frightfiction Chapter 630: Let the Central Plains Aristocracy Abandon Their Illusions
Chapter 630: Let the Central Plains Aristocracy Abandon Their Illusions
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yao's anger flared up, and for a moment he really wanted to just give up like Cao Pi and surrender to Liu Bei.
But he suppressed the idea as soon as it came to mind. In the past, he might have surrendered to Liu Bei, but after Liu Bei's land reform, he completely stifled this idea. Now, to be precise, the gentry of the Central Plains and Liu Bei can only be mortal enemies, with no possibility of reconciliation.
The reason is simple: that damned big-eared traitor is no longer satisfied with being Emperor Guangwu; he wants to be Emperor Wu of Han.
The most feared thing for the gentry was a tyrannical emperor like Emperor Wu of Han. He was no emperor, but a bandit. He would not only plunder the wealth accumulated by your family over generations, but also take your life. Who could withstand that?
Therefore, we must fight Liu Bei to the end, not for anything else but for the survival of our family.
Zhong Yao closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to calm himself before continuing, "Your Majesty, this is not entirely impossible. As long as we can dispel the idea of the Central Plains gentry surrendering to Liu Bei, they will unite as one to help Your Majesty fight against Liu Bei."
"Oh?" Cao Pi became interested but pretended to be nonchalant and asked, "Tell me about it."
The old fox finally couldn't hold back and started talking about practical matters; it turns out even you have moments when you can't help yourself.
Zhong Yao said, "Let the gentry of the Central Plains unite to elect a representative to go to the pseudo-Han and negotiate with Liu Bei as an envoy of our Great Wei. If Liu Bei agrees to the gentry's conditions, then Your Majesty can continue to indulge in sensual pleasures and enjoy the rest of your life. If Liu Bei does not agree, Your Majesty will not need to give any instructions; the gentry will naturally gather around Your Majesty to help you fight against the pseudo-Han."
"Simply put, we need to make the gentry give up any thought of surrendering to Liu Bei. People are stubborn and won't turn back until they hit a wall. Only by making them completely lose faith in Liu Bei will they abandon any illusions about him and fully support Your Majesty."
To put it bluntly, it's because Liu Bei doesn't want you that you turn around and come to me. If Liu Bei accepts you, you'll immediately tie me up and bring me to that big-eared thief in exchange for your future, what kind of nonsense is that?
Cao Pi was disgusted by what he heard, but instead of refuting him, he asked, "Tell me, what conditions did the aristocratic families offer to that big-eared scoundrel?"
Zhong Yao replied, "There are three points. First, the reinstatement of the mausoleum system is absolutely forbidden."
The so-called "Lingyi system" was essentially a decree to relocate wealthy individuals from all over the country who possessed substantial assets to live near the imperial mausoleums. This measure was far more ruthless than the land reform.
Imagine you are a powerful local tycoon. Your family has accumulated vast tracts of fertile land, built numerous manors, and cultivated a complex web of interpersonal relationships over generations. You have finally become the local tyrant and can enjoy life. But then the emperor issues an edict to move your entire family to the imperial mausoleum. How would you feel?
After moving to the imperial mausoleum, you can take your gold and silver jewelry with you to continue spending, but you can't take your real estate such as manors, farmland, and mines, and the network of relationships you've worked so hard to build. You'll have to start all over again at the imperial mausoleum. Who can bear that?
After Qin Shi Huang conquered the six states, he moved all the nobles of the six states to live in the imperial mausoleum. At first, it was just for surveillance. However, Liu Bang, that rogue, learned this trick and moved the nobles every year after he established the Han Dynasty. Moreover, the emperors of the Liu family were too powerful. Even after Liu Bang died, he continued this policy with an iron fist until the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han. It was not abolished until Emperor Yuan of Han came to power.
From the perspective of the imperial court, the decree to relocate the powerful was a brilliant strategy to ensure the court's continued strength. This was because it allowed the court to periodically reap the benefits from the upper class, giving ordinary people the opportunity to fill the void of wealth and power left behind by the relocated powerful families. This, in turn, opened up channels for upward mobility and narrowed the gap between the rich and poor in society.
