Three Kingdoms

North of Wuguan, near Lantian.

The long camp spread out, like white steamed buns among the thin snowflakes.

Fei Qian was sitting in the Chinese army's tent. The fire basin on the side provided heat, so that he would not feel too cold in the military tent.

Fei Qian was looking at several new versions of Hussar coins on the table.

I don't know why, but when I play with these jingling coins in my hand, I feel a sense of pleasure, even though Fei Qian knows that these coins have no actual use for me at the moment.

Does Fei Qian need to go to the market and spend money to buy something?

Obviously not necessary, but holding this Qiusi coin still makes Fei Qian feel like a rich man. There are even some that have changed the reality of the world.

If we look at it from the perspective of future generations, these coins are crudely made and the handwriting is somewhat blurry...

Moreover, these coins delivered to Fei Qian for review are all parent coins, which are relatively refined, and have even been carefully polished. When the coins flow to the market, there will be various misprints and defects due to manual and mechanical reasons. Taste is naturally indispensable.

However, these coins still have cross-epochal significance.

China's gold and silver mines are indeed not as rich as copper mines, and even iron mines are worse. However, when faced with such a problem, the rulers of China's feudal dynasties chose to make do with it.

If there is no gold or silver, wouldn’t it be okay to use copper?

The quality of the iron ore is not very good, but then it can occasionally be used to make some "treasure swords" as tribute to the emperor, isn't it okay?

Of course, this can't all be the problem of these feudal rulers. After all, these people are limited by their vision and knowledge. Sometimes they can really be a good poster artist, which is already very remarkable, but the problem is Fei Qian's.

As a time traveler, if you just learn the pasting techniques from history and get rid of current problems, as long as there are no more problems during your term of office, what is the point of accumulating knowledge over the past thousand years?

Dahan has many shortcomings, and there are many things that need to be improved...

Many times, just like the current weather, white snow is flying, everything seems to be covered, everything is unified into one color, all pure and flawless, it looks so pleasing to the eye, but when the snow melts, it will change again. If it goes back to its original state, it will even be even dirtier!

"Your lord!" "A scout reported outside the big tent, "Zheng Gong's chariot from Chang'an has left Lantian and will be arriving from time to time. 』

Fei Qian put down the coins in his hand and said loudly, "I understand." 』

It is the basic virtue of an official to push beyond the limit, and this kind of push into the limit is very cruel.

So is adapting to the wind.

As soon as the army arrived, the turmoil among the refugees in Lantian was like a sage who had taken off his anger. Every one of them was as docile and kind as a beautiful man. They calmed down in a blink of an eye. There was no big movement. They were like falling snowflakes. The emergency military report also seemed to disappear among the snowflakes, never to be seen again.

Didn't we say before that the riots in Lantian and the ferocious refugees were causing harm to the four villages?

Aren't the hungry people manic, looting the market, and causing local disorder?

And now that Feiqian's army has arrived, it's gone?

If there is no movement, does it mean that nothing happens?

These ridiculous things are happening, and they are happening openly and openly under Fei Qian's eyes.

After being stationed in Lantian, Fei Qian ordered several surrounding county magistrates and magistrates to come to see him.

Then something more interesting happened. Several county magistrates actually hung up their crowns and left, saying that they were tired of writing documents and couldn't bear the burden, so they wanted to live in seclusion in the mountains and never come out again!

Since he has left his post and has no love for the powerful, he is naturally an eminent hermit who has obtained the "Tao" and understands the "Principle". He is in line with the original moral concept system of the Han Dynasty and belongs to someone who transcends the mundane world. Therefore, he naturally cannot be regarded as such. The requirements of the mundane world affect his transcendent artistic conception.

When Yuan Shao and Yuan Benchu ​​hung the crown on the east gate, the whole world applauded.

Nowadays, although these county magistrates are not as famous as Yuan Benchu, but to leave with their crowns is still a kind of transcendental state. How can I say that they have some celebrity demeanor?

Among them were Zheng Xuan's disciples.

Well, Zheng Xuan’s disciples are not just the few who follow him. After all, the disciples Zheng Xuan has accepted, if you include the nominal and unnamed disciples, there are at least more than a thousand, and these people will more or less be known as To promote themselves in the name of Zheng Xuan, then when these people accept disciples, they will also say that they learned from Zheng Xuan...

There are relatively few places in Guanzhong, but in the Jizhou area, it is said that wherever there is a voice of Confucian classics, there are disciples of Zheng Xue, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands.

