Three Kingdoms

As long as there are conflicts of interest between political groups, the various small parties under the large collective cannot become extinct.

Factions and factions fight each other, but sometimes they cooperate with each other. This has already occurred since the time when the Yanhuang tribes of China merged, and it has continued.

In Xu County, there are more factions.

Although the city of Xu County is not that big now, if we talk about factions, they are really numerous. Just like the six-person dormitory for girls in later generations, there can be twelve groups.

There must be more than six officials in Xu County, so how many "groups" will there be?

neither knows.

The fire flickered.

I don’t know how many ghosts and monsters the light shines on.

There was chaos all around, and the sounds of screams and roars were whistling along with the cold wind of the autumn night.

It was originally a dry autumn season, and it had not rained for several days. Now it was deliberately set on fire, causing countless people in the city to panic and shout. Sparks accompanying the burning wooden houses were flying in the night wind, as if the whole city had fallen into the sky. Into a crazy world.

Because Xu County has the Imperial City of the Emperor, it is divided into inner and outer cities. The inner city is naturally where the imperial palace is located, and the outer city is where officials and a small number of common people live. There are many guards in the imperial city who also make their homes outside the inner city, so basically most of the people living in Xuchang City are families who eat the imperial food, and the rest are merchants and shopkeepers who have connections with various big families. The rest There are not many ordinary people.

Common people live in the lower city, and the outer city is like a guard, protecting the inner city. In the outer city, Huang Wan, Jiang Gan and others encountered some troubles on the way to escape. They met Ren Jun who came with his soldiers to put out the fire and quell the chaos.

When Huang Wan begged for death, he had already faced death calmly, but when he realized that he should actually live, the previous calmness seemed to be gone. Now he was hiding in the shadows in the alley, his face green again. It is also white, the Adam's apple rolls up and down, and the beard trembles wildly.

It's like a person who has committed suicide once will not want to commit suicide a second time in a short period of time.

The human desire for survival will control the human body and even affect the soul.

In front of Huang Wan was Jiang Gan who volunteered to escape with Huang Wan.

Behind Huang Wan were a dozen or so followers gathered together. There are Huang Wan's old slaves, his confidants, and some strong men brought by Jiang Qian. None of this group of people had any decent weapons or equipment. Except for the short blades and swords in the hands of a few strong men, the rest of the people had nothing in their hands. Even the servants of the Huang family were holding Huang Wan's commonly used weapons. pen and ink……

It was impossible for such a team to escape from the city, especially when they happened to meet Ren Jun who came to put out the fire and put it down.

Ren Jun was still wearing that extremely loose robe. It was unclear whether it was because it was too loose or for some other reason, but it looked a little bulging. He sat upright on his horse, looking around with sharp eyes. To his left and right were Cao's soldiers, each wearing armor and carrying swords and guns.

As soon as the two sides meet, or as long as Huang Wan, Jiang Qian and others are discovered, the consequences can be imagined.

The fig leaf of peace and stability in Xu County was torn to pieces by flames and restlessness.

The chaos, paleness and weakness that had been covered up with all their efforts and ignored intentionally or unintentionally by the Shandong gentry were revealed at this moment!

Ren Jun looked calm on the surface, but in fact he was secretly frightened.

If a dynasty is mentally strong and self-confident from top to bottom, then it will not be so panicked when something happens. Because everyone knows that someone will stand up and who will take care of everything. Just like when the former Qin Dynasty was tyrannical, what thieves would dare to cause trouble on the road? Every head is a credit! Needless to say, the soldiers would pounce upon them when they saw it. Even ordinary people's eyes would glow green when they saw someone who was in trouble or turning into a thief!

But in the blink of an eye, it was time for Qin II...

Ren Jun didn't know whether Qin II was reappearing now, but judging from Xu County's current performance, there was absolutely no talk of self-confidence and self-improvement...

Naturally, there are panicked people, but there are also those who have ulterior motives. It is inevitable to take advantage of others and fish in troubled waters. Even the villagers who were supposed to maintain order have now disappeared.

Come to think of it, although those workers are considered to be half-public, they work endlessly on weekdays, running around like donkeys and mules. After hard work, they just pick up some scraps from the crotches of the aristocratic families and wealthy families to make ends meet. So what? Will he be loyal, regardless of life or death?

What's a month?

