Three Kingdoms

money.

Or interests.

Although this term is a bit bad, it is actually not outdated for any feudal dynasty.

Moreover, the interests are multifaceted, and they are increasingly evident in the national economy.

Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty wanted to hold a celebration, which was not a problem in itself, but no matter what type of celebration it was, it would cost money. So where did the money come from?

It is impossible for money to fall from the sky. Of course, the money is dug out of the land. After all, the Han Dynasty and the subsequent feudal dynasties were all national economic systems based on agriculture for a long time.

Liu Xie felt that the money for the celebration was well spent. On the one hand, it could show that the Han Dynasty still had strength, or that the Han Dynasty had recovered from the embarrassment of Dong Zhuo's rebellion. On the other hand, it did not cost money to hold the celebration. How can we attract more gentry and gentry to gather in Xu County, and how can we have reason to launch our own plans?

Therefore, Liu Xie was very determined to hold this victory celebration, and even temporarily tolerated some issues that made him uncomfortable.

But with such forbearance, after holding this victory celebration, can Liu Xie achieve his goal?

Wang Chang had a hunch that there might be some changes in the celebration this time...

After the etiquette officer made a small mistake, everything seemed to be back to normal again.

Emperor Liu Xie ordered the eunuchs of Huangmen to read out the awards and awards step by step. He commended Cao Chun, Xia Houshang and other Youbei soldiers, and gave them promotions and bonuses, which was what they should have meant.

Xia Houshang then thanked and expressed his loyalty on behalf of the rewarded generals. There were no problems in these processes.

Anyway, these have been arranged in advance. Whether it is the commendation read out by the Huangmen eunuch or Xia Houshang's thank you in return, they are all determined in advance. If even this can go wrong, it will be really embarrassing. .

After the victory ceremony, there will be an agricultural ceremony.

Naturally, the agricultural ceremony was not held in front of Chongde Gate, but moved to the Beijiao Altar where heaven and earth were worshiped.

If it were in Luoyang, there should be two sacrificial altars, one is the southern suburbs altar for worshiping the gods, and the other is the northern suburbs altar for worshiping the earth. The ancestors are worshiped in the ancestral temple, and the ancestors are worshiped in the Mingtang. In addition, related to sacrifices, there are Lingtai and Piyong.

It's just that in Xu County, there is no such thing as a bright hall. Even the heaven and earth sacrifices are merged together, and there is only one northern suburb altar.

After all, these facilities were built in Xu County one after another after Liu Xie came, so everyone can understand.

The so-called everyone includes the emperor Liu Xie, civil and military officials, local village elders specially invited to participate in the agricultural ceremony, rural gentry and families from various places, as well as some agricultural and industrial bachelors, craftsmen representatives, etc.

These people, represented by bachelors of agriculture and engineering and craftsmen, basically have eyes and ears but no mouths.

The right to speak is in the hands of the officials, and these people only serve as witnesses.

Of course, these people did not expect that what they came to witness was not only a grand ceremony, but also a joke.

At the beginning of the joke, uh, agricultural ceremony, everything was normal.

Now Liu Ye, on behalf of the emperor, explained Dong Yu's inspection records, especially the difference between Guanzhong agriculture and Shandong.

The gentry and gentry in Shandong were quite interested in these contents. They listened and whispered to each other in low voices.

Liu Xie glanced at Cao Cao, with a hint of exploration in his eyes.

Liu Xie also felt the flaws in the etiquette process at Chongde Gate that Wang Chang noticed, but then it seemed normal again, making Liu Xie not sure what the problem was...

At the current agricultural ceremony, Cao Cao seemed to have no expression, which made Liu Xie feel uneasy and a little happy at the same time.

Is it possible that my own plan can come true?

Cao Cao naturally noticed Liu Xie's little actions, but he remained calm.

Cao Cao actually knew Liu Xie's thoughts well.

In other words, in any feudal dynasty, the emperor is on guard against powerful ministers, and the powerful ministers are also on guard against the emperor.

Who controls whom, who is strong and who is weak, it just depends on their own methods.

Obviously, Liu Xie is still a little immature in this aspect.

Cao Cao wanted to tell Liu Xie that the emperor was not that easy to be.

As the emperor, you should have the world in mind, not just pretend.

As for Cao Cao's so-called display of ambition, it may be a little bit, but at the moment, with the Sino-Fei latent suppression, Cao Cao will not really do such a stupid thing. Therefore, it is more important for Cao Cao to express to Liu Xie that without me, You are nothing.

This point was exposed in the follow-up sessions of the agricultural ceremony...

The agricultural ceremony was originally a great day that Liu Xie wanted to officially show to the outside world. He prepared a lot for this. Not only did he order to summon many agricultural officials, he also invited some village elders from nearby Yingchuan to attend the ceremony. .

When these village elders faced the emperor Liu Xie, they all behaved respectfully, without the slightest contempt or arrogance.

