Three Kingdoms

Xu Shu was startled.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Shu waved his hand slightly, signaling the servants and guards around the hall to step back, and then said: "Kong Ming, please don't entertain me..."

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and said, "Yuan Zhi doesn't see the danger, so it's convenient for him?" 』

Xu Shu frowned, waved his hand and said, "Kong Ming, please speak frankly." 』

In Xu Shu's heart, he still didn't believe Zhuge Liang's "crisis", but he was still willing to listen to what Zhuge Liang wanted to say.

Generally speaking, Xu Shu's ability to govern the country is not bad, and his political points are not low. This can be seen from the prosperous conditions around Chengdu. After all, a prosperous market means orderly production and abundant goods. On the contrary, if the market is extremely depressed, other production and security issues will certainly not be much better.

Zhuge Liang lived near Shifang for a period of time, and of course he also learned some information about people's livelihood in Chengdu. He also had no opinions on Xu Shu's governance, so the "crisis" Zhuge Liang mentioned was naturally something else...

"The most important thing about Sichuan and Shu is the authority of the southwest." "Zhuge Liang said slowly, "The barbarian people in the south are fierce, there are many large households near Chengdu, and the travel between Badong and Brazil is rough... At the moment, it seems that everything is calm, but..."

Xu Shu still frowned and looked at Zhuge Liang, "Please continue." 』

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "Does Yuan Zhi know about my lord's affairs in Guanzhong?" 』

"Guanzhong? ” Xu Shu was startled for a moment.

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly.

Xu Shu frowned even more tightly.

"If Sichuan and Shu are settled for the first time, it will be like a person suffering from severe illness, that is, movement is worse than stillness, and peace and health should be the top priority..." Zhuge Liang looked at Xu Shu and said, "But now in Chengdu, people's livelihood is stable and commerce is healthy, which is like people's health." , only the disease is hidden... and I don't know whether to wait for it to cause it, or whether it should be nursed back to health in advance? 』

"Hidden diseases in Sichuan and Shu?" ” Xu Shu pinched his beard and said, “Kong Ming’s intention is... that the big families in Sichuan and Sichuan colluded with the barbarians? 』

"Yuan Zhi really knows..." Zhuge Liang smiled while stroking his hands, "If that's the case, why not do it?" 』

Xu Shu sighed and said: "Don't you know that in Sichuan and Sichuan, big families are rampant... It's just... this matter will involve many people, and the slightest mistake will spread the whole situation... Therefore, stability is the most important thing at the moment... Is this the "crisis" that Kong Ming mentioned? 』

Zhuge Liang raised a finger and said, "This is one of them!" 』

"oh? I don’t know what the second one is..." Xu Shu asked.

"Yuan Zhi hasn't left the house for a long time?" Zhuge Liang asked again, "Have you been to the market?" Do you know who owns the shops in the market? 』

"Hiss..." Xu Shu frowned.

How should I describe this matter?

As early as under Lu Mountain, when several people were discussing with each other, Brother Zhu liked Guan Zhong more, and therefore agreed more with Guan Zhong's model. So it is not surprising that Zhuge Liang would raise this issue now and think it is very serious. .

After a moment of silence, Xu Shu looked at Zhuge Liang and said slowly: "Kong Ming has never been to the Manzhai in the mountains?" 』

Brother Zhu was also stunned for a moment, then frowned, "Could it be... Yuan Zhi's intention..."

"How about we go together tomorrow?" ” Xu Shu smiled and invited.

Zhuge Liang thought for a while and nodded.

Early the next morning, Xu Shu took Zhuge Liang and set off from Chengdu, heading west and south.

For ordinary people, including Nanman, who have no highways or other means of transportation, their daily activities are basically limited to a hundred miles. Even if it's a market transaction or something, the maximum limit is usually three days. If it's more, I usually won't go.

Therefore, after coming out of Chengdu, in the first circle, within a hundred miles of villages, whether they are Han or barbarian, you can clearly see the traces of civilization. This kind of civilization includes many aspects, not only the planning of walls, the cultivation of acres, but also the clothing of people in the village, the construction of houses, and even the regulation of sanitary conditions, the arrangement of cattle and sheep, etc. , all seem relatively reasonable, or more in line with the norms of "civilization".

