The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

Luoyang, Deyang Palace.

Liu Hong leaned back on the dragon throne, his face as pale as paper and his lips bloodless.

He covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed violently, each cough affecting his entire body as if he were coughing up his internal organs.

The handkerchief was stained with a striking scarlet color.

The civil and military officials below were in complete chaos.

They are vying for the position of Governor of Yanzhou.

"Your Majesty, Yanzhou is a strategically important region, and we must send a highly respected member of the imperial family there. I recommend Liu Chong, the Chamberlain!"

"Your Majesty, Attendant-in-Ordinary Liu has never served in a local post before; how can he be entrusted with such an important task? I recommend Grand Commandant Cao Song!"

Cao Song's inner monologue: I'll f*** you!!!

I spent 100 million to buy the position of Grand Commandant, and I haven't even recouped my investment yet, and you already want to demote me to a local post?

He came out immediately:

"Your subject recommends Xun Huan Dian, the Grand Master of Ceremonies!"

The noise was deafening, giving Liu Hong a splitting headache and leaving him feeling weak and powerless.

After round after round of disputes.

He waved his hand weakly and said:

"Stop arguing... We'll appoint Liu Dai as the Governor of Yanzhou, General of Anji, and oversee military affairs in Yanzhou..."

Both sides have compromised. Liu Dai did not become the governor of a major province in the Central Plains, but only a prefect and general.

As soon as he finished speaking, both supporters and opponents were dissatisfied.

But no one cared that Liu Hong's health had deteriorated to the point of near collapse.

After the court session, Yuan Wei's residence was once again filled with key figures from prominent families.

"Liu Dai is a smart man; he knows what to do," Yuan Wei said calmly, holding his teacup. "He will definitely make good use of the young men we send to Yanzhou."

The heads of the various clans gave their instructions:

"Liu Yu in Youzhou has already arranged for someone from our family to serve as the Chief Administrator."

"Huang Wan of Yuzhou was a former student and official of several of our families."

"Liu Yan of Yizhou also sent many people there, but I heard that the local powerful families of Yizhou seem to be dissatisfied."

"It's alright, that's just how the people of Yizhou are." Yuan Wei shook his head. "As long as nothing unexpected happens, within three years, we will have real power in each province."

Everyone nodded in agreement, their faces beaming with pride.

They didn't care whether the Han Dynasty would perish or whether the people would suffer.

All they care about is whether their family can survive, maintain its power and status, and grow stronger!

With the implementation of the policy of abolishing the position of historian and establishing the position of governor, the Han Dynasty's control over local areas has dropped to rock bottom.

The governors of each state began to collect taxes, recruit soldiers, and appoint and dismiss officials on their own.

They were still nominally subjects of the Han Dynasty, but in reality, they had become regional warlords, and the Han Dynasty's control over the local areas had greatly decreased.

As the sun sets, it paints the sky above Luoyang crimson. Outside the city walls, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys.

……

On the official road of Shangdang County, Bi Lan sat in the carriage, her hand never lowering the curtain.

He came with a belly full of resentment!

He was a high-ranking official in Luoyang, living a life of luxury and influence, with countless people vying to give him gifts!

As a result of Liu Bei's words, he was sent to this desolate and cold place!

He originally thought that Bingzhou must be a place where people were starving and living in misery, with ragged refugees everywhere, just like the hometown he had seen when he was a child.

The scene before him, however, was a slap in the face.

On the official road, a continuous stream of refugees, carrying bundles and dragging their families along, were heading not towards Luoyang, but towards the heart of Bingzhou!

Although their faces were tired, there was no despair; instead, their eyes shone with hope!

"That's strange..." Bi Lan muttered to herself, "Why would they run off to Bingzhou instead of going to Luoyang?"

He ordered his personal guards to stop an old refugee and asked, "Where are you going? Luoyang is the capital; there's food there."

The old man glanced at him, and seeing that the other man was richly dressed and had guards, he respectfully lowered his head:

"Your Excellency, is Luoyang a place where we refugees can stay? There is no way for us ordinary people to survive."

