The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 228 Old Liu is heartbroken. It turns out that Li Yi and Kong Ming are the perfect match.

However, Li Yi became the governor of Jizhou and confronted Yuan Tan in Anping.

In front of the two armies, he denounced Yuan Tan for being disloyal, listed his crimes, and called him ungrateful.

Li Yi was in the right and was good at debate, which left Yuan Tan speechless.

The elders of Anping who were sitting in the front row all shook their heads and sighed when they heard what Li Yi said.

I lament the ill-fated lives of my fellow villagers. How could they have ended up with such a master?

The soldiers under Yuan Tan's command were also whispering and talking among themselves.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Yuan Tan knew that the army and the people had been bewitched by Li Yi, so he ordered his soldiers to attack.

The soldiers, armed with swords, drove the people forward.

Li Yi took advantage of the situation and shouted to the other side:
"My fellow villagers, please listen to what I have to say."

"I am here by order of the imperial court to lead Jizhou as governor and to suppress the rebellion."

"Yuan Tan is doing evil things, so don't use him as your servant."

"If you help me put down the rebellion, you will be exempted from rent and taxes in Anping for one year."

Yuan Tan became even more furious when he heard this and shouted:
"...Jizhou was originally mine! Mine!"

"How can it be your turn to win people's hearts here?"

Li Yi smiled slightly and listed Yuan Tan's crimes.

"The general has forgotten the benevolence of filial piety and friendship, and has followed the footsteps of Yan and Shen."

"Let the soldiers raid and massacre the city officials."

"The wronged souls are in pain in the netherworld, and their wounds are covered by thorns."

"Now you are trying to pacify the people and drive them into slavery."

"Their property and women shall be divided into different parts in advance."

"Is this what a ruler should do?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all Yuan Tan's soldiers looked ashamed.

Yuan Tan was furious. He held a horse whip and personally whipped the people in front to urge them to move forward.

The people were beaten and fell to the ground, unable to cry.

Yuan Tan became even more furious and ordered his soldiers to kill the fallen civilians on the spot.

Anyone who delays the army's advance will be killed without mercy.

Immediately, many ordinary people died at the hands of Yuan Tan's army.

But there were still a few soldiers who hesitated and could not take action.

Li Yi took advantage of the situation and shouted again:
"Soldiers are there to protect their country and their families."

"How can you use the blade of a knife against your fellow villagers?"

"Can you bear to wield the butcher knife on your own relatives?"

"If you have relatives, how would you deal with it if they knew about it?"

"How can you feel at ease?"

Just a few short sentences, each word is full of wisdom and is thought-provoking.

Although the discipline of the army of this era is not as good as that of modern times.

But it has never reached the point where they would raise their knives and attack their fellow villagers.

Even in this day and age, that is condemned behavior.

As expected, Yuan Tan's soldiers became more hesitant and could not bear to attack the civilians in front of them.

"...What? How dare you disobey my military orders?"

Yuan Tan raised his eyebrows and said in a fierce voice:

"Do you know what will happen if you disobey my military orders?"

A lieutenant knelt on the ground and wept before Yuan Tan, saying:

"...My Lord, if you want us to fight the Henan people, we will have no regrets even if we die on the battlefield."

"Just to repay Yuan's kindness."

"But if we are asked to swing our swords and chop down our fellow villagers, we really cannot do it!"

The young officer's kneeling immediately caused a huge uproar.

Many soldiers, garrison commanders, and band leaders knelt on the ground and pleaded with Yuan Tan for mercy.

It means that everyone would rather fight the Xuzhou army in an open and fair manner than force their own fellow villagers in this way.

In particular, Li Yi’s army did not launch an attack because they did not have the heart to attack the civilians.

This action made Yuan Tan's army feel even more guilty.

When two armies fight, some principles and morals should be observed.

Yuan Tan's action was seriously contrary to human ethics.

Yuan Tan saw the change in the morale of the army and knew that the arrow had to be shot.

If he gave in now, he would be completely defeated.

So he could only bite the bullet and scolded loudly:
"You are disloyal if you resist my military orders."

