Three Kingdoms

On the side of Danshui, the refugees were walking slowly.

"I heard that the Cao family has also begun to intercept the people of Jingzhou..." Fei Qian smiled slightly, "I must have a headache..."

Now Fei Qian's side is basically very proficient in the reorganization and resettlement of refugees, so that Fei Qian, Zhuge Liang and others do not need to spend extra energy and time, and their soldiers and generals can follow the process.

As for Xiahoudun's side, it is not Cai Mao's nonsense to ask for this fee or that fee. Those rations and materials are indeed needed, but Cai Hao will never talk about how much benefit the Jingzhou nobles can get from purchasing and distributing these materials. …

How dare Cai Mao take action on such a major matter?

This is really not scary.

Because this is a Han tradition, if the Cao family wanted to do things in Jingzhou, they had to go through the gentry in Jingzhou...

"Looking at the cause," Fei Qian smiled, "The root cause lies with Emperor Wu..."

"Emperor Wu?" ” Zhuge Liang opened his eyes wide.

In fact, in the early Han Dynasty, the political form of the entire Han Dynasty was generally in line with the level of social development.

After the collapse of the well-field system during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was no effective model for overall national and local management until Qin Shihuang created the county system.

This system also touched a lot of people's cheeses and caused a vigorous anti-Qin wave. However, what is interesting is that after the Qin Dynasty was overthrown, the newly established Han Dynasty also continued to use the county system.

The knight who knocked down the dragon turned into a dragon while riding on it. It's normal.

In the political governance of the early Han Dynasty, the central government system of three officials and nine ministers was adopted, and the local two-level system of counties and counties was adopted. The number of bureaucrats was small and the system was simple. The government did not interfere in the economy and was only responsible for necessary administration, taxation, armed forces and supporting the royal family. It was flat. Management, simple, clean, effective…

In terms of foreign affairs, the early Han Dynasty adopted a low-profile peace policy, tolerated conflicts, and eliminated the hidden dangers of large-scale foreign wars. Through the efforts of three or four generations, the Han Dynasty at that time was built into a prosperous country with a full treasury and a prosperous people. nation.

In a sense, by the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty was already very prosperous, and then Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty disappeared.

"In the time of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors, from the Emperor of Heaven to the Emperor of Humanity..." Fei Qian said, "It can be seen that our ancient ancestors upheld the idea that man can defeat heaven!" If there is a way, Heaven will be healthy, and a gentleman will constantly strive to improve himself! It's a pity that Emperor Wu changed his mind from human emperor to emperor again! 』

"If Kong Ming is interested, he can read the ancient relics by himself after returning to Chang'an..." Fei Qian pointed in the direction of Chang'an and said, "This shows how the Human Emperor seized the power of the gods and witches during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and the Battle of Muye , fertile soil of flesh and blood, death will not turn around, and then the sky will be clear and the earth will be turbid, the gods will return to the gods, and the human world will return to the human world. Only then can we stand in the world for eight hundred years! 』

"Hushi is saying that this "celestial induction"...is ridiculous? Zhuge Liang asked.

In fact, this issue was no longer too mysterious or too arrogant to be mentioned among the upper echelons of the Han Dynasty, especially the upper echelons of the gentry who had a certain amount of power.

Because it is very simple. The three men who have been dismissed due to various problems in recent years are like a revolving door. Maybe some of them are indeed at fault, but is it possible that they are at fault every day and every year? Or maybe last year everything was calm and everything was fine, and then the greedy three men collected money and scrapped the land without incident, and then this year a clean one came up, and in the blink of an eye there was a drought. So does it mean that God just likes corrupt officials? Then replace the original corrupt official and continue to let him scrape the land?

This kind of unexplainable thing, everyone was still afraid of it at the beginning, but later it became formalism. The nobles needed something to restrain the emperor, and the emperor also needed something to beat the nobles, so as for this thing Whether it is true or false, and whether it has any significance in reality, what does it matter?

