Three Kingdoms

People who are poor are naturally short of breath.

The same goes for countries.

In most people's minds, war requires money. Therefore, in the Han Dynasty, and even in later dynasties, when there was no money, some people did not even dare to fight a war...

The wealth of a country is reflected in many aspects, and they are even related to each other. In later dynasties, the idea that scholars were the leaders and emphasized agriculture over business was said to be more convenient and more consolidated in terms of class rule, but in fact It has also weakened the development of other aspects, and even led to overall social deformation and insufficient wealth accumulation due to the suppression of business.

Even in the Song Dynasty, although commerce developed significantly, the reason why the dynasty developed commerce at that time was not because they saw how attractive the future prospects of commerce were, but because they had to hand over a large amount of wealth to the surrounding Hu regimes every year. The Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty had a Chanyuan alliance, one of which was that the Song Dynasty would provide the Liao Dynasty with 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk every year to "support the army."

The Song Dynasty and the Jin State had a Shaoxing Peace Agreement. The Song Dynasty paid tribute to the Jin State of 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 bolts of silk every year.

Song and Xixia negotiated peace between Song and Xia. Xia canceled his imperial title and nominally professed his vassalship to Song. During the Song Dynasty, he was given 130,000 pieces of silk, 50,000 taels of silver, and 20,000 jins of tea, and other rewards were given during festivals.

This is equivalent to spending money to buy face. Although it is called reward or peace, it is similar to annual tribute. It's just another way of saying it. With so much money, it is naturally impossible to cut down on business. However, as the upper ruling class of the Song Dynasty, they would never allow the business class to stand up. Therefore, even at a time like the Song Dynasty, It is also impossible to develop capitalism.

Insufficient business development is very likely to lead to a national wealth shortage, and a country's wealth shortage will cause various problems. In the simplest terms, even defending the country will be timid...

Generally speaking, war does cost money.

This is also the reason why many scholars in later generations would rather pay annual tribute than carry out military reform. In their view, military reform is too troublesome and expensive, so they might as well just give some money to "friendly countries" every year. , and there is no need to worry about the re-emergence of warrior nobles to divide power and gain.

But what if you can spend other people’s money to fight your own war?

"What we are going to talk about today is the Battle of Makino..." In the Chang'an Lecture Hall, General Fei Qian of the Cavalry stood on the high platform, looking at the generals headed by Xu Huang below the stage, and spoke eloquently.

Fei Qian rarely comes to teach martial arts.

It just so happened that Xu Huang couldn't stay in Sichuan for a long time because of Liu Qi's affairs, so he accompanied or escorted Liu Qi to Chang'an. After Xu Huang finished describing his battle process in Sichuan and Shu, Fei Qian Taking the stage to give a lecture can be regarded as a training for these future middle and high-level military leaders.

The Martial Arts Hall has always carried out the education of military lieutenant colonels. Then after the generals who are in command of the troops return from abroad, they will go to the Martial Arts Hall to tell these military schools either their own battle examples or the battle examples of others. Why do you do this? Why fight so...

It was Zhang Liao before, but now that Xu Huang is back, Xu Huang will naturally be the host.

"The two sides are facing each other, King Di Xin of Shang and King Jichang of Zhou. The strength of both sides is roughly 150,000 to 200,000 in Shang and 40,000 to 50,000 in Zhou..." Fei Qian knocked on the blackboard and then wrote something simple. "In terms of military strength, Zhou was at an absolute disadvantage, but in the end the King of Zhou won. Can anyone tell me why?"

For Fei Qian, a blackboard and a white and gray pen are the simplest way to prepare in advance.

"Because King Zhou gained enlightenment?" someone said.

"Haha..." Someone was snickering.

"If Shang King Di Xin had won at that time, then the Zhou King's war would have been called a rebellion... Let's not discuss this issue for now..." Fei Qian clicked on the blackboard and said, "If you are right, It's not wrong, but we can't simply use the word 'De Dao', but we should specifically talk about what advantages the King of Zhou gained in terms of military affairs? What disadvantages did the King of Shang have?"

"If it is right, it means getting the support of the majority of people, then in the military, we have to talk about how to do it, and then how to get the support of these people..." Fei Qian continued, "Then reflect on it and see Look at what we have done, which ones have been done well and which ones have not been done well. Only in this way can we truly have our own thinking, and only then can we consider it as our own gain!"

"As an example, take a look..." Fei Qian wrote the four characters Shang Wang Di Xin on the other side of the blackboard, and then wrote the two characters Dong Yi. Finally, he connected them and said, "Some people say that the defeat of Shang Wang, It’s because of the rebellion of Dongyi, and the rebellion of Dongyi is because of King Shang’s oppression and cruelty to Dongyi, but is it really like this?”