"They should be punished by military law!!"

The officer who led the weeping and bowing immediately raised his head and shouted:

"I know I have failed my lord, and I am willing to die to atone for my sins!"

After he finished speaking, he drew his sword and committed suicide.

When everyone saw it, they all wept.

Yuan Tan was stunned and speechless, with mixed feelings in his heart.

At this moment of dilemma, the army suddenly fell into chaos from behind.

At the sound of a horn, Huang Zhong and Chen Dao led their troops to attack.

Go straight to the back of Yuan Tan’s army.

Huang Zhong brandished his long sword like a tiger descending from the mountain.

He raised his knife and slashed wildly. Where the knife flashed, Yuan soldiers fell to the ground one after another.

Chen Dao followed closely behind, holding a spear, and charged into the enemy's formation with all his might, piercing the heart of the enemy.

Yuan's army was caught off guard and immediately fell into chaos, with the sounds of crying, horse hooves, and the clashing of swords and guns mixed together.

Yuan Tan asked in surprise why, only to find out that the Xuzhou army had gone around behind him.

He hurriedly ordered the army to turn around and fight the enemy.

As the army changed direction, the people being escorted in front suddenly became like birds escaping from a cage.

With a loud shout, everyone fled in all directions.

Li Yi seized the opportunity, drew his sword, and shouted loudly:

"All troops, listen up. It's now."

"Charge! Kill the bandits!!"

At a command, Li Yi's army advanced with drums beating.

Yuan Tan's army was attacked from both sides, unable to take care of itself and was in chaos.

By the evening, Yuan's army was defeated.

There were countless casualties, and the rest were all defeated.

Yuan Tan was covered in wounds and rode only one horse, fleeing hastily to the north in the chaos.

He planned to flee to Youzhou and seek refuge with his second brother Yuan Xi.

"Huang Hansheng is here, who dares to stop me!"

Just as Yuan Tan was fleeing, a shout was suddenly heard amid the sound of fighting.

The sound was like thunder, which frightened the enemy.

It turned out that the man was Huang Zhong, who led his troops to plunder Yuan’s army from behind.

Yuan Tan threw away all his clothes and hairbands, let his hair down, and rode his horse desperately to escape.

A cavalryman under Huang Zhong saw Yuan Tan and shouted at him:
"You thief, stop right now!"

How could Yuan Tan be willing to listen?

He just kept whipping the horse and tried to escape.

This annoyed the cavalry, and they all thought to themselves:

"Now that Yuan's army has been greatly defeated, most of the soldiers who encounter us will shout and then dismount and surrender."

"How can there be someone like this who only cares about escaping and refuses to surrender?"

Therefore, everyone came to the conclusion that this person was no ordinary person.

So he ignored the other Yuan troops on the ground and just chased after Yuan Tan.

Yuan Tan's horse was injured and could not run fast.

The cavalrymen behind drew their bows and arrows and shot wildly.

A stray arrow hit the horse's leg, and the horse neighed, throwing Yuan Tan to the ground.

Yuan Tan's right arm was broken and he was in great pain. He shouted in despair to the people chasing him:
"...Hey! Let me go, and I will make you rich and powerful!"

Before he could finish his words, the man's head was chopped off to the ground by the pursuing cavalry.

The knight jumped off his horse, holding the head in his hand, and said with a smile:
"Your head can make me rich, why should I rely on your hand?"

According to the "New Military Law" formulated by Li Yi, anyone who beheads the enemy will be recorded as a great merit.

This is to inspire the soldiers' fighting spirit.

Therefore, when the men of Xuzhou killed the enemies on the battlefield, most of them fought to the death and showed no mercy.

Even the pursuing cavalrymen could not have imagined that they had just accidentally killed the opposing commander.

They took the head back and gave it to Huang Zhong for the reward.

After taking inventory of the battlefield, Li Yi led his troops into Xindu, the capital of Anping.

After a thorough investigation, Huang Zhong was shocked to discover that his own soldiers had just beheaded Yuan Tan.

He hurriedly showed it to Li Yi, who was startled and sighed:

"This is not what I want!"