Fei Qian nodded slightly, "At this point, the Three Dukes have become empty positions. What they do and what they don't do have nothing to do with them. Kong Ming imagines that when the Three Dukes were first established, they were meant to be the heads of hundreds of officials, with the power to lead the officials in the world, but they can't. As soon as the gods appear, they impeach and dismiss them so easily. How can anyone be willing to be diligent in government affairs? In the early Han Dynasty, when the three princes took over, they were happy under the three locust trees. Now when they go to the high hall, they look sad and worried... Either they burn incense and pray at home and do nothing, or they simply accept bribes and enrich their own pockets... The three princes are all like this. What is the purpose of the lower officials? 』

"So Emperor Wu ruled with cruel officials?" Zhuge Liang said with a frown. Zhuge Liang felt a little surprised by Husband's words, but more doubts followed, "Is this what the Lord said before, "seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages"?" But it seems...it has little effect..."

"Of course!" Fei Qian nodded and said, "There are only four words for seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, but there are endless mysteries... This is because Han Wu broke the situation and could not take the damage..."

"Broken but unable to be restored?" ” Zhuge Liang frowned even more.

Fei Qian chuckled, and then looked at the little carrot head who was no longer wearing moon-white clothes. He couldn't help but feel a little emotional in his heart, sighed slightly, and then looked into the distance.

"Take the previous refugees as an example," Fei Qian pointed to the refugees in the distance, meandering along the mountain road, "What are the benefits?" What harm does it do? 』

"One basket of food and one ladle of drink?" ” Zhuge frowned his delicate eyebrows, then shook his head, “No, it should be that there are fields, houses, cattle, and... Oh, I understand...”

"Understood? Fei Qian smiled slightly.

Zhuge Liang sighed, not feeling much joy after understanding, but more sorrow, "Yes, I understand." 』

After a while, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but asked: "How can we break this situation?" After the situation is broken, what will happen? 』

Fei Qian's eyes were distant, "This is the benefit of history books!" Only by taking history as a mirror can we understand the truth. When Han Wu broke the situation, only if you know where it was broken can you know where to deal with it..."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was appointed as the prince when he was seven years old, and he ascended the throne when he was sixteen years old. It seems that there is no problem in the description, but how much bloodshed does it contain?

The mother of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was not a kind-hearted character to begin with, and she was not submissive during the harem battles. The young Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty grew up in this environment, and then finally ascended to the position of emperor, and then had to face the pressure of the three princes. Natao, how can I still hold back?

Being a naughty child is already a terrifying attribute, let alone Liu Che who is in the second year of middle school, er, the third year of middle school, is extremely smart, and holds the top authority in China?

Dong Zhongshu saw the opportunity and delivered his already rounded stick to the hands of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty...

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty laughed loudly, and immediately knocked down Mr. Huang with a stick, and also carried it with others. In the end, only Dong Zhongshu was left standing next to him.

"Therefore, if you want to restore this place, you should restore hundreds of families." Fei Qian said slowly.

Zhuge Liang said: "So my lord built Qinglong Temple?" 』

Fei Qian nodded slowly. If you don't like it, just give it guidance. If you don't like it, just give it a stick and beat it to death regardless of whether it's good or bad. This problem of the Han Dynasty and Wu Dynasty also existed in later generations, such as the Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties who engaged in literary inquisition...

However, shutting up the people was only the first step for the extremely smart and ambitious Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to break up the family and destroy the family.

If it were just Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's personal extravagance, Wenjing's accumulated wealth would be enough for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to squander. However, unlike the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty picked out all the invincible opponents in the country and pushed himself towards absolute correctness. , after taking the irresistible position, he turned his attention to the outside.

War is not only a military competition, but also a competition of financial resources. When preparing for war, repair water conservancy, open canals, raise war horses, build border cities, the loss of men, war horses, and weapons during the war, and the rewards for soldiers after the war. These are all Requires huge financial support. After an eleven-year war, the Han Empire finally achieved a complete victory over the Xiongnu. But the treasury of the Han Dynasty could no longer support it. In the early days of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the tax revenue was about 4 billion yuan a year, and the reward of hundreds of thousands of gold in just one battle had already exceeded the total tax revenue in a year. There is no need to talk about other things. . Years of battles not only depleted all the wealth accumulated during Wenjing's rule, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also owed a huge debt.

"These are the two evils..." Fei Qian sighed, "The country's finances and taxes should be regulated. Those who can fight can fight and can observe the rules. How can we just fight at will because of our personal wishes?" It's just a demonstration of martial arts, and it doesn't help the country or the family. What's the use of war? 』

It’s just like later generations’ voyages to the West. What a pity…

When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty attacked the Xiongnu, it was to solve the border issue in the early stage. Later, he really fought for the sake of fighting. He captured cattle and sheep without improving the domestic livestock breeding technology. He opened up the Western Regions and obtained fine breeds, horses, etc., so he did it in Chang'an. It was purely self-appreciation, and I never thought about vigorously cultivating and breeding to improve people's livelihood...

