Chapter 10 A Ruler of Great Talent and Strategy

The next day,

Before Liu Bei could visit again, more than ten powerful families, large and small, including the Zhang family in the north of the city and the Zhao family in the city, took the initiative to send people to the military camp to offer money and food. The amount was even more generous than the initial "protection donation" estimate. Their attitude was even more respectful, saying that they were "supporting the righteous army" and "doing their bit."

In no time, the military camp was overflowing with provisions and funds, and morale soared.

Inside the central command tent,

Liu Bei bowed deeply to Liu Liang with utmost solemnity: "Father! I was short-sighted and stubborn, which nearly ruined everything! If it weren't for your insistence and foresight, I don't know how many more setbacks I would have encountered from those powerful figures, how much more time I would have wasted, and it might even have led to a greater conflict! Today, we were able to quickly obtain supplies and stabilize the army's morale, all thanks to your foresight and decisive action! I apologize to you, Father, and once again thank you for saving my life!"

Liu Liang helped Liu Bei up: "Xuande, please get up quickly. We are father and son, why must we be like this? You are a man who can accept advice and make decisive decisions, that is what makes a man successful. As your father... I've only lived a few more years and seen some of the wickedness of human nature."

But in his heart, he was cursing wildly, his bitterness almost overflowing: Here we go again! He had intended to make Liu Bei offend the powerful clans and cut off their foundations, but this encirclement and intimidation actually made those opportunistic powerful clans see the true strength of the enemy, and they became both cowardly and cooperative, ensuring that their logistics would be worry-free for a short period of time!

How come he, as an "insider," only provides Liu Bei with assists and boosts his prestige?

He truly hadn't expected the local tyrants to be so cowardly!

Looking into Liu Bei's eyes, which were full of trust and gratitude, and listening to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's praise, Liu Liang felt that the ultimate mission of "assisting Cao Cao and ending the Han dynasty" seemed to be getting further and further away, while his position as "the chief meritorious official of Liu Bei's group (pseudo)" was becoming more and more secure.

The next plan, the next plan must be even more covert and more deadly...

But looking at Liu Bei's sincere face, why is it that I can't bring myself to do it?

Bah! Liu Liang, wake up!

Haven't you had enough of wiping your butt with roof tiles?

To return to the real world, for luxury cars and beautiful women, for financial freedom, one must be ruthless!

Liu Liang composed himself, his face regaining its usual calm and collected demeanor. He slowly said, "Now that we have no worries about money and supplies for the time being, the next step is to strictly enforce military discipline, intensify training, and send out scouts to gather intelligence on the Yellow Turban movement, especially any clues about the Taiping Dao's activities within Youzhou. We must hone this army into a fighting force as quickly as possible so that we can seize the opportunity and achieve great things."

Liu Bei, in high spirits, said, "I will leave it to my godfather's arrangements!"

......

The wealth and provisions of the powerful families flowed into the military camp like water, and the piles of rice bags and money boxes temporarily dispelled the gloom that had been hanging over Liu Bei's army.

However, Liu Bei's next move once again surprised everyone.

Instead of using all these supplies as military provisions, he ordered in front of his soldiers and civilians: "Yun Chang and Yi De, take half of the grain and set up soup kitchens at the four gates of Zhuojun and where refugees gather, and distribute soup every day until the grain is exhausted. Also take some money and silk to buy some coarse cloth and medicine to distribute to the poor and sick."

Guan Yu received the order and left.

Zhang Fei, puzzled, asked, "Brother! This...this is the military rations we managed to obtain with great difficulty!"

Jian Yong also tried to dissuade him: "Xuande, military supplies are of utmost importance!"

Liu Bei said, “We raised an army ostensibly to protect our territory and ensure the safety of our people, but in reality, ensuring the safety of the people comes first. If we only focus on building up our troops while watching our people suffer from famine, how are we any different from those local tyrants who exploit the countryside? Furthermore, the hearts of the army and the people are one. When the soldiers know of my benevolence and righteousness and care for the people, they will fight bravely. When the people have received my life-saving grace, they will sincerely support me, provide me with provisions, and serve as my eyes and ears. If we share this today, we may receive ten times the assistance tomorrow. There is no need to discuss this matter any further; go and handle it quickly.”

