Chapter 117: Encountering Yan He on the Road

When asked about his ambitions, Meng Di hesitated for a moment before a look of composure settled upon his face.

"The feudal lords of the present day are constantly at war with one another. If this continues, it will inevitably lead to years of endless conflict. Since that is the case, it would be better to unify all these regions. Firstly, it would reduce the frequency of war, and secondly, it would allow the common people to live and work in peace."

Ji Ran nodded, his expression showing that he understood, and then he spoke.

"In that case, I have a suggestion. In the past, King Wu of Chu, Xiong Tong, conquered the state of Quan and implemented the county system there, appointing county magistrates to manage the territory on his behalf. Duke Mu of Qin, who led the state of Qin to hegemony, implemented the commandery system."

"The so-called commandery system entails establishing a hundred counties within a thousand-mile territory, with each county governing four sub-districts. These methods can effectively strengthen a ruler's control over the regions and bolster the sovereign's power."

"Therefore, it is my belief that if you wish to unify these states, you must possess formidable strength. Currently, the House of Zhou is in decline, the state of Jin—though still a hegemon—is increasingly waning, the state of Qi is rife with undercurrents, and the state of Chu has suffered a defeat."

"It is evident that an era of chaos is approaching, and the various feudal lords will rise to contend for the world. Under such circumstances, you may choose either of these methods, appointing officials to govern on your behalf, so that you may compete with the other warlords."

Upon hearing this, Meng Di realized that at this point in time, the 'county' was a larger administrative unit than the 'commandery,' which differed from the commandery-county system of the Han Dynasty. After considering it, he decided to stick to his own conventions and said, "Let us use the commandery-county system as a foundation. Following the method of Duke Mu of Qin, one commandery shall be divided into four counties. We shall base the promotion and advancement of local officials on the size of the population and the amount of grain produced."

Ji Ran did not mind; he assumed Meng Di merely wanted to change the terminology to differentiate his approach from that of Duke Mu of Qin. Once this was settled, he thought for a moment and continued, "If we are to do this, you will need talent in all areas, and it will take at least a year or two of preparation. During this time, you may send people to gather information about the situation in the Huaiyi region. If the timing is right, you could occupy it first."

This was a major undertaking that could not be rushed. If nothing else, the commandery-county system itself required careful deliberation to formulate appropriate and comprehensive laws based on current conditions, thereby avoiding many future complications.

Afterward, Meng Di and Ji Ran discussed the matter until late into the night, by which time they had a rough plan in place.

The following morning, a proclamation was issued within the Meng territory: the families of all those who enlisted in the army, including children between the ages of twelve and eighteen, could report to local government offices to receive free education. Those who achieved excellent results could be directly appointed as officials.

This caused an uproar. In this era, while there were occasionally talented individuals recognized and promoted by rulers, such cases were rare; the majority of officials were still selected from the ranks of the nobility. Commoners could not even dream of such a thing, yet Meng Di had done exactly that. Of course, there were restrictions: there must be someone in the family serving in the army, and only one person could be recommended per family.

Once the news spread, the common people of Meng were ecstatic. Many who had previously remained on the sidelines now rushed to enlist without a second thought, if only to secure a future for their descendants. This triggered another wave of enlistment, though the numbers were smaller than before since most of the population had already been screened once. This time, nearly three thousand men were selected, bringing the total military force to nearly twenty thousand.

This left Meng Di having to handle administrative affairs himself. He could not rely on Han Zhan, who was completely illiterate, but fortunately, he had Liu Xia Tuo, who was of noble birth and well-versed in reading and writing.

Overwhelmed, Meng Di felt for the first time that he had far too few subordinates—a complete lack of manpower. After processing documents for several consecutive days, he felt dizzy and disoriented, finding it quite difficult to adapt.

He decided to step out of his residence for a walk. He took only two guards with him, while the rest followed in plain clothes, blending into the crowd. Meng Di wanted to clear his head and, at the same time, learn about the current prices of goods.

As he was walking, he found his path blocked by a middle-aged man in green robes. Looking at his appearance, the man had a certain ethereal, scholarly air. Just as his guards were about to push the man aside, Meng Di raised his hand to stop them.

He was traveling incognito precisely because he did not want to attract the attention of the populace, so he intended to walk around him. Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man looked at him, smiled slightly, and asked, "May I ask if you are the Lord of Meng, Meng Zi?"

Recognized, Meng Di was startled for a moment before he laughed. "I am Meng Di. May I ask who you are, sir?"

The man nodded, looked him up and down, and said, "I am Yan He. Passing through the Fei territory today, I wanted to come in and take a look. I never expected to meet Meng Zi in person; it is truly a great honor. However, I have a few questions I would like to ask. I wonder if Meng Zi has the time?"

Yan He? The name sounded familiar. He remembered that Confucius had a disciple named Yan Hui, but the names were quite different, so they were likely not the same person. Still, he could not quite place where he had heard the name.

However, judging by the man's demeanor, he was clearly a person of talent. He had obviously deduced Meng Di's identity through some means unknown to him, suggesting a sharp mind. This piqued Meng Di's interest, so he said, "Please speak freely, Mr. Yan. As long as it is something I can tell you, I will not hold anything back."

Hearing this, Yan He smiled, raised his hand, pointed to some farmers passing by in the distance, and asked curiously, "I would like to know why Meng Zi has reduced land taxes in the Meng territory, and why you do not conscript these people for war. Are you not worried that a powerful enemy might invade? Or does Meng Zi have other plans in mind?"

This question touched upon sensitive matters, so Meng Di considered it carefully before responding.

"The most important task for these common people is to till the fields and grow grain. If the fields were to lie fallow because of war, not only might people starve in the coming year, but the strength of the Meng territory would also diminish."

"Therefore, I came up with a method: let those who are capable enlist in the army, while the others labor in peace. In this way, everyone fulfills their own duty, and the Meng territory will not suffer from famine even if we go to war."