Three Kingdoms

Just when Fei Qian met with Lu Su, Zhuge Liang also visited Guo Jia.

Guo Jia's so-called position in Xijing Examination was undoubtedly quite aristocratic, so noble that almost no one had access to it, so when Zhuge Liang came to visit, there was no need to wait in line at all, and it didn't take long to hand in the famous assassin. Guo Jia expressed his willingness to meet.

Zhuge Liang wore a crescent-white robe and walked forward slowly. Because of the craftsmanship issues in the Han Dynasty, there were very few pure white garments. Unless they were the so-called "New Year's White" garments produced by the Hussars, they could barely be considered pure white.

The so-called "white years" means that it can be white for one year at most, and it will be yellow in the second year...

You see, the products produced by Qiusi are so honest. When they say "year white", they only have one year of white hair, and they will never do any false propaganda. Of course, as many products in later generations claim, they can be "maintained" again for free, but customers need to send them to the relevant maintenance point themselves.

No one in later generations would find anything wrong with such a sales strategy, let alone the contemporary people of the Han Dynasty, who readily accepted it and pursued it endlessly.

As for Crescent White, it is barely the whitest color before going through "special processing".

Guo Jia was dressed in gray and black. When he saw Zhuge Liang dressed in crescent white coming, Guo Jia couldn't help but be in a trance, because he suddenly remembered that when he was a boy, he seemed to like to wear crescent white like this, but crescent white clothes were too expensive. And he had to save money on drinks before he could save up to buy a crescent white outfit. So, Guo Jia never wore crescent white when he was young...

Maybe, when I was young, I looked like this when I wore crescent white?

When Guo Jia was a little dazed, Zhuge Liang stepped forward and said, "I have seen the examination in Xijing..."

Zhuge Liang's salute posture was standard and calm. His head was slightly lowered, his hands were slightly forward, and his body was slightly tilted. Every part seemed to be just right, no more, no more, no less.

The corners of Guo Jia's eyes couldn't help but twitch, and then he smiled slightly, "You're welcome, I've met little friend Langya..."

Zhuge Liang raised his head and saw someone in Guo Jia's eyes also raising his head.

Guo Jia extended his hand and made a false invitation: "Please." 』

"Please take the exam first." "Zhuge Liang's etiquette is still standardized.

Guo Jia didn't show any politeness and took one step ahead, leading Zhuge Liang to sit down in the hall.

Zhuge Liang sat down slowly and adjusted his clothes. This is of course also a part of etiquette, but Zhuge Liang did it very slowly and meticulously.

Guo Jia chuckled, and then looked, as if looking outside the hall, and also seemed to be looking at Zhuge Liang, as if the green grass outside the hall was very pleasant, or the way Zhuge Liang arranged his robes was so touching, It can be seen that the world is as old as ever.

"Xijing Examination is indeed well-deserved..." Zhuge Liang straightened out his robes, put down his hands, and said slowly, "When Liang was young, he heard about the reputation of Examination... and under Cao Sikong's tent, he showed off his talents. He talked about ten victories, and with a wave of his hand, the city was destroyed. In the planning account, he conquered the prefectures and counties in a moment. Everything he expected was successful, and all his plans were successful. He also had the ambition to support the weak, resist the tyranny, and restore the country. Therefore I deeply admire it. Now I have a good opportunity to see my true face, which is my great luck..."

Guo Jia said: "Jia also heard that there are talented people in Nanyang, sitting idle in wooden houses, smiling proudly in the wind and moon. They have the ambition to fly over the clouds, have glorious wishes, have grand plans, have the ability to assist the country, and are loyal to the emperor." , serve the country sincerely, wish to save all people from the fire and water, and save the world on the white grass. Jiayi is deeply aware of his ambition. Seeing him now, he is really amazed and comforted..."

Zhuge Liang looked at Guo Jia and suddenly understood why the hussar general Fei Qian specifically asked him to come and see Guo Jia.

