Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3553: Thousands of Families Compete for Glory

Fei Qian's attack on Shandong was not only about occupying the city, but also about political change.

Fei Qian has already carried out reforms in land, currency, education and other areas in Guanzhong, and now he wants to fight Cao Cao, but Shandong’s problem is not just Cao Cao, it also lies in the old system and the old ideas of the people.

In fact, history has not been without opportunities for Lao Cao.

For example, if Cao Cao had not been so arrogant after gaining Jingzhou and had not suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Red Cliffs, and had taken advantage of the victory in Jingzhou to launch a pilot program in Shandong, Cao Cao's strategic administration of allowing the poor to replace the rich might have been successful.

Throughout history, reforms like Fei Qian's have essentially fostered the elements of an early modern state within the matrix of feudal society. The unfinished reform of the "land occupation system" in the Western Jin Dynasty and the practice of the "three-chief system" in the Northern Wei Dynasty both show similar historical traces of institutional innovation.

The key is that it didn’t last…

So what Fei Qian needs to consider now is "sustainability".

Fei Qian took out three new coins from his sleeve and handed them to Pang Tong.

"This is the newly minted Tongbao coins from the workshop. Gold coins can be used as military rewards, silver coins can be used for business, and copper coins can be used by ordinary people." Fei Qian said, "In addition, gold, silver and copper coins all have secret engravings..."

Pang Tong took the coin and looked at it carefully. He held it up to the sun and could vaguely see some seal characters on the edge, similar to the flower and bird seal characters of the Chu State. "If there is no mark, it is undoubtedly privately minted. Haha, very interesting, very interesting!"

The two men smiled at each other, as if they saw the invisible economic chains tightening the throats of the Shandong gentry.

This is actually somewhat similar to Emperor Wu of Han's "Report on the Prohibition of ...

The two of them returned from the river to Tongguan City. After entering the meeting hall, they were still discussing related issues. Zhang Liao also came, but he was a little confused and didn't quite understand. However, Zhang Liao still sat aside, didn't interrupt, listened carefully, and took notes carefully.

Everyone's butt is different, but if you are limited by your butt, then you will naturally stagnate.

Zhang Liao was originally a military general, not very knowledgeable about civil affairs, and couldn't even figure out an account. For a while, Zhang Liao was very disgusted with the word "martial man", just like some petty officials don't like to hear the word "corrupt official". At that time, Zhang Liao thought, what's the point of saying "martial man" over and over again, but soon he realized that others said "martial man" just because they saw too many brainless "martial men". If you want to change this impression, you don't have to shut up or dislike others for being long-winded, but change yourself.

If you don't like "warriors", then don't be a "warrior". If you don't like others calling you corrupt officials, then don't get involved.

Fei Qian saw Zhang Liao, but he didn't say anything special. The key point of his thorough discussion with Pang Tong this time was to build a stable structure among the "centralized bureaucratic system", "self-cultivating peasant economy" and "new ideological communication channels".

Centralization is a management model that has been proven to be effective over thousands of years of Chinese history.

Customs vary from north to south, east to west, and across China. Without a strong centralized authority, China will inevitably fall into a situation where each region acts on its own and hinders each other. The warlord conflicts in the Warring States Period, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and other dynasties have repeatedly demonstrated the importance of centralization. However, in the process of centralization, bureaucratic corruption is inevitable.

As dusk fell, the guards lit the candles in the hall.

Under the light of the fire, Pang Tong took out a piece of intelligence and unfolded it, "This is a report from Jizhou. Cao tried out the Nine-Rank System in Jizhou to consolidate the gentry, but it is clear that the children of the Jizhou gentry do not accept it..."

"Oh?" Fei Qian was a little surprised.

As for historical records, most of them just say that there was such a person who promoted such a thing, and then it disappeared. There is usually no detailed description of the ins and outs of the matter, as well as the twists and turns in the process.

Fei Qian nodded at the word "ninth rank", turned around and asked Zhang Liao, "Wenyuan, if we use military strategists to determine ranks, which one is the ninth rank, and which one is the first rank?"

