Huo... Reading has made my brain go numb.
Bian Rang's brow furrowed. In just a moment, he felt his face had been rubbed on the ground and severely abraded by Lu Yu three times. It was so rough it felt like it was about to develop a devilish rhythm!
This sensation was…
Unlike the previous arguments, this time Cao Cao, Xun Yu, Xun You, and Wei Hong all looked at Bian Rang with amusement. They speculated that Bian Rang was likely to be defeated again.
And at the same time, Lu Yu's voice followed.
"Actually, Lord Cao doesn't need to have all the Yellow Turban soldiers farm. Because half of the 300,000 Yellow Turbans are women, children, the elderly, and the weak. Lord Cao can pick out the physically strong ones to form a Qingzhou Army! The rest, their families, can cultivate the fields!"
"This way, the Qingzhou soldiers can fight with peace of mind, and their families can farm with peace of mind. From then on, these 300,000 people won't have to wander or rush around. Their families, young and old, can live good lives, have enough to eat, and wear clothes. The only price to pay is to annually submit a certain amount of grain to Lord Cao. Is there a better life than this?"
"Even if the Qingzhou soldiers on the front lines had the intention to rebel, their families would stop them..."
"If Senior Bian Rang were one of them? Would you have the thought of disloyalty? Would you still plan another uprising? I fear that before you even start, if you so much as have a strange thought, your mother would beat your backside to a pulp!"
…
Crude words but undeniable logic.
Whoosh…
Long exhales were heard repeatedly!
Farmers, farming, eating, good lives… All these keywords were distilled by everyone in this yamen. Each person wore a look of sudden realization.
Lu Yu's speech was truly worth more than ten years of study. Instantly, many realized they didn't understand the Yellow Turbans at all... let alone the so-called refugees!
Of course, Lu Yu presented the surface-level first layer, which Cao Cao, Xun Yu, and Xun You could grasp the second layer of.
By dividing the 300,000 Yellow Turbans into Qingzhou soldiers and their families, the Qingzhou soldiers would fight on the front lines, while their families would farm in Yan Province. In other words, the Qingzhou soldiers, concerned about the safety of their families, would naturally not harbor rebellious thoughts! On the contrary, they would fight bravely, be loyal to Cao Cao, earn more merit, and win more land for their families!
This could be considered a form of restraint, in another sense?
In this way, the problem of the loyalty of the Yan Province soldiers, which Cao Cao worried about the most, was immediately solved, and their loyalty was boosted to the maximum!
At this moment, everyone in the yamen looked at Lu Yu, their eyes filled with surprise. Such a wise young man. Or rather, he wasn't wise; he simply understood the Yellow Turbans and these refugees better than everyone present.
Perhaps, for these clans and esteemed scholars, their living environments were too far removed from the common people.
"This... this simple reasoning defeated me?"
Bian Rang still found it hard to believe. He considered himself unrivaled in debate, yet he was rendered speechless by this young boy... He realized he had underestimated Lu Yu and also failed to understand the Yellow Turbans.
But... Bian Rang would never admit defeat, nor would he allow himself to lose to such a young man!
"You spoke wonderfully, indeed, but if 300,000 locust rebels enter Yan Province, it will inevitably incite the anger of the common people. After all, many of their brothers, friends, and relatives were brutally killed by the locust rebels!"
The last resistance…
Bian Rang's eyes narrowed tightly. This was also the fundamental reason why he firmly opposed accepting the surrender of the Yellow Turbans. Were the grudges of the families to be forgotten just like that?
This…
Lu Yu hadn't really considered this problem at first. Grudges... How to put it? When will the cycle of revenge end? Moreover, it was a chaotic era!
But, if one were to truly get into it, could it be clearly explained? And how would it be explained?
Just then…
Wei Hong stepped forward, his voice firm. "Since we are discussing this, I, Wei Hong, will first state my position..."
"The Yellow Turbans plundered Yan Province. My Wei family's fields were plundered in seventy-four locations. Thirty-six of my Wei clan members died of illness. Servants and tenant farmers were countless more... Even my own brother died a tragic death among them!"
