Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3351 The turning point we are facing

Regardless of whether Xiahou Dun thought that he would come to Linfen one day, he certainly never thought that he would arrive here in his current status.

Being a prisoner, most of the time, is tantamount to humiliation.

On the day Xiahou Dun arrived in Pingyang, Linfen, he happened to see Linfen escorting a group of supplementary soldiers to the front line with grain and grass.

About two thousand soldiers, wearing the traditional red war robes and armor of the Han Dynasty, holding battle flags and carrying swords and guns, lined up at the school field outside Linfen City. Although they were about to face the test of life and death on the battlefield, Xiahou Dun felt that they were not preparing to go to the battlefield, but were going for an outing or attending a grand party.

This made him feel very uncomfortable.

Linfen Pingyang City is very big.

When Xiahou Dun saw Pingyang City in Linfen for the first time, he almost thought he had arrived in Chang'an.

Because the size of the city of Pingyang is really too big.

Even Xiahou Dun had heard from Shandong disciples who had been to Linfen more than once before that he had described the hugeness of Linfen Pingyang. At that time, Xiahou Dun was hesitant. He felt more that these craftsmen and the people from Shandong might not have seen much of the market before they thought Pingyang was big...

How big can a city near the North Land and on the side of the Fen River be?

But now, the red Linfen Pingyang City Wall stands tall, as if a giant is akimbo and despising the surroundings, and also despising Xiahou Dun.

Xiahou Dun couldn't help but lower his head and sighed.

Although it is already a wartime situation, people still need to live, especially in such a large city, the number of people who rely on mutual division of labor to survive is a very huge number. However, Xiahou Dun did not notice this at the beginning, but almost instinctively observed the military defense in this city.

Those stationed here naturally belong to the Guards Battalion under the Hussars.

This guard camp belongs to the Marquis of Pingyang. It has always been Fei Qian's core force to stabilize the Linfen Basin, control the Northern Territory, involve the Yinshan Mountains and the Northern Territory, and serve as the core force to deter the enemy and protect the Qiang and Hu. These Guards troops were briefly mobilized to fight in the Western Region, but now they are basically back.

Linfen's Pingyang Hou Guards were divided into three parts: cavalry, infantry, and direct guards. When Fei Qian goes to the front line, he will take one-third of them with him, the remaining one-third is in Chang'an, and the other third is here. and the local garrison in Linfen and Pingyang, combined with each other to garrison the place together.

Most of these Guardsmen are selected from local armies, and then spend at least five years in the Guards, some will be longer, and then retire to serve in the local area, or Is he still working as a military instructor, local inspection, or is he transferred to become an official, acting as a communication channel between the local area and the county.

Of course, there are some people who do not want to hold any official position after retirement.

As a result, more local official positions will be replaced.

Of course there are many advantages to doing this, but the disadvantages are also inevitable.

As long as people still have desires, there will always be conflicts and contradictions between selfish desires and justice. What destroys human desire only exists in an ideal state, or lives in the words of keyboard warriors.

Xiahou Dun observed all the way from Taiyuan, and he found that not only in Taiyuan, but also in Pingyang, and even in other places in Linfen, there were still many tough soldiers...

Logically speaking, these tough, strong, and even elite soldiers should be transferred to the front line, or become the core troops of Fei Qian's command. Why are they scattered around like this? ?

If there were such soldiers and horses in Shandong, they would definitely be directly incorporated into the Central Leading Army and Central Guarding Army, and then join the Hedong Battle.

The person who met Xiahou Dun was not a military commander or a jailer, but Linghu Shao, the former high priest of Shoushan Academy.

Linghu Shao was getting older, and his energy and physical strength were inevitably declining. He really didn't have the energy to deal with the naughty and mischievous children in the academy, so he simply retreated. It's just that after he retired, he had some retirement syndrome again, so Fei Qian simply hired him back as the "Yingguo Planner"...

In ancient China, there was no independent position of "planner". This position was included in the examination system and became a craftsman, or part of a great craftsman. It was then integrated with Confucian construction studies, which was very confusing. Fei Qian came here to appease Linghu Shao, an old man. He also had a longer-term consideration, which was to make this position independent and "plan the country."

