Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7311 is all about interests

Chapter 7311 is all about interests

They were just eating meat and drinking wine at the Chen and Zhao families' place; could they really risk the lives of their entire clan?

Moreover, how much of the food and drink on the Zhao and Chen sides actually came from Chen Xi? The leaders of the various garrisons should have a pretty good idea of ​​that, since many of them have been here for decades. Do they not know what the situation was like decades ago? Surely no one really thinks that the good food they've been eating these past few years is thanks to people like the Zhao and Chen families!

What kind of brain would you have to think like that!

It can be said that Lu Yu only considered the problem of killing too many people from the beginning, and did not actually consider the problem of the garrison being unstable. After all, Liu Bei would appear in various places from time to time, and the leaders of the garrison could see Liu Bei twice a year. Under such circumstances, even a god like Zou, who had degenerate thoughts, would regain his humanity and return to normal after seeing Liu Bei.

Moreover, most of the Xuzhou garrison wasn't as cunning as Zou Ta. These people were content with just a little shady business and eating and drinking. How could they possibly rebel?

It's not like twenty years ago. Besides, even twenty years ago, Xuzhou was one of the less affected prefectures during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. After all, Xuzhou was a grain-producing area, and internal conflicts were not serious. People could still eat. And the Han people, when they could live, generally wouldn't choose to rebel.

In this situation, how much fake alcohol would one have to drink to get drunk and rebel while living a perfectly good life?

Lu Yu's previous words were more about building up his own mental strength. As someone who had learned Machiavellianism and shrewdness from Jia Xu from the beginning, and who had positioned himself as a lubricant in manipulating the interpersonal relationships of aristocratic families and officials, he found it somewhat difficult to accept a case that required ruthless killing.

After all, once that signature was made, thousands upon thousands of people would be gone in an instant. Lu Yu was also aware of the secret guards' trip to Central Asia. Putting aside everything else, in Lu Yu's view, those people in Central Asia were simply unlucky. They had not participated in this matter at all, but when it came to the reckoning, they wouldn't care whether you participated or not, they would only care whether you had that bloodline.

Therefore, Lu Yu was under a lot of pressure when signing the document. That's why Lu Yu tentatively asked Li Fu if they could just stop here. After all, the people involved could be dealt with in another case, and there was no need to drag this case, which would involve the execution of nine generations of their families, into it.

However, Li Fu gave a very clear answer without the slightest hesitation: the correction must go to extremes. Only in this way can these people remember what really happened.

Faced with Li Fu's resolute opinion, Lu Yu sighed inwardly. He wasn't a fool; on the contrary, those with intellectual talents were top-notch individuals. It was simply a clash between what he had learned in the past and what he was seeing now. But as the saying goes, all the theories and ideas one learns must give way to reality, because reality is the foundation of human life.

This was also part of the knowledge that Jia Xu taught Lu Yu, so when this reality was truly presented to Lu Yu, Lu Yu only hesitated for a moment before knowing what to choose.

kill!

Lu Yu did not believe that Chen Hou had summoned him just to go through the motions. Clearly, the Xuzhou case was also a test for Lu Yu, a very important test.

As Lu Zhi's only surviving son and Liu Bei's acknowledged junior brother, he has countless people and expectations behind him. Even if he chose the wrong path this time, there will still be opportunities later. But Chen Xi has already revealed his hand to him to this extent. If he still can't realize where the problem lies, then he has wasted his spiritual talent.

Just like whether Yang Xiu had figured things out before he died, it's clear that he had already understood the cause and effect before he died. But some people, even if they understand the cause and effect and know that they were wrong, still won't turn back. Others, however, realize the real reason and will deal with it on their own.

Lu Yu belonged to the latter group. He was fully aware of the test Chen Xi had given him. In addition to solving the problems in Xuzhou, the Xuzhou case also required him to correct his stance. Being a lubricant in officialdom was not wrong. His future role of mediating factions and reducing internal friction among the three high-ranking officials was also not wrong. Being cunning and tactful and avoiding offending people was also not wrong, but you must have your own stance.

