Chapter 265

In this land of Xuzhou, the only general capable of holding command is Zhao Zhao Zhao Zilong!

"This battle between Yuan Gonglu heading north and Yuan Benchu will not end in the short term!"

"While you hold command in Xuzhou, the only thing you must attend to is cooperating with Cheng Yu to expand rice cultivation across the entire region of Xuzhou!"

At present, only his trusted confidants Zhao Yun, Guo Jia, Wei Dian, Taishi Ci, and Li Gang were present at his side!

There were many matters that Lin Yang could indeed share with these people!

"My lord, do you intend to use this rice to strike against the aristocratic families?"

Among the crowd, the sharpest-minded Guo Jia had long since guessed Lin Yang's intentions!

Throughout every dynasty and era, when a regime fell, the annexation of land by aristocratic families was always an extremely severe problem!

When aristocratic families occupied vast tracts of the common people's land, leaving the populace without the means to survive, they were forced to risk rebellion!

Every previous change of dynasty occurred for precisely this reason!

When the Qin lost its deer, all under heaven chased it together!

In truth, the remnants of the six states were merely a superficial ailment!

What was truly fatal was that the common people could not get food to eat!

"Are kings and generals born of a special breed?"

This was nothing less than a cry of defiance against the aristocratic families!

"Guo Guo Fengxiao, what is your view on the aristocratic families of this world?"

Glancing at Guo Jia, Lin Yang did not answer directly but instead posed a counter-question!

This single sentence was a remark that struck straight at the heart!

Guo Jia hailed from the Guo family of Yingchuan!

He too was a descendant of a prestigious lineage!

He saw the dangers posed by the aristocratic families just as clearly!

But one thing he understood even more clearly was just how terrifying the aristocratic families of the Han Dynasty truly were!

"If my lord moves against the aristocratic families, Xuzhou will become unstable!"

With these words, Guo Jia looked at Lin Yang with blazing eyes!

Once Lin Yang truly made a move against the aristocratic families, the families within Xuzhou alone would be sufficient to destabilize his rule there!

Hearing such words, Lin Yang nodded in agreement!

In the Three Kingdoms novels he had read in his previous life!

The protagonist would always manipulate the aristocratic families in various ways!

If they refused to yield, he would simply slaughter their entire clans!

Regarding such scenarios, Lin Yang could only smile wryly!

In this current era!

To engage in widespread massacres of aristocratic families for such a reason!

Would be no different than seeking death!

Expecting the aristocratic families to spit out their land and the populations they had annexed?

That was simply impossible!

Boss Cao was a figure of unparalleled brilliance, yet he still dared not move against the aristocratic families!

The Heavenly Strategy Supreme General, unmatched in bravery, was still suppressed by the five surnames and seven prominent clans until he could not lift his head!

The aristocratic families controlled the two most crucial resources in this world!

One was land, and the other was talent!

In ancient times, land was a hard currency even harder than money itself!

Without land, there was no grain, and without grain, there was nothing to eat!

It seemed simple!

But it was an utterly fatal matter!

Unlike in modern times!

Where as long as you had money, if one person refused to sell, plenty of others would!

But in the face of the aristocratic families, once you offended them!

Even if you had money, no aristocratic family would sell to you!

If you dared to massacre the aristocratic families!

All the aristocratic families would rise up together to attack you!

The aristocratic families possessed grain if grain was needed, talent if talent was needed, and officials if officials were needed!

In the current Han world, it appeared that heroes rose everywhere, chasing the deer for control of the realm!

But in the final analysis, it was merely a struggle among the aristocratic families!

Lord Gongsun Zan of Youzhou was born into a Youzhou aristocratic family; although his mother's status was lowly and he initially served only as a minor clerk!

He was still a scion of an aristocratic family!

As for Yuan Benchu of Bingzhou and Jizhou, that went without saying!

A descendant of a lineage that produced three Excellencies over four generations, offspring of a great aristocratic clan!

Cao Mengde of Yanzhou was likewise of aristocratic birth, the son of Grand Commandant Cao Song!

His own Xiahou clan was similarly descended from Xiahou Ying, a founding meritocrat of the Han Dynasty!

Yuan Gonglu of Yuzhou, also a descendant of a lineage with three Excellencies over four generations!

Liu Biao of Jingzhou, a member of the Han imperial clan, represented the largest branch of the world's greatest aristocratic family!

Even Sun Jian, who was currently conquering the lands of Yangzhou, was a descendant of a powerful aristocratic clan!

Across the Han Dynasty's thirteen provinces, apart from the bandits and roaming thieves Guo Si and his companion causing chaos in the Sili region, every other warlord hailed from an aristocratic family!

If you destroy the aristocratic families!

They will absolutely be the first to eliminate you!

Dare to launch a peasant movement, strike against the aristocrats, and redistribute land?

By tomorrow, eighteen warlords will raise armies to attack Xuzhou!

Many people do not understand the land decrees implemented by the Han Dynasty!

In truth, although the Han Dynasty prohibited the buying and selling of land!

This rule did not apply to the aristocratic nobles!

Exactly!

Among the aristocratic nobles, land was private property and its trade was permitted!

This was a rule tacitly accepted by the Han court!

This is also why!

In the late Eastern Han, after several disasters left the people with no means of livelihood, the Huang Jin Rebellion erupted directly!

Nearly all the land had been annexed by the aristocratic families!

Under such circumstances, for Lin Yang to break the deadlock was actually extremely difficult!

"Indeed, striking the aristocrats means making enemies of all the aristocratic scholars under heaven!"

He raised his head to glance at the sky!

The Han Empire was vast, yet all the scholars under heaven came from aristocratic families!

Lin Yang stood alone!

Although he now controlled Xuzhou!

The administration of Xuzhou, along with affairs in the several commanderies under his command, still required personnel to handle them!

Even now!

The number of scholars under Lin Yang's command was insufficient!

If he struck the aristocrats, this group would absolutely be the first to oppose him, Lin Yang!

Situated in such an environment, the power of an individual was exceedingly tiny!

Controlling military power allowed one to conquer the world, but not to govern it!

"But these aristocratic families must be struck!"

In the next moment, a sharp light flashed in Lin Yang's eyes, as if he had made up his mind!

The aristocratic families absolutely had to be struck!