Three Kingdoms: Let Yuan Shen be great again

Chapter 15 Yuan Shu was chivalrous and ambitious, and harbored a strong desire to pacify the world.

Now, Yuan Yao's successful defeat of Liu Bei not only earned him a great deal of prestige but also gave Zhong Shi, who was on the verge of death, a much-needed reprieve.

Later, further news came that after Liu Bei withdrew his troops, he actually turned around and stabbed Cao Cao in the back, directly killing Che Zhou, the governor of Xuzhou, and forcibly seizing Xuzhou.

Now the Zhong family officials were truly delighted.

Xuzhou was far more important than Huainan. With Liu Bei in front of them, they wouldn't have to worry about military threats from Cao Cao for at least a considerable period of time.

In other words, the Zhong regime, which had been teetering on the brink of destruction, finally enjoyed a few brief nights of peace.

Now that it's safe, what's next?

Then, naturally, the singing and dancing continued as usual, and the chaotic dancing started again.

The best example of this is the matter of moving the capital.

The Zhong family moved the central government to Wancheng earlier purely because Shouchun was too close to the front lines, and it was a last resort to save their lives. Now that they have successfully repelled the enemy, shouldn't they move it back?

How could that be?

As I've already said, the Shouchun area was ravaged by Yuan Shu and has long been turned into a desolate wasteland. Although Wancheng is smaller, it has food and clothing, and there are still common people to exploit.

So everyone tacitly agreed to stay in Lujiang, indulging in a life of pleasure and never mentioning returning to Shouchun.

But then new problems arose.

Everyone knows that Yuan Shu is arrogant and extravagant, and he doesn't care about the people's well-being. He was better off when he was trapped in Shouchun and forced to wait for death, but now that his biggest survival crisis has been eliminated, he has suddenly reverted to his old ways and is about to cause trouble again.

Yuan Shu argued that as the emperor of the Zhong family, how could he live in a dilapidated prefectural mansion for so long? It was completely unworthy of his status. He immediately ordered the mobilization of 100,000 laborers to build a new palace for him.

This order immediately sparked public outrage.

To be honest, Lujiang is not a wealthy place; it's just a place where people can barely make ends meet. If anyone eats a little more, the others might go hungry.

Now that Yuan Shu wants to build a palace for himself, this bottomless pit project will surely drag Lujiang down and send everyone back to the days of not knowing where their next meal will come from.

Because of this matter, Shu Shao from Chenliu stood up on the spot to advise Yuan Shu, saying that Huainan had been fighting for years and the people were suffering. If large-scale construction were to be carried out, it would only make the people suffer more. He hoped that Yuan Shu would allow the people to recuperate and not waste money and resources on the people.

Enraged by the interruption, Yuan Shu ordered Shu Shao to be executed. Fortunately, Yang Hong and others interceded, and the order was changed to temporary detention.

After Shu Shao's incident, more people placed their hopes on Yuan Yao.

"Your Highness, I beg you, please go and persuade His Majesty..."

This is actually quite ironic. Shu Shao himself may be a rare upright person under Yuan Shu, but how could the others have such high morals? It is not an exaggeration for Yuan Yao to often call them insects.

The problem is that even insects need to survive. Yuan Shu is becoming increasingly autocratic and is heading headlong towards becoming a tyrant and a traitor to the people. Sooner or later, he will drag the entire Zhong clan down with him again.

Important note: Again.

If they continued to sink into despair, many would give up the struggle. But Yuan Yaogang brought them hope for survival, making it difficult for them to continue enduring.

Yuan Yao then realized that the time he had been waiting for had finally come, and it was time to solve the problem.

"Your Highness," Huang Yi bowed and approached Yuan Yao, "this is a list I compiled based on your request."

Yuan Yao glanced at it: "Hmm, try to arrange it these next few days. I need to meet with them secretly one by one. Be careful not to let the news leak out."

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"Master Yang, this is the most popular plum wine in Xudu. Why don't you try some?"