This kind of respect from the folk and village elders made Liu Xie feel a lot of emotion in his heart, and he also felt a bit of glory. After all, since Dong Zhuo's rebellion, he seemed to have not been able to feel the respect from the countryside for him several times. of adoration and respect.

Although the current kind of respect cannot be compared with the respect when the Han Dynasty was strong, it at least gave Liu Xie some confidence and was quite emotional.

It's just that Liu Xie's confidence and emotion soon suffered a blow...

When Liu Ye said that he would improve Shandong's agriculture based on Dong Yu's inspection records, which was the most important part of Liu Xie's secret plan, problems beyond his control arose.

Just when the village elders expressed that the emperor was wise, just like the words of Yao and Shun, the doctor Liu Fang, who had just promoted filial piety and integrity, spoke out with great enthusiasm, saying that the more important thing than revising the agricultural code was to first solve the problem of insufficient household registration. !

Doctor Liu Fang's words immediately caused a commotion!

Hidden house!

This is almost equivalent to the crotch cloth of a wealthy rural gentleman family!

Unexpectedly, Liu Fang actually started to lift it!

Liu Fang believes that although Dong Yu's inspection tour record is very good, it actually does not play the most direct role in harvesting acres. The most critical problem in Han agriculture is not improving equipment, but concealing it from the rural gentry and clans everywhere. On the household registration!

The number of household registrations is seriously insufficient, accounting for as little as 23% to as much as 50% or 60% of the original population. Even 70% to 80% of the population has become the hidden residence of large rural gentry families in various places. These hidden households made it impossible for the court to pay taxes. Even if agricultural equipment was improved or agricultural science and technology was developed, it would not help at all. For the Han Dynasty, only by solving the problem of hidden households could the real solution be achieved. obtain agricultural development.

It's just before the grand ceremony, and villagers from all over the country are here, so why don't we just show our support?

Liu Fang's words were very sharp, and even very rude, which made all the village elders who came to participate in Liu Xie's agricultural ceremony have red eyes and green faces.

What Liu Fang said is reasonable and well-founded, because starting from Guangwu, the Han Dynasty had special laws that strictly prohibited the buying, selling and killing of slaves, and strictly prohibited turning farmers into slaves, which is the so-called hidden household. When Xiao Guangwu was in office, he issued nine edicts in total, requiring various places to release slaves...

Of course, from this perspective, it also shows that Guangwu's edict is actually just the same thing. Can Liu Xie solve the problem that Guangwu's nine edicts may not be able to solve now?

Obviously impossible.

Liu Fang jumped out and immediately put Liu Xie and the local villagers on the fire.

The local squires originally came because they heard that the emperor Liu Xie was going to give "benefits" and have "policies", so they all came excitedly. But when they heard about it, they suddenly felt something was wrong. How could this be a benefit? It’s simply life-threatening!

For a moment, the scene became extremely awkward.

The issue of land estates is a big problem.

The Han Dynasty did have a very unique position in Chinese history, because it was this dynasty that completely unified China, created a dynasty that lasted for a long time, and established a unified and prosperous age.

Qin Shihuang was dissatisfied at first and muttered to the side, but when he heard the word "long", he had no choice but to turn around and beat his child.

Whether it was the prosperity of the Western Han Dynasty or the resurgence of the Eastern Han Dynasty, this dynasty added a unique color to Chinese history. The Han Dynasty implemented the policy of "recuperation and recuperation", which reduced the burden of farmers, encouraged the development of people's livelihood, promoted the idea of ​​"respecting Confucianism alone", strengthened the ethics and ethics, and promoted the prosperity of Confucianism; it opened up the "Silk Road" direction, expanded the commodity market, promoted economic activity, established the "three public officials and nine ministers" system, and strengthened centralized rule...

It can be said that the Han Dynasty did what the Qin Dynasty wanted to do but failed to do, and the Han Dynasty did what the Qin Dynasty failed to think of, and did it well. From politics, economy, ideology and culture to people's livelihood protection, the Han Dynasty Everything Dynasty has done is remarkable.

But the Han Dynasty also developed new stubborn diseases, and the land problem became more and more obvious.

The Han Dynasty can be said to be the first prosperous dynasty after the unification of China, but behind this prosperity there is also the heartache and blood and tears of the people. Peasant uprisings continue and social unrest continues. The establishment of the Han Dynasty saved the people from the wars and hardships during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. However, when he aged, he also brought such suffering to the people, even more tragic than the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

The development of the Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties was like a strange circle. The more prosperous the country was, the poorer the lives of ordinary people became.

The wealth of the Han Dynasty was actually an illusion, because such wealth only belonged to a small group of people in the Han Dynasty, and most of the people still lived in a state of being squeezed. To give a simple example, it is like the prosperous age of the Han Dynasty when one stone of grain was worth tens of dollars, but it was short-lived in the Western Han Dynasty and disappeared after that.

The Han Dynasty attached great importance to the development of agriculture, but it also created a good excuse for the gentry and gentry to annex land. Powerful nations relied on their own power to continuously devour the land of the common people. This has created a situation in which the rich and powerful officials can live in the tens of thousands, while the poor and weak are becoming increasingly impoverished.

