I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Upon hearing this, two soldiers stepped in and opened the wooden box in front of everyone.

"what!"

"Human...head!"

"It's Xu Xi, and Mao Hui!"

As soon as a corner of the wooden box was opened, a strong smell of blood wafted out. When the lid was completely removed, two bloody human heads appeared in front of everyone.

Xu Xi and Mao Hui were, after all, famous people in Yanzhou. They both commanded an army and had family backgrounds and connections. Therefore, many people in Yanzhou vied to curry favor with them, and their faces were naturally very familiar to them.

However, at this moment, the originally defiant face turned pale and gray, without a trace of blood.

Seeing the heads of Xu Xi and Mao Hui, everyone showed expressions of grief for the loss of their loved ones, and at the same time they were in awe. Many people who were slow to realize the situation now understood what Wang Jing meant by "everyone is here".

Sure enough, all the celebrities in Yanzhou who were involved in the case of treason were present.

Even Xu Xi and Mao Hui, who held military power and refused to submit, had their heads "invited" here as well. Isn't that neat and tidy?
Fear and anxiety lingered in everyone's heart. They were indeed scared.

Two healthy people just died like that, and their deaths were so casual, without even causing the slightest ripple. It was too horrifying.

Wang Jing could kill the two generals who held military power at will, so would he and others have any power to resist at all?
Everyone fell into deep thought, including Wang Yu.

But they sadly discovered that they and others were truly powerless to resist.

Once they realized this, the fear in their hearts became even stronger. No one dared to look up and meet Wang Jing's gaze. They all lowered their heads, wishing they could find a tiny crack on the ground to crawl into and hide. They wanted to prevent Wang Jing from noticing them, otherwise the fate of Xu Xi and Mao Hui would be a bloody lesson for them!
Wang Yu was already showing a look of despair at this moment. He and Xu Si had conspired to overthrow Yanzhou, and now that he was caught by Wang Jing, he was afraid that he could not escape death.

Wang Jing looked around with a cold look in his eyes: "I asked you all to come here today because I want to ask you clearly, what exactly are you dissatisfied with me for?"

This question is too heavy.

Because the price of answering may be your own life.

No one spoke at the scene, there was only endless silence, so quiet that you could almost hear a pin drop.

The two men who were most dissatisfied with Wang Jing and were the most stubborn, their heads were placed on the table, blood was still flowing out, and the pungent sweet and fishy smell irritated everyone's nerves.

They didn't dare to speak. How many people in the aristocratic families were really not afraid of death?
Wang Jing's contemptuous eyes swept over the so-called Yanzhou celebrities one after another, and finally stopped at Wang Yu: "Wang Biejia, do you have anything to say to me?"

Wang Yu sighed. The matter had already come to an end and there was no way to avoid it. He could only clasp his hands together and bite the bullet and say to Wang Jing: "Marquis Qi, we admit defeat. Please, General, be lenient with me."

The life and death of his entire family is in the hands of others, so how can Wang Yu remain tough?

As for those who were called here, if they were a little tougher, they would have been beheaded like Xu Xi and Mao Hui.

They didn't dare to resist before, and they are even more afraid now.

As for forming a group and negotiating terms with Wang Jing?

Haha, they knew very well what happened to the aristocratic families and wealthy families in the four counties of Luoyang. Even if they couldn’t figure it out, the heads of Xu Xi and Mao Hui were right in front of them. Who would dare to act rashly?

Qi Hou really dares to kill people!
And if they can take action, they will never talk nonsense to you. If they want to kill someone, they will kill him completely. After killing the person in charge, his property will be confiscated and his family will be exiled to the outside world, such as to Hetao to increase the number of Han people there.

In the eyes of Wang Yu and others, what is the difference between going to a bitter and cold place like Hetao and letting the whole family die?

Previously, when they denounced Wang Jing in private, they were full of vigor and energy, and did not take this powerful official of the imperial dynasty seriously at all.

Now that death by sword and axe is imminent, everyone has hung their heads and become cowards. Where is their usual elegance and unrestrainedness?
Wang Jing was too lazy to waste time talking to this group of stubborn idiots. He simply put forward various harsh conditions and threw them in front of them. Then he left the hall, leaving these quails to discuss and decide on their own.