Liu Liang listened from the side, his mind racing with alarm bells.

He had hoped that Liu Bei would offend powerful figures and become isolated, but to his surprise, Liu Bei turned around and distributed the grain he had seized to the people.

That's pretty clever.

It's a classic example of turning a negative event into positive publicity.

Soon, soup kitchens were set up at the four gates of Zhuojun. The steaming millet porridge, though thin, was enough to keep people alive.

The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching Zhuojun and even the surrounding prefectures and counties.

"Have you heard? Liu Bei, who led his troops to besiege Li Family Village, used most of the grain he captured to distribute as porridge!"

"Really? Wasn't he just forcibly taking it?"

"What do you mean by 'forcibly taking'? That's 'borrowing'! The Li family of Li Village are rich and heartless, they deserve it! Lord Liu is robbing the rich to help the poor, he's a true hero!"

"He used the money and grain contributed by the other families, not just the Li family village, for relief! He said it was 'taken from the wealthy, used for the people'!"

"I heard that he was originally a member of the Han imperial family, a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, and that he also had an even more capable elder in the clan, Mr. Shan, who advised him..."

"That's right! The idea of ​​forcing Hao to distribute porridge was actually Mr. Zishan's..."

Public opinion reversed overnight.

The reputation of Liu Liang and his son Liu Bei for "not fearing the powerful and caring for the people" spread far and wide, even overshadowing the previous criticism of "besieging the manor".

In the hearts of ordinary people, the image of the father and son instantly became lofty and glorious.

The effect is immediate.

The number of people coming to the military camp to serve was no longer a few retired veterans or disaster victims, but a continuous stream.

There were chivalrous warriors who admired the benevolence and virtue of the two Lius, impoverished scholars who had some literacy and wanted to serve a wise ruler, and many more ordinary young men who were strong and capable.

The number of soldiers swelled again, once exceeding five thousand.

Liu Liang observed secretly.

Having too many soldiers is never a good thing. With five thousand men, food and supplies for the horses can't keep up with the military pay, and sooner or later there will be a mutiny.

However, Liu Bei then made a second move.

He had Guan Yu and Zhang Fei personally select the 547 veterans from the original Qing Shi Ao as the core, and then choose the bravest and most loyal soldiers from the newly recruited soldiers to make up a thousand, and organize them into two battalions, left and right, which were respectively commanded by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

As for the soldiers who were eliminated, Liu Bei did not treat them poorly, providing them with some rations and travel expenses before sending them home.

Although this measure temporarily reduces the number of soldiers, it can save a lot of food and supplies.

Liu Bei first distributed grain to the people to win their hearts and minds.

They then reorganized their elite troops and pooled their strength.

But that wasn't the end of it; Liu Bei then took the most crucial third step.

For those powerful families who were forced to "donate," Liu Bei established a "letter of righteousness" register to record their so-called merits, and formally reported it to Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, and even submitted a memorial to the imperial court, requesting the court to commend these gentry who had contributed funds.

They may be granted the title of "righteous people," even if it is a low-ranking honorary title, or their families may be exempted from part of the taxes and corvée labor for one to three years.

For the gentry, although the financial loss was painful, the allure of official recognition and tangible tax reductions, especially the potential for a noble title, far outweighed the mere financial cost.

This is driven by "the imperial court's prestige and tangible benefits".

In this way, the strong backlash from the Hao ethnic group was immediately appeased.

After completing these three steps, the situation shifted from passive to active, firmly grasping the overall trend.

Liu Liang silently observed Liu Bei's actions. On the surface, Liu Bei was gentle and humble, not showing off his talents, but in reality, he was a man of great vision and ambition, a true leader of great talent and strategy.