Chapter 1048: "The Painful Adjustment"

Despite the significant number of bandits and rogue soldiers in Jizhou, and the persistent collusion between officials and bandits, as was common in ancient times, Liu Bei’s army had dealt with them severely. Very few bandits managed to survive for long.

The large-scale banditry that emerged after the war between Yuan Shao and Liu Bei had, for the most part, been eradicated by the military. Mines and construction sites were now in need of the very young and energetic men who had previously caused trouble as bandits.

"By the way, why hasn’t Zilong (Zhao Yun) returned yet?" Liu Ye suddenly remembered and asked.

"It’s not Zilong’s fault. Originally, we had planned for Xianhe (Jian Yong) to offer sacrifices at Mount Tai after the first snow and release the Origin of Characters and the Origin of Ten Thousand Laws, but some unexpected complications arose, and things are now at a stalemate," Jia Xu explained. This issue was neither Zhao Yun’s nor Jian Yong’s fault.

"When will the families be brought over? The new year is approaching, and with so little free time throughout the year, we can’t keep living apart like this," Chen Xi said with some dissatisfaction.

"Don’t you still have your third wife?" Guo Jia quipped suddenly, catching everyone off guard. After a brief moment of surprise, the room erupted into laughter.

"I’m already stressed out—don’t even mention that," Chen Xi shook his head, then asked, "Can Xianhe handle the situation? How far along are we with the Origin of Characters and the dictionary? And why has it gotten so complicated? If things don’t work out, we should bring the families over first. I’ve never even seen my daughter since she was born."

"I haven’t seen my son either," Liu Bei sighed, "I wonder how he’s doing."

The others all shared similar feelings, and the room fell into a brief silence. Fenggao was, after all, their place of origin, and for both political and personal reasons, they couldn’t simply abandon it. Treating it like something disposable was unthinkable.

"What exactly is the holdup?" Liu Ye asked, perplexed. He didn’t fully understand Jian Yong’s field of expertise, but he couldn’t comprehend why it had dragged on for so long.

"The issue is simple. As language evolves, characters have naturally been simplified. In this era, both simplified and unsimplified characters are used interchangeably. The debate now is over which form should be considered orthodox," Chen Xi explained, taking a sip of tea with a resigned expression. "Once the dictionary is published, this debate is bound to intensify."

"How long will this argument drag on?" Li You asked quietly. What had started as a positive initiative had turned into something much more contentious.

"Let them argue for now. It’s not something that needs immediate resolution. Zilong’s presence in Fenggao can help maintain order," Liu Bei nodded. "Since Xianhe can’t resolve this quickly, let’s have Zilong bring the families here. As long as we settle the matter before next year’s memorial for the fallen soldiers, it should be fine."

Clearly, Chen Xi’s complaints had prompted Liu Bei to bring the families over earlier. As for the Origin of Characters and the dictionary, those would have to wait. However, one thing Liu Bei wouldn’t delay was the annual incense offering to the spirits of the fallen—he had promised to never forget them.

"At least the end of this year has given us some downtime. After years of constant preparations for war, this is the first time we’ve been able to relax a little. And it seems most of the civil and military officials are here this time," Li You remarked, shifting the topic and looking at Liu Bei. The others immediately understood the subtext.

Liu Bei nodded slightly, already understanding Li You’s intent. These past few years had indeed been tough. Though life had improved gradually, their free time had been sparse.

As soon as Li You spoke, Liu Bei’s thoughts expanded, and he smiled at the group. "Don’t worry. It’s more enjoyable to share happiness than to enjoy it alone. I’ll make sure to bring all of you along. Zijing, calculate our current supply of grain and meat reserves."

Lu Su immediately recited the numbers. Liu Bei made a rough estimate and, feeling prepared, decided to put his plans into action.

After some brief exchanges of opinion, the group began to disperse.

Meanwhile, the influential families had no intention of leaving. They, too, needed to discuss matters. As for Yuan Shu and Ji Ling, they were likely stuck in the heavy snows of Liaodong by now. It was indeed a difficult task for Yuan Shu. As a pampered noble, while he had some ambitions, most of them were impractical.

Chen Xi had agreed to let Yuan Shu head north, deep into what might be Wuhuan territory, primarily to expose him to the harsh realities of life. In this era, due to the climate, the further north or south you went, the harder life became for the people.

Idealism alone wouldn’t accomplish anything. Letting Yuan Shu witness the hardships faced by the lower classes would be of great benefit to him. Yuan Shu’s greatest failure was his lack of connection with the common people—he had never truly understood the difficulties they faced at the end of the Han dynasty.

[The aristocracy and the common people can never be completely separated. The divide between classes leads only to failure. A stable society relies on the lower classes rising up and correcting the mistakes of the upper class, creating pathways for upward mobility, while the upper class must compete to prevent decay.]

Staring at the unseen northern plains, Chen Xi thought to himself. He no longer harbored dreams of completely dismantling the aristocratic system within two decades. He had long since given up on that.

Reality had taught Chen Xi to compromise. Some things couldn’t be done simply because one wanted to do them. In this society, with its current structure and the generally low education levels of the populace, this was as far as Chen Xi could go.

Fortunately, Chen Xi had already overcome the most challenging period. From this point forward, with Liu Bei’s formidable power, the aristocracy had reluctantly accepted painful reforms. This was a promising start.

According to Chen Xi’s calculations, if they continued to make gradual adjustments, even though these changes would hurt the interests of the aristocracy, as long as they didn’t push too hard, Liu Bei’s strength and Chen Xi’s diplomatic offerings would ensure their tolerance. Over time, as these adjustments took effect, the aristocracy might eventually align with the right path.

Just as the saying goes, "A mountain is built from accumulated soil." The problems with the aristocracy weren’t formed overnight, and fixing them wouldn’t happen quickly either. The deep-rooted issues couldn’t be solved easily, but Chen Xi had always planned to chip away at them gradually. After all, he had plenty of time to wait for that day to come.

[Gongsun Du, don’t disappoint me. Opening the passage between Liaodong and Jizhou is crucial for both you and us. If you fail, we’ll be forced to resort to some unconventional tactics.] Chen Xi turned his gaze away from the northeast and thought to himself.

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