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

Li Chang shook his head in exasperation.

He stood up, walked to the map, and tapped the locations of Taiyuan and Shangdang with his finger.

"Mr. Zhongde's plan is too moral; it can only cause them some minor physical harm."

Mr. Wenhe's plan was even more moderate; at most, two prefects would be replaced, but the foundation of the powerful families would not be shaken at all.

Even if you send your own people to be the governor, the county magistrates and county constables are all from powerful families, so it's still difficult to get anything done.

It's nowhere near as clean and free as Yanmen, where one can freely pursue their ambitions!

Their hearts skipped a beat. Clean and tidy? What do you mean, clean and tidy?

Li Chang continued, "I am still too kind and compassionate, and I can't think of any good solutions. But in order to save Bingzhou from this disaster, I can only come up with one solution, based on your two strategies."

Turning around to look at the two of them:

"Take drastic measures, uproot it completely!"

"Zhongde, in the name of the Prefect of Taiyuan, contact Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army and have him lead the main force to attack Shangdang. Promise him that after the city is captured, he will receive half of the treasury's wealth."

"Wenhe, send someone to Xihe, in the name of the Prefect of Shangdang, to contact the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Yufuluo."

Tell him that as long as he sends troops to attack Taiyuan, all the people, cattle, and sheep in the city will be his after the city falls.

"At the same time, when the two sides communicate, you should casually reveal information about your Black Mountain bandits or Southern Xiongnu, and let them guess it themselves!"

"We will select three thousand elite troops and have them all don the clothes of the Yellow Turban rebels. When the Black Mountain Army and the Southern Xiongnu make their move, we will infiltrate from the middle and take Jinyang and Huguan directly."

"Remember, after entering the city, leave no one alive from the powerful families like the Wang, Yang, Guo, and Chen clans. Kill or capture all the core men, and confiscate the women and their property. Distribute all the land to the refugees and common people."

"Finally, we must submit a memorial impeaching them for treason, collusion with the enemy, and dereliction of duty, ensuring their eternal infamy!"

The study was deathly silent.

The teacup in Jia Xu's hand clattered to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Cheng Li suddenly stood up and gasped.

Both of them were terrified by Li Chang's words!

Is there no bottom line? Is there no morality? This is outrageous!

They thought they were ruthless enough. Cheng Li dared to suggest that bandits plunder prefectures and counties, and Jia Xu dared to frame court officials. But compared to Li Chang, they were practically saints!

The Southern Xiongnu, the Black Mountain Army, and those disguised as Yellow Turbans launched a three-pronged attack, aiming to slaughter all the aristocratic families!

"This is insane!" Cheng Li's voice trembled. "Prefect, you absolutely mustn't do this! It will inevitably lead to rivers of blood and countless deaths! It's utterly immoral!"

Jia Xu also came to his senses, his face pale:

"Prefect Li, this plan is too vicious! The Southern Xiongnu are inherently cruel. Once they enter the city, they will surely burn, kill, and plunder. Countless innocent people will die tragically."

Moreover, once this is leaked, our lord's reputation will be completely ruined! Everyone in the world will curse him as a butcher, and no one will come to serve him anymore!

The two men tried their best to persuade Li Chang to give up this crazy idea.

In all my years, this is the first time I've ever seen such a shameless scheme.

They used to think they were very ruthless, but now it seems that compared to Li Chang, they are simply innocent and harmless little rabbits!

Seeing their shocked expressions, Li Chang asked in confusion:

"Offending morality? Ruining one's reputation?"

That was done by those inherently evil Black Mountain bandits, Southern Xiongnu, and Yellow Turban rebels! My Yanmen army will only quell the rebellion, and I guarantee not a single one will be spared!

"These powerful families routinely seize land, oppress the common people, and drive countless families to ruin and death. How many heinous things have they done?"

"The Southern Xiongnu are brutal? The Black Mountain bandits are evil? No matter how bad they are, are they worse than these parasites that suck the blood of the people?"

"Besides, the people will only remember that it was the Southern Xiongnu and the Black Mountain bandits who burned, killed, and looted, and it was our Yanmen army that arrived and saved them from their suffering."

