The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

The topography of Zhao State can be summed up in three types of landforms: the west quarter is composed of mountains, the middle third is hills, and the east third is plain. www.dyzww.com [First_First_Chinese_Chinese_Network]

All counties in the country are in the plain area.

Xunzhen's trip to the county this time was mainly in the plain area, taking into account the hilly area, and rarely went to the mountain area. This is for two reasons. First of all, subjectively, Huangfu Song’s letter did not ask him to take the initiative to attack, but only asked him to guard Zhaojing, but to guard the main, and to understand the conditions of the counties; secondly, he did not take the initiative to attack on a large scale. As winter is approaching, the objective situation also requires him to prepare for defense, so his trip to the county this time is mainly to understand and familiarize himself with the plains where the counties are located.

After exiting the north gate of Yiyang County, everyone continued along the official road.

There are still many refugees on the road.

Among the refugees, there are desperate and daring people, and more are good citizens. Just like the farmers in Yiyang County who have never left their hometown in their entire lives, many of these refugees have never left their homes or traveled far before. Farmers love the land, unless they really can't live, they will never leave the land where their ancestors lived for generations and become refugees. Displaced, lacking food and clothing, and living in a strange environment all the time, these refugees, who were originally good citizens, walked on the road with cowardice and cowardice.

In stark contrast to their cowardice and cowardice, the local people are suspicious and even hostile.

The world is in chaos, every county is in short supply of food, the county in the county cannot organize decent relief, and the refugees have to rely on themselves if they want to get food. They are displaced from a foreign land, and they may bring some dry food with them when they go out, but when they finish eating, where does the food come from? It can only be obtained from the counties and townships passing by. The honest ones are begging, or looking for some wild vegetables in the fields to feed their stomachs. The dishonest ones will rob or steal. When they are extremely hungry, I am afraid that even the honest ones will change their nature and eat for a bite. To steal, and to rob.

There have been many such incidents in the local area, how can the local people not cast suspicion and hostility towards these refugees?

Xun You rode on horseback beside Xun Zhen and sighed, "The chief officials of Yiyang County are not able to provide relief."

Handan Rong agreed and said: "The refugees are in groups, wandering in the county and township, like locusts crossing the border. When the day is good, when the night comes, there will definitely be thieves who violate the law and ban. If they are not dealt with early, sooner or later, chaos will occur. ..., Xun Jun, if you want to attack thieves without worry, you must first rectify the refugees."

"I saw a lot of refugees along the way. How should we deal with it? I would like to hear the public opinion."

"Yesterday Gongda said: We should recruit displaced people to supplement the lost population in this county, weeding and reclamation, and preparing for spring ploughing in the coming year. Rong Yu thought that although this was a good plan, it was not feasible at present."

"Why?"

"There is a shortage of food in the country."

After all, it's still a matter of food.

When Zhao Guo took office, there were many problems before Xun Zhen, such as army soldiers, city defense, etc. But these problems could be solved with a little effort, and there was only one problem that really attracted Xun Zhen's attention, namely food.

He said to himself: "I am recruiting troops to ask for food, and now I can see that there are more and more refugees in Zhao State. The last time I went to Handan to take office, I didn't see many refugees when I passed by Yiyang, and they also need food to settle them. "It's time to find a way to solve the problem of food."

Of all the problems facing Xun Zhen, the food issue was the most difficult, and because it was the most difficult, it was the least rash.

With this thought in his mind, he asked Handan Rong and said, "It is true that the country is short of grain, and the county and county warehouses alone are not enough to help the refugees. In this case, the public minister thinks, how should we deal with these refugees?"

"Two words."

"What two words?"

"Recruit and chase."

"Recruitment and expulsion?"

"The recruiters can recruit the young and brave among the refugees to serve as the county soldiers. Since the recruits do not have enough food to provide relief, they will simply expel all the remaining refugees from the country, so as to save them from disturbing the rear when the king strikes the thieves. "

Handan Rong was strong and courageous. Since he was loyal to Xun Zhen, he only considered what was beneficial to Xun Zhen, and did not care about the lives of these refugees.