Even the sons of the gentry who have been favored by the Han Dynasty for three to four hundred years, most of them no longer have the place of the emperor and the Han Dynasty in their hearts. They are all fighting for their own interests. How can they let these half-public servants at the lowest level of the officials be temporarily recruited? Who, what kind of person, would risk their lives for a big man?

Is it possible?

Therefore, Ren Jun's soldiers directly under the Cao family became the only force in Xu County at this moment.

The fire was swaying in all directions, and the sound was getting louder and louder.

Just when Huang Wan thought there was no way out and was about to be exposed, an accident suddenly happened.

Someone assassinated Ren Jun in the street!

In fake assassinations, those killers will take the initiative to jump out and chat a lot with the protagonist. The main reason is that the two debaters will have another conversation about an issue that is already indefensible, and then insult them, which will inevitably be mixed with... When one party is laughing or getting angry, the surrounding minions will either stand still and use it as a background wall, or they will circle around and be blocked by the air wall beside the protagonist...

In reality, real assassinations are often just the time to fart.

"puff! 』

Ren Jun on horseback fell down at the sound!

In the night, when the light and fire are swaying, who would pay attention to the missing arrows shot in the dark night, and hear the sound of the bowstrings hidden under the sound?

"Protect Zhonglang!" 』

Ren Jun's guards shouted loudly, and then part of them separated, holding up large shields to shield Ren Jun and retreating away, while the other part of them ran wildly in the direction of the arrow, trying to capture the assassin...

The chaotic footsteps missed the alley where Huang Wan, Jiang Gan and others were hiding.

Huang Wan exhaled a long breath and looked at Jiang Qian with a hint of admiration, "I never thought that Ziyi could be such a good player... and also have such courage!" The great man is very lucky, the emperor is very lucky! 』

Jiang Gan's smile seemed a little weird. He couldn't help but glance in another direction, but he quickly took it back, "Ah, this... Your Majesty, let's take this opportunity and leave quickly..."

The group of people took advantage of the chaos and headed towards the south gate of Xu County.

On the other side of Xu County, Xun Ou sat on one side of the main hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and Cao Pi sat above him.

In a chaotic situation, of course, there needs to be a core point to take control.

Cao Pi and Xun Or served as this stabilizing center.

I don't know if it was because of poor sleep, nervousness, or some other reason, but Cao Pi looked a little unhappy.

The Prime Minister's Mansion is adjacent to the Imperial Palace, and is still a certain distance away from the area where the agitation occurred. Moreover, the Imperial Palace has imperial guards, and the Prime Minister's Mansion also has Cao's elite personal guards, so no one with an eye open will come, but those shouting and shouting in the distance The sounds of screams and screams still floated in the night wind.

"Xun Lingjun, may I ask if this...is all part of the plan?" 』

Cao Pi couldn't help but ask, his attitude was much more humble. Before, the villain pretended to be an adult, and the prince pretended to be the lord. But now, although the sitting position is still the same, the posture has been lowered a lot, like a student asking for advice from a teacher.

Although Cao Pi now knew more or less Xun Yu's arrangements, he couldn't help but feel uneasy when he heard such chaotic sounds. This is a completely different concept from standing next to your parents, or watching from the sidelines as Cao Cao turns the tide.

It's like watching a chef cooking, oh oh oh, you understand...

When it comes time to actually do it, how do you do that?

Cao Pi now seemed to be cooking a dish by himself. Although Xunhe had done all the work of preparing the dishes, Cao Pi only had to follow his father's pattern, pour them into the pot one by one, and wait for the heat to be sufficient. However, the sparks and oil splashes that flew out during the process still frightened Cao Pi.

The pot won't burn, right?

Wouldn't it explode if it was so loud?

Will it be burnt?

Is it done? Do you want to lift the lid and take a look?

Various options were swirling in Cao Pi's mind, and Cao Pi couldn't help but want to send someone to check the situation. Fortunately, when the thought finally blurted out, Cao Pi thought of what Mrs. Bian said, so he finally endured it and turned to Xun or for advice.

In fact, Xun or the overall plan is very simple.

Well, that sums it up simply.

If you want to deal with the outside world, you must first make peace with the inside.

You can't have a sudden fire in the backyard in the middle of the fight, right?

