Three Kingdoms

Le Jin was very excited.

Because he is finally going to use gunpowder in the battle formation, and he may be the first person in Cao's army to use gunpowder!

People in Shandong have finally realized that they are not always the boss in this world. Especially after the hussar general Fei Qian developed gunpowder, it made the large and small landlord classes based on Wubao feel fear.

Originally, the lifelong pursuit of these large and small landowners was to build a stable turtle shell, and then the whole family could huddle in the turtle shell like a local emperor, lying on the surrounding lower-class people for generations to suck blood. Therefore, these large and small landowners What we hope for is the eternal method of small-scale peasant economy.

"The methods of our ancestors are not easy!" 』

It is a pity that the roar of gunpowder exploded the turtle shells of these people and shattered the dreams of the landlord class in Shandong. They faced the cold wind of Xiaoglacier and truly felt the blade hanging on their own heads.

Therefore, when it comes to the issue of gunpowder, the attitude of these landlord classes is very subtle...

Lejin's elite soldiers, escorting the gunpowder, seized the fatigue period of Huguan Pass and rushed into the city gate cave of Huguan Pass.

Obviously, Le Jin wants to re-enact the scene where Fei Qian used gunpowder to destroy Yangcheng.

Le Jin was looking forward to it, and his arms were shaking slightly with excitement. He stared closely at the city gate of Huguan Pass, and saw his men rushing in, and then rushing out, hiding on both sides of the door... …

"Pulu..."

Inside the city gate cave of Huguan Pass, there was a huge fart sound, and then a thick black smoke came out, and a brilliant fire light was raised, making everyone on the city and below almost stunned.

Le Jin shook his head, almost unable to believe his senses. He didn't want to believe what he saw, nor what he heard.

That's it?

What about the thunderous roar?

What about the power like a landslide?

At once……

this……

Jia Qu on the top of Huguan City was also startled, and then he couldn't help laughing when he saw this, and the defenders on the wall of Huguan City also laughed together, as if Cao Jun had presented a gift to Jia Qu and others. It's like a hilarious comedy.

It seems that I can be more tolerant when it comes to "comedians". Seeing that the expected results were not achieved, the elite Lejin soldiers and the soldiers escorting the gunpowder actually stood still for a moment under the city. They did not receive any attacks from the top of the city, because the defenders on the top of the city were laughing so hard that their hands were shaking. Even Zhang Gong was Not sure.

Jia Qu expected that Le Jin and others would use gunpowder, but Jia Qu did not expect that the quality of the gunpowder produced by Le Jin and others was so poor!

It turns out that he can't even do an effective blast!

Can this be considered gunpowder?

While feeling uncontrollable joy, Jia Qu also understood that this time he was exempted from the explosion of gunpowder, and he might not be able to avoid the damage next time. He once again ordered people to prepare strips of rocks and sand, and to check the city gates and other relatively weak links. Blocking situation.

Compared with Jia Qu's orderliness, Le Jin was almost out of anger.

Le Jin grabbed the gunpowder soldier who was rolling down and almost lifted it off the ground, "Why are you so fat?" Why is this happening? What exactly did you do? 』

Le Jin clearly remembered the first time he saw Cao Cao take out gunpowder with his own eyes, the stone bars that were blown away, the simulated city gate that was blown up...

But why is this happening now? !

Why is it just a fart? !

It's a pity that the gunpowder soldiers in Cao's army couldn't give Le Jin any answers, because even the gunpowder soldiers were confused.

All his actions were done in accordance with previous requirements and standards. Why? It wasn't like this before. The power of gunpowder may not be as powerful as the original version in Guanzhong, but it's not like shit either...

Le Jin's blood-red eyes stared at the gunpowder soldier. Seeing that he was muttering and speechless, he pushed the gunpowder soldier to the ground with both hands, then pulled out his sword and slashed his head.

Gunpowder is like shit, someone has to take responsibility, but shouldn't he be the one willing to take the responsibility? !

"How much more gunpowder is there?" ! Le Jin shouted, "Check!" Check immediately! Check the gunpowder situation! 』

Soon, the trusted guard came back with a slightly weird and distorted expression, and whispered in Le Jin's ear: "General... the gunpowder... is damp... it's dry on the surface, but underneath... Moreover, it seems that this... is slightly different from before..."

