Three Kingdoms

The first person to meet the Jiankun people was Zhang He.

Zhang He obviously just confirmed his qualifications as an envoy and could not immediately give Jiankun and his party any treaty. Moreover, Zhang He did not have that authority, so after a brief meeting, Zhang He took Jiankun and his people to Zhao Yun's camp. go.

Of course, Zhang He didn't just lead the way, he didn't do anything else. During the brief process, Zhang He discovered many problems on the sidelines.

The weapons of the Jiankun people are uneven.

On the one hand, it means that the metallurgical craftsmanship of the Jiankun people is not very good. On the other hand, it also shows that the combat effectiveness of the Jiankun people cannot be replaced in an orderly manner. Take the most common arrow rain coverage strike as an example, the weight of the arrows is inconsistent. , which will inevitably lead to deviations in the coverage of Arrow Rain...

Jiankun people have different races, including yellow race and Semu people. And this may have also led to the discord between the Jiankun people, the conflict between the red-haired and the black-haired people. Even though the Jiankun people tried to cover it up, it was still noticed by Zhang He.

"That's pretty much it..."

Zhang He said slowly, ending his report to Pingbei General Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun nodded slightly.

In addition to weapons and equipment, the conflicts between the Jiankun people are quite interesting. Either the Jiankun people show it deliberately, or the conflicts between the two sides are already very fierce among the Jiankun people. Even this kind of conflict is very interesting. Even the superficial cover-up is no longer good.

Zhao Yun prefers the latter option, but it cannot be said that the possibility of the former option is completely absent.

The time for the formal meeting between the two parties was agreed to be three days later.

In these three days, the Jiankun people also had a general understanding of Pingbei General Zhao Yun, or the entire force under the Hussars General.

For most alliance members, especially in ancient times, there were no telephones, faxes, bank checks, etc., so how to judge whether the other party is worthy of the alliance, then naturally depends on the items presented by the other party...

The first is to look at the equipment. At this point, the Han people are of course much more sophisticated.

This is because Fei Qian attaches great importance to the manufacturing and even development of equipment, and even treats the relatively remote Pingbei General Zhao Yun equally, and does not deny equipment and tools just because of the long distance, so when the Jiankun people see Zhao Yun When he was equipped with "armored cavalry" in the army, the fear and envy he felt was beyond words.

The evolution of horse armor has begun very early, but places like Jiankun still have poor metallurgical technology, so it is already very impressive to be able to meet the armor needs of ordinary warriors.

What's more, before Fei Qian, in history, the application of horse armor was basically only used as a key protection for generals, and most people would never even think about it. In the "Military Policy Order", Cao Cao stated the strength comparison between the two sides before the Battle of Guandu, saying: "Yuan Benchu ​​has ten thousand armors, and I have twenty armors; Benchu ​​has three hundred horse armors, and I cannot have ten." 』Although there is a certain exaggeration, it can still be seen.

So when the Jiankun people saw that the Han people easily took out more than a hundred horse armors to equip their cavalry, and when they saw the movements and coordination of the cavalry and their horses, it didn't look like they were just putting on a temporary show, but they felt it in their hearts. Will murmur...

The second aspect is of course looking at people.

Whether a soldier is strong or has combat effectiveness can sometimes be faked, but some details cannot be faked. When the Jiankun people saw that the Han soldiers were well-organized and marched in unison, they were all well-trained and experienced soldiers. The soldiers brought out by Jiankun were not bad, but they seemed to be slightly behind in terms of energy and spirit. .

Even though some Jiankun people are indeed taller than the Han people, the pride in their bones that the Han people show is not something that these tall Jiankun people can match...

Negotiations between the two parties officially began.

Well, strictly speaking, it was a three-party relationship, but Rouran was sitting on the sidelines and had no qualifications to talk to him.

Naturally, the Jiankun people couldn't be cowardly from the beginning. Even though they knew there were some differences and murmured in their hearts, they did not let go easily. They even deliberately showed some contempt and sat in front of Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun looked at the two Jiankun people, and after greetings, he smiled and said, "May I ask you two...who is the chief envoy?" 』

The red-haired Hujiechulin raised his chin and gestured with his nostrils, "Me!" 』

The black-haired Po Shihe glanced sideways at Hujie Qiulin, and then turned his eyes sideways, but didn't say anything.