"Marquis Qi is too much of a bully for treating us so harshly!"

Some people loudly expressed their dissatisfaction. In their opinion, many of the conditions proposed by Wang Jing were simply too much and unacceptable.

For example, the purpose of abolishing the private armed forces established by aristocratic families and powerful families was to concentrate military power. Wang Jing believed that the rebellion in Yanzhou had been quelled, so the existence of private armed forces was no longer necessary or urgent.

This is actually to forcibly weaken the military strength of the aristocratic families and powerful clans, turning them into lambs with no power to resist.

At the same time, it also prevented the reappearance of local warlords like Xu Xi and Mao Hui, and maintained the unity and purity of military power.

This alone is extremely fatal, so naturally many people voiced their opposition.

However, some small and medium-sized families that did not have military power were happy to watch the show, and even sneered: "Oh, you are so tough now. Why didn't you protest in front of Marquis Qi just now?"

Within Yanzhou, the aristocratic families were not united.

The reason why they were able to unite and fight against Wang Jingfang before was simply because Wang Jing's settlement of land accounts had harmed their interests.

But now that they have lost everything, many people have chosen to lie down and not resist anymore.

From this naturally arose differences of opinion.

Small and medium-sized families and local gentry mainly engaged in business have the weakest will to resist. They don't want to sacrifice the lives of their entire family for a little bit of profit, so Wang Jing will use this nine-clan elimination game to eliminate them.

However, some well-established families with strong roots in the county relied on their own reputation and status and wanted to compete with Wang Jing and bargain in order to retain the privileges in their hands to the maximum extent possible.

Among them, Wang Yu was a member of a prominent family in the county, and also a leader among them. After Xu Si left, Xu Xi and Mao Hui were killed, the Yanzhou scholar group now regarded him as the leader.

After all, in terms of seniority, among all the people present, Wang Yu was the most senior, and had the highest status and position, so many people looked at him and asked for his opinion: "Wang Beijia, I wonder what the Wang family plans to do about this matter?"

Wang Yu sighed, "I intend to accept Marquis Qi's request without changing a word."

"what?"

"How could this be?"

"Don't do that, please!"

"Please think twice, Lord Qi's move is no different from cutting flesh from us. And if there is a first time, there will be a second time. If the court makes excessive demands in the future, are we just going to sit there and wait for death?"

After hearing Wang Yu's answer, many people showed angry expressions. It was obvious that they could not accept this answer, or they simply did not want to accept this cruel reality.

Wang Jing wanted to check the land and collect the taxes they owed, which was no different from cutting their flesh.

However, Wang Yu smiled bitterly: "You don't want to cut your flesh, do you want to be beheaded?"

Hearing this, everyone shuddered, and then their eyes subconsciously shifted to the heads of Xu Xi and Mao Hui, shaking with fear.

As Wang Yu said, cutting flesh is always better than cutting off the head.

"Is it true that we have no power to resist at all?"

Many people are still not convinced.

They come from prominent families, their family power is immense, and they control large amounts of land, food, and population. In these troubled times, which family doesn't have some ambition?
But Wang Yu shook his head and shattered the last glimmer of hope in their hearts with his ruthless words.

Wang Yu said, "You should all be familiar with the road construction team, right? When Marquis Qi wanted to build a road, we also tried to hinder the progress of the road construction. But what was the result?"

These two questions left the so-called celebrities speechless. When Wang Jing wanted to build the road, they had already realized the problem in advance and knew that Wang Jing wanted to strengthen his control over Yanzhou.

They also tried to cause trouble, but unfortunately Chang Xi was not strong enough and was defeated too quickly.

In addition to colluding with bandits to attempt to cause sabotage, the local noble families and wealthy families in Yanzhou also thought about taking advantage of Wang Jing and sent their tenants to take advantage of him.

At that time, they laughed at Wang Jing and called him a fool for giving money for building roads.

