Three Kingdoms

Heluo area.

A group of Yang soldiers were patrolling the ferry out of boredom.

To be honest, if the Yang family in Heluo had some ulterior motives in the early days, it is basically a mess now. No one with a little bit of brains would choose to join the Yang family or go east. , or go to the west, and even many of his soldiers have fled. If Fei Qian hadn't recruited soldiers from good families, it's hard to say how many big soldiers would be left in the land of Heluo.

There is no future, so I just have to make some money.

The land of Heluo itself is an excellent place, but it is a pity that although this land has eight levels, it is difficult to hold on to it.

But now on these points, for Yang's soldiers, as long as they can be extorted, everything is fine.

In the middle and upper reaches of the river, the water flow is relatively turbulent. Even in autumn and winter, it is not possible to cross the river casually. However, after the middle and lower reaches, the water flow becomes much gentler and the river banks on both sides are relatively low. This forms a The famous series of Jindu.

Xiaopingjin is east of Mengjin, and together with Mengjin, it becomes the northern pass to defend Luoyang, but its importance is far less than that of Mengjin.

Mengjin is now garrisoned by Feiqian, with regular military strongholds and soldiers. However, Xiaopingjin has no military stronghold because the terrain is flat, which is not conducive to defense, and the old barriers have been abandoned. Most merchants would choose to go to Mengjin, because although there are soldiers stationed in Mengjin, as long as it is not tax evasion and smuggling, the soldiers stationed in Mengjin will not charge extra.

There are generally fewer people taking Xiaopingjin, but it is not impossible. Because even if it is a small tax, some businessmen want to evade it, and they are often small businessmen. The smaller the businessman, the more hefty the tax is, and he is unwilling to pay these costs, but he must bear the corresponding risks.

Yang's soldiers came to capture these people.

It's just that these small businessmen generally have little wealth and can rarely squeeze out much oil and water. They can only be regarded as better than nothing. Catching one is an extra joy.

Yang's soldiers were lying or sitting lazily, and almost no one specifically stared at the ferry. They just come out to take a breather and be lazy. If they can catch something, it's natural. If they can't, it's normal. They don't think about being loyal to their duties.

Yang Biao and Yang Xiu, father and son, are naturally talented people if they are good at poetry, poetry, etc., but it is really difficult for them to start from scratch and build a strong Heluo region from scratch. The most important thing is not that Yang and his son are not talented, but that they are so talented that they are divorced from reality, chosen in the air, and unable to understand what the people at the grassroots level really want.

Yang Biao had this problem, and so did Yang Xiu.

This disease is really difficult to cure.

They know a little about what the people want, but they don't care. They also know a little about what is important for soldiers, but they also don't care. Therefore, both the people and the soldiers are just tools in Yang's eyes, so who would care about them? What emotions does the tool have? Want to know what the tool is thinking?

Yang Biao and Yang Xiu both believed that they were the hardest working people in the world and had endured the most suffering.

Is there any person or family in the world who can be like the Yang family, who is loyal to their duties, conscientious, and diligent in guarding and repairing Luoyang City even after the emperor has left?

No!

Only Yang!

For this world, for today's emperor, the only one who protects the last face of the great man is the Yang family!

Is it bitter? !

Is it difficult? !

But why can't anyone in this world understand Yang's suffering?

Yang Biao and Yang Xiu thought that the most difficult thing was to rebuild Luoyang City, but they did not expect that it was difficult to repair the city wall on the physical level, but it was even harder to repair the city wall in the hearts of the people, and the key was that Yang could not find the loopholes. Where exactly is it!

