My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 536 Zhongmou's View
Once a powerful clan or aristocratic family loses its strength and suffers a severe setback, it may truly collapse and never have a chance to recover. However, a powerful clan with land, people, and soldiers can still make a comeback even if its backbone is broken.

The process of the rise of powerful clans is actually a kind of evolution, but in the end, it cannot be separated from the word "military".

The early powerful clans were actually incomplete, relying on the Western Jin Dynasty as their parent entity.

Therefore, at this time, it seems that even if a powerful clan has soldiers, land, and people, it is useless. They can only be a small, low-level powerful clan, while the major powerful clans are almost all in the central government.

In reality, the reason why this situation occurred was not because soldiers, land, and people were unimportant, but because as a unified dynasty, could the local people, land, and troops of the Western Jin Dynasty be compared with the 200,000-strong central army of the Western Jin Dynasty?
These were the 200,000-strong Central Army that founded the country, truly elite troops who fought in battles across the north and south.

If the War of the Eight Princes hadn't decimated these 200,000 central troops, Liu Yuan wouldn't have dared to rebel against the Jin and attempt to restore the Han dynasty.

But now Xu Shu is actually trying to undermine the system by directly confiscating the land of powerful clans and distributing it to their retainers. Although the powerful clans of this era have not yet evolved to the level of the aristocratic families of the future, they instinctively feel fear, disgust, and displeasure at Xu Shu's method.

Therefore, regardless of Xu Shu's original intention, the plan he proposed was the most effective way to sever the connection between the powerful clans and their retainers.

The land was divided among his former retainers. Even if these retainers only wanted to protect their own land, wouldn't they still try to wipe out their former "benefactors"?

Lu Ji and the others' expressions changed instantly. Although they were considered moderates among the powerful clans, they were still legitimate members of these clans.

Therefore, even if they did not have any intention of seizing military power or becoming powerful clans, they would still clearly feel the harm that Xu Shu's plan would cause to the aristocratic and powerful families.

“My lord, Yuanzhi’s plan is a temporary solution that does not address the root cause of the problem. Not only does it violate the law, but as Yuanzhi has said, it may also tarnish your reputation. I hope you will reconsider.”

The first to speak was Lu Ji, who, despite his young age, was upright and honest.

Many things in the world are just that interesting. Although Lu Gongji was the first to jump out and object, Liu Feng knew that he was the most selfless person among those present.

Despite the fact that the Lu family was a true aristocratic and powerful clan, by the time of Lu Ji, they had indeed declined.

They certainly weren't poor, but it was a certainty that their family assets had been reduced to less than a tenth, because the clansmen had all transferred their treasures to Lu Xun's lineage.

What's quite interesting is that, not counting the late Eastern Wu period, the powerful clans of Jiangdong at that time were already rotten to the core. Politically, they were repeatedly suppressed and killed by the Sun family and powerful ministers, so all they had left was to eat, drink and have fun.
However, before the struggle between the two palaces, the powerful clans of Jiangdong generally wanted to make a difference. They produced many talented people who were truly virtuous and capable. Otherwise, Sun Quan would not have felt such an unprecedented threat and worried that his son would be sidelined by these people.

Unfortunately, Sun Deng died young, forcing Sun Quan to use his two other sons as bait to trap and kill all the Jiangdong gentry.

Despite having many sons, Sun Quan truly favored only Sun Deng the most.

In the early and middle period of the Eastern Wu regime, the major aristocratic families and powerful clans still had some bottom line. Among these aristocratic families and powerful clans, the Lu family was considered to be the most friendly to commoners. Lu Xun and his son Lu Kang were always humble and cautious, and their lives were not extravagant. Lu Kang, in particular, was extremely frugal.

Moreover, since the Lu family directly commands the army, if they want the soldiers to fight bravely, they must treat the soldiers and their families well. The soldiers are not alone; each of them has close friends and relatives. This can extend to a force of 10,000 men, which can benefit hundreds of thousands of others.

Lu Ji himself was also a man of integrity and diligence. After being exiled to Jiaozhou by Sun Quan, he was honest and hardworking in Jiaozhou, cared about the people's hardships, promoted water conservancy, and improved people's livelihoods. His virtue and ability were both excellent. Chen Shou commented, "To use a vessel of great talent to govern Nanyue, is it not a disgrace to the man?"

On the contrary, Gu Shao and the others on the side had more selfish motives than Lu Ji, and their personalities were far less strong and straightforward than Lu Ji's. Although they had stronger opposition in their hearts, they were still considering how to persuade Liu Feng and had not yet had a chance to speak.

Gu Shao and the others remained silent, but Zhang Wen could no longer sit still.

As one of the four most outspoken figures in Eastern Wu, on par with Lu Ji, and a talented individual known for his satirical criticism and integrity, Zhang Wen, though not as blunt as Lu Ji, was no less outspoken than him.

