Chapter 162: Skyrocketing Power [Subscription Request]

"Liu Biao has robbed more than ten noble families of their money and people in Runan."

Guo Jia said: "He took the people to Jingzhou, hoping to raise talents for use, and he is not afraid of backlash."

"Those noble families who arrived in Jingzhou have weak foundations, so some of them will be used by Liu Biao."

"If we kill them all, it will only benefit us. He will gain very little, so robbing them is a solution."

Xi Zhicai smiled and said, "Liu Biao sought stability in Jingzhou and rarely raised troops, so his reputation was always good. There are many middle and lower-level scholars in Guanzhong, including our Yanzhou and Yuzhou, and many of them took the initiative to go to Jingzhou.

He is from a royal family, we cannot compare with him in this respect."

Jia Xu was also there: "I received news earlier that Liu Jingsheng wanted to establish a school in Jingzhou to attract these nobles to join him."

Guo Jia said disdainfully: "Liu Jingsheng is just a chatterbox. He has no ambition in troubled times and will eventually be destroyed by others. He is a mediocre person."

Ever since he was diagnosed, his sharp-tongued nature has become apparent.

Overall, it was in line with expectations that Liu Biao complied with the agreement and allowed the Jingzhou troops to enter Yuzhou and attack Runan.

He kidnapped all the people to Jingzhou, cutting off the foundation of these aristocratic families' business that had been passed down for generations.

The accumulation of the Runan gentry was wiped out in one day.

In fact, it is no easier than killing them.

At present, the nobles of Runan changed color when they heard about the Jingzhou army.

You have to know that the gentry have large families and are deeply rooted in the local area, so they can't hide even if they want to.

After the Jingzhou army entered Runan, some nobles united together and gathered local military preparations and their own private armies, but they were defeated one after another by the Jingzhou army.

More and more nobles were taken away.

Yuan Wei could no longer suppress the panic of the gentry.

Cao Cao thought the time was right, so he released the news to inform all parties that he was in Qiao County.

The next day, a noble family sent someone to secretly come to Qiao County to contact Cao Cao.

Cao Cao refused to see him.

As the autumn harvest season approached, noble families from Yuzhou, including the heads of noble families from Runan, began to come to Qiao County in person.

……

Yuan’s secret residence.

Yuan Wei once again gathered many nobles.

But there are half as many people as last time.

The gatherings also took place at night, in a more secretive and furtive manner.

The Jingzhou army did not arrest ordinary people, but would arrest celebrities and nobles.

Because Liu Biao did not kill people, he just captured them all. After some families went to Jingzhou, they swallowed their bitterness, but on the surface they were grateful to Liu Biao for not killing people.

The means of collusion among the gentry were weakened to the lowest level by Liu Biao, who came from a royal family.

Yuan Wei had a stern face, but his calm eyes were filled with anger:
"This is Cao Mengde's evil plot. It is a means for Yanzhou and Jingzhou to unite and destroy our Ru'nan and Yuzhou nobles."

Even if we know it is a plot, what does it matter? After all, we have to overcome the current difficulties first and preserve the family business and the foundation of several generations of management.

Ji Chang, the head of the Ru'nan Ji family, said in a deep voice:

"My Ji family has been supported by the Yuan family for several generations, which is why we have the continuation of our clan today. No matter what other families do, my Ji family will always stand with the Yuan family."

Yuan Wei sighed: "Yude, you did a good job. True sincerity is revealed in difficult times. I will remember what you said today."

Also sitting in the hall were Guo Qing, the head of the Guo family in Runan, Xu Chang, the head of the Xu family in Xinyang County, and several other heads of the family, all of whom were old friends of the Yuan family.

These people expressed their willingness to follow Yuan to the end.

The night is dark.

Carriages left Yuan's secret residence one after another.

After leaving the mansion, Ji Chang, the head of the Ji family, lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked back: "Mr. Yuan, I'm sorry, but I, the Ji family, also want to protect this family foundation first.

Our Ji family has been running the country for generations, and we will never allow our roots to be cut off. We cannot go to Jingzhou."

Ji Chang lowered the carriage curtain and said to the driver, "I will get off the carriage secretly in a while, and you drive the carriage back home as usual."

The driver agreed.

After a while, Ji Chang got off the car, disguised himself, secretly left the city and headed northeast to Qiao County.

Three days later, Ji Chang arrived in Qiao County and secretly went to the old house of the Cao family to deliver a visiting card.