On the one hand, this is because Zheng Xuan himself is a master of the study of Confucian classics. Then, at Zheng Xuan, you can learn the content of many Confucian classics. You don't have to look for someone to learn "Shang Shu" and who to study "Book of Changes" like before. Find another one. The key is if these people’s explanations are consistent with each other, that’s fine. What if their explanations are mutually exclusive?

Zheng Xue is much better. It has unified annotations, making it very convenient to learn and teach. Zheng Xue has naturally become the largest school of thought at the moment. Most of the scholars used Zheng's annotations when discussing the classics. Many Confucian scholars and scholars were shocked by the breadth and all-inclusiveness of Zheng's studies, and turned to advocate Zheng's annotations. A large number of classics students fell in love with Zheng's annotations and no longer consulted other schools.

Therefore, it is not surprising that some of those who left with their titles claiming to be Zheng Xuan's children.

Logically speaking, Zheng Xuan could have completely ignored these people, or even said that these people had nothing to do with him. However, Zheng Xuan did not do so. Instead, he took the trouble to rush from Chang'an to Lantian, and then from Lantian to Feiqian. here……

You must know that Zheng Xuan is already sixty or seventy years old. According to the average life span of the Han Dynasty, he may die at any time, but Zheng Xuan still drags his old body here, just for these so-called "Zheng Xuan" "Students".

Regarding this matter, Fei Qian really didn't know whether he should praise or sigh.

In the wind and snow, Zheng Xuan arrived.

Fei Qian asked Hua Tuo, who was accompanying the army, to go and get a diagnosis and treatment first. After confirming that the old man Zheng Xuan was fine, he felt relieved...

Zheng Xuan was wrapped in a big cloak, tremblingly drinking ginger soup, and then heating the brazier. After a long time, he seemed to have some energy and blood, and his face looked relatively better.

Elderly people's limbs are susceptible to cold. When the weather is cold, they are like four pieces of wood. The difficulty in turning is relatively mild, and sometimes they even experience soreness and pain...

"Mr. Zheng, why bother..." Fei Qian shook his head and sighed.

Zheng Xuan put down the bowl of ginger soup, and then did not directly answer Fei Qian's question, but also sighed, "General!" Why is this so? ! 』

Fei Qian pretended to be stupid, "What did Mr. Zheng say?" 』

"If the general wants to rectify his administration, he can just speak out. Why should he use this method?" ” Duke Zheng pouted his beard and blew wildly.

Fei Qian laughed, and then showed some mother's money on the table to Zheng Xuan, "Mr. Zheng, let's ignore this for now... What about this money?" Is it eye-catching? 』

"Someone is ashamed to say that copper smells bad!" Zheng Xuan glanced at it and became more and more angry, thinking that Fei Qian meant to use money to bribe him to solve the problem.

"Haha..." Fei Qian gestured to Huang Xu, "Do you have any coins for daily use?" Go get some and compare them with Mr. Zheng..."

Huang Xu nodded, took some out of his pocket, and placed them on Zheng Xuan's desk.

"..." Zheng Xuan glanced at Fei Qian, then looked at the coins, thoughtfully, "The meaning of the hussar..."

Although mother money is not as good as the coins of later generations, it is still much more exquisite than ordinary coins, and its luster and brightness are not comparable to ordinary coins.

Obviously they are based on the same mother coin as a template, but the coins produced are different. Of course, it may also be caused by wear and tear due to this or that reason during use.

"Hushi Qi uses this as a metaphor for the present?" Zheng Xuan said with a frown.

Talking to smart people saves trouble.

Smart people always hope to speak less themselves and let others speak more.

"I heard that when Zheng Gong was young, he was sitting on the royal banquet, and he said many heroic words, "It's not what I want, it's not what I want"..." Fei Qian tilted his head slightly, "But why don't you hear more of it now? ? 』

Zheng Xuan glanced at Fei Qian, with a calm and calm expression on his face, "General, you think I am a young man?" When I was young, it was not wrong to regard the world as if it were nothing. When I am at this age, I don’t know how to advance or retreat, I don’t know the truth, and I don’t avoid the advantages and disadvantages. Isn’t my life in vain? A gentleman has a way and should practice it diligently. 』

Fei Qian nodded and said, "A gentleman can be deceived." 』

Zheng Xuan stared, "Not necessarily!" 』

"May I ask Mr. Zheng, how many gentlemen are there in this world?" Boy geometry? Fei Qian laughed and said.

"This is a harm to the world!" Gentlemen are like lins, outstanding but rare; boys are like carps, clustered together in large numbers. Zheng Xuan shook his head and sighed, "People in the world often treat gentlemen as villains!" People's hearts are not ancient, what can be done? 』

"What Mr. Zheng said is not unreasonable..." Fei Qian nodded and said, "But this world... may not be what Mr. Zheng wants..."

