Mythical Version of the Three Kingdoms

Chen Xi actually considered what the Romans would do if they were not completely crazy, but just went crazy because of insufficient food reserves. However, Chen Xi thought about various possibilities, and never thought that Rome would come up with such a ridiculous but reasonable plan.

How can I say this method? It completely solved the problem of Roman farming technology. It allowed the Yuan family to farm directly, and then sent it directly to Italy via the Volga and Don rivers.

As for the land route, you only need to take the less than 100 kilometers of land route between the Volga River and the Don River, which was the main war zone between the Yuan family and Rome. According to the traffic conditions of the Don and Volga rivers, during non-freezing periods , can pass transport ships of less than 5,000 tons, basically there is no problem in transportation.

The Roman Empire still doesn’t know that the Volga River can lead to all parts of Eastern Europe, but at least the Roman Empire knows that the old Yuan family took the Volga River to reach a location less than 100 kilometers away from the Don River without any logistical pressure, because Huangfu Song’s camp was in It's been there for several years.

If the logistical pressure is great, the Yuan family will not be able to support it even if they want to.

With this understanding, the Roman Empire did not need to think too much at all. It only needed to consider letting the Yuan family farm. No matter where the Yuan family farmed, the Yuan family would definitely be able to transport it without much loss. A hundred kilometers away from the Don River.

It is true that the loss of one hundred kilometers of land transportation is also very large, but at least within the tolerance of Rome and the road quality is relatively good, three days is enough.

In fact, Sergio's idea at that moment was that instead of recruiting people to farm in Eastern Europe, it would be better to let the Yuan family farm in Eastern Europe and then transport them over.

Apart from anything else, the Yuan family were good at farming among the Han people in Eastern Europe. If those soldiers were transferred to farming on the spot, they could also farm, and their farming level was quite good.

With Rome's investigative capabilities, it was at least known that the Yuan family had several large-scale farming corps west of the Ural Mountains.

Of course, this is normal. The Yuan family started fighting with Rome on the upper reaches of the tributaries of the Volga River. Considering the logistics and transportation costs, they had to organize several farming corps to the west of the Ural Mountains. Otherwise, it would be crazy to transport grain from the east of the Ural Mountains. .

In fact, from the beginning of the war with Rome on the upper reaches of the Volga River, the Yuan family vigorously promoted reclamation on the west side of the Ural Mountains. In the early days, they even organized a large number of Slavs to reclamate the wilderness and provided shops for the Slavs to exchange food for wine.

Because of the distilled spirits, the Slavs did not mind working hard to clear the wasteland and cultivate the fields in exchange for wine. As a result, the wasteland was cleared, but the fields were not planted. Hundreds of thousands of acres of black soil were cultivated, but the grain was not enough to exchange for wine. Yuan Tan They were all dumbfounded.

Xu You was even sent to investigate several times, and finally determined that the Slavs did cultivate hundreds of thousands of acres of wasteland, but because their civilization was at the level of fishing and hunting, farming was too rubbish. It was simply abandonment farming, which was too wasteful.

Until Cyprian joined the Yuan family, he helped the Yuan family restructure their organizational structure, clarified the responsibilities of the Slavs, revised the original blood tax, and established a strange structure such as the Agricultural Reclamation Corps and the Knights.

The Slavs were responsible for the task of reclaiming wasteland. The reclaimed land was reviewed and approved by the state and handed over to the Han people who migrated over for farming. The Han people who then used the land were responsible for the wine production of the land.

That is to say, the so-called grain output of the Slavs who farmed in exchange for wine was borne by the Han people who farmed the fields. However, in this process, the Slavs did not have contact with the Han people, and the entire process was handled by the state, which meant that it was directly included in taxation.

Originally, this kind of operation would have big problems, resulting in excessively high tax rates for Han Dynasty people. However, the Slavs basically had no established civilization before the fifth century. They mainly focused on fishing and hunting, and did not know how to farm at all. The approved output was far lower than that of the Han Dynasty. The yield per mu of the common people.