Zhao Yun nodded slightly, "That's good..."

"Now there is a member of Rouran who is slightly quarreling with your side..." Zhao Yun said slowly, "Your side is based in Mobei and had nothing to do with it. Why are you plundering Rouran now?" 』

Hujie Qiulin and Po Shihe looked at each other.

When they came, there were some voices within Jiankun, and they had some plans for today's meeting, but they didn't expect Zhao Yun to be so direct, asking the most important questions without saying a word.

Although in the grassland and desert, the creed of the jungle is worshiped, but this creed cannot be stated clearly, let alone like a harpy saying that I just want to bully the weak, I just have a big fist, what's wrong?

It's like eating all kinds of corpses, animal corpses, and plant corpses, but those who directly pounce on them and eat them alive are called beasts, and those who cook them into delicious dishes are called gourmets.

If you say there is no difference, there is no difference. If you say there is a difference, there is a difference.

So Hujie Qiulin said expressionlessly: "Rouran...invaded our pasture..."

The old man Rouran on the side couldn't help but gnashed his teeth several times when he heard this, but after looking at Zhao Yun, he endured it again. He knew that it would be useless to argue that they did not occupy, or that they did not offend, etc. It is useless because it is not an argument in itself.

Just an excuse, a reason to hang out.

Zhao Yun didn't care who owned the so-called pasture, but nodded, as if he had gotten some answers from Jian Kun, "So...have you been hit by snow disasters in the past few years?" Is the damage serious? Do you want our help? 』

Zhao Yun's words were not loud, and there seemed to be nothing wrong with the content, but they made everyone in Jiankun change their expressions.

Seeing this, the old man Rouran on the side also laughed twice.

What does it mean to be "helping"?

Helping to correct mistakes is also a kind of help.

Po Shihe stared at Zhao Yun, "General... what does this mean?" 』

"I wanted to ask Rouran for help, but Rouran said she had a problem and couldn't help. Then I asked you if you need our help..." Zhao Yun smiled and said like a tongue twister, "I don't mean anything, just You should understand what I mean..."

Hujieqiu Forest and Poshi River, "..."

Zhao Yun's guess was correct, because the harsh winters in recent years had caused severe snow disasters in Jiankun, which was originally at the northern end of the desert, and had to move south as a whole. Of course, it conflicted with Rouran in the southern section of Jiankun. In history, Jiankun even advanced to the north of Cheshi Kingdom because of this, and for a time had direct contact with the Tang Dynasty.

This time, the Jiankun people are willing to come out to contact the Han people, just to see what the attitude and strength of the Han people in the south are, and whether it may affect the process of the Jiankun people going south to escape the snowstorm. So now that Zhao Yun pointed it out so unceremoniously, even though Zhao Yun said it a bit awkwardly, it still made the Jiankun people feel very uncomfortable, as if they had taken off their clothes and had no clothes on, and others could see their length and size.

The temper of Hujiechulin, who had slicked back hair, seemed to be as irritable as his hair. He immediately turned away and said, "I don't understand what you mean!" 』

Zhao Yun waved his hand, indicating that he should be calm, and then asked someone to bring up a schematic map, "Here, look, this is the approximate location of Jiankun, and then here is Rouran, and this area below, of course. The territory of our Han people... We Han people have always loved peace and do not like war... So, if you go south from Jiankun, you will inevitably reduce the pastures of Rouran... Now it is very simple..."

"It is impossible for Rouran to go south... Because I am here... So Rouran can only go east..." Zhao Yun looked at Jian and Kun, "So my suggestion is very simple..."

Zhao Yun turned to look at Rouran again, "If you two merge together and expand eastward, won't the problem be solved?" Jiankun can get new pasture, and Rouran doesn’t have to lose it...the best of both worlds! 』

"Then what do you do?" ” Hujie Qiulin asked.

"I will provide you with weapons and armor..." Zhao Yun said with a slight smile, "According to what my lord Hussar said, I will give you the best price... Well, it's called "most favored nation treatment"... It doesn't matter if you don't have money. You don’t necessarily need furs, cattle or horses, anything valuable can be exchanged... We are easy to talk to..."

