Chapter 669: All in the Trap!
Why did Luo Chu ask these people whether they accepted it?
Because no one likes outsiders to take over local resources.
Resources such as education and medical care can cause heated disputes, and resources like power are something that cannot be handed over.
But precisely because of the traditional Three Mutual Law, most of the warlords were from outside. In order to break away from the control of the local gentry, the warlords would always bring their own team, who were usually from other places.
The Yingchuan people and Runan people under Yuan Shao in Jizhou, and the Yingchuan people and clan generals under Cao Cao in Yanzhou.
The nobles think that the resources for your wealth were provided by us, and we worked hard for you without complaint. But now that the time has come to reap the rewards, you kick us away and give all the benefits to the previous team.
What’s even more infuriating is that they continue to suppress us. This is truly inhumane and unjust!
This is how the conflict between the Jingzhou gentry and Liu Biao came about. Liu Biao conquered Jingzhou alone, and the Jingzhou gentry made great efforts. But Liu Biao later wanted to bring in foreign gentry to check and balance the Jingzhou gentry, so the Jingzhou gentry refused to accept this.
It's not just Liu Biao. For warlords, getting rid of the control of local gentry is the first priority, and balancing the factions under their command is extremely crucial.
Luo Chu's words made everyone present stunned. If you look closely, this sentence is quite hurtful. What does it mean?
Luo Chu is saying that the dangers Wu County is facing now are largely due to the fact that you, the Wu County gentry, are not good enough and do not have outstanding talents. Otherwise, why would you worry about people who are less powerful than you?
Although what Luo Chu said was very true, it was difficult for everyone to accept it for a while. In fact, these six families were not that bad. The head of the Gu family, Gu Yong, and the head of the Zhang family, Zhang Wen, were both good civil officials. In real history, Gu Yong served as prime minister in Eastern Wu for nineteen years. This ability was considered strong. The head of the Zhu family was also capable of commanding the army.
But it’s not enough!
In this turbulent era, even most of the Luo family members have to rely on the books on governance researched by their ancestors and the many wise men in Zhaocheng to barely keep up with those top people in governing the country and enriching the people and strengthening the country.
When it comes to using tricks and schemes that rely purely on talent, they are far from being comparable to natural heroes like Jia Xu, Xun You and Fa Zheng.
Sun Jian is a true hero. Judging from the battle formation alone, there is no one in the world who can defeat him.
Even though his character flaws are very obvious, he was born in a poor family but was able to fight his way to this point. The generals under his command should not be underestimated. They are definitely not something that the Jiangdong gentry can resist.
The head of the Lu family thought that he had a son with extraordinary talent, the most outstanding offspring he had ever seen. Once he grew up, he might be able to dominate the world, but unfortunately he was too young and could not be of great use now.
Luo Chu looked at everyone with shining eyes. He was introduced to Jiangdong by Qiao Wei and was now the leader and representative of these Jiangdong aristocratic families. But this did not mean that he had to act entirely in accordance with the interests of these families.
If the aristocratic families in Jiangdong rejected his request today, he would do something for them in the end, and then leave Jiangdong with the Qiao sisters and those who were willing to go with him.
Luo Chu was sure that the fate of the Jiangdong gentry would be that Sun Jian and his men from outside Wujun would invade Wujun, and they would finally have to acknowledge Sun Jian's existence, and then be suppressed by the scholars living in exile in Jiangdong and the generals from humble backgrounds.
Of the six family heads present, except Qiao Wei, the other five looked at each other. Although they did not speak, everyone understood the meaning revealed in their eyes.
In their opinion, Luo Chu is now asking you whether you are willing to give up some power to ensure your own safety?
Or will you watch your family perish in the war among the warlords?
Although these Jiangdong scholars themselves did not have much experience in how terrible war was, the scholars who had fled from Xuzhou and Yuzhou had already told them.
The once prosperous family was completely defeated by just one devastating war. The prestigious members of the family died in the war, and only a few members of the family's direct lineage were left to escape.
All the wealth that had been accumulated was lost, and it is no exaggeration to say that countless nobles completely disappeared among the counties.
It is precisely because they have witnessed the fate of the Central Plains gentry that these Jiangdong gentry welcome the appearance of Luo Chu so much. Their only hope is that his existence can protect the country and the people.
Qiao Wei sat there calmly, his eyes even slightly narrowed, as if he had fallen asleep. The chaos here had nothing to do with him.
The six families of Wu County have been friends for hundreds of years and are of the same blood, with many intermarriages. Therefore, he spent hundreds of years of friendship between the Qiao and Luo families to invite Luo Chu here, and personally presented his two daughters. This was enough. Whether he could seize the opportunity was not something he could decide.
