Three Kingdoms

In China, since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, ordinary people have been willing to believe in organizations, believe in leaders, and are willing to listen to the instructions of experienced people. This was originally a good thing, but many smart people in later generations ruined this good thing.

In Chinese, or Eastern feudal society, a good or bad court and a good or bad leader will greatly determine the direction of the entire country, because this authority has been in existence since ancient times. It has been cultivated from generation to generation. This is why even in the current era of Dahan, Liu Xie is almost invisible, but there are still many people in the countryside talking about Dahan and reminiscing about the good times of those years.

Han Dynasty, the fourth year of Taixing, October 11th.

In comparison, the populations of Yuzhou and Jizhou are more preserved than in history, but with more people, there will naturally be more things to do. In addition, Jingzhou affairs, the dispatch of the north and south defense lines, and the distribution of logistics materials are almost all under pressure. Xun Yu alone, and Cao Cao's tightrope-walking character, if placed as an extreme challenger in later generations, would also make things more complicated, unbearable, and difficult to deal with.

The key is that Xun Yu still can't, dare not, and can't let go. He can only pretend to control all government affairs as always, amidst the envy, jealousy, or hatred of outsiders, and seems to have no energy to do anything. There are no signs of failure, and he maintains a high-speed rotation every day, dealing with every piece of affairs in the Han Empire.

In the palace, it seemed that things had calmed down a bit during this period. I don’t know if it was because of the appearance of his heirs that Liu Xie had matured a little, or for some other reason. Anyway, he was more or less less active, so Xun Yu Can take a breath.

There was peace between the monarch and his ministers.

However, this is just an illusion...

Conflicts will break out sooner or later.

Xun Yu knew this deeply.

Because authority is a thing, as long as it is contaminated, those who can endure it and control themselves are very impressive. Most people will directly sink and become slaves of authority.

Will Liu Association be able to face it calmly after gaining power? Obviously impossible.

Just like Cao Cao and Fei Qian are talking about peace talks now, but what about the future?

How long will this peace negotiation last?

Who will fall next time?

When the Han Dynasty reached the current situation, it seemed inevitable that Xudu of Chang'an would divide the east and west, and it also seemed to be a recurrence of history. During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, if Guanzhong had not abolished martial arts, then Liu Xiu wanted to gain control of Guanzhong. , it will take some effort, and now the Cavalry General Fei Qian, will he go to a dead end like he did back then?

Xun Yu's eyes fell on a scroll of letters beside him.

That is the copied "Juetian Law"...

Will this be the dagger that the hussar general uses to kill himself, or is this the sharp blade that cuts at the Shandong nobles?

Xun Yu carefully studied the "Jue Tian Law" issued by Huqi, and believed that the most important purpose was to curb the large-scale centralized annexation of land, because it was obvious that if military merit was used as a title, then most of the Han people in the mainland would People, for example, in the Jizhou and Yuzhou areas, do not have any great military merits to be knighted, so they naturally need to pay a higher tax rate. At the same time, as the number of acres of land increases, the tax rate will also increase, which is inevitable. As a result, when the number of fields reaches a certain number, the income generated not only does not increase, but actually decreases.

Therefore, Xun Yu concluded that the "Juetian Law" would definitely encounter a lot of resistance here in Jizhou and Yuzhou. Within Jizhou and Yuzhou, the land of any well-known family in Jizhou and Yuzhou already exceeds the amount stipulated in the "Jue Tian Law". How easy is it to get these people to pay the excess taxes in an orderly manner?

These land annexers, including Xun Yu’s family, annexed land to obtain more grain and grass. If these grains and grass cannot be converted into money through taxation and other means, and turned into capital for sitting down with the court, then this grain and grass will What's the point?

Xun Yu smelled a very dangerous atmosphere in "Juetian Law"...

If you want to avoid the "Jue Tian Law", it is not difficult. For example, if you split the land that originally belonged to the family and allocate it to individuals, then naturally you don't have to pay high taxes according to the "Jue Tian Law", but so Once it comes, it will cause more problems, so most families are unwilling to split up. After all, whose hands are concentrated in the interests will have a louder voice. If it is split up, this family can still be regarded as A family?

