Chen County.
As soon as Li Lin stepped off the carriage, he couldn't bear the cold of winter.
He hurriedly ran back into the house.
The servants were instructed to light incense, which temporarily warmed the room.
"My esteemed teacher has already visited most of the counties in Jiangnan these past few days. I suppose he has already made some progress in his public opinion survey of Chu?"
"Um."
He nodded, hurriedly stretched out his frozen hands, pulled out a piece of paper from the side, and started doodling on it.
Han Xin stood opposite him, propping himself up with his hands, and watched him from the side.
“Look, this is Chen County. With Chen County as the symmetrical point, the Central Plains are to the north. Most of the people here have a strong sense of belonging to the Great Qin. But to the south, especially towards Kuaiji County, the sense of belonging to the Great Qin court is extremely poor. Although I have not visited Kuaiji County, judging from the situation of the people along the way, this phenomenon is probably more serious the further south you go!”
"Indeed, the people of Chu have great admiration for the witchcraft of Chu and the corresponding local nobles, but they strongly disagree with the court's appointments."
"No, no, no, this is not the fault of the common people. It is the local nobles who have been promoting witchcraft and sorcery, practicing methods to keep the people ignorant. The people are not enlightened, so they are naturally superstitious. They believe that kings and nobles are of noble birth from heaven, and they have resigned themselves to their fate."
"Master, how should we resolve such a difficult situation?"
"Hahaha."
He glanced at Han Xin, who was frowning, and couldn't help but smile. "Those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see clearly. Before we came, I told you that our main purpose was to win over the people of Chu. Have you forgotten the points I mentioned back then?"
"What my teacher meant was... governing the Chu people with the Chu people?"
“That’s right. Let the nobles of Chu become officials of all ranks, but above them, let’s appoint an honest and incorruptible court official to act on behalf of the local people.”
What do you mean?
"Han Xin, think about it, what is a nobleman? What is a commoner?"
"Aristocrats are those who are born with endless wealth and status, while commoners are born to be slaves and servants, serving others for their entire lives?"
"You're wrong!"
"Oh? What insightful opinion does my mentor have?"
Han Xin's eyes widened. He believed he had grasped the surface meaning, so why did Li Lin say he was wrong?
"The nobility are the real culprits who turned ordinary people into the lowest class. The two are in opposition, not parallel. Since the people of Chu have been ruled by aristocratic politics for hundreds of years and the ideology of aristocratic politics is deeply rooted, then we must find the contradiction between the two, rather than just indiscriminately killing them."
"What my teacher said is something Han Xin doesn't understand."
“It’s normal that you don’t quite understand what I mean, because you haven’t grasped the main contradiction. No matter how strong the enemy’s fortress is, it is often breached from within first. The common people and nobles have coexisted in Chu for hundreds of years. How could there not be contradictions between them? They yearn for a hero to uphold justice, which is why the Xiang clan, who fight for justice, has gained great popularity in Chu.”
“Master, I understand. What you mean is that we should appoint nobles from Chu as minor officials in various prefectures and counties. Their direct contact with ordinary people will inevitably lead to conflicts. In this way, we can then appoint officials from the imperial court as inspectors, censors, or superiors to uphold justice for them. Over time, they will accept the established fact of the imperial court from the bottom of their hearts!”
"That's right. At any time, in any place, in the midst of absolute contradictions, as long as we grasp the principal contradiction, any secondary contradiction will be easily resolved. Contradictions will not disappear. Eliminating one contradiction will inevitably lead to new contradictions, which we will need to solve again. This is the true meaning of human life."
After speaking, Li Lin wrote down his main methods and means of governing people's livelihood on a piece of paper.
Because he knew.
He was about to leave Chen County and return to Xianyang City.
but,
He could simply walk away.
But what about the people of Chu?
It should be understood that his main purpose in coming here to quell the rebellion was to prevent the First Emperor from wreaking havoc in the Chu region and to win over the hearts and minds of the people of Chu.
Suppressing the rebellion was only a secondary objective.
Even if this battle fails to capture King Huai of Chu, Xiong Xin, and even if the rebellious counties in Chu do not surrender upon hearing the news.
With the support of the Xiang clan, suppressing the rebellion in Chu is only a matter of time.
If he cannot win the hearts of the people, then this operation will undoubtedly be a complete failure for him.
"My teacher's remarks were unheard of, but upon careful examination, I discovered endless mysteries. I could use my teacher's contradictory viewpoints to explain every historical event, and not only could I make them coherent, but I could also find quite plausible reasons for them."
Han Xin's eyes lit up involuntarily. What an intelligent man he was!
Even if his political thinking isn't great, that doesn't stop him from being a smart person.
I immediately understood the essence of the contradictory thinking that Li Lin was talking about.
Furthermore, they applied this knowledge in other contexts.
"Haha, Han Xin, what I know is just the tip of the iceberg. This is a book containing all the methods and ideas for winning over the hearts and minds of the people of Chu. Take it and carry out the work to varying degrees according to the actual situation. The people of Chu and the counties south of the Yangtze River are all in your hands!"
"My mentor? What do you mean by that?"
"I plan to set off tomorrow. Judging from the route we took here, it will probably take two months to return to Xianyang. If we spend the New Year here, we will probably not return to Xianyang until the turn of spring and summer. By then, there probably won't be enough time for me to prepare for His Majesty's war."
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