Although the six surnames of Wu County have a relationship of shared prosperity and adversity, who can control other people's thoughts?
Qiao Wei believes that he cannot do it, so he leaves everything to fate.
Countless thoughts flashed through Gu Yong's mind. He looked at Qiao Wei again and finally made up his mind. It was all for the safety of his family, so he would pay some price for it.
So after receiving the signals from the others, he bowed to Luo Chu and said, "Sir.
Since ancient times, I have never heard of a country being able to maintain stability without valuing talented people. This has been the case for every dynasty and country.
Nowadays, Jiangdong lacks talented people and has fallen into such an embarrassing situation. This is a warning from God to us!
If you treat God disrespectfully, you will surely be punished by God.
Now that you have said this, Yong is deeply moved.
Have I made any contribution to the Han Dynasty?
What contribution have I made to Jiangdong that I should be proud of?
When I counted carefully, I couldn't find a single tile or brick.
He was flattered by the scholars of Jiangdong only because of his status as a member of the Gu family, but he became so complacent because of it.
This is a case of being arrogant and forgetting respect, and lacking humility. Now that he has encountered a jackal like Sun Jian, he has fallen into a dangerous situation. Isn't this a punishment for the past?
Now you have to remind us to break free from this situation. We should recruit talented people who were born in Yangzhou or live in Yangzhou!"
Qiao Wei suddenly opened his eyes and couldn't help but smile. In Qiao Wei's opinion, these people made the most correct choice. Seeing Qiao Wei's reaction, the other five people couldn't help but feel a little relieved.
As a former branch of the Luo family, the ancestor of the Qiao family was the younger brother of Luo Wugong, who was known as "the last rays of the Mandate of Zhou". Later, their ancestors followed King Zhaosheng Luo Ling for so many years and lived in Zhaocheng for so many years, so they knew the Luo family very well.
Although the Luo family has always pursued fairness and has taken a crackdown on aristocratic and powerful families since the beginning of the Han Dynasty, they are not the type of cruel officials who must uproot the aristocratic and powerful families.
Because the Luo family was quite pragmatic, when Duke Wen of Luo carried out reforms, he compromised with the great nobles and slave owners. When Duke Xuan of Luo carried out reforms, he took action against some of the great princes and compromised with other great princes. These were all manifestations of pragmatism.
The foundation of the existence of the aristocratic families seems difficult to destroy at present, so what the Luo family wants has changed. It is enough as long as these aristocratic families ensure that the atmosphere is upward, that the values are correct, and that there are upward channels for the lower classes.
In other words, you are from a noble family and are born rich. This is your blessing. So just be a good person with high moral standards and don't rely on your family background to do shitty things. That's enough and it's not difficult.
Moreover, the Luo family is a very sentimental family, but they are not the kind of selfless saintly family. Generally speaking, as long as they don't do anything excessive, the Luo family will give the old people a decent ending.
Since these Wujun nobles have chosen to believe in Luo Chu, as long as they don't do anything weird in the future, Luo Chu will not let them suffer any great losses.
After hearing what Gu Yong said, Luo Chu looked at the other heads of the major families in Wu County and also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If possible, he would still not want to leave Jiangdong. Standing on this land, he had a feeling of peace of mind.
After the Wujun nobles expressed their opinions, Luo Chu knew it was time for him to express his own.
His expression was very relaxed, but his eyes and voice were very serious as he said, "Chu has something to say at this moment.
Is there anyone in this world who actively recruits talented people at the expense of himself?
Throughout the 1,300 years of history, there has never been such a situation.
A hundred years after the Han Dynasty, most of the gentry were entrenched in the counties. Unless it was absolutely necessary, no gentry was willing to flee to other places. Why was this?
Because leaving home is lowly!
But how many scholars survived the chaos in the Central Plains and lost their families, or fled to avoid the war?
Some of these scholars lived in Jiangdong, and some lived in Jingzhou, waiting for the emergence of a wise leader. Some time ago, I got a scholar named Zhuge Jin.
He was a descendant of the Zhuge family from Langya County in Xuzhou. He had gone to Jiangdong to study before, but due to the war he did not return to Xuzhou and stayed in Jiangdong.
Zhuge Jin is a man of great talent. Whether it is dealing with people or having good manners, he is an excellent choice.
Some time ago, my father-in-law told me that there was a young man from a prominent family in Lujiang County named Zhou Yu, with the courtesy name Gongjin. He was also very talented and was a rare and outstanding figure in Jiangdong.