Xun Yu felt the strong icy atmosphere in "Juetian Law".

Moreover, there is no way to store too much grain and grass in ordinary families. Even the best grain and grass stored in general warehouses will become tasteless after three years, will definitely start to rot after five years, and can basically say goodbye after ten years. It’s within the scope of food for the nobles’ children…

Therefore, only by concentrating in large numbers can we have the right to speak. Once dispersed, the family will be doomed. Once land cannot be centralized and monopolized, class rule will lose its foundation. Assets like land are always the best assets of the ruling class. This has been the case since ancient times. How could Fei Qian fight against it on his own?

This is really...

Xun Yu shook his head.

And from a certain point of view, the Han Dynasty does not have much cultivated land at the moment, at least not enough to feed the people of the world. In many cases, it is because of the shortage of grain and grass on the market that a new round of reclamation is triggered.

So, isn't Fei Qian's "Juetian Law" putting the cart before the horse?

And will the three auxiliary areas in Guanzhong follow the "Juetian Law" so obediently?

Xun Yu felt that this was definitely impossible.

Therefore, even if you suffer a little loss now, it doesn't matter, after all, you can wait. Perhaps when this conflict intensifies, it will be an opportunity to regain Heluo and even Guanzhong...

That's about it, Xun Yu thought, and wanted to meet Guo Jia more and more, but after all, it still took some time to get from Guanzhong to Xu County, so he could only endure it.

In addition to the grand strategic ideas, there are also some small things in Xun Yu's hands.

It's not a small thing.

For example, after the death of Liu Biao in Jingzhou, there is still no specific decision. Liu Cong is in Xiangyang and Liu Qi is in Yangcheng. Who is the successor? Or neither of them can get it. There is no conclusion yet.

This is the first thing, the second thing...

With Cao Cao's return and the promulgation of the so-called "gag order", although Cao Cao said "speak freely", most of the gentry children still secretly said that the decree was actually a "gag order", so the gentry children also It's rare that things have calmed down a bit, at least on the surface. I can't control whether there is any internal slander.

Of course, Cao Cao has not been idle. In order to reverse the situation in the court, and to find some fun for these gossiping nobles, Cao Cao has already revealed some words and is preparing to hold a grand military parade this winter...

At that time, the emperor will personally inspect the event, and all officials, both civil and military, will be rewarded. Anyone over sixty years old around Xu County will be rewarded with food and wine, and the people will also be allowed to watch along the way.

It was simply a huge bustle that immediately attracted everyone's attention.

This is certainly a good thing.

But good things also mean one word, money.

Cao Cao's eyes widened. Well, of course, the distance between his eyes was only the distance from a mung bean to a soybean, "Huh?" No money? 』

Of course, Cao Cao's "no money" and ordinary people's "no money" are two completely different concepts.

Ordinary people who don’t have money really have no money. They can’t afford even a penny and have problems eating. But Cao Cao’s lack of money just means that the show he wants to hold may not be successful, or it may not be the ideal one. status……

Xun Yu smiled bitterly, shook his head and said: "In the original treasury, at the beginning of the year, there were tens of millions of money, but less than a hundred silk... Although the lord gained a lot from conquering Jingzhou, the reward was also huge... plus what he owed before Salaries for hundreds of officials, expenses for the imperial army, sporadic expenses... Even the dredging of water conservancy projects originally scheduled for this winter will be moved to next year..."

Cao Cao frowned, "This autumn taxes..."

As soon as he started talking, Cao Cao figured it out, so he stopped a little embarrassed.

Sure enough, Xun Yu went on to say: "...There is still a little bit of Xuzhou left, and the transportation is slow. Even if it arrives, it will be a drop in the bucket... Qingzhou, let alone hope..."

Cao Cao went on several expeditions to the north and south, and the taxes have already been paid until next year. Jizhou and Yuzhou made several levies, which almost turned the tables, so the taxes this autumn are just what each place wants...

Many people in later generations actually fell into a misunderstanding, thinking that during the rule of the Han Dynasty, just like in later generations, or in novels and games, occupying a county was equivalent to occupying an entire territory, but in fact The current separatist forces in various places in the Han Dynasty are not just Cao Cao Feiqian and Sun Quan. In many places, there are even county-level units, and each village and township has its own local overlord.

