Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 261 Liu Bei uses the same old trick again, and Yuan Shu makes peace (Please subscribe and vote for monthly tickets)
Beat Yuan Shu up, and then give him some sweet dates.

Liu Bei's use of both kindness and severity became increasingly sophisticated.

Raising pigs, you know.

They have to be fat before they can be killed.

The South is not yet fertile enough.

Liu Bei needed Yuan Shu to promote the tools he wanted to promote through a series of top-down reforms, and simplified characters were a crucial one.

As for whether the powerful families in the south would agree, that was not a question Liu Bei needed to consider.

After this defeat, Yuan Shu's prestige was greatly diminished.

If Yuan Shu didn't want his power to be usurped by powerful clans, he had no choice but to accept the sweet treats offered by Liu Bei.

Yuan Shu, the eldest son of the Yuan family and former Tiger General, knew very well how Liu Hong had been stripped of his power.

Now, fortunes have turned, and Yuan Shu is about to face the same predicament as Liu Hong.

Liu Bei was eager to see how Yuan Shu would deal with the powerful clans in the south.

Last year, Liu Bei defeated Yuan Shao, and this year he defeated Yuan Shu. The two Yuans from the north and south will no longer pose a threat to Liu Bei in the short term.

Liu Bei continued to focus on improving people's livelihoods.

However, in an era when people relied on the weather for their livelihood, it was very difficult to achieve a breakthrough in grain production.

Fortunately, Cai Yong and others from Dongguan annotated a large number of books related to agriculture.

Such as "Fan Shengzhi's Book" and "The Monthly Ordinances for the Four Classes of People".

These agricultural books were annotated in simple and easy-to-understand language and transcribed in simplified Chinese characters, and then sent to printing workshops for mass production.

Based on existing conditions, we should strive to achieve intensive and large-scale farming as much as possible.

Entrusting grain to the collection of taxes from the people is like having one's lifeline controlled by others. Once a famine occurs, officials, the army, and the disaster victims all demand grain, which can easily lead to conflicts among the three parties.

Only when the granaries are full can people know etiquette; only when they have enough food and clothing can they know honor and shame. If they can't even get enough to eat, even the best policies will become worthless due to food shortages.

The higher one's position, the more one understands the importance of prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce. In an era where food imports are impossible, neglecting agriculture means resorting to plunder.

However, the surrounding small countries don't even have enough food for their own countries. People like the Xianbei and Wuhuan often raid southwards because of food shortages. Stealing from others is useless; if you don't want to go hungry, you can only rely on yourself.

The more the Han emperor fought, the poorer he became, largely because the Xiongnu had nothing worth plundering.

What the Xiongnu had, the Han also had.

What the Xiongnu didn't have, the Han also had.

Liu Bei's choice to ally with Yuan Shao was also to give the people of the Central Plains a chance to recuperate and rebuild.

Ten days later.

Xu You brought Fan A to Wancheng.

Upon learning Xu You's purpose, Yuan Shu's expression changed drastically: "You scoundrel with the big ears, you have insulted me far too much! Do you really think I dare not kill you?"

Liu Bei lost the Northern Expedition, and Yuan Shu admitted defeat. However, Liu Bei sent a physician who claimed to be there to treat his illness!

This infuriated Yuan Shu, who didn't believe Fan A had come to treat his illness at all. He was more inclined to believe that Fan A was an assassin sent by Liu Bei to poison him under the guise of treating his illness.

Seeing the axemen swarming around him, Xu You showed no fear: "When His Majesty the Han Emperor defeated Yuan Shao, I was also sent as an envoy to Nanpi, where Yuan Shao treated me like an honored guest. Now, I am sent as an envoy to Wancheng, but I am about to die here. We are both sons of the Yuan family, yet our character is so different. Is it really because of the difference in environment? That the Yuan family becomes narrow-minded when facing the south, but generous and benevolent when facing the north?"

Yuan Shu, mocked by Xu You, turned cold and said, "Xu You, don't think I'll spare your life because of your clever words! How can that son of a concubine, Yuan Shao, compare to me? Does he even deserve to be called the Zhong Emperor? I am the Zhong Emperor!"

