Three Kingdoms

The aristocratic family system developed during the Eastern Han Dynasty and took shape during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. During this period, the situation changed and the political power was ups and downs. However, the vast majority of the first-class families originating from the Han Dynasty remained standing, extending the family's prominent political reputation into the Tang Dynasty and even into the Tang Dynasty. In the Northern Song Dynasty.

Although there is some luck involved, the family helmsman has more thinking and long-term planning than ordinary people, which is undoubtedly a very important factor.

For example, the Xun family of Yingchuan, the Wang family of Langya, the Wang family of Taiyuan, the Zheng family of Xingyang, the Xi family of Gaoping, the Yang family of Hongnong, the Cui family of Qinghe, the Lu family of Fanyang, etc. were all aristocratic families that extended into the Tang Dynasty. Pei of Hedong Naturally, the family name is also included.

These aristocratic families who have dominated upper-level politics for many years must meet three conditions: first, in terms of culture, their ancestors had famous Confucian scholars who educated their children with Confucian classics for generations, and their families have a large collection of books, and they even have a single school of thought; second, in terms of politics, Above all, every generation has produced high-ranking officials of more than 2,000 dan, and it is best to have those who serve as ministers or prime ministers in the dynasty; thirdly, economically, the family is prosperous, the population is large, the land is vast, the villages are crisscrossed, and the country dominates...

In fact, speaking of it, these three items are unified with each other and are prerequisites for each other. If you don't understand it, you won't get the chance to serve as a high-ranking official; if you don't get a high-ranking official, it will be difficult to annex a huge amount of land; without a sufficient economic foundation, it will be difficult to acquire a high-ranking official. There is no guarantee that the children will study the scriptures for generations and then serve as officials in successive dynasties. And because they basically monopolized the right to study and interpret Confucian classics, and were wealthy and powerful, they were able to maintain the family's momentum despite political turmoil and dynasty changes.

But now, the "small-scale peasant economy" reform promoted by General Fei Qian has improved the pattern and set the threshold. The original recommendation system, which was like a joke, cannot directly obtain "filial and honest talents" in one step. With their high positions, these noble families were forced to look downward and start from the grassroots level.

Officially because they lowered their stature, these new gentry who were influenced by Fei Qian will reduce their rhetorical style that is divorced from reality in the future. This will also allow these politicians who have risen from the grassroots to formulate policies in the future. When doing this, we will more or less consider some practical issues.

Today's Han Dynasty, the noble families believe, is divided into East and West, and the Han Dynasty in the future is true. In the minds of these people, most people have not yet had the concept of changing dynasties. They just think that Fei Qian or Cao Cao, like Huo Guang, will lead the way. As for whether the trend of the Han Dynasty will become Wang Mang, some people have actually thought about it...

As for Jiangdong?

Although Jiangdong is indeed a huge territory, most of the Han gentry have serious aristocratic families. Is Jiangdong considered a hammer? The hair is exposed, the clothes are not worn well, and the face is beeping?

Under such circumstances, Fei Qian's every move attracted the attention of everyone in the world. Although Sun Quan on the other side was also jumping up and down and acting strangely, there were still many people in Xu County who didn't pay much attention, and didn't even pay much attention to him. Sun Quan included it in his family's consideration of seeking to conquer the world.

For Cao Cao, if Fei Qian is destroyed, Sun Quan will naturally be able to do it. If Fei Qian is not destroyed, even if he defeats Sun Quan at this stage, he will still have to face Fei Qian in the future?

Therefore, Fei Qian's threat came first, while Sun Quan stepped aside first.

After this period of adjustment, Cao Cao's rule in Jizhou has become relatively stable. It's not that Cao Cao has controlled the hearts of Jizhou's nobles in just half a year, but because Cao Cao has slightly relaxed some taxes in Jizhou. At the cost of reducing expenses, he gained the recognition of the Jizhou gentry.

Because of the Qinghe County Magistrate's incident, Cao Cao ordered all states and counties to check the actual households and collect rent. In theory, each household should produce two pieces of silk and pay two huks of rent...