So in the later stage, the more you fight, the poorer you become.

Ever since, the attributes of naughty children have once again come into play, and no one can restrain them. They are all sons of heaven anyway...

Selling officials and titles, currency reform, calculating and suing, salting and ironing official camps, and all losses were the money-making policies introduced by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. These policies had a profound impact on all feudal dynasties after the Han Dynasty.

From the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the aristocratic lineage theory restricted the progress of the entire China. By the Qin and Han dynasties, this shackles were finally broken. Lineage was no longer emphasized, but merit was emphasized, and official positions were awarded to the virtuous. Talented people are obviously more in line with the needs of Chinese social development.

Just when the Han Dynasty could have made great strides forward, the naughty Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty began to add a lot of sand to it, so that the moral standards of officials that were finally established completely collapsed...

In order to make up for the shortfall, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty began to buy and sell titles. In order to obtain more income, the imperial court even liberalized the trading of officials. Those who purchased titles could be granted the title of marquis or the title of a lieutenant. All kinds of "rich people" He poured into the bureaucracy and began to assume an important role in governing the country.

Then, in terms of currency, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also caused bad currency to drive out good currency. While taking back the right to mint currency, it also opened the back door of official adulteration. Just adding a little fake money to the currency can increase fiscal revenue. , the feudal dynasties that followed followed suit, and became worse and worse.

If the sale of official positions and currency reform are all plundering on a curve, then suing and suing is no different from robbery. In order to raise military expenses, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty issued an order to plunder the wealth of the people, setting a precedent for directly using political power to plunder the wealth of the people. The morals of the people were also corrupted, and the wrong ones were killed without letting go. Under the sickle, the leeks fell in pieces. .

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty achieved his goal of making money, but the society was disrupted. First of all, whether they are farming or doing business, the wealth that many people normally accumulate is created through labor, but the whistle-blowing order provides people with another shortcut to get rich. If wealth can be obtained just through fraud and whistle-blowing, then who can? To work and create?

It's like compensation if you don't work overtime. So why should the boss try so hard to find a group of people and compensate them all if they don't work overtime? Isn't it easy and happy?

In order to collect this wealth, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty hired a group of ruthless officials, such as Zhang Tang, Du Zhou, and Yizong. These people were from the lower class. They were different from traditional scholar-bureaucrats and had no bottom line in their work. They fought against princes, beheaded powerful men, tortured wealthy businessmen, and massacred Corrupt officials have made everyone in the bureaucracy feel in danger, and the officialdom is in chaos...

In the end, the naughty kid seemed to feel that something was wrong, so while issuing the complaint order, he also issued a non-complaint order: as long as he donated a certain number of horses or a certain amount of grain to the border and had no cash at home, he would not have to complain. The defendant issued an order to pursue...

This unspoken order completely interrupted the Chinese feudal dynasty's legs from running forward, causing it to crawl forward and even keep spinning in circles for thousands of years!

Because it’s easy to have no cash, just exchange it for land.

Under the guidance of the silent order, all the money of the rich poured into the land, and another large-scale and vigorous land annexation in China began. From then on, the Han Dynasty embarked on the road of no return.

"This is the three evils!" Fei Qian said with some sadness, "Without the order of Han Wu, why would China be in such a difficult situation!" In ancient times, the Yin Dynasty merchants used their trade to travel far and wide, expanding their territory for thousands of miles. How could it be said that the roads were rugged and the transportation was inconvenient? Failure to tell the order will make the big man stop moving forward and make no further progress! 』

Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, no one has gone to the frontier. Anyway, the land in the frontier is not valuable. If you are doing business, you may be hacked by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty one day. It is better to buy a piece of land in a big city, bah, a large county to maintain and increase its value...

"Not only that, in order to plunder wealth, Emperor Wu set up more officials, breeding corruption..." Fei Qian shook his head, this is the scary thing about a naughty kid, especially a naughty kid who became the emperor, his destructive power is simply astonishing. .