Linghu Shao himself was also very interested in this matter. He first wrote a "Treatise on Running a Country". After submitting it, Fei Qian said that the writing was good, but not good enough...

So old man Linghu became very depressed. He couldn't figure out what was wrong for a while. Even when he came to arrange for Xiahou Dun, he was still mumbling, "Renyingguo, Jiuli square, three gates on the side." There are nine longitudes and nine latitudes in the middle school, nine tracks of warp and nine tracks, the ancestors on the left and the society on the right, facing the market outlook... Hey, what is not good enough? 』

Therefore, when Linghu Shao met Xiahou Dun, they all asked Xiahou Dun about how Xu County was arranged and how Ye City was divided. What identity has changed?

But without asking Xiahou Dun about the military arrangements of Cao's army or the war arrangements, it was naturally easier for Xiahou Dun to accept. So Xiahou Dun naturally discussed the functional issues related to the city with Linghu Shao. Then Xiahou Dun suddenly found a problem. In Pingyang, it seemed that the convenience of ordinary people was the main core point to arrange the functional areas of the city...

And in Shandong, who cares whether it is convenient for the people?

What is important is whether it is convenient for the children of the gentry and the officials!

Take the simplest market as an example. If it is in Shandong, it must be centrally managed, otherwise what about those damned low-class people selling privately? Wouldn't it be a lot of small money? So it is necessary to enclose the market with a wall, and then only leave a narrow entrance and exit, and send soldiers and tax collectors to collect money at the door. No one can escape, and not a penny can be lost!

As for the long queues at the entrance of the market due to the collection of money, or the people having to spend more time to purchase, or the pushing and trampling caused by this...

What does it matter?

The key is to facilitate management!

So in Shandong, the market must not be too far away from the government management agency. The larger it is, the more centralized it must be, otherwise the officials will run their legs off and die of exhaustion on the road. What will happen?

Therefore, in Shandong, going to the market is a very important and hard thing. Officials are crying out for hard work, people are crying out for hard work, merchants are crying out for hard work, it seems that everyone is crying out for hard work, but nothing has changed in a hundred years.

In Pingyang and Linfen, the market seems to be small in scale, and the larger the market, the more it is placed outside the city. There are only market squares for daily sales of goods in the city, but no large-scale markets. Isn't this very unreasonable?

Regarding this point, Linghu Shao thinks that the way in Shandong is unreasonable.

Linghu Shao said that because the four classes of people are equal and need to perform their respective duties, farmers only need to focus on planting crops and grain production, while merchants themselves need to transport goods and communicate with each other, so the errands should be done by merchants, rather than waiting in the store for farmers to deliver them.

As for the management platform...

Ahem.

If all the things that should have been done by the other three classes of people are pushed onto farmers, many problems will inevitably arise...

Linghu Shao did not specifically say what the problems would be, but Xiahou Dun broke out in a cold sweat!

Because this is the current situation in Shandong!

When the farmers at the bottom of Shandong go to the market, who cares whether they walk, push carts, or ride donkey carts? Who else calculates how much time these farmers have to spend and how much energy and physical strength they consume on the road? Once, twice, one year, two years, just get used to it?

Moreover, Xiahou Dun thought of the most fatal problem of Shandong's model, that is, what if...really just in case, the tragedy of Yangcheng Market is repeated again?

For scattered markets like Linfen, even Cao's army would find it difficult to plunder.

In Shandong, it was because of the Yangcheng Market...

And those large markets were run by the gentry for generations, hoarding goods and money.

Dong Zhuo had cavalry, and the cavalry also had cavalry!

Xiahou Dun's sweat beads could not stop immediately...

If it really came to the worst, the economic and trade markets in Shandong would inevitably suffer the heaviest blow!

It would be difficult to run away!

What to do?

What to do now?

Just when Xiahou Dun felt powerless, it seemed that there was another turn of events.

Fei Qian summoned Xiahou Dun to the front line...

...

...

Xu County.

Chongde Hall.

As for what kind of "virtue" Chongde Hall worshipped, no one knew, but no one would ask.

