Chapter 29 Planning

Chapter 29 Planning

Chapter 29 Planning
"Shao Dubo, Yu Liang from Yingchuan greets you." The young man bowed.

Shao Xun returned the greeting.

He was a little surprised. Over the years, only Mi Huang and Pei Dun had paid him respects. This man who called himself Yu Liang should be the third one.

He knew why. Sometimes one has to sigh that people need to show their value. Without value, they are nothing. With value, they can stand out and at least improve their circumstances.

Of course, people are different.

Some people only need to demonstrate a little value to reach a high position.

Some people need huge value and the right timing to move forward even a small step.

This is the power of family background.

this is the truth.

"Could Du Bo please give me some favor?" Yu Liang asked directly.

Shao Xun stared at him, nodded, and said, "Please follow me."

After saying that, he brought Yu Liang to the pavilion at the foot of the west wall.

Chen Yougen watched from afar, and consciously ran to the outside of the pavilion with his heavy sword to stand guard to prevent being disturbed by outsiders.

"Have we met before?" There was nothing in the pavilion. Shao Xun handed a cushion to Yu Liang and asked him to sit down.

"I saw him last year." Yu Liang smiled and said, "I was chopping wood at the time, so Du Bo probably didn't notice."

Shao Xun nodded with a smile, it must be the time when he protected Yu Hua, so he said again: "I didn't expect you to be from a famous family."

Yu Liang smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "We are just living under someone else's roof, not even a noble family."

After saying this, he did not hide anything and explained it briefly to Shao Xun.

The Yingchuan Yu family did not come from a prominent family.

During the Later Han Dynasty, our ancestor Yu Cheng worked as a gatekeeper in the county government. The famous scholar Guo Tai appreciated him very much and "selected him and advised him to study in the palace". Later, Yu Cheng became famous for his Confucianism, but he refused to be recruited and did not serve as an official.

Yu Cheng had two sons.

The eldest was named Yu Yi, who was promoted to the position of Grand Coachman during the Wei Dynasty. Later he fell into decline and “his descendants became obscure.”

The second one was Yu Dun, who was Taizhong Daifu during the Wei Dynasty.

Yu Dun had four sons. Because his family specialized in Confucianism, his official careers were bumpy. Only his eldest son Yu Jun and second son Yu Chun became officials. The former was a Doctor of Taichang, specializing in lecturing on classics to the emperor, while the latter offended the powerful Jia Chong and was dismissed from office.

The situation of Yu Dun's grandchildren was similar, because "at that time, Laozi and Zhuangzi were valued more than classics and history", they were neither good nor bad.

The branch of Yu Jun was relatively better. His eldest son Yu Min served as the Zhongzheng of Yingchuan County, and his third son Yu Hua served as the Minister of Personnel.

The other branches were much worse. Yu Liang's father, Yu Chen, was only a minor official in the court and had no reputation.

The last time Shao Xun escorted Yu Hua, he saw that Yu Chen's family's house in the city had been requisitioned and destroyed by Sima Jiong, and the whole family was "living in a small town" in the countryside, which was a true reflection of their family's status.

Although people at that time did not have a strict division of family background, the terms "aristocratic families", "minor surnames", and "poor and simple" had already appeared.

The gentry were also known as "aristocratic families" and had great influence. Yu Hua, a descendant of Yu Jun, could barely be called an "gentry family" because they were at least quite prestigious in Yingchuan County.

But the Yu family is huge, with many members, while other branches are not so good.

In the eyes of scholars, the lineage of Yu Dun's elder brother Yu Yi could be called "poor", although they still had enough food and clothing.

Yu Chen and his son Yu Liang could borrow the name of Yingchuan Yu family to the outside world, but in reality, they knew the cold and warmth of the situation themselves.

Of course, the above is what Yu Liang said, and Shao Xun didn’t quite believe it.

Even if you are from a branch family, as long as the distance between them is not too far, it won't be too bad.

For example, Yu Gun (Yu Liang’s uncle) who fled into the mountains last year was just a "recluse" who had never been an official in his life, but his wife was from the Xun family.

Besides, was Yu Liang’s mother, Guanqiu, from a poor family?

Because of the imminent war, his family had recently moved from the outskirts of Luoyang to the south of the city, and were staying in the villa of their clan member Yu Hua, hence the term "living under someone else's roof."

It sounded pitiful, but Shao Xun felt that since their family had guards and soldiers, they couldn't be too bad. At most, they didn't have much in Luoyang. If they returned to their hometown Yingchuan, the overall strength of the general powerful would probably not be better than their family.

If they get the chance to be sent to serve as officials in other places, that would be even more amazing, because they can take advantage of the local status of their master's family - the Yingchuan Yu family, and be evaluated as a fourth-rank family by the county officials.

"What do you want to see me about, Mr. Yu?" Shao Xun asked patiently after listening to the introduction.