As soon as Le Jin's eyes were focused, he felt a buzzing in his head. It seemed that all the sounds on the battlefield were several times louder and poured directly into his ears, making him dizzy and uncomfortable.

"Where is Ma Junhou?" ! Le Jin shook his head, turned around and shouted.

Previously, Le Jin sent Marquis Ma Jun to Yangchang Slope Road to pick up and escort the baggage and grain transport team, and the gunpowder used this time was among the baggage and food transport team!

"Marquis Ma Jun... Marquis Ma Jun is over there..." A soldier of Cao's army raised his arm and pointed tremblingly at the bottom of the city at Huguan Pass.

Le Jin turned around and looked around. Just beside a collapsed ladder not far from the city, Ma Junhou was slumped there. There were nearly dried blood on his head, face and chest. He was obviously dead.

Le Jin suddenly felt a chill that penetrated his bones, running straight from the soles of his feet to his hair.

…

…

Overall, the autumn harvest in Yuzhou this year is pretty good.

Although there are some disputes among the top officials of the imperial court, for ordinary people, they still pay the most attention to food in a day. As the first snow fell, many ordinary people in Yuzhou finally breathed a sigh of relief and could legitimately take a two-day winter break.

Winter leisure is almost the only leisurely and happy time for all ordinary people who mainly farm, all year round, except for it being a little cold. But winter leisure is not really leisure, but just no more work in the fields every day. Many people have begun to wonder whether they should repair the drafty thatched huts in their homes, or modify the fences in front of and behind their houses...

Living in the Yuzhou area is pretty good, at least compared to Xuzhou and Qingzhou, there is still some hope of survival.

In troubled times, everyone has more or less a shadow of the past in their hearts.

The situation in all aspects is unclear, the princes are at odds with each other, and the productivity of the Han Dynasty is not very good. Even those among the people who want to farm the land in a down-to-earth and simple way are often suddenly defeated. Interrupted and destroyed by the war, even if you work hard for a year, the crops you plant may not have a good result. Either people are killed or food is robbed. It has become a kind of " normal".

Presumably, if Master Kong saw the current situation again, he would inevitably lament "moral collapse" or something, but no one would choose to rob others with a knife from birth, especially for ordinary people, Often, they just can’t live anymore, and all their hard work only results in their dreams being shattered year by year, their hopes being dashed, being hungry and losing all hope, and not only leading to chaos and chaos. What?

When Wubao first appeared, it was originally an instinctive need of these ordinary people. No one wants to have their hard work only to be robbed and taken away casually. However, with the development of the times, Wubao's role as a protector gradually changed into a shackle on the feet of ordinary people...

"Dang, clang..."

The gong sounded harshly.

"Everyone is standing still!" 』

"Stand still!" Listen to the magistrate's lecture! 』

A row of government officials, no matter how big or small, stood, some wearing Gebu robes or simple leather armor.

After a while, a group of people walked up.

"Everyone, listen, the Han Dynasty is in dire straits and needs everyone's support urgently!" "A middle-aged man with an upright attitude, wearing a brocade robe, said loudly, "Everyone is a citizen of the Han Dynasty. They should respond to the urgent needs of the court, think about what the government wants, and contribute all their efforts to the long-term peace and stability of the Han Dynasty and its return to unification. strength! 』

Jin Yi's voice on the stage was clear and righteous.

Everyone in the audience was whispering to each other and chattering.

But whether on stage or off stage, the sound is so noisy and harsh.

"What does this mean? 』

"Anyway, I'm definitely asking for money and food, so I'll just use another excuse..."

"That's right, we are the ones doing the hard work, the dirty work, and when something goes wrong, it's all because of us who failed to do a good job. We are either punished or beaten, but on the contrary, these birdies have nothing to do..."

"Shut up! 』

"Do u wanna die? Can you say this..."

…

…

Night fell in Xu County.

The dark color swallowed up everything.

Xun Yun carried a lantern and walked in the corridor.

In the night, all the scenes are different from those in a hundred days.

Where there is light, there must be shadow. The light is close, but the shadow spreads far away. The objects nearby are calm and serious under the light, while their shadows are showing off their teeth and claws in a wanton carnival in the distance.

Xun Yun walked forward, as if he was stepping on the light of the lantern, and as if he was walking into the darkness.

At this moment, all the objects in this world, including ordinary houses, stones, and wooden pillars in the daytime, seemed to be unable to distinguish their true appearance, their original appearance.

