Many people who read the Three Kingdoms are often engrossed in the novel's duels between generals, intricate strategies, and rankings of martial prowess!
But in reality, if you look beyond the surface, the most inescapable element of the Three Kingdoms is precisely the aristocratic clans!
What are aristocratic clans?
They are the entities who, during the conflicts and bloody struggles between warlords, stood to profit while others bled profusely.
If history had followed its original course.
In 199 AD, the fourth year of Jian'an, why did Lü Bu of Xuzhou die?
It was because the Chen clan, an aristocratic family of Xuzhou, wanted him dead.
In the same year, why did Gongsun Zan, the warlord of Youzhou, die?
It was because the Xianyu clan, an aristocratic family of Youzhou, wanted him dead!
Still in the same year, why did Yuan Shu, the warlord of Huai and Si, die?
Because the aristocratic clans of Huai and Si all wanted him dead!
The following year, why did Sun Ce, the warlord of Yangzhou, die?
Because many families, led by the Lu clan of Yangzhou, wanted him dead!
And Tao Qian of Xuzhou, why did he die?
Because the Mi clan, an aristocratic family of Xuzhou, had already secretly colluded with Liu Bei and wanted him dead!
Also, why did Li Jue, the warlord of Liangzhou, die?
Because the Duan clan, an aristocratic family of Liangzhou, wanted him dead!
From these vivid examples, it is not difficult to see that the battlefields of the Three Kingdoms were less about the conflicts of heroes, the shedding of blood and tears, the clash of arms, swords, and spears, or the backstabbing with hidden arrows, and more about being secretly manipulated and controlled by these aristocratic clans!
And when Cao Cao proposed to discuss aristocratic clans...
Lu Yu's first thought went to the "Three Inter-permissions" and the "Abolition of Cishi and Establishment of Muzhou" implemented in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
The so-called abolition of Cishi and establishment of Muzhou was proposed by Liu Yan to Emperor Ling after quelling the Yellow Turban Rebellion. This led to an unprecedented expansion of local warlord power.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Eastern Han Dynasty, which the Yellow Turban Uprising failed to overthrow, was severely harmed by Liu Yan's "abolition of Cishi and establishment of Muzhou."
Furthermore, the abolition of Cishi and establishment of Muzhou required the Muzhou governor to be a high-ranking minister of the court or a member of the imperial clan.
As for the "Three Inter-permissions," it was an explicit decree from the court stating that local officials could not hold positions in their own regions.
This applied to county magistrates, prefects, and Muzhou governors.
According to the requirements of the "Three Inter-permissions" and the "Abolition of Cishi and Establishment of Muzhou," to become a Muzhou governor, one had to be either a high-ranking minister or a member of the imperial clan, and not a local.
Logically speaking...
The late Han was in chaos, and no one should have adhered to such rules.
Yet, inexplicably...
In this era of fluctuating hearts and cannibalistic brutality, an incredibly unbelievable scene unfolded.
Every warlord and aristocratic clan strictly adhered to the rules set by the "Three Inter-permissions" and the "Abolition of Cishi and Establishment of Muzhou." This included when Li Jue, Dong Zhuo, and Cao Cao controlled the capital.
If it was not compliant, they would not grant the title of Muzhou governor.
This is why Gongsun Zan, despite his power in Youzhou, could not become the Muzhou governor.
Sun Ce, despite his power in Jiangdong, could not become the Yangzhou governor!
Similarly, both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were from prominent clans in Yuzhou. Then why did they choose to develop in Yanzhou and Jizhou respectively, instead of their home region?
All of this was due to the "Three Inter-permissions" and the "Abolition of Cishi and Establishment of Muzhou"!
Why did all the warlords, aristocratic clans, and even the common people tacitly abide by these "Three Inter-permissions" and "Abolition of Cishi and Establishment of Muzhou"?
Precisely because these two policies restricted all the overlords and aristocratic clans of the era!
Likewise, it was also because these two policies fostered an increasingly close cooperation between overlords and aristocratic clans!
This is how aristocratic clans emerged.
What was the objective of aristocratic clans?
It was to be the boss of their own province or county!
Regardless of the changes in the imperial court, as long as their status as the boss of their province or county remained unchanged, that was all that mattered!
However, the "Three Inter-permissions" prohibited locals from being bosses, creating a contradiction. Therefore, aristocratic clans had to cooperate with external Muzhou governors for mutual development.
In the late Han, Muzhou governors were warlords and feudal lords. Their goal was to expand their territory, which did not conflict with the aristocratic clans' objective of always being the strongest in their own province.