After listening to his suggestion, Xun Zhen remained silent.

Xun You disagreed with his opinion and said: "Mencius said: 'Taking neighboring countries as a beggar... is what a benevolent person hates'. Although this policy of the public slaughter is simple and convenient, it is a beggar-thy-neighbor." He said to Xun Zhen, " You secretly thought that the refugees must not be expelled from the country, there are two things that must be done.”

"Why not?"

Xun You pulled the reins with his right hand, stretched out his left hand, and bent his thumb, saying, "This is what the benevolent person hates, and if it spreads out, it will damage the name of the minister and the ruler."

"What about the second?"

Xun You bent his index finger again and said, "Looking all around Zhao State, there is nowhere to expel the refugees." He said carefully, "First, let's talk about the north side, the north of Zhao County is Changshan County, and Gaoyi, the prefecture of this state, is in Changshan County, close to it. Zhao County, cannot drive the refugees to the prefectural shepherd. Besides, to the east, the east is Julu County. Julu is the place where Zhang Jiao started his business, and the rest of the party still exists. To the south is Wei County, and to the south of Wei County is Sili, if you drive refugees into Wei County, it is equivalent to driving refugees to Gyeonggi, and it is absolutely impossible."

To the north is Juzhi, to the west is Julu, and to the south is Gyeonggi. To the east of Ruo, Xun You didn't need to say anything, and everyone knew that it was impossible. To the east is the Taihang Mountains. There are already enough thieves in the valleys of the Montenegro and the Western Mountains. If the refugees are driven there, this is to increase the strength of the thieves.

Xun You's analysis is reasonable.

Xun Zhen nodded and said yes.

Handan Rong also agreed with Xun You's analysis.

He was strong in nature, but not stubborn, and when he felt that Xun You was right, he immediately changed his point of view and said, "It's me who didn't think carefully. . If they cannot be expelled, in order to prevent them from causing chaos, they will have to provide relief.” He held his sword and raised his head, urging his horse to catch up with Xun Zhen, repeating the old saying, saying, “Xunjun, the county and county have insufficient storage, and I would like to borrow food from the locality for you. !"

Xun Zhen smiled and said: "The matter of borrowing food will depend on the public slaughter sooner or later. It's just..., just don't worry about it right now."

... The county soldiers have just been slaughtered, which has already aroused a certain rebound in the local area. If you borrow food from the local area at this time, it will definitely cause chaos. Xun Zhen, Xun You, and Xi Zhicai discussed the matter privately, and they all agreed that although the matter of borrowing grain is very urgent, it should not be done hastily.

Before going out to the county this time, Xi Zhicai offered a strategy to Xun Zhen, saying: "The lieutenant took advantage of the victory of Mafushan to successfully eliminate the county soldiers. If you want to borrow food, you must have another big victory. Cixing County, of course, is mainly to familiarize yourself with the people and geography of the counties, so as to be able to prepare for defense against bandits this winter, but if you have the opportunity, you might as well ask the local commanders, chiefs, officials and people to understand the territory of each county. For a thief in the mountains, it’s best to set a target for attack. Once you get a big victory, you can start borrowing food.”

Regarding the situation of bandits in the mountains, Xi Zhicai has always sent people to scout. In fact, he has initially selected a target who can attack, but whether it is feasible or not, Xun Zhen has to go to the field to investigate and find out.

The way of using soldiers, you can't defend the whole attack, it is a good strategy to have both attack and defense. Fighting another battle before winter will not only pave the way for borrowing food, but also deter the thieves in the mountains. This is the best of both worlds.

...from Yiyang, check along the way, and go to the evening, everyone is staying in the wild pavilion.

The next day, we continued our journey and crossed a river, which was the southernmost of the four larger rivers in Zhao State. Passing through Tantai, we traveled for more than ten li, and entered the county of Xiang State. After another twenty or thirty li, the front Another river. This water is also one of the four waters in Zhaojing, that is, the Shahe River in the later generations. The Shahe River in the later generations is usually waterless and is a seasonal flood discharge river, but now the river surface is turbulent, and it is several miles wide at its widest point.