Guo Jia also looked at Zhuge Liang and had a slight feeling in his heart. He seemed to feel something. Looking at Zhuge Liang in front of him, although the distance was not very far away, it felt as if he was far away, as if he was standing on the top of this mountain, and Zhuge Liang was on the top of another mountain, and the two were far away from each other. , surrounded by white clouds.

Before meeting Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang had already thought about what he wanted to talk to Guo Jia.

Zhuge Liang wanted to ask Guo Jia why Cao Cao massacred Xuzhou back then. Did Guo Jia know and did anything? Or was Guo Jia the one who gave advice or the executor in this process? Then for Cao Cao like this He asked a series of questions such as what he wanted to do, but after meeting Guo Jia and after a short confrontation, Zhuge Liang overturned his previous plan.

At this moment, Zhuge Liang suddenly felt that the answers he wanted to know so much before had lost their meaning at this moment.

Although those things were indeed painful in Zhuge Liang's heart and an unforgettable scar for Zhuge Liang, since Cao Cao did it and Guo Jia was his counselor, it means that Guo Jia did not stop it, but acquiesced, or even Connived Cao Cao's behavior of plundering Xuzhou.

So even if you ask more clearly, what's the point?

Zhuge Liang lowered his head slightly to prevent the look in his eyes from being revealed directly, "I have to meet Kaozheng today. Liang has three doubts. I hope Kaozheng can give me some advice..."

Guo Jia involuntarily straightened his body a little, then took a breath and said, "Please speak." 』

"I dare to ask, what is a "scholar"? ” Zhuge Liang lowered his head and asked softly.

Guo Jia squinted his eyes, as if his eyes were suddenly illuminated by light, and then said in a deep voice: "Zigong asked Confucius, how can he be called a great scholar?" Confucius has three answers, and he can be called a wise man. My friend, is it possible that the people of the Spring and Autumn Period were different from those of today? 』

Zhuge Liang raised his head with a firm gaze, "In terms of testing, are today's scholars the same as those in the Spring and Autumn Period?" 』

Although the words of the two people seem to be similar, their meanings are completely different.

Guo Jia couldn't answer. If you want to deal with the problem, you can just quote the words from "The University" and sing a high-pitched song, and then naturally you can barely get over it, but Guo Jia understands that the person in front of him cannot easily use the so-called truth. If you are deceived and deceived, if you say anything about "cultivate yourself, harmonize your family, govern the country and bring peace to the world", you will probably be looked down upon by the person in front of you.

In fact, Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang both have answers. Guo Jia has Guo Jia's, Zhuge Liang has Zhuge Liang's, their answers are just like what they said, some are the same, some are different, but it is these differences that make them realize that this difference is the most important , and cannot be reconciled or compromised.

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, as if Guo Jia didn't answer but had already got the answer, and asked the second question: "I dare to ask Kaozheng, what is "country"?" 』

Guo Jia took a deep breath.

This problem is even more difficult than the previous problem.

The "country" that Zhuge Liang asked about cannot naturally mean that he wanted Guo Jia to give a noun explanation. The word "country" is not only a noun, but also a verb, an adjective, and even an attributive or adverbial. Represents a current ongoing state.

Guo Jia slowly pointed to his chest, "The country is in the heart..."

Zhuge Liang nodded in approval.

Just like in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were so many two thousand stones and so many officials of the Three Kingdoms, shouting loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and talking about the country every day. Do these people really have "country" in their hearts? How many officials hold the power of the court, and then oppress and plunder the people, take bribes and violate the law and do all kinds of evil? Do these people have the "country" in their hearts?

Don't they know that if this "country" collapses, all the status and authority they can rely on will be annihilated together. No matter how much wealth they have, they can't escape the label of "subjugated slaves"?

Some of them know, some don't, but most of them clearly know, but pretend they don't know with various reasons and excuses.

"Then... what is "China"? ” Zhuge Liang raised the third question.