Thus, cooperation between warlords and aristocratic clans emerged.
From the perspective of aristocratic clans, they demanded that warlords expand their influence with their respective provinces and counties as the core.
Aristocratic clans would also demand that their provinces and counties serve as the capitals of the warlords' territories, and that their aristocratic clans always be the strongest families within the warlords' forces!
Take Yingchuan for example, the Xun clan led by Xun Yu, the Chen clan led by Chen Qun, the Zhong clan led by Zhong Yao, and even the secondary clans represented by Guo Jia.
If you, Cao Cao, want to expand your territory... we talents from Yingchuan will support you!
But the prerequisite is that our four families – Xun, Zhong, Chen, and Guo – must be the most prominent families in Yuzhou, must be core advisors under your command, and... your capital must also be near Yingchuan in Yuzhou!
Seen this way...
Xu County becoming the imperial capital is no longer a coincidence but a prerequisite for the cooperation between Yingchuan talents and Cao Cao!
Similarly, among the four major families of Yingchuan, why did the Han family not pledge allegiance to Cao Cao?
This was because Han Fu, the head of the Han family, did not play by the rules and took his clan to Jizhou.
And the outcome was a humiliating defeat.
This is easy to understand. Your Han family was the boss in Yingchuan, but now you want to be the boss of Jizhou. How could the aristocratic clans of Jizhou possibly submit to you?
Therefore, a coalition of aristocratic clans, in conjunction with Yuan Shao, used a simple stratagem to make Han Fu cede Jizhou.
From this perspective, Yuan Shao's leap from a mere prefect of Bohai Commandery to the Muzhou governor of Jizhou was also inseparable from the assistance of the aristocratic clans of Jizhou.
These...
If I were to explain them in detail, it might take a day and a night without fully exhausting the topic.
Therefore, Lu Yu guided these young lords to explore a very simple question.
In this current era of chaos and disintegration...
If there were a main thread to this era, what would it be?
"Prime Minister, have you gentlemen not noticed? It's not just in our Cao camp; even in Yuan's camp, there are many people from Yingchuan."
Lu Yu cleared his throat and spoke loudly.
This...
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes. He seemed to realize what Lu Yu was about to elaborate on.
Lu Yu's voice continued. "Xun Chen under Yuan Shao is from Yingchuan, Guo Tu is from Yingchuan, Chunyu Qiong is from Yingchuan, Xin Ping is from Yingchuan, and Xin Pi is also from Yingchuan."
Having said this, Lu Yu turned around, stood with his hands behind his back, and began his detailed explanation.
"Actually, the Battle of Guandu, which supposedly decided the fate of the world, can be understood as follows!"
"The Yuan family of Yuzhou was the foremost of the aristocratic clans in the realm. When Yuan Shao sought to rise, the aristocratic clans of Yuzhou, led by those from Yingchuan, supported him. Yuan Shao also established a branch company... ah, no, a branch!"
"Since it was a branch, it naturally needed people from Yuzhou. Thus, Yuan Shao found Prime Minister Cao of Pei, Yuzhou. Afterwards, people from Yingchuan dispersed between the headquarters and the branch. Xun Chen was at the headquarters with Yuan Shao, while Xun Chen's brother, Xun Yu, also known as Lord Xun, was at the branch with Prime Minister Cao. Guo Tu was at the headquarters with Yuan Shao, and Guo Tu's kinsman Guo Jia was at the branch with Prime Minister Cao. The Han family, Xin family, and Chunyu family were at the headquarters with Yuan Shao, while the Zhong and Chen families were at the branch with Prime Minister Cao! Later, the headquarters and the branch broke apart, leading to the Battle of Guandu!"
At this point, Lu Yu paused.
He suddenly turned around and said with a smile, "Now, can you appreciate this? From the split between Cao and Yuan to their decisive battle and then the Battle of Guandu, wasn't there an invisible hand pushing and guiding the development of events? And the Xun clan of Yingchuan is just one of the hundreds and thousands of aristocratic clans in the Han Empire. Every province and commandery has aristocratic clans, and every battle is driven by these unseen hands of the aristocratic clans!"
Speaking to this point, Lu Yu's lips curved into a smile. "Now, you ponder it, you ponder it carefully. What is the power of the aristocratic clans?"
Hoo...
Hearing this, not only were the young lords astonished, but Cao Cao himself was also taken aback.
He had known of the intricate relationships among these aristocratic clans before, but he had never realized that they were an invisible hand, silently pushing the tide of the entire situation, even guiding its changes.