"Your Highness is too kind. This plum wine is a bit sour, but it has a unique flavor."

At a small private dinner, Yuan Yao and Yang Hong sat together, chatting idly.

After rambling on about trivial topics for a while, Yuan Yao gradually got to the point.

"Lord Yang, what are your thoughts on our Emperor?"

"Hehe, Your Majesty is chivalrous and spirited, and has the ambition to bring peace to the world."

Yuan Yao translated this sentence as follows:

He's a scoundrel.

He had a strong ambition to bring peace to the world, but lacked the ability to do so.

Yuan Yao thought for a moment and asked, "I've heard, I mean I've heard, that His Majesty might be... not feeling well lately."

Yang Hong's expression changed immediately. He thought for a full quarter of an hour before gently shaking his head: "No, His Majesty is in good health."

This reaction was entirely within Yuan Yao's expectations.

As the current head of the civil service, with his position as secure as a rock, Yang Hong has no motive to participate in a coup that could potentially alter the existing political landscape.

Although Yuan Shu has become increasingly irrational lately, and if this continues, it will surely implicate everyone, but we haven't reached that stage yet.

Therefore, Yang Hong was confident in Yuan Shu's health condition.

On the other hand, the fact that Yang Hong needed to think for a long time before refusing such a sensitive topic as a coup shows that he was a despicable person and had no loyalty to Yuan Shu whatsoever.

This means that as long as Yuan Yao offers a more suitable price, it is not impossible to win over Yang Hong.

Yuan Yao sighed deeply: "The country is in dire straits, and Huainan has suffered from disasters year after year. The people are living in great misery."

"Who says otherwise?" Yang Hong also looked compassionate.

"I remember that Shu Shao, also known as Shu Zhongying, who advised His Majesty, distributed 100,000 shi of military rations to starving people a few years ago in order to help with disaster relief. Alas, what a pity."

"What's a pity?"

"All that precious grain is being given to the poor—what a tragedy!"

"Oh?"

Yuan Yao turned to Yang Hong, his face full of earnestness: "In my opinion, it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Distributing grain and porridge is merely a temporary solution. Only by having capable people skilled in financial management manage these funds and provisions can we ensure that money generates more money and grain generates more grain. In the future, when similar situations arise, we will be able to handle them with ease, without having to choose between the army and the disaster victims. What do you think, Lord Yang?"

Yang Hong shifted his posture slightly: "That makes some sense."

Yuan Yao continued, "I've also heard that His Majesty has a considerable sum of money, worth tens of millions. If we could persuade him to use this money for state affairs, I think our Zhong family would be in a much better position."

Yang Hong roughly understood Yuan Yao's meaning, but he had a question.

"His Majesty has the entire thirteen provinces at his heart; Huainan alone is probably not enough to entice him to use this sum of money. Your Highness, are you truly confident you can persuade him?"

"Don't worry, the military doesn't want another Shu Shao to appear. They are happy to see their military rations be well guaranteed in the future."

Yang Hong stopped speaking, lowered his eyelids, and began to consider the matter again in his mind, while tapping lightly on the table with his fingers.

wrong.

Still not right.

The main problem is the price.

Seeing this, Yuan Yao quickly added a new suggestion: "On the other hand, if it were a capable person like Master Yang, who is truly skilled in financial management, I think the money should be given to him to manage at a 30/70 split."

Yang Hong was slightly surprised: "Your Highness, why did you only leave 70%?"

Yuan Yao adopted a humble attitude: "Seventy percent of it is yours! With Master Yang's abilities, we will have to rely on him a lot in the future!"

Hmm, then it seems there's no problem.

Yang Hong raised his glass: "I think it's very reasonable."

Yuan Yao also raised his wine glass: "Thank you for your trouble, Master Yang."

"Oh, by the way," Yang Hong suddenly remembered something and casually asked, "When did His Majesty fall ill?"

Yuan Yao thought for a moment: "Three days later."