Guo Jia sighed deeply and said, "You don't want to get the answer, so why ask?" 』

Zhuge Liang lowered his head and bowed, "Thank you for your guidance." 』

Both of them are extremely smart people. As soon as Guo Jia said it, Zhuge Liang knew what he meant. So Zhuge Liang thanked him, and Guo Jia could only sigh again.

Zhuge Liang said goodbye to Guo Jia. Guo Jia was silent for a while, but still stood up and said goodbye to Zhuge Liang.

When the two of them arrived at the gate of the front yard, Zhuge Liang saluted Guo Jia again, and then said: "It is Liang's wish to come here to bother me this time, but it is also..."

Zhuge Liang turned his head slightly and looked in one direction.

Guo Jia looked in the direction of Zhuge Liang's line of sight and saw several soldiers on guard duty on the high platform in the city at the end of the street. Behind these soldiers, there was a three-color flag, showing its figure in the spring breeze, fluttering. Drifting.

……(??·????·??)(o??▽??)……

Thousands of miles away, some people were in a daze facing the tricolor flag.

This is a group of desperate people who want to rush to Haitou with their labor to report to Han officials, and then join the "great" and "sacred" Han Protectorate in the city repair work.

The sun is shining down, and in this land, the sky seems to be bluer and clearer than other places, and it also makes the tricolor flag more delicate and enchanting.

The weather is like this, and the spring sunshine is also warmer. At least it is not like the sun in the twelfth lunar month. Even if it shines on the body, it looks weak and better than nothing. Therefore, under such circumstances, the city restoration project of Daduhu located in Haitou naturally continued to be constructed.

People from China are almost always full of skills in repairing the earth...

Because it is close to the sea, it is natural to build a moat. The trench, which was three feet wide and one and a half feet deep, had already begun to take shape in the autumn. The excavated earth was stacked on the inside of the trench, creating a gradient of low on the outside and high on the inside. Even if a war horse sprinted towards it, At extreme speed, he might be able to cross the three-foot-long moat, but he would no longer be able to step on the higher platform on the inside.

Of course, there is no rush to divert water now, because although the frozen soil looks hard in winter, it actually contains a lot of water. It is necessary to wait until it is compacted in the summer and then add the strips of stone, and then apply sizing in the autumn. After the snow falls in the winter, it is necessary to see where it needs to be repaired and where it needs to be filled, and then water can be officially introduced.

The natural thing to do now is to clean out some of the snow remaining in the river ditches, as well as the silt formed by the melted snow...

Naturally, such a large amount of work was not all completed by the Han people, but was completed by the Han people as supervisors and commanding a large number of "civilians from the Western Regions".

The Weixu tribesmen who had defected to Lu Bu earlier were put to use. Their ability to "mobilize" local areas exceeded that of the Han people, because they knew where these guys from the Western Regions were hiding and where the young and strong laborers were hiding.

The space left by the defeat of the Kushan people was now acquired by the Han people. When the Han people filled it and occupied it, some liquids and solids would fall down, and these things were the rewards for these midfielders.

Li Ru just used some very simple words and then displayed the Han people's supplies, and immediately gained the "loyalty" of these dangerous people. When the stick is big enough, simple sweetness becomes extraordinarily sweet. Because they know that if they don't become a transit point, more people will swarm up to take their place.

What determines the benefits and remuneration of this item is not the amount of work, nor the amount of "labor" brought, but the number of competitors...

"Tell me, what do the three colors of the Han people's flag mean?" 』

"have no idea. But I heard some people say that it represents heaven, earth, and people..."

"No, I heard it's the sun, moon and stars! 』

"You are all wrong. I heard it is wealth, swords and guns, and...blood..."

Immediately, the few people who were looking at the flag fell silent. Then they looked at the bright red patch and seemed to be able to feel some blood flowing faintly on it.

"gone! The Han official is here! 』

Suddenly, someone shouted from the front, waking up the few dazed men with beards. Then they all joined the shouts and began to urge these "voluntary" laborers from the Western Regions to move forward.

