Three Kingdoms

"No need to try!" 』

After Du Ji was silent for a moment, he spoke word by word.

Wei Duan was slightly surprised, because Du Ji rarely expressed any opinions most of the time, let alone directly vetoed it now.

"Why?" asked Wei Duan.

Because for Wei Duan, there are quite a few young marshals in Longxi, and it is indeed impossible to deliver government orders immediately. Therefore, under such circumstances, one or several local marshals did not receive it. 』The new law is nothing more than normal...

Isn’t it a sin for those who don’t know?

Is not it?

However, Du Ji said: "This order is to be carried out in a certain way, I am afraid it is a blind method...it is to build the plank road openly and secretly to Chencang..."

"how do I say this? ” Li Yuan was also puzzled.

"If the hussar hadn't arrived at Meiyang, I might not have been able to remember..." Du Ji looked at Wei Duan, and then at Li Yuan, "The hussar's strategy has always been to take one step every ten steps, but now The new order is not necessarily for the present, but the current action is in response to the past actions... Meiyang, Scarlet Emperor Palace... you two, please note..."

"The great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs..."

Du Ji frowned and said.

The last sentence, eight words, although the voice was not loud, Wei Duan and Li Yuan were about to jump up when they heard it!

Wei Duan was trembling, and his fingers were trembling as well, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't. On the other side, Li Yuan frowned and remained silent, his eyes a little solemn.

The phrase "important matters of the country" is in the Spring and Autumn Period.

There is a very interesting thing, that is, after some conventional titles, few people will check the root cause, such as "something" or "spring and autumn". Even if Zuo Zhuan is not mentioned, in daily life people often ask about age and say "spring and autumn", but not about summer and winter.

Because in ancient times, the four seasons had different divisions of labor and meanings, that is, "spring is responsible for sacrifices, and autumn is responsible for military warfare." In other words, sacrifices should be performed in spring, and military troops should be used mostly in autumn.

There is no need to emphasize the matter of soldiers and armor. Without the barrel of a gun, there is nothing. The reason why General Fei Qian of the Hussars was so powerful at the moment was because his generals and soldiers were strong and powerful enough to suppress these Guanzhong nobles who were obedient and did not dare to act rashly.

The other thing is sacrifice.

People in later generations may not have much idea about sacrifices. In fact, due to the changes of the times, the form and content of many sacrifices have changed. There is no longer burning incense, but with salutes, it is no longer about praying to the so-called gods, nor about offering anything. Blood and flesh sacrifices, but other modes...

Such as that.

So to put it simply, sacrifice is not just a "SHOW" with complicated procedures and formal etiquette on the surface. Behind it, it represents the source of power and the orthodoxy of rule.

Regardless of whether it is ancient times, the Spring and Autumn Period, or the Han Dynasty, they all have one thing in common, that is, the basic value and significance of royal power, or imperial power, is to represent all subjects, communicate with heaven and earth, gods, and ancestors, and Bring back the instructions of heaven and earth, gods, and ancestors. Only by being able to do this can we have the legitimacy of all power, and only then can we legitimately become the representative of God in the world and the holder of authority.

Who has the right to communicate with heaven and earth?

Only the emperor.

Who has the right to communicate with the gods?

Buddhism, Taoism, and now the Five Directions God Sect.

Who has the right to talk to their ancestors?

All the noble families, as well as the heads of each family, including the emperor.

Therefore, the classes are clearly divided.

Slowly, the rulers gradually took back the power of ordinary people to communicate with gods by monopolizing sacrifices. This is the only one, no other branches. Only the emperor can offer sacrifices to the gods, the princes and officials can offer sacrifices to mountains and rivers, and the common people can only offer sacrifices to their ancestors and the Kitchen God.

For example, the Zen Ceremony started with Emperor Qin Yingzheng who completed his unification for the first time. As the first time to complete such a great cause of unification, Qin Shihuang believed that it was absolutely necessary to appeal to the gods and inform the people.

This requires an extremely grand ceremony to be worthy of this great achievement. However, the scale and pattern of sacrifices that were common in the past were far from enough. After repeated thinking and pondering, I finally felt that only Fengchan Taishan could accompany the great achievements of the first emperor.

Therefore, the First Emperor granted Zen to Mount Tai and reported his achievements to the heavens, which further consolidated his supreme and absolute power in the world. Sima Qian once recorded in "Historical Records" that "every generation is prosperous, and the Zen is answered, and then it declines."