"If we don't pay the troops this month, I will quit working in this Heluo bird place!" Even if you go to Chang'an to work as a coolie, you will be happier than working under Yang! 』

“I don’t know what’s going on in this world? 』

“After being a top soldier all your life, what else do you want to do? Don't think about those things, those things, the master above the court thought, what the hell are you thinking about as a guy who doesn't have three ounces of copper in your waist? 』

"But those court masters don't want to!" Or those guys never thought the same as us! 』

"Stop... stop talking nonsense, hey, it's business!" 』

Yang's soldiers, who were either sitting or lying in the grass, suddenly became energetic. One by one, they stretched out their necks from the grass, like prairie dogs emerging from the depths of the hole. They immediately saw On the beach not far away, a caravan was crossing the river.

"Hey! It’s really hard to follow this path without opening your eyes! 』

Yang's soldiers were immediately overjoyed. They were afraid that the group of people would escape again, so they quickly retracted their necks and just stared in the cracks in the grass. They waited until the group of people had crossed the river, and then they jumped He got up and rushed directly to the simple ferry, blocking the group of merchants on the river bank.

The person who looked like the leader of the caravan obviously seemed to have some experience. He stopped the excessive actions of several guards who were obviously guards, and handed over a bag of coins with a smile.

The captain of Yang's soldiers threw the money bag up and down, but his eyes were not on the money bag. Instead, he stared at the goods in the caravan with a look of greed on his face.

This is a big fish!

It’s not easy to encounter a big fish once!

I originally thought that most caravans of this size would go through the Mengjin Ferry, but I didn’t expect that they would go here!

This means that the goods in front of you cannot see the light!

Captain Yang didn't care about smuggling or not, or whether he had to pay taxes. He just wanted to make a fortune. Seeing this, how could he let them pass so easily?

If you can give out such a bag of money as soon as you meet, you can definitely give out two or three more bags!

As if aware of Captain Yang's greed, the caravan leader said coldly: "I am the Li family of Hanoi, and I have some friendship with the Yang family..."

Captain Yang was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Do you recognize my noble family?" 』

The caravan leader nodded, "Of course." 』

Captain Yang pointed at himself again, "Then do you recognize me?" 』

This time it was the caravan leader's turn to be stunned, "I... don't recognize this." 』

"Ah haha, what nonsense are you talking about!" ” Captain Yang waved his hand and said, “Check it for me!” See what they have hidden! 』

Yang's soldiers responded loudly, then stepped forward and immediately tore up the goods. Soon they discovered that the goods transported in the caravan turned out to be bundled weapons!

weapon!

Smuggling weapons!

Ha ha! This is worth a lot of money!

But at the next moment, the excited Captain Yang felt something was wrong...

Because normally, weapons from the Third Assistant of Chang'an are smuggled out, and it is rare to hear of anyone smuggling weapons back to Chang'an, unless it's...

Unfortunately, it's too late.

When they pulled the hidden weapons from the cargo to the ground, feeling either a little happy or a little dull, the soldiers of Cao's army who had pretended to be honest businessmen suddenly revealed their ferocious side, and the leader The "caravan leader" unceremoniously took out the knife, separated the scabbard that Captain Yang had hurriedly threw at him, and then pierced his chest and abdomen with the knife, and violently stirred it twice. You have money! You do not want! Tell you not to! ! 』

These Yang soldiers, who had not had much training on weekdays, had weak legs and numb hands when they saw blood. They were no match for these Cao soldiers disguised as merchants. They were quickly killed, and the furthest one was nothing more than After running two or three hundred steps, Cao Jun, who was overtaking him, chopped off his head with a sword.

"What to do with these corpses?" Throw it into the river? 』

asked the soldiers of Cao's army who were cleaning the battlefield.

"You are stupid. If you throw yourself into the river, wouldn't you just tell people downstream that something happened upstream?" "The commander of Cao's army said, "Go to the edge, find an open space, dig a hole and bury it! What a bad luck! There was no one there when I left last time, but this time I was in trouble! Move faster! Put away the scattered things! 』

Several bloodstained soldiers of Cao's army squatted on the ground and wiped their hands with sand.

"Captain, I heard that the military pay in Chang'an is much better..."