He then ordered people to bury Yuan Tan's body and buried him with the ceremony of a guest of honor.

After entering the city, he opened the treasury as usual, rewarded the soldiers first, and then comforted the people.

After Anping was recovered, Li Yi remained as the prefect of Anping to defend Anping.

Then he immediately led his troops north to "recapture" Boling and Zhongshan.

But after Yuan Shang abandoned Hejian and fled west to Boling, he wanted to sit back and watch how the situation changed.

But when he heard that Li Yi had already led his troops to attack, he was shocked and surprised.

I wondered why Li Yi's advance was so fast.
There were countless counties and prefectures in the rear. How did Li Yi eliminate them one by one?
The answer is that Li Yi did not remove it.

Most counties and prefectures in Jizhou are now taking a wait-and-see attitude and remaining neutral.

This means that although Li Yi "recovered" Hejian, Anping and other places in succession.

But these territories still have a considerable degree of autonomy.

Li Yi firmly believed that as long as he defeated the two Yuaners, these two biggest obstacles would be overcome.

Those counties that are still waiting and watching will naturally surrender.

Right now, the three armies in Jizhou are engaged in a melee, and as county governors, they are only thinking about preserving their own positions or their own people.

There is no need to offend one party for the sake of another.

As for some of the old ministers who were loyal to the Yuan family, they were too busy dealing with their own dispute over the legitimate and illegitimate children to make the detailed distinction.
So Li Yi advanced his troops very quickly, only targeting you, Yuan'er.

As long as other counties do not block the way, there is no need for them to seize his official position or his city.

As a result, every county showed an extraordinary tacit understanding.

They all watched coldly as Li Yi's army moved freely within the country without stopping them.

Yuan Shang had very few soldiers and was thinking about how to resist Li Yi's army.

Someone reported to Youzhou Governor Yuan Xi, who led 20,000 troops to provide support.

Yuan Shang was overjoyed: "You are truly my second brother!"

So he personally led the crowd to welcome them.

When the brothers met, they immediately hugged each other and cried bitterly.

He cried about the misfortunes of his family and lamented that his wife, children and old mother had all fallen into the hands of the enemy army.

"Li Yi's troops are coming at you very fast. Xianfu, why don't you follow me back to Youzhou to avoid Li Yi's army for a while?"

Yuan Xi suggested to Yuan Shang to temporarily abandon Jizhou.

Anyone can see that Jizhou is now in the hands of Cao and Liu.

The military and civilians in Jizhou, in particular, have shown obvious signs of fatigue.

The previous expedition to Henan had already exhausted the people of Hebei.

Now the war is being fought on Hebei soil, which has caused great hardship and misery to the people of Hebei.

Everyone hopes that the war will end soon.

Therefore, even if Yuan Shang is now under the banner of the Yuan family, it is difficult to gain the support of everyone.

If the people are forced to join the army, it may only backfire.

Yuan Shang had no choice but to follow his advice and first joined forces with Yuan Xi, totaling about 30,000 people.

He abandoned Jizhou and fled to Zhuojun, Youzhou.

When they arrived at Zhuo County, Yuan Xi again advised Yuan Shang:

"Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, please put aside your personal grudges, unite with your brothers, and fight against the foreign enemy together."

Yuan Shang was greatly ashamed and could only say:
"Before this, Xiansi and I had a great battle with Hejian, but Li Yi led his troops to take advantage of the opportunity."

"I fled to Boling, and Xiansi fled to Anping."

"Li Yi first went to Anping, and now he is coming to attack me again. It must be that Xiansi has already suffered from him."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xi could only sigh helplessly.

I wonder how the Yuan family went from dominating four states to where they are today?
"Since my brother has been murdered, how about asking Yuancai to lead his troops to come and help?"

Yuan Xi also proposed to unite with the senior officials of Bingzhou to stop Li Yi's troops.

Yuan Shang said indignantly:

"When I was at the end of my rope, I wanted to go to Bingzhou to escape the brunt of the situation."

