Chapter 0040 Yishui Talks About the World
Luhun Pass was already behind them, and cheers could be heard faintly from Guanzhong. A hint of pride appeared on Li Yu's face. Nearly a thousand people were following him, including four hundred cavalrymen, Sui soldiers who had surrendered from Luhun Pass, and two hundred young and strong men from Luhun Pass.
These young and strong men were all ordinary people in Guanzhong who joined Li Yu's team after Li Yu killed corrupt officials and local tyrants in Guanzhong. Li Yu selected two hundred young and strong men and took them away from Luhun Pass. Behind them were carriages carrying countless herbs and food, which were all captured from Luhun Pass.
By the Yi River, Yang Ruoxi looked at the riverbank in the distance. When she saw countless cavalrymen appearing on the riverbank, she suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Although she knew that Li Yu would definitely win, she did not feel relieved until Li Yu's army appeared.
"So many people!" Yang Qing'er exclaimed.
"The number of people is wrong." Cen Wenben suddenly said, "There are not so many people at Luhun Pass. There are almost a thousand people. How could the young general bring so many people?"
"Sir, did you say that the enemy has arrived?" Yang Ruoxi shook her head and said.
"It shouldn't happen. The army has started to cross the river. The major general should have returned. But this person? Could it be that the major general has recruited a lot of troops?" Cen Wenben was very curious. He thought that Li Yu would defeat the enemy and seize Luhun Pass, and some people would surrender to Li Yu, but there would definitely not be so many.
"Sir, Li Yu is back." In just a few minutes, Li Yu's warhorse appeared in front of everyone. He said with a smile, "Luhun Pass has been taken. Not only did we get a lot of herbs, but we also got a lot of money and food."
"Did you steal it?" Cen Wenben couldn't help but say.
"No, Li Yu killed the corrupt officials and local tyrants in Guanzhong." Li Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Not only that, I also burned their land deeds and IOUs, and distributed the land of those local tyrants to the poor people in Guanzhong, so some young and strong people in Guanzhong followed me back. Our troops have exceeded one thousand people."
"You are courting death!" Cen Wenben suddenly sighed, "General, don't you know the consequences of this? The world today is ruled by aristocratic families. Some of these aristocratic families are well-known throughout the world, while others are famous in prefectures and counties. Even the worst ones are in prefectures and counties, and they are also members of aristocratic families. The local tyrants and evil gentry in Luhun Pass may not be taken seriously by the general, but they are also members of aristocratic families. It would be fine if the general killed them, but he also distributed the land to those poor people, which is a big taboo. Once this matter spreads, the general will become the enemy of the world."
"Of course I know, but Li Yu has no other way, sir. The world is so big now, and Li Yu has no other way. If he wants to increase his power at this time, isn't this the only way?" Li Yu shook his head and said, "But I don't regret doing this. Sir, you are the smartest person in the world. Can't you see that the aristocratic families control all the money and land in the world? Eighty percent or even ninety percent of the land in the world is in the hands of the aristocratic families. This is also the root cause of the chaos in the world, sir, isn't it?"
Cen Wenben remained silent after hearing this. Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, the aristocratic families have occupied a lot of land and money. Now the aristocratic families are becoming more and more prosperous, while ordinary people are becoming poorer. But the world is all owned by aristocratic families. Can Li Yu make a name for himself? At this time, he has even less confidence in Li Yu.
"Everyone knows about the troubles of aristocratic families. But there is no way to change it. Do you think you can change it, General?" Cen Wenben looked at Yang Ruoxi in the distance and said, "Let alone others, even if the general himself is actually a member of aristocratic family, and his wife is also a member of aristocratic family, can the general change it?"
"It can't be changed. The aristocratic world that has been passed down for hundreds of years cannot be changed in a short period of time. It will take more than a hundred years to change it." Li Yu shook his head and said, "In fact, Yang Guang is still very good in this regard. The imperial examination is relatively fair. Sir, if the poor want to change their status, they just need to study. If one day, I will definitely let the people have books to read, everyone has the opportunity to become an official, and everyone has the opportunity to participate in government affairs. The world is not the world of the aristocratic families, but the world of the people. What do you think, sir?"
Cen Wenben's eyes were wide open, with a strange light flashing in the depths of his eyes. He did not expect Li Yu to have such thoughts, which shocked him.
"Why don't you have such confidence, sir? Do you still think that the world is still ruled by aristocratic families? Do you think that the people of the world should be exploited by aristocratic families?" Li Yu looked at Cen Wenben and said. He knew that his idea was naive, and it would be even more difficult to succeed.
Cen Wenben smiled and said, "General, you are so brave. I admire you. But this road is very difficult! Will you become an enemy of the whole world?"
"Isn't it now?" Li Yu said indifferently: "Look, now we have defeated Yuwen Tianbao, captured Luhun Pass, and killed so many people. The old thief Yuwen will definitely not let us go, and those aristocratic families are all ambitious. They can't wait to take my life and use it as a stepping stone for them."
Cen Wenben said in a low voice: "If the general wants to change the world, the most important thing now is to survive. Moreover, it is best not to do what you are doing today unless you have no other choice. Only when the general seizes the world will you be able to realize your ambitions."
"The world is so big, but I don't know where there is a place that can almost realize my dream, Li Yu." Li Yu looked into the distance and sighed deeply. His eyes inadvertently swept over Cen Wenben. In charging into battle and fighting on the battlefield, Li Yu was no less than others, but in terms of political awareness, Li Yu was still a little behind, especially in the late Sui Dynasty when aristocratic families were rampant.
"The world is so big that it's best to occupy Guanzhong and rely on Tongguan to dominate the world. The second is to occupy Guandong. One relies on the Guanlong nobles, and the other relies on the Guandong aristocratic families, but the general has nothing to do with either of them. In this way, there are only three other places. The third is Jiangnan. Although there are some aristocratic families in Jiangnan, there are not many, such as the Xiao, Shen, Xie, Wang and other aristocratic families. The fourth is Bashu. There are not many aristocratic families. There was a saying that the world was divided into three parts in the past, but the terrain of Bashu is dangerous and difficult to enter and exit. The fifth the northwest. There are almost no aristocratic families in this place. For the general, there is no resistance at all, but the disadvantages are also obvious, that is, the sparse population and lack of food and grass." Cen Wenben looked at Li Yu and comforted him, "General, go through Nanyang and enter Jianghuai. With Jianghuai as the foundation, you can take Jiangnan in the south and enter the Central Plains in the north, avoiding the aristocratic families. You may have a chance to unify the world."
Now, as long as Li Jing operates properly, it will be no problem for him to escape from Yuwen Shu's encirclement. Cen Wenben is grateful for Li Yu's ambition and finally can't help but help him analyze the overall situation of the world.