"Oh... I understand," Cao Chong was the first to speak. "Just as Director Lu said, the fundamental reason Yuan Shao lost the Battle of Guandu was the discord between the Yingchuan aristocratic clans under his command and the Jizhou aristocratic clans!"
With Cao Chong's opening, Cao Ang became enlightened.
He immediately spoke, "That's right. Ju Shou and Shen Pei under Yuan Shao are both from Wei Commandery in Jizhou, Tian Feng is from Julu in Jizhou, and Zhang He is from Hejian in Jizhou..."
With this discussion, Cao Cao seemed to grasp the deeper meaning of the Battle of Guandu.
He tapped his forehead and said, "No wonder that during the Battle of Guandu, Guo Tu of the Yingchuan faction wanted to strip Ju Shou of the Jizhou faction of his military command. Originally, the military command was divided into three parts: Guo Tu held one, Ju Shou held one, and the last part was held by Chunyu Qiong of the Yingchuan faction."
"And at Wuchao, Yuan Shao did not allow Zhang He of the Jizhou faction to rescue Chunyu Qiong of the Yingchuan faction. I suspect that Brother Benchu had already calculated the differences and conflicts between the two factions, which is why he adopted the strategy of a desperate direct assault on our camp!"
Hoo...
Cao Cao let out a sigh as he spoke.
He thought of even more: during the Battle of Guandu, Tian Feng of the Jizhou faction was imprisoned, and Zhang He of the Jizhou faction surrendered.
Haha...
Cao Cao let out a cold laugh. So, the Battle of Guandu was not a battle between the Yingchuan aristocratic clans supporting Cao Cao and those supporting him, but rather between the Yingchuan aristocratic clans under Yuan Shao and the Jizhou aristocratic clans!
Now, Guo Tu, leading the Yingchuan aristocratic clans, supports Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan, while Shen Pei, leading the Jizhou aristocratic clans, supports Yuan Shao's youngest son, Yuan Shang. They are bound to fight!
This has nothing to do with a struggle between brothers; it is a life-or-death, mutually exclusive conflict between aristocratic clans!
This internal war within the Yuan clan of the northern territories will be endless and perpetual!
"Then... the Yingchuan faction under Father's command? It seems they aren't engaged in a life-or-death struggle with any faction, are they?" Cao Chong asked at the opportune moment.
"Younger Brother Chong..." Cao Pi reminded him...
As if to remind him that he shouldn't utter such divisive words.
However, Cao Cao's eyes narrowed.
Yu'er had now highlighted the power of the Yingchuan faction.
But why the Yingchuan faction under his command had not engaged in a fierce struggle with any faction, Cao Cao knew well, and this was a constant thorn in his side!
From the beginning, Cao Cao mostly relied on the warriors of Qiao and Pei, and the Cao clan members, precisely to check the Yingchuan faction.
In fact, Cao Cao dared not recruit aristocratic clans, because the offspring of recruited aristocratic clans would become part of the Yingchuan faction.
It can be said that the aristocratic clan members of the Han realm naturally identified with the esteemed scholars of Yingchuan; they could not identify with the Cao clan members, let alone the fact that Cao Cao was still labeled as a "eunuch's grandson."
Lu Yu understood this period of history too well.
He understood it by seeing the essence behind the phenomena!
This was the true reason behind Cao Cao's proposal of "promoting officials based on merit."
To put it plainly, it meant: "Look, I, Cao Cao, am laying my cards on the table. I recruit those who are not aristocratic clans, not those with backgrounds; I only recruit pure commoners!"
For example, the Five Elite Generals...
Le Jin and Yu Jin were undisputed commoners!
Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and Zhang He were surrendered generals with no status, not commoners, but akin to commoners!
Even with prominent families like Li Dian's, Cao Cao dared not fully trust them!
It was only later, after Li Dian sent over ten thousand of his clansmen to Ye City as hostages, that Cao Cao felt assured of him, confirmed he was not part of the Yingchuan faction, and then entrusted him with important responsibilities.
The same applied to Cheng Yu in history. He was from Yuzhou, not Yingchuan.
Cheng Yu was incredibly insightful!
He saw at a glance that the Yingchuan faction in Cao's camp was unshakeable, so he directly relinquished the title of "Yuzhou Governor," which meant giving up military power.
To put it plainly, he was signaling his stance: "I, Cheng Yu, am stepping aside, begging the leaders of the Yingchuan faction to spare me."