But for powerful families, it would be a devastating blow, as the efforts of generations would be wiped out in an instant. What would be the point of working hard then?
Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the Central Plains gentry were terrified of the mausoleum system to the core. It was practically a plan to wipe out their clans. I wonder which bastard came up with it in the first place.
Moreover, given Liu Bei's nature, if the Northern Expedition succeeds, he will most likely establish his capital in Chang'an. After being ravaged by Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si, Chang'an's population is less than 30% of its peak. Chang'an could accommodate all the gentry from the Central Plains. Therefore, the gentry would never allow Liu Bei to restart the mausoleum system. If Liu Bei disagrees, they would kill him.
Cao Pi himself wanted to implement the mausoleum city system, so he naturally knew what it was all about. Upon hearing this, he asked, "What are the other two conditions?"
Zhong Yao continued, "Secondly, we must abandon land reform and never take away the land of the gentry in any form. This is the lifeblood of the gentry and cannot be handed over to Liu Bei."
In the agrarian era, land was the most important means of production; whoever controlled the land controlled power.
Seeing Cao Pi nod, Zhong Yao continued, "Finally, we should have Liu Bei abolish the so-called imperial examination system and restore the Nine-Rank System."
Recently, while Liu Bei was carrying out the Three Departments and Six Ministries reform, he also accepted the advice of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang to reform the original recommendation system of the Han Dynasty. Simply put, to enter officialdom, one still needed to be recommended as a filial and incorruptible official, but those recommended as such would have to take another exam. Only those who passed the exam could become officials. Those who failed would have to take the exam again. If they failed three times in a row, their filial and incorruptible status would be revoked, which would be equivalent to being deprived of the possibility of entering officialdom.
This would be disastrous for those good-for-nothing playboys who rely on their family's influence to become officials. If this system were implemented, it's estimated that playboys like Yuan Shu, the emperor of the Zhong Dynasty, would never rise to prominence.
More importantly, this would disrupt the internal order of the aristocratic families. It should be noted that the aristocratic families valued seniority and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate sons. Bloodline was far more important than ability within the aristocratic families, and family resources were always concentrated on the eldest legitimate son.
But what if the eldest son is a hopeless case, while the illegitimate son is an outstanding genius? What if the eldest son fails the imperial examination while the illegitimate son succeeds?
If a son born out of wedlock enters officialdom through the imperial examinations, and as time goes by, his official rank rises and his status increases, will he still be subject to the constraints of the eldest son of the legitimate wife when he returns to his family?
If a son born out of wedlock were to challenge the legitimate son instead of being driven by him, wouldn't the family fall into chaos?
That damned big-eared scoundrel! Every new policy he issues is designed to undermine the aristocratic class. He's utterly despicable.
Cao Pi silently kept the conditions of the aristocratic families in mind, and at the same time secretly resolved to pay close attention to Liu Bei's policies. If he were to be fortunate enough to defeat Liu Bei one day, he would have to use these tactics as well.
After a moment's thought, Cao Pi asked, "Is there anything else?"
Zhong Yao shook his head and said, "These are the three conditions. If Liu Bei agrees, the gentry of the Central Plains might actually submit to him. But if he doesn't agree, they will unite and fight him to the end. However, this old minister suspects that the big-eared scoundrel will never agree. Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to send someone to the pseudo-Han regime to make the gentry of the Central Plains give up as soon as possible, and then work together to resist Liu Bei. And it must be done quickly, because Liu Bei is growing stronger every day. If we are too late, it will really be too late."
If we prepare now, we might still have a chance to defeat Liu Bei. But if we wait three to five years until Liu Bei actually attacks before we start preparing, it will be too late.
Cao Pi knew that these three conditions were the result of discussions among the gentry of the Central Plains, and that Zhong Yao was the representative jointly elected by the gentry to negotiate with him. In other words, the gentry of the Central Plains had already agreed that they would fully support him if negotiations with Liu Bei broke down. So he went straight to the point and asked, "Is there a suitable candidate for the envoy to the pseudo-Han?"
Zhong Yao nodded and said, "Xu Shu, Xu Yuanzhi."