Three Kingdoms

"Uncle Wang is dead?" 』

"I heard he died of illness. 』

"Died of illness?" ” The person who asked laughed and sneered.

"Died of illness. ” The person who answered also smiled, a bitter smile.

Then the two of them shook their heads together and laughed miserably.

Then they all sighed together, "How difficult the country's affairs are..."

Wang Xiu is a good man.

In other words, in the Han Dynasty, people were more accustomed to calling them "gentlemen".

This "gentleman" is not a derogatory term in later generations, but a real compliment.

After Cao Cao captured Ye City, when he checked the properties of various officials under Yuan Shao, only Wang Xiu's family was destitute. Not only did they not have anything of value, but even the ordinary grain was less than ten bushels. The only valuable thing was that The thing is the scroll. Cao Cao, who knew this, couldn't help but admire Wang Xiu as a true gentleman.

At that time, most of the officials under Yuan Shao were greedy for money, but in such an environment, Wang Xiu was still able to insist on being poor and not taking ill-gotten gains. Moreover, Wang Xiu not only did this himself, he also hated others who were greedy for money. …

As a result, he got into trouble and "died of illness".

Death suddenly.

There are some things that cannot be said.

The lighter ones are like stars, and the severe ones die suddenly.

Wang Xiu's position is Si Jin Zhonglang General. We often have to work with metallurgy and iron, so isn't it normal to have epidemics?

Si Jinzhonglang is not a derivative of the tomb robbing business.

Although this position is also a new position created by Cao Cao, it is just like the "Captain Touching Gold" and "General Faqiu Zhonglang".

Cao Cao is the leader of tomb robbers in the Three Kingdoms, but in fact, the tomb robbing business was not pioneered by Cao Cao. At least before Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo had dug up the tombs of many princes and emperors on a large scale. He even dug up and robbed the tomb of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty without any scruples.

Yuan Shao also engaged in tomb robbing. At that time, Yuan Shao's "soldiers were violent and dug up Qiulong" and even "the roads were violent". This may be a factor in the later period of the Jizhou nobles turning from love to hatred. After all, in the land of Jizhou, most of the Some of the cemeteries must belong to the wealthy families in Jizhou. They have dug up the ancestral graves of Jizhou people. How do you expect Jizhou people to be loyal forever?

Tomb robbing is contrary to the concept of loyalty and filial piety in the Han Dynasty. Although it may gain some money, it has serious sequelae. Basically everyone understands this truth.

But if there is no money, should the current soldiers rebel because they cannot get their pay, or should we dig a grave first and suffer short-term gains and long-term losses?

Wang Xiu's death was like this.

His position is slightly related to Faqiu, but in fact he is more focused on salt and iron, especially metallurgical iron making. But his death, just like Faqiu, was a matter of compromise and compromise.

What's in front of you?

Cao Cao's army is outside, and the army's supply of food and grass cannot be cut off.

At this time, Wang Xiu found evidence of a group of corrupt people and wanted to arrest these corrupt people and bring them to justice. In particular, he wanted Cao Cao to stop his order to recruit grain and grass farmers so that the people could be repaired. …

On this issue, is Wang Xiu's approach wrong?

Isn’t it right to ask for life for the people? Aren’t the people suffering enough? Why can't we show sympathy to the people? From this standpoint, Wang Xiu is very right and not wrong at all.

But in fact, Wang Xiu was also wrong. His fault was that he would not compromise and that he was ignorant of the truth...

This is Man Chong's judgment on him, but if Wang Xiu compromises and becomes reasonable, then can Wang Xiu still be Wang Xiu?

Man Chong is not sure, but Man Chong is certain. If Wang Xiu is allowed to ignore the situation and make things worse, causing instability in the rear areas of Yuzhou and Jizhou, then Cao Cao will definitely not be able to settle down in the war on the front line!

Therefore, the rear must be stable, everything must be peaceful in the rear, and everything must be calm in the rear!

In fact, doesn’t Man Chong know whether what Wang Xiu did was right or wrong?

But what should I do if Wang Xiu admits his death?

It can only be "sudden death".

"Bo Ning..." Liu Ye sighed slightly and said, "Is this matter... too urgent?" If Uncle Wang is put in prison..."

"inappropriate. Man Chong shook his head and said, "In the past, when Kong Wenju was in prison, there was an uproar and unrest in the counties. Could it be that Ziyang has forgotten it?" 』

"This..." Liu Ye naturally remembered the "grand occasion" outside the prison when Kong Cheng was imprisoned. Then he was silent for a while, and seemed to want to say something. In the end, he shook his head and said nothing. .