Fei Qian pointed to the flying snowflakes outside the tent and said, "Does Mr. Zheng know this place?" Under the white snow and loess, there are a hundred thousand souls! 』

Every time I look at the vast land and feel a strong sense of history, Fei Qian always sighs in his heart, "In the battle of Lantian between Qin and Chu, there were only 300,000 people in Xianyang. They even conquered the land of Nanyang in Hanzhong, and the Chu Dynasty later conquered it." The power of the country stopped at Lantian... After the first emperor unified the world, millions of people lived in Xianyang. The daily needs of money, food, firewood, and fuel were piled up like mountains, and the water for washing was turbid... However, the emperor Gaozu only had more than ten thousand people, but he took it lightly. Wuguan, then conquer Aoguan, and go straight to Lantian..."

"Are there not enough soldiers?" Fifty thousand soldiers surrendered at the pass with soldiers and armor! Not many people? Millions of people, surrounded by Taoist Temple, Ziying's country is destroyed! Fei Qian pointed in the direction of Chang'an and Xianyang, "Three hundred thousand people can work together, but millions of people will fall apart!" Mr. Zheng, how can the four words "people's hearts are not ancient" be interpreted? 』

"To study the political system of ancient and modern times, we can start with the Qin Dynasty. Looking at the rise and fall of dynasties, we can start from the Han Dynasty to the present!" The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, so it can be said that the Han system came from Qin and was adapted from the Qin system. Fei Qian said slowly, "The Han Dynasty knew how to avoid the shortcomings of the Qin Dynasty, but it failed to cultivate its moral integrity. How can we learn from the shortcomings of the Han Dynasty now?" 』

In ancient China, the political system came into being when tribal alliances emerged.

In the beginning, leaders were elected based on simple criteria, one based on moral character and the other based on ability, and obedience was not compulsory. Even Yanhuang, advocated by Confucianism, relied on force to persuade the four armies. At that time, the concept of the central government had not yet been established, and the authority system was not perfect.

Zhou Wen and Wu established the dynasty. Faced with the new situation, King Wen and King Wu of Zhou were actually at a loss. Then enfeoffment was the political strategy that the King of Zhou came up with at that time, which lasted for eight hundred years.

Then the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were unified by the Qin kings and the emperor was established. Immediately, most of the ancient systems were overthrown, the feudal system and the Zhaomu system were abolished, and the legal system was changed to bureaucratic politics. These changes became the "tyranny of the King of Qin", and the six countries were in an uproar. These remnants of the Six Kingdoms are not suffering for the so-called common people, but because their privileges have been weakened or even eliminated.

Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty understood this, so he gave in. The emperor still had the throne, and the imperial power was still supreme. However, he gave up the positions of the Three Gongs and Nine Ministers, so that non-royal people could assist and rule the world on their behalf. Therefore, in the early Han Dynasty, the position of Taiwei was an honorary position and not permanent, while the prime minister had high power and position. Even when the prime minister went to court, the emperor had to wear formal attire to receive him. After the audience, the emperor had to send the prime minister to the entrance of the palace. …

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very unhappy, so he began to split up the prime ministers, and then gradually there were no more prime ministers. Even in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the three ministers had become empty titles, and the chancellery was the administrative center.

During the Han Dynasty, the central government officials above the court gradually transformed from "emperor's retainers" to "feudal bureaucrats". From working until they die of old age to being able to resign and change jobs, this is also a concept. changes.

But resigning and changing jobs doesn't mean you can't take any responsibility.

Fei Qian glanced at Zheng Xuan who was meditating, stopped, and gave Zheng Xuan some time to think.

Regardless of his age, Zheng Xuan hurried to Lantian, not entirely because of those so-called "Zheng Xue disciples", but because Zheng Xuan's own duty was to give advice, and secondly, he was worried that Fei Qian was just a temporary Being impulsive, and then taking action without fully considering it, leading to subsequent troubles, thirdly...

There must also be Zheng Xuan's own private desires.

Zheng Xuan is not a saint, nor is anyone else.

In terms of official affairs, Zheng Xuan does not oppose reform, but he opposes aimless or even random changes. Then it is better to follow the ancient system, at least it will not become worse.

The same is true for Zheng Xuan's attitude towards Fei Qian. If Fei Qian doesn't think about anything, just blindly follows his desires, asks for this, covets that, does things without rules, and issues decrees at will, then Zheng Xuan will be disappointed, and even Anger will eventually lead Zheng Xuan to either die and remonstrate, or run away. On the other hand, once Zheng Xuan discovers that these issues are things that Fei Qian has thought about for a long time, Zheng Xuan will not be angry because of this, but will discuss it with Fei Qian to find a solution that one party can accept, or that both parties are willing to bear. of that result.