"What's easy to talk about?" ! not good at all! ” Hujie Qiulin glared at him.

Po Shihe glanced to the left, then glanced to the right at Zhao Yun, and then lowered his eyelids...

……?·?·?*~●……

Although Huang Quan didn't make too much of a fuss when he kidnapped Zhang Ze and left the Hongmen Banquet in Hanzhong, the impact was indeed not small.

The situation in Hanzhong is getting worse day by day.

Then in the end, like dominoes stacked on top of each other, they collapsed with a "crash".

The Zhang family in Hanzhong was not originally a famous family, and there were no outstanding descendants during the Three Kingdoms period in history. It is very likely that only Zhang Ze has some reputation, and the rest have mediocre qualifications, or maybe Unfortunately, he died young in troubled times and his family has no legacy.

But now, the Zhang Ze family is a little different, and they seem to be among the famous families.

There are people, territory, and authority.

It seems that everything is available.

It's like everything has reached its peak, and the flowers are blooming. At this time, very few people can have a calm mind. Most people don’t know who they are anymore, and they don’t even have an impression of who their wives are. After all, there are so many wildflowers competing for beauty outside, and their wives have barely seen them all year round. , of course I don’t know if it’s beautiful or not.

In a sense, Zhang Ze served as the governor of Yizhou and also served as the prefect of Hanzhong. It would be difficult for him to move up.

Serve as governor?

State animal husbandry?

Or go to Chang'an to hold a position similar to Jiuqing?

On the one hand, there is no space above, and on the other hand, Zhang Ze is reluctant to bear the situation he finally opened in Hanzhong. The family arranges it one by one, and eats the oil and water one by one. A group of people surround Zhang Ze and lick it every day. Brother Zhang and Zhang Uncle Zhang, Master Zhang, and Grandpa Zhang are screaming indiscriminately. It feels so good, so why bother going to another place to suffer and suffer?

It is easier to judge others, but it is more difficult to recognize yourself.

Zhang Ze was a little hesitant at the beginning, but now...

Especially after learning about the large-scale cleanup of corrupt officials in Longyou, Zhang Ze couldn't sleep well almost every day. He connected various matters during this period and finally felt that it was impossible to do good. To the point where he brazenly launched a rebellion, he asked his disciples to kidnap the county and township officials in various parts of Hanzhong, blocked all intersections in the north and south, and at the same time sent envoys from the east and west to contact Longyou all the way through Yangping Pass. The Qiang people went to Beigong and rushed to Xiangyang all the way through Shangyong...

At the same time, Zhang Ze gathered a large number of troops and besieged Fangling, preparing to sacrifice Huang Quan's head to the flag.

Regarding the overall situation, Zhang Ze does not think that he can fight against the hussar general Fei Qian alone. However, there are riots in Longyou in the west. If he cuts off the connection between Guanzhong and Sichuan in Hanzhong, Fei Qian will not be able to get to Guanzhong. Supplies from the south, and then attracts Cao Cao's troops from the Jingzhou area. In this case, it is possible to block Fei Qian's troops in the Qinling Mountains, and then Hanzhong can establish itself as the king!

It is impossible to say that he can march into Sichuan and Shu with Cao Jun to expand his foundation. In this way, Fei Qian may lose the land of Sichuan and Shu in the middle of Longyou Han, and then collapse suddenly without even fighting...

Zhang Ze originally thought that the siege of Fangling would be easy. After all, there were personnel deployed by Zhang Ze in Fangling. However, he did not expect that after Huang Quan rushed back to Fangling, the first thing he did was to clear out the personnel deployed by Zhang Ze. Eyeliner, by the time Zhang Ze came to attack, he had unified the inside and outside and defended the city. It was difficult for Zhang Ze to capture it for a while.

Zhang Ze’s plans are all beautifully conceived...

So Zhang Ze wanted to share such a beautiful plan with his friends.

But when Cao Ren got Zhang Ze's letter, he was not very happy.