I was surprised at the time and said, "Since there is such a talented person, why not recruit him into Wu County? Wu County is the essence of Yangzhou, and the six surnames of Wu County are the crown of the scholars in Jiangdong. If you extend an olive branch, will anyone be unwilling to accept it?"
Zhou Yu was a talented person from Yangzhou, and Zhuge Jin was a talented person who came from exile. How many such people were there in Jiangdong?
Let these great sages wander among the mountains and rivers of Jiangdong, without being able to make full use of their talents. When people like Sun Jian come to attack, they will cry out "What can we do?"
In the long run, the strong one who crosses the river will become the master of Jiangdong.
How would the Jiangdong gentry deal with themselves at that time?
Those who stick to their ways will surely be eliminated by the world.
Now that all the family heads have made their choices, Chu will then issue a recruitment order to the entire Jiangdong.
This will be the best decision you will ever make.”
Gu Yong and the others all looked a little ashamed. Luo Chu was a young man who had not even been crowned, but he had seen everything clearly. Gu Yong was silent for a moment and then asked, "Sir, how will this recruitment order be implemented?"
Although the goal is to recruit talented people, how to recruit them is still a very big problem. Something like a recruitment order represents a large number of personnel changes. Although they have decided to give up their interests, how much to give up is a very important matter.
If the bleeding is too heavy this time, it is hard to say whether there will be enough resources to bleed next time.
Luo Chu certainly knew this, and he had actually prepared something in his mind, and he said aloud: "This time we are recruiting talents mainly to recruit those who are truly talented, to select the best from the best, to select the most virtuous from the virtuous, to select those who can defeat ten thousand enemies in martial arts, and to select those who can be officials in literature.
As for the grassroots officials, we will continue to follow the old system. I hope you will all work together. After all, changing the grassroots officials is something I don’t want to do.”
After hearing Luo Chu's words, everyone finally felt relieved. If they just wanted to recruit talented people, then the impact on them would not be too big.
Everyone discussed for a while longer, and then left together. After everyone had left Luo Chu's residence, they did not separate, but gathered together again to express their feelings.
Before leaving in the carriage, Qiao Wei said with a smile: "Young Master Chu is my Qiao family's son-in-law. If Young Master Chu becomes the ruler of Jiangdong, the Qiao family will be an in-law.
The six major families are closely related. As long as there are outstanding children in your family, they will naturally be able to be with Prince Chu and occupy a high position in Jiangdong. What do you have to worry about?
Instead of worrying about these things, it is better to educate the children of the clan well. If they have talents, they should be trained well. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they can become generals or prime ministers in the future?
If they have no talent, then we should cultivate their character. Prince Chu comes from the Luo family, which attaches great importance to virtue. If they have excellent virtue, they may have the opportunity to enter the government as a ritual official.
Just as Gongzi Chu said, this is our chance."
After saying that, he got on the carriage and left, leaving the others to react. The head of the Lu family got on the carriage, ready to return to the family to teach those children well. The others also reacted and got on the carriage one after another to leave here, ready to face the next changes.
In the Luo Mansion, Luo Chu sat quietly in the hall. Xiao Qiao saw that her father and everyone had left, so she walked out from the backyard and sat quietly beside Luo Chu. Luo Chu smelled the refreshing fragrance coming from Xiao Qiao, and his mind became clear and empty again.
The irritability and pressure caused by Sun Jian these days gradually dissipated. He turned his head and looked at Xiao Qiao, who was as gentle as spring water. He stretched out his hand to hold her soft and boneless hand and couldn't help but sighed: "The chaos and complexity of all things in this world are really annoying.
If I could find a paradise, I would just indulge in living with you and never care about the mundane affairs of this world again."
Xiao Qiao had a gentle smile on her face. After spending a year with Luo Chu, she had a deep understanding of this boy who was only slightly older than her.
This is a heroic man who is quite mature beyond his years, but deep down he always wants to live in seclusion among the mountains and rivers. He has his own ideas about governing the world and is also good at fighting, but what he really likes is Taoism and even the metaphysics of immortals. He also has a deep interest in Buddhism's otherworldly philosophy. He is an extremely contradictory character.
Whenever he dealt with government and military affairs for a long time, he would become extremely irritated and depressed. Only the beautiful landscape paintings of Jiangdong and his gentle and considerate company could alleviate this symptom.
She held Luo Chu's hand and rubbed it, relieving Luo Chu's inner fatigue, and said softly: "My dear, isn't this the way it is in this world?
Shuang'er had heard the story of a man who stood tall and proud. When the heaven and earth collapsed, the man who was as tall as the sky saved all the people in the world.