In this way, even if the tax is superimposed, the people of the Han Dynasty are happy to accept this policy without investing in the cost of reclamation. After all, the tax is not high, and it is true that the land will be in their hands.

Although Cyprian's tax law clearly states that this kind of land reclaimed by the Slavs, after it is transferred to the Han people, it fundamentally belongs to the state, but as long as the people who own this land pay taxes on time, it does not matter. This land can be sold by anyone.

This is very outrageous, but it is completely consistent with various sales habits in Europe. The right to tax itself is the evolution of sales. After all, Cyprian was influenced by the Roman Empire and unknowingly moved towards Sell ​​this road.

Even if it is subordinate to the state, it can still be sold. At most, the sales basis is different. In essence, this kind of sales is actually a secondary subcontracting, but you can decide whether it is considered a sale.

It was difficult for the people of the Han Dynasty to see the higher-level operations. They could only see the tax reform in the provisions and could not understand the things behind the tax reform. When the Slavs got the fields, they also farmed them in exchange for wine. Now they only need to cultivate wasteland and do not need to farm. There is wine, so it goes without saying how to choose. This kind of information asymmetry allows both parties to get what they want.

Because of this, the Yuan family successfully spread from Sizhao City and Xian City east of the Ural Mountains to the west of the Ural Mountains, and gradually spread towards the black land in the west.

This speed is very slow, but the pace is very steady, because if each generation of Slavs wants to always have wine to drink, they must cultivate at least hundreds of acres of land. When this generation of Slavs dies, the wine will be distributed to their families. The amount of water will be halved, and if the next generation does not continue to cultivate it, it will be halved again. This is the wisdom Cyprian learned from the Han Dynasty's title reduction.

The people of the Han Dynasty had ready-made fields for planting, and if the amount was sufficient, they would not take the initiative to open up wasteland, because farming is also very energy-consuming. The emergence of various farm tools has indeed reduced the physical exertion of the people, but family-style farming There is ultimately an upper limit to scale.

In this way, as long as the Slavs take the initiative to cultivate wasteland, they will have a guarantee of life, and as long as the Han people farm, they will provide themselves and the Slavs with a guarantee of life. The two complement each other. This seemingly simple framework only needs If this continues, Eastern Europe will gradually turn into farmland as the Slavs and Han people advance.

Considering the size of Eastern Europe and the scale of its human resources, Cyprian estimated that this positive cycle could last at least two to three hundred years, and planting food would not stop until the entire Eastern Europe was cleared.

What's more important is that this positive cycle only needs one push to continue. It doesn't require the Yuan family to expend energy on management. They just need to be more careful when reviewing and don't be too shady and just have the idea of ​​​​taking both sides. .

When this step is taken, the Yuan family does not need to invest energy in this aspect. They can only rely on the gradual encroachment of the Slavs and Han people to gradually swallow up the entire Eastern Europe and become a real empire.

This is also the reason why Cyprien has achieved such a prosperous status just four years after coming to the Yuan family. Even Xun Chen is considering letting him take over, and Yuan Tan is thinking about arranging a marriage for him.

To put it bluntly, this person is really strong, so strong that he does not need to push forward any plan he makes. He only needs to take the first step, and the huge interest groups that will naturally form in the future will promote the continuation of the plan.

Now it has been ten years since the Yuanfeng Dynasty. The Slavs' way of reclaiming wasteland and the Han people's farming methods have formed an inertia. Several large groups have been formed to the west of the Ural Mountains.

These farming regiments, with their families and families, ranged from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people. The Slavs who reclaimed the wasteland in the front and the Han people who farmed in the back have naturally formed their own tribes in Eastern Europe.

As Cyprian said back then, running a large team and eliminating internal conflicts requires more than just hands. The lubricant formed by enough interests can naturally create suitable middle managers.

educate? There is no need at all, there is the best, if not, there are smart people among the illiterate, and monkeys can create leaders. A successful organization must either have ideals or interests, it doesn’t matter.