He couldn't be imprisoned, arrested, or even make the matter bigger. In addition, Wang Xiu was stubborn. The most important thing was that Wang Xiu also exposed this matter...

This is the reason why Wang Xiu must die in the end.

But was what Wang Xiu did wrong?

Shouldn't corrupt people be punished?

Shouldn't actions that disturb people and damage money be stopped?

Just like "hair mound", shouldn't it be immoral and forbidden?

Why can't the right thing be done, but the wrong thing can't be stopped?

Wang Xiu didn't understand, Liu Ye couldn't explain clearly, and Man Chong couldn't get Wang Xiu to agree to give up the plan of further investigation, so he could only stop him physically.

"If Uncle Wang is allowed to do whatever he wants...the matter is too big...it will not be able to end by then. Man Chong said, sighing, "The country's affairs are very difficult. I have persuaded Wang Shu to govern, but... this is the only way." 』

"How difficult is the national situation?" ” Liu Ye sneered.

Man Chong said with a serious face: "That's true. My lord is marching westward, but the hardships of Taihang and the stability of Guanzhong... This shows what the hussar can do. Today, in the Han Dynasty, the country is in a difficult situation, and we must not cause more troubles and troubles at this time. 』

To be honest, Man Chong was indeed a little worried. He calculated that the battle on the front line might not be as smooth as the propaganda said, but the strength of Shangdang Huguan and the calmness of Chang'an Sanfu still made Man Chong very worried.

Logically speaking, Cao Cao had the Emperor of Han in his hands, and under his great righteousness, he should be as devastating as the crusade against Yuan Shu. Although Yuan Shu was powerful, after the actual fight, the people rushed to surrender to Cao Cao.

But in Guanzhong, this seems to have become a bubble. No one in Guanzhong seems to care about Cao Cao, and no one cares about the emperor. What these people care more about is General Fei Qian.

this……

This is very embarrassing.

Cao Cao is now conquering Guanzhong, and he is more or less worried about this. If this situation is allowed to continue, I am afraid that Shandong's airs will not be put up, and Guanzhong will have lost its respect for the Han Dynasty. By that time, if you want to conquer Fei Qian again, it may not be a crusade for rebellion, but a struggle between countries.

"The Han Dynasty should be Tu Gao, this..." Liu Ye sighed slightly, "It should be Tu Gao... Now this land of Chang'an, isn't it..."

"Zi Yang!" Man Chong glared at Liu Ye, "Are you going crazy?" ! 』

Liu Ye was stopped by Man Chong and was stunned for a moment. He knew that he had lost his composure due to the excitement of his emotions, so he fell silent. After a while, he stood up and said, "Forget it, I'll take care of Uncle Wang's funeral affairs..."

Man Chong nodded and took a letter from the shelf nearby, "This is the letter I wrote to Shu Zhi to apologize... Zi Yang will burn it in front of my tomb for me." If he is guilty, he should not die if he is ordinary. I felt ashamed of him, so I stopped going to worship him. 』

"You..." Liu Ye shook his head, reached out to take the letter, and stuffed it into his sleeve, "What's the trouble... What's the trouble!" 』

"Is Wang Shuzhi the only one who works hard in the world?" Man Chong said in a deep voice, "If things can be settled, the world can be peaceful!" Don't say that if King Shu punishes one person, he can even pay for it with his life! How can we lose greatness by being small? 』

Liu Ye waved his hand, "Forget it, there's no need to talk about this..."

…

…

"Haha, Wang Shuzhi is indeed dead!" Zhong Yan laughed so hard that he couldn't see his eyes, "Tell him to mind his own business!" 』

Zhong Yao frowned and said, "Don't show off!" 』

Zhong Yan waved his sleeves nonchalantly, as if sweeping away the dust on the table, "We are all close friends here, why are we so reserved?" 』

Zhong Yao still frowned, "Zhong Zhongchang!" 』

"Yes, yes..." Zhong Yan sat up straighter.

Zhong Yao glanced at Zhong Yan and said, "This matter has nothing to do with Zhong!" Don't argue! Do you understand or not? ! 』

"Yes, yes..." Zhong Yan cupped his hands and responded feebly.

The Yingchuan Zhong family is a big group of people.

The Zhong family of Yingchuan was well-known for being good at criminal law. As early as the Western Han Dynasty, Zhong Yuan served as a minister and became the chief of the highest judicial institution in the country. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhong Hao taught more than a thousand disciples in poetry and rhythm. He was called upon to be an official many times by the court, but he refused. Because of his noble virtue and profound knowledge, Zhong Hao, together with Chen Shi, Xun Shu and Han Shao, was called the "Four Chiefs of Yingchuan" and was admired by the scholar-bureaucrats at that time. Zhong Hao's two sons, Zhong Di and Zhong Fu, were forced to remain in office for the rest of their lives due to the "disaster of party imprisonment" in Huan Ling's time. When it comes to Zhong Yao's generation, he finally gets a high position...