Later, after Xun Yu's death, Sima Yi and Chen Qun replaced the older generation of Yingchuan talents to become the new leaders of the Yuzhou aristocratic clans, continuing their struggle against the Cao clan members.
Why Sima Yi!
This was because the Sima family had also served as prefects in Yingchuan, and they had a vested interest with the Yingchuan aristocratic clans...
Until the Gaopingling Incident!
During this period, Sima Yi successively outmaneuvered the generation of Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan;
He outmaneuvered the generation of Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu;
And finally, he outmaneuvered the generation of Cao Shuang!
The Cao clan members were completely finished. The Yuzhou aristocratic clans, led by the Yingchuan talents, truly held power, and even Zhong Hui and Chen Tai in the later period were from Yingchuan.
What followed was the much-anticipated event where the Sima family established a clan dynasty.
Now, ponder it again. To whom did the three kingdoms ultimately submit?
It was the continuation of the Yuzhou aristocratic clans, led by the Yingchuan faction!
Therefore...
What was the true main thread of the Three Kingdoms?
It was never the struggle between Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan, but rather the Yingchuan aristocratic clans, formed by an old prefect and four county magistrates, five families bound by mutual interests!
Then, they invested in Yuan Shao, the leader of the aristocratic clans. Yuan Shao set up a branch company, and they diversified their investments. In the end, the branch company won, and the clans of the branch company unanimously fought against the relatives of the branch company's boss. They fought for three generations and finally succeeded, seized power, and established a clan dynasty.
This is the true main thread of the Three Kingdoms.
Hoo, thinking of this, Lu Yu let out a sigh.
Of course, he would not reveal all of this at once. At the current juncture, it was too sensitive. The north was not pacified, and the south was not settled. It was not yet time to limit the power of aristocratic clans.
However... since Old Cao had brought it up, Lu Yu might as well offer a reminder...
How much they could comprehend depended on the wisdom of Old Cao and the young lords.
However...
Evidently, Lu Yu saw something in Cao Cao's eyes – a cold glint, as if, after Lu Yu's reminder, he had grasped something.
Silence!
A long silence descended. The atmosphere here was somewhat strange, even eerie.
Everyone was pondering Lu Yu's words, carefully contemplating them!
At this moment, even Cao Zhang, who was the most straightforward, realized the immense power of the aristocratic clans... especially the Yuzhou aristocratic clans led by the Yingchuan talents.
"Disperse..."
Cao Cao did not dwell on the matter. As Lu Yu had thought, it was too early to discuss this issue.
It would cause tension within Cao's camp.
And... his objective had been achieved. He had alerted his eldest son to sound a warning for his younger brothers.
Do not let the foundation of the Cao clan be usurped by some aristocratic clan after unifying the world.
On this matter, they, the Cao clan members, should stand on the same front.
"Yes, Father!"
After bidding farewell to Cao Cao, all the young lords did not forget to cup their fists and bow to Lu Yu.
This time, even Cao Zhang cupped his fists and bowed. It was not for any other reason than that Lu Yu's words had resonated with him.
Lu Yu also cupped his fists and bowed to Cao Cao...
Cao Cao, however, patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Go back, get some sleep early. You're marrying two women tomorrow, and I imagine it will tire you out considerably!"
Speaking of which...
Cao Cao seemed to suddenly remember something.
"By the way, the brothels and entertainment venues in Xudu City have all been ordered to close tonight by the Tiger Guards. Ziyu, go home and sleep honestly. It's not appropriate to be wandering around and getting into trouble at this time."
Uh...
Lu Yu was stunned.
Well, his plan for a bachelor's party was completely ruined. He felt... Old Cao's ears were truly keen, or perhaps... there was a traitor in the Marquis of Baima's mansion!
He was being watched by Old Cao at all times!
Of course, Lu Yu did not know that Cao Cao had naturally sent Tiger Guards to keep an eye on Lu Yu, but their purpose was not to pry into his movements, but to protect this crown prince!
The current Lu Yu bore not only the mission of the "eldest son of Cao's camp" but also the heavy responsibility of governing the realm after Cao Cao unified the world!
This burden was not light, and no one could replace him in carrying this burden!
Hoo...
Lu Yu let out another sigh.
Well, I'm not playing with you guys anymore. This young master is going home to sleep and marry his wife... Goodbye!
...
...
ps:
(This chapter mainly discusses matters related to aristocratic clans. Some readers might feel it is repetitive, but aristocratic clans are a very important plotline in the later stages of this book. Even if it feels repetitive, it's necessary for readers to understand. I've been in quarantine during this time, so I'll try to write more each day!)