Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 80 The First Priority of the Revolution

Li Sheng did not answer them directly. Instead, he waited until the village leaders had happily dispersed after receiving their supplies, then turned around and returned to the central command tent with his brothers Liu Wu, Li Feng, and Liu Lu.

Once the curtain was drawn, most of the noise outside was silenced.

The brazier was burning brightly, casting flickering light on the faces of the group.

Li Feng, who had been holding back his words all the way, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Brother Sheng, I still don't understand. If we want to win people's hearts, why not just distribute the money and grain directly to the brothers in the villages? If we let the village leaders distribute it, they can easily skim off some of it or claim the credit for themselves. Wouldn't that mean we've been working for nothing?"

Liu Wu nodded, clearly sharing the same question.

The others remained silent, but their eyes were fixed on Li Sheng, waiting for him to continue.

Li Sheng did not rush to answer.

He sat down in the main seat, warmed his hands by the fire, and then spoke slowly.

"I ask you this: if we had just distributed this money directly to every brother in every village in front of everyone, what do you think the result would have been?"

Zhao Hu was taken aback, then thought for a moment.

"Then...then everyone will definitely be even more grateful to us! Everyone has received their pay and rations, and everyone remembers Brother Sheng's kindness. From now on, who wouldn't risk their life for us at our command?"

Li Sheng nodded.

"That's good, that's an advantage. Anything else?"

Zhao Hu scratched his head, thought about it over and over, and finally managed to utter a sentence.

"That should be... all, right? What else could it be?"

He turned to look at Liu Wu and Liu Lu.

Liu Wu also shook his head, indicating that he couldn't think of anything more.

Liu Lu hesitated for a moment, then tentatively spoke.

"Ah Hu is right. Sending it out directly would indeed make everyone remember our good deeds. But since Brother Sheng didn't do that, there must be a reason."

Seeing that the time was right, Li Sheng posed a second question.

"Then let me ask you another question. Would having the village leaders take this money back and distribute it to their brothers in their villages have the same effect?"

Liu Lu reacted the fastest.

"That's possible. Once those leaders go back and distribute the money, the people below will still receive their money and grain. But the problem is... those leaders will mostly take the credit for themselves. They'll say, 'Our village leader got this for everyone from the alliance leader.' We're not familiar with them, and the brothers below recognize their own village and community, not us."

Li Sheng's lips curled up slightly.

"You're absolutely right. So tell me, how should this be resolved?"

Liu Lu was taken aback, then pointed to himself.

"I?"

Li Sheng nodded, his tone resolute.

Yes. You.

He leaned forward slightly, the firelight dancing in his eyes.

"Liu Lu, I want you to relay exactly what I said tonight in front of the tent to the brothers in each village. Tell them: This batch of money and grain was provided by our leader, Li Sheng. He didn't keep a single grain for himself; he distributed it all to the brothers in each village. The village leaders distributed it on his behalf because our leader trusts them."

Liu Lu's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh hard.

"Don't worry, Brother Sheng! Leave this to me! This is my specialty. I guarantee that everyone in every tent will know where the money and food came from."

As he said this, he suddenly frowned again.

"But Brother Sheng... isn't going through all this trouble? Why don't we just send it directly? That would save us the trouble of relaying the message."

There was a moment of silence inside the tent.

Li Feng and Liu Wu nodded in agreement, clearly agreeing with Liu Lu's point.

Li Sheng did not answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the faces of several core members, and slowly began to speak.

"You find it troublesome because you only see the 'giving money' aspect. Let me ask you..."

He held up one finger.

"First, if we distribute them ourselves, we're not familiar with the villages, and it would take our own people to count, register, and deliver them. There are over a thousand people, but how many brothers do we have? How many days would that take? How many mistakes would happen? How much effort would be wasted? We're about to go to war, who will have time for these trivial matters?"

No one spoke.

Li Sheng then extended his second finger.

"Secondly, and most importantly, if we bypass the village leaders and distribute the goods directly to the people, what do you think those leaders will think?"

Liu Wu blurted it out.

"They'll feel like we don't trust them and are trying to sideline them."

"That's right."

Li Sheng nodded.

"These leaders, though they may not be literate, are not stupid. What they care about most is their prestige in the village and whether the dozens of people under their command listen to them. We have only just become the leader of the alliance. If we immediately bypass them to do things, won't they think that I, Li Sheng, am trying to seize their power and take away their foundation?"

He paused, his voice turning somber.

"What will they do then? They will join forces to guard against us, and even stab us in the back. We have only just started our uprising. More than a thousand people are gathered from seven villages. On the surface, I am the leader, but which village's people don't listen to their own leaders? If I start now to seize their authority, we will start fighting among ourselves before the government even comes to suppress us."

Li Feng frowned, clearly understanding the reasoning behind it.

Zhao Hu exclaimed.

"So, according to you, Brother Sheng... we not only can't offend these leaders, we have to fawn over them?"

"This isn't about flattering them."

Li Sheng corrected him.

"Letting them distribute the money and grain is giving them face and letting them feel that they are still in charge. When they go back and distribute it, the people below will receive benefits, the leaders will feel that they have done a good job, and the people will know that the supplies came from the alliance leader. Both sides will be satisfied. This is the proper way to do things."

Liu Lu nodded thoughtfully.

"I understand... It's like the county magistrate issuing an order, not by directly contacting each resident, but by first contacting the village head and the head of the pavilion, and then having them carry it out. The village head and the head of the pavilion feel valued, and the residents know that the order comes from the county magistrate."

That's pretty much the idea.

Li Sheng gave him an approving look.

Liu Lu suddenly asked again.

"But Brother Sheng, what if some leaders really do embezzle funds and supplies, pocketing the lion's share for themselves?"

Li Sheng's eyes turned cold for a moment.

"That would be even better."

The three of them were taken aback at the same time.

"Is it even better?"

Li Sheng slowly warmed himself by the fire, his tone as calm as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"Think about it," I said. "I sent the leaders of the seven townships back to distribute the spoils. Who acted impartially and didn't take a penny? Who lined their own pockets and behaved shamelessly? Who took all the credit for themselves and didn't mention a word about me, Li Sheng? Isn't it all crystal clear?"

He raised his head, his gaze sharp.

"If we're going to do something big in the future, we can't rely on just a few brothers like us. We need to unite some people, reform some people, and eliminate some people. But who can we unite? Who should be reformed? And who must be eliminated? We can't tell just by talking. We have to let them reveal themselves."

He stood up and paced around the tent.

"This distribution of money and grain is a mirror. Those leaders who act fairly and without greed are trustworthy and can be united; those who are greedy for small gains and behave badly but still know their limits can be disciplined and reformed; those who dare to swallow all the credit and even cut back on the people's food rations..."

He stopped in his tracks, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable chill.

"Keeping this kind of person around is just asking for trouble. We should find a pretext to kill him as an example to deter others."

For a moment, no one spoke in the tent, and then everyone suddenly realized what was going on.

Li Sheng nodded with satisfaction when he saw that everyone understood completely.