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

On the defense line where Qingzhou and Xuzhou meet.

Several men disguised as medicine merchants drove an oxcart, which was piled halfway with hemp cloth. They walked up to the border checkpoint and handed over the customs documents with smiles on their faces.

The guards flipped through the documents, then lifted the burlap sack over the cart to take a look, and waved them through.

Once the scouts had gone far away, they turned and ran back to the main camp to report to Xu Rong and Qian Zhao.

"General, it really is the Li family of Qinghe; they've headed south."

Qian Zhao stroked his beard, exchanged a glance with Xu Rong, and they both smiled.

"I knew they wouldn't sit still." Xu Rong spat out a blade of grass from the corner of his mouth.

"Don't arrest them, let them pass."

Keep an eye on this line, see who they've contacted and where they've gone. Once all the rats are lured out, wipe them out all at once.

"Exactly." Qian Zhao nodded.

"Mr. Jia had already given instructions to let them jump first, and the more enthusiastically they jumped, the cleaner they would be later."

The border checkpoints appear heavily guarded, but in reality, a loophole has been deliberately left.

They allowed the messengers of powerful families to travel back and forth, secretly conveying the plots of Ji and Qing provinces to Yuan Shu in Xu province.

……

Meanwhile, in the house of confinement in Ye City.

The brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were both restless, exuding a sense of dejection.

Since the city fell and they were captured, Liu Bei neither killed them nor released them. He kept them under house arrest in this courtyard, providing them with good food and drink, but forbidding them from going outside.

He thought this was how his life would end, but one day, an old servant who delivered his meal secretly slipped a note to Yuan Tan when no one was around.

Yuan Tan unfolded it and his hands trembled when he saw it!

It was written in the handwriting of several old aristocratic families in Ji Province. They said that all the counties were thinking of their former master. As long as the two young masters raised their arms and called for action, all the counties would surely respond. They could then join forces with Yuan Shu in the south and attack from both the north and south, and they would surely be able to defeat Liu Bei and restore the foundation of Hebei!

"Absurd!" Yuan Tan crumpled the note after reading it, and the thought of his fate made him turn pale with fright.

"The King of Jin is the legitimate heir of the Han Dynasty, with a strong army and powerful horses. His father is dead, so what makes us think we can compete?"

If things fail, you won't even be able to save your life!

Yuan Shang nodded, rarely acknowledging his elder brother.

Two days later, another note was delivered, saying that each family had gathered provisions, armor, and weapons, and hid them in various fortified villages, waiting for the two young masters' orders.

It is also said that Liu Bei surveyed the land and forcibly levied the autumn tax, causing the powerful families in Ji and Qing provinces to feel insecure and hoping that the Yuan family would make a comeback!

The two were already annoyed, and as they listened, their minds began to stir.

"Brother," Yuan Shang asked tentatively.

"What if...it works?"

It's better than being here, a prisoner for life.

Yuan Tan clenched his fist.

Yes, he was the eldest son and should have inherited Ji Province. Why should he lose his kingdom because of his younger brother?

After hesitating for three days, on the fourth day, the two secretly passed a note under the guise of delivering food. It contained only four words: "Let's think about it for a long time."

That's a concession.

From then on, the secret correspondence within the courtyard gradually became more frequent.

From how to escape, to how to contact the various counties, to how to negotiate with Yuan Shu, the details became more and more elaborate as they discussed it.

The two men, who had initially been in despair, slowly began to feel a sense of relief that they had not been discovered. It seemed that Liu Bei had not completely taken control of Ji Province and Qing Province!

Perhaps, it really can happen?

……

While undercurrents were swirling in the upper echelons of the prefectures and counties, the villages in the countryside were also not peaceful.

The stewards and tenant farmers of various aristocratic manors traveled to the villages every day, telling everyone they met:

"The King of Jin wants to seize all the grain for war! Each household will be left with only half a shi of grain, and the rest will be handed over!"

