Chapter 406 If we learn from Cao Cao's short-sightedness, the Han Dynasty will surely perish! This boy is a talent that can be cultivated, and he must be cultivated well!

Fazheng adheres to the principle of taking what is needed.

His words reminded everyone present.

Even Liu Bei's eyes lit up.

Fa Zheng is right. Since the Nine-Rank System is a good system for selecting officials, why not use it directly?

This thing is not a secret, and there are no patent barriers. If you want to use it, you can use it. Can Cao Cao stop you?

Liu Bei was never a conservative or pedantic person.

At that time, Xiao Fang said that the military farming system was useful. Although Cao Cao had implemented the military farming system first, he still copied it and implemented it in his own country.

Now that Cao Cao first implemented the Nine-Rank System in the Pseudo-Qin, why can't we copy it?
As long as it is a good thing, even if it comes from the hands of the enemy, I can use it for my own benefit...

Liu Bei stroked his thin beard, looking thoughtful, and it was obvious that he was moved.

There was a heated discussion in the hall, and many ministers agreed with Fa Zheng.

After all, although Lao Liu's team was mainly composed of people from humble backgrounds, he absorbed many outstanding scholars and heroes in the process.

For example, Tian Feng was a famous scholar from a prominent family in Hebei, and his family background and status were very prominent.

When Fa Zheng suggested that the Nine-Rank Official System of Cao Qin could be directly used, Tian Feng, who had originally been conservative, quickly changed his position and supported Fa Zheng's proposal.

On the one hand, objectively speaking, under the premise that the recommendation system collapsed, the Nine-Rank System was indeed a good system for selecting officials and was beneficial to the country.

On the other hand, this Nine-Rank Official System is also very beneficial to scholars.

It is beneficial to both the public and private sectors. It is a win-win situation. How could Tian Feng not support it?

This is also the common thought of those ministers who came from scholar families.

"Prime Minister, do you think it would be feasible for me to implement the Nine-Rank Official System in the Han Dynasty?"

Since this was a matter concerning national affairs, Liu Bei did not dare to make the decision directly, and finally had to seek Xiao Fang's opinion.

Xiao Fang coughed lightly.

The hall immediately fell silent. Everyone stopped talking and all eyes were focused on the Han Prime Minister.

"This Nine-Rank Official System is indeed the best system for selecting officials at the moment. Your Majesty can certainly use it for our Han Dynasty."

"But I think that in the long run, this ninth-rank official system will do more harm than good to our Han Dynasty!"

"In fact, if Your Majesty implements this system, our Han Dynasty will be in danger of extinction in the future!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a chill in the hall.

No one expected that Xiao Fang would suddenly make such an alarmist and intimidating statement.

The threat of national destruction!

It was clearly a good system for selecting talented people and appointing capable people to positions, but how come in Xiao Fang's mouth it could have led to the downfall of the Han Dynasty?

"Why did the Prime Minister say this?"

Liu Bei was also frightened and broke out in a cold sweat, and asked anxiously.

"Most of the world's talents come from scholar families. This is a natural fact and there is no dispute about it."

"Once the Nine-Rank Official System is implemented, it will indeed be convenient to select talented people from the families of scholars and use them for the country in the short term."

"But the key to this method is, first, the establishment of the Zhongzheng official, and second, the determination of rank."

"This Zhongzheng official was recommended by the Minister of Justice. He is both a court official and a local. According to this arrangement, this Zhongzheng official position will definitely be monopolized by local scholar families and big names."

"There is also this so-called rank determination, which nominally includes family background, talent, and moral character, and seems to be extremely fair."

"But there is no specific standard for talent and virtue. Whether one has talent or virtue is entirely determined by the Zhongzheng official."

"Only in terms of family background, whether one is a noble family or a humble family, the boundaries are clear and undisputed."

"With these two loopholes, it won't take many years for the so-called talented people selected by the Nine-Rank Official System to be monopolized by the scholar families."

"Then there will be a situation where there are no poor people in the upper class and no noble families in the lower class."

"In this way, the channels for commoners from poor families to serve the court and become officials will be completely blocked. Over time, they will surely become alienated from the court and the country, and even resent it."

"And the officials of the court, from the imperial court to the prefectures and counties, were all controlled by the scholar families, which was equivalent to the emperor and the scholar families ruling the world together, or even the emperor being dependent on the scholar families."

"The imperial power was greatly weakened, the emperor was sidelined, the court and prefectures were filled with so-called "sages" who were only in name only, and there were also many ambitious people. The poor and common people had no way to serve the country, and they complained about the court."

"Let me ask you, if a country reaches this point, how can it not perish?"

Xiao Fang spoke sternly and put the disastrous consequences of the Ninth Rank Official Law in front of Lao Liu.

After hearing the last part, Liu Bei took a deep breath and broke out in a cold sweat.

Although he trusted his subordinates and had great confidence in them, he was also happy to delegate power to them.

But he is the emperor after all.

Even if an emperor had a broad mind and extraordinary bearing, how could he not break out in a cold sweat when he heard the words "the emperor has been sidelined"?
This has been the common Achilles' heel of all emperors throughout history, no matter if they were wise or foolish!

Tian Feng, Fa Zheng and other ministers who had originally advocated the implementation of the Nine-Rank System were all shocked and took a deep breath after hearing Xiao Fang's analysis.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is far-sighted and insightful!"

"It seems that this Nine-Rank Official System does have huge hidden dangers. If it is really implemented, it will be harmful to the country in the long run!"