At this moment, it is almost dusk, the world is restless, and there are no people rafting on the river. Although there is a bridge, after crossing the river, you have to sleep. Xun Zhen galloped to the bank, and watched the river flow westward, flowing into the mountains in the distance, but turning to the east, he could not see the edge. He thought: "Although Zhaojing is small, there are many mountains and waters. Fortunately, the rivers in the territory are not too wide. The widest is only a few miles, so it does not hinder the march."

After seeing the strength and width of the water, Xun Zhen dismounted, and ordered Xuankang to tie the long cloth belt he had brought with him to Dian Wei's body, and let him go into the water to test the depth and rapidity of the river. Dian Wei tried it, and then in another place, Yuan Zhongqing and Zuo Bohou went into the water to try it. Based on the words of the three of them, it was concluded that the exact depth and water conditions of the different sections of the water were recorded by Xuan Kang. They did the same thing when they crossed the Kamijou River. When they took office in Handan a month ago and passed by this river, they just crossed the bridge and never went underwater. Although the four waters in Zhaojing are not too wide, it is dangerous to be able to fight with an army, but it is necessary to understand the details of a few waters.

Tried the river water, the red sun is sinking in the west, and the night is coming.

Xun Zhen mounted his horse and pointed his whip to a village pavilion in the far west. Gu Yu and Handan Rong smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are from the county, so you should know the origin of this pavilion's name."

Handan Rong also got on the horse, looked at it from a distance, and smiled: "This pavilion is Su Ren Pavilion. Rong heard the story of this pavilion from Jiajun when he was a child."

There are two explanations for the name of Su Renting. One said that the word "Su" was derived from the "Su" of the Fang State in the early Yin and Shang Dynasty. One said that this place was the place where Su Qin provoked Zhang Yixi to talk about Qin during the Warring States Period, because it was named "Su".

Xun Zhen, as a person who has traveled from the future, he is most interested in two places in this world, one is famous people, and the other is historical monuments. As early as when he was the postal supervisor in the northern part of Yingchuan County and took Xuankang to the county, he was not only inspecting the mountains and rivers along the way, he often visited the ancient monuments to pay tribute, and came to Zhao State. Although he was busy with official business, he was on the day of Chongyang. He also took everyone out of the city to visit Wuling Congtai and other places. Now that today's business is over, when it comes to Su Renting, it is inevitable to explore with Handan Rong, a native of this county.

He smiled and said, "The last time I passed by here, I stayed at Su Renting. Let's stay there tonight!" He motioned for Handan Rong to come forward, and while driving his horse, he asked with a smile, "I heard that there are two origins of Su Renting's name. Gongzai, you are a local. Tell me, which of these two origins is true?"

Handan Rong smiled and said, "The pavilion's name is 'Suren', since there is the word 'person', in the sense of honor, it should be named after the 'Sufang' of the Yin and Shang times."

"So, the saying that 'Su Qin is here to excite Zhang Yixi to talk about Qin' is a false rumor?"

"No. Su Qin must have provoked Zhang Yi here. In terms of reputation, this 'Su Fang' is not as good as this 'Su Qin'. From Rong's point of view, although Su Renting may be named after 'Su Fang' , but it is thanks to 'Su Qin' that he is famous."

Xuankang found it interesting and said with a smile: "Haha, Su Fang and Su Qin, both are 'Su', but they are interesting. Since it is said that this pavilion's reputation is due to Su Qin, why not just change its name to Su Qin Pavilion!"

Handan Rong turned to the northeast of the river, and Xiangguo County was about 20 miles away from the northeast. He turned his head and said to Xun Zhen with a smile, "Lieutenant, you passed by here when you came to take office, have you ever entered Xiangguo County?"

"At that time, I was waiting around the county and never entered the city."

"Do you know the decree of the State of Xiang?"

"I only know the name of Xiangguo Ling, and I heard that his name is Yao Sheng, and he was Yangzhou Maocai a few years ago." Xun Zhen answered Handan Rong with a smile on the corner of her mouth. Envy is nothing but "Maocai".