"I didn't expect that Gao Gan, this villain, would send troops to block my way as I am Yuan's nephew."

"How can you deny me entry?"

It turned out that after Yuan Shang was defeated by Li Yi, he went to Bingzhou to seek help.

But at that time, Bingzhou had already fallen into the hands of Ma Chao, and Gao Gan and Huochequan had at least nominally surrendered to Ma Chao.

Ma Chao is currently at the peak of his power, and Gao Gan and Huchuquan do not want to fall out with him at this time.

Therefore, whether Yuan Shang can enter the country depends entirely on Ma Chao's mood.

Pang Tong urged Ma Chao to send troops to prevent Yuan Shang from entering the country.

And analyzed:

"At present, the general controls the Yellow River in the south, blocks the Yantai in the north, and has the people of the desert, so he is invincible."

"If we look south, we can fight for the world at any time. Why can't we do that?"

"Besides, the Yuan family has been favored for four generations and has many disciples, so we will allow Yuan Shang to enter the country."

"General, can you save Bingzhou?"

Pang Tong's words were intended to prevent Yuan Shang from regaining his strength in Bingzhou.

At the same time, they were worried that after Yuan Shang arrived in Bingzhou, he would use the reputation of their Yuan family to win people's hearts.

Because at this time, a large number of Xuzhou officials had come to Bingzhou to report on their work.

Everyone has just changed jobs and is not yet familiar with the work environment. How can they compete with Yuan’s “golden signboard”?
However, the beauty of Pang Tong's words lies in the fact that he did not mention Xuzhou in any sentence, and every word was analyzed and considered based on Ma Chao's interests.

These are words any monarch would love to hear.

Ma Chao followed his advice and ordered Gao Gan to lead troops to block Yuan Shang's troops from entering the country.

Gao Gan saw that the Yuan family was doomed and really didn't want Yuan Shang to come to Bingzhou.

After all, he still had his troops and he always believed that he would be able to retake Bingzhou sooner or later.

If we welcome Yuan Shang into the country now, wouldn't that be equivalent to adding another potential enemy to ourselves?
Therefore, Gao Gan and Ma Chao hit it off immediately, understood each other's minds, and happily accepted the order.

Yuan Shang was blocked outside and could not enter Bingzhou.

As a result, he stayed in Zhongshan and Boling, wandering around, unable to advance or retreat.

After hearing about Yuan Shang's experience, Yuan Xi was also quite sad.

I secretly sighed, how could a senior official be like this?
We are a family after all!
Why do you help Li Yi, the foreign enemy, but not help my Yuan family?
Just when the two brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi were worried, they suddenly received news that an envoy from Jizhou had arrived.

"Is there an envoy from Jizhou?"

When they first heard this, they were both a little uncomfortable.

After a moment of hesitation, I realized that Jizhou is now owned by the two thieves Cao and Liu.

"Let him in!"

A moment.

Ji sent the envoy inside and presented the letter, which was sent by Li Yi.

"What's in the letter?"

Yuan Shang asked hurriedly.

Yuan Xi frowned and remained speechless. Yuan Shang could not wait any longer and snatched the letter and read it in his hand.

It turned out that the letter was written by Mrs. Liu.

It was just that Mrs. Liu wrote for Li Yi.

Its general content is:

He first expressed his longing for his son and said that Li Yi had never made things difficult for their family.

Then, of course, it was to persuade them to surrender.

Li Yi persuaded Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi to hand over their military power, and said that he would report to the court and recommend titles for the two.

It would still be a good thing to be promoted to a noble official and become a rich man.

Finally, there is the threat.

Li Yi said that if the second Yuaner refused to surrender.

When the time comes, I will personally lead the troops north, and no matter where you flee to, I will take down their heads.

In short, this letter looks like it was written from a mother to her son.

In fact, it was a letter of coercion and inducement from Li Yi.

The third son of Yuan

Yuan Tan was violent and cruel, Yuan Xi was cowardly and indecisive, and Yuan Shang was handsome and popular.

At this time, after reading Li Yi's letter, Yuan Xi was suddenly moved.

