Why had Luo Chu asked whether these men would accept it?
Because no one liked outsiders seizing local resources.
People could argue themselves hoarse over resources such as education and medical care, let alone power, a resource that could not simply be handed over.
Yet precisely because of the tradition of the Three Mutual Avoidance Law, most warlords were outsiders. To escape the control of the local gentry, warlords always brought their own core followers, who were usually outsiders as well.
The men from Yingchuan and Runan under Yuan Shao in Jizhou, and the men from Yingchuan and the clan generals under Cao Cao in Yanzhou, were examples.
The gentry believed that they had supplied all the resources for these men's rise, running before their saddles and behind their horses, toiling without complaint. Now that harvest time had come, they were kicked aside, and all the benefits went to those original followers.
More infuriating still, these men kept suppressing them. It was utterly devoid of benevolence or righteousness!
That was how the conflict between the Jingzhou Gentry and Liu Biao had arisen. Liu Biao had pacified Jingzhou on a lone horse, but the Jingzhou Gentry had contributed enormously. Later, however, Liu Biao wanted to bring in outside scholars to counterbalance them, and the Jingzhou Gentry refused to stand for it.
It was not just Liu Biao. For warlords, escaping the control of the local gentry was the foremost priority, and maintaining a balance among the factions under them was crucial.
Luo Chu's single question left everyone present frozen. Examined closely, it was rather hurtful. What did he mean by it?
Luo Chu was saying that a major reason for the dangers Wu Commandery now faced was that its gentry were inadequate and lacked outstanding talent. Otherwise, why would they fear