Having said this, Wei Hong paused. It was clear that mentioning these deceased clan members made him, a man over fifty, inevitably feel a pang of grief.
"But..."
Wei Hong cleared his throat and announced loudly, "For the future stability of Yan Province, for the great cause in Mengde's heart, and for the lives of these 300,000 'innocent' Yellow Turbans, I, Wei Hong, swear today—all past grievances are wiped clean, and I will hold no resentment!"
His words caused an uproar…
Everyone in the yamen were intelligent people. After Lu Yu's words just now... everyone could grasp a principle.
In this chaotic era, was the real threat the Yellow Turbans? No... not at all!
The true enemies were those warlords eyeing the fertile land of Yan Province, those "jackals, tigers, and leopards" with their gaping mouths…
If Yan Province were to have peace, then first and foremost, Yan Province needed to become strong… The concept of forming the "Qingzhou Army" proposed by Lu Yu was the only ultimate strategy that could allow Yan Province and Cao Cao to gather strength in a short period!
"I support Elder Wei's decision... My past grudges with the Yellow Turbans are wiped clean, and I will hold no resentment!"
"And me..."
"Me too..."
Immediately, some sensible clans and scholars stepped forward to support Wei Hong and Lu Yu.
However, some still hesitated…
"Hmph…" Bian Rang flicked his sleeve. "Elder Wei can give up his grievances? Then... can Elder Wei guarantee that all clans and common people in Yan Province can give up their grievances? It is not I, Bian Rang, who speaks rashly, but Elder Wei does not have the ability to rally all the people of Yan Province, does he?"
Scoffing, a mocking smile appeared on Bian Rang's lips.
This was his trump card, and his final killing move in their debate – grievances!
Wei Hong's expression immediately darkened. He looked at Lu Yu…
Lu Yu waved his hand at him, his expression still calm and unhurried. No panic... The main player hadn't arrived yet, so there was no panic!
Just then.
Thud… thud…
Resonant footsteps echoed from the back hall, followed by a "snap" as the back door was pushed open…
"If Elder Wei cannot rally the people of Yan Province, then what about me?"
Cao Cao suddenly appeared before everyone.
His face was extremely serious, his eyes narrowed, and a sharp gleam shot directly at everyone in the yamen, especially Bian Rang.
However, this gaze was filled with a chilling intensity, like a cone piercing a bag!
At this moment, Cao Cao's feelings were complex. On one hand, he felt gratified, truly and sincerely gratified… His son had reached this point, and he was already outstanding enough!
The rest should be left to his father!
Thinking of this, Cao Cao's eyes narrowed further. He muttered to himself, "Heh heh, Bian Rang, Bian Rang, have you 'bullied' my son enough?"
…
"Lord Cao…"
As soon as Cao Cao arrived, everyone in the yamen immediately saluted him.
"You are all excused…" Cao Cao gestured for everyone to sit, but deliberately ignored Bian Rang, leaving him standing there blankly.
Hahahahaha…
Cao Cao laughed, but the laughter was somewhat chilling.
"Where were we just now? Ah, yes, grievances…"
"Of all of you, do you have more grievances with the Yellow Turbans than I, Cao Cao?"
At this point, Cao Cao's expression became serious. "My Qiao Pei disciples who died at the hands of the locust rebels numbered one thousand nine hundred and thirty-five! Of these, one thousand one hundred had wives, and nine hundred and thirty-five had sons!"
"The locust rebels killed them, leaving one thousand one hundred women as widows, nine hundred and thirty-five children without fathers, and over one thousand nine hundred elders mourning the loss of their children!"
"And... and my good elder brother, the Administrator of Jibei, Bao Xin. My becoming the Governor of Yan Province was all thanks to my elder brother's help. My surviving the battlefield against the locust rebels was because my good brother gave me his horse! He... also died at the hands of the locust rebels!"
"If we're truly counting, do your hatreds compare to mine, Cao Cao's?"
…
…