Zhang Liao was stunned for a moment. "If it is the ninth rank... to suppress the bandits in the county? The first rank... to destroy the enemy country and expand the territory?"

Fei Qian nodded slightly, "Good."

Pang Tong listened and watched from the side, and suddenly clapped his hands and said, "My lord is wise! When we enter Shandong, why not use the ninth rank? Not only can we set up military, but we can also set up "agriculture, commerce" and "craftsmanship"! Replace this false reputation with "real achievements"! Then the whole world can be settled!"

"Nine ranks...first rank..." Zhang Liao's original answer to Fei Qian's question was just a temporary thought, but when Pang Tong said that not only a nine-rank system should be established for civil officials, but also a nine-rank system for military generals, and even a nine-rank system for farmers, merchants, and craftsmen, his heart couldn't help but beat violently a few times.

Don’t think that the Nine-Rank System has been abandoned by history, and it is wrong. In fact, even in later times, there are still related concepts of "Nine-Rank", such as...

Game level.

Just for the sake of becoming a virtual king in the game, people can forget about food and sleep, invest time, energy, money, and even their own health. They can also improve the degree of their eyesight to a certain level, but the result is reset to zero next month, and then they have to do it all over again, month after month, year after year. This shows the strong appeal of this "level" to ordinary people.

"But..." Zhang Liao also had his doubts, "My lord, if the nine-rank system is evaluated by Shandong, Guanzhong will probably not accept it, and if it is evaluated by Guanzhong, Shandong will not be willing..."

Fei Qian nodded and said, "That is indeed the case. However... it is better to judge by the facts than by the people!"

"In terms of the matter?" Pang Tong frowned and touched his chin.

This is indeed a brand new idea, but since it is a brand new idea, it also means a huge workload, and when the workload is too much, my chin will drop...

Fei Qian continued, "If it is as Wenyuan said, those who destroy enemy states and expand territory are of the first rank. These enemy states, whether they are states of 10,000 or 1 million people, are all different and cannot be discussed in the same way... However, these military achievements are ultimately clear and traceable... The same applies to the achievements of the people's livelihood. By discussing the matter, we can understand the difference between the East and the West and avoid the discussion of right and wrong."

That being said, it is still difficult to do.

Pang Tong frowned and couldn't relax his brows.

Fei Qian looked at Pang Tong and knew what he was worried about, so he pushed the ninth-rank letter on the case aside, picked up a copy of the military academy's official bulletin, and put it in the front, "Why are there fewer and fewer people who make false reports in the army now?"

Zhang Liao was still thinking, and Pang Tong had already understood Fei Qian's thoughts. His eyes lit up, but soon he frowned again. "My lord, I... what you said is really..."

Fei Qian laughed out loud, "The most difficult things in the world must be done from the easy; the most important things in the world must be done from the details."

Zhang Liao finally understood a little bit, and said in surprise: "It is not easy to promote literacy in the army. Although promotion to military academy requires knowing 3,000 characters and being proficient in documents, there are still many soldiers who would rather suffer physical pain than learn to read more books..."

Fei Qian also nodded and said, "That's true."

Learning to read and write is a painful process, and understanding and mastering knowledge is obviously not as comfortable as looking at beautiful girls and handsome boys.

Therefore, even if Fei Qian promoted literacy education in the army, there would still be people who would just get by and were unwilling to read and write.

Fei Qian raised his head slightly, looked through the hall and into the distance.

When he first arrived in the Han Dynasty, he had a lot of complaints about the compulsory education of later generations, but now looking back, when he is in a different position, he finds that the compulsory education of later generations is actually equivalent to the preliminary screening of talents. Some people just don't want to study, and forcing them to study may not necessarily lead to any good results. It is better to screen them out during the compulsory education stage, provide more learning opportunities for some of those who are willing to study, and naturally divert those who are unwilling to study to work in society.