"We killed the bandits and distributed the land to the noble families. The people will only be grateful; who will curse us?"

Jia Xu and Cheng Li opened their mouths, but were speechless.

But they still felt uneasy. It was too disgusting. Using someone else to do their dirty work and then turning around to play the savior—this kind of tactic crossed their bottom line!

Jia Xu took a deep breath:

"Prefect Li, I understand your meaning. But we cannot completely turn a blind eye. Once the Southern Xiongnu enter the city, they will inevitably carry out indiscriminate slaughter. Even if we kill them afterward, the dead people will not be able to come back to life."

He now knows the answer to the Liangzhou problem.

How did the great man escape from fire and water?

That's how it came about!

Cheng Li nodded quickly:

"Mr. Wenhe is right. We can use them, but we can't let them bite us back."

In my opinion, perhaps we should send someone to inform the two prefects in advance; whether they believe us or not is their business.

At the same time, they contacted the poor and common people in the city, allowing them to escape the war.

The army should also be prepared in advance, and immediately send troops when the Southern Xiongnu and Black Mountain army breach the city gates and their formation falls apart. First, kill the bandits, and send people disguised as Yellow Turban rebels to purge the aristocratic families.

This would reduce civilian casualties while also allowing them to wipe out Zhang Yan and Yufuluo's main forces, seizing supplies and warhorses. A win-win situation.

Li Chang nodded: "This is a good idea, much more merciful than my previous one. Let's do it this way."

Then, Li Chang added, "Actually, I don't want to purge the powerful families; I just want to eliminate some of the malignant tumors."

"The powerful families of Taiyuan and Shangdang have been intertwined for over a hundred years, and almost all the officials, clerks, craftsmen, and scholars in the two prefectures come from these families."

"If they are all killed, both counties will be completely paralyzed, with no one to govern them."

Li Changhe Shandao:

"Only clean up the core branches. In particular, those who have committed numerous evils, hold military power, and resolutely oppose us, leave no one alive."

Off-lineage members, branches, and even those from impoverished families who had fallen on hard times were not only spared from execution but also given important positions.

Even within the powerful families, there was no monolithic structure. The main branch acted arrogantly, while the smaller branches had long harbored resentment.

Support these branches to replace the main branch, and then promote a large number of children from poor families to take away the power of the aristocratic families.

In this way, the foundations of the two powerful families have been completely destroyed. Those we have promoted will only be loyal to us.

Jia Xu and Cheng Li's lips twitched. This must be his real purpose.

They want to overthrow the established families, elevate the poor and their branches, and drag them down with them?

What have I done to deserve this?

The three of them huddled together in front of the map and began to refine the details...

I don't know how much time will pass.

"Alright, the plan is settled." Li Chang stretched:

"Only the three of us know about this. Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know."

Moreover, this wasn't just my idea; it was a foolproof plan that the three of us came up with together overnight after discussing it.

The three of us were really awesome!

Jia Xu and Cheng Li: "..."

So we're already on a pirate ship? If something goes wrong, all three of us will have to share the blame.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes. What else could they do but follow Li Chang down this path to the bitter end?

Jia Xu suddenly looked at Li Chang and said, "Prefect Li, I have a question."

"Mr. Wenhe, please speak freely."

Jia Xu paused for a moment: "Have you read the classics like the Analects and Mencius?"

He's been holding it in for a long time.

It's truly incomprehensible whether someone who can devise such a vicious scheme has ever received Confucian education.

If you've read them, where did those books go? If you haven't read them, where did his "for the people" rhetoric come from?

How did his master teach him? Is this what Taoism is all about? First Zhang Jiao, then Li Chang—such a wealth of talent!

Li Chang paused for a moment, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared.

He walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky outside, and remained silent for a long time.

The moonlight shone on my face, half bright and half dark.

"I've read it." Li Chang opened his eyes, his gaze flickering between light and shadow. "But I paid tuition and miscellaneous fees; I misunderstood!"

Jia Xu and Cheng Li: "???"