Chương 293: A God-Sent Opportunity

Liu Ce slammed the imperial edict on the stone table: "Look! Ji Province! His Majesty has entrusted Ji Province to me!"

The women gathered around and were overjoyed to see.

Zhen Jiang, a merchant by birth, was an expert in economics: "Ji Province is wealthy; if it can be governed properly, its wealth, grain, and population can all double!"

Zhang Ning laughed and said, "Now our territory is much larger. But husband, the powerful and influential families in Ji Province are deeply entrenched and difficult to deal with."

"Difficult to deal with?" Liu Ce raised an eyebrow.

"I, Liu Ce, specialize in dealing with all kinds of dissent!"

He immediately sent someone to summon his advisors, including Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Xun Yu.

...

Liu Ce, holding the imperial edict, walked towards the council hall, humming a little tune.

As I was passing by, I ran into Princess Liu Yue, who was walking by.

"Royal Uncle," Liu Yue bowed gracefully, noticing the imperial edict in his hand, "another edict?"

"Great news!" Liu Ce waved the imperial edict.

"His Majesty has granted me temporary control of Ji Province. Tsk, my brother is truly generous."

Liu Yue smiled and said, "My father often says that my uncle is a pillar of the country, and those who are capable should do more."

"The capable are always burdened with more work?" Liu Ce scoffed.

"I think the capable will be overworked to death. But... Ji Province is a fertile land."

His mind was already racing: Jizhou had a large population, fertile land, and a thriving commerce...

"Yue'er... I'm going to a meeting." Liu Ce left in a hurry.

Liu Yue watched his hurried figure disappear into the distance, shook her head, and chuckled softly.

This royal uncle usually seems carefree and irresponsible, but when it comes to serious matters, he is more decisive and efficient than anyone else.

...

Half an hour later, in the council hall of the Prince of Yan's residence.

The core group of strategists gathered together.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Xun Yu sat in the front row, while Guo Jia leaned against a pillar, pulling out a small wine pot. He was nudged by Xi Zhicai beside him and then awkwardly put it away.

Xun You, Cheng Yu, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Shen Pei, Chen Gong, and others sat on either side.

Liu Ce slammed the imperial edict on the table: "Gentlemen, good news! Ji Province is temporarily under our control!"

The people passed around the imperial edict, and joy appeared on their faces.

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and smiled, "Your Majesty's decree has come at the perfect time. With Wang Fen's recent death, Ji Province is leaderless, and the court cannot send a suitable candidate, so it can only entrust this to you, my lord. This is a godsend. Ji Province is the heartland of the empire, densely populated and rich in resources. If it can be brought under our rule, You and Ji will be united, and the overall situation will be settled!"

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "Jizhou is the heartland of the country, densely populated and rich in resources. With Jizhou, Youzhou will have depth, we can look south to the Central Plains, and control Bingzhou to the west. It is of great strategic significance."

Xun Yu's expression became more serious as he said, "My lord, although we have acquired Ji Province, governing it will not be easy. When Wang Fen was in power, the administration was already corrupt; powerful families and clans were deeply entrenched, and land annexation was rampant; refugees were everywhere, and bandits were rising up everywhere. If we want to truly control Ji Province, we must take drastic measures."

Xun You said, "That is indeed the case. To govern Ji Province, the first priority is to ensure the well-being of the people, the second is to discipline the officials, and the third is to ensure the equal distribution of land."

Guo Jia leaned back in his chair and said, "If you ask me, it's simple. Deal with the troublemakers first, and the rest will naturally behave."

Xi Zhicai said clearly, "What Fengxiao said is correct. Among the powerful families in Jizhou, the Cui family of Qinghe, the Gao family of Bohai, and the Wei family of Julu are the most prominent. As long as these families remain in power, it will be difficult for government orders to be issued beyond the prefecture."

Ju Shou spoke up, "The Wang Fen rebellion has just been quelled, and the banditry in Ji Province is not yet eradicated. It is the perfect time to wage war."

Cheng Yu went even further, saying, "In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary. Corrupt officials should be killed; lawless powerful families should be suppressed; and displaced people who cause trouble should be quelled."

Xu Shu frowned and said, "While this makes sense, the excessive killing may alienate the people."

Everyone was talking at once, making the council chamber as lively as a market.

Liu Ce leaned back in his chair and tapped the table, saying, "Quiet! Tell me one by one what to do!"

Fang Xuanling spoke first, speaking clearly and logically: "Your Majesty, I believe that governing Ji Province can be done in three steps. First, conduct a thorough survey of the land, measuring all the land in the entire province from beginning to end! All the uncultivated wasteland, the illegally occupied land by powerful families, and the ownerless land obtained by confiscating rebellious property should be registered and distributed to landless refugees and local poor farmers according to the number of people."

Du Ruhui continued, "Secondly, we should implement 'work-for-relief' programs. We should organize displaced people to build city walls, dig irrigation canals, repair bridges and pave roads, provide them with meals and wages. This will both resettle the displaced people and promote water conservancy, achieving two goals at once."

Xun Yu added: "Third, rectify officialdom. Corrupt officials should be dismissed and investigated; capable and competent officials should be promoted and given important positions. Vacancies... can be filled by students trained at the Youzhou Academy."

Guo Jia interjected, "And those corrupt, criminal, and oppressive officials—not a single one can be spared. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is best at this."

Ju Shou made the decision: "That's it! But we need to be quick and ruthless. Those local bullies in Ji Province won't cooperate willingly."

As they were talking, Lu Bing walked in silently, holding a thick booklet in his hands.

"Your Majesty, gentlemen," Lu Bing placed the booklet on the table, "This is the information on officials in Ji Province that the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been investigating during this period. Those who are corrupt, oppressive to the people, and collude with powerful figures are all listed here. Their names, positions, crimes, and evidence are all clearly documented."

Everyone crowded around to take a look, and wow, the booklet was at least an inch thick!

Liu Ce chuckled, "Lu Bing, you're a real lifesaver! This isn't just a register, it's a roster of corrupt officials in Ji Province!"

Lu Bing said expressionlessly, "It is my duty to share the burden for our lord. Besides, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been laying the groundwork in Ji Province for a long time, and these materials have been prepared long ago, just waiting for today."

Xun Yu flipped through the booklet, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, and said, "It's shocking... In the nine prefectures of Ji Province, there are five prefects with a long history of misdeeds; thirty-eight county magistrates; and countless others below the rank of county lieutenant and assistant county magistrate."

Xun You sighed, "With the administration so corrupt, it's no wonder that chaos ensued in Ji Province after Wang Fen's death."

Xun Yu looked up at Liu Ce and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, we have a governance plan and evidence, but there is still a crucial problem: what if the powerful clans of Ji Province oppose us? They control land, conceal population, and maintain private armies; some county officials are even their relatives and protégés. These people are deeply rooted and have enormous influence in the localities. Once we take action to survey land and rectify officialdom, they will definitely rebel.

If they unite to resist, or even incite a popular uprising... I fear there may be unrest."

As soon as Xun Yu finished speaking, Liu Ce, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, and others all revealed meaningful smiles.

That smile... how should I put it? It was a bit like a fox seeing a fat chicken, or a hunter discovering his prey had fallen into a trap.

Xun Yu was taken aback and said, "Your Majesty, everyone, what is this...?"

Liu Ce chuckled, not answering directly, but turning to his guards and saying, "Go, bring Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao to me."

The guards obeyed and left.

...