He claimed he wouldn't spare Xu You's life because of a few clever words, but his words were actually directed at Yuan Shao.

Seeing this, Xu You laughed again: "Who is the real Emperor Zhong will depend on who survives to the end. Fan A is a disciple of Hua Tuo, the divine physician of Qiao County, and is also skilled in treating diseases caused by epidemics. If you don't believe me, you can kill the two of us quickly."

Seeing Xu You and Fan A, who showed no fear of death, Yuan Shu hesitated.

However, if Yuan Shu were to change his mind, he would feel that he would lose face.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lü Bu said, "Why doesn't Your Majesty let Fan A give it a try? After Fan A presents his diagnosis and treatment plan, we can let the doctors of Wancheng discuss whether it is appropriate for the condition. The doctors of Wancheng can also prepare the medicine. Even if Fan A really has the intention to assassinate, it will be difficult for him to find an opportunity."

Yuan Shu thought about it again and realized that Lü Bu's words made sense. Lü Bu had given him a way out, so he pretended to threaten him and said, "I will let you try. If you can't cure the disease, I will drag you two out and feed you to the dogs!"

Fan Aben had no intention of assassinating Yuan Shu, and was ordered by Liu Bei to cure Yuan Shu, so his words and actions were impeccable.

After a few days of taking the medicine, Yuan Shu's condition improved significantly.

Only after experiencing the therapeutic effect did Yuan Shu believe that Liu Bei had truly sent a renowned physician to diagnose his illness, which left Yuan Shu puzzled.

Yuan Shu did not believe that Liu Bei would be so kind.

If we put ourselves in their shoes, Yuan Shu would be more than happy if Liu Bei and Yuan Shao both died of illness, which would greatly reduce the difficulty of future northern expeditions.

Faced with Yuan Shu's question, Xu You resorted to the same tactics he used to deceive Yuan Shao: "Do you know why His Majesty the Emperor of Han made a three-year agreement with Yuan Shao? The reason is simple: a weak opponent is not enough for His Majesty the Emperor of Han to be remembered in history."

"Why is Emperor Gaozu praised? It is because Emperor Gaozu had a powerful opponent, Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu! This time, His Majesty the Emperor Zhong was defeated, not because of a lack of skill, but because he happened to encounter continuous rain and His Majesty the Emperor Zhong fell ill. His Majesty the Emperor of Han believed that the victory was not honorable."

"His Majesty the Emperor of Han hopes that His Majesty the Zhong Emperor can also follow Yuan Shao's example and cease hostilities for three years, after which the outcome will be decided again. If His Majesty the Zhong Emperor dies, his successor Yuan Yao will surely become a puppet of powerful clans, and His Majesty the Emperor of Han will not be able to show any prestige even if he wins."

"Forgive my bluntness, but although His Majesty Emperor Zhong possesses the lands of Jing, Yang and Xichuan, the powerful families and clans are all self-serving and have no intention of helping His Majesty Emperor Zhong to launch a northern expedition to conquer the Central Plains and seize the world. They only want to maintain their peace in the south."

"Since ancient times, to quell external threats, one must first secure internal stability. If internal strife is rampant, how can Your Majesty ensure the continuation of the dynasty? Do you intend for the Great Zhong to perish after only two generations, like the Great Qin?"

Although Xu You's words were instigating, Yuan Shu found them quite agreeable.

Yuan Shu had long resented Liu Bei for not taking him seriously.

But now Liu Bei had Xu You tell him: This victory is not honorable; we should settle the score three years later.

This is an acknowledgment of Yuan Shu's status!
"Hmph!" Yuan Shu suppressed his inner satisfaction and snorted, "Since you want to compete with me, why join forces with Yuan Shao to call me a false emperor?"

Xu You replied without hesitation, "Both the North and South are under the Zhong Emperor; one of them must be a false emperor. Why should His Majesty the Zhong Emperor take it seriously? If His Majesty the Zhong Emperor believes that His Majesty the Han Emperor is biased towards Yuan Shao, His Majesty the Han Emperor can then declare Yuan Shao a false emperor." Yuan Shu reacted shrewdly this time, saying, "I am not Yuan Shao, and I do not need Liu Bei's acknowledgment of whether I am the true Zhong Emperor. I made an agreement with Liu Bei at the Huai River in the past, and it is not impossible to make another agreement for three years; however, what benefit would I gain from trucing my troops and making peace with Liu Bei?"