"If you have money..." Captain Cao's army sneered, "then you have to spend your life!" I know that your family has no worries...but think about it for yourself, even if you surrender, who will trust you? Give you money without saying a word and let you spend it as you wish? If this good thing were to happen to you, would you do it? 』

The soldier who was wiping the blood shook his head and laughed, "I just said that casually..."

"It's okay to talk casually from time to time, but you can't do things casually..." Captain Cao Jun said, "If the school official finds out..."

As soon as the word "school minister" came out of his mouth, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop a lot instantly, and even his movements inevitably became stiff.

"Work, work..."

Everyone lost interest in chatting and could only keep their heads down and work.

……(／_＼)……

In Luoyang City, the Yang family, an old man and a young man, were sitting in the hall.

In the high hall, the Four Knowledge Plaques quietly watched these two people.

Yang Zhen was famous for a while, but it was only for a while. The rest can only be maintained by descendants. Those who can continue to add glory and luster can naturally be passed down from generation to generation. But once the gap is too big like that of Wei Duan and Wei Kang, and it cannot be passed down smoothly, the family will decline in a moment. But now, Yang is already standing on the edge of the cliff.

There are soldiers, but they are almost the same as none.

Jiang, having, is also slightly equal to nothing.

The Yang family has fields and assets, cities and villages, population and food and grass, but compared with the two surrounding behemoths, it is very pitiful.

There is no way, if you choose the wrong path, it may affect you not just temporarily, but for the rest of your life.

At the beginning, Yang Biao, as a member of Hongnong, could be considered as a member of the Guan, or he could choose to be outside the Guan. Then Yang Biao felt that the power outside the Guan was greater, so he tried both sides at first, and then he completely turned to the outside of the Guan, putting Longyou Guan in the middle. Beidi was sold cleanly, without any regard for how Guanzhong would end after the Xiqiang chaos.

Therefore, people in the northern part of Guanzhong naturally no longer respect Yang Biao, and the Shandong people who guard their honors also did not give Yang Biao any good face. When the Shandong people faced threats, they did not regard Yang Biao as a person at all. Instead, he kicked him off the game table.

Later, Yang Biao chose to use the emperor card again. He wanted to gain fame in the past, but unfortunately he made the wrong choice again and had to retire. This was equivalent to the warlords who went to the countryside in the early stages of the melee in later generations. He was more or less saved. With a little dignity, I can still live in an apartment in Jinkou. But in the late warlord period, there is no such thing as so much emphasis...

Therefore, it was not unwise for Yang Biao to retreat first and avoid the fate of Er Yuan. The beginning is chaotic, but the ending is average, not the worst.

It's just that his son perfectly missed the right direction in his subsequent choices...

But from Yang Xiu's point of view, he felt that his choice was not wrong.

How could it be wrong?

If it happens again, he will definitely choose this way.

In the world of the Han Dynasty, the person who can represent the Han Dynasty is naturally the emperor. Then, under the emperor, it is not the officials but the two capitals. The Baiguan thing changes every year. Yesterday it was the Three Officials. Today, the sun may be too big or too small, and then they will directly step down and take the blame. There are only two in Kyoto. Strictly speaking, there is only one, and that is Luoyang.

Chang'an was not very good before Fei Qian took over, and then it was ruined again during Dong Zhuo's period, and was destroyed again at the hands of Li and Guo. Standing in the noble family at that time, anyone with a little common sense would not I wonder what kind of climate Chang'an will have.

There are no important people, no talents, no products, no development, no development. Even if it takes ten years, it may not be able to develop!

Whether in the eyes of Yang Xiu or in the perception of the Shandong nobles, Fei Qian is actually the third generation of Dong Zhuo, and there will be no future for Li Guo if he recovers. So from the visual perspective at the time, were the choices made by the Shandong nobles and Yang Xiu wrong?

There are only a few people in the world who have great perseverance, courage, and determination, and would choose a weak but correct direction? There are more people who just follow the crowd!

