Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

For the next few days, the wind in Wu County was warm. Zhou Yu invited Cao Ang to his mansion for a feast almost every day. After three rounds of drinks, he would spread out a map and discuss the rise and fall of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the rise and fall of the Qin and Han dynasties, and the public sentiment when King Tang exiled Jie and King Wu defeated King Zhou. He also explained that the Qin dynasty fell due to harsh rule and the Han dynasty rose through leniency. His words always came back to the public sentiment.

Although Cao Ang was the son of a general, he was also well-versed in history. When discussing these matters, he often had unique insights. When he became emotional, he slammed the table and said, "So-called rise and fall, in the final analysis, is just like 'water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.' Just like General Ma in Xiliang, if he hadn't been so dedicated to protecting the people, how could so many people be willing to die for him?"

Ma Yue, Sun Shao, and other children who were listening nearby were initially secretly playing with wooden swords under the table, but as they listened, they came closer. Sun Shao shook his head and said, "I thought victory depended on bravery and strength, but it turns out you also rely on the people." Ma Yue replied, "My aunt said that when my father was in Xiliang, he distributed food to the people in the winter. They all called him 'General Shenwei Tianjiang'!" The childish remarks made everyone laugh, but Zhou Yu twirled his beard and glanced at Cao Ang thoughtfully.

Ma Yunlu and Sun Shangxiang, both women with a touch of heroism, simply put aside the political intrigues and spent their days running wild with their children in and around Wujun City. They watched the fishing boats gather their nets on the riverbank, and went to the market to watch sugar artists create lifelike tigers. They even prepared a special offering and took Ma Yue to pay respect to his mother, Sally. The grass was lush in front of the grave. Ma Yunlu knelt down and whispered to Ma Yue, "Your mother was a good woman. She suffered a lot to protect you." Ma Yue seemed to understand, but he kowtowed three times.

One day, Sun Shangxiang suggested meeting the Shanyue leader, Shamoke. Shamoke had a long-standing grudge against Ma Chao, having fought on the battlefield. He initially held a grudge when he heard Ma Yunlu was coming, but upon meeting her, he saw her heroic spirit rivaling that of a man, and her frank and forthright nature as she spoke of past events in Xiliang. His grudges were largely dispelled, and he smiled and said, "The Ma family's sister is more articulate than your brother!" He then took Ma Yue aside, questioning him about his life and giving him a generous helping of mountain produce.

Over the past few days, Zhou Yu had fully grasped Cao Ang's thoughts—the young man possessed both the responsibility of a Cao family member and a deep identification with Ma Chao's philosophy of "protecting the territory and the people." He also gradually grasped Li Ru's intentions: sending the Western Liang cavalry to aid Cao, and having Cao Ang accompany Ma Yunlu, was intended not only to leverage Ma Chao's reputation to stabilize Cao's forces, but also to use this "identity" to forge ties between the various factions, laying the groundwork for future actions.

As the night deepened, Zhou Yu stood by the window, gazing at the moon in the sky. Suddenly, he smiled. Li Ru had indeed played a brilliant game of chess.

That day, Zhou Yu hosted another banquet for Cao Ang. However, unusually, the group of children who had been following him around like little dogs were not allowed to attend. Only Zhou Yu and Cao Ang were present in the tent. Cao Ang sensed the solemn atmosphere and unconsciously lost his composure.

Zhou Yu asked, "Zi Xiu, do you know why the Han Dynasty has fallen into such a state?"

Cao Ang started by talking about the power of the imperial relatives, then talked about the emperor's incompetence, and mentioned the chaos caused by the Ten Eunuchs, listing them one by one.

Zhou Yu waved his hand and said, "Zi Xiu, what you said is just superficial phenomena, the root cause is not here."

Cao Ang bowed and said, "I would like to hear Gongjin's wise words."