"This is the territory of King Shang, and from here to here..." Fei Qian drew on the blackboard, "Everything belongs to Dongyi, and Dongyi is not a complete country, but formed by many small tribes... ...At the same time, after King Xin of Shang ascended the throne, he summoned the armies of the surrounding princes to conduct an exercise, but Dongyi alone refused to send people to participate. For King Shang, this was undoubtedly a precursor to rebellion, or perhaps It was a provocation from power. If King Shang did nothing, what would be the problem? This was the cause of the war between Shang and Dongyi, and King Shang won such a war! King Shang’s The army won victory in Dongyi, and fought from Chaoge all the way to Donghai. However, in the end, such victory could not bring about the continuation of the dynasty. Instead, after a defeat in Makino, the whole situation collapsed. Why?"

In fact, there were many reasons why King Zhou attacked Dongyi. Fei Qian only mentioned one of them here. Because there are few detailed information handed down during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Fei Qian can only have some speculations about the situation at that time. .

The Shang Dynasty had already developed nowhere to go, so a loose and soft persimmon like Dongyi was naturally the first choice.

Internally, after King Zhou came to power, he had no land to claim, and the witches and ministers controlled the court. In order to have more say, King Zhou disrespected the witches and dismissed ministers, which led to the violent evolution of internal conflicts; Externally, the princes from all over the world were entrusted to Shang from the beginning, and gradually expanded in strength in the later period. King Zhou naturally wanted to "cut down the vassal", so there were conflicts...

"Is it a waste of money and people?" someone in the audience said.

Fei Qian nodded: "To put it simply, the princes from all over the world who followed King Shang to fight did not get the corresponding benefits, but had to bear huge expenses, so the troops of these princes finally gave up... Makino During the war, King Shang was forced to collect slaves to carry out the war, but King Shang forgot where these slaves came from..."

It’s not that slave soldiers cannot be used as soldiers. There are many instances in history where slave soldiers have reversed the situation of the war. However, most of those slave soldiers have been trained. However, the slave soldiers of King Zhou at that time were mixed with a large number of soldiers. The war dividends, people plundered from Dongyi and other places, how could these people be willing to fight for King Zhou with all their heart?

At the same time, due to King Zhou's internal conflicts, King Zhou could not choose to stick to Chaoge and was forced to conduct field battles. Of course, this is another aspect of the problem...

"On the other hand, King Zhou made it clear to all the tribes who marched with him from the very beginning, what are the benefits and how do they divide them... This is the "Oath of Shepherd" in "Shang Shu"... So don't keep saying There is no use in studying. It is better to practice more strength than to recognize a few more words. Next time someone says something like this, go ahead and lead the way!"

All the generals burst into laughter.

For these generals, it is true that many people cannot adapt to the rules of the martial arts hall. For them, it is really more painful to read and write than to kill someone with a knife. But if these people are not allowed to understand the writing and understand the truth, Then it will be impossible to break the original shackles and achieve the goal that Fei Qian wants to achieve. Therefore, we must use various practical examples to make these people who are accustomed to holding knives start to be interested in holding pens and have their own Thinking instead of just coping with the problem and passing the test.

"When a country's territory expands to a certain extent, it cannot rely entirely on its own army to fight wars..." Fei Qian typed the four words of the Battle of Makino, "So you must know how to use your servants... and use them well. The use of weapons and the poor use of them were all clearly shown in the Battle of Muye... Look, King Shang told us from his personal experience that first, if the Chinese army is empty and is attacked, then it will be so... It’s terrible. Secondly, the benefits cannot be distributed in a balanced way in battle. After the soldiers are separated, there is no use in large numbers!"

There is a saying that goes, "If military officers are not afraid of death, and civil servants are not greedy for money, then the world will be peaceful." But if you think about it on the other hand, does it mean that it is okay for military officers to be greedy for money, and it is okay for civil servants to be afraid of death? Therefore, in the following dynasties, it seemed to be commonplace for civil servants to be corrupt and fearful of surrendering to the enemy, and for military officers to make money by any means.

It would not be surprising if the commander of the army is outside and decides life and death with just one word. It would not be surprising if a general takes human life lightly and is predatory. However, such generals will often greatly damage the reputation of the dynasty that has been accumulated through hard work, causing the situation to become unstable. It is developing in a bad direction of evolution.

