Three Kingdoms, Myth

Cao Cao couldn't care less whether Yuan Shu was favored by the heavens or not. Once Xun Yu had decided on a strategy to seize Wan City, Cao Cao was determined to take it!

That's why, before Yuan Shu could even react, Cao Cao had already captured Wan City. Xun Yu and his companions were not the type to resort to a siege unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, at that time, Wan City was a hub of commerce, with both the Xun and Chen families operating businesses there.

Before Yuan Shu's defeat at Jiangling, Xun Yu had already anticipated Chen Xi's tactics for attacking Pingyu by recruiting grave robbers. He had then arranged for wells to be dug in Wan City.

However, Wan City was not under lockdown at that time and remained a commercial center. Goods flowed in and out freely, and with the right bribes, no one bothered to inspect anything closely. Taking advantage of this, Xun Yu and Chen Qun used their family trade routes to conceal their activities and dug a tunnel leading outside the city before Yuan Shu's return.

Thanks to this tunnel, Xiahou Yuan was able to lead a rapid, covert march to Wan City, arriving without detection. He used the tunnel to capture the city overnight. The wealthiest city in the land had changed hands, and by the next morning, many of its residents were unaware that anything had happened.

Following this, Cao Cao's forces swiftly swept through the northern part of Wan City, seizing half of Nanyang with lightning speed, bringing over a million people under his control.

By the time Chen Xi received word of these developments, he was already nearing Taishan. Chen Xi had taken so much from Pingyu, which was the most prosperous area in Runan, the gem of Yu Province, that he had stripped it clean. From the treasury to the population, anything Chen Xi deemed valuable was taken.

First, Chen Xi seized the grain and money from the treasury. Even though Yu Province, known as the "Granary of the World," had not yet collected the summer taxes, the treasury still held over two million bushels of grain. Chen Xi wasted no time in commandeering all the carts in Pingyu to transport the grain, knowing that filling his own stores was the best course of action.

After clearing out the grain and money, Chen Xi began selecting literate scholars from Runan. As long as they weren't from aristocratic families, he rounded them up, whether they were willing or not, and relocated their entire families. He offered generous benefits: a hundred acres of land, a house, and provisions—essentially a guaranteed livelihood in exchange for moving to Qing Province.

Despite these generous offers, half of the scholars in Runan refused to leave. In the end, Chen Xi resorted to forcibly relocating them, packing up their entire families along with all their belongings, even pets, and sending them to Qing Province.

Chen Xi was well aware that these scholars would eventually adjust their attitudes once they saw the grand library in Taishan. He understood that Yu Province would soon face chaos, and that bringing these scholars to Qing Province to enrich its cultural landscape was the best course of action.

After packing up the scholars, he turned to craftsmen—blacksmiths, miners, carpenters, doctors, and even those skilled in making sugared hawthorn sticks. Another group was packed onto carts and sent away. Unlike the scholars, the craftsmen were much easier to deal with; as soon as Chen Xi's soldiers showed up with swords drawn, they were more than willing to follow orders.

With their families packed up, Chen Xi realized he had relocated nearly 300,000 people. Fortunately, Lu Su was well-organized, and the Qing Province soldiers maintained order during the migration, resulting in minimal casualties along the way.

Hua Xiong couldn't understand why Chen Xi was doing all this, and even Lu Su and Liu Ye thought it was unnecessary. Both had opposed Chen Xi's forced relocation of scholars.

As for Li You and Jia Xu, they hadn't expressed any opinions at the start; they simply went about their own business.

These two had too much experience. As soon as Chen Xi began his operations, Jia Xu followed suit by relocating craftsmen from Qiao County. His methods were so efficient that they made Chen Xi feel inadequate. Chen Xi even suspected that Jia Xu had long wanted to do this but had been waiting for someone else to take the blame.

Liu Ye thought the relocations were unnecessary, and Chen Xi had a hard time convincing him otherwise. By the time Chen Xi learned how Li You and Jia Xu were convincing the scholars to move, he realized just how naive he had been.

Li You distributed many books, all in paper format. When these books fell into the hands of various scholars, Li You would retrieve them and inform the scholars that the Taishan Library would allow them to borrow such books, provided they registered their household in Taishan or Qing Province.

Li You even showed them a household registration card, demonstrating the process. His experience and foresight left Chen Xi feeling helpless; it was no wonder this man had once held power over the entire empire. His methods were unparalleled—one move to solve both the relocation and future household registration issues, all without coercion, but rather by making the scholars beg for it.

The scholars were not fools. Upon learning that registering in Taishan would grant them access to borrow books, and seeing Li You's kind demeanor, those who had found books quietly made plans to move. In the end, most of them did not return the household registration cards to Li You. As for the few who refused to admit they had found books, Li You simply ensured they would learn their lesson.

The scholars realized that settling in Taishan would allow them to borrow thousands of books freely. Considering their current circumstances, they had no reason to hesitate. Moving was the only sensible choice.

As word spread, scholars from all over Pei County began making their way toward Taishan and Qing Province. Even some disillusioned sons of aristocratic families joined the migration, drawn by the prospect of a library filled with free books. For a scholar in the late Han period, a place where one could read without charge was a rare treasure. Moreover, traveling was a common practice for scholars, provided their shoes could withstand the journey.

When Chen Xi learned of this, he immediately ordered his men to spread the word about the benefits of settling in Taishan. Whether the scholars believed it or not, they would see the truth for themselves once they arrived. It was also an opportunity for Chen Xi to redeem his reputation!

By providing this information now, once the library was built, these scholars—who had benefited from the relocation—would be less likely to harbor resentment, and any negative remarks would have little impact on Chen Xi's standing.

After all, once the library was established, Chen Xi's prestige would be beyond reproach.