The division of forces in novels and games is often far-fetched and misleading, and often even brings together rivals or temporary alliances of forces that are actually independent. A typical example is the two Li and Guo in the Xiliang Corps. They are often regarded as being in the same camp, but in fact the conflicts between Li and Guo have never been less, otherwise it would not be so easy for Jia Xu to stir up trouble in them.

The real situation in most Han areas is that if the powerful powers at the county level do not cooperate, the county governor becomes a decoration; if the powerful powers at the county level do not cooperate, the governor or state pastor becomes a decoration; at the higher level, the governor or state pastor does not If you cooperate, the emperor will become a decoration.

The new management structure adopted by Fei Qian, including three inspection teams with bachelors of agriculture and bachelors of engineering, Supervisor Zhiyin on the surface, and Mohist disciples secretly, has only just been rolled out, and it is not yet possible to fully control the place. So Cao Cao, who was still using the original old methods, let alone had strong control over the lower-level counties.

The most typical chestnut is Zang Ba.

In Xun Yu's words just now, he more or less meant to take advantage of the power of the current military front and the opportunity to maneuver around to clean up Zang Ba. At least he had to beat him up, otherwise Qingxu local taxes would be passed at any time. Who wouldn't feel uncomfortable if I put one hand aside?

This time, Zang Ba and others waited until the end before arriving. Although it did play a certain role in preventing Taishi Ci from coming to Xu County again and tearing off the crotch pants of Lao Cao and others, it still It proved that as long as Zang Ba and others were stuck on the road from Xuzhou to Qingzhou for one day, Qingxu would not be able to completely surrender and eventually become Cao Cao's family.

Classmate Lao Cao nodded slightly, obviously receiving the signal conveyed by Xun Yu. Too many internal factions were not a good thing. This was also the reason why the bald Qiang suffered in the forest in later generations.

Zang Ba was a native of Hua County, Taishan County in the Eastern Han Dynasty. His father was Zang Jie, who served as the county warden of Hua County. The county warden is a county official with a salary of less than 100 dan. Regardless of his junior position, such positions are usually held by local wealthy people, otherwise they will not be able to suppress the situation.

Later, Zang Ba's father, Zang Jie, fell out with the Taishan County Governor directly because he did not obey the Taishan County Governor's request to kill prisoners privately. For a county official with less than a hundred stones to be so heroic, he must be supported by his status as a wealthy family. Later, Zang Ba, who was only 18 years old, led dozens of people to attack the escort team in the west mountain of Fei County, rescued his father, and killed him. The governor of Taishan County was simply a replica of Sun Jian.

Later, Zang Ba took his father and fled to Donghai County, where the Xuzhou Governor's Department was located. The land of Xuzhou was where Zang Ba and others arose. As we all know, Tao Qian was okay in domestic affairs, but not so good in war. Therefore, Zang Ba grew up by joining forces with Tao Qian to conquer the Yellow Turbans, and in the process of continuous annexation, he teamed up with Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and Yin Li. The people made peace together in one place and eventually formed a huge system.

In the areas surrounding Taishan County, there have been constant rebellions since the Eastern Han Dynasty. First there were the rebellions of Dongguo Dou and Gongsun Ju, and later there were the rebellions of Lao Bing and Shusun Wuji. With such continuous rebellions, the Eastern Han Dynasty court could not put out the rebellion in time. Under these circumstances, Zang Ba and others eventually developed a rather capricious character, which was a necessity.

In Taishan County, an area where there is almost no control, when Zang Ba and others gathered strength, great changes took place in Xuzhou. Tao Qian may have thought about how to deal with Zang Ba after taking advantage of them, but he did not expect that It was him who couldn't survive it first and entered the gate of hell...

After Tao Qian's death, Liu Bei took over Xuzhou. On the one hand, Zang Ba and others acquiesced in Liu Bei's succession. On the other hand, Liu Bei failed to spare time to engage Zang Ba. Both parties had a tacit understanding of their own affairs.