However, what is very interesting is that although Qin Shihuang's power was overwhelming when he was alive, he declined very quickly after his death. Qin II has almost become a yellow card that will be raised by ministers whenever emperors in the past dynasties behave out of line.

What does this yellow card behavior mean?

So when Fei Qian came to the Red Emperor Palace in person, wasn't it for the so-called "sacrifice"?

At first, Fei Qian used Qiao Bing, Yun Yi and others to create the "Five Directions God" sect. In fact, the big gentry in Guanzhong did not take it completely seriously, because from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty, there were too many gods. Especially Liu Bang, that kid can be a "Black Emperor". It's fine if you don't know. Do those who know the inside story have any sense of mystery about the so-called "Five Emperors"?

Therefore, Wei Duan and others did not consider this aspect at first. After Du Ji said it, they immediately reacted and their hearts naturally jumped.

Du Ji seems to be self-cultivated on weekdays, and rarely gathers with others or makes public. However, this does not mean that Du Ji does not care about current affairs in the world. On the contrary, because without these complicated distractions, Du Ji's thinking is sharper. While Wei Duan was still thinking about the "Law of Lending Orders", Du Ji considered more implications of General Fei Qian's behavior.

"Could it be that... Hussars..." Wei Duan was still a little unable to calm down. He stretched out a finger, unable to lift it, and finally pointed upward reluctantly.

Du Ji pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said: "It shouldn't happen, but... this time, I'm afraid it's for the "Rites"..."

""present"? ” Wei Duan slapped his thigh, “Yes! That's it! 』

"What? General Hussars wants to change his etiquette? ” Li Yuan’s eyes widened.

"Where do rituals come from?" ” Du Ji seemed to be asking a rhetorical question, but also seemed to be replying, “If what I expected is true, Qiao Qi should think that the weather has changed, and calling it “ancient ritual” is inappropriate and needs to be changed..."

Etiquette first evolved from the sacrifice process. Sacrifice is a very solemn and serious matter, so naturally everything you say and do must meet the requirements of pleasing the gods. In order to please the gods, you must have certain rules, and these rules gradually evolved into "rituals". 』.

Wei Duan was stunned for a long time, his expression was extremely complicated, "I never thought... this... what to do... I wonder if there is a way to deal with it..."

Du Ji smiled bitterly and said: "The Husband's story has always been like this, like a torrent, and by the time it's noticed, it's already covered... unless..."

"Unless what?" Li Yuan asked.

Du Ji looked up at the sky.

The sky was still gloomy, just like the mood of the three of them at the moment.

Li Yuan was stunned for a moment, and then he understood. He also looked up at the sky, and then sighed...

"Hussars..."

The three of them looked at each other, seemingly seeing helplessness in the eyes of the others, and then they all sighed in unison and remained speechless.

……｜￣□￣｜ヽ(｀⌒′)?(⊙?⊙)……

In another place, three people also gathered together, but this place was completely different from Wei Duan's place. There were constant laughter and laughter, and the atmosphere was very lively.

Zhen Mi's little mirror in Zheng Xuan's place is just an introduction.

Zheng Xuan is a great Confucian, and he is respected by others for his teachings. Does that mean that only men can become great Confucians? It is definitely not the case. At least Cai Yan is also respectfully called "Master Cai" at the moment.

So, under the leadership of Zhen Mi, and with the example of Zheng Xuan in front of her, plus the ordinary people who were around Zheng Xuan, Xin Xianying, who was gradually approaching the age of marriage, almost immediately became what Zhen Mi expected. Just like that, he jumped into the circle that Zhen Mi had prepared.

It's not that Zhen Mi wants to harm Xin Xianying, she just wants to use Xin Xianying's reputation as a nobleman. After all, Zhen Mi herself is too weak, and with people coming from Jizhou to interfere, she may not be able to do something as she wishes, but there are With Xin Xianying as the foundation, it would be better to win over Wang Shu to join.

As a result, the alliance of women with foreign surnames was formally established, representing Jizhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou...

Xin Xianying didn't want to be traded away so easily. This was a problem Zhen Mi could see at a glance. After all, Zhen Mi also walked this way back then. Although Xin Xianying is not old now, she is not too young. In the Han Dynasty, when it was common to get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen, the important event of marriage was indeed close at hand.