But in the second circle, that is, in the villages two hundred miles away, some problems have obviously appeared...

Especially barbarian villages,

In the eyes of a person like Zhuge Liang who is a little, well, not a little, but has some obsessive-compulsive disorder, no matter how he looks at it, he doesn't like it. If he looks at it for a long time, he will become increasingly irritated in his heart, and he can't wait to order someone to take this thing away. A village would be happy if it was torn down and rebuilt.

Humans and animals live together, and chickens and ducks are in the "hall", well, let's call it the "hall", they run wild, and even after taking two steps, there will be a "pop" sound, and a piece of yellow or black will splash out. Comes as a dilute or concentrated mixture of solids and liquids.

Feces and urine are overflowing, no matter where they are, as long as they feel it, they will squat or stand, and a pile of yellow and white stuff will pop up, and then the child will roll around naked, and even step on it, contaminating the big No one cares about the feces and urine on half the body.

The leaders of the village stared at Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang as if they were on guard against thieves, as if they were afraid that Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang would steal valuable things in their village. Even the feces and urine in the village were precious. Incomparably, even if Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang took another look at each other, he would feel that something was wrong.

"Do you still want to look further away? ” Xu Shu asked when they returned to the road.

Zhuge Liang was silent for a while, then he cupped his hands towards Xu Shu and said, "I wrongly blamed Yuan Zhi..."

Except for some dog meat friends with ulterior motives, most people still follow the law that birds of a feather flock together. Therefore, Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu are basically on the same level. Therefore, when Zhuge Liang said it yesterday, Xu Shu almost reacted .

In theory, Xu Shu's actions here are indeed a bit slow.

Sichuan and Shu seem to have only two words, but in fact it is very big, especially not only the Chengdu Basin, but also areas with many barbarians such as Badong Basili and South Central Jianning. Among these places, since the Han Dynasty, wrong, it should be since the Pre-Qin Dynasty, they have basically been in a state of autonomy, because the transportation is indeed too inconvenient...

Even if there is a period of strong intervention, it is relatively short-lived, and it is easy for subsequent problems to occur, often because of some small and dirty incidents, which lead to considerable conflicts.

To put it bluntly, from the beginning of the Qin Dynasty to the present Han Dynasty, during the four to five hundred years, the management of the southern barbarians and marginal mountainous areas in Sichuan and Shu was all about "letting go".

So even if Xu Shu is determined to organize these things now, the difficulty is not as high as usual, and it is impossible to adopt the Guanzhong model...

What is Guanzhong?

Eight hundred miles of Qinchuan!

If we speed up our horses, regardless of the consumption of the horses, we can reach Sichuan and Shu within five days by running from Tongguan in the east to Chencang in the west. If you want to get to Jianning from Badong, even if you make reasonable arrangements and travel by land and water, it will take at least ten days, or even twenty or thirty days to arrive. Although the middle section of the road is relatively easy to walk, the mountain roads at the beginning and end...

Theoretically speaking, Xu Shu could be like other officials in the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, randomly sending a small official to the village gate, or not even sending anyone, just go through the stream of consciousness and it would be over, but Xu Shu did not Do this.

That's why Zhuge Liang apologized to Xu Shu, which meant that it was inappropriate for Zhuge Liang to use Guanzhong's model to measure Xu Shu's actions in Sichuan and Shu...

But, what needs to be done still needs to be done.

"Yuan Zhi, please be aware that you are very quiet and restless..." Zhuge Liang said slowly, "In the market place... there are many large shops... It's okay at this time, but if things continue like this... tigers and wolves are getting bigger, and they will inevitably fight each other. ...』

Xu Shu nodded, "If Kong Ming has any ideas, you might as well speak up." 』

Zhuge Liang said slowly: "Why not... think from the inside out, and the outside from the inside?" 』

Xu Shu pinched his beard, frowned, and pondered...