Well, yes, taxation during the Han Dynasty was so extensive. Of course, this extensive feature did not change much in the feudal dynasties of later generations. Taxes calculated on a per-household basis naturally allow large households to take advantage and small households to be oppressed. It's like the value-added tax of later generations. Anyone who knows a little bit about taxation knows that value-added tax is the most unfair type of tax, but why does the country insist on using it?

Simple and easy to use, vested interests.

Many times in the feudal dynasty, land and household registration were in the hands of local aristocratic families. Just like now, although some rural tycoons have experienced chaos and chaos, their families were wiped out, and their fields and people were released. Since the two major political groups in the East and West became relatively stable, many wealthy families who fled have returned one after another, holding a large number of land deeds in their hands, demanding the restoration of their family properties...

The Guanzhong area was also fine. Fei Qian refused to acknowledge the property of the fleeing nobles. At the same time, Fei Qian also checked the land very early, pretended to burn the stubs, and cleaned up the places where he was jumping up and down. He immediately made these nobles a lot more honest. At the same time, he started farming and let the refugees fill these acres, that is, It is equivalent to Fei Qian depriving these fleeing nobles of their land and making it the direct property of the Shanxi political group, so the tax revenue is naturally huge.

At the beginning, Cao Cao also wanted to win over and suppress the local wealthy families in Youzhou, Jizhou, but it was obvious that the backlash of the Jizhou nobles was beyond Cao Cao's control, so he had to cut down on expenses and even took on more debt...

The main reason for cutting expenditures is to reduce infrastructure construction.

Of course, this is also in line with the habits of most feudal dynasties.

In the minds of many upper-class feudal dynasties, especially the rulers, they generally had no idea about the infrastructure construction of private agriculture and industry. These rulers just stared at the total amount of taxes paid by local officials every year and believed that as long as the general policies of the court were If the corvee is light and the tax is light, so that the people can take advantage of the time, the productive forces of the people can resume development.

As for farmland water conservancy projects, that is a matter for local officials. Officials who have spare money and conscience will do it. If they don’t have spare money or have no conscience, they will leave it alone. As long as the amount of taxes collected can satisfy the superiors, don’t plunder it. If it is too powerful and causes the people to resent and rebel, then he is considered a generally qualified local official.

On the whole, although the population under Fei Qian's jurisdiction is only half of Cao Cao's, if compared to the expenses, it is almost double that of Cao Cao.

First, Fei Qian invested a lot of money and materials in the field of production, such as building roads, building bridges, digging canals, mining, etc., and even subsidized farmers and merchants and provided a certain amount of low-interest loans, so that productivity not only increased It can be restored and improved to a certain extent, and at the same time, when the villagers transform into farmers in the future, they will not be quickly impoverished due to the burden of taxes, and will be forced to lose their land again and become dependent on wealthy families.

The second aspect is the army. The three armies under General Hussars are the best in the world, whether it is daily supplies or weapons and armor. This alone accounts for nearly 40% of all taxes.

In this aspect, both Cao Cao and Sun Quan only have senior generals and a small number of elite troops, and their daily supply can be equal to that of soldiers like Fei Qian.

After all, according to the customs of the Han Dynasty for many years, it is normal for ordinary soldiers to not have enough to eat and not to wear warm clothes. Only full military pay and food grains are issued during wartime, and cut in half during normal times. This is normal operation. Even so, sometimes you can't send all the weapons during war, for fear that the big soldiers will run away after taking them...

So what should you do if you don’t have enough to eat?

Military camp.

If you include the military garrison, the number of troops that Cao Cao can directly pull out to fight is close to 200,000, which is almost three times that of Fei Qian. Even with such a number of soldiers, the military expenditure is still not as high as that of Fei Qian. You can know In fact, what is the specific treatment...

But for Cao Cao, basic agricultural and industrial construction, water conservancy construction, and the supply of soldiers and soldiers are not problems. The problem that needs to be solved is Taishi Ci. It is the new problem brought by Taishi Ci, and how to face and arrange Liu Qi. Guy!

Cao Cao's core political figures all knew that Jingzhou must be captured, otherwise they would not be able to make up for the deficit. Only by capturing Jingzhou could the overall operation be maintained and have the opportunity to enter the world. Therefore, no one had any objections to Cao Cao's invasion of Jingzhou, but Now Fei Qian sent Tai Shici to escort Liu Qi, which really gave Cao Cao a headache.