In this dynasty's inspection, there are two important annual examinations, one is filial piety, and the other is Maocai. Compared with the two, Maocai is heavier.

Xiaolian is mainly elected by the county, and Maocai is mainly elected by the state. Many people are first elected as Xiaolian and then as Maocai. Because of its high status, the number of people is also small. In a large state like Yuzhou, dozens of filial and honest people are elected a year, while Maocai, according to the Han family system, can only elect one person a year, plus three princes, Guangluxun, Sili, and generals of Bigong are elected each year, and the total number of people in the entire empire is only nearly twenty each year, which is less than one-tenth of the filial and honest people who are elected every year.

With a small number of people and high status, Maocai is far more important than Xiaolian when it comes to appointing him. Xiaolian is often worshipped as a high-ranking official, and then he may be sent out as county magistrate and chief. The material even started with two thousand stones.

Xun Zhen heard that Yao Sheng was only in his thirties this year, and he had been serving as the county magistrate of Xiangguo for two years, which meant that he was not yet thirty when he was promoted to Maocai. This made Xun Zhen quite envious.

Influenced by later generations, Xun Zhen has a bit of a complex of Jinshi and Hanlin. Xiaolian, Maocai and Langguan are like contemporary Jinshi and Hanlin. Although he is now ranked more than 2,000 stone, it can be seen from his past qualifications. Not from Xiaolian, nor from Maocai.

Huangfu Song wrote to the imperial court to request that he be transferred from Yingchuan to the army, and the reason for being the Sima of the supporting army was that he "learned the strategy of battle formation". The exhortation of the "strategies of Ming and Xi's battle formation" is not a regular subject, but a special subject. It was because of the Yellow Turban uprising that the imperial court had to issue a special edict. Looking at its essence, it was different from the previous generation. Those who are "brave and know the art of war" and "martial and worthy of generals" are similar. Xun Zhen, as a "child of the Xun family", did not make a fortune from Xiaolian and Maocai, but "courageously and knowing the art of war", which he often regrets.

He is now a senior official of more than 2,000 stones, and he can no longer be regarded as Xiaolian or Maocai by the county and prefecture. This regret can only be kept.

Xuankang was also very envious. He said enviously: "Yao Ling was named a state mahogany before he was 30 years old. His reputation has spread far and wide, and he has a bright future."

Xun Zhen knew that Handan Rong would not talk about Yao Sheng for no reason, and asked, "What? Is the public servant familiar with him?"

"Two years ago, he came to Xiangguo to take office and went to Handan to meet the king and prime minister. Rong met him on the road and had a long talk because they made friends with each other."

"Have a long talk and make friends with each other?" Xun Zhen laughed, "This hero cherishes heroes, so this Yao Ling is not an ordinary person?"

"He is a native of Wucheng, Wu County~www.wuxiaspot.com~, and he is the most important surname in the county. He is seven feet five in length, and has a great appearance. Rong talked to him and felt that he was alert, nimble, meticulous and intelligent. Although he has never worked in a local area before, he is very organized when it comes to civil affairs. After he took office in Xiangguo, he has been in office for two years, and the county examination and state division has always been a leader. What is even more rare is that this person has great ambitions and extraordinary festivals. "

Speaking of this, everyone is close to Su Renting. When night came, Handan Rong looked at Su Renting at night, and said, "When he communicated with me in letters, he often lamented the achievements of Su and Qin. Before he started, he saw the signs of impending chaos, and the letter said: 'The country's affairs are getting tougher, and chaos is growing. County magistrate, a county cannot do its best."

State Maocai, ambitious, lamenting that a county cannot make the best of its abilities, these are irrelevant. Let’s talk about Maocai first. In today’s world, bribery and bribery are rampant. The officials in the prefectures and counties are filial, honest, and Maocai. However, if combined with what Handan Rong said earlier, "After two years in office, the county examination and state class has always been a leader." This Yao Sheng is a talent.

Xun Zhen became interested and said, "The state of Xiang has such a sage commander, but I can no longer pass through the county this time."

♂m Net--♂