……(?д?)……

In the third year of Emperor Huan's Yongshou period in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, there were household registration statistics, which showed that there were more than 10.67 million households in the country and a population of more than 56.48 million. After the Ping of Wu, further statistics showed that there were about 2.46 million households in the country and a population of more than 16.16 million, which was less than a quarter of the number in the Han Dynasty.

Of course, the actual situation was not that bad, because there was no serious census at that time. It was based on the cumulative data compiled by the official records of Wei, Shu, and Wu.

The chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty caused serious population migration, and the subsequent disputes between the Three Kingdoms resulted in a large number of people becoming part of the official and private tribes, that is, "hidden households" and not included in the official roster.

If the Western Jin Dynasty can maintain the peaceful world for fifty or sixty years, and if detailed verification and statistics are carried out again, it should be able to at least recover to some extent. Not to mention catching up with the heyday of the Han Dynasty, but half of the heyday, with a high probability, can still be achieved. It's just a pity that from the time when King Sima Wei of Chu came to the capital to kill Yang Jun and the "Eight Kings Rebellion" began, the common people had only had peace and stability for eleven years...

But no matter when, after eating too much Taiping rice, there will always be a feeling that it is time to think about it. If you have been hungry for three days, no matter what level of food you eat, it will not taste as good as a bowl of ordinary rice.

This is true in Hanzhong, and so is Zhang Ze.

Unlike history, Hanzhong did not suffer the pain of history during the entire process of belonging to Fei Qian. When Cao Cao and Liu Bei fought for Hanzhong, although Liu Bei finally occupied Hanzhong, in fact Liu Bei only obtained the land of Hanzhong, and less than 30% of the population remained. One or two percent died in the war or fled, and the rest were moved away by Cao Cao.

So historically, Hanzhong was miserable. If you don’t even have enough to eat, why would you still think of a hammer?

But it’s different now. There are people in Hanzhong, and the crops and mulberry trees have not been damaged much because of the war. Even when General Fei Qian of the Hussars promoted tea consumption, Hanzhong planted tea in the Qinling area and gained a lot of income... …

When you are full, you will have more leisure time.

Ever since Zhang Ze defeated Liu Dan in a fight and successfully expanded his family's territory in Hanzhong, the little idea in Zhang Ze's heart has slowly grown up.

At first, Zhang Ze was still a little scared.

If you are afraid for a long time, you will get used to it. So Zhang Ze slowly felt that he shouldn't be so afraid...

On the one hand, Zhang Ze expanded, becoming richer and richer, making Zhang Ze feel that he was omnipotent, just like what later generations often said that money makes people's souls become empty and their bodies begin to deteriorate.

On the other hand, because Zhang Ze is located in Hanzhong, separated from Guan by the Qinling Mountains, the area is relatively small, and the things he comes into contact with are also very leisurely. Even in Zhang Ze's eyes, the world is just this point in front of him. The operation of society is not fully understood. To put it simply, the level of self-awareness cannot keep up with the changes in society, showing a kind of intellectual regression.

Self, arrogance, and pride, when these things gathered in Zhang Ze, naturally made Zhang Ze unable to see the future path clearly, thinking that he was still walking in the right direction.

Just like the keyboard warriors on the Internet in later generations, who feel that they can talk about anything and everything, point out the situation, and then show off their strengths, Zhang Ze, after the original fear gradually subsided, just I feel that I can talk about everything, talk about everything, point out this country to Fei Qian, and then show off my ability to manage Hanzhong, saying that others are idiots, only I am awesome, and I am so awesome, Fei Qian If he actually lets a fool find fault with him, does that mean Fei Qian is also a fool?

Hanzhong’s achievements today cannot be achieved without ourselves!

Zhang Ze thought so.

Therefore, Zhang Ze felt that his prestige in Hanzhong should be very high, and he believed that if something really happened, he could still have some confidence. He believed that with such rich local resources and the support of officials who have full control, With the Qinling Mountains as a natural barrier, Fei Qian's cavalry can be kept out of the mountains. If there is any problem, just block a few passages and Hanzhong will become a country of its own!

What Zhang Lu couldn't do back then, Zhang Ze felt he could do!

And if the situation with the Guanzhong offensive really becomes tense, Zhang Ze still has a plan to draw out the firepower...