"Xianfu, Marquis Li Tan said in the letter that he would not embarrass us."

"Do you think it's possible—"

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Yuan Shang.

"Brother is confused!"

"If I surrender my military power, I will be at the mercy of others."

"When the time comes, we will have to listen to whatever Li Yi says."

"Besides, without soldiers and horses, even if you become a rich man, you will still be dependent on others and be looked down upon by others!"

Yuan Shang's words were not alarmist.

You know, even Cao Cao in history unified Hebei.

Twenty years later, there are still many people in Hebei who consider the Yuan family to be their masters.

Just imagine, when the two sons of the Yuan family voluntarily surrendered, they lived under the care of others from then on.

How will people in Hebei view them?

It was originally held high among the colorful clouds, but suddenly fell heavily into the mud.

Who can bear this kind of gap?

Especially for a family of three dukes who have been in the family for four generations, he could not bear this kind of humiliation.

Yuan Shang would rather die in battle and offer his country to others than surrender to Cao Cao or Liu Bei.

“…This, ugh!”

Yuan Xi punched the table, frowned and sighed:

"Although I have 50,000 soldiers in Youzhou, the northeast is not pacified yet."

"Liu Yu's former subordinates are armed and powerful, and the Wuhuan in the three counties are eyeing them covetously."

"Besides, Youzhou is a cold and bitter place, and it is difficult for us to be self-sufficient."

"Not to mention resisting a powerful enemy!"

Only then did Yuan Xi express his difficulties.

His Youzhou is not as good as your Jizhou.

As early as when the empire was not yet divided, Youzhou needed the grain, rice, and money from Jizhou and Qingzhou for its supplies.

The same thing was done during the Yuan Shao period.

Use the taxes and grain from Jizhou and Qingzhou to make up for the annual gap in Youzhou.

During Liu Yu's period, Youzhou achieved self-sufficiency.

But that was accomplished on the basis of Liu Yu's massive military cuts.

Because of this, Gongsun Zan had a quarrel with Liu Yu, and the conflict between the two even reached an irreconcilable point.

Now, Yuan Xi could no longer obtain money and grain supplies from Jizhou and Qingzhou.

It is also impossible to reduce the army and cut military supplies like Liu Yu did.

What is even more despairing is that

What Yuan Xi got was not even a complete Youzhou.

The only places he actually controlled were Zhuojun and Yuyang in Youzhou.

The remaining territory was divided up among the Xianbei people, local powerful people, Liu Yu's former subordinates, and the three counties of Wuhuan.

Therefore, Yuan Xi did not dare to cut down the army because he was surrounded by powerful enemies.

The script he got in his hand was hell within hell.

The conditions offered by Li Yi at the moment are already quite friendly.

Yuan Xi really wanted to quit while he was ahead, as he didn't have any ambitions.

What's more, he was clear about his own positioning and strength. His "bankrupt version" of Youzhou just couldn't compete with Li Yi.

"Youzhou is bitterly cold, and Li Yi certainly doesn't want to waste money and manpower on a long expedition."

"It is because he is anxious to pacify Hebei."

"If we can surrender to him at this time, he will treat us well."

"Besides, people say that Li Tanhou is known for his integrity and trustworthiness, and he never breaks his promise to anyone."

"perhaps……"

Yuan Xi gave earnest advice.

"shut up!!"

Yuan Shang shouted, interrupting Yuan Xi's speech.

"Jizhou should have belonged to my Yuan family. How can I give it to others?"

"Besides, your wife is also in Li Yi's hands. If you don't take revenge for the abduction of your wife, it will be a shame."

"You are unworthy of being a man!"

this! !

Yuan Xi's body trembled, as Yuan Shang's words hit the painful spot.

Yuan Xi has deep feelings for Zhen Mi and he truly likes her.

We often say that parents’ orders and matchmaker’s words are final.

Especially for aristocratic families like the Yuan family, they attach more importance to family background.

However, Yuan Xi simply fell in love with Zhen Mi and took the initiative to propose marriage to her.

Of course, considering the influence of Zhongshan Zhen family, Yuan Shao had no objection to this marriage.

