Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1100 Blind Spot
After Yuan Xi finished his analysis of the pros and cons of the imperial examination system, Zhuge Liang thought that this might be another result of star-gazing. Otherwise, how could the lord be so confident about something that didn't happen?
He said: "My Lord's idea is to reduce the proportion of classics as much as possible, increase the subjects of numerology, use examinations as the main method of selection, combine it with practical policies, and also reserve some quotas for official recommendations?"

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "Yes, I know that the military advisor is opposed to the recommendation system. After all, recommending filial and honest officials has become a joke."

“But the people I want to recommend are not those who are praised for their abstract actions, but those who have great skills but cannot learn to read and write for various reasons and make further progress.”

"I plan to recruit them as students based on their talents, so that they can continue their studies and eventually become officials who specialize in a certain field."

Yuan Xi had his reasons for doing this. In an era when productivity was not yet developed, it would take dozens or even hundreds of years to enlighten the people, and no one could wait that long, so it was necessary to adapt to local conditions and adopt the most appropriate approach at the moment.

He continued: "Of course, this is just a supplement. The main way to select officials should still be based on examinations."

"Of course, the content of the exam is not limited to the classics, but mainly focuses on comprehensive subjects, such as the mathematics and physics I mentioned."

Zhuge Liang had read the book written by Yuan Xi, and thought that even with his own level of comprehension, it would take him several days to figure it out. Perhaps it would be even more difficult for others.
He expressed his doubts, and Yuan Xi couldn't help laughing and said, "The books that the military advisor read are not things that can be learned in a short period of time. It takes several years."

"This knowledge requires gradual development and it is impossible to achieve results immediately. It requires years of practical experience to produce results."

"So it is not easy to enlighten the people. To become a talent in my eyes, even if you are a smart person, you need to learn at least five or six subjects for several years or even more than ten years. It is not something that can be achieved overnight."

"But I can afford to wait, because the rewards in the future will be very generous."

"But it should be noted that from the selection to the examination, we need to gather a group of upright officials to preside over it, so we will think about it in the next few days and find some suitable people to select."

"The reason for doing this is to prevent the seat master system and the phenomenon of officials forming cliques."

Zhuge Liang understood, thought for a moment, and said, "In the past two years, many famous scholars have come to us, but most of them are devoted to studying classics. I do know a little about the so-called skilled craftsmen that the lord needs."

"I will draw up a list when I get back and recommend them to you, my lord, based on their skills.

"My lord, you still have some free time. The military plan has not yet been finalized, but you have also focused on the charity school."

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Since the Jizhou generals haven't told us yet, we still have to wait for at least half a month. During this time, we can do everything we can. Otherwise, when the war starts, we may not have enough time."

A few days ago, when he, Ju Shou and the other two were discussing how to have an all-out battle with Cao Cao in Jizhou, there were always some key points that could not be avoided. One of them was a large-scale troop battle involving more than 100,000 people.

After a long period of deduction, they found that in addition to nearly a hundred generals, a very complex communication system was also needed to integrate the situations of dozens of battlefields at the same time. This was difficult to do even in the era of advanced radio communications in later generations.

The discussion came to a standstill. While everyone was thinking hard, Zhuge Liang sighed and said, "I have been following you for several years. The troops I have led are no more than 10,000 at most. The most I have participated in a major battle was no more than 30,000 on my side. I am still not capable of imagining a battle involving more than 100,000 troops."

Ju Su smiled and said, "This is because the lord's way of using troops is a policy of elite troops, using elite troops to deal with weak troops, and the lord is also good at defeating the majority with a small number, so over the years, the intensity of the war has not decreased, but the number of troops has not increased accordingly, so the generals are not used to leading too many troops."

Tian Feng also agreed, "Generals have a limit on the number of troops they can lead. Those who can lead 10,000 people and enforce discipline are already considered famous generals. Liu Xuande only has one Guan Yu who can lead tens of thousands of soldiers. This is extremely rare."

"Even on Cao's side, apart from Cao Cao, there are only about five generals who can lead tens of thousands of people, not to mention Jiangdong."

Everyone laughed. Sun Quan had sent too many soldiers in the last battle. The Shanyue soldiers who surrendered even helped Yuan Xi to defend Shouchun. Every time they talked about it, everyone enjoyed it.

Ju Su said: "Sun Quan has too little experience in battle and doesn't know how to advance or retreat. Even if he stayed in the rear, he wouldn't have suffered such a terrible defeat, but he chose to go into battle himself."

"The most important thing for a general to avoid is to misjudge his ability to lead troops and to show off his strength just to save face. Lord Benchu ​​did a great job when he was alive. When he faced Gongsun Zan, he was able to personally go to the battlefield at the critical moment and also assess the situation to protect himself."

"When Lord Benchu ​​led the army, whether it was the battle against Black Mountain or the battle between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shu, there were always more than 100,000 troops."

"At that time, Cao Cao was a vassal of Benchu ​​Gong, and he gradually grew up for him to fight against the Black Mountain Army and Yuan Gonglu. Otherwise, how could he have had the opportunity to fight so many battles under others?"

Yuan Xi also nodded and said, "That's right. At the beginning, Jizhou was the most fiercely contested place in the world, and Jizhou generals also led the most troops."

"Let's not talk about Chunyu Qiong who has the largest number of troops. Which of the four pillar commanders has not led an army of tens of thousands?"

"If not"

He was stunned for a long while, then he said self-deprecatingly: "This is really a dark place under the lamp."