Emperor Liu Xie sat on the throne with a pale face. The eunuchs and palace maids around him retreated far away. Only the sharp voice of Liu Xie's personal eunuch Huangmen echoed gently in the hall.

'...The four occupations of the people are the cornerstone of the country. Scholars establish themselves by diligent learning, farmers make a living by farming, craftsmen make tools by skills, and merchants get rich by currency. The four perform their duties, support each other, and help the prosperity of the Han Dynasty. '

'Scholars are the pillars of the country...'

'Farmers are the foundation of the country...'

'Craftsmen are the ingenuity of the country...'

'Merchants are the pulse of the country...'

'The four occupations of the people have their own strengths...'

The Huangmen eunuch read, and Liu Xie listened silently.

The sun shone in from the door, but it stopped at less than half of the hall. It seemed that in the depths of the hall, an invisible force swallowed up the light and left darkness.

The eunuch paused, secretly looked up at Liu Xie, and then continued to read, "In the past, during the reigns of Yao, Shun, Yu and Tang, morality was prominent and benevolent government was prevalent. Those in power established themselves according to the Tao, governed the country with virtue, adhered to their original intentions, and were not shaken by the secular world. Therefore, the four seas are in a good weather, and the people live and work in peace and harmony. '

'Therefore, those in power should guard the mountains...'

'Enough! 'Liu Xie shouted angrily.

The eunuch stopped immediately, put away the copy of the manifesto in his hand, and stood with his head down.

This manifesto is slightly different from other manifestos issued by Fei Qian before.

Of course, if you just listen and see, there is no problem.

Liu Xie closed his eyes tiredly,

The fight between Fei Qian and Cao Cao was not just a matter between two people, nor was it just an ordinary battle. It was even different from the previous fights between the princes among the Han Dynasty.

Whether it was Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, or any other prince, none was as complicated as Fei Qian. Call Fei Qian reactionary, but he repeatedly paid tribute and gave gifts to Liu Xie. Even when Shandong asked for something in the name of the emperor, Fei Qian actually agreed.

How loyal is Fei Qian?

Look, what does this slogan say? !

A few days ago, this message has been spread in Shandong, and the interesting thing is that Liu Xie always seems to be the last group of people to know...

Well, there may be some ordinary people, farmers and women who are simply illiterate and not interested in these politics, so even if they hear about it, they may not know anything.

In fact, Liu Xie also knew that Cao Cao had selected a group of new people from the local area, who were directly managed by his confidants and were active in Guanzhong and Hedong. Although some people died inexplicably, we still got a lot of information. The hidden strength of the hussar general Fei Qian is gradually revealed.

Some scholars in Shandong previously claimed that they wanted to abandon Yongliang, but in fact anyone with a little bit of brains knows that Yongliang is more like the armor worn by the Han Dynasty to defend against foreign enemies. If it is true, Without these armors, the big man is just a piece of meat, which may be put on the chopping block at any time.

But now, the armor of the big man is beginning to devour the flesh and blood of the big man!

"Look, look at the back, is there any mention of the imperial court...and is there any mention of the emperor's favor..." Liu Xie asked in a deep voice after calming down a little.

In fact, the eunuch of Huangmen didn't know how many times he had read it, but after hearing Liu Xie's question, he opened it again, checked it again, and then carefully answered: "Your Majesty...it was not mentioned in the letter..." The imperial court did not mention the emperor's favor... This hussar's message was just to gain prestige for himself..."

Liu Xie was silent for a long time, and then asked in a low voice: "What do you think of this hussar and the prime minister?" 』

The Huangmen eunuch trembled.

Who dares to talk nonsense about this issue?

"explain! Forgive you! ”Liu Xie waved his hand.

Did you have the final say on this matter?

But the eunuch of Huangmen had no choice but to answer.

"I thought..." Huangmen eunuch lowered his eyebrows and said, "The hussar and the prime minister are all the same..."

Same as what?

The eunuch of Huangmen said nothing.

It can be understood as the same loyal ministers, or it can be understood as the same wolves, tigers and leopards.

Liu Xie squinted at the Huangmen eunuch, with a slight dissatisfaction in his eyes. But he also knew that even he himself could not express this kind of thing directly, let alone a small person like the Huangmen eunuch.

