People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 169: Big Deal

In the main hall of the government office, Xu Chen and Ju Shou looked at each other for a long time. After a while of silence, Xu Chen pointed to a book next to him, which was the scripture of the natural way, "The Natural Classic".

Xu Chen looked at him and said meaningfully, "This book is the scripture of my religion. Even if you haven't read it, you should have heard a lot of its contents. Most of the doctrines that my religion preaches to the people are derived from it."

Ju Su looked over and found out that he had actually read this book.

Over the years, the Yellow Turbans' textbooks have been constantly updated, and the number of natural science textbooks, which are compulsory contents, is quite large now. As long as you are willing to read, it is not difficult to get one.

He said frankly: "Although the Natural Way is called a religion of the gods, its content rarely contains matters of gods and ghosts. Instead, it teaches sentient beings to understand the world with rational logic. After reading it, I was amazed. The ideological content you pioneered convinced me even more. This sutra can be called a work of great wisdom."

Ju Shou had no intention of flattering in this evaluation; it just came from his heart.

This set of scriptures has constructed a self-closed system. Whether it is understanding the world and studying principles, or social production and life, people can use the methodology and three views in this book for guidance.

The key is that by using this scripture as a guide, we can truly delve into the truth and truly develop production!

These are things that have been proven over the years. In terms of theory, Zhang Zhongjing's theory of microscopic medicine is the best proof.

Zhang Zhongjing has now begun to slowly build a new medical theory.

Today, Zhang Zhongjing has recorded and published the bacterial characteristics of the corresponding diseases through long-term observation, and has also verified the inhibitory effect of allicin through microscopic observation.

The development in this area has now reached a level that is difficult for Ju Shou to imagine. It is not easy for him to understand what Zhang Zhongjing is researching now.

These achievements are actually derived from the foundation of natural science methodology, which also shows that the natural way is indeed feasible and has great practical significance. In this respect, it is much more advanced than Confucianism.

Not to mention the various technological developments under scientific research, which directly helped improve the productivity of various industries of the Yellow Turbans, which led to the relatively prosperous business environment under the Yellow Turbans' rule today.

It was also because of the Natural Sutra that Ju Shou did not dare to underestimate Xu Chen at all. He could only call him a genius for being able to come up with this thing at a teenager.

However, the point of Xu Chen's question was not to hear these compliments, so his response was just to laugh it off: "Since you have read my religious scriptures and are familiar with my religious doctrines, you should understand that there is no room for reconciliation between my religious line and the nobles."

Ju Shou also smiled and said, "Besieging three gates and leaving one gate is just a war strategy. Leaving one gate open is to win at a lower cost, but it does not mean letting the enemy escape. With your wisdom, you should have considered this."

Xu Chen looked at Ju Shou and couldn't help but nodded. He had to say that the other party's guess was very accurate.

How to deal with the nobles and powerful families is indeed a question that I have always considered. Although violent cleansing can also achieve the goal, the difficulty will also be doubled.

This process will inevitably require the Yellow Turbans to pay unimaginable costs and sacrifices, and the process will also be prolonged.

He had no doubt that if the current situation continued to develop, by the time the Yellow Turbans moved south from Youzhou, they would most likely face a joint attack from the heroes of the world.

By occupying the entire Youzhou, the Yellow Turbans actually had the foundation to dominate the world, which was really scary in the eyes of the gentry all over the world.

Even if they cannot be wholeheartedly united, even if they cooperate in name only, like the one among the princes in their fight against Dong Zhuo, that would be enough to make him suffer. To avoid this situation, he must reduce the hatred of the Yellow Turbans.

However, how to deal with the nobles and powerful families to reduce their hatred is indeed a question worth thinking about. At least Xu Chen has no idea yet.

He looked at Ju Shou and said, "My bottom line is that the guilty must be held accountable and ill-gotten property must be confiscated. So what do you think can be done to achieve the above?"

The criminals will be killed and their property will be confiscated; these two alone are enough to be fatal.

Ju Shou found these two bottom lines difficult to accept from his own perspective. In fact, there was no future for the gentry at all.

But standing here today, Ju Shou came to negotiate with Xu Chen. This was a two-way choice made by both parties. Without a basis for getting along, he couldn't stay even if he wanted to.

Xu Chen also perked up. He knew that if he couldn't keep Ju Shou today, he would not be able to keep any member of the aristocratic family in the future.

Ju Su said in a deep voice: "It is true that there are many evil deeds among the nobles, but not all of them deserve to die. There is nothing wrong with punishing according to the crime. As long as the family can continue, it is not impossible for the nobles to cut off their ties and survive."

Xu Chen nodded silently. Since his bottom line had not been shaken, there was naturally nothing to say.

Just as Ju Shou said, the nobles and powerful people are not all bad people. After all, they are a group that studies benevolence, righteousness and morality. After all, only a minority of them are truly cruel and vicious.

Before the Yellow Turbans fled, the trial could only be simple and rough, which inevitably resulted in a larger scope of attack and more killings.

Nowadays, the trial work tends to be meticulous and rational. There is no need to deliberately increase the punishment for many crimes that do not warrant the death penalty or for those who are innocent. Most people can survive, but they will just receive corresponding punishment and live a hard life.