"The territory of the Han Dynasty is now larger than that of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and it may be even larger in the future, so it is impossible for all wars to involve sending troops from the center to the surrounding areas..." Fei Qian pointed, "Just like the Shang Dynasty The king encountered the same situation. There was rebellion in the east, and the central government sent troops. There was rebellion in the south, and the central government also sent troops. As a result, when the king of Zhou came, the central government was empty..."

"So, how to use the servant army, how to make good use of the servant army, is a key point of today's lecture on the Battle of Makino! War is the most powerful means to obtain benefits! If you win, you can win the country! If you lose, you can overthrow the country! At the same time, , everyone should also understand a concept, which is also something that is repeatedly emphasized here..." Fei Qian looked around and said, "Since we are in the same clothes and robes, even if the breath is related, we are all one! It will benefit everyone, and it will cause harm. It is harmful! Therefore, when considering interests, we must consider it from the overall perspective. If you are a black sheep who only thinks about personal gain and harms everyone, you should be severely punished!"

"Everyone here will travel to various places in the future. If you do well, you will be the descendants of your descendants and full of glory!" Fei Qian continued, "But if you are careless and get carried away by profit, you will not only ruin your own future, but also harm others. We share the same clothes! Everyone, remember! Remember!”

Everyone responded in unison: "I will obey the teachings of Hussar!"

Fei Qian nodded and said: "I will teach you this today. After you go back, please submit a copy of your thoughts on the Battle of Makino within three days and give it to General Xu! Let's disperse!"

The military academies either had some insights or just sighed and dispersed without mentioning it. Xu Huang had been listening carefully at the side. Only then did he step forward and cup his hands and said: "The intention of the hussar is that from now on, we will have to be a servant of Donahu." Are you in the army?"

Fei Qian nodded and said: "The Forbidden Army is in the center of the town, and the border army leads the servant army to conquer all directions... Only in this way, the country will not have to worry about being empty..."

Xu Huang thought and nodded.

The central court of the Eastern Han Dynasty was weak. Not only was it unable to contain Dong Zhuo, but it also had no way to effectively suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion. It had to rely on the power of the gentry from various places, which in turn fostered the ambitions of local powerful...

Servant army.

If it were called a later name, it should be called a proxy war.

Since the central court does not completely need to provide full capital, it often only needs to provide a part of the money, or even a name, so proxy wars are obviously more cost-effective than using the central imperial army to go out...

As for the proxy war method, those who are most proficient in using it are not the Chinese farming people, but the surrounding nomadic peoples.

In the process of the nomadic war, as long as the war is won, there will never be any situation where the war becomes poorer or weaker. It is like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger. The most important one is the agent model. This is a brand new war model for the Chinese farming nation, especially for the current Han people.

Fei Qian looked at Xu Huang who was thinking about it and said: "The big man has done this before, but he didn't do it well... He can train them like oxen and horses, scold them like dogs and pigs, and reward them like insects. How can they last long?" "

War is for plunder, colonization, and expansion. If the hard work is all yours and the benefits are others, who is willing to do it? If you want the servant army to identify with the Dahan and everything about the Dahan, it is not just about shouting slogans, but to make these guys actually gain benefits, so that the interests of these people and the Dahan are tied together. At that time, it was not a war for the Han alone, but a war for all the people around him. It was not a war for the Han to expand outward, but a war for the surrounding people begging for the Han to expand... Computer version::/

Only by doing this, the entire Han military will become stronger and stronger. Otherwise, even if Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty defeated the powerful opponent the Huns, it would actually be a failure, because Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty could not occupy the desert, even if he defeated the Huns. Kai Lai, fled in embarrassment, but did not get the huge war bonus that was supposed to be obtained!

Xu Huang pondered for a long time and said: "If this is the case, doesn't it mean that everyone is talking about benefits? Everyone is talking about benefits, but what will happen if we don't march if there is no benefit? What will happen to those who are loyal and dare to die?"

Fei Qian laughed, patted Xu Huang on the shoulder, and said: "So, this is your question! Well, I'll give you five days, you can read the students' articles first, maybe you can draw some parallels... …”

Different stances often lead to different views on issues. Just like it seems to be beneficial to the big man, but it does not mean that it is beneficial to everyone. This requires adjustment and balance. Of course, these things are left to Xu Huang to think about himself. It would be more effective. If Fei Qian gave the answer directly, it might not be memorable to Xu Huang and the military academy in the martial arts hall.

For a dynasty to improve and become stronger, of course it does not mean that one leg is long. Just like a bucket, each piece needs to grow and become larger, so that the wealth contained in the dynasty will become more and more...