Just like everyone in the later generations knows that watching some boring and funny short videos is a waste of time. They neither learn anything nor hurt their cervical vertebrae. There is also a weak voice in the heart that keeps reminding, but who really Ever cared?

Brush first and then talk, play first and then talk, and feel good first and then talk.

In Yang Xiu's opinion, it is difficult for Fei Qian to develop. Just guarding a piece of land will only end up in an embarrassing predicament. Following Fei Qian is only temporarily forced by its military strength, but without the potential for subsequent development of the military strength, it will be temporary. Powerful, but ultimately useless!

So, on the one hand, in order not to end up with the reputation of being a thief, on the other hand, the Luoyang thrown by Fei Qian was really too tempting...

Kyoto!

Yang Xiu spent his entire youth in Kyoto.

Hongnong is his hometown, but he feels that Kyoto is his home.

This is the soul of the big man!

So when Fei Qian threw the bait in front of him, even though he knew the bait was poisonous, he couldn't help but swallow it.

Now, the poison is taking effect...

Because of the siphon effect produced by Chang'an's economic development, it has a particularly large impact on surrounding counties.

Hedong is relatively better, but it is only better around Pingyang. In other original Hedong counties, almost all families have people who have gone to Chang'an to study, do business, or run single gangs, but Hongnong is in terrible condition. .

During the war, Hongnong never recovered. Even the original refugees from Hongnong County did not want to come back after settling in Guanzhong or Hexi. This made the Yang family not get what they originally envisioned. population inside.

Without a population, there would be no products, and there would be no ability to develop.

If I hadn't made some money by exchanging things over the years...

But now things are obviously going to war, and they are a praying mantis under the wheel of war. Are they raising their claws to block the east, or are they facing the west?

"There are all kinds of things in Guanzhong, they look a little chaotic on the surface, but in fact..." Yang Xiu exhaled a long breath, "Hussar likes to play this trick the most, and now... However, how can this man's heart be easily tested?" If you are not careful, you will be self-defeating..."

"People's hearts?" Yang Biao was a bit more mature after all, so he couldn't help but shake his head and smile when he heard this.

"Father, do you think..." Yang Xiu frowned and said, "Pang Shiyuan even took this matter into account?" 』

Yang Biao stood up, leaned on crutches, walked to the window, looked to the west, and exhaled for a long time, "Xiu'er, you and I both know that the human heart should not be tested. How could General Hussar, Pang Shiyuan, etc. not know this?" Now that you know it, you want to test it, but why? Knowingly? 』

Yang Xiu was stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly, "If that's the case...it's true..."

Is it true that the human heart cannot be constantly tempted?

Why?

Because human nature cannot stand the test?

So can these human hearts that cannot stand the test and be tested still be regarded as human hearts?

In order to avoid this consequence, there are two situations. One is to cover one's eyes, saying that if there is no temptation, there will be no ghosts and everyone is a good person. The other way is to test from time to time. When there should be a ghost, there will definitely be a ghost, and you are also ready to catch the ghost.

In fact, to put it simply, it is still a question of "degree".

For those who cannot control their "temperature", problems will arise when doing practical things. Either it is too light or too heavy. If it is too light, it will not have a deterrent effect, but will make the evildoers more rampant. If it is too heavy, it will involve too many people. It makes people panic and worry about nothing, and they can't control their strength, so they can only stand aside and sigh sadly, trying to do nothing, so they won't make mistakes, holding high "The human heart must not be tested" as one's own Excuses for exemption.

But people can change. One moment they are human, and the other moment they are ghosts. How can they be sure whether they are humans or ghosts when they are tested from time to time?

"Pang Shiyuan's calculations are quite clever! Yang Biao gritted his teeth as he spoke, "He wanted to organize the three assistants of Chang'an and prepare for war, but he pushed Yang to the edge of the fire pit... Damn it, damn it!" 』