Zhou Yu said, "Let's first talk about the interference of foreign relatives in politics. They often have powerful families behind them. Take Emperor Xiaoling, for example. Why did he marry a butcher's daughter? He simply wanted to break free from the constraints of the aristocratic families. But he didn't realize that people all want to rise to higher positions, and once they reach a certain level of power, they will be assimilated by the aristocratic families. Emperor Xiaoling originally wanted to use He Jin to fight against the aristocratic families, but he didn't expect that the aristocratic families had already corrupted and lured He Jin into becoming part of them."

"Later, Emperor Xiaoling supported the Ten Eunuchs to fight against the aristocratic families, but power blinded them. After gaining power, the Ten Eunuchs changed their original intentions. Although they were fighting against the aristocratic families, they also confused the emperor's intentions and made the court chaotic. But ultimately, the aristocratic families were the root cause of the chaos under heaven."

"Ninety percent of the people support the aristocratic families, who only hold ten percent. However, the aristocratic families occupy all the wealth and power in the world, but only care about their own inheritance, and completely disregard the lives of the people."

Cao Ang's fingers tightened slightly around the wine glass. After hearing Zhou Yu's words, his Adam's apple rolled. He said in a deep voice, "Gongjin, are you saying... that aristocratic families are the root of chaos?" He thought of the prominent families that dominated the prefectures and counties, and the powerful families that protected each other in the court. His brows knitted together. "But Emperor Ling supported the Ten Eunuchs, only to be controlled by the eunuchs in the end. Isn't this just drinking poison to quench thirst?"

Zhou Yu lifted the wine pot and refilled Cao Ang's half-cup, the wine sloshing in the cup and creating tiny ripples. "The Ten Attendants were originally the swords in the hands of the Emperor, but when a sword is held for too long, it begins to cut the one holding it. And He Jin, a relative of a butcher, forgot his roots the moment he entered the aristocratic family, and turned to help the aristocratic family suppress the emperor's power. This is the power of the aristocratic family. They don't need swords, just the word 'glory' to make you willingly hand over the knife."

Cao Ang was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "So, the chaos under heaven is unsolvable?"

"Of course there is a solution," Zhou Yu tapped his fingertips on the table, his eyes sharp as a blade. "It all depends on whether you dare to take real action. Return the land held by the aristocratic families to the common people, and distribute their monopoly of power to the hands of the poor. However, not many people dare to say this nowadays, and even fewer dare to do it."

Cao Ang watched the wine sway in his cup and suddenly thought of the farmers in his hometown whose land had been seized by the aristocratic families. He remembered how they had eaten tree bark to fill their stomachs. He clenched his fist unconsciously and said, "If that is really possible, even if it means my death, I, Cao Ang, will give it a try."

Zhou Yu looked at the light ignited in his eyes and raised his glass. "What a wonderful phrase, 'tear my body into pieces.' Zixiu, this glass of wine is a toast to your kindness."

After finishing his glass of wine, Zhou Yu placed the empty cup lightly on the table. His eyes darkened as he continued, "Mengqi, Bofu, and I saw through this chaos long ago. Back when we pacified Wujun and Jiangdong, we used the Shanyue to wipe out the aristocratic families. While our methods may have been drastic, they temporarily subdued those forces. However, after the Chang'an Incident, news of Mengqi's 'faked death' spread, and Bofu, seeking revenge, led an army. Ultimately, he was smuggled in. The Jiangdong aristocratic families had no shortage of ulterior motives behind his death."

Cao Ang's hand holding the wine glass paused slightly, surprise flashing in his eyes: "How could it be so complicated?"

"Yes," Zhou Yu sighed softly, his fingertips slowly tracing across the desk, as if tracing invisible obstacles. "Aristocratic families are like a malignant tumor. When they encounter someone exceptionally talented, they'll use any means necessary to win them over and assimilate them. If anyone refuses to submit, they'll regard them as a thorn in their side, eager to eliminate them as soon as possible. As long as these people cling to wealth and power, even if the world is temporarily unified, true peace will be hard to come by, and unrest will only continue."

He looked up at Cao Ang, his eyes filled with a subtle earnestness. "My brother and I wanted to overturn all this back then, but the road ahead is filled with thorns. One wrong step would lead to eternal damnation."

