment and secretly contacted other neutral gentry families to jointly submit a petition against it. They even incited local gentry and common people to spread rumors that Zhuge Liang "favored the poor and suppressed the gentry."

Zhuge Liang had made preparations in advance. On the one hand, he publicly presented evidence of the inaction of Kuai and Cai's sons and explained the reasons for their dismissal to the people in order to win their hearts. On the other hand, he ordered the confiscation of the joint petition to suppress the opposition and intimidate the neutral gentry.

Just then, news came from Zhuge Liang's intelligence agents: the Kuai and Cai branches, unwilling to accept defeat, had secretly joined forces with some neutral gentry, hoarded armor and weapons, and contacted spies from Eastern Wu, plotting a rebellion and intending to seize Jingzhou while Zhuge Liang was off guard.

Zhuge Liang acted decisively and once again dispatched Zhang Fei to lead troops to launch a surprise attack on Kuai, Cai and others before they could rise to power. They captured the ringleader of the rebellion, confiscated his private army and property, and relocated his clan to Shu. The rest of the participants in the rebellion were all dealt with according to the law.

After this battle, the neutral gentry were powerless to resist and dared not disobey Zhuge Liang's orders again.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Zhuge Liang formally issued the "Order on Limiting the Number of Retainers," proclaiming it to the entire Jingzhou:

"The private keeping of retainers by aristocratic families is fraught with hidden dangers and is detrimental to the stability of Jingzhou."

The following limits are set: prefects may retain 100 retainers, county magistrates may retain 50, and ordinary gentry may retain 20. Any excess personnel shall be incorporated into the government army.

Those who voluntarily surrender their excess troops will be granted military officer positions according to the number of troops surrendered; those who refuse to cooperate will have all their private soldiers confiscated, and their family lands, fortified villages, and property seized.

After the order was given, the pro-Liu clansmen such as Pang, Huang, Ma, and Xi were the first to respond, voluntarily handing over their excess troops. Zhuge Liang also granted their sons and brothers military positions as promised, to show his favor and trust.

Seeing this, the other aristocratic families knew that resistance was futile and had no choice but to comply, handing over all their excess troops.

In just a few months, all the private soldiers in Jingzhou were incorporated into the government army, and the number of government troops surged. With the addition of the soldiers who had been trained before, the military strength of Jingzhou had reached 70,000, becoming a solid barrier to protect Jingzhou and Xiangyang.

In the years that followed, Zhuge Liang continued to promote the military-agricultural colonies and replenish grain reserves;

On the one hand, the system for selecting officials was improved and capable individuals were promoted. Newcomers such as Jiang Wan, Yang Yi, Yin Guan, and Chen Zhen stood out and became key figures in government affairs.

On the one hand, they rectified military discipline and promoted mid-level generals such as Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, Fu Tong, and Deng Zhi, forming a complete talent echelon.

At the same time, together with Ma Liang, Jiang Wan and others, they drafted the Jingzhou governance regulations, the "Jing Law", which included all the new laws and imposed extremely strict rewards and punishments. It complemented the "Shu Code" of Yizhou and completely reversed the old situation of the powerful and domineering local magnates in Jingzhou.

During the demarcation of the Xiang River, Zhuge Liang negotiated with Lu Su to stabilize the border between Jing and Wu, while also investigating the interactions between border gentry and Eastern Wu to further eliminate potential threats.

When Liu Bei captured Hanzhong and sent a letter summoning Zhuge Liang to Shu to take charge of Chengdu's administration, the Jingzhou that Zhuge Liang left behind was already a perfect state:

The government was clean and efficient, the system was sound, there were no powerful families to obstruct the government, and the government orders were carried out smoothly.

With a solid border defense, Jingxiang has over 50,000 elite troops on land and water, plus local garrison troops and militia, totaling nearly 70,000. The army is disciplined and orders are strictly followed. Furthermore, with the support of Zhuge Repeating Crossbow and the Eight Trigrams Formation, the army is extremely powerful.

With ample provisions and bountiful harvests from the military farms, the supplies were sufficient to support the Northern Expedition.

With a complete talent pool, including virtuous ministers and capable generals, and united in purpose, the group had become a solid front and foundation for Liu Bei's Northern Expeditions.

In particular, it was that humble scholar who advised him on matters concerning the gentry and the selection of officials.

On the night before entering Shu, Zhuge Liang kept Gu Sulin alone in the headquarters to discuss matters.

Gu Sulin gazed at the list of noble families on the table and sighed softly:

"The powerful clans of Jingzhou and Xiangyang are deeply rooted. Although they are at peace today, they will surely become a problem in the long run."

From the Spring and Autumn Period to the present day, whenever powerful families and aristocratic clans have grown too strong and monopolized official positions, the consequences range from minor disruptions to the establishment of regional separatism and the eventual collapse of the empire.

If we continue to indulge them, even if our lord pacifies the land, he will inevitably repeat the mistakes of fragmentation in the future.

Zhuge Liang remained silent upon hearing this, and after a long while said, "What Zimao said is exactly what I am worried about. However, the foundation is not yet stable, and a sudden change will surely lead to great chaos."

Gu Sulin nodded: "I also know that we should not be too hasty."

I have a method called "Imperial Examination": regardless of one's background, one should select officials through examinations, which can completely break down the barriers of social class.

However, this method can only be implemented after the country is unified, education is widespread, and household registration is clear; it cannot be used suddenly today.

To maximize the effectiveness of this method, two things are needed to complement it: papermaking and printing.

In this day and age, bamboo slips are expensive and classical texts are scarce, making it extremely costly for children from poor families to pursue education. Even those with talent find it difficult to read extensively or learn practical skills.

Back then, Cai Gong had already improved the papermaking method. We can build upon that foundation and further refine it, promoting this method to reduce the cost of books.

As for the printing technique, I will experiment with it gradually. Once this method is successful, there will be no need to spend manpower to copy classics by hand.

Firstly, books can be printed in bulk, benefiting more children from poor families;

Secondly, it can avoid the errors that are easily made when copying by hand, ensuring that the words and sentences of the classics are accurate, so that the teachings can be passed on correctly and far-reachingly.

With these two methods, everyone can have access to books.

He paused briefly, then continued, "The immediate expedient is to retain the outward appearance of the recommendation system while secretly conducting the actual assessment."

On the surface, talent was still recommended by local authorities, but in reality, the shogunate added three tests: policy essays, current affairs, and governance.

Appoint people based on their talents and determine their official positions based on their performance, without judging them by their family background or social status.

This measured approach avoids abruptly overturning the old system and angering the gentry, while gradually promoting scholars from humble backgrounds and diluting the power of the powerful.

It would be safest to gradually reform the system once Jingyi is stable and the situation is under control.

Furthermore, you could first establish a shogunate academy, select talented individuals, hire teachers to instruct and educate them, and gradually cultivate a foundation of talent from the lower classes.

Zhuge Liang's eyes lit up, and he patted the table, praising, "Zimao's proposal is a truly reasonable and balanced one."

Externally, it does not violate the old system; internally, it reforms long-standing abuses, thus ensuring peace in the present and benefiting the long term. Future selection of officials will be based on this principle.