First of all, these policies of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made the original bureaucracy even more bloated. For example, in order to implement the suing and calculation, the position of cruel official was added, and in order to carry out the salt and iron monopoly, special government-run departments were added, which also gave rise to The group of officials and merchants was eliminated, and because of the opposition of the previous officials, more officials had to be added to be responsible for harvesting wealth. What was originally one thing was divided into two or three people to do it, and the redundancy of officials began.

Secondly, the wealthy people who were driven away from commercial activities were forced to transfer all the funds originally invested in business to land. On the one hand, they annexed the land of insolvent small farmers through usury and other forms. On the other hand, in order to avoid lawsuits, After all, the prosecution only targeted cash, not land and other assets. In this way, a large number of small farmers lost the land they relied on for survival, and then China fell into this cycle and was unable to extricate itself.

Finally, small farmers who had lost their land could have entered the salt and iron industry or other handicraft industries to support their families in another way. However, after the Han monopolized these industries, in order to obtain more profits, they naturally used They are all free labor, or prisoners are engaged in production, causing these small farmers to completely lose their living space and become refugees, and then naturally become prisoners.

"The current situation is a gift from Han Wu," Fei Qian said slowly, "If someone knows about Han Wuquan, but doesn't know what to say?" "But according to Han Wu's character, I'm afraid he would just roar viciously and say that I am not at fault, but the people of the world are at fault.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came up with many measures, but he was unable to end the deteriorating situation. In the later stage, he simply slapped his thighs, and finally ran away, leaving the mess to his children and grandchildren to clean up.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once tried to use ruthless officials such as Zhang Tang and Yizong to rectify officials, businessmen and powerful people. However, after these cruel officials killed the powerful people, they themselves became another group of powerful people. Fighting corruption was nothing more than replacing one group of people with another. batch of people, and all the rectification of officials can only be temporarily effective. Once the vigilance is relaxed, the situation will immediately worsen.

The two emperors Zhao and Xuan who followed Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty tried to make improvements within the existing framework, such as increasing judicial transparency and encouraging private economy. However, these policies only smoothed out relationships and did not adjust the structure, and had little effect. After Wang Mang ascended to power, he once completely overturned this system and tried to return to the track of land to the tiller in the early Han Dynasty. However, he was resisted by many powerful officials and ultimately failed.

By the time of Guangwu and Liu Xiu, the powerful landlords in the eunuch system who had been cultivated during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty were already so tyrannical that they had no friends. Even Liu Xiu's little friends were affected. After being targeted by some people, even Yin Lihua must also give up her position...

That's basically what it means.

The social system of "imperial power, feudal bureaucracy, and small farmers" at the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty reached a state of balance before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. However, in the later period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the originally streamlined central government system of three officials and nine officials and the local two-level county system of bureaucracy The system has expanded into many new groups, including cruel officials and the inner court. The original bureaucracy has also begun to divide. Some officials have branched out to become officials and businessmen, while the original wealthy businessmen have also separated from the common people, colluded with officials and businessmen, and become officials. At this point, the reorganization of the new bureaucratic system has been completed, and its characteristics of being huge, profit-seeking, and violent have undoubtedly emerged.

In order to feed the increasingly large bureaucracy, the court could only continuously increase taxes, and these taxes would also be withheld by the bureaucracy, which would increase the burden on the people. At the same time, the bureaucracy itself, which does not distinguish between officials and businessmen, is profit-seeking. They will use their power to crazily plunder the people's wealth, which adds to the burden on the people. Eventually, the balance of the social system is broken, and the people are overwhelmed. The country is weak and the people are poor, but only the officials are rich.

"So my lord's implementation of the nobility and land system is to criticize this disadvantage?" Zhuge Liang glanced at Fei Qian and said, "However, this system also has disadvantages... Oh, could it be that this time, my lord..."

Fei Qian nodded slightly.

It's easy to talk to smart people.

After Feiqian had been implemented for a period of time, smart people in the Chinese officialdom naturally began to look for loopholes in it.

"Therefore, Kong Ming can return to Guanzhong in advance..." Fei Qian smiled, "Shi Yuan is in the Ming Dynasty, and some things may not be convenient... Kong Ming can use someone's order to check the things recorded in Zhiyin Prison, and communicate with Shi Yuan Together, thoroughly investigate the flying squirrel..."

Zhuge Liang raised his hands and said, "Liang, take the order!" 』

While the two were talking, soldiers suddenly rushed over, which immediately attracted Fei Qian's attention, but he didn't know who had arrived...