Yuan Xi also reacted and said with a wry smile: "It's really like riding a donkey to look for a donkey."

"When it comes to large-scale military operations, who can compare to the Jizhou generals in terms of experience?" Several people looked at each other and laughed at the same time. Ju Shou sighed, "I used to be a military supervisor and I also experienced this, but I have been doing internal affairs in Youzhou for the past seven or eight years, away from military affairs, and my mind has really not changed."

"My lord, you are right. In the past, there were many battles in Jizhou involving more than 100,000 people. How could there be so many generals back then?"

"The fighting methods of Benchu ​​Gong and the Lord are completely different. Benchu ​​Gong only looks at the big picture, while the Lord does everything himself, transporting food and logistics, fighting on the front line, harassing and coordinating. The most important key is that he has an extremely complete intelligence system, so he can handle every detail."

"This also made me form a fixed mindset. I feel that this is how a war should be. In fact, ten years ago, which lord had an intelligence system like my lord? Wasn't it all about the generals leading their own troops and playing freely?"

"In an army of tens of thousands of soldiers, some are transporting food, some are building fortifications, and some are fighting in the vanguard. Aren't all decisions made independently by the commander?"

"In terms of the number of troops led and the complexity, who could compare to the generals of Jizhou at that time?"

Yuan Xi sighed, "Indeed, those former generals of Jizhou were all extremely well-rounded talents, but I was just worrying about nothing and trying to find a sword on a boat."

"Now that I think about it, I made a serious mistake in my previous appointment of Zhang He. I only gave him a few thousand cavalry to harass the enemy, but I didn't expect that the most suitable position for him should be the position of a commander leading tens of thousands of troops."

"Since the situation on the Jizhou battlefield is too complicated, we should streamline unnecessary orders and give the initiative to the Jizhou generals, allowing them to play freely. This is what it means to be a general in a foreign land and not obey orders. No matter how fast the orders are, how can they be faster than the commander-in-chief giving them directly?"

"In addition to Chunyu Qiong, Zhang He, and Gao Lan, Jizhou has more than a dozen generals available, which is enough!"

"Next, I will do something to get them to come to Youzhou for training, so as to conceal my intentions from others!"

In the days that followed, the generals in Jizhou and Youzhou began to change their guards frequently, with tens of thousands of troops being transferred back and forth, which for a time shocked the surrounding Cao army.

Cao Cao, who was stationed in Yecheng, soon received news that Yuan Xi's army had begun to frequently mobilize troops in counties bordering Cao's forces and had made offensive gestures. He sent urgent reports to the Cao's generals defending various cities.

It was not yet spring at this time, and although Cao Cao had already prepared for this, the fact that Yuan Xi took action so early was beyond Cao Cao's expectations.

Although Cao Cao thought that Yuan Xi should mainly launch a feint attack after careful consideration, he was also afraid that Yuan Xi would mix false tactics and make the fake one real, so he strictly ordered the generals of each city not to attack on their own and to stay put and observe the situation.

If it were only a problem in Jizhou, Cao Cao would be confident that he could deal with it, but what worried him was the movements of Sun Quan.

Because news came from an insider in Jiangdong that the State of Wu was preparing to negotiate peace with Yuan Xi and Liu Bei!

This move was tantamount to a stab in the back to the Cao-Sun alliance, which had not yet broken up, and made Cao Cao extremely angry. Although he also had selfish motives, he had contributed by rescuing Jiangdong several times. Now Sun Quan was going to betray him without saying a word?
Who can you blame if you can't fight a war yourself?

Although Cao Cao knew that Sun Quan might not be able to hold on, the fact that Sun Quan surrendered so quickly disrupted Cao Cao's plan. If Sun Quan had not put pressure on Liu Bei and Yuan Xi in Jianghuai, both sides would have had time to use their excess forces to attack Cao Cao's rear areas, such as Yuzhou and other Jianghuai regions.

At present, Cao Cao's main forces are in Jizhou, preparing for a decisive battle with Yuan Xi. How could he have any extra energy to defend Jianghuai?

Cao Cao was so angry about this that he lost his mind. In the end, he could only hold his nose and write a letter to Sun Quan, asking him to think carefully. At the same time, he promised to divide the world equally with Sun Quan in the future with the Yangtze River as the boundary.

Regardless of whether Sun Quan believed it or not, Cao Cao could only take a gamble. After all, the most important thing now was to unify the north. As long as he could get through this difficult period and destroy Yuan Xi, he would sooner or later settle accounts with Sun Quan!

At the same time, Yuan Xi received a letter from Lu Xun and learned the news of Zhou Yu's death.

He was in mixed emotions and said to Zhuge Liang: "If it weren't for him, Sun Quan might have been finished long ago."

"Although we are enemies, I still admire Zhou Yu. I will write a letter to Lu Xun and ask him to send someone to express condolences."

"As for joining forces, although I really want to agree to it for Zhou Yu's sake, this matter at this moment may affect the situation of the war in Jizhou. What do you think, military advisor?"

Zhuge Liang thought for a moment and said, "There's no need to rush to respond to this matter. Just wait and see what happens."

"The key lies in Lord Xuande's response."

Yuan Xi also pondered and said, "Kong Ming means that Lord Xuande might choose to cease fire with Jiangdong?"

"And I still don't understand, since the emperor gave him the edict to make him king, why hasn't he established a country yet?"

(End of this chapter)