Chapter 1055: It's Not That I Won't, But That I Can't

Inside the carriage, Zhou Yu looked at Sun Ce with a helpless expression. To be honest, he didn’t agree with bringing Zhou Tai to Mount Tai for treatment. Not only had Zhang Zhongjing already determined that Zhou Tai could only recover naturally, but having Sun Ce personally escort him was indeed a bit excessive.

Although Zhou Yu had promised Sun Ce that as long as Sun Ce trusted him, he would do everything in his power to provide a comprehensive plan, a "perfect plan" didn’t mean that unexpected events wouldn’t occur.

Zhou Yu knew all too well that the most difficult thing to guard against in this world was the unexpected. No matter how brilliant your strategy or how extraordinary your talents, sometimes fate simply doesn’t allow you to succeed.

Thus, the so-called "perfect plan" was merely a figure of speech. It was nearly impossible to guarantee 100% success. That’s why Zhou Yu actually opposed Sun Ce bringing Zhou Tai to Hua Tuo for treatment, especially since Mount Tai was under Liu Bei’s control.

Unfortunately, Sun Ce was incredibly stubborn, and once he made up his mind, there was no convincing him otherwise. While Zhou Yu’s reasoning was sound, Sun Ce’s response was simple: he owed Zhou Tai a life. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, or even none at all, Sun Ce would still try.

What touched people most about Sun Ce was probably this sincerity and loyalty. Zhou Yu, seeing Sun Ce’s unwavering determination, said nothing more. He knew Sun Ce was someone best managed with gentle persuasion rather than opposition—this was Zhou Yu’s conclusion about Sun Ce.

As for the old saying, "A son of nobility doesn’t sit under the eaves of danger," Zhou Yu let it go. At least by allowing Sun Ce to exhaust all options, he would calm down and focus on other matters with a clearer mind.

Thus, when Sun Ce brought this matter before Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, and Zhuge Jin, Zhou Yu supported him. Zhang Zhao didn’t dare criticize Sun Ce’s lack of caution, but he had no reservations about scolding Zhou Yu. Naturally, Zhou Yu endured the scolding, knowing full well that he had to accompany Sun Ce on this risky endeavor.

In the end, the decision was forcibly pushed through. No matter how much Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Jiang Qin, or Zhang Zhao opposed it, when Sun Ce made up his mind, no one could stop him.

Regarding Sun Ce’s recklessness, Zhang Zhao and the others were all quite troubled, but privately they couldn’t help but respect him. After all, such actions reassured his subordinates. Although Sun Ce was brash and reckless, he was open to advice and valued loyalty.

Perhaps Zhou Yu’s judgment was influenced by his subjective feelings, but he realized he never would have agreed to such a risky venture under normal circumstances. He wouldn’t have drawn up a detailed plan for entering Mount Tai and prepared a retreat in case they were discovered.

"No matter what, we’ll reach Mount Tai today. While Liu Bei’s main forces are in Ye City, we’ll have the greatest physician in the world examine Youping and find out what’s really going on," Sun Ce said gravely, looking at Zhou Tai, who lay unconscious in the carriage.

Although Sun Ce was brash, he wasn’t foolish. He knew that Zhang Zhongjing’s medical skills were on par with Hua Tuo’s. Since Zhang Zhongjing had already concluded that Zhou Tai could only recover on his own, it was unlikely that Hua Tuo could offer a different prognosis.

However, Sun Ce was clinging to the hope that Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo had different areas of expertise and that Hua Tuo might specialize in treating Zhou Tai’s kind of difficult illness.

For the possibility of a cure, Sun Ce took the risk of traveling to Mount Tai in person. As a lord, he had done all he could for Zhou Tai. Many had advised him to send someone else with Zhou Tai, but Sun Ce refused. It wasn’t just about sincerity—he wanted to see Liu Bei’s territory with his own eyes.

Zhou Yu left Sun Ce to his thoughts. Since entering Xuzhou, Zhou Yu had been pondering. Compared to their own territory, Liu Bei’s governance was vastly different. These differences were subtle but, when pieced together, Zhou Yu realized that Liu Bei’s territory had already diverged completely from theirs.

Whether it was the well-maintained roads their carriage traveled on, the solid stone bridges they passed, or the irrigation systems being dug even in the cold wind, everything demonstrated that Liu Bei’s administration was fundamentally different from theirs.

"Gongjin, what are you thinking about?" Sun Ce noticed Zhou Yu deep in thought and asked.

"I’m just surprised by how many of Liu Xuande’s policies are shockingly effective. Things that seem unrelated come together to form a clear picture," Zhou Yu said slowly, opening the carriage window. In the distance, there was a village where people were building fences. Zhou Yu gazed at it and sighed.

"That little fence, barely over ten feet high—what’s the point of it?" Sun Ce scoffed. "And it’s just a village, after all."

"Bofu, you don’t understand. Think about our Yangzhou. How many people live in one village there, and how many are here?" Zhou Yu shook his head. "In Yangzhou, a large village might have three or four hundred people. But this village likely has over five thousand. Do you understand what that means?"

Sun Ce shook his head, not comprehending Zhou Yu’s point.

"It means that this area is under the direct control of government officials. It’s no longer governed by village elders or local gentry in a semi-autonomous way; instead, it’s fully managed by the state," Zhou Yu explained. "And we’ve seen several villages like this along the way. They’ve probably consolidated smaller villages into larger ones."

Sun Ce still didn’t fully grasp it, but Zhou Yu didn’t elaborate further. He understood the benefits, but he also knew how difficult it was to implement. Large-scale villages like these required vast tracts of land, effective irrigation systems, and convenient transportation—all essential for supporting such a population.

The advantages were obvious: easier administration, increased efficiency, access to labor for major projects, reduced costs, and greater control over the populace. It was a win-win. But the problem was that Sun Ce couldn’t afford it.

Building such large villages required massive investment, and land acquisition was a nightmare. Without enough contiguous land, how could you build a central village?

In the late Han Dynasty, there was a severe "shortage of land for the people." While commoners lacked land, the gentry owned vast estates. The problem was that villages like these needed hundreds, if not thousands, of acres of land to function. Who could provide that land, other than the gentry?

Reclaiming wasteland? The best, most fertile land had already been claimed by the gentry. Opening up less fertile land would yield poor results in the first few years, which would only create resentment among the people. And the cost of irrigation and transportation infrastructure? That was something Zhou Yu could only dream about right now.

At least until they could reclaim the land held by the gentry, this kind of initiative was out of reach. They needed the support of the gentry more than anything right now. Compared to the weak backing from the common folk, the power of the gentry was indispensable.

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