Mythical Three Kingdoms

"Brother Han, are we just going to let him leave like this?" Gongsun Du watched Xun Yan leaving and said to Han Xun.

"Do you actually want to chase after him and kill him? Don't be foolish. Our mission isn't to deal with Xun Yan. Unload the goods and head towards Fenggao of Mount Tai," Han Xun said calmly, withdrawing his gaze. "Besides, Xun Yan may not necessarily be our enemy. If he fails to acknowledge the situation, someone else will take care of him."

"Xun Yan?" Gongsun Du frowned, "Then forget it." He then turned and ordered his subordinates, "Unload the cargo, load the wagons, and send them to Mount Tai."

Xun Yan left the docks with an indifferent expression, just as he had previously considered. Once back in Donglai, he closed his doors to visitors, and anyone from the aristocratic families who came to visit only received news of Xun Yan's illness.

At such a critical juncture, the person in actual control of Donglai's military and political power fell unexpectedly ill, a significance the aristocratic families couldn't afford to ponder deeply. However, the deeper they thought, the more unrestrained they became.

The rebellious faction that had already existed among the families became more arrogant after Yuan Shao's Army arrived, and with the silent support of Xun Yan, the families no longer had any scruples. Actions previously hidden under caution gradually surfaced—they needed power.

With Xun Yan's lead in silence, and with people like Zang Ba moving northwards and loosening control over Qingzhou, many Qingzhou prefects merely let their local aristocratic families be. As long as the families didn't cause trouble in their jurisdictions, the prefects turned a blind eye. Of course, if any family dared to challenge the prefects' absolute power in the provinces and counties, these prefects would show no mercy.

In this situation where neither the citizens nor the officials inquired too deeply, and the prefects turned a blind eye, all the aristocratic families felt that their opportunity had arrived. Even though some young members of these families were puzzled by the actions of the prefects throughout Qingzhou, considering the power they currently possessed, they could understand their behavior.

"Old Brother Sunx, what should we do?" Inquired Yin Li and Wu Dun, the prefectural governors of Le'an and Jinan in Qingzhou, both aware of the situation in their jurisdictions, so they went together to Linzi to seek advice from Sunx Kang.

"Wait," Sunx Kang said after a moment of contemplation. "I was appointed as the Prefectural Governor of Qi State by Prime Minister Fa, who trusted me during his absence. Before he left, he instructed that no matter what major events occurred, the Prefectural Governor only needed to do what he was supposed to do."

"But what about the local aristocratic families?" Yin Li asked with a frown. "I'm worried that with this assembly, they will have the strength to attack the cities. My Magistrate Hua Yan suggests that I bring troops into the city."

"My Prefecture City also suggested bringing in troops," Wu Dun said darkly. "The private militias hoarded by the families are not few, and if trouble arises, it will certainly be troublesome."

"You may bring troops into the city, but don't make any moves that provoke the families. Our mission is to maintain peace and order for the people. If the troops are inadequate, then draft able-bodied citizens. Most people of Qingzhou have seen blood," Sunx Kang said, furrowing his brow.

"Drafting citizens…" Wu Dun was clearly skeptical. Those citizens were all Yellow Turbans two years ago. They could certainly fight, but as for their quality, Wu Dun wasn't very optimistic. It's possible that after the conscription, if a real battle occurred, the damage could be even greater than what the aristocratic families might cause.

"Rest assured, although their quality is not good, they have an absolute sense of right and wrong in certain matters. The Yellow Turbans may have chaotic military discipline, but in some situations, their quality is shocking enough," Sun Kang waved his hand and said. That year, he had truly witnessed the scene where hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turbans held a funeral for the Great Leader and nearly all Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou mourned for him.

Because of that experience, Sun Kang was well aware that no matter how poor the military discipline of the Yellow Turbans was, they would not reach out to those who had helped them. To this day, the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou still worshipped the Great Leader and Great Commander according to the seasons. Whenever Zang Ba saw someone worshipping him, he would first feel troubled, but then he would be filled with immense emotion.

The so-called 'righteousness often leads to the slaughter of ungrateful', the current situation of the Yellow Turbans is exactly like this. They are very clear about how their current life came to be; therefore, they would use their lives to protect their livelihood – having clothes to wear, food to eat, and a house to live in.

In April of 194 AD, a rebellion erupted in the East Sea of Qingzhou. Someone claiming to be a disciple of Zhang Jiao besieged the North Sea, and Fenggao's numerous civil officials and military generals took this opportunity to attack Chen Xi for having ill intentions from the start, and petitioned Liu Bei to rectify Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, reduce investments in the public, and consolidate military and political power.

Following Xun Yue's advice, Liu Bei then satisfied the wishes of the civil officials and military generals. Academy of Mount Tai once again dispatched troops to the East Sea to suppress the rebellion. At this time, the military strength of Mount Tai had dropped to an all-time low. The civil officials who had proposed capturing Chen Xi to face charges had already been sent home to idle.

Afterward, a series of issues emerged, such as the students of the Academy of Mount Tai neglecting virtue while chasing talents, accepting bribes in the Qingzhou area, and making unfair judgments.

Subsequently, the aristocratic families clamored that widespread education would only allow the unvirtuous to acquire knowledge, amplifying their potential to damage society. The temperament and education of the nobility could not be cultivated in one generation. The teachings and personal examples of the parents influenced the morality of the next generation. Providing widespread education to commoners would only bring the entire official system down to its knees.

Well, in short, the aristocratic families began to attack the education reform plan. After all, this plan had only been implemented for three years, and the vast investment in it was simply unbearable for them. In the eyes of many aristocratic families, with so much financial power, what couldn't they do? And where did such an abundance of financial resources come from?

An echelon that accounted for one percent of the population held ninety percent of the power and eighty percent of the wealth and still desired to pass it down through heredity.

Therefore, naturally, the aristocratic families did not want anyone to disrupt this system. Even though most aristocratic families did not take the spread of education seriously to date – in their view, the lower class, even if educated, would remain the lower class, with no right to stand in their ranks. As for what constituted the right to stand, the definition had always been at their discretion since ancient times.

The aristocratic families in Liu Bei's territory now had complex feelings towards him. They hoped to become his esteemed ministers – an expectation without surprise considering the rising momentum of Liu Bei; but Liu Bei's continued success brought them little benefit.

Although they were considered as followers, if Liu Bei continued to develop in this way, they would not get what they desired, whether it was a thirst for power or for securing their families. They had no choice but to try hard to make Liu Bei rely on them for his rise, rather than allowing Liu Bei to rise on his own.

As a result, even though Yuan Shao had his scheming, the aristocratic families had their own calculations as well. Why should they submit to Yuan Shao and bow down to the aristocratic families of Jizhou? Why not clip Liu Bei's wings and then let Liu Bei rely on the Qing Xu Families to soar? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian ) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)