However, a successful marriage is certainly gratifying, but now the Xin family is not prosperous and its status is not prominent. It is almost as good as Pei Hui and Wang Xiang, and is on the fringe of politics. It is even worse than Kan Ze, Wang Chang, and Kan Ze. Although he and Wang Chang have a low position, they can usually enter the ruling office directly...

Although women in the Han Dynasty did not have the abnormal emphasis on chastity that later Neo-Confucianism did, but that girl was not pregnant? Don’t you want the first time you meet a good person instead of a bad person? So how can you better match yourself with a high-level lover?

The best way is to improve one's own status. Being a good match in the Han Dynasty is not something you can say casually. When a woman's status increases, the quality of the matched man will naturally increase, and the space and power she can choose will be greater. Xin Xianying knew this very well, so she was willing to cooperate with Zhen Mi, as long as Zhen Mi could improve the Xin family's reputation.

As for Wang Shu, she has enough ambition, but not enough space. Although the name of the Langya Wang family is resounding, in fact, due to the long distance, their influence has been greatly weakened. What's more, Zao Zhi originally also had a wife. Even if they try their best to protect each other, it is inevitable that they will fall into trouble at some point. In the category of fighting, this kind of fighting is very annoying and long-winded. To a certain extent, as long as it doesn't get too tense, even Zao Zhi won't care.

In terms of force, Wang Shu could have killed that woman with one knife. It would not be a problem to chop Zao Zhi along the way, but violence cannot solve everything...

Wang Shu wants to revitalize the Mo family, but he needs a lot of things. At least now, he needs some say in the family, so as not to be irritated to death by trivial things all day long.

So when Zhen Mi came to the door and saw Xin Xianying joining, Wang Shu naturally rolled his eyes twice and readily agreed to the alliance...

Zheng Xuan was a great Confucian, and Cai Yan was also a great Confucian. Men can obtain official positions, and now women also have Zhiyinyuan. Men have titles, don’t women also have titles?

No matter what type of alliance these three people are, even if they are the plastic flower sisters of later generations, at least one goal is the same at this moment, which is to gain fame.

Whatever a man can achieve, a woman can do the same.

Since a daughter of the Wang family in Taiyuan has received a title, who can say that there will not be another one?

If Zhen Mi gains fame, she will be able to get rid of the fetters of Jizhou and successfully become independent. If Xin Xianying gains fame, she will have better choices and a freer direction. This is especially true for Wang Shu, who can gain more say and freedom at home.

Therefore, with the same goal, the atmosphere between the three of them was naturally very warm. After a short time, they seemed to be as close as sisters to each other, and they were extremely harmonious.

After the foreplay atmosphere reaches a certain level, it is natural to get down to business.

The three of them showed their true self.

Of course, the main person to guide is still Zhen Mi.

Zhen Mi clapped her hands, and the maid, who looked like a little rabbit, presented an extremely exquisite wooden box...

"This is..." Xin Xianying was a little curious and her eyes followed the movement of the wooden box.

Zhen Mi smiled, but did not hand the wooden box to Xin Xianying, but gave it to Wang Shu, "Madam Wang, do you recognize this thing?" 』

Wang Shu shook it gently first, listened to the sound, and then slowly opened the wooden box. What came into view was hard, long... some dried stems, and a bag of seeds. There are also some dried vegetable leaves...

Wang Shu was quite familiar with crops. He frowned slightly, took out the stalks and seeds, looked at them for a moment, and said, "It looks like beams..."

"Zhuo Bifutian, he gets ten thousand a year." I take the old ones and eat them from my farmers. Since ancient times. Now it is suitable for southern acres, either tilling or tilling. The millet and grass are growing, and you are stopping, and the fashionable people are looking at me..." Zhen Mi said with a smile, "Madam Wang has indeed seen people... If the weather is abnormal today and the spring is cold, there will be droughts in summer and autumn... Wheat crops and crops , I’m afraid it won’t be easy, but millet is drought-resistant... if..."

The history of planting sorghum in China dates back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, but because sorghum is a crop, it has not received people's attention for a long time. It was not until the Song Dynasty that people discovered its strong adaptability and began to plant it on a large scale. It only took more than a hundred years for it to become popular throughout China.