In history, Liu Biao controlled Jingzhou. It seemed that it stretched from Jingbei to Jingnan, spanning the north and south of the Yangtze River. The territory was vast and there were many soldiers, ranging from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand. But in fact, Liu Biao settled in Jingxiang for a long time in the early stage. Within the country, they all adopt the method of governing by doing nothing, entrusting administration to local powerful families. The places that Liu Biao can directly control are the northern part of Jiangling and several counties around Xiangyang, probably reaching Xinye in the north and Jiangxia in the south, and the chief officials are relatively In many cases, the local wealthy families can only serve as chief administrators and meritorious officials. Apart from collecting grain and grass taxes, they cannot control many things.

Therefore, historically, when onlookers saw Liu Biao missing opportunities again and again, they would inevitably think that Liu Biao was a waste and his whole family was a waste. However, in fact, it was definitely not easy for Liu Biao to launch a war. Things, if Liu Biao leads the army outside, and the big families in Jingxiang and Jingxiang pinch their way out, they will immediately be stretched thin, and there is always the risk of running out of food...

Therefore, in history, Liu Biao went to Xiangyang desperately to buy all kinds of food, grass, soldiers and armor, and even to reserve people, just to prepare for the day when he could get rid of the hostage of the local wealthy families in Xiangyang. However, he was old, and his two sons were ineffective, so Liu Biao Everything he saved was given to Cao Cao.

But now, because Jingzhou is basically divided up, southern Jingzhou and northern Jingzhou are very weak. After Cao Ren settled in Xiangyang, he faced such a situation, and it was impossible for Cao Ren to produce food out of thin air, and Jingzhou still had to bear the burden of the past. Fortunately, Cao Cao and Fei Qian reached an armistice agreement to transport grain to Yuzhou. They did not need to use troops for the time being, so they had a certain amount of breathing space and could focus on resuming production.

The first thing is of course agriculture. Cao Ren sent people to first count the land and the number of households in some counties and villages around Xiangyang, and then planned production and coordinated with each other. For example, Xinye City only had less than a thousand households and the population was insufficient, resulting in There are many barren farmlands around, so some people must be deployed there...

In addition, Cao Ren also followed Fei Qian's example and ordered that the large tracts of land that had been vacated should be limited to the autumn and September of the fifth year, which is the time to collect taxes. If the taxes are not paid by the time, then these lands will be deeded even if they have land deeds. , and they are all not allowed to enter the official position.

This hit immediately hit the tail bones of the Jingxiang gentry, causing them to scream in pain, because almost more than two-thirds of these abandoned lands were in their names. They used various means, or They obtained it by seizing, purchasing, or colluding with local officials. No matter whether they could farm the land or not, as long as the government came to investigate, these guys would take out the land deeds and say that there was an owner somewhere. Yes, don't act rashly...

However, taxes must be paid on all the fields. If there is no tax, it will be confiscated as wasteland, which will immediately cause big trouble, because the Jingxiang gentry may not have enough manpower to cultivate the land for a while. After several back and forth with Cao Ren, they finally bargained. This year it is tentatively set at 65%. From next year it will be 80%, and the year after that it will be full.

Cao Ren was actually somewhat influenced by some ideological trends in Guanzhong, and he began to look down on these guys. He also sometimes felt that these guys were just moths and would be of no benefit to the country. However, given the whole situation, he had no choice but to admit that, It would be difficult for him to break away from these Jingxiang nobles.

The literacy rate in these days was very low. Not to mention the common people, even the poor scholars could not really read the classics and history thoroughly. Although knowing the classics may not necessarily enable you to do your job, if you don't read the classics, not only will your vision and mind not be broad, but you will also be unable to handle official documents or tax calculations. How can you be an official?

In any dynasty, only by mastering knowledge can one be able to sit in a management position and become the ruling class. Illiteracy may be used to fight, but it can never be used to govern a country. Therefore, all those who advocate the uselessness of knowledge and instigate other people's children not to study but to be happy are 100% evil-minded.

Therefore, Zhang Ze sent a letter to invite Cao Cao to march into Hanzhong and fight against the Hussars. Although Cao Ren's eyes lit up, he still hesitated the next moment. After thinking for a long time, he also wrote a letter and merged it into In one place, people were urgently sent to Cao Cao's place in Yecheng...