Therefore, Zhang Ze felt that it was not false at all.

The only thing that needs attention is Huang Quan. Although Huang Quan has been driven all the way to Fangling by Zhang Ze in recent years, which is considered a departure from the prosperous place of Hanzhong, there are still some military schools left over from Huang Cheng's military training in Shangyong next door to Fangling. So if Huang Quan and these soldiers unite, it may not be easy to deal with.

Therefore, Zhang Ze feels that if there is any trouble, he needs to act first.

"Someone is coming!" Zhang Ze ordered in a cold voice, "Send someone to ask Huang Gongheng to come!" Just say that we have something important to discuss! 』

The person who gave the order left.

Zhang Ze sneered twice. He planned to imprison Huang Quan as soon as he arrived. If Huang Quan recognized the situation and was willing to cooperate, then he could keep Huang Quan to see his performance. If Huang Quan did not know the situation...

Humph, then don’t blame someone for being cruel!

Hanzhong! This is the land of Tian and the Zhang family. The former Zhang Lu has not fully accomplished his work, but today he is here to inherit the great cause!

……(;￢＿￢)……

Zhang Ze was not the only one who thought he could strike first.

Cao Jun chased Xianbei all the way, and ruthlessly took a lot of war dividends. Not only did he recruit the Wuhuan remnant soldiers after Nanlou's death as his younger thugs, he also paid a lot of supplies to the Xianbei people, especially war horse.

All this made Cao Jun very excited.

After all, these are all real achievements, without any extravagance.

It's just that because of the unfolding of these military operations, the recovery and attack on Youbei must be followed up. After all, no matter how stupid Gongsun Du is, he will definitely notice something abnormal after receiving this news. Once something unexpected happens, Cao Jun's surprise attack will turn into a tug-of-war.

The tug of war means continuous consumption...

Therefore, we can only strike first, before Gongsun Du has fully reacted, and then use the mallet first!

But now there is another problem, the Ding Ling people plundering in northern Youzhou...

After the Ding Ling people tested Yuyang, which they attacked two or three times, they found that Yuyang was not that easy to chew. At least for the Ding Ling people who were not good at attacking cities, even the somewhat dilapidated Yuyang was still like a natural chasm, so they circled around it one after another. After opening Yuyang, a large-scale raid was carried out around Youzhou.

This makes the Youzhou area basically completely deserted now.

Starting from the confrontation between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, plus several subsequent battles in Youzhou, it can be said that most of the areas in Youzhou are ruined villages, with only some Wubao of wealthy families still remaining. But not much more. It looks like a bird shivering in the cold wind. It panics and immediately flees into the mountains and forests at the slightest sign of trouble...

Of course, this is also the reason why Cao Jun saw no one all the way north.

Only the lifeless and abandoned villages can indicate that a place was once a densely populated and wealthy place.

The longer the menstruation lasted, the colder Cao Chun's mood became.

Cao Jun's soldiers were preparing to set up camp, while Cao Chun led his people into the deserted village.

It turns out there is someone here...

Cao Chun knew this in his heart, and when he was in Youzhou, he also came here, stopped, and traded some supplies with nearby villages.

But now, this place has almost become a ghost.

Dusk has gradually enveloped the sky, and there is still a strange red color on the horizon, like a scar tearing the sky of pain. There are no traces of people in the abandoned villages, with collapsed houses and walls, rotten beams and eaves, and broken tiles covered with yellow mud. Some of them seem to have been overheated, standing black in the corners. , like wild beasts, hiding in the darkness, ready to prey on people when they are not prepared.

"..." Cao Chun stood in the village and sighed.

Is this fight the right one?

Cao Chun used to think that victory was the most important thing.

Kill the enemy and take their heads. Blood stains the yellow sand, and horse leather wraps the corpse.

This was Cao Chun's belief when he was young and went to the battlefield, but now...

"General..." Cao Chun's guard whispered from the side.

Cao Chun came to his senses and said, "What's the matter?" 』

"The generals are gathered..." Guard Cao Chun pointed to the back.

Only then did Cao Chun realize that the sound of the generals' drumming could be heard faintly in the wind. "Walk! 』