"This is the eldest son of Liu Jing..." Liu Ye sat calmly and spoke first, "If the emperor refuses, there may be something wrong..."

The elders and the younger are in order, in other words, they are the king, the king, and the ministers. If Cao Cao wanted Liu Xie to reject Liu Qi's inheritance of Liu Biao's legacy, it would be tantamount to rejecting the political foundation that had been maintained for a long time. Even if the heir can be dismissed and someone else can be chosen with the charge of "disloyalty and unfilial piety", it will inevitably leave hidden dangers. What's more, Liu Qi still has the scepter given by Liu Biao in his hand. If Liu Biao thinks Liu Qi is unfaithful and unjust, then How could he give Liu Qi the scepter?

Man Chong frowned and said, "If I keep him in the court..."

Xun Yu shook his head, "That's inappropriate." 』

In the name of the emperor, detaining Liu Qi may, of course, mean "to retain" on the surface, or any other euphemistic words. Keeping Liu Qi in Xu County is also a solution. Acknowledge and give Liu Qi a title, but don't let Liu Qi go to Jingzhou, and then delay it for a few years, and naturally it will be settled.

But the problem is that Cao Cao and Cai Mao have already reached an agreement before. The basis for their cooperation is to use Liu Cong as the mascot...

Gentlemen have no shame, but they need the whitewash applied to their skin.

The fact that Cai rebelled against Liu Biao naturally required Liu Cong to be covered with it as a decoration. As long as Ms. Cai can hold Liu Cong up and move during the handover, it can be said that Ms. Cai was forced and innocent, and she followed Liu Cong's instructions and arrangements. Therefore, Ms. Cai is still clean, tidy, simple and cute. The little fairy, as for the dark history, there is none, no, don’t talk nonsense.

Therefore, if Cao Cao kept Liu Qi in the court, it would be equivalent to reneging on the terms he had negotiated with Cai. After all, it doesn't really matter what arrangements Liu Qi and Liu Cong make in the future. What matters now is whether the Jingzhou nobles can surrender as soon as possible, and Cao Cao can unilaterally change the treaty that was just negotiated before his eyes. This is the "integrity" smeared on Cao Cao's face. Two words, does anyone still believe it?

It’s not that you can’t break a contract, but all contracts are meant to be broken. This is also common sense. But breaking the contract before you get the benefits of Jingzhou is the same as the suffocation operation of cheating money on WeChat and blocking people before you click to receive the red envelope. What?

What did Cao Cao and Cai rely on to fight for control of Jingzhou? Is it based on favors? Naturally, it relies on the so-called "court justice". It is not unknown to Cao Cao and others that Cai Shi wants to control Jingzhou. If he does this now, wouldn't it be tantamount to playing into Cai Shi's hands and giving up Jingzhou and recreating the Qinghe scene in Jizhou? So how can the significance of Cao Cao's attack on Jingzhou be realized?

So in the end, we could only resort to the most powerful weapon of the Huaxia Dynasty and "follow the process."

But everyone present, including Cao Cao, knew clearly that those who could be dealt with by "following the process" were ordinary people, such as privileged people like Hussar...

Will "following the process" really work?

……（*≧∪≦）……

After experiencing another attack by Cao Jun, Xiangyang City regained a brief peace.

Due to battle damage and disease, the demand for labor in Xiangyang City has further increased, and the number of refugees sent to the south of the city has also increased...

I walk along the river a lot and go up the mountain for a long time. If my shoes get wet, I will encounter snakes.

At the beginning, the soldiers pointed their swords and guns at the hanging basket. They came up and escorted one to the side. They searched the body, checked, and gave confessions. They were released only if there were no problems. However, as time went on, they became more lax, and even asked the laborers to go. After all, soldiers have to use up their physical strength to carry out labor. The newcomers who were carried up also did a little interrogation and dealt with the matter.

Xiangyang City has been surrounded by Cao's army for a long time, which makes Jingzhou soldiers nervous. However, the tight string cannot last long, and relaxation will inevitably occur.

When they were hoisting the labor refugees below the city, many Jingzhou soldiers at the south gate of Xiangyang were a little listless. Only the low-level non-commissioned officers on duty were somewhat alert. When they saw a new refugee being hoisted up, they took a second look. Suddenly I felt familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it before...