Now, my dear, aren’t you such a person?
Millions of people in Jiangdong rely on you. Father often tells Shuang'er that you are a great hero, and Shuang'er thinks so too.
Shuang'er heard that a real man's ambition is higher than Mount Tai, more vast than the East China Sea, and can make the universe move.
Compared with such ambitions, what does the so-called land of gentleness matter?
Shuang'er is just a pretty girl, and her contribution to the world and her value to Jiangdong may not be as great as your hair. If you become lazy because of Shuang'er, isn't it Shuang'er's fault?"
Luo Chu let go of Xiao Qiao's hand and smiled softly, "Shuang'er, go get the zither and flute. You can play the zither and flute together to express your feelings."
Xiao Qiao couldn't help feeling happy when she saw the worry in Luo Chu's brows gradually disappear. She was even more surprised and delighted to hear that Luo Chu was going to play the piano. She loved playing the piano and flute with Luo Chu the most.
…
Luo Chu acted quickly. The order to recruit talents was quickly announced from the mansion. It spread to Wu County at first, then Wu County, and then quickly spread to the surrounding counties. With the active cooperation of the six surnames in Wu County, these orders to recruit talents were announced more deeply at least in Wu County, Kuaiji County and Danyang County.
As for Jiujiang County, Lujiang County and Yuzhang County, the spread of this order to recruit talents was also better than expected. At least the nobles and the common people in these states and counties all received this order to recruit talents, which was quite remarkable.
Among the gentry, the main focus was on training those who could become generals or ministers, while ordinary powerful landlords were more likely to become generals.
Luo Chu did not use the tone of the Six Families of Wujun when issuing this order to recruit talents, because that would have a bad effect. Instead, he issued a call to the entire Yangzhou in the tone of the Lord of Jiangdong.
“I am not originally from Jiangdong, and I have never been crowned. I am just an ordinary young man in Zhaocheng.
Because the achievements of my ancestors were trusted by some respected elders, they recommended me to do some simple jobs and even recommended me to be the governor of Yangzhou.
I have only been in Jiangdong for a few days, but I have received a warm welcome from the scholars of Jiangdong. How can I not be overwhelmed with honor?
I am deeply afraid that I will not be able to achieve any results and thus disappoint the people of Jiangdong.
When I came to Jiangdong a short time ago, I didn't say a word because I was worried that I might do something wrong due to lack of understanding. Now that I have been in Jiangdong for a while, I finally have something to talk about with the wise men of Jiangdong.
Jiangdong is beautiful, and the scenery and people are all charming in their own way. This is what I have seen. During the war in the Central Plains, Jiangdong was spared. What a blessing it is!
I came to Jiangdong and saw the beautiful scenery. I only hope that Jiangdong will always be peaceful and stable, and not get involved in the raging war.
But how difficult is this?
Countless tigers, leopards, jackals and wolves tried to swallow Jiangdong. I thought about it and thought, how can it be reasonable to pray for stability when the blade is in the hands of others?
Only by holding a sharp sword can there be stability; only by having generals who can fight can the country be stable; and by making good use of civil officials who can govern the country, there will be no chaos in the world.
If we want to stabilize Jiangdong, we must have such talented people. Now I am calling out to Jiangdong.
Are there any scholars from other states living in Jiangdong?
This may be the fate that God has bestowed upon you and Jiangdong. I have heard that those who are able to hold high positions as officials in other places are all important officials who can go down in history. Are there such important officials in Jiangdong now?
The noble families in Jiangdong are willing to treat you scholars well and provide you with food, clothing, wealth and dignity.
Are there any scholars who are not in Wu County?
Nowadays, among the thirteen states in the world, there is no state without a governor.
In the past, counties were the country and families across the world. Apart from the Five Surnames and Seven Families, all the aristocratic families regarded counties as the place of prestige. But hasn’t the situation changed greatly now?
The governor of a province is in charge of all military and political power. Aren't the counties like brothers?
If the division is based on counties, wouldn't Yangzhou's power be dispersed?
This must be bad.
Therefore, I am issuing this letter to summon the heroes of Yangzhou and the heroes living in Yangzhou in Wujun. As long as you feel that you have the ability to be a prime minister who can bring peace to the world, or the talent to be a powerful minister who can pacify the world, please come to Wujun.
I'm here waiting for your arrival.
I hope to grant you a distinguished position, I hope to get a great sage who can stabilize Jiangdong, I hope to get a prefect who is capable of governing a region, I hope to get a talent who can be a king's assistant who can coordinate a state.