Xun Yun looked up and saw bright lights in the main hall.

Xun Yu is sitting in the hall, and there are still piles of writings and writings around him. It seems that there has been no decrease in Xun Yun's memory.

"Father..." Xun Yun put the lantern aside, then stepped forward, lifted up the front of his robe and knelt down, "My dear, please be well... My father is well..."

"oh. install. Xun Yu just raised his eyes and nodded, "Has your mother been there?" 』

"Been there. ” Xun Yun replied.

Xun Yu hummed, but was still reviewing the writing. It took a moment to notice that Xun Yun did not say goodbye after settling down in the morning and dusk as usual, but was still kneeling on the spot, frowning slightly, "Yun'er, what else can I do?" 』

Xun Yun was silent for a while, then kowtowed, "Father... there are rumors in the city now..."

"say something? ” Xun Yu put down his writing.

"Say yes..." Xun Yun hesitated for a moment, but then whispered quickly, "Say that my father... is greedy for power and wealth, and does not care about the ethics of the community. He even tortures the people and plunders wantonly... He said that the current order to levy money and food, It was my father who pushed for it from the top of the court, and punished many loyal and good people regardless of the public dissatisfaction..."

Xun Yu took a deep breath, then looked at Xun Yun, "What do you think?" 』

Xun Yun raised his head, his eyes flashing, "I believe your father is not this kind of person!" 』

"That kind of person?" Xun Yu asked.

"My father is definitely not someone who doesn't care about the country, the country, or the life and death of the people!" Xun Yun said loudly.

Xun Yu was silent for a while, "The money and food requisition order... was indeed issued by a certain person..."

"What? ! "Although Xun Yun had already had suspicions in his mind, he still couldn't accept it when he heard Xun Yu say it himself, "Father, the people... the people have just accumulated some savings, and... and the harvests in the past few years have not been very good. This year is considered to be better... Now the cold winter is coming again, and we need to collect money and food again... This, this, this..."

Xun Yu looked at Xun Yun quietly until he calmed down a little from his chaotic emotions before he said: "Someone should do it." 』

"But...but..." Xun Yun still couldn't understand, "Is there no other way to solve the problem?" 』

"Other ways..." Xun Yu suddenly smiled, "It's not like there aren't..."

"Then..." Xun Yun looked at Xun Yu, "Then why not use it?" 』

Xun Yu also looked at Xun Yun, "You can also think about it... why not?" 』

…

…

The night is getting darker.

Man Chong led a group of people walking on the street. The surrounding soldiers held torches, their armor sparkling.

There was a deathly silence all around.

Under the swaying light and shadow, a group of people stood in front of a courtyard.

Man Chong raised his head and said, "Go and call the door." 』

In the middle of the night, the sound of banging on the door was very harsh.

No one responded.

The soldier who smashed the door looked back at Man Chong.

Man Chong still stood in front of the torch, illuminating his back, but no one could see his face clearly.

The soldier continued to call the door.

After a while, someone responded inside the door. The door was unlatched and opened a crack. The soldier impatiently rushed in and knocked the slave who opened the door to the ground.

The slave's nose was bleeding from the collision, but he didn't dare to say a word. He just buried his head on the ground and watched pairs of leather boots or combat boots swaying past in front of his eyes...

"Wang Shuzhi..." Man Chong walked to the front of the hall and looked at Wang Xiu, "Does the Prime Minister treat you poorly?" 』

Wang Xiu said in a deep voice: "Because the Prime Minister treats me so well, I can't bear to see the Prime Minister make mistakes and take bad policies..."

"Wrong policy? Man Chong was dumbfounded, "Then I dare to ask Shu Zhi, which one is the best strategy?" 』

"People's hearts!" Wang Xiu said without hesitation, "Only those who win the hearts and minds of the people can win the world!" If you have a way to win the world and win its people, you will win the world! There is a way to win over the people, win over their hearts, and you will win over the people! If you have a way to find his heart, gather with him what you want, and don't do anything to him that is evil! 』

Man Chong was silent for a while, "Excuse me, what is the people?" 』

"It is all living beings in the world!" ” Wang Xiu replied.