Seeing that Yuan Shu had relented, Xu You immediately presented the simplified Chinese classics "Thousand Character Classic" and "Character Recognition" that he had prepared beforehand, saying, "Simplified Chinese has already been promoted in the Central Plains and Hebei, but it has not yet been implemented in the South."

"With these simplified characters, Your Majesty can cultivate a large number of imperial disciples without worrying about being controlled by powerful clans in everything. This is also why Yuan Shao promoted simplified characters in Hebei. To this end, Yuan Shao also purchased printing and papermaking technologies from His Majesty the Han Emperor."

Upon seeing the two exquisitely crafted copies of the "Thousand Character Classic" and "Character Recognition," Yuan Shu was startled.

Yuan Shu had long heard of the popularity of simplified characters in the Central Plains.

Many aristocratic families who migrated south also brought simplified characters with them. However, these families treasured them and used them only to train their own protégés and former officials, never considering handing them over to Yuan Shu.

In other words, for powerful and wealthy families, simplified characters were a tool to strengthen their family's power, no different from knowledge passed down through generations, and not something to be easily revealed to others.

Even when Yuan Shu demanded them, he could only obtain a portion of the simplified characters, which the other party euphemistically claimed were for practicing calligraphy.

Yuan Shu was also well aware that simplified characters were indeed very suitable for training disciples.

In the south, powerful and influential families abounded. Although Yuan Shu inherited the resources of the Yuan family, which had held high office for four generations, he also fell into a strange cycle after becoming emperor: Yuan family members and former officials wanted him to emulate Emperor Wen of Han's policy of non-interference in governance.

Later generations often said: Among the three dynasties, Emperor Wen was the most outstanding sage ruler.

However, the reality was that the scholars wanted to govern the country together with the emperor, so they hoped that the emperor would govern by doing nothing, preferably lying down and eating without caring about anything, and that the scholars would be able to give full power to govern the country.

The scholars in the south today are in the same boat, hoping that Yuan Shu can lie low and eat his fill without worrying about anything, leaving the decisions of the scholars to be made, whether it be the Northern Expedition or governing the people.

However, the fact that Yuan Shu dared to declare himself emperor was enough to prove that he was not someone who would be manipulated by others.

For Yuan Shu, the Yuan family bloodline was noble, and the Yuan family could not be trampled on. Any scholar who wanted to render the Yuan family inactive was harboring malicious intentions.

If the emperor is to be inactive, why did Yuan Shu have to declare himself emperor? Wouldn't it have been better to have a powerful minister whose family has held high office for five generations?

"Liu Bei has indeed given me a great gift."

Yuan Shu accepted the "Thousand Character Classic" and the "Character Recognition Book".

These two complete sets of simplified characters were very important to Yuan Shu, and would be an important tool for him to control the scholars in the south in the future. Yuan Shu could not help but be tempted by them.

"Does Liu Bei have any other requests?" Yuan Shu asked again.

Xu You laughed and said, "His Majesty the Emperor of Han has no other requests. However, I do have a word of advice. Zhang Xun is now the Grand General, Zhou Xin is the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Lü Bu is the General of the Flying Cavalry. They already hold great power. In the future, when His Majesty the Emperor makes meritorious contributions in the Northern Expedition, will he perhaps enfeoff them as kings? In this respect, His Majesty the Emperor of Han has done a very good job. Until now, let alone a Grand General, there hasn't even been a General Who Conquers the South."

Zhang Xun, who was standing nearby, was furious and shouted, "Xu You, what are you trying to achieve by spreading these instigating rumors?"

Xu You glanced at Zhang Xun and laughed, "I was wrong just now. General Zhang Xun is unlikely to achieve any great merit. Your Majesty the Emperor need not worry. I have heard that Lü Bu is quite loyal to Your Majesty the Emperor. After this defeat, he will probably be willing to demote himself by three ranks. In that case, Zhou Xin should also demote himself."

Zhang Xun was both angry and resentful. Wasn't this a clear indication that he was an incompetent person?