"That one over there!" check! ” The officer on duty pointed and came forward with two soldiers, “Where are you from? 』

One Jingzhou soldier was pointing a long spear in vain, and another Jingzhou soldier casually touched the new refugees twice. No dangerous items were found. Anyway, they were only wearing a layer of tattered robes, and everything was visible. .

"Little one... haha, little one... was in Yicheng before..." the new refugee replied with a smile.

The officer on duty stood in front of the newly arrived refugees, frowning, "Yicheng?" Why does it look familiar? 』

The new refugee rolled his eyes twice.

Seeing that the new refugees remained silent, the officer on duty couldn't help but take a step back and his face became serious. Just when he was about to say or do something more, he suddenly heard a subordinate shouting from the other side: "What are you doing!" ? 』

The officer on duty felt a sudden strong wind behind him. He turned around and saw a flash of cold light. Another laborer who was originally on the city to help carry equipment suddenly appeared behind him and was already holding a fistful of iron in his hands. Bone-tip knife, stabbing him straight in!

The officer on duty screamed, and he didn't even have time to pull out his sword. He could only block it with the scabbard in front of him, but he still got a cut. Blood dripped suddenly and he screamed in pain. One of the two soldiers beside the officer on duty turned his gun and prepared to stab, while the other reached out and prepared to draw his sword...

But at this moment, the new refugee, who had been so obedient just now, reached out and strangled the neck of the Jingzhou soldier next to him, and then pulled out the sword from his body. With the flash of the sword, blood suddenly spattered. He started, first chopped down the officer on duty, then chopped down the soldier holding the gun with one knife, and finally turned the blade and struck the neck of the Jingzhou soldier who was choking him!

Beside him, the spies who entered the city shouted one after another, or took out short blades from their bodies, or grabbed the weapons dropped by the Jingzhou soldiers, and rushed forward, killing the unsuspecting Jingzhou soldiers in the blink of an eye. The soldiers fell down and chopped them down, while the ordinary people around them were at a loss and dumbfounded. It was only when the spies howled and chopped, and blood was everywhere, that they screamed in fear, held their heads and ran away!

The refugee who chopped down the officer on duty had already raised his blood-stained sword and shouted: "I am Cai Jiu!" Liu Laogou is treasonous and rebellious! The army of the imperial court has arrived at the city. Only the chief culprits will be killed. Those who offer the city will be spared from death! 』

Behind him, dozens of Cao Jun spies and Cai family spies who had sneaked in one after another shouted together, and the sound exploded in the south city of Xiangyang: "Only the culprit will be killed, and those who sacrifice the city will be spared death!" 』

In the market square near the south gate of Xiangyang, someone also had an attack at the same time. Dozens of selected masters drew their weapons and rushed towards the city gate!

Near the bottom of the city, some civilian laborers were carrying supplies. As for the Jingzhou soldiers in the city, due to Cao's army's repeated attacks, most of them, even those who had been replaced, were exhausted and lay down to rest. This gave Cai and Cao's soldiers the best chance to seize the city. door opportunity. The spies of the Cao army who had taken off their armor and the secret agents of the Cao family who had been ambushing the city for a long time mingled with the laboring refugees. When the Jingzhou soldiers relaxed, they suddenly broke out, causing the soldiers on duty at the south gate of Xiangyang to I couldn't react at all!

Cai Jiu's roar was like thunder, and he took the lead in slashing. With the flash of his sword, he had already chopped down two Jingzhou soldiers who were coming. However, he was not equipped with armor. In the blink of an eye, he inevitably suffered some injuries, but he But his figure did not slow down, he still rushed forward crazily, and while splashing blood all over the sky, he shouted: "Open the city gate!" Grab the winch and open the city gate! 』

Amidst the screams and bloodshed, the south gate of Xiangyang was gradually opened. Outside the city gate, there were many people who drew their weapons from under their bodies or from the bushes, shouting and swarming forward. And this is not the scariest thing. As the black smoke below the city ignited, black smoke also rose from the mountains south of Xiangyang City. I don’t know how many people rushed out from the mountains and went crazy toward the south gate of Xiangyang City that gradually opened. Come on!