"Your Majesty, I withdraw my opinion."

Although Fa Zheng was arrogant, he was not unreasonable. When he was wrong, he would admit it decisively.

"I am ashamed of myself for not being as far-sighted as the Prime Minister." "No matter how good the system of selecting officials is, if it hurts the power of the emperor, I think it is absolutely unworkable."

"It seems that Cao Cao's implementation of this method was just to win over the hearts of the scholars and nobles, but it was actually a short-sighted move."

"Your Majesty is a wise ruler who is determined to create another hundred years of prosperity for our Han Dynasty. Everything you do should be considered for the future generations. How can you be as short-sighted as Cao Cao?"

"I think this ninth-rank official law is absolutely unworkable!"

Tian Feng also changed the force field.

He has always been resolute and upright. Although he came from a noble family of scholars, he never forgot that he was a subject of Liu Bei and the Han Dynasty.

Although this Nine-Rank System was beneficial to the scholars, it undermined the power of Emperor Liu Bei and was detrimental to the long-term stability of the Han Dynasty. Tian Feng naturally chose to consider the emperor's court.

He did not put personal interests above public ones!

Of course, not all of the ministers before him were as upright and impartial as Tian Feng, who always put the emperor and the court first in everything.

Some people changed their positions, but many others chose to remain silent.

There is no way out. Xiao Fang has already stood up and said that if the Nine-Rank Official System is implemented, it will lead to the destruction of the Han Dynasty and undermine the emperor!

Who dares to stand up and refute Xiao Fang at this time?

"Jing Lue is still more far-sighted and comprehensive. It seems that I really can't learn from Cao Cao's short-sightedness."

Liu Bei nodded heavily, but then his brows still furrowed:
"But the system of selecting officials has been abolished, and the nine-rank system cannot be implemented. So what system should I use to confront Cao Cao and win the hearts of the people?"

The ministers fell silent.

Be it Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, or Tian Feng, they all had frowns on their faces, unable to think of a perfect plan.

The atmosphere in the hall, which was originally full of heated discussions, suddenly became quiet.

"Deng Ai, present the thing I asked you to bring to His Majesty."

Xiao gave instructions to the little servant boy who was standing not far away.

The servant's name was indeed Deng Ai.

He is the son of Deng Ji, an old general of Liu Biao who surrendered and made great contributions when Liu Biao pacified Jingzhou.

This child was destined to be with him. The name Deng Ai was given by him at the request of Deng Ji.

Many years have passed now, and the baby in the cradle back then has grown into a young man of seven or eight years old.

Xiao Fang knew that Deng Ai was a man of great talent and intelligence, and had the potential to be a famous general. He would definitely become a pillar of the Han Dynasty in the future, so he had to be trained well.

So after Liu Bang became emperor, he proposed to Deng Ji that he take Deng Ai with him to be his tutor.

When Deng Ji heard this, he was naturally overjoyed and flattered.

That was none other than Prime Minister Xiao.

Under the Emperor, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, the head of all officials, the reincarnation of the sage!
Prime Minister Xiao took the initiative to let your son be a servant. This shows that he appreciates your son and intends to cultivate him.

If he followed Xiao Fang and received his guidance and instruction, even if he learned a little bit of Xiao Fang's military strategies and wisdom, he would surely become a great man in the future and have a bright future.

So after thanking his ancestors for their blessings, Deng Ji happily sent his son to the prime minister's residence to work as a servant.

Deng Ai was also extremely intelligent, with some of the talents of Zhuge Liang. He could understand everything at a glance and could master the art of war very quickly.

Xiao Fang naturally admired Deng Ai very much, so for today's court meeting, he made an exception and brought him into the palace to let him see the world.

Deng Ai reacted quickly and understood immediately. He quickly picked up a scroll of silk and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, calmly walked forward and presented it to Lao Liu.

"Prime Minister, this child is Deng Ji's son?"

"Your Majesty has a good memory. He is the son of Deng Ji."

Liu Bei looked Deng Ai up and down, a look of admiration flashed across his face, and he nodded slightly:

"When I met him, he was just a baby. I never expected that he would grow up so big in the blink of an eye."

"Well, he is so calm and composed at such a young age. He is a promising talent."

"Prime Minister, you must cultivate him well. This child can become a pillar of the Han Dynasty in the future!"

Xiao Fang smiled and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty has a keen eye and your ability to judge people is truly unparalleled in the world."

"I also think this boy is very talented, so I and Deng Ji asked him to be a servant. He will follow me and teach me from time to time. In the future, he will be trained to be a talent who can shoulder great responsibilities for Your Majesty and the Han Dynasty."

Deng Ai was flattered to receive the attention and praise from Liu Bei and Xiao Fang, but he tried his best to restrain his joy and still thanked them calmly and modestly.

Deng Ai stepped back, and Liu Bei's gaze returned to the silk scroll in his hand.

"Prime Minister, this is..."

"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, I have been busy these past few days, planning a system for selecting officials for Your Majesty."

"I originally wanted to present it to Your Majesty for review during today's court session. Now it seems that the timing is right."

After hearing Xiao Fang's explanation, Liu Bei's expression brightened, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The ministers around him were also greatly encouraged, and all of them looked at the silk book in Liu Bei's hand with surprise.

"It turns out that the Prime Minister has foresight and has made preparations long ago."

Liu Bei praised it highly and couldn't wait to unfold the silk scroll.

Three big characters are the first thing that catches your eye.

(End of this chapter)