Lu Bu frowned.

Xu You's words of sowing discord between Zhou Xin and Yuan Shu were practically written all over his face; he was practically telling Yuan Shu directly: "Don't let Zhou Xin become General of Chariots and Cavalry. In the future, his achievements will overshadow yours, and there will be no more titles to bestow upon him."

After glancing discreetly at Yuan Shu's expression, Lü Bu interjected, "I am also guilty of this defeat! I wish to demote myself by three ranks, please grant my request, Your Majesty!"

Zhang Xun looked at Lü Bu with displeasure. "I told you to demote yourself by three ranks, and you actually did it. If you've already demoted yourself, then shouldn't I also demote myself?"

Having followed Yuan Shu for many years, Zhang Xun was also able to read Yuan Shu's moods and act accordingly.

Seeing this, Zhang Xun could only echo, "I am also guilty of this defeat! I am willing to be demoted three ranks, please grant my request, Your Majesty!"

Qiao Rui and Liu Xun also demoted themselves.

The generals of the four routes of the Eastern Route Northern Expeditionary Army all demoted themselves, seemingly to apologize, but in reality, they wanted Zhou Xin, Zhou Ang, and Cai Mao of the Western Route Northern Expeditionary Army to also submit a petition to demote themselves.

Although Zhou Xin safely withdrew to Shouchun from the three routes, the failure of the Northern Expedition was a crime. The Eastern Route Army demoted itself but the Western Route Army did not. Could it be that they wanted to use their achievements to enhance their own power?

Yuan Shu deliberately pondered for a long time before granting Zhang Xun and the other three their permission to demote themselves.

Regardless of the reason, the failure of the Northern Expedition is an undeniable fact. Yuan Shu also wanted to take the opportunity to weaken the power of the Zhou brothers, and he conveniently used Xu You to say it.

A month later.

Liu Bei personally went to Bowangpo, north of Wancheng, and signed the Bowangpo Alliance with Yuan Shu.

Given that the papermaking and printing workshops in the south were controlled by powerful families, Liu Bei generously sold the technology of the papermaking and printing workshops to Yuan Shu, along with the woodblock printing technology for the simplified and traditional versions of the Thousand Character Classic and the "Character Comparison Table".

Similarly, Liu Bei would also send craftsmen to build workshops for Yuan Shu, but the workshops were located in Wancheng.

The reason is simple: if the workshop were elsewhere, it might be seized by powerful clans, but in Wancheng, Yuan Shu could send his trusted confidants to garrison there, and could also exchange goods with Liu Bei, so that the money earned would go directly into Yuan Shu's pocket instead of the pockets of powerful clans.

This agreement satisfied both Liu Bei and Yuan Shu.

Liu Bei only needed to provide technology and craftsmen to obtain a large amount of money and food, while Yuan Shu could bypass powerful families and clans and directly build workshops in Wancheng.

Liu Bei had planned to defeat Yuan Shu and then form an alliance with him long ago.

The south has abundant grain, so Liu Bei needs to import grain from the south as reserves to avoid insufficient food supplies in the event of future disasters and wars.

Although Yuan Shu did not proactively offer money like he did in the Treaty of Chanyuan between Song and Liao, Liu Bei could still strengthen himself by leveraging trade between the north and south as long as trade with the south could be restored.

As for whether the south would become militarily weak as a result, that was none of Liu Bei's business.

For example, Yuan Shu's ministers, relying on the natural defenses of the Yangtze River, believed that maintaining an army was too costly and advised Yuan Shu to abandon his military preparations, which had nothing to do with Liu Bei.

Liu Bei simply wanted to raise pigs in the south and slaughter them when they were fat.

The same approach was taken towards Yuan Shao in the north, who was given a grand promise and encouraged to first engage in a fierce battle with the Wuhuan and Xianbei.

Liu Bei, on the other hand, only needed to maintain his position in the Central Plains, quietly develop the people's livelihood, accumulate grain and train troops, and after three years of accumulating grain, crush the two Yuan brothers with overwhelming force.

That will be the time when Liu Bei truly unifies the world.

Before that, the pigs must be fattened up.

(End of this chapter)