"The wealthy families' grain has been seized; next, it'll be our turn!"

"If you can't hand it over, you'll be conscripted into the army; no one will even bury you when you die!"

At first, some people were really panicked.

After years of chaos, everyone was afraid of having their grain stolen. Many families hid their food in cellars overnight, living in constant fear.

But the panic lasted only a few days, after all those aristocratic families had left.

The villagers then remembered the three wounded veterans who had been discharged from the village.

These three men were all wounded while fighting Yuan Shao. They were Han soldiers who were discharged from the army and assigned to rural areas. The government provided them with pensions and land.

The three men couldn't stay idle. Remembering their military training, they set up a wooden board under an old tree at the village entrance and started teaching the village children to read for free.

Over time, many people learned to read quickly and write their own names!

At this moment, some people came running up in a panic and asked, "Are they going to loot the grain?"

The three of them laughed.

"Nonsense! Have you forgotten when the King of Jin opened the granaries in Ji Province to distribute grain?"

"Have you forgotten about last year's drought followed by a locust plague?"

"Think about it, how did the powerful families act back then?"

"Without Prince Jin, where would we be today!"

"There are no exorbitant taxes; only 50% is collected! This is a clear regulation of the imperial court!"

This is much better than the old days when powerful families took 70% of the profits!

Moreover, if you collect even one extra bushel, the three of us will help you file a complaint at the county level. If the county magistrate doesn't handle it, we'll file a complaint at the prefectural level!

The people nodded in agreement, especially those who had been affected by the disaster and assigned to this village; they spoke confidently and loudly!

"Last year, during the severe drought, who exempted us from our land taxes? Who opened soup kitchens and saved the lives of our entire village?"

"It's the Prince of Jin!"

"The Prince of Jin saved our lives!"

"Last year I was lucky; I was even personally given a bowl of porridge by the Prince of Jin!"

"I also ate the bean rice that the Prince of Jin gave me!"

They also remembered the three retired soldiers telling the people about their experiences in the army.

I remember retired soldiers talking about General Li's land reclamation policy and the imperial examination system under the rule of Prince Jin! Even a farmer's son could become an official if he studied hard and passed the exam!

"Have you forgotten? A while ago, the landlord robbed Zhang San's cow. Zhang San went to the county to file a complaint, and the magistrate made a fair judgment, returning the cow to Zhang San's family and even fined the landlord grain."

That county magistrate graduated from the Jixia Academy; they don't respect noble families, they only respect the law!

The people listened, looked at each other, and slowly began to understand.

Yes, in the past six months or so, taxes have been much lighter than when Yuan Shao was in power, and people have more motivation to farm.

If it were really about seizing grain, would we have waited until now?

Then look at what those aristocratic families say, "their grain has been robbed." But those are aristocratic families; what does that have to do with ordinary people like us?

Those scions of noble families, don't they still ride around in carriages every day, showing off their wealth?

Rumors eventually stop being believed by everyone.

In villages where the powerful families had little control, the people continued to farm and pay their taxes as usual, living peacefully. They even felt that the reign of the Prince of Jin was better than that of Yuan Shao.

Only in those fortified villages where serfs had lived for generations, the common people were strictly controlled. They were the private property of the manor lord for generations, kept out of the outside world, and continued to follow the manor lord's will.

However, all things considered, the aristocratic families have lost their grip on the hearts of the people in the countryside.

The people have a scale in their hearts; they will side with whoever treats them well.

……

By the time the news reached Shouchun, it was already early winter.

Yuan Shu sat on the dragon throne, listened to the spy's report, and laughed so hard he almost slipped off.

"Just as I predicted! That scoundrel Liu Bei may have conquered Ji Province, but he couldn't conquer the hearts of the powerful clans!"

He patted the armrest of the dragon throne, full of pride and confidence.

"I knew it; those powerful families would never obediently listen to me."

Land survey? Imperial examinations for officialdom? Our family's property? Liu Bei dares to touch it?!