For Cyprian, most of the waste that cannot handle the operation of the organization is either because they have not found a suitable lofty ideal that can gather people's hearts, or they have not found a suitable point of interest.

As long as you have these two things, even if there are no suitable organizational rules or established rules and regulations, sooner or later someone will come up with it for you. Even if times have changed, the organizational rules, systems and regulations of the past have changed. It doesn't matter if it's untimely, as long as your ideals are lofty enough, the benefits are big enough, and you can attract new blood, that's not a problem.

And with the current situation of the Yuan family, is it difficult to have a lofty ideal? It’s not difficult, even in the 21st century, building a great country is a lofty ideal, especially if the Yuan family has this foundation and can build it, let alone interests. The previous lofty ideal was interests. itself.

Therefore, Cyprian's casual operation gave the Yuan family a long-term and stable century-old strategy, and this strategy was so stable that the Yuan family just left it alone. As long as they did not take the initiative to die, after a hundred years, they would naturally have it. The ability to collide head-on with Rome may not win, but the Yuan family, which is in a favorable location, will at least not lose.

Yuan Tan personally reviewed this strategy and started to implement it two years ago. After all, this is a plan that does not occupy any resources. As long as it hangs on, he will make progress and gain a lot of profits.

In Xun Chen's words, just leave it alone and let Rome observe. By the time Rome realizes it, Rome will no longer be able to control it.

Because of this idea, settlements with a large amount of farmland have spontaneously formed west of the Ural Mountains, and because of mutual promotion and cooperation, the relationship between the Han people and the Slavs has become much more harmonious.

The two parties who were once unable to communicate due to language barriers are now able to communicate with each other through gestures, cooperation, labor, and mutual support, gradually eliminating the barriers between the two parties.

As Cyprian joked, Rome knew nothing about these things, but this did not prevent Rome from knowing that there was a large group of Han people who could farm to the west of the Ural Mountains.

It just so happened that what Rome needed now was people who could farm. Compared with people whose farming skills were average, and there were not many Christians left after fleeing in recent years, the Han Dynasty people who had more reliable farming skills were worthy of trust.

The transportation is not that difficult. It can be transported by water. The farming technology is reliable and will not cheat your parents. More importantly, locusts will basically not rush to the current location of the Yuan family’s farm in Eastern Europe. Needless to say, how to choose after comprehensive consideration?

Just like Grius apologized to Chen Xi, we in Rome are indeed in a hurry, but please forgive us, our current situation requires the Yuan family to help us farm.

There is nothing to say, even if Chen Xi faces Roma's attitude, there is nothing he can do. At this point, Roma's posture in front of Chen Xi is very low, but with this low posture, it is destined that Chen Xi will not be able to let him go.

After watching Grius leave, Chen Xi sat in his seat with some helplessness. Then he was silent for a moment and handed Yuan Yin the letter of credence from Rome. After all, it was the microphone of the Yuan family in the Government Affairs Council, so he should take a look.

When Chen Xi handed the credentials directly to Yuan Yin, Yuan Yin was a little flustered. How could he show such a thing? He didn't deserve it!

"It's related to the Yuan family. Take a look and be mentally prepared." Chen Xi said calmly without looking back.

Yuan Yin was a little at a loss. He took the certificate and opened it. In just a moment, his pupils shrank into needle eyes.

"How could this be possible?" Yuan Yin lost control in the Government Affairs Council for the first time. He could not accept this kind of canonization at all. As a member of the Yuan family, Yuan Yin knew very well what Yuan Tan was facing.

"There is no choice. If Rome really comes to an end, everyone will die together. At least we have no confidence in stopping Rome from self-destructing and killing everyone together." Chen Xi explained with dull eyes.

It's not that there is no certainty, but Chen Xi cannot gamble. Even if there is only a one-fifth chance that Rome will self-destruct and cause heavy damage to human civilization, the Han Empire, which is currently on the rise, should not gamble.

When the sun rises, you will naturally defeat the opponent when you reach its peak. Why bother fighting to the death with the opponent when it first rises?

