Chapter 75

"Four million dan of grain should be sufficient until next summer's harvest. Even if we need to gather the displaced people from Qingzhou, we can manage. My suggestion is to continue construction; wherever we gather, we build there, and the same goes for Zilong's land reclamation order," Chen Xi said casually, holding the page and looking at its contents. He did not have the habit of giving grand opening remarks or unnecessary talk, though sometimes it was unavoidable. But now, it was completely unnecessary.

"Given the grain shortage, I plan to have the Mi family purchase grain in Ji, Jing, and Yi provinces. Similarly, Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping will buy cattle and horses on the great grasslands. After that, the cattle and sheep will be lean, and as for the issue of the northern barbarian cattle not being used for farming, we will figure it out once we bring them back," Chen Xi continued to increase the investment in grain and fodder.

"The salt industry in Qingzhou has already stockpiled the resources needed to crush the major salt smugglers. Lord Xuande needs to be prepared for the backlash from the powerful families behind these smugglers. There are two ways to handle this: one is to ignore everything and directly engage in predatory sales, making all the salt merchants lose their market access, so that the powerful families will feel it's no longer worth it to continue their actions," Chen Xi said, outlining the danger and the solution, showing that he came prepared.

"Of course, the downside of this approach is that the powerful families will hold a grudge and will not hesitate to take advantage of us when the opportunity arises. The upside is that no one can interfere, and as we grow stronger, they will gradually restrain themselves. This can also serve as a benchmark to measure how much we have grown, though it will be more troublesome," Chen Xi said, turning his head to look at Liu Bei.

"Lord Xuande, please consider whether to use this method," Lu Su said with a smile, bowing to Liu Bei. "Lord Xuande can rest assured; even if this method is used, Zichuan's caution will not give the powerful families any chance to turn the tide." Liu Bei nodded upon hearing this.

Chen Xi glanced at the two of them, wondering when they had become so confident in him. However, he continued without waiting for Liu Bei to speak, as using this approach would truly mean incurring the wrath of the powerful families.

"Although I don't particularly like the powerful families controlling essential goods, I think we can subdue them and use them as our subordinates. As long as there is profit, the powerful families willing to submit will not be few," Chen Xi said, shrugging. "It's necessary to ease the tension between us. However, I believe the powerful families of Yingchuan need to be dealt with. The latest intelligence shows that Xun Yu has joined Cao Cao, who calls him 'my Zifang'! Coupled with the previous attitude of the Yingchuan powerful families, I think the arrogance of the literati powerful families will also create their own enemies. I don't mind sharing the profits of the Yingchuan powerful families with others, and someone will surely help us deal with them."

"Cao Cao is truly presumptuous, daring to call a civil official 'my Zifang.' How ignorant must one be to do such a thing!" Zhang Fei said sarcastically. "How can a mere mortal compare to the Marquis of Liu, who helped the Han dynasty last for four hundred years?"

It was clear that Zhang Liang held a high status in Zhang Fei's eyes.

"Though I am reluctant to admit it, the truth is that if Xun Yu were from the early Han, he would not be inferior to the Marquis of Liu," Chen Xi said, glancing at Zhang Fei and then speaking seriously. "Cao Mengde does not like to flatter others."

Upon hearing Chen Xi's words, Lu Su and Liu Bei exchanged looks of helplessness. The Marquis of Liu was an unattainable peak, and now a talent comparable to him had appeared, and he was not on their side. This was indeed troublesome. As for the credibility of Chen Xi's words, Liu Bei and Lu Su had always acknowledged it.

"Putting Xun Wenruo aside, I and Zijin can match him to some extent. The problem is Xun's network of connections, or Xun Wenruo's network. Geniuses' friends are also geniuses, so Cao Mengde will soon rise to prominence," Chen Xi said, putting down the paper casually. "So we need talent. We can't get the powerful families, so we will openly declare our need for talent and recruit the best from the world."

Chen Xi smiled, placed his hand on his cushion, and stood up. "Please, Lord Xuande, issue the edict to recruit the best from the world, regardless of their background, only their talent and virtue matter!"

Lu Su was taken aback and quickly reached out to grab Chen Xi's sleeve, hoping he would sit down. This was too shocking; once this was done, it would break the system of recommendations by the powerful families, and those who violated universal morals would be abandoned by the world!

Liu Bei smiled bitterly, finally understanding that Chen Xi was cornering him. He was thinking whether he could issue this edict. Once he did, he would break a system that had lasted for four hundred years, or even a thousand two hundred years. But if he did not, seeing Chen Xi's determined expression, Liu Bei knew he would lose Chen Xi.

"Fine! I, Liu Xuande, will be the first to widely recruit the best from the world," Liu Bei said, looking at Chen Xi's face and finally making up his mind.

"Lord Xuande is not the first to do this. The first was Duke Xiao of Qin, whose reforms by Shang Yang were of great importance, sweeping away seven hundred years of chaos. The second was King Zhao of Yan, who built a platform to recruit the best from the world, selecting talent based on ability, and then..." Chen Xi turned his head to glance at Lu Su, who was still holding his sleeve.

"Cough, Lord Xuande should know that when Qi was strong and Yan was weak, Qi once conquered Yan. King Zhao of Yan wanted to change the state of his country, but the best from the world came to Jixia and did not stay in Yan. Therefore, Yan could not challenge Qi. Later, out of desperation, King Zhao of Yan built a platform to invite the best from the world. Guo Wei suggested buying horse bones with a thousand gold pieces, and from then on, the world recognized the sincerity of the Yan king. Thus, Yue Yi, Zou Yan, and Ju Xin all came to Yan, and the rest, as you know, is history," Lu Su said, effortlessly citing historical facts and names without error. Chen Xi could only remember Yue Yi and Zou Yan, and the others he only knew by name.

Everyone knew what happened next: Qi was directly conquered by Yue Yi. No matter how powerful Jixia Academy was, it could not withstand the combined attack of the best from the world. The great eastern state of Qi was directly extinguished by Yue Yi. If not for the slow strategy of subduing Qi, which was later hindered by King Zhao's son, King Hui, and then broken by Tian Dan's fire oxen formation, Qi would have been destroyed...

"Lord Xuande, please remember that there are many talented people in the world. Jixia Academy claims to have gathered all the best, but once Yue Yi was appointed at the Gold Platform, the five states easily broke Qi. Similarly, now, the best from the world seem to be controlled by the powerful families, but I dare say that as long as you issue the edict, there will be enough talented people to help you defeat the offspring of the powerful families," Chen Xi said, bowing. "Please, Lord Xuande, issue the edict!"

Lu Su also stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Bei. "Please, Lord Xuande, issue the edict." Then everyone present stood up and said in unison, "Please, Lord, issue the edict." They all came from humble backgrounds and were not from powerful families.

In September 191, General of the East Liu Bei issued an edict, recruiting the best from the world to Mount Tai, regardless of their background or past, based solely on their talent and virtue. Five hundred years after King Zhao of Yan, the second recruitment edict was issued.

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