Inside the yamen, silence reigned.
Cao Cao, Cao Hong, Wei Hong, Xun Yu, Xun You... along with other Yanzhou clans and scholars, each listened intently. Da Feng Novel Network.
Lu Yu had brought up an issue many had overlooked. While the Yellow Turban rebels committed arson, murder, and plunder, their actions, traced back to their source, were born of desperation. They were forced by the times, or rather, by this dynasty.
From this perspective, they were, in their origins, indeed simple farmers!
Cao Cao nodded slightly. Initially, he had been surprised, even shocked, by Lu Yu's words, but soon, the shock subsided.
As Lu Yu continued his explanation, Cao Cao increasingly understood why "Yu'er" had proposed the third piece of the puzzle: the common Yellow Turbans.
This was clearly a powerful and loyal force that could help him, Cao Cao, achieve his hegemonic ambitions!
Xun Yu and Xun Yu also nodded repeatedly. Now, this uncle and nephew finally understood why the difficult problem of settling the Yellow Turbans, which they had pondered endlessly, had never been an issue for "Hidden Dragon."
This was truly a grand vision.
"Hidden Dragon" had long considered these 300,000 Yellow Turbans as his comrades. Their loyalty had always been trustworthy, and Hidden Dragon's insight was equally sharp.
In contrast, Bian Rang's expression was exceptionally unpleasant... Lu Yu's fundamental dissection of these 300,000 rebels immediately gave him the upper hand in their verbal spar.
But... who was Bian Rang?
He was a renowned scholar of his time, on par with Cai Yong and Kong Rong, and in terms of eloquence, he was a fighter among scholars...
No matter how plausible Lu Yu's words were, Bian Rang still viewed them as sophistry. The solution to sophistry was simple: present objective facts!
"I didn't expect you, young man, to have such a silver tongue, but in the end, you are short-sighted!"
Bian Rang narrowed his eyes, meeting Lu Yu's sharp gaze, his tone laced with more displeasure. "Even if these 300,000 Yellow Turbans are inherently simple and loyal to Cao Cao, they still represent 300,000 mouths. Does Yanzhou have enough grain to feed them?"
"I fear that within half a year, Yanzhou's granaries will be empty. If other bandits then invade, how will we defend ourselves? Are we to have the Yanzhou soldiers fight on empty stomachs? Or will these 300,000 Yellow Turbans repay kindness with gratitude and resist foreign enemies while starving?"
*Hoo...*
As these words left his mouth, the entire hall of the yamen erupted in an uproar once more.
Indeed, Yanzhou's shortage of soldiers was a fact, but Yanzhou was even more so short of grain. For the years the Yellow Turbans had been active, had the people of Yanzhou properly cultivated their fields?
The stored government grain could at most cover the expenses of the current officials and soldiers; it was nowhere near enough to sustain the additional 300,000 mouths.
Bian Rang's words had placed him in an unassailable position!
Human nature, after all, is selfish. No one would willingly share half a dou of grain if they had one dou at home. And such a viewpoint easily garnered more support.
"Boy, don't just talk. If you have the ability, conjure tens of thousands of shi of grain. If you can do that, I'll wholeheartedly agree to accept the surrender of these 300,000 Yellow Turbans!"
Bian Rang cast a contemptuous glance at Lu Yu. In his opinion, this verbal battle had concluded, with him victorious and Lu Yu defeated!
However, in the end, Bian Rang had underestimated Lu Yu...
If it came to the history of accepting the surrender of the Yellow Turbans, Lu Yu was far more familiar with it than Bian Rang.
Lu Yu knew very well how Cao Cao accepted the surrender of 300,000 Yellow Turbans historically, how he procured grain, and who offered what strategies.
Of course, judging by the time, it was still over a month until "Mao Jie classmate," who proposed this "win-win" strategy, arrived.
It seemed Lu Yu was about to preemptively unveil this "win-win" strategy.
"I naturally cannot conjure so much grain, but these 300,000 Yellow Turbans can cultivate it."
Lu Yu's words remained unhurried, gentle, and calm... "Do you all not think that after pacifying the Yellow Turban rebellion, Yanzhou's most pressing task is to 'cultivate crops to accumulate military resources'?"
*Hiss...*
"Cultivate crops to accumulate military resources!"
These seven characters, upon leaving Lu Yu's lips, caused Cao Cao, Xun Yu, and Xun Yu to subconsciously cup their chins, pondering and rereading each word.
Literally, "cultivate crops" meant to emphasize farming and sericulture, meaning everyone had food to eat and clothes to wear, leading to well-filled granaries and treasuries.
And "accumulate military resources" meant to provide sufficient supplies for the army and ensure the well-being of the people in the administrative seat.
This was a concise and broad direction, but... when it came to accepting the Yellow Turbans, it seemed... a bit too far-fetched!
As expected...
"Hahahaha..." Bian Rang laughed heartily. "Indeed, you, young man, have some talent. The fact that you can propose 'cultivate crops to accumulate military resources' has raised my opinion of you."
"But in the end, this is merely a general direction and cannot solve the immediate problem of accepting the surrender of 300,000 Yellow Turbans."
Having said this, Bian Rang paused before continuing.
"Let me ask you, even if you plan to have these 300,000 Yellow Turbans cultivate, where will the land come from? Where will the draft animals, farming tools, and seeds come from?"
"Even for this, your proposal is an empty castle in the air, utterly unworkable in practice!"
At this point, Bian Rang laughed boisterously again. In his view, this young man surnamed Lu, despite possessing some talent, was ultimately too young... His thinking was far from thorough, and he had a long way to go!
Ultimately, it all boiled down to one prerequisite: Yanzhou was penniless, and Cao Cao was a pauper...
"Draft animals, farming tools, and seeds, my Prefecture can provide some." Wei Hong proactively spoke up to help Lu Yu.
"Hahaha..." Bian Rang still laughed. "Elder Wei, even though you are the richest man in Chenliu, you can provide draft animals and farming tools for ten thousand people. But can you provide them for one hundred thousand, for three hundred thousand? It's not that I look down on Elder Wei, but this expense is not something a certain noble family can afford!"
His words were sharp... Bian Rang straightened his back, looking exactly like a proud rooster.
Of course, his words also left Wei Hong somewhat helpless.
The words were direct and unpleasant, but he was not wrong.
Seeds were not expensive, but draft animals and farming tools... in this chaotic era, these items were not cheap. Even with his wealth as the richest man in Chenliu, he could not afford the expenses for 300,000 surrendered soldiers to cultivate. Without cultivation, how could there be a harvest?
With this thought, Wei Hong looked at Lu Yu helplessly, muttering to himself that he, an old man, could not help this time.
Immediately, the atmosphere in the yamen hall grew heavy again. Everyone stared intently at Lu Yu... some full of anticipation for his answer, others amused by the spectacle and eager to see Lu Yu embarrassed.
Even Cao Cao's brows were furrowed at this moment, his expression grim...
Just then.
Lu Yu smiled. Accompanying his faint smile, his voice followed, his pace still unhurried—"Senior Bian Rang, have you gone foolish?"
"Such a simple principle, even I, a youth not yet of age, can see it, yet you remain ignorant. Your title of renowned scholar is truly like an 'un-dancing crane'!"
Wow, Lu Yu's words were so sharp... Was he going to openly defy the renowned scholar Bian Rang?
The key was, on the matter of accepting the surrender of 300,000 Yellow Turbans, did he still have any trump cards?
...
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