Due to various changes, Zhen Mi was left in Jizhou as a hostage by Yuan Shang.

As a result, he fell into the hands of the enemy by accident.

This incident is the most painful thing in Yuan Xi's heart.

"...Haha, if you want to vote for Li Yi, that's fine."

"I don't really care, but Miss Zhen is so beautiful, there's no guarantee that Li Yi won't be tempted."

"If you go to him, can you get Li Yi to return Zhen?"

"Besides, even if it is returned, can it be returned intact?"

"As the ancients said, a minister cannot serve two masters, and a woman cannot marry two husbands."

"I can still ignore my reputation, but I am afraid that my brother will lose face."

Yuan Shang continued to fan the flames.

Yuan Xi's face turned from blue to purple, alternating between blue and purple.

After a long time, he stamped his feet in frustration and sighed:
"...Alas! How can I, Yuan Xianyi, a man of honor, endure such a great humiliation!"

"...Forget it, what does Xianfu want me to do?"

"I'll do whatever you say!"

Yuan Shang was overjoyed and stepped forward to hold Yuan Xi's shoulders.

"...Good, good, good! This is my brother."

"Xiansi has been killed by the thieves. You are the eldest son of our Yuan family."

"Although my father has passed on the title to me, this wealth and glory of Hebei can be shared by you and me, my brother!"

Yuan Xi was not very excited, on the contrary, he felt a little disappointed.

"What should we do now?" Yuan Xi asked again.

"Immediately execute the envoy to show our determination to resist!"

Yuan Shang believed that as long as the Yuan brothers showed strong enough determination to resist.

Then many former officials in Hebei who had received favors from the Yuan family would surely rush to Youzhou to join them.

The Yuan family's strength will be restored sooner or later.

Li Yi took over such a large Jizhou in one breath. I don’t believe that he would not take a break and would attack them immediately.

If overexpansion causes an explosion, you will be the one who suffers.

Yuan Shang's mouth curled up slightly, showing full confidence in the battle.

……

The words are divided into two parts,

After Li Yi expelled the Yuan brothers, he officially sent two envoys.

One of the envoys was the one who had just gone north to Youzhou to persuade Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi to surrender.

The other envoy went to Weijun to formally find Cao Cao and divide the borders of Jizhou.

Afterwards, the capital was officially established in Bohai.

One reason is that it is the most populous and richest county in Jizhou except Wei County.

The second reason is that this place reaches Qingzhou in the south and Youzhou in the north.

From a strategic perspective, he could go north at any time to eliminate the border threat in Youzhou.

At the same time, it is convenient to obtain food and fodder support from Qingzhou.

Relying on river and sea transportation, it is difficult for Bohai's economy not to develop.

From a geographical point of view alone, Li Yi was even confident that he could surpass Xia Pi in three years.

After the seat of government is decided, another important thing is to reward people according to their merits.

It is the coldest time of the year now, and it is even colder in the north.

The soldiers stayed in the camp despite the harsh living environment, suffering from the hardships of wind and frost.

Everybody is looking forward to this.

Therefore, in addition to material rewards, there are also rewards in terms of title.

Li Yi still drafted two official documents.

One copy was sent directly to Jizhou officials.

The book briefly says:

"I follow the imperial order and raise an army to punish the rioters."

"It has been three years now. Wherever I go, I will conquer. Wherever I go, I will take. Is this the work of just me?"

"It is the power of all the wise scholars and officials!"

"Although the world is not yet completely settled, I will work with wise scholars and officials to settle it."

"Now I am only enjoying their hard work, how can I feel at peace?"

"It is advisable to promote the awarding of titles for meritorious service to comfort the people."

To put it simply, Li Yi commended everyone for their hard work.

He also said that the pacification of Hebei was not the achievement of me alone, but the result of everyone's hard work.

This is standard workplace rhetoric.

The other one is not so much an official document as it is a letter.

It was written specifically for Liu Bei.

Although Li Yi and Liu Bei were separated, they remained pen pals and often exchanged letters to express their longing for each other.