"My lord, Gongji's words are indeed true, and I agree with them."

Zhang Wen was somewhat similar to Lu Ji, mainly considering Liu Feng's perspective: "Now the court is declining day by day, the Grand Marshal openly despises the court, and the General treats the emperor like a child. All discerning people in the world hate him with a passion. Only our lord and his son can uphold the banner of the Han Dynasty and inspire the people. We must not lose the hearts of the people for petty gains."

Zhang Wen's words were essentially the same as Lu Xun's, only he explained the benefits more clearly and in more detail, trying to dissuade Liu Feng.

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, he gestured for people to calm down and then asked Gu Shao, Chen Tai, and the others for their opinions: "What are your thoughts? I have already spoken, so please feel free to speak. Even if you are wrong, would I punish you for your words?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shao, Zhong Yu, and the others, who had been sitting still, began to feel uneasy.

They originally didn't really want to express their opinions, as the matter was too sensitive and could easily be thankless.

On the surface, their advice to Liu Feng was for the good of Liu Feng and the entire Left General's group.

But while they might not know how shrewd Liu Feng was, their fathers certainly did.

Moreover, a person's shadow is like the bark of a tree. How could Liu Feng, a young man, have built such a vast empire in just five or six years?

In the eyes of Gu Shao, Zhong Yu and others, Liu Feng probably already saw through the stakes involved.

Listening to their opinions right now is less about wanting to hear their opinions and more about confirming their stance.

"Although this matter violates the law, it is understandable given the circumstances. Moreover, the Left General has the authority to act as he sees fit."

Among the remaining group, Chen Tai was more inclined to support Xu Shu, after all, his family had only risen to prominence in the third generation, and he had no achievements in military strategy, his only expertise being political science.

Moreover, the Chen family was extremely cautious, to an exaggerated degree, which was the complete opposite of the Sima family.

The Sima family was outwardly cautious but inwardly ruthless. They played the game of maneuvering skillfully beneath the surface, forging alliances with top aristocratic families through various marriages. Sima Shi's three wives were first daughters of the Xiahou family, then daughters of the Yang family, both of whom were top-tier noble families in Cao Wei.

The middle wife was the least favored, but she was still the daughter of Wu Zhi, one of Cao Pi's four most favored ministers. While Cao Pi was alive, although she wasn't from a top-tier wealthy family, she enjoyed treatment even better than those from the most prestigious ones. She was a remarkable woman who dared to directly mock and humiliate Cao Zhen at a banquet, causing Cao Zhen to draw his sword in anger, yet ultimately he couldn't do anything to her.

Wu Zhi's most remarkable achievement was that, during the struggle between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi for the position of heir apparent, he managed to win the favor of both of them simultaneously, which was even more outrageous than betting on both sides.

Of course, this man was extremely morally corrupt, overly obsequious, and acted like a petty person. After Cao Pi ascended the throne, he completely abandoned Cao Zhi and then spoke ill of Cao Zhi to Cao Pi.

After Cao Pi died, he shamelessly turned around and fawned over Sima Yi. No matter how depraved his character was, he was indeed a top nobleman during Cao Pi's era. His son also became one of the Three Dukes in the Western Jin Dynasty. He was a core member of the aristocratic clan.

Sima Zhao's principal wife was also from the Wang clan of Donghai, the granddaughter of Wang Lang, a powerful figure in Cao Wei at the time and one of the Three Dukes.

Sima Zhou, the eldest son born out of wedlock, married Zhuge Dan's daughter, Lady Zhuge, making them another top-tier noble family in Cao Wei. His two daughters married Xun Yu's grandson and Du Ji's grandson, the heir of the Jingzhao Du clan, and the future first scholar to achieve both civil and military honors, Du Yu.

Cao Rui's suspicion of Sima Yi was not merely due to Sima Yi's meanness and ingratitude. In fact, if Cao Rui were truly mean and ingratitude, he could have easily killed Sima Yi based on these marriage alliances.

In contrast, apart from Chen Qun being valued by Xun Yu and marrying Xun Yu's daughter, the Chen family has no other records of marriage alliances with powerful families. It is precisely because of this that Chen Qun served as one of the Three Dukes for a long time, and his son Chen Tai even became the Left Minister. After their deaths, the family was wiped out, and their descendants did not even pass on their family traditions, let alone become powerful clans.

In essence, Chen Qun's implementation of the Nine-Rank System was not, as rumored online, an attempt to curry favor with powerful clans; rather, it was to help the Cao Wei regime centralize power.

The Chen family is an unconventional top-tier wealthy family, and they don't get along with other top-tier wealthy families.

Cao Rui was a typical smart man. Despite his patronage of Sima Yi, he actually relied most heavily on Chen Qun.

Chen Qun held the position of one of the Three Dukes until his death, enjoying extreme favor. In his later years, he was even able to dissuade the ambitious Cao Rui from building palaces, demonstrating just how much he was favored.

