A special thank you to all my patrons.
The List of My "Wandering Reader":
-Davis Nguyen
-Cain
-Goha21
-Jacob Mooe
-HADES
-Varun Madhu
-Aziz Makda
-Gonzalo Sumalavia
-Klip
-JWolf
-kevin Williams
-Shadow260802
-MIKE
-KD2001
-merp.
-Jose Carrillo
You can read 50 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
—————————————————————
On the journey of migration, what is truly terrifying is neither traversing mountains and rivers nor encountering wild beasts, but the fickleness of human nature.
If people unite in purpose, even without food, roots and tree bark can become treasures to sustain life. Yet once hearts grow restless, no matter how abundant the reserves, it becomes impossible to persevere to the final destination.
In Fei Qian's recollection, throughout the history of the Eastern Han Dynasty, only two large-scale migrations were recorded in vivid detail…
One was this current migration under Dong Zhuo, and the other was the one led by the Imperial Uncle Liu. Both were extensively described by Old Master Luo, with a clear intent to contrast the two.
In both migrations, countless commoners perished. The staggeringly high death toll on the road was not due to starvation or cold but mostly resulted from military massacres and the subsequent uncontrollable chaos that ensued, engulfing even more innocent civilians and ultimately leaving many dead along the way.
Since Fei Qian, by his own strength, could no longer reverse or alter Dong Zhuo's plan to move the capital, how could he reduce the suffering and deaths of the innocent Luoyang citizens about to endure this horrific ordeal?
Fei Qian's solution was to transform the biggest instigators of chaos during the migration—the soldiers—into enforcers of order. Even if complete transformation was impossible, keeping these energetic men occupied with tasks would, in effect, save more lives.
Thus, in his advice to Li Ru, Fei Qian had embedded some personal motives, hoping that by keeping Dong Zhuo's soldiers busy with extra duties, they would have less time for mischief. But now, it seemed…
Though Fei Qian's expression betrayed nothing, his heart couldn't help but tense up.
After a long silence, Li Ru shook his head slightly and said, "Ziyuan's plan is well-intentioned, but it is unworkable."
Fei Qian cupped his hands respectfully and replied calmly, "May I ask the Chief Clerk to enlighten me?"
His demeanor was composed, as if Li Ru's rejection was entirely expected, with no trace of impatience or resentment in his tone.
This attitude earned Fei Qian silent admiration from Li Ru. Scholars often disparaged one another, and even military officers would frequently clash in debates over strategy, bristling at rejection.
But Li Ru had no intention of explaining too much to Fei Qian. He merely offered a brief remark: "Military affairs are already overburdened; we cannot add more."
The real reason, however, was not the workload. Despite Dong Zhuo's seemingly invincible military might, internal divisions were severe—most notably, the factional strife exposed during the campaign against the White Wave Bandits.
Dong Zhuo's forces held overwhelming dominance in the Guanzhong and Liangzhou regions, but few had followed him all the way to Luoyang. Most were personal troops under his trusted generals, while a significant portion of the Liangzhou soldiers and allied Qiang cavalry remained in the west.
Thus, Li Ru had been walking a tightrope, using Liangzhou troops to suppress the Bingzhou forces while co-opting the remnants of He Jin's Luoyang army to maintain Dong Zhuo's current military supremacy.
A return to Chang'an would delight the Liangzhou troops but displease the Bingzhou soldiers, not to mention the Luoyang contingent…
This was why Li Ru deemed Fei Qian's plan impractical despite its apparent merits. However, while he noticed Fei Qian's attempt to assign extra duties to the soldiers, he saw no harm in it.
Reading Li Ru's tone and attitude, Fei Qian realized that either Li Ru hadn't detected his hidden agenda or he simply didn't oppose win-win proposals.
This reignited Fei Qian's optimism.
Had Fei Qian openly opposed Dong Zhuo's faction, Li Ru would have been instantly wary. But since his suggestions ostensibly benefited the relocation plan, even with ulterior motives, they could be seen as part of a mutually beneficial arrangement—something Li Ru wouldn't outright reject.
So Fei Qian retrieved a few small iron tokens from his sleeve and had a servant present them to Li Ru, testing the waters: "May I ask for the Chief Clerk's opinion on these?"
Li Ru examined them. There were four tokens, each two to three inches in size and half a finger's width thick. The front bore carvings—an ox, a bolt of cloth, a small tiled house with a courtyard, and what appeared to be a field of crops. The backs were blank.
After a moment's thought, Li Ru's eyes gleamed as he fixed his gaze on Fei Qian. "Could these be related to…?" He tilted his head slightly northward, implying the emperor. Earlier, Fei Qian had mentioned Dong Zhuo's two advantages: military power and the emperor. Since his previous suggestions involved the army, these tokens must pertain to the throne.
Moreover, Li Ru keenly sensed that this could be a powerful incentive—a way to lure landless peasants, who rented fields from local magnates, into volunteering for migration.
This could create a breakthrough, spurring the entire Luoyang population to follow!
Fei Qian smiled faintly and nodded. "The commoners resist migration due to fears of unfamiliar lands, but their greatest dread is arriving with no clothing, no food, no shelter, no land…"
Li Ru stroked the tokens, a smirk forming. "An excellent plan, Ziyuan! The illiterate masses are easily deceived, and corrupt clerks manipulate records at will. These tokens… are ingenious!" To encourage voluntary migration, officials often promised benefits like housing and land, but illiterate peasants were frequently cheated by lower-level bureaucrats.
Those who refused to migrate and were forced by violence usually ended up with nothing…
Fei Qian added, "The backs can bear stamped inscriptions—first, to prevent forgery, and second, to guarantee them in the Han dynasty's name…"
This token system was another win-win: aiding Dong Zhuo's relocation while securing better terms for the commoners.
Of course, deeper pitfalls lay hidden, but Fei Qian was confident no one in this era—unless they were time-travelers like him—would ever notice…