Man Chong did not continue this topic, but said: "Even if you disagree with the Prime Minister, why not directly remonstrate with the Prime Minister? Why bother to alarm His Majesty and go straight to the Danjie?" 』

"If I are to advise the Prime Minister, please treat the people kindly, reduce taxes on money and food, restore people's livelihood, reduce soldiers, increase mulberry cultivation..." Wang Xiu looked at Man Chong and said, "Will the Prime Minister agree?" 』

"perhaps. ” Man Chong said without hesitation.

Wang Xiu laughed loudly, "Maybe!" As expected, it is Man Boning! 』

"If taxes are not levied, where will the soldiers be used?" ” Man Chong ignored Wang Xiu’s sarcasm, “If we want to unify the world, we can’t just talk about it on paper!” 』

"You can get powerful wealth!" Wang Xiu's voice was not loud, but it was as if he was shocked. "Those who have a country and a family are not worried about being few but about inequality; they are not worried about poverty but about insecurity!" When the prime minister was first appointed, he ordered that the land be collected and rented per acre to be four liters of millet, and each household would only produce two bolts of silk and two pounds of cotton. He must not be good at making fortune! The world is so lucky to hear this! But what happens now? How can we win the support of the people by levying mediocre taxes, adjusting taxes, and plundering people's wealth again and again, especially when we are not enough? Where is the public sentiment? 』

"After the great chaos, the Prime Minister, in view of the fact that the people were dispersed and the land was ownerless, it was all public land to support the people..." Man Chong's eyebrows twitched and he said in a deep voice, "Could it be that Uncle Zhi forgot about this policy?" 』

Man Chong was not wrong.

This is indeed a policy that Cao Cao has implemented to benefit the people before. Although Cao Cao's main purpose was not really for the people, but to compete with the powerful for the surrender of civilians, he still maintained a considerable amount of public land to a certain extent and avoided excessive land annexation.

In fact, public land has existed throughout the ages, but the main problem is how to utilize the public land...

"Indeed, this is good governance..." Wang Xiu did not blindly deny Cao Cao's actions in these aspects, but he looked at Man Chong and said, "But what now?" Who will benefit from the land? Is it the people, is it powerful? If this is the case, does the Prime Minister know? Does the Prime Minister not know? 』

Man Chong was silent.

This question is really not easy to answer.

In fact, long before Cao Cao, the Han Dynasty had implemented a "fake land" system, that is, borrowing land from landless poor people, and the rent collected should be roughly the same as that of other self-cultivators. But the fact is that the powerful colluded with the grassroots officials, resulting in most of these fields being controlled by the powerful and becoming a tool for exploiting the poor.

The same goes for the system of benefiting the people implemented by Cao Cao. It was okay in the early stages. However, the later you get to the grassroots level, the more it changes. It is like many of the people who received low-interest and interest-free loans for poor people at Midi University in later generations. Households, but poor college students who really need these are often limited by this or that condition and cannot receive them.

After a while, Man Chong nodded and said, "I never thought about Shu Zhi... Shu Zhi's words are indeed reasonable, but they are also completely absurd." 』

"What's wrong with that?" ” Wang Xiu asked.

"Now that the general trend of the world is like this, we should just adapt to it. The situation is forcing us..."

Before Man Chong could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Wang Xiu laughing, "What a "forced by the situation"!" Today we have no choice, tomorrow we are forced by love, what will happen next? I have no choice every day, and I am forced by love every year! The powerful have no choice but to have banquets and dances on high platforms every day, the people are forced by love every year, and the poor and lonely are miserable! 』

Man Chong took a breath, "If it were normal times, maybe... But now there is a dispute, there is no room for two... Brother Shuzhi, with your words like this... have you ever thought about the way out?" 』

Wang Xiu fell silent, and after a while he said hoarsely: "To be ashamed of the world or to be ashamed of one's descendants... I would rather be ashamed of one's descendants..."

"That's the case..." Man Chong nodded, and then waved back, asking for a dagger, poisonous wine and white silk, "Chong also doesn't want to let Shu Zhi be humiliated in prison... Brother Shu Zhi" It can be decided by oneself. 』

Wang Xiu swayed a few times, then stopped and laughed miserably, "That's fine!" Whatever! It’s better to quit, it’s better to… quit…”

Man Chong was silent, watching Wang Xiu take the poisoned wine and stumble towards the backyard.

The bright moon was in the sky, but not long after, a dark cloud came over and covered the moon, never to show its head again...

happy mid-Autumn Festival!

In good health!

Family reunion!

everything goes well!

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