Later, Cao Cao came, but as soon as Cao Cao arrived, he encountered Yanzhou's comeback. Cao Cao, who was in a hurry to go home and help the bottles and plates, naturally had no intention of having a vigorous love song with Zang Ba, so he just did it casually and then bought it. He locked it, made some false promises, locked it with a click, and then left Zang Ba on Mount Tai...

When Cao Cao finished his work, he looked back and saw that Zang Ba and others had actually formed a local separatist regime, and to a certain extent they had the secret support of the Xuzhou and Qingzhou nobles. Anyway, if Lao Cao wants to reach Qingzhou and Xuzhou, he must first pass the Zang Ba level. Lao Cao originally wanted to deal with Zang Ba, but then he faced Yuan Shao again. After the fight, Yuan Shao hooked up with Fei Qian several times, but he still couldn't make room to arrange Zang Ba.

Cao Cao frowned.

Of course, there is another hidden factor in this, that is, the anti-Cao forces in Xuzhou are quite powerful.

What is Lao Cao's reputation in Xuzhou? Look at how much Brother Zhu hates Cao Cao and wants to stab Lao Cao in the back. You can know how Cao Cao is evaluated in Xuzhou.

The bloodbath in Xuzhou resulted in temporary gains from massacre and looting, but the people were also human beings, not grass and trees, so they hated Cao Cao because they "remember the shame of their father and elder brother." So although Cao Cao won Xuzhou in name, he was far from able to win over the people of Xuzhou.

Of course Cao Cao himself understood this very well, so he acquiesced and even supported Zang Ba. In addition to the military pressure used to resist Yuan Shao's partial army at the time, he also wanted to alleviate the internal contradiction of Xuzhou's anti-Cao sentiment.

However, the development of facts proved that Cao Cao underestimated the anti-Cao forces in Xuzhou.

This can be seen from the subsequent rebellion of Changxi...

Now, the tail is too big to fall off.

It's not easy to do it, because it's not just Zang Ba who is involved, but a group of people. Of course, it is not impossible to say that Cao Cao doesn't care about anything now and just hits him hard, but the cost is very high.

"I already know Wen Ruo's intention..." Cao Cao said slowly, "But we should just focus on the present... There is still something left in Zi Lian. If it is not enough, Wen Ruo will go find him..."

"How can you let General Zilian..."

Before Xun Yu finished speaking, Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter, Zi Lian also saved some before, just for this purpose, just go and find them!" 』

Although he could not completely solve the problem, at least it was possible to deal with the immediate situation, so Xun Yu did not have too much entanglement and went to find Cao Hong with Cao Cao's order.

At this point, Cao Cao and Fei Qian are somewhat similar. Both of them don't take money too seriously. If the national treasury has no money, they will use family money to add it, and there will be no reluctance.

But Cao Cao and Fei Qian are different in details.

Cao Cao himself did not know how to do business, and there were not many people in the Xiahou family of the Cao family who knew about economics. There was only Cao Hong with half a bucket of water dangling, barely playing the important role of the Cao family's small treasury, but Fei Qian was different in that regard. , all kinds of refurbished small things in Guanzhong accounted for more than half of the market in the Han Dynasty. Paper books, tea fans, clothes and leather robes, weapons and horses, it seems that everything is being bought and sold...

This made Cao Cao a little depressed. Everyone was obviously the same. Even when we were in Luoyang, I was still in front. Why is it like this now?

Cao Cao just intuitively felt something was wrong, but it was still quite difficult for him to understand the concept of "product added value", not to mention that even Cao Cao had an enlightenment that day and was able to know what price and value are, and what usage is. There are a series of concepts such as value, exchange value, surplus value, etc., but there is still a long way to go from theory to practice.

Therefore, Cao Cao is eagerly looking forward to the return of Guo Jia...

Cao Cao believed that with Guo Jia's wisdom and having stayed in Chang'an, Xijing for such a long time, he would definitely be able to notice some details that Cao Cao could not notice, or grasp some information that Cao Cao did not know. Then as long as Guo Jia After returning, Cao Cao could shorten the distance between him and Fei Qian through learning and imitation. But what Cao Cao never expected was that this road and this distance would take a full eighteen hundred years...