Chapter 1039: The Integrity of the Noble Families

Chen Xi was also skilled in employing the "forage from the enemy" strategy, but unlike others, he didn’t resort to crude tactics of burning, killing, and plundering. Such actions would only deepen civilian resentment and lead to chaos within the army, providing little benefit overall.

The military principle of "one zhong of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty zhong of our own" is often misunderstood by some as a call for destruction and looting. However, indiscriminate plundering not only decreases efficiency but also undermines army discipline and combat effectiveness. Moreover, if discipline collapses, defeat becomes inevitable.

There are countless examples of battles where armies were defeated simply because, during a retreat, they abandoned large amounts of loot, which tempted soldiers into looting. Unable to control their troops, the commanders often faced easy defeat. Such instances are far too numerous to count.

As far as Chen Xi understood, a more advanced and efficient approach to foraging from the enemy wasn’t looting but requisitioning. Requisitioning supplies is not only faster but also more effective. Armies that looted were often counter-attacked, while armies that requisitioned rarely faced retaliation. In fact, requisitioning could even lead to locals becoming guides for the army. If they captured a city, there was no need for such methods—everything they needed would be in the treasury.

In truth, the real disruption to civilians caused by war was the collapse of defeated armies. Victorious forces with any intelligence wouldn’t engage in indiscriminate looting. On the contrary, showing some leniency and winning over the people with small gestures of goodwill was far more effective.

After all, indiscriminate plundering isn’t sustainable. A one-time plunder of enough provisions to last half a year pales in comparison to receiving a steady flow of three months' worth of supplies each year. Anyone with sense would know which choice to make.

Thus, maintaining post-war industries intact is crucial. After a battle, taking over the enemy’s industries is far more advantageous than plundering grain supplies. In this regard, Chen Xi couldn’t rely on certain strategies, as they would be counterproductive.

However, noble families, as regional managers, were much easier to work with. As long as they managed their areas well, post-war recovery would be far smoother.

Defeated soldiers, bandits, and rogue elements would inevitably appear in large numbers after any war. However, as long as the noble families were willing to mobilize their private soldiers, dealing with this rabble, who had no morale left, wouldn’t be difficult.

This arrangement was, in essence, a way for noble families to boost their reputation, with material support provided by Chen Xi's side. In the past, noble families had been reluctant to engage in such efforts because, after a war, there were too many refugees, and taking in young, able-bodied men offered some benefits. However, taking in women, children, the elderly, and the infirm wouldn’t provide any advantage. Noble families couldn’t afford to support idle dependents for long.

Now, with Chen Xi directly implementing policies that valued population, the noble families stood to gain significant reputation. Turning a blind eye to the wealth they accumulated wasn’t an issue. After all, expecting them to work without receiving anything in return would be unreasonable.

"That’s acceptable. After the war, we will take in refugees and provide them with basic living conditions," Zhen Yan said, nodding. In truth, even if Chen Xi hadn’t mentioned it, the Zhen family would have done so anyway. For a family that no longer cared about wealth, maintaining a good reputation was far more important.

Additionally, the family had long had ambitions of expanding their lineage. After all, it was quite tragic that a noble family could, on occasion, see its legitimate line wiped out.

"We have no problem with that. However, if, after the war, we remain in territory controlled by your enemies, and they offer suitable compensation for the population, we will hand the people over to them," Wu Yuan said calmly. Her words were intended to represent the interests of both Cao Cao and Sun Ce’s factions.

"Oh, no problem. That’s understandable. But in that case, I will no longer be responsible for your material expenses," Chen Xi nodded, signaling his understanding. In reality, such situations were unlikely to arise.

"I happen to have a group of refugees ready to be delivered. How will you handle that?" Zhang Wei asked grimly, having already spotted a loophole in the arrangement.

"If you deliberately cause the destruction of families and homes to create refugees, believe me, I will offer you a ‘price’ so satisfying that you can pay for it in the afterlife," Chen Xi sneered. Taking advantage of the situation? Let them try—he would deal with each case one by one.

"And what about Qiang, Xianbei, and Xiongnu people?" Zhang Wei continued, oblivious to the hostility in his question.

"Two thousand coins for an able-bodied person, one thousand for women and children," Chen Xi replied, staring at Zhang Wei. He realized this Zhang Wei fellow was quite resourceful, immediately turning his focus outward when he couldn’t profit internally. After a moment's hesitation, Chen Xi set the price. After all, population was a resource.

"That price is a bit low," Zhang Wei’s grim expression quickly shifted to a warm smile, as he muttered under his breath.

"Hmph." Chen Xi snorted, unwilling to engage further with such people. However, since Zhang Wei was focused on harming foreign populations, he decided to let him be.

"Mi’er, who is this guy? Which Zhang family does he belong to?" Chen Xi transmitted to Zhen Mi. He wasn’t familiar with all the noble families, as some had entrenched themselves in one place for centuries, making their regions impenetrable.

"The Zhang family of the Celestial Master, the one in Hanzhong," Zhen Mi explained without even looking at him.

"Oh, I see. I didn’t expect him to have such a personality," Chen Xi responded with a grin through his transmission. It was clear he had picked up on other subtleties from Zhang Wei’s words, and seeing the realization on the faces of the noble families from Yizhou confirmed his thoughts.

Chen Xi certainly needed workers to handle the most laborious tasks, but not as slaves. History had already proven that slavery was inefficient, and offering slaves a pathway to becoming free citizens dramatically increased their productivity. This was important.

Clearly, Zhang Wei’s comments had given a wake-up call to the families near the border. This was a risk-free opportunity. These northern families had deep roots in the region, and this was an easy way to buy low and sell high, earning easy money.

"Everyone here probably understands by now that preserving the population of the Central Plains is our highest priority. Allowing fertile land to go unused would, in most of your family laws, result in punishment," Chen Xi said with a chuckle, as the others nodded in agreement.

With the development of the northeastern plains, the greatest issue for the Han Empire had shifted from land-to-population conflict to population-to-land conflict. Previously, there had been too many people and too little land. Now, there was too much land and not enough people to farm it.

For the noble families, having too much land and not enough people was more painful than the reverse. Watching fertile land go to waste was agonizing. As for the days of having too many people and not enough land? Well, as long as the families had land to farm, it wasn’t their problem if others didn’t.

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