Naturally, if you want to settle down, you can't just shout from your mouth, move the left pocket to the right pocket, and then you can "install" it.

Cao Cao desperately sent school officials to Chang'an Sanfu and other areas to plant nails, so in turn, his own territory would be clean? Isn't there someone secretly digging traps, throwing iron pear or something like that?

Cao Cao didn't believe it.

Xun You also thought it was impossible.

Even though it was the land of Yuzhou and Yingchuan that Xun or had already cleaned several times before, Xun or believed that there were still some fish that had slipped through the net ambushed by Qiusi. These fish that slip through the net may usually have good cover inside, and are often not easy to find under normal inspection and capture conditions.

That's right, the ones that are easy to spot are all dead.

The remaining ones cannot be exposed without some means...

Especially within Xu County, the deeper it is hidden, the greater the threat.

"There is an 80% chance that Qiusi will not be in Guanzhong." Xun Huo did not directly answer Cao Pi's words, but changed another topic.

Of course, it is possible that Xun You felt that Cao Pi's question was too silly, and he was prepared to ignore the question.

Cao Pi was stunned for a moment, and then he got away from the tension in front of him and thought, "What about the other 20%?" 』

Xun You smiled, a slightly bitter smile, "How can there be anyone in this world who is perfect?" 』

Cao Pi nodded, and then he realized a problem, a problem that made him a little unbelievable and a little embarrassed. If Xun You said this, doesn't it mean that his father no longer dares to confront Fei Qian, so he can only steal food when Qiaoqi is not at home, uh, steal the house?

Xun Or seemed to understand Cao Pi's thoughts and took out a roll of bamboo paper from his sleeve. When he was about to hand it to Cao Pi, his eyes even flashed and he showed a somewhat self-deprecating smile. Are you all imitating this paper? However, it may be dark in color or rough...but this Chang'an bamboo paper is becoming more and more delicate and smooth, with a warm and moist color..."

What does it mean?

Cao Pi subconsciously took the bamboo paper handed over by Xun You. He did not open it immediately to look at it, but first looked at the texture of the paper. "Isn't this similar to the paper used in the house? ah? Could it be that……"

Xun You nodded and said: "Although the items used in the house are said to be self-produced, in fact... they are all purchased from Chang'an..."

"This..." Cao Pi didn't know what to say for a moment.

Xun You lowered his eyes, "Not only paper, but also all kinds of utensils... and even weapons and equipment are becoming more and more dependent on Chang'an..."

During the internal purge, Xun or naturally discovered some corruption problems in procurement. At first, he just thought it was general corruption. However, when he studied it carefully, Xun or discovered that many things in Shandong have now been corrupted. It is inseparable from Chang'an.

Originally, Xun might have thought that as long as he controlled the raw materials, such as iron and copper ore, he could strangle Fei Qian's neck.

For example, blocking at certain times, increasing the price of ore, or stopping the transaction of ore at critical moments, etc. are similar to those methods used in the Spring and Autumn Period.

After all, Cao Cao's finances were really tight. In order to raise his troops, he had no choice but to do it first, even though he knew it was drinking poison to quench his thirst. But the problem is that as time goes by, hunger and thirst have not been completely relieved, and the economy has not improved effectively, but the poison of poisonous wine is faintly taking effect...

Xun You discovered that Qiusi's methods were far beyond his knowledge, and what he thought was a response was actually of no use at all!

Moreover, Xun or opened the door to purchase weapons and equipment from Chang'an, so the tradition of the Han Dynasty came into play. A small gap was opened at the top, and a large hole was opened below. open. Anyway, the world belongs to the old Liu family, and the soldiers belong to the old Cao family, but the cute little money belongs to my family.

What is family, country and world?

It means having a home first!

Even though Xun Yue is one of the most intelligent and talented people at the moment, in the face of Fei Qian's new economic invasion and the battle of scissor-harvesting, he was completely defeated. He knew something was wrong, but what exactly was wrong, or how to solve this problem? He tried various methods, but either they couldn't work in the short term, or other people were unwilling to cooperate.

After all, not everyone has this ambition, and not everyone has the conditions to unite the whole country, from the central government to the localities, and tighten their belts together. Even if Xun is willing to go hungry and cut down on expenses, what's the use? Is the Emperor Liu Association willing to gnaw on stinky cow bones again? Are the officials willing to huddle under the broken eaves and walls again and make a living by collecting firewood? Are the descendants of the Cao family and the Xiahou family willing to donate all their family wealth to support Cao Cao's great cause? Are the powerful local noble families willing to use all their land to maintain the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty?