But after the tenants received the money and tasted the sweetness of paid labor, the aristocratic families and the wealthy families found that their behavior of sending people out to take advantage of them was completely like throwing meat buns at a dog, and there was no return!
The tenants worked very hard to grow crops for the landlords, but in the end they themselves could not afford to eat the food. The whole family suffered from hunger and cold, and their lives were difficult and hard.

But working for Wang Jing, you get paid in cash!
Moreover, affordable food was continuously transported from Luoyang. Although working in the road construction team was tiring, one person's work could feed the whole family, which had a completely different meaning.

We are used to living with our heads held high. Who would be willing to work like a slave for the aristocratic families?
So in the end, not to mention some tenants from other families who came to them for help, even some members of the side branches within the clan were unwilling to accept exploitation and oppression anymore and joined the road construction team one after another.

Working is much better than farming!
Just because of the sharp contrast in income, not many people are willing to dig in the soil for food, let alone accept the exploitation of the landlord class. Especially in the famine years in the past, it was completely impossible to trick people into working hard for their families with just a little food rations in Yanzhou.

The court represented by Wang Jing carried out large-scale infrastructure construction in Yanzhou and opened many new workshops, providing a large number of jobs.

Now that the refugees have choices, they are naturally no longer willing to be exploited by the wealthy and powerful families.

As a result, Wang Jing controlled a large population and dealt a heavy blow to the aristocratic families and wealthy families in Yanzhou, causing them to suffer heavy losses.

What's worse is that Wang Jing not only paid the workers of the road construction team, but also taught them to read and write, taught them moral principles, and enlightened their minds.

If a person with ideas is trying to be fooled by Confucianism using the ideas of Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, Parents and Teachers, it will not work.

After all, you don't give money, but you still want people to work for you. Unless they are a fool, who the hell would fall for your trick?

Can a saint let me starve and sell my children?
There is no such thing in the world!
As a result, Wang Jing's influence in Yanzhou grew day by day, extending to the people and the middle and lower classes. Even in some counties, towns and villages, many militiamen returned from the road construction team and began to preach.

Maybe they just want to brag, but people's hearts are always instinctively yearning for a better life.

In the past, they had no choice but to work like slaves for the aristocratic families and wealthy clans.

But now, they have new options!

They want to be human!

They refuse to be exploited any longer!

As one thing grows, the other declines. The influence of the aristocratic families and powerful families on the state has plummeted. Now it is no longer possible for them to trick the lower-class people into causing trouble.

The tactics they used to deal with others were always effective, but they failed repeatedly against Wang Jing, because Wang Jing was really willing to share the benefits with the people.

Between benefits and rumors, the people are not fools and naturally know how to choose.

Therefore, Wang Jing only needed to set up a road construction team to dismantle the tight network that Wang Yu and others had painstakingly built over many years and had laid out in Yanzhou using their fame and reputation.

Wang Yu had long seen that he and his men were doomed to fail, so he did not intend to put up any more unnecessary resistance: "Now that things have come to this, I advise you all to accept your fate."

"General, the tea you requested is ready."

Gan Mei, wearing a light pink silk dress, stood weakly beside Wang Jing. She had bright eyes, white teeth, skin as white as snow, and a timid expression between her brows. She really had a pitiful temperament, which made people want to tease her.

Wang Jing smiled and pointed to the corner of the table: "Put it here."

"Yes."

Gan Mei put down the tray, bowed politely, and left the study.

In the study, Wang Jing was discussing the current situation with Xun You and Guo Jia.

Guo Jia poured a cup of tea, closed his eyes and tasted it carefully, then sighed, "It tastes bitter at first but sweet later, with a long aftertaste. Unfortunately, compared to that, I still prefer drinking wine."

"Feng Xiao, Doctor Hua said that you cultivate Yin Sha Qi, and drinking Yang-attributed liquor can only suppress it temporarily, not cure the root cause. So you should just drink tea honestly these few days, and there is no need to rush to cultivate. I have sent secret guards to keep an eye on you, and you know their capabilities."

"Alas, Doctor Hua really likes to meddle in other people's business. For Jia, if he can't practice magic skills and drink strong liquor, what's the point of living a hundred years?"

Guo Jia shook his head, his face full of depression and helplessness.