These "laborers from the Western Regions" didn't put up much resistance, because they were not kidnapped, but attracted. It used to be that the avoidance was due to fear caused by not understanding the situation. Now I know that if you come to work, you will not only get paid, but you can also use these rewards to exchange for things in the market. Whether it is linen or linoleum, they are all things their families need, and they The sacrifice is just physical strength.

Anyway, nesting in the ravine is idle, so why not give it a try?

The Han officials looked serious and registered the number of laborers brought by the Weisu people, and then quickly assigned some of the projects to the Weisu people according to the number of manpower. As for the quality of the projects, the Han officials would check and control them. If the work is not done well, these contractors will be punished, and these contractors will naturally keep a close eye on them in order to obtain the maximum reward.

And these rewards, like most people in the Western Regions, will soon be spent in the trade market at Haitou, because to the Weisu people, those cute and exquisite small copper and silver pieces There is not much actual value to their living standards, but the materials exchanged for these copper coins and silver coins can truly change their originally poor quality of life...

A new order is being established in the Western Regions, and this process of establishing order was learned by Li Ru from the hussar general Fei Qian.

Of course, there are many interesting things about General Hussar, some concepts that Li Ru has never seen before, some brand-new attitudes and understanding of the world, which Li Ru appreciates and is very curious about.

This is also the reason why Li Ru fully turned to support Fei Qian after Dong Zhuo.

There is a brand new word obtained from Fei Qian, called "capital", and then around the word "capital", "economy" was born. Of course, in Li Ru's understanding, "capital" refers to all things that can be used, and "economy" refers to the wealth generated by transactions after use and creation.

Among the concepts proposed by Fei Qian, there is a lot of "capital" in the Western Regions, but many people look down on it. In the previous Han people's concepts, the Western Regions were undoubtedly barren and completely different from the Chinese land that was accustomed to farming. The geographical environment with windy sand and huge temperature difference makes only a small area suitable for planting a limited number of Zhuanghe, so it has not always been a place that the Han people paid attention to.

From Zhuang He's point of view, the Western Region has little value, but it contains gold, silver, coal, oil, jade, etc. Although these things cannot be eaten directly, they are also a kind of "capital".

However, because the Western Region itself is not highly developed, these things do not have much value in the Western Region. Even gold, because gold laundering is very troublesome, so no one cares about the sparkling golden river water, let alone other things. of minerals.

Now Li Ru has come to build a city in Haitou. Before the city was fully established, a large market had been built. A large amount of materials were exchanged here. The madness and enthusiasm seemed to make people forget it. The original owner here was not Han Chinese.

As for Kushan...

Li Ru thought there might be some problem before, but now, Li Ru thinks it is not a problem. If the Western Region is very close to the center of Kushan, then after the previous battles, a large number of Kushan reinforcements must have appeared. After all, no matter how corrupt a country is, when foreign enemies appear in the heart of the empire, there will be more or less Twitch. Even this twitch has no effect.

But in fact, these Kushan people in the Western Regions have no reinforcements.

Li Ru allowed space and time, but these Kushan people still had no reinforcements. This shows that either the Kushan people did not pay attention to Li Ru, Lu Bu and others at all, or the Western Region was far away from the Kushan people's imperial capital. Just like what Ban Chao described before, it's very far away, and even when it's so far away, the response is very lagging.

Even if the Kushan people finally came, I don’t know how long it would be.

Therefore, Li Ru was very calm.

And this calm attitude also affected the Han people below, and then affected the Weixu people, and even other people in the Western Regions. These people from the Western Regions felt that the Han people did not want to make a fortune and leave, but wanted to put down roots like the Kushan people. Most of them would not do anything too extreme, so they would naturally be unable to defeat them, and they seemed not to be ready to kill them all. , then the people from the Western Regions who could survive in the Kushan era can naturally survive in the new Han era. So, is it still necessary to fight?