As for those who were diverted, whether they regretted it or not, they could only say that the blisters on their feet were caused by their own efforts. For a family, this relatively rough compulsory education obviously cannot save those playful and lazy children, nor can it provide targeted guidance and education for a particular child. Fei Qian can now understand that it is not that they do not want everyone to become talented, but that they really do not have that much manpower and material resources to invest.

Just like the clerks in Fei Qian's army, according to the regulations, if a soldier came to ask for advice on clerical knowledge, he must teach him, and even stipulated that they would take turns giving lectures every five days. However, if the soldiers were unwilling to learn, they could do nothing about it.

Fei Qian sighed and said, "People in the world have different personalities, so we can't ask for perfection. However, promoting literacy is obviously more beneficial than harmful. Now there are rules for the transmission of orders, cooperation and instructions in the army. Generals and military officers can also perform their duties, and military merits and performance cannot be easily changed. Therefore, if the army is like this, and the people can also do the same, then the nine-rank evaluation will naturally be measured, and the people's discussions will not only be made by the children of the gentry..."

Fei Qian continued, "Wherever I go, I will ask the agricultural and engineering students to explain the laws and regulations, report on current affairs, and teach writing in the village schools on the first and fifteenth day of each month. This is a small effort, and it will take years to achieve results without rushing or being impatient."

Fei Qian looked at Zhang Liao again, "But as Wenyuan said, there are also lazy soldiers, and the same is true among the people. Therefore, in the early stage, we should focus on storytelling and opera, and incorporate the encouragement of farming and legal knowledge into the storytelling and opera, so as to entertain the people and increase their knowledge... As for whether they are willing to study..."

Fei Qian was silent for a moment, "Don't force it."

"My lord is wise," Pang Tong said, cupping his hands.

Zhang Liao also agreed.

Fei Qian certainly wanted to implement some kind of compulsory education in the Han Dynasty, but it was obviously not in line with the actual situation. Using storytelling and opera to enlighten the people had already been slandered by many students from aristocratic families when he was in Qinglong Temple. If he added a forced order, those children from aristocratic families would definitely find ways to do all kinds of things to disgust Fei Qian.

It is just like some elites in the United States in later generations, who set the price of professional books to the sky, but gave away novels for entertainment for free. Entertainment books can be played and read for free, but if you want to learn some useful knowledge, sorry, you have to pay first, and you have to pay a lot of money.

"In addition..." Fei Qian waved his hand and asked Pang Tong and Zhang Liao to sit down again, "In order to avoid the problems of the former Yan State... there are two more things we need to do..."

"The problem with Yan State?" Zhang Liao was a little confused.

Pang Tong briefly explained it to Zhang Liao in a low voice.

"There should be a community for farming." Fei Qian said slowly, "This is the first point. The second point is that the post station should have information."

It is easy to understand that the farming community should be formed, because pure farmers cannot withstand the turmoil of the gentry. Even under Fei Qian's strict supervision, there will be people who secretly do things. But once the farmers form a community, the gentry will not be so easy to deal with...

This is just like the American Federation, which claims to dominate the world but is helpless against the Texans in its own country, because the Texans really have guns, and men, women, and children play with them from childhood to old age!

The same is true for the feudal dynasties. Why did they prohibit the people from carrying crossbows? If the people really carried crossbows on a large scale, would the officials of the court dare to yell at the sky and say "you are a bunch of lowly and unruly people"?

Therefore, in the military farming areas, granting the farmers a certain degree of community autonomy and forming grassroots social organizations independent of the gentry was a temporary measure to resist the invasion of the gentry.

The establishment of an information transmission system in the post station and the anonymous reporting device to collect local governance information serve as the eyes and ears of the central government for the local areas...

In order to avoid the failure of Yan State, that is, how to consolidate the local area after occupation and prevent rebound, it is necessary to establish such a grassroots organization that is biased towards the cavalry, set up a mobile official supervision mechanism, and deploy corresponding rapid response forces. At the same time, it is also necessary to consider the resistance of the gentry and how to deal with it, such as dividing and winning over, giving economic benefits in exchange for political power.