At least the Yellow Turbans did not kill them all, otherwise Ju Shou would not be able to stand here today.

But what is really important is the second point. Most people not only want to survive, but also want to protect their own interests. However, the Yellow Turbans' approach is completely contrary to them in this regard.

"Instead of brutal confiscation, you might as well try replacement." Ju Su said after pondering for a moment.

"Exchange?" Xu Chen's eyes flashed, and he frowned first: "What exchange?" Ju Su said seriously: "It depends on what you are willing to exchange. The nobles and powerful families have lost their land assets. If they can't see any hope, they can only fight the Yellow Turbans to the death. Unless the Yellow Turbans really rule the world, they can bow their heads and accept their fate."

Xu Chen understood what Ju Su meant. The so-called "surround three sides and leave one side open" was nothing more than giving others a little hope so that they would not fight with you to the death.

The Yellow Turbans wanted everything from the nobles and powerful families. If they were not given anything in return, they would just block the city walls on all sides. If others were going to die anyway, they would have no choice but to drag them down with them.

Replacement is just a nice way of saying it. The actual meaning is to leave something for others. As for how much and what to leave, that depends on the bottom line of the gentry.

Correspondingly, Xu Chen did not want all the scholars in the world to come and submit to him, that was just a dream.

He just wanted to reduce the hatred for the Yellow Turbans, and not let the scholars in the world get so angry when they heard about the Yellow Turbans that they had to get rid of them as soon as possible. In short, he did not want to be like Dong Zhuo.

It all depends on how to find this critical balance point.

It has to be said that the idea of ​​replacement did make Xu Chen somewhat tempted. If it could alleviate some of the pressure on the Yellow Turbans in the future, it would not be impossible to relax a little.

As long as the relationship between the two sides can be reduced from mortal enemies to major enemies, it will be considered to have some effect.

It's not impossible to give them something, but only a little.

Land is the absolute foundation, and must be firmly held in our hands without wavering. We must take it all without leaving any behind. Apart from the land, there is not much else we can give.

"Under the rule of the Yellow Turbans, I will never allow the existence of aristocratic landlords, but small merchants are still allowed."

Xu Chen pondered for a long time, and finally gave his own thoughts, and then turned his attention to Ju Shou.

Ju Shou is a real member of the gentry, and his reaction can reflect the feelings of the gentry group to a certain extent.

Ju Shou frowned at first, but soon his expression calmed down.

This result cannot be said to be unsatisfactory, but it can only be said to lack sincerity.

Merchants are a group that cannot be considered respectable. Forcing the nobles and powerful families to become small merchants is a huge decline in class. It is hard to say whether this is a humiliation or not.

However, Ju Shou also saw some of Xu Chen's attitude from this response. After all, Xu Chen had no intention of winning over the nobles and powerful people, so the things he gave were not sincere.

Although such a result is still unacceptable to the gentry, at least they don't have to fight to the death.

However, Xu Chen did not finish his words. He looked at Ju Shou and said, "Under the rule of the Yellow Turbans, people from noble families are not allowed to join the religion within three generations."

Ju Su fell even more silent. Having lived here for more than four years, he was already very familiar with the Yellow Turban system. Joining the religion was actually a prerequisite for entering an official career. If his way to join the religion was cut off, it would also be equivalent to cutting off the possibility of entering an official career.

He could only sigh in his heart that the leader's hostility towards the nobles was really strong.

However, when he thought about the teachings of the Natural Religion, he realized that the nobles and powerful families were indeed the natural enemies of the Yellow Turbans, so he had nothing to complain about.

In other words, if the Yellow Turbans really took over the world, the only choice for the gentry in the world would be to abandon all their family property, settle accounts with the crimes within the clan, and then become small businessmen. It would take three generations to wash away the gentry label from their family, and only then could they live in society with a normal identity.

This is really harsh, and Ju Shou feels uncomfortable just thinking about it.

But after all, a way out was left for the gentry so that they were not completely wiped out.

And this path may be a path that many nobles will have to take in the future. They have no choice.

Although in Ju Shou's opinion, the Yellow Turbans are now playing with something very new, it does have great potential.

Ju Su foresaw the decline of the Han Dynasty and the rise of heroes. Looking at the world against this backdrop, the Yellow Turbans' identity as bandits was not very advantageous, but it was not that deadly either. In such a chaotic world, everything depended on the size of one's fist.

Today's Yellow Turbans are no longer the local thieves they once were, but have turned into massive bandits.

Looking at the whole world, the Yellow Turbans are really very competitive. Ju felt their ambition to seize the world from the grassroots life under the Yellow Turbans' rule. This was the biggest reason why he met Xu Chen.

Since it is possible, it is not a bad idea to try to help the Yellow Turbans achieve their great cause.

Although joining the Yellow Turbans would not be very friendly to one's own family, if successful, it would be a great achievement for oneself personally.

How could Ju Shou not understand that if the Yellow Turbans were successful, it would be a great feat that would span thousands of years and a historical node that divided the eras. If he could also be one of them, then leaving his name through the ages would not be enough to demonstrate his glory.

If you want to do something, do something big; if you want to play, play something different!

He saluted solemnly and said: "Ju Shou is willing to serve you. This is the model of aristocratic family. Let me start with you!"

(End of this chapter)