As long as they develop step by step, the Han Dynasty will naturally reach its peak and naturally defeat its current opponents, so it is not worth risking your life now.

Yuan Yin felt dizzy and held his head on the table, looking at Chen Xi, "Chen Hou, can you accept this humiliation?"

"You should ask Duke Zhong Guo if he can bear it." Chen Xi looked at Yuan Yin and said.

Yuan Yin looked bitter when he heard this, and he didn't know.

From the perspective of other members of the Yuan family, they would feel ashamed at most, but from Yuan Tan's perspective, Yuan Tan has already accepted the canonization of Liu Bei, the enemy who killed his father, as the loser, and continues to accumulate strength and move forward bravely. , it took ten years to finally get better, and then he had to accept the canonization of his second mortal enemy!

What kind of hell is this.

Yuan Yin left first because he was not in a good condition. Chen Xi picked up the canonization document again and looked at it. He sighed softly. As long as the difference in strength between large forces has not reached a crushing level and they are not prepared to fight to the death, there are actually many things that can be done. These are all political games.

"Consecrate Yuan Tan as the Duke of the northeastern border counties of Rome, and govern all the lands in Eastern Europe. He is also called Augustus." Chen Xi read the contents of the credentials carefully after the others left.

Let’s not talk about the hellish black humor of the canonization for Yuan Tan. Just talking about this canonization is not a humiliation. Putting other rewards aside, the Duke of Bianjun is called Augustus, which is actually the treatment of deputy emperor. Rome did not humiliate Yuan Tan, and even went out of its way to elevate Yuan Tan's status.

Although this is all false, it is obvious that Rome took advantage of the Han Dynasty and made special adjustments even if it was urgent. After all, this was a border Duke and a real local bully in Rome.

On the other hand, given such a status, there will naturally be corresponding obligations. If nothing else, Rome suffered this wave of locust plagues and realized to some extent that it had to find a way out, and the blank Eastern Europe was A real escape route.

Even if it is relatively far away, Rome is not easy to rule and can only occupy the area along the Don River. It is also an idea to rely on canonization to negotiate peace with Yuan Tan and eat some food from the Yuan family.

After all, Rome's fist is really big, and as long as Yuan Tan accepts this canonization, he can discuss some legal matters with the Yuan family. It is true that the Yuan family will definitely benefit from it, but Rome's size and military strength are stronger. The profits will only be greater.

To put it simply, it is just a group of better farmers and a large area of ​​grain-producing land, which are both beneficial and harmful to Rome. As for the occasional unrest among local dukes, is this a problem?

this is not.

Anyway, after accepting the canonization, if Rome went to the Yuan family to buy food, it would not be extortion, but tax collection. On the contrary, it would be normal for the Duke of the northeastern county to go to Rome to gather wool, and even the barking of dogs in the Senate.

"If Yuan Xiansi had not been spared by my two mortal enemies, Duke Xuande, I would probably have discussed with Rome the canonization of Ganassis as the honorary Duke of the West, or something like that, to achieve a balance in the empire. But now, this letter of credence says It may further stimulate the growth of Duke Zhong Guo." Chen Xi said with some guesswork as he looked at the credentials.

Yuan Tan's ability to withstand pressure is really too strong, and the more he endures, the stronger he becomes. Chen Xi did not specifically consider the strategy of imperial balance, but also considered Yuan Tan's ability to withstand pressure. Yuan Tan has not suffered a big thunder for such a long time. It feels like The forces as a whole are slacking off. Development, although the official history shows that you are quite useless, but this time you have developed really unbelievably. The princes and kings I, Chen Xi, are most optimistic about are you!

Many arrangements of Yuan Tan's forces are incomprehensible to others, but Chen Xi can still understand it. If it was only possible to rush into the empire before, now it can really be realized, and one civilization and two empires will form a strong force. The cultural wave naturally assimilates other civilizations.

Therefore, for Chen Xi, this time is a test for the Yuan family. If Yuan Tan can pass it, then some things can be revealed to Yuan Tan in the future, and the other party will really be qualified to be the backbone of Chinese civilization.