Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

This year, the snow in Yu Province came earlier and heavier than in previous years, but the people of Yu Province were much more at ease than in the past.

The reason was simply the ample supply of grain in their rice jars.

With grain at home, naturally, they felt no panic.

Whenever they thought of this, many people secretly and discreetly established shrines for the "Yellow Heaven Saint."

However, to avoid attracting attention and being reported to the government, the people did not dare to directly establish shrines in the name of the "Yellow Heaven Saint," but instead used somewhat similar names.

Moreover, since the "Yellow Heaven Saint" always appeared with a mask, the shrines also had masks, with only a simple yellow line drawn on the forehead to symbolize the identity of the "Yellow Heaven Saint."

Because of the abundance of food, the able-bodied men did not need to risk going out to hunt, fish, or dig for vegetables this winter.

In the cold weather, many young men chose to stay at home with their wives, cultivating and tilling.

In fact, during this cold winter, many young men and women chose to marry, adding a touch of joy to the various parts of Yu Province.

It was foreseeable that the number of newborns in Yu Province next year would break a new high in the last decade.

However, as announcements for the inspection of farmland were posted by the government offices in various counties and prefectures of Yu Province and distributed to the villages for reading, it was like pouring a bucket of cold water on the people of Yu Province in this cold winter.

Could the people of Yu Province withstand the inspection?

If it were the year before, the people would naturally not be afraid.

Why wouldn't they be afraid?

Because they had nothing.

But this year, after the Yellow Turban rebellion, the "Yellow Heaven Saint" truly distributed the money and grain that he had plundered, and the land he obtained was also completely distributed to the poor people.

If the "Yellow Heaven Saint" had not been executed by Heaven and burned to death in the Azure Flames, there would have been many people in Yu Province willing to risk their lives to support him had he been defeated.

However, precisely because many people had more "land of unknown origin" in their hands, many felt that this was directed at them.

In an instant, discussions arose among the people, and there were many protests and objections, making the resistance seem extremely large.

As these related documents and intelligence were sent to Ruyang, Zhuge Liang's worries became increasingly apparent.

For Zhuge Liang, who still lacked experience in governance, this situation was undoubtedly extremely棘手. When reporting to Li Ji, he sighed with distress on his face.

"Teacher, it is clear that the inspection of farmland is a great thing for the people, so why does the greatest resistance come from the people?"

The young and precocious Zhuge Liang seemed somewhat frustrated.

He originally thought that the most important thing to be wary of in the farmland inspection would be the powerful families sabotaging it, but what Zhuge Liang never expected was such a strong opposition from the people.

"If the farmland is not inspected and the government does not issue land deeds to those people, do they really think they can keep the land in their hands?"

"If it weren't for the lord's benevolence and the teacher's reorganization of the officialdom in Yu Province, so that the powerful families in various places would not dare to act rashly, I am afraid that they would have used various overt and covert means to seize the land back long ago."

The worries of young people are different.

And Zhuge Liang's worries, who was wholeheartedly devoted to public service, came from governance, feeling both frustrated and ironic.

Clearly, it was a policy that benefited the people and harmed the interests of the powerful families, but the result was that the people opposed it and the powerful families supported it.

Seeing Zhuge Liang's rare frustrated appearance, Li Ji found it amusing.

Only after Zhuge Liang poured out all the bitterness in his heart to Li Ji, and gradually calmed down, did Li Ji push a cup of tea to Zhuge Liang and say.

"Liang'er, always remember one sentence: Never underestimate the power of the people, and do not overestimate the vision of the people."

"Moreover, we, as those who govern, naturally see the whole picture, but if we were to ask the people to always consider the whole picture, wouldn't that be asking the impossible?"

"What difference is there between asking 'Why don't they eat meat porridge?' when the people have no food and are about to starve to death?"

At this time, there was naturally no allusion to "Why don't they eat meat porridge?", but Li Ji's example made Zhuge Liang instantly understand the commonality between the two.

This immediately caused a look of shame to appear on Zhuge Liang's face.

Zhuge Liang did not understand why the people did not understand that the government was implementing benevolent policies that were beneficial to them, but Zhuge Liang had never truly experienced the plight of the people.

Especially since the people of Yu Province had just experienced a year of turmoil and famine, they were afraid of poverty and hunger, and it was rare for them to have more land, so naturally, they were unwilling to let go.

And Li Ji paused slightly before continuing to speak.

"Of course, more importantly, the local governments have repeatedly produced corrupt officials, so how much prestige do they still have in the eyes of the people?"

"It is only natural for the people to have concerns and worries about such closely related policies."

Liu Bei's prestige in Yu Province would naturally not be low, but if he expected to rely on Liu Bei's personal prestige to make the illiterate people in various places infinitely support the government, that would be pure wishful thinking.

In the current situation in Yu Province, I am afraid that more people have not yet been able to distinguish the essential changes that have taken place in the government of Yu Province.

Just like, the people would not care about the issue of "the replacement of the emperor," nor would they be able to understand the deep connection between Liu Huangshu, the governor of Yangzhou, and the government of Yu Province.

Under Li Ji's guidance, Zhuge Liang also suddenly woke up and understood the problem.

After Zhuge Liang pondered slightly, he asked.

"Teacher, then how should we gain the trust of the people now? And how can we make the people believe that the inspection of farmland is beneficial to them?"

"This matter is easy."

Li Ji took a sip of tea and then said.

"Issue another announcement, stating that the current government of Yu Province is temporarily under the jurisdiction of the lord, adhering to the lord's benevolent intentions. In view of the frequent opposition from the people in various places, the government has decided to postpone the farmland inspection."

Zhuge Liang looked at Li Ji blankly, unable to react for a moment as to why he should do so.

The farmland inspection was so crucial, Zhuge Liang now knew very well that this was not a matter of one city or one place, but a major event concerning the entire Han Empire in the future.

For this reason, Zhuge Liang was already determined to persevere despite the resistance, even if there was a certain amount of bloodshed and sacrifice.

"But…"

Before Zhuge Liang could ask, Li Ji raised his hand to interrupt him.

"What does Liang'er think the reaction of the people of Yu Province will be when this announcement is made? What will be the reaction of the powerful families in Yu Province?"

Following Li Ji's words, Zhuge Liang blurted out the answer.

"Once this matter is announced, the people will definitely have a great change in their perception of the government, and understand the connection between the lord and the government of Yu Province, greatly increasing their trust in the government…"

"As for the powerful families in Yu Province, they will naturally be anxious and worried."

(End of chapter)