Chapter 938: Expanding the Territory

If Xu Ziyuan's "Remarkable Women Ranking" caused a major uproar, then the release of the "Heroes Ranking" was like a tidal wave, shaking the entire scholarly world of the Central Plains. The condemnation was deafening.

In short, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce were all excluded from the ranking, none of them qualified.

Using Xu Ziyuan’s words: "To maintain peace and prosperity in the Han dynasty is the duty of virtuous rulers and capable ministers. To enjoy a lifetime of glory and wealth, leaving a name in history, one must bear the responsibility of a lifetime."

The chaos in the world and the decline of the Han dynasty were not caused by the people rising in revolt, but by the pressures of survival, which was the fault of the Han court. He figuratively threw a large pot of blame at the Han court’s feet.

Given the state of the world now, what right did these individuals in high positions have to be included in a ranking of heroes or exceptional leaders? Selecting from them would be like picking the tallest dwarf. Xu Ziyuan refused to be a part of it, saying that until the world is unified and the Han dynasty is at peace, none of these people qualify!

Under this premise, achievements would only be recognized based on territorial expansion, defending the nation’s borders, protecting the people, and civilizing barbarians. As for educating the Han people, that was already their responsibility — one they had simply failed to fulfill.

Thus, the ranking compiled under such criteria enraged the scholars of the world. The top position didn’t even feature a name, just a single sentence: "Sword edges swept through Xiliang, iron cavalry trampled the northern frontier, flourishing like a dream, now faded into the past."

Although Xu Ziyuan didn’t name anyone, those who could understand the ranking knew this was referring to Dong Zhuo — the complete embodiment of Dong Zhuo.

With such a ranking, even though it wasn’t explicitly stated, everyone knew Dong Zhuo ranked first, naturally causing an uproar among scholars. Some even went as far as to accuse Xu Ziyuan of being disloyal and disrespectful, but such attacks had no effect. After all, Dong Zhuo’s actions before entering Luoyang were genuinely notable accomplishments in defending the nation.

More importantly, the ranking didn’t take into account how many dirty deeds were done in the Central Plains. It only measured territorial expansion, defending the nation, protecting the people, and civilizing barbarians. During his time in Xiliang, Dong Zhuo was indeed responsible for safeguarding the land, reclaiming territory seized by the Qiang and other barbarian groups.

Second on the list was Gongsun Zan. If Liu Yu hadn’t come after him, there wouldn’t have been much to say, but Gongsun Zan placed second without Liu Yu being tied for the spot, reigniting the long-dormant conflict between the factions of scholars who supported military conquest and those who supported education and civilization.

Of course, aside from those scholars who enjoyed debating for the sake of it, most agreed that Gongsun Zan’s placement was justified. He had consistently defended the borders, and even when he went to war with Yuan Shao, he didn’t dismantle the final line of defense in the north.

In terms of external ruthlessness, Gongsun Zan was no less than Dong Zhuo. The key difference, however, was that Gongsun Zan’s final line of defense only secured Youzhou, whereas Dong Zhuo's Xiliang cavalry had never allowed the Qiang to reclaim their lost lands.

Third place went to Yuan Shao, who had been heavily criticized for a long time after defeating Gongsun Zan. However, recent revelations surprised many — Yuan Shao had been fighting the Xianbei continuously, and the war in Bingzhou had never ceased. The reason Lü Bu was able to remain in Bingzhou was due to Yuan Shao's tacit approval. Yuan Shao simply didn’t pursue the Xianbei as aggressively as Gongsun Zan had on the northern plains.

Once this fact was understood, the scholars shifted their criticism toward Liu Bei. However, unlike Yuan Shao, Liu Bei didn’t have much to criticize. Though he hadn’t achieved significant military success in foreign wars, his steady progress toward the path of sagehood was evident to all. He was focused on both external and internal affairs.

Fourth place went to Lü Bu. No matter how one looked at it, Lü Bu's accomplishments were undeniable. He had reclaimed Wuyuan and Jiuyuan, and to this day, continued to fight on the northern frontlines. Unlike the previous three, Lü Bu was still alive and actively fighting!

Fifth place wasn’t a single person but a group, with no individual names listed, just another line: "Iron cavalry from Xiliang, returned from the distant Central Plains."

Naturally, this caused another round of scolding. The Xiliang generals, from Dong Zhuo onward, were labeled as national traitors by the scholars of Guandong. Yet, not only did Dong Zhuo top the ranking, but the Xiliang soldiers were also ranked.

However, not everyone was against this. Li Jue, in this lifetime, had more or less balanced his merits and demerits. Although his reputation was terrible, it couldn’t be denied that he had done much to suppress the Qiang and other barbarian groups. Before leaving, he had inflicted heavy damage on several Qiang tribes.

Sixth place was Liu Yu, who had successfully educated and civilized barbarians beyond the Han borders. Yet, Xu Ziyuan’s comment for him was, "Strengthen the core, weaken the periphery. As long as the Han dynasty remains the legitimate ruler, that is enough. Do not confuse the primary and secondary, or it will bring calamity to future generations."

Liu Yu, upon seeing this comment in Chang'an, fell silent for a long time. Since he had been in Chang'an for quite some time, without the endless administrative work or the need to attend court, he had ample time to reflect and read ancient texts. The success of the Ma family in educating and civilizing the Qiang made Liu Yu begin to question whether the Ma family had assimilated the Qiang or if the Qiang had assimilated the Ma family. Was what he once believed to be pure righteousness truly so?

His previous success had been guaranteed by Gongsun Zan’s military might. Once that power was gone, relying solely on righteousness and trust, without fully incorporating the barbarians into the values of Confucianism and benevolence, would they truly not rebel?

This was why Liu Yu didn't refute his lower ranking this time. As a highly competent civil servant, he had begun to reflect on history after stepping outside his previous framework, gaining new insights. This was also why Liu Yu refrained from engaging in the ongoing debate between the factions of military conquest and education.

"Xu Ziyuan's evaluations..." Li You handed the list to Liu Bei without giving his own opinion, his expression calm.

After skimming through the ranking, Liu Bei frowned slightly, but then his expression became serene as he remarked, "Setting aside other matters, at least Xu Ziyuan’s statement, ‘Maintaining peace and ensuring the people's well-being is the duty of officials. It’s only because most fail in their duties that people have forgotten this should be the norm,’ is quite accurate."

"It’s similar to what Zichuan said: ‘Not being corrupt and serving the people is a basic duty, not a reason for reward.’ We’ve forgotten too many responsibilities, and what we’re doing now is merely our duty. As for those on the list, they failed in their primary duties but succeeded in other areas," Liu Bei said, shaking his head. "So, it’s not a big deal."

Liu Bei’s words were calm, showing he wasn’t particularly concerned with Xu Ziyuan’s ranking. However, his next words brought a smile to Li You’s face: "But since we’re doing well in our primary duties, perhaps it’s time we did something else to make an impact as well!"

Clearly, Xu Ziyuan's ranking had stirred some feelings in Liu Bei. No matter how many internal successes they achieved, they couldn’t compare to expanding their territory. How embarrassing!

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