Yu Liang did not expect Shao Xun to ask such a direct question. He was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Then I'll be frank. I wonder if Du Bo can release my troops? Just now, we were chasing the fleeing enemy. I was inspired by the righteousness of Mi Zhuangzhu and Shao Du Bo, and led more than 30 servants and troops to fight. As a result, they were incorporated into the army by Mi Zhuangzhu and governed by military law, and they could not go home."

So that's what happened! Shao Xun felt a little amused.

It is impossible to let him go, not in this lifetime. The servants of wealthy families are generally strong and healthy, and the soldiers they brought with them are also carefully selected, at least they are in good physical condition, how can they let him go? Don't you even look at the time?

"Why doesn't Mr. Yu go find Master Mi Chuang?" Shao Xun asked curiously.

"As long as Du Bo permits, the owner of the building will have no objection." Yu Liang said.

Shao Xun couldn't help but look at this person again.

With fair skin, delicate features, and handsome eyes, he would be a handsome boy in the future. However, his temperament is much more serious than that of a handsome boy. At this moment, his eyebrows are slightly wrinkled, his lips are tightly pursed, and following his eyes, one can still find some helplessness and hope - he seems to be very clear about his current situation.

He is a smart man who can bend and stretch.

"To be honest, it is impossible to release them." Shao Xun said, "If I release your servants, what if others come looking for me? Do I have to release them all? I just heard the owner of the building mentioned that because the water mills are all broken, the commander-in-chief issued an order to recruit servants and slaves from wealthy families to pound rice to meet military needs. Now that things have come to this, what else do you want to do?"

"Is there such an order?" Yu Liang was shocked and his face darkened.

He knew that it was impossible for people to go back.

Now that Luoyang is in such a mess, the warriors have become much bolder and are not as easy to manipulate as before. If you anger them, they will secretly kill your whole family in the chaos and then blame it on Zhang Fang. What can you do?
Power and family background are only useful when order is stable. Once chaos breaks out, many things will be greatly discounted. Will Shao Xun in front of us kill people? No one can guarantee it.

"Don't waste your energy." Shao Xun stood up and said, "If you trust me, you can invite the sons of the families you know well, and bring your troops and servants to retreat to Biyong. This place is very big, and there are more than one or two families living here, so you will need a place to stay. If you bring more men, I can arrange the best accommodation for you, or even give you my own place, how do you think?"

"Is the situation really so critical?" Yu Liang also stood up and asked in a low voice.

"The two kings of Chengdu and Hejian have 300,000 soldiers and are coming aggressively. Is it so easy to let them go?" Shao Xun asked, "If the commander-in-chief fights to the death, Luoyang will definitely be destroyed. Don't be lucky. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. I don't have many soldiers here. If Zhang Fang sends a large army, we won't be able to resist for long. But if we can have a thousand people and rely on high walls to guard, we can still hold on. That's all I have to say. You can make your own decision, Mr. Yu."

"Thank you for your advice." Yu Liang bowed, stood up and left.

******
"Ah..." A shrill scream resounded through the night sky.

Huang Biao took a dagger and stabbed it into the captive's thigh. He then pulled it hard and said with a grim smile, "I heard that you have developed many ways of eating meat in Hongnong. You especially like to dig out women's breasts, saying that the meat is the most tender. Although you don't even have two taels of meat on your chest, do you believe that I can dig out your heart and liver? That will be even more tender."

The prisoner's face was pale, his lips were trembling, and he couldn't speak clearly. "Waste!" Huang Biao pulled out a dagger and cut off two fingers of the prisoner, and he screamed several times.

"I'll give you one more chance, think it over carefully!" Huang Biao said angrily.

Shao Xun took a glance and lost interest. He took the wooden bowl handed to him by Wang Que'er and drank the broth in big gulps.

"Du Bo." Wu Qian walked out from the shadows and whispered, "I just found out that the bandit general you killed this afternoon was named Li Yi."

"An unknown person..." Shao Xun said.

At best, he is a military academy manager of one or two buildings, or even a building owner, which is not of much value.

"Captain Huang also learned through interrogation that Zhang Fang suffered a defeat in the north of the city and lost more than 3,000 soldiers." Wu Qian added.

"Defeat by whom?"

"The Zhonglang officer Gou Xi led a part of the imperial guards to defeat them."

"Where does this person come from?"

"According to Mi Du Hu, Gou Xi was born in the Gou family of Henei and served as a military officer in the court of Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi. After Sima Jiong was executed, he joined the court of the Prince of Changsha and served as a military officer."

"Is there such a family called Gou in Hanoi?" Shao Xun asked.

Wu Qian frowned and thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "I don't think I've heard of it much."

Shao Xun understood that the Gou family in Henei was probably no longer a noble family. This Gou Xi was just an ordinary person, another Zhang Fang!

This made him somewhat excited. Ordinary people still had opportunities in troubled times, although he had only seen two examples, Zhang Fang and Gou Xi.

"Gou Xi has greatly humiliated Zhang Fang, which is not a bad thing for us." Shao Xun said again.