Not long after, Ji Chang was led into the mansion by a doorman from Cao's mansion.

He came to the outside of Cao Cao's study and was suddenly stunned.

There were dozens of people waiting in line at the gate of Cao's mansion.

Guo Qing of the Guo family of Runan, Xu Chang of the Xu family of Xinyang County and other family heads who had sworn in front of Yuan Wei to follow the Yuan family were all present.

I'm the one who arrived late... A thought flashed through Ji Chang's mind.

He thought that he had done the most wrong thing to Lord Yuan by being a traitor.

But obviously not, I am the most loyal one, I came the latest, and I am the one who deserves the most respect from Mr. Yuan.

Ji Chang felt greatly comforted.

Everyone recognized each other's disguises. After all, they were often in contact with each other and were all from Runan noble families.

But everyone understood each other and pretended not to know each other.

Occasionally, when people are waiting in line, they would have some awkward conversations, all of which were made up identities, and they would say they had heard a lot about each other.

Ji often listens to other people chatting.

This is the second or even third time they have come.

These people said that they had to submit a letter of surrender to Cao's residence to prevent these aristocratic families from going back on their word later.

Some people gave up part of their land rights, some handed over their personal weapons, and there was a list of officials who held power in the local coalition, and so on.

These things were guarded by aristocratic families such as the Yu family, the Xun family, and the Chen family, so they could not be hidden even if they wanted to.

Ji Changting felt heavy in his heart.

Cao Cao was taking this opportunity to suppress and weaken the gentry and even the local powerful forces.

The Runan gentry, in particular, paid a heavy price.

But the situation is stronger than people, otherwise the situation would be worse.

In the study, Cao Cao did not show up the whole time.

The nobles from Runan were gathered together, and they were asked to wait outside to discuss and spread the news with each other, and more and more nobles came.

Diao Chan is very busy.

In the past few days, more and more people from various noble families have come to visit, and most of the things they have handed over have been put into the inner treasury.

With her purse full of money, Diao Chan was so happy that her eyes were bright.

In the afternoon, it was Ji Chang's turn to enter the study.

As soon as he entered the room, his heart skipped a beat and he was worried. It turned out that it was not Cao Cao who was in charge of meeting them. The people sitting in the study were from the Xun family, the Chen family and other families.

It was these great noble families who stood in the front, accepting and obtaining the tributes from the Ru'nan noble families.

Shit... Ji Chang felt his vision go dark.

He then asked why Cao Cao was not afraid of their joint counterattack and secret efforts to trip him up.

At this time, the Xun family and the Chen family used the gentry to fight against the gentry. They wanted to suppress the gentry headed by the Yuan family in Runan in order to overthrow the Yuan family, who were the top gentry in the world.

Heaven has changed.

The Xun and Chen families are completely on the side of Cao's camp this time, and want to strengthen themselves.

Fuck fuck fuck... Ji Chang complained wildly in his heart.

Those guys came in before him, and after they went out, none of them said that the people in the room were from the Xun and Chen families, who were waiting for them, the Runan gentry.

If you get cheated yourself, you will drag everyone behind you into the trap too, right?

Xun Yu, one of the eight dragons of Xun clan, personally sat in the first seat: "Ji Chang, the head of Runan Ji clan, is late for you."

Ji Chang looked embarrassed and said, "I, the Ji family of Runan, am willing to hand over fifteen farms and all the surplus grain to nourish the Yanzhou army."

"Ji Shi doesn't need to pay these. I heard that you and Yuan Shi are relatives. Think about what to do."

Xun Yu waved his hand, signaling Ji Chang to go out.

How cruel! This is forcing him to betray the Yuan family... Ji Chang walked out of the study, walking slowly.

He walked to the gate of the mansion, then turned back with determination and asked for a meeting again.

The human psychology is sometimes very strange.

Once they choose to betray, they will be more ruthless than their enemies and strive to kill their targets to avoid being harmed by them.

When Ji Chang came back, he told the whole story of Yuan's direct descendants, including where Yuan Wei was hiding.

In fact, there are not many people left in the Yuan family.

Previously in Luoyang, they were killed by Dong Zhuo, and the main branch of Yuan Ji was almost wiped out.

When Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu successively started their rebellions, most of the people in the old house in Runan joined the side of the two.

Those who stayed in the ancestral land were mostly servants who took care of the property.

This time, all the money will be used by Yanzhou to distribute production equally and build water conservancy projects. It can also be regarded as fighting against the local tyrants and dividing the land.