You must know whose side you should stand on. If you don't understand this, even if you have great talent and a strong background, the position of governor of Xuzhou is your limit.

“Prefect Li, take the imperial edict to the shipyards and fisheries bureaus along the coast of Xuzhou and conduct direct interrogations. They already know what they need to know, so there’s no need to give them any prior notice. By now, these people should know what has happened in Xuzhou.” After making up his mind, Lu Yu nodded to Li Fu.

Li Fu glanced at Lu Yu, confirming that Lu Yu had made up his mind, and said nothing more. He wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he now basically understood that he had come with Lu Yu to enlighten him.

"I will personally interrogate the Chen family members." Lu Yu suppressed all his hesitation. Whom he stood on would determine everything in the future. Only by clarifying his stance could he determine who was on his side, and only by clarifying his stance could he understand what he was doing!

"The garrison here?" Li Fu asked tentatively.

"I will interrogate Chen while simultaneously summoning the garrison commanders for a report. They will participate in the interrogation." Lu Yu took a deep breath. Some things are fine when you don't understand them, but once you do, you have to be ruthless and make sure people remember who did it.

"Should we gather the local elders to participate?" Li Fu asked, his tone somewhat suggestive.

Since doing this will alienate the bureaucrats from you, why don't you rely on the people? Although the power of a single person is not strong, if there are many people, your power can completely overwhelm anyone in the officialdom, as long as you have enough people behind you.

Lu Yu was stunned upon hearing this, and then looked at Li Fu as if he were a genius. As someone from a prominent family, Lu Yu had never suffered much hardship in his life. Even though he had traveled around with his senior brother and conducted research with Lu Xun, he had never actually come up with such a fighting style.

"Just some basic experience." Li Fu nodded, then turned and left. That was all he could do. It seemed the governor of Xuzhou didn't need him anymore. The other party was very clever, he really understood immediately. He was indeed an elite who could be personally watched by Marquis Chen.

Li Fu thought of this and didn't say anything. He didn't resent it at all. On the contrary, he was quite open-minded. After all, the other party's ability to use his mental talent was his own ability. Moreover, in the Xuzhou case, as an accomplice, Li Fu also witnessed Lu Yu's prowess. The other party could really use his mental talent to pull out a whole bunch of people involved and quickly distinguish which ones were truly involved and which ones were just collaborators.

For Li Fu, Lu Yu is truly capable, but he is young and lacks experience. In addition, he lacks understanding of certain things due to his environment. Now that he has gained relevant knowledge and determined his own position, he is undoubtedly a good teammate.

After all, we can't turn such a powerful teammate into an enemy.

"Let the village elders participate in the interrogation, tsk, I really didn't expect it could be done like this." After Li Fu left, Lu Yu sat in his original seat and lowered his head to think. There were some small tricks that Lu Yu had never thought of, but at this moment, this approach was really effective.

The Xuzhou case is different from other cases. In other cases, the presence of village elders usually only adds to the trouble, because they have likely been in contact with the people involved. To avoid their own families being implicated, they might even speak favorably of the people involved, affecting the verdict. But in this case…

The villagers also suffered a complete crop failure!

No matter how much they've known each other, or how good their relationship is, if their own harvest fails, they're bound to turn against each other! So, having the village elders participate in the interrogation can solve many problems and also bring in a group of people for Lu Yu. Although the village elders are useless in officialdom, after Lu Yu overturned the officialdom in Xuzhou, if he wants to continue to monitor the officialdom, these grassroots villagers will be useful.

Just like if the neighborhood committee aunties can be mobilized, then any surveillance system is like a stray dog ​​on the roadside. It can really dig up the roots and is like a moving, all-round surveillance camera.

Li Fu's move might not be as effective as dealing with neighborhood committee aunties, but at least it can give Lu Yu some allies, making it easier for Lu Yu to navigate the restructured officialdom of Xuzhou later.

"As expected, the officials who can be recognized by Marquis Chen all have their own set of rules." Lu Yu thought it over completely and was certain that Li Fuzhen was just trying to help him. He was somewhat moved.

