In the seventh year of the Jian'an Era, that is, 202 CE, a year destined to be remembered by historians of later generations.
That year, Liu Bei seized the gains Cao Cao had won at the Battle of Guandu and launched a fierce assault while Cao Cao was reeling from defeat.
In the original course of events, Yuan Shao died of illness that year after his defeat, and only then did Cao Cao begin his strategically meaningful counteroffensive.
But on this timeline, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had fought each other to mutual ruin, and the one launching the counteroffensive became Liu Bei.
Cao Cao, the shadow that had always hung over Liu Bei's head, seemed to have exposed his most vulnerable side.
In truth, harmony had never reigned under Cao Cao. Leaving aside the struggle between ministerial power and imperial power, his rule itself relied on high pressure to stabilize the situation.
Among the upper ruling class, Cao Cao established Xiaoshi to monitor every movement of the civil and military officials.
Among the lower-class settlers, he established agricultural garrison colonels and agricultural officials to ensure production at the bottom.
Before Liu Bei's army rose to prominence, this had been an absolutely domineering policy for chaotic times, superior to that of every other warlord.
But after Liu Bei's rise, such domineering measures won less and less support from the common people.
The reason was simple: the benefits he distributed to all sides were insufficient. Under the four-six division of the agricultural garrisons, harsh levies and miscellaneous taxes could once have been avoided.
Yet this greatly crushed the farmers' enthusiasm. The land was not theirs, so the settlers naturally had no desire to cultivate it diligently.
This reduced tax revenues under Cao Cao, leaving him no choice but to intensify taxation,