From a certain perspective, the Yingchuan Zhong family can be described as a true "elite family".

After a while, Zhong Yan suddenly said with some emotion: "I think back when the emperor first came to Xu County, the county government was in ruins, there was no palace, Yanzhou was unjust, and there were powerful enemies from the north and the south. It was really..."

Zhong Yao glanced at Zhong Yan and said, "Why are you so emotional?" 』

Zhong Yan smiled and said, "It's not easy for me to think of Mrs. Zhong." It’s not easy for the emperor, and it’s not easy for us either..."

Zhong Yao hummed, as if he was reminiscing about something, his eyes were slightly dazed.

The Zhong family is from a high family in Yingchuan.

But in fact, in the gentry system of the Han Dynasty, the Zhong family could only be called a gentry at best, and could not touch the threshold of a noble family.

Rich families, or right-wing people, are like the Sima family in Hanoi in the early days. In fact, they were landowners and gangsters. It was only after Sima Jun's generation that he studied and became intellectuals.

A noble family is a family that has several thousand or two thousand stone high-ranking officials for several generations. In addition to high-ranking officials such as the Three Dukes, aristocratic families also need to have high-level intellectuals who are heirs of classics. They may not be high-ranking officials, but they must be high-ranking officials. There are many scholars. This is a simple summary, the actual situation is much more complex. In fact, they are just ordinary powerful families, and rarely overlap with the latter two. After all, the right-wing wealthy family has too low style, just like the nouveau riche of later generations. Generally speaking, the latter two are not willing to take them to play.

Among Yingchuan, if we talk about the four major families, Xun Chen is undoubtedly at the front, while the Zhong family at the back is often at the end of the crane, and they will never be in the front anyway.

When the Yingchuan gentry started trouble, it was the Chen and Li families who took the lead, and then the Xun family and the Zhong family were also implicated. Because of this, Zhong Yao's father was unable to be an official for the rest of his life. If Zhong Yao hadn't been doing well at the moment, Zhong would have almost lost his status because of this.

Think about it, if a big family loses two generations and no one can be an official, and the old connections and relationships gradually fade away, the Zhong family may be expelled from the four major Yingchuan families and replaced by a new family...

This gradual panic and the invisible pressure are so terrifying for the heir of a family!

Therefore, in Yingchuan, two factions were divided due to the party imprisonment incident.

A group of people are crazy and aggressive, respecting hegemony and no longer attach importance to the authority of the Han Dynasty, thinking that they can subvert it. The other group was more conservative and moderate, respected the royal way, and believed that the Han Dynasty could be saved and the prosperous age could be recreated.

This is normal. Bet on it? Who wouldn’t?

So some of the Yingchuan nobles followed Yuan Shao. In order to help Yuan Shao up, they immediately took Yuan Shao to the Great Sword to have a party with the Jizhou nobles, causing Han Fu to urinate and break the small blue piece. Even if he is unwilling to do so, he can only roll off the stage in despair.

As for the other part of Yingchuan, the people headed by Xun Yu were naturally betting on Cao Cao. After Cao Cao welcomed the emperor, it reached a new climax.

Although Zhong Yao is said to be older than Xun Yu, in terms of status, he can only be Xun Yu's younger brother. Later, Cao Cao killed Yuan Shao, and most of the remaining Ruying scholars who originally assisted Yuan Shao also changed their families.

Those small groups who wanted to overthrow the corrupt big man before went to suppress Fei Qian again...

In the current situation, it can be said that most people who are willing to stick to the Han Dynasty system feel that the Han Dynasty is only halfway through. As the prophecy said, the children of the Yingchuan gentry with a lifespan of nine hundred years will be under Cao Cao's command. . The Yingchuan disciples, who felt that the strength of the Han Dynasty was about to be exhausted and wanted to change the dynasty, came to Fei Qian's side.

The Yingchuan nobles under Cao Cao were very harmonious at first, but when Boss Cao found that he was being ignored by the Yingchuan nobles, he began to draw bridges.

Cao Cao began to focus on using people from poor families, and also tended to use people from Jizhou, or other states and counties, instead of blindly using people from Yingchuan. This gradually created a fundamental conflict with the people of Yingchuan.

In Cao Cao's camp, the military and political affairs were controlled by two groups of people. The military power of the army was dominated by Peiqiao people, who were in the hands of the Cao clan, the princes of Xia, and were supplemented by generals with foreign surnames. Cao Cao's personal bodyguards were also mainly from Peiqiao. The political and economic construction of people's livelihood was controlled by the Ruying people. The government center was centered on Xunyu, and the Ruying people were spread throughout the court and various places.