Subsequently, Lu Yu arrived with his secret guards to interrogate the members of the Chen family involved in the case. However, as soon as Lu Yu entered the prison, someone recognized him.

"Zijia, it's me, your uncle Chen Yu! Zijia, it's me, Chen Yu!" Chen Yu, the head of the main branch of the Chen family in Xiapi, recognized Lu Yu the moment he appeared in the dungeon. He rushed towards Lu Yu with a look of surprise and joy, then grabbed the railing and shouted to Lu Yu, "Zijia, save your uncle!"

Lu Yu stood there looking at Chen Yu, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Uncle." Lu Yu bowed to Chen Yu, not initially acting as a bureaucrat, but as a junior.

The reason why the Chen family of Xiapi prospered so much, and why such capable members as Chen Gui and Chen Deng were only branches, lies in the scene before us.

Chen Yu's father was Chen Qiu, and Lu Zhi was Chen Qiu's disciple, not a student, but a disciple whose name was inscribed on Chen Qiu's tombstone. In addition to Lu Zhi, Zheng Xuan, Guan Ning, and Hua Xin were also disciples. In this era, disciples were required to observe mourning for their masters.

Incidentally, this is also why Chen Gui and Chen Deng had a relatively low profile in front of Liu Bei during this era. In the official history, Liu Bei was Lu Zhi's student and basically had no use for his relationship with the Chen family of Xiapi. So he could only be said to have been appreciated by Chen Gui and Chen Deng. But in this life, Liu Bei was the true overlord of the Central Plains.

As the saying goes, when you are strong enough, everything in the world will be good enough for you. As the hegemon of the Central Plains, Liu Bei did not need to curry favor with others; others would curry favor with him. When Chen Yu, the head of the Chen family of Xiapi at the time, joined Liu Bei, he would naturally mention this relationship to bring the two sides closer.

With Chen Gui and Chen Deng as well as this lineage, the Chen family of Xiapi naturally lived very well. After all, before they committed the crime this year, the Chen family of Xiapi was bound to Liu Bei. They had a master-disciple lineage, were among the first to join Liu Bei's family after the Taishan lineage, and had received the favor of assisting Liu Bei during the Taishan era. It can be said that if the Chen family of Xiapi didn't bring trouble upon themselves, no one in the world could take them down.

It was for this reason that Chen Yu got to know Liu Bei and Lu Yu. In fact, when Lu Yu first arrived, Chen Yu helped Lu Yu quite a bit in order to deepen their relationship.

Even if Wang Lie hadn't felt from the beginning that the Chen family of Xiapi had an improper family style and hadn't given Chen Yu an opportunity to arrange a marriage for Lu Yu, given the relationship between the Chen family and Liu Bei and Lu Yu, Lu Yu would most likely have been the son-in-law of the Chen family of Xiapi. But even without this marriage relationship, the two were still very close.

Chen Xi assigned Lu Yu to handle the affairs of Xuzhou because, in terms of the situation of the Chen family of Xiapi, there were only a handful of people in the world suitable to handle it, and among those people, Lu Yu was currently the only one who was available.

“Uncle.” Lu Yu looked at Chen Yu with a hint of disappointment. Chen Yu, who was so spirited back then, was now in this prison, with gray hair and a disheveled appearance. He had no sense of elegance, only the expectation of grasping at the last straw.

"Zijia, save your uncle! Your uncle knows he was wrong. Your uncle shouldn't have done this." Chen Yu grabbed the railing and reached out to Lu Yu. Lu Yu took a small step back, and that step spoke volumes, but Chen Yu continued to reach out, still pleading for help.

"I'm sorry, Uncle, I've come to see you one last time. This matter is far too serious. As you can see, these are Marquis Chen's secret guards." Lu Yu turned to look at the guards beside him and said with a hint of sorrow. Lu Yu would help with other matters if he could, but this time, no one could help. It was too serious, so serious that anyone who intervened would die.