Many farmers, no matter what kind of plants they mainly grow, will plant some sorghum in the fields or even under the eaves and walls, because sorghum needs very little and can grow as long as there is sunlight and a small amount of water. Of course, there is a more drought-resistant plant, corn, but now there is no corn in China.

Before the arrival of the Little Ice Age in the Han Dynasty, the climate was warm and humid, so rice, wheat and beans, which yielded more per mu, were naturally the focus of planting, and rice, wheat and beans tasted better. Sorghum is edible coarse grain and is not popular as a food crop, so it was abandoned aside and few people cared about it. Now that Zhen Mi deliberately took out this seed, she obviously had some thought.

"Hi..." Wang Shu put the wooden box down, with some disappointment on his face. "This matter... Qiaoqi has already arranged it... I saw a large amount of sorghum seeds being prepared at the beginning of the year... If this is the only thing, I'm afraid... yes……"

Zhen Mi's smile remained unchanged and she said: "This beam is not that beam...this is sweet rice...its stem is very sweet..."

"What? Sweet? ” Wang Shu was stunned for a moment.

Zhen Mi stretched out her hand slightly, indicating that Wang Shu could try it by herself.

Sorghum originally existed in China, but sweet sorghum is not originally from China.

"This thing is the product of body poison, and it traveled to Jizhou..." Zhen Mi said, "When I was young, I liked sweet food very much, but maltose was always rare. After I accidentally got this thing, I used it instead... …』

As soon as Zhen Mi said this, not to mention Wang Shu, even Xin Xianying on the side couldn't help it. She pinched a dry stalk and bit it into her small mouth, smashed it, and immediately smiled and rolled her eyes, "It's really Sweet! 』

Human beings' pursuit of carbohydrates and fats is engraved in genes. Although the sweetness in the stalks of sweet sorghum may not even be as good as one percent of the cheapest hard candies of later generations, but In the Han Dynasty, there were not many things with sweet taste, and it was even rarer to have a bite of sugar. Otherwise, the price of sugar under the Husbands and Horses would not have always been a high luxury product, and it would be expensive.

Wang Si held a dried stem in her mouth and bit it at the corner of her mouth. It tasted like a eldest sister in later generations. "Hiss...it's indeed sweeter...that being said, it's not bad...then what is this dried vegetable?" 』Sweet things can be used to make sugar, and sugar is a luxury product in the Han Dynasty, which represents money.

"This thing is Artemisia alba..." Zhen Mi said softly and gracefully, "This thing can grow in mountains, dry valleys, and tidal flats. It does not occupy an acre of land... When it is young and tender, people can eat it. The thick stems can be fed by livestock... I heard that during the chaos in Qingzhou in the past, this was the thing, and countless people were alive..."

Wang Shu looked at the dried vegetables, then turned to look at Zhen Mi, and said with a half-smile: "In that case...why not offer it?" 』

Zhen Mi said sternly: "If it is a tribute, it only has the merit of offering seeds. What you get is just some gold, silver and brocade coins, so what's the use?" Now I know that Madam Wang is good at growing crops and is good at farm work. If she chooses a place first, plants it, and waits for it to bear fruit..."

Wang Shu rolled his eyes and smiled slightly, "I see... Madam Zhen is really good at calculating... Anyway, this matter is actually not difficult to say..." Offering a few seeds whose effectiveness has not yet been proven to be effective. , then which one can get more credit than the real thing that has been proven to be indeed useful and effective? Planting Zhuang He is naturally a difficult task for Zhen Mi and Xin Xianying, but for Wang Shu, it is quite easy.

Zhen Mi nodded, then turned to Xin Xianying with a gentle smile, "I will provide the money and goods, and Mrs. Wang will go out to work in the fields. Mrs. Xin, I will trouble you to make a name for yourself... Mrs. Xin is smart, charming, and unparalleled. She must be Many gentlemen like to be jealous of it... Ah, Madam Xin, don't be upset... Once the planting of this plant has achieved some success, it will be difficult for you and me to become famous, and if there are people like Madam Xin who are fond of jealousy... Haha, Madam Xin, don’t be upset... Madam Xin will be able to choose from them, and a talented man and a beautiful woman will naturally be a good match... Ah, I won’t say it anymore, okay, I won’t say it anymore..."

Xin Xianying scratched Zhen Mi angrily for a while, then blushed, and finally did not object in words...