Wu Qian nodded, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

"If you have something to say, just say it." Shao Xun glanced at him and said.

"Du Bo has killed the general and defeated the enemy today, which has greatly enhanced his reputation, but don't do this again in the future." Wu Qian said in a low voice.

"Why do you say that?"

"I just want to ask Du Bo one question: what do you want now?"

Shao Xun was stunned for a long time and then said, "Official position."

"Does Du Bo know how the court selects officials?"

Shao Xun nodded.

This is actually what he has been most concerned about in the past year, and he has done some research on it.

In the Western Zhou Dynasty, it can be simply summarized as the "hereditary official system." Under the feudal system, bloodline was respected and officials were appointed from generation to generation.

During the Warring States Period and the Qin Dynasty, there were some improvements, with multiple channels including recommendation, military merit, guest officials, and entering the officialdom.

By the Han and Western Jin dynasties, the main ways to get promoted were through recommendation and recruitment. For ordinary people, it was not as friendly as during the Warring States and Qin dynasties. The class structure was somewhat solidified, which was a historical reversal, which was outrageous.

In essence, it was because the Warring States period was too competitive, and the competition among the nations was too intense, so they had to use the talents they caught. Even if they were petty thieves, if they were lucky, after a few generations of operation, they might become a new noble.

The Western Jin Dynasty was a typical aristocratic political system, where bloodline was the most important factor. Although this system has begun to gradually collapse, the inertia will not disappear for a while.

Shao Xun thought to himself that if he wanted to develop within the system, the only way out would be to become a "subordinate official."

Yes, at that time, middle and senior officials had the right to elect and appoint officials, and the officials they appointed were "subordinate officials" with the characteristics of personal dependence.

Zhang Fang, who came from a humble background, was actually an official under Sima Yong, the King of Hejian.

Liu Qia, the left Sima of Sima Yue's court, also had no family background and was an ordinary person. He was also a clerk.

But there are too few such people, and without the help of family background, this road is too difficult.

Of course, you can also develop outside the system.

For example, various fortress commanders, refugee commanders, and Hu Renqu commanders were local power groups. If the imperial court lost control of certain places, it might issue a piece of paper and appoint you as a certain official, which was considered as a map of the territory.

This was more common in the north during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. After the migration of the elite to the south, the north fell, and the Jin court did not mind being generous to the commanders of the fortresses, refugees, and Hu people who were loyal to the court.

If these refugee leaders were not clear-headed and went to the south, they would be courting death. If they were lucky, they would just be cannon fodder, such as the officers of the Northern Army.

But then again, if the refugee commander stayed in the north, he might not be able to survive, so it is difficult to judge.

Even more ruthless ones would directly raise a peasant uprising army, which would be like setting up a new regime and of course they could ignore the Jin court.

Even if they surrendered to the Hu people, they were still relatively generous. Just like the yellow-skinned man asking for a title, if there was land and troops, they would give them an official position. They would respond to any request without any fuss.

Shao Xun felt that he could try the path of being a "subordinate official" for the time being.

For an official to reach Zhang Fang's level was actually very impressive. He suspected that even Sima Yong would not dare to touch him now.

Zhang Fang burned, killed, looted, ate human flesh, toyed with officials and ladies, and slaughtered the wealthy and powerful. Wasn't this weakening the reputation and influence of his boss, Ma Yong?
But can Sima Yong still control him now? It's hard to say.

If you want to capture and kill Zhang Fang, you must first disband the 70,000 soldiers under his command, and then take action secretly when they are least prepared.

It was worth it for Zhang Fang to be a subordinate who made his lord so cautious as to not act rashly.

Although Zhang Fang’s cruelty cannot be learned, some of his things can be learned from.

At the very least, you can't be arrested and killed by the lord with just one order.

To put it bluntly, you must have a base that only obeys you. Only then will you have the capital to bargain, and even make the lord hesitate and feel that suppressing you is not worth it, too dangerous, and will only make things worse.

A group of brutal warriors united around Zhang Fang are his base, so what about my base?
"Don't worry, I have my own ideas." Shao Xun patted Wu Qian on the shoulder and said, "In this era of great strife, there are still opportunities."

"It's good that Du Bo knows what's going on." Wu Qian nodded, and then said, "But it's too dangerous to lead the troops."

Shao Xun smiled bitterly: "If you don't fight, you won't be able to seize the opportunity."

Wu Qian was silent.

"You do have some ideas." Shao Xun said, "So many people have come from the East China Sea, most of them are confused, don't know what to do, don't know what they want, and just live one day at a time. I am very grateful that you can remind me, really."

"I've seen that Du Bo has great ambitions." Wu Qian smiled and said, "I've said what I need to say. Du Bo, please be careful. My ability is limited, so I can only do my best to take care of those children."

"If we can do this well, it will be a great achievement." Shao Xun said, "They are the root of the solution."

(End of this chapter)