Cao Ang's heart flared up when he heard this. He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. "Are we just going to let them do this? There's no solution?"

Zhou Yu's fingertips caressed the rim of the cup, his gaze fixed on the flickering candlelight, as if lost in thought. "Since Bofu's departure, I've often pondered alone at night. My previous methods were indeed a bit too radical, and the direction was off. A head-on attack is like hitting a rock with an egg. The aristocratic families are deeply intertwined, and even a small move could affect the entire system." He paused, his tone softening. "Perhaps we should try a different approach—a more subtle and silent approach."

Cao Ang frowned slightly: "Moisturizing things silently?"

Zhou Yu tapped the table with his fingertips, his eyes gleaming with astonishing brightness. "That's exactly what's going on. The aristocratic families hold the classics in their hands, controlling the education of the countryside. The common people are illiterate, so they allow them to manipulate them at will. If we could bring writing brushes, inkstones, and paper to the countryside, if we could open schools in every village, so that even the children of humble backgrounds could hold books and learn the truth, then the term 'foolish the people' would become empty talk."

He stood up and paced twice, his sleeves stirring the air. "Return the annexed land to the farmers who tilled it, so that they can own their land and have grain in their granaries. With full bellies and books in hand, who would still want to be a pawn in the hands of an aristocratic family?"

Cao Ang's blood boiled at this, and he slapped his thigh fiercely: "Great! Gongjin, what you said hits the nail on the head! Although my Cao family is not a top-tier family, we do have some wealth. I will donate some of my land and open a school in the village, and hire teachers to teach the children!"

Zhou Yu looked at him with a smile in his eyes: "Zixiu, it is a great blessing that you have such a heart. This is not a one-day effort, so you and I should work together."

Cao Ang clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "I will definitely live up to this promise! If I can see poor students gain academic advancement, farmers secure their land, and the world free of the hegemony of the aristocratic families, then even my death will be worth it!"

Zhou Yu's smile deepened, his fingertips gently tracing circles on the table. "Zixiu, you're mistaking it. This world's ills didn't arise overnight; how can one family alone change them? We must unite with those noble families willing to lead the way, and make them understand that those who are willing to open their collections and establish academies can ensure the continuation of their families. If they still cling to the classics as their private property and treat the people as fools, then it's no wonder they're resorting to war."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the dark night outside the window. "Decades of hard work—a long time, a short time. As for the preciousness of pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, and the lack of books? That's exactly what we need to do step by step. First, let the provincial and county governments take the lead in copying the aristocratic families' collections and compiling them into libraries. Then, encourage artisans to improve their craftsmanship, making paper and ink affordable and readily available. Once ordinary people can afford books and learn to read, the aristocratic families' monopoly will naturally be weakened."

He picked up his teacup and gently clinked it with Cao Ang's. "We have to take it one step at a time. As long as we're heading in the right direction, why worry about going slower?"

Cao Ang's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He clasped his fists and said in a deep voice, "Brother, you have such foresight. Cao Ang admires you." Before he finished speaking, he had already taken half a step forward, his aura suddenly concentrated. "Even if the road ahead is full of difficulties and dangers, I am willing to flatten the thorns for you and be the first stepping stone to land!"

Zhou Yu laughed out loud when he heard this, a gleam in his eyes. He raised his hand and patted Cao Ang on the shoulder: "What a stepping stone! With Zixiu's words, there is no need to worry about not achieving great things."

Zhou Yu looked at Cao Ang with a burning gaze and spoke in a resounding voice, "I will grant you whatever you have come to ask for this time." He paused lightly on the table, the candlelight illuminating his determined expression. "Since we are determined to face the future together, there is no need to worry. I will contain Sun Quan in Jiangdong, and you can attack Xuzhou and Shouchun without hesitation."

As he finished speaking, the sound of flags rustling in the night wind echoed outside the tent, adding a touch of vigour to his promise. Cao Ang's heart warmed, and he stood up and clasped his fists, his knuckles turning slightly white from the effort. "Gongjin, this promise is as heavy as Mount Tai! I will definitely live up to your trust!"