After a moment, Liu Xie said slowly: "Remember, I am the emperor!" The big man’s surname is Liu! Although the world has been in chaos in recent years, the princes are uncertain, and there are some rebellious people with evil intentions, but at the moment no one dares to rebel! I have the support of the people of the world and the moral integrity of the world! Yuan Gongli is the best example! As a minister of the Han Dynasty, if he plots rebellion, he will lose his heart! 』

Liu Xie spoke forcefully and seemed to be full of confidence in this matter.

"Yuan's former disciples are all over the world!" Liu Xie snorted, "Fourth Generation and Three Young Masters!" A model for the world! How amazing? But what happened in the end? How many cents does the Yuan family occupy in the world today? 』

The Huangmen eunuch quickly praised Liu Xie to prevent Liu Xie's words from falling to the ground, "That's it!" Your majesty is wise! The servant was a little worried at first, but after hearing His Majesty say this, she felt relieved! 』

Liu Xie chuckled. What he just said was actually just to comfort himself. What exactly Cao Cao and Fei Qian were going to do, Liu Xie actually didn't know clearly. Cao Cao is ambitious, doesn't Fei Qian have the same ambition? Now that the Han Dynasty is like a candle in the wind, how many local princes will obey the so-called emperor's edict?

In addition to the two big heads Fei Qian and Cao Cao, the ones on the east side of the Yangtze River are also in a group of their own, as if they want to live across the river. Although Liu Xie is the emperor and the emperor, he has no power to deal with these people...

This is also the shortcoming of all feudal dynasties. They do not rely on the people, but rely on the bureaucrats to deal with the bureaucrats, use the bureaucrats to punish the bureaucrats, and try to use the bureaucrats to manage the country and rule the people...

"The Theory of the Four Peoples..."

Liu Xie repeated it, seeming to taste it. He felt that this article was indeed somewhat different, especially the "Theory of the Four Peoples". It seemed to be very closely related to something, and it would affect many things, but where exactly it was related and what things it was, Liu Xie just had a vague feeling like this, but couldn't explain it in detail.

It seems that within a few years, the big man has become his enemy all over the world.

Before, they were just the Western Qiang and Hu people, then they were the Yellow Turbans, and then they took a sharp turn. From east to west, from south to north, the princes all over the country were in a state of great power and it was difficult to control them!

On the other hand, the Han court no longer had any effective means to deal with such a situation.

To be honest, when the decrees of the Han Dynasty cannot be transmitted to the local areas and the local princes resist the orders, it is time for the Han Dynasty to receive hospice care. However, the banner of the Han Dynasty has not been taken down in various places, but it is just among these local princes. They're just trying to contain each other. The most typical ones are, of course, Fei Qian and Cao Cao, Shanxi and Shandong.

But now this balance seems to be broken.

What was Fei Qian's plan for this manifesto after the balance was broken?

The fight between Fei Qian and Cao Cao was said to be Cao Cao's chance of winning before, but now it has become Fei Qian's chance of winning. These forecasters are just like the stock commentators in later generations. The most important thing is to attract attention. As for whether the remarks are right or wrong...

Whoever believes it is a fool.

That's right, it's used to deceive fools anyway. One is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer. It's just right.

Liu Xie was also stupid in his early years. After being educated by reality several times, he gradually remembered a little.

"You said, if someone is sent... like the previous mediation between Yuan Benchu ​​and Gongsun Bogui, order the two to cease fire..." Liu Xie said slowly, "What do you think will happen? "

The eunuch of the Yellow Gate immediately sweated, "Your Majesty, this, ah, Your Majesty, that, ah..."

"Forget it! "Liu Xie waved his hand, "Useless thing. Leave the manifesto and get out! 』

The eunuchs of the Yellow Gate were as if they had been pardoned. They hurriedly left the copy of the manifesto on Liu Xie's desk, and then retreated with their butts sticking out.

The hall soon fell into silence again.

After a long time, Liu Xie reached out his hand, grabbed the copy of the manifesto, spread it on the desk, and read it again carefully, word by word...