On the contrary, Sima Yi, who was almost touted as Cao Rui's godfather, was subjected to various underhanded tricks, sabotage, and attempts to sow discord among Cao Rui's allies, leaving him almost powerless to resist.

If Sima Yi hadn't been so lucky, and if Cao Rui hadn't died young and been betrayed by his close attendants before his death, he might not have even lived long enough to engage in a power struggle with Cao Shuang.

Chen Tai inherited his father's and grandfather's character. Although he was a bit stronger, his strength was still limited. At his core, he was a person with dreams, who understood the hardships of life, and who could empathize with the common people.

Chen Tai's strong support drew a grateful look from Xu Shu, as this was the only voice of support he had received so far.

Liu Feng nodded, then turned his gaze to Zhong Yu, Gu Shao, and Sun Quan.

These three are long-established powerful clans. Even if they are not considered part of the Sun family, they are still powerful clans in Fuchun that have existed for centuries, and their thirst for land is even greater than that of the gentry.

Liu Feng's gaze immediately put immense pressure on Zhong Yu, Gu Shao, and Sun Quan. Even Gu Shao and Sun Quan, who had already entered officialdom, found this pressure somewhat unbearable.

The difficulty for the three of them was that they really didn't know how to answer.

To say that one truly supports Xu Shu would be to treat Liu Feng like a fool.

To say that one opposes something is impossible without a good reason, and it simply doesn't make sense.

He wanted to shut up, but Liu Feng wouldn't let him.

He wanted to speak up, but it was too late. If he had spoken up earlier, he could have gotten away with it like Lu Ji and Zhang Wen.

But if they try to parrot each other now, Liu Feng might not let them off the hook.

Just as the group was racking their brains, Sun Quan suddenly had a brilliant idea.

"My lord, Yuanzhi and Gongji's words are both wise."

Liu Feng's gaze fell on Sun Quan, who was actually extremely capable and could be considered a man of both literary and military talent.

Although he was repeatedly defeated militarily, and various achievements were made on his record, look at who his opponents were.

The only two Martial Temples in Cao Wei, Zhang Liao, the most meritorious of the Five Good Generals, who inspired Guan Yu's appreciation for talent, and whose heroic figure on a white horse is comparable to Zhao Yun, is a T0-level general of the Three Kingdoms.

In other words, Sun Quan was really unlucky, encountering opponents stronger than him. In addition, Hefei had a geographical advantage. Otherwise, "Sun Shiwan" could have been a positive term.

Liu Feng looked over with great interest at Sun Quan's words, waiting for him to continue.

Sure enough, Sun Quan had more to say.

After much deliberation, Quan came up with some ideas, which could combine the strengths of Yuanzhi and Gongji's suggestions into a single plan.

Sun Quan glanced at Liu Feng and saw that his reaction was normal, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. He quickly presented his next plan: "My lord, you may follow the example of Jiangdong, agree on a price, and then divide the land of Shangyong among the Shen family's troops, and then repay them annually with the tribute of land. In this way, it will not violate the law, but will also increase the country's revenue and solve the predicament of Shangyong. It can be said to be a win-win situation."

Liu Feng remained noncommittal and continued to look at Zhong Yu and Gu Shao.

Without hesitation, the two voiced their support in unison: "Zhongmou's plan is a brilliant one, and we second it."

"Yuanzhi, Gongji, what are your thoughts on what Zhongmou said?"

Xu Shu was secretly delighted. Although Sun Quan changed his suggestion and distributed the land as a redemption, it was still based on his opinion in the end. Moreover, the land was also distributed to the people. With Liu Feng's wisdom, it was not difficult for him to see the key point. Therefore, he was not worried at all that his credit would be taken away by Sun Quan.

Therefore, Xu Shu immediately bowed in admiration and said, "Zhongmou's strategy is indeed the best of both worlds."

Lu Ji, being straightforward and objective, agreed that Sun Quan's strategy was indeed superior to Xu Shu's, saying, "Zhongmou's strategy is not as good as mine."

Liu Feng then slowly nodded, revealing a smile, and praised Sun Quan, saying, "Yuanzhi is too direct, and Gongji is too impractical. Zhongmou's words are a way to avoid both problems and achieve the best of both worlds. It is indeed the best strategy."

Sun Quan suppressed his great joy and tried his best to maintain a solemn expression, replying humbly, "Your Majesty flatters me; I am unworthy of such praise."

"Alright, since everyone agrees, then this matter is settled."

Liu Feng immediately decided, "Let Pang Shiyuan handle this matter. Once it's done, we'll calculate the credit together."

Lu Ji, Chen Tai, Zhong Yu, Gu Shao, Zhang Wen, Sun Quan, Xu Shu, and others all agreed. After the edict was written, Liu Feng immediately signed and affixed his seal.

Then, the seven people left one by one, leaving only Liu Feng in the hall, a mysterious smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)