On the whole, the contents proposed by Fei Qian do not exist independently, but are interconnected and support each other. For example, land reform supports the economy, the economy supports education, education provides bureaucrats, bureaucrats consolidate institutional rule, public opinion stabilizes people's hearts, the military ensures security, etc. They are all linked together. If there is a problem in any place, it will affect other aspects.

"Besides that..." Fei Qian was silent for a while, then looked at Pang Tong and Zhang Liao, "There is one more thing..."

"My lord..." Pang Tong seemed to know what Fei Qian wanted to say and showed an embarrassed expression.

Fei Qian waved his hand and said, "When a person dies, the government ceases to exist. This is a shabby practice in the court. You and I are no exception. Therefore, there should be laws... If we make laws based on the people, and spread them throughout the country, we may be able to achieve long-term peace and stability..."

This is just like the Han Dynasty was founded on loyalty and filial piety. Therefore, during the three or four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, even if officials were disloyal and unfilial, they had to verbally express their loyalty, filial piety, and conscience.

The same is true in later generations. Even though everyone knows that "freedom and equality" do not exist in the United States, at least the slogan has to be shouted openly.

Therefore, Fei Qian must establish a "double insurance mechanism for the power structure", that is, to establish a three-in-one official selection system of "imperial examination - technical bureaucratic academy - performance appraisal".

Fei Qian is already working on the imperial examination, and it seems to be quite effective so far. The examination subjects also focus more on practical skills, such as arithmetic, water conservancy, agronomy, etc.

The so-called technical bureaucratic colleges, that is, the engineering colleges and agricultural colleges, are also gradually expanding. These students who are directly under Fei Qian and have corresponding status only under the command of the cavalry will automatically protect Fei Qian's relevant policies after they take up official positions...

In addition, Fei Qian tried out a five-year term system that was linked to a land production increase index. Although it was not perfect enough, it at least put forward corresponding requirements in terms of official performance assessment. It also promoted the independence of the supervisory system from the administrative system, allowing the Youwensi to extend its tentacles further.

Through this interlocking institutional design, a dynamic balance is formed between centralization and technological rationality, enabling the system to have self-repair capabilities.

When each institutional module generates path dependence, even if individual monarchs are replaced, the entire system can continue to operate through established procedures.

The key is to establish a mutually verifying relationship among the promotion channels for technocrats, the survival guarantees for self-employed farmers, and the right to interpret ideology so that no single group can change the system rules alone, thus ensuring the sustainability of institutional evolution.

"Wenyuan is fighting in the front, Shiyuan is also working hard in the back..." Fei Qian looked at Zhang Liao and Pang Tong, "The most important affairs of the country are sacrifice and war. You two have a heavy responsibility, so don't slack off!"

Zhang Liao and Pang Tong left the table in response.

Zhang Liao was fine, after all, military affairs were what he was good at. But Pang Tong felt that things were too complicated. Although he knew in his heart that he had to do it, his inner sorrow couldn't help but show up.

"Shi Yuan, the affairs of the world should be handled by people from all over the world. How can one person handle all the affairs of the world?" Fei Qian said with a smile, "When Jizhou is settled, we can move the branch of Qinglong Temple to Jixia... Since we can open a school in Shoushan, why can't we set up schools all over the world?"

Pang Tong slapped his head, "I was thinking wrong! What the lord said is very true! The affairs of the world should be done by all people! If the Shoushan Academy can restore the grandeur of Jixia, it will be like a rushing river, how can the rabble stop it? ! In the past, there were hundreds of schools of thought in the Spring and Autumn Period, and today there should be tens of thousands of schools of thought competing for glory!"

The three of them burst into laughter immediately.

They seemed to see a new cultural torrent brewing.

It is like the reappearance of the grandeur of the Jixia Academy during the Warring States Period, but this time the academic debate will be guided towards practicality.

Those minds that were once imprisoned by classics may burst into new light in the new academy through the collision with mathematics, agriculture, and engineering...