"No, Zijia, you can't do this, you can't do this! It was just a momentary mistake, a momentary mistake! You can't do this!" The once dignified and composed Chen Yu, who never showed his emotions, roared almost frantically from his prison cell after hearing Lu Yu's words, as if grasping at his last hope. "They can't do this! I want to see the Prince of Jin! I want to see the Prince of Jin! I want to see Marquis Chen! They can't treat me like this! I am a meritorious official! I have rendered service!"

“Yes, precisely because they are meritorious officials, those outside the five degrees of kinship who are not involved in the case will not be executed.” Lu Yu sighed and said, “Uncle, why bother? The Chen family of Xiapi was growing in power and influence. I could hear from Jingzhou that your businesses were all over the place. With your status, why would you do such a thing?”

Upon hearing Lu Yu's words, Chen Yu's eyes widened in fury. How much had the Chen family helped Liu Bei? Starting from when Tao Qian was still alive, the Chen family had helped Tao Qian gather grain and transport it to Mount Tai. Their contributions were in no way inferior to any of the veterans, yet this was their fate.

"You can't do this! You can't do this!" Chen Yu roared madly. He knew things were going badly when he first saw the Chang'an Secret Guards, but at least he still held onto a sliver of hope. Now that hope was gone, and he had completely gone mad.

"Can't we do it this way?" Lu Yu also put on a sorrowful expression; he was a natural at acting.

"You mere commoners, I have already arranged everything. It will not cause any losses. It's just to scare them. So what if there is a complete crop failure? The grain stored by the Chen family of Xiapi is more than enough. In the past three years, the Chen family has spent a lot of money and grain to accumulate a large amount of supplies, just waiting for this moment to provide assistance. We did not intend to kill anyone, we did not intend to kill anyone!" Chen Yu explained frantically, as if he had caught the information that Lu Yu was willing to help, or as if he was making a last-ditch effort.

"No, we actually want to help Chen Hou. I work for Chen Hou. He's been pushing for industrialization and large-scale state-owned workshops, but the unruly people of Xuzhou simply won't come to the factories. This means Chen Hou doesn't have enough manpower to develop cotton spinning and light textiles. So we're helping Chen Hou! As long as we cut off their food supply, they'll naturally come to the workshops. Really, they really will!" Chen Yu passionately explained his theory. "We're not acting recklessly; we have a plan and a step-by-step approach!"

Lu Yu quietly watched Chen Yu, who had completely fallen into madness. He had heard these things from Chen Yu when he was in the National Academy. Chen Xi had also explained the so-called handicraft industry and even the so-called industrial process, as well as the so-called sheep eating people. At that time, Lu Yu took it as a joke, but now, Lu Yu had to believe that human greed could really drive people to this point.

“That’s not how it’s done,” Lu Yu sighed softly.

“We only made a mistake, not committed a crime. We were helping the country promote these industries. Cotton spinning and wool spinning require a lot of manpower and water resources, and can also accumulate more wealth. Compared to the output of the fields, these are the future,” Chen Yu explained frantically. “We are just acting as pawns for the King of Jin and the Marquis of Chen. It is the Marquis of Chen who needs this kind of progress!”

Upon hearing this, all the surrounding noise fell silent, because it was too terrifying. So terrifying that just knowing about such a thing was enough to warrant the extermination of their entire family.

“Uncle, you’ve overlooked a fact: Marquis Chen doesn’t need to do this,” Lu Yu sighed. “Your thoughts and actions, in essence, are not what you say, but rather a more direct and realistic desire for resource acquisition, merely disguised as Marquis Chen’s. You’ve misinterpreted the truth. This isn’t Marquis Chen’s truth; it’s your misinterpretation, used to explain your actions and protect your interests. However, it has also shown me why the Chen and Zhao families act this way.”

There's always a motive behind everything, even bad deeds. Especially with such large-scale events involving a large group of people, there's no doubt that there's a driving force behind it all, and the interests that were previously on the surface are far from enough!

Now that Lu Yu knows the answer and the underlying reasons, he knows exactly how to investigate and arrest them!

All those bizarre people do is pursue their own interests, sigh.