Chapter 86: Poor families are not without scholars!
The night breeze was blowing gently, and the atmosphere in the courtyard was solemn.

Ye Feng raised his lips slightly: "Who said I don't have a better system for selecting talents?"

"Oh?"

Zhang Jue said with great interest, "I'd like to hear more about it!"

"Poor families are not without scholars!"

"Shepherding a region and serving as an official are not the privileges of aristocratic families alone."

"Ok?"

Zhang Jue's eyes flashed with a gleam of light. "Because the poor are born with much less resources than the children of the noble families, no matter their knowledge or erudition, they are all inferior. This is why no monarch has wanted to change the selection system for hundreds of years."

"It's hard to reverse the situation. How can a single sentence change it?"

Ye Feng smiled faintly: "A single flower does not make spring, but a hundred flowers in full bloom make the whole garden full of spring."

“If we can establish a selection system based on fairness, regardless of high or low status, and make unified selections, we can put children from poor families and children from aristocratic families on the same level, breaking the monopoly of children from aristocratic families on official positions.”

"First, it can promote healthy competition in the court. Second, it can make all officials understand that their positions are not given by a certain person, but by the emperor and the court."

"In the long run, will the influence of the aristocratic families on the empire still exist?"

Zhang Jue was stunned, and after a brief consideration, he looked shocked.

"You were born into a noble family, but you are digging up the foundation of your family. You are willing to do so if you are the emperor."

"But everyone has their own selfish desires. Those who followed you to conquer the world, would they be willing to give up all the wealth and glory they have obtained and let their descendants forget about them?"

"Then you will be surrounded by people who oppose you."

“Because you are standing against the vested interests.”

Ye Feng smiled and said, "The capable ones are promoted, and the mediocre ones are demoted. This is the basis for me to establish my power."

"If they really have the ability to get rid of me, then go ahead and make up the rules."

"But if I don't have that ability, I can only go on according to my ideas."

"Even if there are countless difficulties ahead, even if there are countless oppositions, I have a sword, so what do I have to fear?"

“After a storm, the rainbow looks better, doesn’t it?”

Zhang Jue laughed heartily, clapped his hands and praised, "My courage is far inferior to yours."

“I hope you can keep your original intention when you ascend to the world.”

“A harmonious society may not be achievable, but I do look forward to a relatively fair society.”

"Boy, I will watch you reach the peak from the bottom of my heart."

"If you succeed, don't forget to come to my grave and toast me a glass of wine."

"Ha ha!!"

"The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky is coming, the year is Jiazi, and the world is at peace"

As the slogans of the Yellow Turban uprising rang out across the country, Zhang Jue's hearty laughter came to an abrupt end.

Zhang Ning and Zhang Baojun on the side both cried out sadly, "Father (brother)."

But no matter how the two shouted, Zhang Jue could no longer open his eyes.

Ye Feng looked at the demise of the hero and felt extremely complicated.

Through several contacts, he also discovered that Zhang Jue wanted to do something for the people of the world, but unfortunately he was born at the wrong time and God was not on his side.

With a sigh, he subconsciously walked to Zhang Ning's side, took the beauty into his arms, and said softly: "Hang up the white flag tomorrow morning, revive your father-in-law, and leave Xindu as soon as possible."

"This is going to be a meat grinder battlefield."

After he finished speaking, his figure flashed and disappeared directly into the courtyard.

Zhang Bao, who originally thought Ye Feng was extremely cold-blooded, heard the title of "father-in-law" and remembered Zhang Jiao's words when he stepped onto the altar, "The most affectionate are the ruthless people!"

The next day, at dawn, cries were heard everywhere in Xindu.

Countless people spontaneously came to the general's mansion and cried loudly.

"My son had an acute illness and nearly died. Thanks to the great sage master's skillful hands and compassion, he was able to survive. How could such a good person just die like this? Is God blind?"

"Who says it's not true? During the New Year that year, my family couldn't even afford to eat, and it was the Great Sage who sent rice and grain. The New Year had just passed, and those lackeys in the court were still alive, and the tyrant emperor was still alive. How come the Great Sage passed away first?"

“I was everywhere”

The wailing sounds, accompanied by the heartfelt confessions of many common people, made the surrounding Yellow Turban soldiers cry with sadness.

On the city walls, there were white flags everywhere.

Of course, this white flag does not represent surrender, but represents everyone's remembrance of Zhang Jue.

With such a big commotion in the city, the officers and soldiers outside the city naturally noticed something was wrong.

If it were in the past, Cao Cao and Liu Bei would definitely give us suggestions, and we would be able to take advantage of the opportunity and achieve success.

But after suffering a few losses, the two became obedient and were not in a hurry to give advice.

Three days passed.

Every night, countless elite soldiers arranged by Zhang Bao and Zhang Ning would rush out of the city, carrying with them countless weapons, food, and money.

Officers and soldiers, inside the general's tent.

Jia Xu bowed and stood behind Ye Feng: "My lord, the people in Xindu City have been evacuated."

"Two days ago, the 10,000 Xiliang war horses that Dong Zhuo had sent arrived at Zhongshan, which means that the final show is about to begin."

“There’s no point in delaying it any further.”

Ye Feng nodded slowly: "Ordinarily, we should let them celebrate the seventh day, but the news from Luoyang City is that the emperor Liu Hong's health is getting worse. If we delay any further, I'm afraid rumors will arise in the court."

"Beat the drums and gather the generals."

"Here!!"

"dong dong dong"

The sound of drums spread throughout the camp.

Before long, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Zhang He, Zhang Liao, Cao Ren and other generals all arrived at the commander's tent.

"See the Marshal!"

Ye Feng waved his hand and said, "There has been a lot of commotion in the city these past two days. There have been loud cries day and night."

"Do you know what happened in the city?"

A gleam of light flashed in Liu Bei's eyes, and he was secretly proud of himself.

After suffering a loss last time, he was smart this time. He took advantage of the night to let Zhang Fei get close to the city gate. Relying on his strength as a heavenly general, he captured a Yellow Turban soldier from the city wall. Therefore, he knew everything inside the city.

The reason why he did not report to Ye Feng in advance was that he was waiting to show off in front of all the generals so that the credit could be taken for himself.

Hearing the question, Liu Bei was also not in a hurry, deliberately taking a beat, and sure enough, Cao Cao stepped out and bowed, "It must be that an important figure in the Yellow Turban Army has died."

"Although I don't know the reason, the Yellow Turbans are demoralized right now, which is the best time for us to attack the city."

Liu Bei smiled and was about to take a step forward when Cao Cao finished speaking.
But before he could speak, Ye Feng in the commanding position nodded slowly: "Well said."

"I observed the sky at night and saw the star Tanlang falling in the north. This means Zhang Jue must have died of illness."

"That is to say, the morale of the Yellow Turban Army is low now. It is time for our army to fight bravely and capture Xindu."

Before he finished speaking, Ye Feng saw Liu Bei's face flushed, with complaints and anger in his eyes. He immediately asked in confusion: "Xuan De, are you feeling unwell?"

"Do you want to go down and rest?"

Liu Bei spit out blood from the corner of his mouth.
(End of this chapter)