"We'd just starve to death if we went, and we'd be forced into serfdom. I've heard the governor of Bingzhou is benevolent, there's official land rent, we don't have to pay heavy taxes, and the governor even provides meals. Where else would we go if not Bingzhou?"

After saying that, the old man slung his bundle over his shoulder and walked away without looking back.

Bi Lan stood there, stunned, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

The carriage continued on its way and entered a country lane.

Looking out, the golden rice seedlings sway in the wind across the boundless fields.

The farmers were working in the fields, their backs bent, and they even had smiles on their faces!

Bi Lan's heart clenched.

When he was a child, his family owned several dozen acres of poor land. But he had never seen a farmer smiling while working in the fields!

He remembered that during the busy farming season, his father and brothers always looked worried.

Most of the harvested grain had to be handed over to landlords and government officials, and the rest was not enough to feed a family.

In years of drought or flood, there is no harvest at all, and people can only eat tree bark and clay.

His mother starved to death during a severe drought, trying to save the last mouthful of porridge for him!

His uncle and brother were beaten to death by people from a neighboring village for trying to get a sip of water.

His father, having exhausted all other options, sold him into the palace, where he was castrated and became a eunuch.

From that day on, he vowed to make something of himself and earn lots and lots of money. Only money could keep him from going hungry and being bullied.

Therefore, he was greedy for money and would stop at nothing to get it.

He's determined to climb to the top step by step, one step at a time! He won't let anyone bully him anymore!

But now, he actually saw farmers working with smiles in the fields of Bingzhou.

"What is that?"

Bi Lan suddenly pointed to a rotating wooden frame by the field and asked in surprise.

Several bamboo tubes were tied to the frame, which rotated with the water flow, drawing water from the river and pouring it into the nearby ditch, from where it flowed into the fields.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, that's a waterwheel." After inquiring, the guard replied, "I heard it was made by Prefect Li for irrigation. One of these is equivalent to ten people carrying water."

Bi Lan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Accident!

Of course he knew the car would overturn.

At the beginning of the year, he was ordered to invent the tippler, but that was for His Majesty's amusement and for cleaning the city! He never even considered using it for agricultural work!

Surprisingly, in such a remote place as Bingzhou, it has already become widespread among the people!

Wait, it was invented by Prefect Li?

Bi Lan looked in the direction of Jinyang City. What a kindred spirit! He had thought of almost the exact same thing as her!

He walked a little further and saw that there were still many Hu people in the field, holding hoes and working with the Han farmers, chatting and laughing, without any sense of distance.

The Han people say that when you whip a barbarian, he laughs, because there is no barrier between the whip and the barbarian.

"Those Hu people... how come they're farming too?" Bi Lan was even more surprised.

In his mind, the Hu people were all barbarians who ate raw meat and drank blood, and only knew how to ride horses, fight, and plunder the people.

"Prefect Li said that those were sinners who were voluntarily atoning for their sins and were learning very quickly."

Moreover, I heard that as long as they are willing to assimilate, farm, and pay taxes, they will be treated the same as the Han people. They will be given land, taught how to farm, and their children will be allowed to attend school.

The guard explained:

"Now, eight or nine out of ten Hu people in Bingzhou have been assimilated and no longer plunder. It is said that even the Hu people who have atoned for their sins are given meat to eat!"

"Those in Bingzhou are living very well!"

He went to inquire, and the people naturally knew to spread the good news.

As for those who learn slowly or are unwilling to naturalize, there's no need to explain.

Bi Lan fell silent.

He walked and looked around.

From morning till evening, from shock to numbness.

He saw the neat village, the school where classes were in session, and heard the children's clear voices reciting their lessons.

He saw that in the market, Han and non-Han merchants traded fairly, without forced buying or selling, and without market manipulation or monopolistic practices.

He saw the patrolling soldiers, who were disciplined and surprisingly kind to the people, without oppressing them at all!

This was nothing like the harsh, desolate land he had imagined.

This is simply paradise on earth!