But he also knew that he could not resist, as there were secret guards following him in the dark, and he still wanted to drink, even if it was just wishful thinking.

Xun You joked, "Fengxiao, the Lord is doing this for your own good. You've been drinking strong liquor or taking Wushisan all day. If you keep going like this, your health will collapse sooner or later."

Hearing the words "Wu Shi San", Wang Jing's expression suddenly became solemn. He stared at Guo Jia and said, "Feng Xiao, I have asked Doctor Hua to study the formula of Wu Shi San. It is harmful to the body and even deadly in serious cases. You can't eat it anymore."

Although he came from a poor family, Guo Jia accepted all kinds of wine and beautiful women, and indulged in sensual pleasures, leading a happy life.

Especially after taking Wu Shi San, the body feels like it is floating in the air, and it even helps to improve the spiritual cultivation. However, this drug has great hidden dangers, especially it can cause irreversible damage to the nerve endings in the body. It is only because the onset is slow that it has not attracted enough attention.

Guo Jia had long been accustomed to taking Wu Shi San, which was quite popular in Yanzhou and Yuzhou. He didn't think much of it. But Wang Jing had given an order, and he had to obey it. Moreover, he heard that it could kill people, so Guo Jia was secretly alert. He immediately bowed his head and responded: "My lord, you are teaching me. Jia knows the importance of it."

The so-called Five Stones Powder is one of the medicines taken by immortals in ancient times, and is also called Cold Food Powder.

This thing originated from Qin Shihuang. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che believed in alchemists such as Li Shaojun and Luan Da, who burned and refined minerals such as gold and stone and called them stone medicine.

It was not very popular in the early days of the Yanhan Dynasty. It was He Yan, the grandson of General He Jin, who really made Wu Shi San popular among the upper class of the dynasty.

This man was addicted to music and sex. After taking Wushisan, he thought he felt more cheerful and stronger. It was under his influence that Wushisan became widely popular.

However, many people who took it for a long time died of poisoning. Sun Simiao, the King of Medicine in the Tang Dynasty, called on people to "burn this prescription immediately when you come across it and do not keep it for a long time."

Wang Jing is well aware of the dangers of drug addiction, so he has ordered a ban on this substance within the territory. However, the effect is difficult to guarantee. Even for Wang Jing, the most he can do is use the power in his hands to ban people who take Wu Shi San from serving as officials. It may be difficult to control others.

The medical battalion and medical school are now being established. Although Hua Tuo has not yet formally sworn allegiance, Wang Jing is not in a hurry. Such high-end technical talents deserve sufficient tolerance.

Wang Jing even secretly sent people to Nanyang to look for the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing. It is because of this that Dong Feng, who was known as the "Spring Warmth of the Apricot Forest", had not been born. Otherwise, he would have directly gathered the three great doctors of Jian'an to form a luxurious medical team, and let them work together to study and promote the traditional Chinese medicine system, which would have absolutely explosive results.

But this is a long-term goal. For now, we should focus on the situation in the Central Plains, especially within Yanzhou.

Previously, Xu Si, Wang Yu and others had colluded with each other and had been secretly plotting unrest, but now they were caught by Wang Jing and immediately surrendered and begged for mercy.

"My lord, Wang Yu and his men have admitted defeat, but this group of people is still not trustworthy."

Guo Jia knew very well that human hearts were unpredictable, especially those so-called celebrities who came from aristocratic families. They often just talked about the word morality, and for the sake of interests, they often had no shame at all.

Wang Jing naturally knew that these people were unreliable: "Unfortunately, I don't have anyone available, so I can only use them now."

To govern a place, one needs certain abilities and even more so certain connections. However, the literacy rate in ancient times was very low. Even if Wang Jing wanted to train qualified internal affairs talents himself, it would take more than ten years.

In modern society, it takes nine years to go from elementary school to junior high school.

But is a junior high school student capable of managing an entire county?

Therefore, if you want to expand your territory, the number of talents is the biggest constraint. If you can't manage it effectively, the bigger the territory, the bigger the trouble. Once the thunder breaks out, Wang Jing can only become a fire captain and put out the flames of rebellion everywhere. (End of this chapter)