Five days later, Wang Han's entourage finally arrived at the main city of Youzhou.
Upon hearing that Marquis Dingshan was about to arrive, the people spontaneously lined the streets to welcome him, and Gongsun Zan also arrived at the city gate early with his men.
Gongsun Zan felt a pang of unease as he watched the people who had spontaneously gathered to welcome Marquis Dingshan.
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Wang Han got out of the carriage and said to Gongsun Zan, who looked much more haggard, "Lord Gongsun, it's been almost a year since we last met. You look much more haggard."
"Lord Dingshan is joking." Gongsun Zan said meaningfully, "Now the world is at peace, there is no war or natural disaster, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, so how can they be haggard? The only worry is that His Majesty has not been able to regain power and the world cannot be unified."
“Lord Gongsun, this is not true.” Wang Han shook his head and said, “Times have changed, and the times must progress. Naturally, we must eliminate the corrupt and retain the good. The world in the future will belong to the people, to the masses, not to individuals or families. How can Your Majesty regain power?”
Gongsun Zan said, "The monarchical system has always been a set of rules left by our ancestors. How can such an important matter be changed so easily?"
Wang Han shook his head and said, "Rules can only adapt to the current era. As times progress, the rules left by our ancestors will naturally need to be changed."
“The rules of our ancestors can indeed be changed, but it can’t be changed just because one person says so. We need to ask everyone if they are willing and if the majority agrees. We can’t make the decision by one person alone,” Gongsun Zan said, implying that Wang Han had made the decision by force.
“Of course,” Wang Han nodded and said, “but since it is to change the rules for the benefit of all the people, we must ask all the people in the world, not just a small group of people. Moreover, after the rules are changed, the major decisions of the world can truly be made by all the people.”
"..." Gongsun Zan was speechless. He thought to himself, "When it comes to the people of the world, isn't it you, Marquis Dingshan, who calls the shots?" Gongsun Zan couldn't argue with Marquis Dingshan, nor could he resort to harsh words. So he simply decided not to make things difficult for himself.
Gongsun Zan changed the subject, asking, "May I ask what brings Lord Marquis Dingshan to Youzhou this time?"
"I've come to discuss the matters we discussed in Luoyang last time, as well as the reform of Youzhou," Wang Han said deliberately loudly, as if making an announcement.
"Did you hear that? Lord Dingshan is finally going to reform Youzhou!" Upon hearing Wang Han's words, the surrounding people immediately began to discuss excitedly.
"Lord Dingshan is truly righteous. The people of Youzhou have long awaited this day. On behalf of the people of Youzhou, I thank Lord Dingshan. Lord Dingshan, please come to my residence for further discussion," Gongsun Zan said with a bitter smile. He knew that Lord Dingshan was deliberately speaking loudly so that the surrounding people could hear, putting him in a very passive position both in terms of the army and the people. Just like now, faced with the people's expectations, he could only go along with what Lord Dingshan said.
"please……"
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Upon arriving at Gongsun Zan's residence, after exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Han said, "Lord Gongsun, you must already have some idea of the purpose of my visit to Youzhou. May I ask what your decision is? Is it for the sake of the people, or for your own personal sake?"
When the topic came up, Gongsun Zan also put forward his conditions: "Lord Dingshan, I am willing to submit to you and support your reforms and the abolition of the imperial system. However, I have one condition: I will still be the representative of Youzhou, and I will also arrange the representatives of each city."
Wang Han looked at Gongsun Zan, thought carefully for a moment, and said, "You can still be the representative of Youzhou, but the representatives of each city need to be chosen by the people themselves. If you still arrange them, the reform of the system will be meaningless."
"Lord Marquis of Dingshan," Gongsun Zan pleaded, "I must arrange at least one of the two representatives, the chief and the deputy, for each city. This is my bottom line."
Wang Han stared into Gongsun Zan's eyes for a while, making Gongsun Zan feel a little uneasy before saying, "I can agree to let you arrange the representatives of each city, but I also have conditions. You can only arrange half of the first representatives and half of the deputy representatives of each city, including yourself, who can only serve one term. After the first term, all representatives must be chosen by the people. This is my bottom line. You have to think it over carefully."
"This..." Gongsun Zan hesitated upon hearing this. If he agreed to Wang Han's conditions, although he would retain his power, he could only extend his term for one period. After that, aside from a few trusted confidants, he would likely have no power left. One period might not even be enough to make a comeback; by then, everything would probably be gone. If he didn't agree to Wang Han's conditions, although he could remain the representative of Youzhou for a long time and retain some power, he would have no trusted confidants and could only slowly rebuild his power, facing countless difficulties, and might even miss the opportunity to make a comeback.
"My lord," Xi Zhicai said, trying to offer some advice.
"I agree to your conditions. I will appoint one of the first representatives and one of the second representatives in each city. After one term, the people will decide." Gongsun Zan thought carefully for a long time and chose the second option. He would retain his current power and use it to help his subordinates work hard for the people, hoping to be re-elected in the next election, or even serve as more representatives. After the first term, he would at least retain some power and not miss the opportunity to make a comeback.
Wang Han nodded and said, "In that case, Xi Zhicai will discuss the specific reform matters with you. At the same time, he will serve as the deputy representative of Youzhou. The heads and deputy heads of each city will be arranged by you and elected by the people. After one term, all representatives, including the head and deputy head of Youzhou, will be elected by the people."
Gongsun Zan glanced at Xi Zhicai. Xi Zhicai had been sent to Cao Cao's service by Marquis Dingshan a long time ago and had helped Cao Cao a lot. He was also a man full of schemes and had Marquis Dingshan's support behind him. He would probably be difficult to deal with in the future.
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That night, Xi Zhicai quietly came to Wang Han's room and asked in confusion, "My lord, why did you agree to his conditions? He is not sincere at all. He only submitted to you because he had no other choice. He could turn against you at any time. We could have refused him, and he would have had no choice but to submit to us."
"What I want is for him to set an example for the other lords and support the reform of the system," Wang Han said with a smile. "Only if there is one will there be two. Such conditions of submission can also be accepted by the other lords. As for turning against us, do you think they have the chance? Once the people have adapted to the new system and are living a good life, anyone who wants to change it back and make the people suffer again is playing with fire and getting burned."
"My lord," Xi Zhicai said, "we need to compare those who submit and those who don't. What do you plan to do with those lords who are unwilling to submit?"
"Kill them," Wang Han said. "I will personally take their heads."
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