According to the above standards, spread it to all counties in Yangzhou so that everyone knows about it. "
The call for talents issued by Luo Chu in the tone of the governor of Yangzhou instantly caused an uproar. From this letter, except for the welcome from the scholars of Wujun at the very beginning, no one could see any trace of the Six Families of Wujun.
However, this order to recruit talents was circulated smoothly among the various states and counties in Yangzhou, which meant that the six surnames of Wu County recognized this order.
What does this mean?
This meant that this Young Master Chu of the Luo family had already dealt with the Six Surnames of Wu County, and the Six Surnames of Wu County began to cede power to the shogunate that Young Master Chu was about to form!
If you enter Master Chu's court at this time, it would be like a fish leaping over the dragon gate or a wild dragon transforming into a dragon!
At least in the Jiangdong area, he instantly became a top dignitary.
Especially those scholars living in the Jiangdong area were waiting for such an opportunity.
I don't know how many people are waiting for the emergence of a warlord who can suppress the Wujun gentry. They will surely be able to hold high positions in the new regime by virtue of their non-Yangzhou identity.
But I never expected that this opportunity would come from Luo's son!
This made everyone even more overjoyed. Although they didn't know why Luo Shizi would take the initiative to become the leader of one side, it didn't matter. The important thing was to immediately seize the precious position in the new shogunate.
In a town on a hill in Wu County, two scholars were looking at the recruitment order side by side, their faces filled with joy and relief.
"Zi Bu!"
"Zi Gang!"
The two called each other by their given names, then smiled at each other and said in unison: "The opportunity has come, it's time to show off our skills."
Zhang Hong said with emotion: "The Qiao family has a very deep foundation. They were able to invite a son of the Luo family to Jiangdong to take charge of the situation. If it weren't for this son of the Luo family, these Wujun nobles would have been trapped in a jar and would have suffered heavy losses. In the end, they would have had no choice but to cooperate with Sun Jian."
Zhang Zhao nodded in approval and said, "Yes, I never expected that the situation in Jiangdong would be revitalized like this. Our plans have also changed, and we have to leave the government early."
These two people were Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong, who came to Jiangdong from Xuzhou to escape the war. After arriving in Jiangdong, because they were both from Xuzhou and both had great talents, they hit it off at first sight and lived in seclusion together in the town of Wujun.
Although they said they were in seclusion, the two of them still had some fame. Many people in Wu County knew that the two Zhangs were talented, but they just had no room to display their talents before.
Originally, the two of them planned to continue to wait and see, then wait for Sun Jian to attack Jiangdong, and then help Sun Jian pacify Jiangdong at the critical moment.
However, the appearance of Luo Chu ruined their plan. Now seeing Luo Chu issuing a call for talents, they temporarily decided to go to Luo Chu's shogunate to fight against Sun Jian and help Luo Chu stabilize Jiangdong.
Most of these scholars living in Jiangdong were concentrated in Wu County, and those in other counties in Yangzhou were even more responsive to this order to recruit talents.
Going to Wujun and taking control of Yangzhou is the dream of every Yangzhou scholar. The city of Gusu in Wujun represents the undisputed orthodoxy of the entire Jiangdong for a thousand years.
That is an ancient city that has never suffered major damage since the time of Wu Wuhou Qingji!
In Lujiang County.
When Zhou Yu saw the order to recruit talents, he was extremely conflicted. He didn't know whether he should go to Wu County. He certainly knew that Master Chu was recruiting talents in order to resist Sun Jian.
He and Sun Jian's son Sun Ce became good friends at first sight, which made him very conflicted. Deep down, he wanted to go to Wujun. He was too confident in his abilities. A general or a prime minister, all wise ministers in ancient times were like this.
However, his loyalty to Sun Ce made him unwilling to do so. After all, there was a high possibility that he would face Sun Ce on the battlefield later.
He was struggling here when the servant hurried in and reported: "Young Master, Lord Zi Jing is here to see you."
"Zijing?"
Zhou Yu was a little surprised, but then he knew why Lu Su came to visit him at this time. It must be because of this recruitment order.
Zhou Yu's mind raced, "Please come in quickly."
————
The ruler of Jiangdong, Chu, selected famous scholars and promoted virtuous people, but still felt that it was not enough. He was worried day and night that there were no talented people left in the wild, so he issued a call for talents, widely seeking virtuous and wise men who could assist the king. Within ten days, the order was spread to all prefectures and counties. The scholars were excited, and thousands of them came to Wu County. Chu laughed and said, "All the heroes of Jiangzuo are within my grasp!" - "Book of Wu·Biography of Yuzhang County Duke"
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彀 (gou, fourth tone!)
(End of this chapter)
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