No.

Xun or nothing can be done. In a sense, he is a clever wife, but it is difficult to make a meal without rice.

In fact, among the wealthy families in Shandong, there were a lot of money. He even knew that some families melted the collected copper coins and cast them into copper balls, bronze tripods, bronze statues, etc. There was so much money that they had nowhere to spend it. , and would even rather trust people to buy real estate in Chang'an, but if these people are allowed to use some money to support the construction and economic expenditure of some big men...

I have no money! Freeze said! impossible!

Even if it is the Xun family, even if Xun or his current status is that he serves as the clan leader, it is impossible for the Xun family to contribute money to the Han Dynasty or to subsidize military resources for Cao Cao. At most, it's just out of favour, giving more or less, like sending a beggar away. Even if Xunhe repeatedly emphasized that Shandong was in crisis, the Han Dynasty was hanging upside down, and the threat was right in front of him, nothing changed.

It's all because of your own greed... uh, making... um, the money you earned, why should you give it away in vain?

Xun You exhaled softly. Under the candlelight, his thin face became more clear-cut and his cheeks were sunken. He knew that now was not the best time to attack Fei Qian, but now he could hardly hold on any longer. And he had a premonition that if it continued to evolve like this, Shandong would be like being locked in a closed room, and in the end he could only slowly suffocate to death.

Cao Pi looked at the various values ​​​​written on the bamboo paper by Xun Ou, "Your Majesty, this is..."

"In Chang'an, there are performance appraisals for counties in Sichuan, Shu, Hedong and other places..." Xunhe said another word that he also wanted to do, but also couldn't do, "performance".

"ah? ”Cao Pi obviously didn’t understand this word at all.

"In short, when serving as governors and local officials in various places, they need to complete their service goals, including the amount of taxes paid every year..." Xun Or roughly explained, "A certain person collected some local amounts and used them as a hustle station." The total amount of taxes paid...on the other side is the amount of taxes paid by the Han Dynasty..."

"oh? ”Cao Pi looked carefully.

The tax income of both parties may not necessarily be used as an absolute factor in comparing the strength of the two parties, but it can be used as a very important reference value.

"Ah, there are still more of us..." Cao Pi exhaled, with a somewhat relaxed look on his face.

Xun You smiled bitterly and said, "That's true." However...50% of the taxes collected must be used to support the emperor and the salaries of hundreds of officials..."

"ah? ! ”Cao Pi’s eyes widened.

"The remaining 20% ​​was originally going to be retained in the local area to build water conservancy projects and repair roads..." Xun You said in a low voice, "Now we can only pay in half... There are many channels in the local area, which are in disrepair and damaged... In addition, there are also There are expenses for developing wasteland and expenses for settlement..."

Moreover, Xun Or has not yet talked about some cost loss issues. For example, ten dollars were allocated above, but only one dollar was finally implemented...

"No..." Cao Pi denied it subconsciously, and then said with a look of disbelief, "Then...didn't Chang'an have no expenses?" "Cao Pi suddenly felt a headache. The pages on the bamboo paper represented the values ​​​​of Chang'an. They were like soldiers with bared teeth and claws, chasing Cao Cao's side with ink-colored knives.

Xun You smiled bitterly, "Of course there are expenses, but they are relatively small... And the key is not just that..."

When Cao Pi was about to ask in detail, he saw a soldier of Cao's army rushing to the hall to report, with sweat on his face, "I am reporting to you, Your Majesty!" Ren Zhonglang was assassinated in the city! 』

"Aha!" ” Cao Pi clapped his hands and said, “Okay! Just act according to plan! 』

The heat is up, it’s time to start the pot!

After Cao Pi finished speaking, he found that the soldier's face was a little strange and he didn't look excited. He couldn't help but felt a little in his heart and asked, "Is there anything else?" 』

The elite soldier of Cao lowered his head, as if swallowing his saliva, "...to report to the Crown Prince, Ren Zhonglang...he was "really" assassinated..."

"Ah..." Cao Pi couldn't help but stood up and opened his mouth, "Huh?" ! 』