usatvline Chapter 36 Tearing Up the Imperial Edict
Chapter 36 Tearing Up the Imperial Edict
"Li Zhao! You...you dare to tear up the imperial edict! This is a capital offense! You...are you going to rebel?!" Xin Pi retreated in fear, his voice filled with terror.
"rebel?"
Li Zhao casually tossed the scraps of paper in his hand, letting them drift away in the autumn wind.
"I, Li Zhao, have a clear conscience before Heaven and the people; how can this be considered rebellion?"
He stepped forward, staring intently at Xinpi, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.
"Go back and tell Yuan Benchu."
"If he is hungry, out of consideration for our shared status as Han officials, I can give him three or five bushels of rice to feed this beggar."
"But if he thinks he can use the imperial court's authority to pressure me, or try to get something for nothing, he can dream on!"
Xin Pi was so intimidated by Li Zhao's imposing presence that he fell to the ground and couldn't get up for a long time.
Li Zhao ignored him and turned to Xu Shu, saying, "Yuanzhi, there's no need to read the second and third edicts. See the guests out for me."
"Yes," Xu Shu replied with a smile.
He walked up to Xinpi, who was paralyzed on the ground, and gestured for him to come in.
"Mr. Xin, please. If you don't leave now, you might miss your dinner in Ye City."
With the help of his attendants, Sinpi scrambled awkwardly onto the carriage. The arrogance and confidence he had displayed upon arrival were completely gone, replaced by a deep sense of fear and defeat.
He knew that not only had he failed to complete the mission, but he had also become a stepping stone for Li Zhao to establish his authority.
Watching the carriage hastily depart, Li Zhao's eyes gradually deepened.
"My lord," Liu Bei said with some worry as he approached Li Zhao, "such an insult to Yuan Shao's envoy has likely severed all ties. Although Yuan Shao is currently unable to march south, a major battle is inevitable in the future."
"It's only a matter of time before things fall apart," Li Zhao said calmly. "Rather than let him suffer at our hands, we might as well draw our swords first."
He turned around and looked north.
"If Yuan Shao wants grain and men, then let him bring his own troops to take them!"
"Pass down the order!" Li Zhao's voice suddenly rose, "The entire army is on high alert! Guard the border strictly, intensify drills! Be ready to fight at any time!"
"promise!"
Amidst the joy of a bountiful harvest, Qingzhou's massive war machine quietly tightened its grip.
Winter in the fourth year of Chuping came earlier and was colder than usual.
The north wind howled, and a cold wave swept across the entire northern land. For those people struggling amidst war and famine, this winter was undoubtedly a life-or-death ordeal.
Most of Yanzhou and Jizhou were already barren and desolate due to the severe drought and locust plague of summer and autumn. The barren land was cracked open, like gaping mouths yearning for food. Tree bark had been gnawed off, grass roots had been dug up, and even the clay had been snatched up by starving refugees.
The human tragedy of "exchanging children to eat" has been repeated once again on this ancient land.
However, in Qingzhou, just across the river, the scene is quite different.
Thanks to Li Zhao's large-scale water conservancy projects and the systematic supply of drought-resistant seeds, Qingzhou still enjoyed a bumper harvest that year. The grain reserves of five million shi (a unit of dry measure) were enough to allow the 500,000 people of Qingzhou to get through the harsh winter safely.
Inside Linzi city, every household had stored grain, and the kang (heated brick bed) was warm and cozy. Children, dressed in thick new cotton-padded coats, played and frolicked in the snow.
This stark contrast made Qingzhou a "paradise" in the eyes of the people of the surrounding prefectures and counties.
Inside the Prime Minister's study, the charcoal brazier was burning brightly.
Li Zhao, Liu Bei, and Xu Shu sat around the stove.
"My lord, the time has come."
Xu Shu put down his teacup and stared intently at Li Zhao.
"At what time?" Liu Bei asked, somewhat puzzled.
Xu Shu stood up, walked to the map hanging on the wall, and traced his finger along the border of Yanzhou and Jizhou surrounding Qingzhou.
"Now, Yan and Ji provinces are suffering from a severe drought, with people displaced and starving to death everywhere. Meanwhile, Qingzhou has ample food supplies and a stable livelihood. This is the perfect opportunity for us to attract more people and strengthen our power."
A glint of light flashed in Li Zhao's eyes: "Yuanzhi means we should take the initiative to 'steal' people?"
"Exactly."
Xu Shu nodded and said, "Population is the foundation of a nation."
With people, we have soldiers, laborers, and taxes. Now that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are preoccupied with their own problems, we can seize this opportunity to turn the people under their rule into subjects of Qingzhou.
"However, recruiting such a large number of refugees requires a lot of money and supplies..." Liu Bei was somewhat worried.
"Lord Xuande, do not worry." Li Zhao waved his hand. "We have no shortage of money and provisions. What I am worried about is how to convince those starving people that they are willing to risk the bitter cold and the obstruction of government troops to come and join us with their families."
"That's easy."
Xu Shu confidently said, "Let's do a 'spend a thousand pieces of gold to buy bones' deal."
He held up three fingers.
"Issue the order to set up soup kitchens along all the borders between Qingzhou and Yanzhou and Jizhou. All refugees who come to seek refuge, regardless of their status, will be given three days' worth of rations upon entering the city, and will be registered according to their household registration, given ten mu of land, and provided with farming tools and seeds. They will pay taxes after the autumn harvest the following year."
"In addition, those who come with their families and clans will be given extra supplies such as cloth and salt."
"Three days' rations? Ten acres of fertile land?" Liu Bei gasped. "Strategist, this is far too extravagant. How much grain and land would that require?"
"Lord Xuande, that's not how you calculate it," Li Zhao interjected. "These refugees may seem like a burden now, but if they can get through this winter, they will be the best labor force by next spring. The reclaimed wasteland will produce several times more grain than our current input."
"More importantly, this move will greatly win over the hearts of the people. It will let everyone know that in this chaotic world, only Qingzhou is the only way for the common people to survive. At that time, why worry about not having talented people coming to join us? Why worry about not being able to accomplish our great cause?"
Li Zhao stood up and waved his hand, "Let's do as Yuanzhi plans! Pass down the order and implement it immediately!"
……
A few days later, at the border of Qingzhou.
A wide river forms a natural boundary between Qingzhou and Yanzhou. Although the river is frozen, the ice is not solid, and one could easily fall into the icy water if one is not careful.
On the riverbank on the Yanzhou side, countless refugees had gathered. They were ragged, emaciated, and their eyes were numb and desperate. A cold wind blew by, and suppressed cries could be heard from the crowd from time to time.
An elderly man with gray hair, hunched over, held a two- or three-year-old child tightly in his arms. The child was so hungry that he didn't even have the strength to cry.
He could only murmur in the old man's arms as if in a dream:
"Grandpa, I'm hungry..."
"Be good, just bear with it a little longer, there will be food once we cross the river."
The old man stroked the child's head with his withered hands, his eyes filled with tears as he spoke.
He heard that there was a living bodhisattva named Prefect Li in Qingzhou on the other side of the river, and that as long as he went there, he would have plenty of food and a place to stay.
Once I reach the other side, my good days will begin.
However, looking at the opposite bank of the river, the old man hesitated for a moment.
On the opposite bank, banners fluttered, and squads of soldiers in thick cotton armor and carrying weapons patrolled the shore. Every so often, a large pot steaming hot was set up.