When Ji confessed all the things related to Yuan, Yuan Wei... was sitting in the carriage on his way out of Runan.

He was very quick to react and would run away immediately if he saw anything wrong.

Because he holds the "Book of Changes" which has been passed down by Yuan's ancestors for hundreds of years.

This volume of the Book of Changes is a hand scroll by a sage, and is blessed by the Yuan family's fortune of three officials in four generations.

When Yuan Wei sent a ray of energy he had gained from studying the Book of Changes into the book, Water Mountain Jian (Jian hexagram) appeared on the scroll.

The meaning of the hexagram: obstacles lie ahead, a worst hexagram.

He once again merged into a wisp of Qi, and the Book of Changes showed a bad omen again: Kan represents water, and water always flows downwards, indicating a gradual decline.

Yuan Wei sent in the energy he obtained from reading the Book of Changes three times in a row, and all of them were very bad omens.

The Yuan family is about to perish.

It was thanks to the foresight of the Book of Changes that Yuan Wei was able to escape from dangerous situations many times.

He looked miserable, and the Book of Changes showed that his fate was on the verge of ending.

The way to save oneself is to cut off the remaining clan fortune by oneself, and use the clan fortune to protect oneself, so as to escape from the danger.

He wanted to destroy the last luck of the main branch of the Yuan family with his own hands.

"They are all traitors. Those noble families forgot that they relied on our Yuan family to get to where they are today, and now they are turning against our Yuan family."

Yuan Wei paid close attention to the Yi scroll and guessed that the nobles who used to follow the Yuan family's lead had turned against the Yuan family and surrendered to Cao Cao.

This will make them completely surrender to Cao's camp, and it will be difficult for them to turn back.

And because they betrayed the Yuan family, they wanted the Yuan family to be completely destroyed more than Cao Cao did.

"Forget it, forget it. Originally, Gonglu could inherit the scattered fortunes of the main branch of our Yuan family and build a new Yuan family."

Yuan Wei pretended to breathe in and out while facing Yi Shu.

He was attracted by the slight clan destiny sealed in the book and wanted to absorb it into his own body.

But he soon discovered that the collapsed clan fortunes were not all taken over by him.

There is a clan destiny that belongs to heaven and earth.

Yuan Wei used the Book of Changes to try to trace the direction of this clan's fortune and vaguely sensed that it was shifting eastward.

It actually poured into the direction of Qiao County... A trace of destiny from heaven and earth was swallowed up by Cao's camp.

puff--

Yuan Wei looked sad, shocked and angry. He started coughing up blood and fainted in the carriage.

After the imperial carriage left Runan, Yuan Wei prepared to join Yuan Shao.

In early September, Zhang Liao's army of Cao marched northward.

Liu Biao's Jingzhou troops withdrew from Yuzhou after plundering a large amount of benefits and the population of the gentry.

During this period, a small number of gentry put up a resolute resistance, but their entire clans were uprooted by the Jingzhou army.

Even though the other noble families who were related to Cao Cao secretly knew that Cao Cao and Jingzhou had joined forces, they could not retaliate against Cao Cao for the time being.

This time, Yanzhou received the support and protection of many noble families.

Their local power was replaced and taken over by Cao Cao, who introduced the Xun, Chen and other great aristocratic families who supported Yanzhou.

Yanzhou got the biggest piece of the pie and initially gained control over Yuzhou, reducing the obstacles posed by the gentry.

There may be some disputes and negotiations later.

But the most important military power, financial power, and agricultural grain tax were all in the hands of Cao Cao.

Yanzhou added new troops and fully entered Yuzhou, completing a new round of defense deployment and power change.

At this time, Cao Cao was in charge of Yan and Yu provinces.

Although these two states are not large in area, they are two of the most economically and populously developed states among the Thirteen States of the Han Dynasty.

Cao Cao's power, the land, population, and economic and financial resources under his jurisdiction more than doubled.

At the same time, in Jizhou in the north, Yuan Shao was also rapidly integrating the surrounding states and counties.

[The Cao camp under your command is about to be promoted again. You have disintegrated the Yuan family, the leader of the aristocratic families, who had three generations of officials, and annexed their family fortune.]

[Your cultural talent ability: Insight Advanced (legacy level), gain: Visualization of luck]

The entry gives a series of push notifications.

[You are the leader of a region, and you have been blessed with the luck of Cao Ying. You can see changes taking place inside your body if you look inside.]

Ps: Ask for votes——

(End of this chapter)