We are not afraid that the king will have too many ideas, but we are afraid that the king will not use his brain.

For personal reasons, Zheng Xuan's personal plans were naturally inconvenient to be discussed in front of Fei Qian.

Zheng Xuan understood what Fei Qian meant, that is, stop talking about "ancient methods". From the beginning of China's history to the present, the Chinese people have been pioneering and innovating step by step. There has never been any ancient method that can be copied, and there is no system that the old man can Guidance, some are just constant groping and bloody thorny road.

The body and the mind are two completely different things. The mind points out the path, but the body is limited to reality and often takes a completely different path.

This is a very helpless thing.

Sometimes, it’s not that the body doesn’t know that it has made a mistake, but it just has to admit that it is wrong and the cost of turning back is extremely high, so it can only reluctantly try to change, and then gradually slip into the abyss under the influence of inertia.

Since Fei Qian knew that some directions were wrong, why did he still go there?

But the problem is that others don’t think that direction is wrong.

At least now, does Zheng Xuan feel it is necessary to do this?

So even after Fei Qian explained, Zheng Xuan still frowned and remained silent. Although he didn't say anything, he obviously still didn't agree with it.

"The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, with prefectures and counties as guardians, and ten thousand households as orders. The insufficient ones were the leaders. Townships were set up under the counties, and they were assisted by "Youzhi", "Three Elders", "Youyou" and others, who were responsible for household laws and education. , Litigation, theft, also collecting taxes, commanding labor..." Fei Qian laughed, and then said, "Does Mr. Zheng know how many officials there are in a county with ten thousand households? 』

Zheng Xuan shook his head. Although he knew a little bit about it in general, he didn't know exactly how many officials there were in a county.

"One person in command is worth a thousand stones, and one person in charge is worth four hundred stones." There are two lieutenants, each with a rank of four hundred stones. There is one officer with rank, four with rank in the township, four with the order and history, three with the prison history, three with the government office, ten with the township, four with the tour, one with the jail, three with the history, and seven with the assistant. There are nine people, nine assistants, and more than fifty pavilion chiefs..." Fei Qian said slowly, "In one county, there are more than one hundred and fifty officials, all of whom receive salaries and food and clothing from the country. Dare I ask Mr. Zheng, what do you think? 』

Zheng Xuan said: "So the hussar is going to be redundant?" 』

Fei Qian smiled and said, "No...if the officials can enrich the place, calm the countryside, build water conservancy, and improve people's livelihood, it is okay to have twice as many officials...but these officials, haha , three years later, every year there are those who talk about disasters, there are those who fail to talk, and there are those who make mistakes. But few say what they have done for the people this year, and what they are willing to do for the people next year! 』

"The imperial court raises them with salary, and the local government fattens them with the fat of the people. They live in a large building, with hundreds of people coming and going. They have cars to go around and seats to live in. If the food is not good, they will be angry. If the food is not good, they will be resentful. Good things happen to them like ducks. They work hard. "If the blame is gone," Fei Qian said with a smile, but his smile was somewhat cold, "These are the local governors and the pillars of the country!" There is chaos in Lantian today. We sit back and watch behind closed doors, doing nothing, letting it spread, and we are helpless! When asked, he left with his crown hanging! If someone is held accountable, he will persecute celebrities and harm the virtuous! 』

"This..." Zheng Xuan was speechless.

Fei Qian has not yet mentioned the temporary workers among local officials. If he does, these temporary workers are often an important reason why local officials are criticized.

For a serious official position, one has to worry about one's own merit crown, while the official hat of a temporary worker is made of paper and will be damaged by the slightest exposure to wind and rain. In addition, in order to obtain such a paper hat, a lot of investment is required. If you can't get back the small cost before the hat breaks, wouldn't it be a huge loss?

Just like a county magistrate is unlikely to personally seize two pieces of meat and a few fruits from a market vendor. Most of the people who can do such a thing can only do things with paper hats, but those who can speak and advance are not as good as sages. It’s not related, and then you fire a few paper hats and that’s it? Who brought the paper hat? Whose font size is written on the hat? How many hands had the pieces of meat and fruits taken away passed through?

Buddha said, it cannot be said.

"If Mr. Zheng still has doubts..." Fei Qian clapped his hands, "You might as well meet someone again to clear up your doubts..."

The curtain of the big tent was lifted, and someone came in...