But there are exceptions.

Such as Zhong Yao.

Historically, Zhong Yao once served as the governor of Chang'an and the captain of Sili. At that time, Zhong Yao's attitude towards Cao Cao was very ambiguous... At least during the period when Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were fighting, Zhong Yao had something to worry about. Pass. Because when Cao Cao was in distress in Guandu, Zhong Yao, as the Sili Colonel, was still in the honeymoon period with Xiliang, so he only sent Cao Cao two thousand war horses, but did not give any combat power. At the same time, Yuan Shao divided his troops to attack Cao Cao, but he just bypassed it. In other words, he was not worried about being attacked by Sili Colonel Zhong Yao on his flank...

Now, Cao Cao and Fei Qian are fighting...

Zhong Yao is not against the royal party, but he is not loyal to the emperor. He is ambitious, but he is also willing to surrender. To put it simply, when everyone is betting on it and working hard for it, Zhong Yao is wavering from beginning to end. Shaking, sitting on the wall...

Zhong Yao showed Zhong Yan a memorial written on the desk, "Take a look and see if there is anything wrong..."

Zhong Yan unfolded it, and chanted and read, "...the book says, "The emperor asked the people who were widowed and widowed if they had words for Miao." This said that Yao should punish Chiyou and Miao, and first interrogate those who had words for the people. also. If I were to interrogate the three locust trees and nine thorns while I was in prison, I would order all the officials and people to follow Xiao Jing's orders. Those who want to abandon the market and want to cut off the right toe will be allowed to do so; those who have their left toes tattooed, tattooed, and tortured by the palace, should be like Xiao Wen Yi with knuckle flogging... Huh? Brother, with this expression, do you want to bring up the matter of flesh and blood without death? 』

Zhong Yao nodded, "The death of Wang Shuzhi can be used as a trigger..."

Zhong Yan thought for a while and suddenly shouted, "Wonderful!" 』

…

…

"Wonderful! 』

The emperor Liu Xie slapped the table and said, "Qing Zhong Ai is indeed loyal to the country and cares about the country and the people!" 』

Wang Xiu died, making the emperor very angry.

This Wang Xiu delivered the report form to the emperor before he died suddenly. Even a fool would know that there was something wrong. But the emperor Liu Xie must be such a fool!

What exactly is the Son of Heaven?

If you say you are the Son of Heaven, does that mean you are really the Son of Heaven?

Liu Xie has been wondering about this since the day he ascended the throne, and has never gotten an answer.

Liu Xie still believed in this at the beginning. At least when he and Fei Qian were talking about the Five Virtues, Liu Xie still believed that he was the son of heaven and had great luck...

But slowly, Liu Xie understood that he was not a son of heaven.

God neither killed the arrogant soldier when he got the smelly cow bones, nor did the heavenly generals and magic soldiers save him from fire and water when he was most helpless. Therefore, Liu Xie knew that if he only relied on the name of heaven and earth, It can't scare people, at least it can't make the courtiers around him feel any awe, and it can't increase the loyalty of these guys.

Farming also cannot be improved...

At this point, Liu Xie was also helpless.

He once decided to work hard to cultivate crops and set an example for the emperor, but after he gritted his teeth and worked hard for a season, he did not feel that he had gained support from the people. .

Liu Xie is too far away from ordinary people. Even if Liu Xie bent down very hard, tried hard to touch the ground, and worked in the fields, it was still useless. He could not reach other people, and those three elders and so on in various counties and counties, on the surface, they were They represent the people of the county, but in fact they only represent the three elders themselves.

So in the end, Liu Xie only moved himself, but became the laughing stock of others...

Fortunately, Liu Xie's work was more or less effective. Wang Xiu sent a stamp to reduce taxes and reduce taxes on the people.

It's a pity that this road was blocked before this effect was fully realized and before Liu Xie could figure out what to do.

"This is the right way for the emperor to uphold!" 』

Liu Xie stroked Zhong Yao's memorial and felt that he finally understood the direction of his efforts and found the meaning of the emperor's existence, ""The emperor asked the people, the widowers and widowers, what to say to the seedlings"... Wonderful, wonderful! "Virtue is only awe-inspiring, virtue is only enlightening! It is the third empress who has been appointed to serve the people!" Haha, wonderful, wonderful! 』

Liu Xie's laughter echoed in the empty hall. Suddenly, it seemed that Liu Xie was laughing, and the other pillars and walls in the hall were also laughing, but I didn't know whether they were echoing or mocking...