The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

This is outrageous! Sun Jian has quite the ambition! Yuan Shu was furious when he heard this. Even his own direct descendants didn't possess the Imperial Seal of the State, yet this insignificant member of the Sun family dared to claim it for himself. However, Yuan Shu didn't intend to spread this news widely. He ordered the news to be kept secret, and then it would be his.

Faced with the temptation of the Imperial Seal, Yuan Shu displayed unprecedented cunning. He first publicly acknowledged Sun Jian and other Jiangdong clans' control over the region, while also admitting his friendly relations with them. However, behind the scenes, Yuan Shu tried every means to weaken Sun Jian and the Jiangdong clans, instigating the Yue people to attack from the mountains. Then, when both sides were exhausted, Yuan Shu would openly aid Jiangdong. Of course, in the end, it was easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away!

It must be said that Yuan Shu had a brilliant idea.

While Yuan Shu in the south was indulging in his grand ambitions, other forces in the empire began their own reforms. Some pioneers, such as the Chang'an court represented by Gongsun Zan, had already felt the benefits of the reforms. Commerce in Chang'an had developed significantly, and some handicraft workshops had emerged. In Chen Er's words from his previous life, that was the birth of the seeds of capitalism!

Of course, this was just the beginning of the seeds. The true birthplace of capitalism should be Youzhou. At this time, Youzhou was full of workshops of all sizes. According to the Ministry of Industry, Yuyang City alone had more than 100 workshops of all sizes, with more than 30,000 workers. This was already a significant improvement. This is why Chen Er did not completely restrict the landlord class. He only prevented them from buying and selling land without authorization. Chen Er was not afraid of land concentration, but he was afraid of it being too concentrated in the hands of certain people. Relatively concentrated land was more conducive to liberating labor and promoting industrial development. At present, Yuyang even had civilian steam factories. Through cooperation with the Zhen and Mi families, Chen Er built two steam textile factories. Although each factory only had two steam engines, it was still a huge step forward.

This was a symbol, a symbol of progress, a representative of progress. More importantly, it was a template that would attract the attention of powerful families, diverting their focus from the land and making them realize that industry was where the money was. And it was precisely because of this that, two or three years later, Chen Er's actions directly spurred the true beginning of the Industrial Revolution under his rule, and the age of large machines finally arrived. But that's a story for another time.

The real essence of the autonomous region's reform lies in industrial and commercial reforms. Simply put, it is economic reform. The economic base determines the superstructure. This is one of the most frequently heard sayings when Chen Er was in school in his previous life. In this life, Chen Er also believes this. Only with economic development can he have more strength to develop and strengthen the military.

However, these were things that other feudal lords could not understand. Their reforms were merely imitations, and although they could achieve some results, they were certainly not comparable to those of the northern autonomous regions. Moreover, some feudal lords pursued speed and efficiency too much in their reforms, and even used the name of reform to do other things. In the end, not only did their reforms fail, but they also led to the decline of their own power.

The most obvious example of this is the former Xiliang military group.

Niu Fu and Guo Si were not strategists; they were just pure military generals, and even Niu Fu's military prowess was somewhat questionable.

Looking at the desolate land before them, a group of dark figures suddenly appeared on the distant horizon, getting closer and closer. It turned out to be groups of people, carrying hoes and rakes, and some tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed men holding matchlock guns. They were rebels! Groups of rebels!

Looking at the rebel army before him, Niu Fu fell silent. He was also studying Chen Er's reforms, but his reforms seemed to be a case of false advertising. The promised agricultural tax reform turned into an increase in agricultural tax collection at the local level. This could not be blamed on Niu Fu, since he was not familiar with the new policies. However, it also showed how weak his control over the lower levels was.

As a result, the most serious outcome occurred: during what should have been the busy farming season, the peasants rose up in rebellion. Although they did not have sharp weapons, they had hoes and rakes, and some idle Westerners even joined in, taking matchlock guns passed down from their fathers or grandfathers and rebelling with the peasants.

However, it wasn't exactly a rebellion, but an uprising. For them, it was an uprising; they were the righteous army. According to the imperial edict of the central court, Niu Fu and his men were the rebels, while we peasants were simply responding to the emperor's call.

Looking at the towering city walls, some of the rebels were frightened, but many more stood up and called on everyone not to be afraid and to fight to the end!

Following the emperor's call, it seems that this uprising is not as simple as it appears on the surface, and there must be some people behind it. However, Niu Fu's agricultural reforms did indeed fail, becoming the fuse for the uprising.

Despite having over 30,000 troops, including elite soldiers, Niu Fu dared not engage in battle. He was afraid. Indeed, the 50,000 to 60,000 rebels in front of him were nothing; a single charge by his 30,000 elite troops might be enough to take them down. But Niu Fu dared not, because this was already the second wave. The blood and limbs still not cleaned up below the city walls indicated that a major battle had taken place here before. It was precisely because of this that Niu Fu was so nervous.

"Why is it that Chen Er's reforms went so smoothly, while we can only fail?" Niu Fu muttered to himself.

“General, this is all the fault of those officials below who are outwardly obedient but inwardly defiant, lacking any ambition and failing to see the advantages of reform,” a lieutenant general said to Niu Fu.

Niu Fu waved his hand and said, "That's because I lack the ability to judge people." Niu Fu said dejectedly.

In fact, the reforms in the entire Xiliang region did not go very smoothly. This was mainly because their understanding of Chen Er's reforms was only superficial and they did not combine them with their own circumstances. They could not blame others; they could only blame themselves for not having the ability.

One day, Chen Er and Xun Yu were discussing the issue of the navy. Xun Yu didn't know much about the navy. Although Xun Yu was already one of the top talents in the empire, he was still quite unfamiliar with the topic of the sea.