After the letter was drafted, it was sent to Liu Bei in Xia Pi, Xuzhou.

The book briefly says:

"When Zhao She and Dou Ying were generals, they were given thousands of gold coins, but they spent them all in one day."

"Therefore, he was able to accomplish great success and his reputation will be passed down through the ages."

"Every time I read his writings, I always admired him as a person."

"Now I am following the lord's military order and joining the other generals and officers in the war to defeat the enemy together."

"Fortunately, wise men are not stingy with their advice, and the people are not sparing their efforts."

"Thus he pacified the dangers and quelled the rebellion, and Yi secretly received a great reward, with three thousand households and towns."

In the first half of the letter, Li Yi still humbly attributed the credit to his colleagues who worked with him.

He also expressed his shame for the reward, which increased his fiefdom by a thousand households.

He joked that he had "stole" the rewards from the soldiers.

Including his original fief, Li Yi now had a fief of 3,000 households.

The second half of the letter reads:

"Yi has always remembered Dou Ying's kindness in distributing gold. Now I can divide the taxes, taxes, and fiefs I have received among the generals and officials to repay their hard work."

"It is because I am not worthy of receiving such a great favor."

"It is advisable to send the orphans of the deceased to be raised with the rent of grain."

"If the money is sufficient and the harvest is good, share the benefits with everyone."

If the first half of the letter was just Li Yi's humble words.

The second half is about actually distributing his own fiefdom to the soldiers.

Li Yi not only cited the example of Dou Ying giving away money, but also made it clear that he hoped Liu Bei could give him a portion of his fiefdom.

It was used to reward meritorious soldiers, the so-called "rewarding the public's hard work with a field."

At the same time, he also hoped that Liu Bei would give priority to caring for the orphans of the fallen soldiers and use the rent of grain to support them.

Wait until Jizhou’s granaries are full before considering other people.

After reading Li Yi's letter, Liu Bei was very surprised.

Li Yi has a good character of being modest, but why would he now propose to divide his own fiefdom among the meritorious soldiers?
If he agreed, wouldn't it seem that he, Old Liu, was ungrateful and mean to his old subordinates?

Liu Bei couldn't understand Li Yi's behavior, so he went to Zhuge Liang and asked for his opinion.

Zhuge Liang only glanced at Li Yi's letter and asked:
"Are there any former officials of the Yuan family among those being rewarded this time?"

Liu Bei nodded and replied, "In order to appease Yuan's former officials, his name is also included in the rewards."

Zhuge Liang waved his fan and said with a smile:

"This is an easy thing to do."

"…My Lord, you can add another 3,000 households to Marquis Li Tan's fiefdom, and then divide this number of households among the meritorious officials."

Liu Bei suddenly understood what Li Yi meant.

He was unable to react to the emotion for a moment.

He couldn't help looking at Zhuge Liang and couldn't help but said in a self-deprecating tone:

"Zi Yu and I have known each other for nine years, but you have not met him yet."

"How can you guess someone's intentions based on just a letter?"

Zhuge Liang explained:
"As the ancients said: The ruler observes his subjects, and the subjects serve the ruler."

"Now that Marquis Tan has just taken control of Jizhou, it is the right time to win the hearts of the people."

"But if he were to rashly confer the title and reward, it would be contrary to the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects."

"So in the letter, he only mentioned the distribution of his own fiefdom, but never mentioned the increase in the number of households."

What he meant was that Lao Li just wanted to ask Liu Bei for the number of households so that he could reward his soldiers.

But this kind of thing cannot be said openly, so he can only say that he will divide his own fiefdom.

This is to hint at Lao Liu.

Liu Bei suddenly realized something and slapped his head:
“…I see. I see.”

"Zi Yu and I have known each other for so many years, how could he doubt me?"

In Lao Liu's opinion,

As long as Li Yi asked, Liu Bei would give him whatever he wanted.

Why go through all these roundabout ways to hint at him?

But Zhuge Liang understood that a monarch can treat his subjects well.

But the subjects must always remember that he is their monarch.

This is the basic way of survival for a minister.

……

(End of this chapter)