The Guangwu Zhongxing was just a short-term rebound. The aristocratic families had even greater control over the land than during the Western Han Dynasty, because in the Eastern Han Dynasty, not only did they own the land, these aristocratic families also controlled the farmers and opened up the gentry family. The new model has its own armed forces, and then evolved into local princes.

The powerful local families who were the driving forces behind the economic prosperity of the Eastern Han Dynasty were also the driving forces behind the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty. They annexed land, separatized one side, organized armed forces, local power expanded, and centralization weakened. This was also an important reason for the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Not everyone enjoyed the fruits of the prosperity of the Han Dynasty. The children of the poor remained poor, the confrontation between the poor and the gentry, and the struggle between the peasants and the powerful all contributed to the decline of the Han Dynasty and its demise step by step.

Among them, the so-called small-scale peasant economy and self-sufficient manor system proposed by those great scholars was one of the biggest shortcomings, and even affected the subsequent feudal dynasties.

Before Emperor Liu Xie could figure out how to deal with it, Prime Minister Cao Cao said that this issue needed further discussion. As a result, Liu Fang refused to give up. He bluntly remonstrated and said that now was the best opportunity for village elders from all over the country to express their stance. , and the emperor Liu Xie should issue an edict like Xiao Guangwu to investigate hidden houses in various places...

Immediately, the mentality of many people present collapsed, especially the emperor Liu Xie.

Emperor Liu Xie was not stupid either. He knew that this edict could not be issued.

Although this edict is indeed beneficial to the Han Dynasty, and the problem of hiding houses also affects the Han Dynasty's economy, if Liu Xie really issued the edict as Liu Fang advised, then Liu Xie originally planned to bypass Cao Cao, Wouldn’t it be that the plan to gain fame among the rural people and blend in with these opposition parties has completely failed?

But the problem is that Liu Xie can't say anything, and he can't even scold Liu Fang. On the one hand, Liu Fang is also a member of the old Liu family, and on the other hand, Liu Xie claims to be the second in Guangwu and revive the Han Dynasty again. But now Liu Fang says that Guangwu has done this and issued an edict to get rid of bad habits. Yes, does Liu Xie have the nerve to object?

When the situation was extremely embarrassing, Cao Cao stood up and scolded Liu Fang with a stern face.

Someone dragged Liu Fang down, and then the agricultural ceremony carefully prepared by Liu Xie ended hastily...

Wang Chang, who had been a spectator all the way, returned to the post house, somewhat dumbfounded.

What is an anticlimax, this is probably a wonderful reflection.

Wang Chang didn't expect that Cao Cao would be so understated and as if he planned carefully, and then hit Liu Xie's weakest link with a stick...

It was like a stick stuck in the axle of a vehicle that was about to set off. Although the stick was not big and could not be completely destructive, it made the entire vehicle unable to move.

Even if Liu Xie goes to deal with Liu Fang, what can he do?

He was just a doctor who praised filial piety and honesty, and what he said was grand. Could it be that Liu Xie could still slap Guangwu in the face?

Wang Chang even felt that this would inevitably become an excuse for Cao Cao to restrict the squire!

Although Cao Cao did not support Liu Fang's remarks at the moment, if these squires did not know the depth and the good, would Cao Cao use this name to do something?

Oops, Prime Minister Cao is indeed very scheming!

Wang Chang did admire this.

During this period of time, Wang Chang had been in contact with many Shandong nobles in Xu County. However, Wang Chang found that there were indeed big problems in the minds of these Shandong nobles, and in this celebration It seems to be more obvious.

These Shandong nobles always seem to be wavering.

If these gentry and gentry can be completely united, no matter which side they support, whether it is the emperor or the prime minister, they will become the strongest opponent and the biggest threat to the Hussar. But the problem is that they cannot unite and they are always wavering.

So is Prime Minister Cao also aware of this problem, so he has been continuously integrating it during this period?

Wang Chang suddenly felt that this contradiction was the biggest gain he got from coming to Xu County this time.

As for the celebration activities, overall, it was undoubtedly Lao Cao who got the biggest advantage, and almost none of the things Emperor Liu Xie wanted could be successfully achieved.

Some people have expressed dissatisfaction with the Emperor's celebration of victory this time. They believe that Shandong should not invest too much in Youbei, the border area, so that it can concentrate on dealing with Guanzhong. As long as Guanzhong is pacified, naturally The situation can be saved and the country will be stable.

In fact, this is a joke. The key is that such a joke can actually have many supporters!

Because at the moment in Youbei, or in the desert area, the nomadic peoples have been beaten to pieces and do not have much fighting power at all. The nomadic peoples are very honest and are even afraid of the Han army's advance...

Coupled with the white disaster and black disaster last year, many tribes in the desert were unable to protect themselves. Those who wanted to go south to plunder could not defeat Zhao Yun and other elite Han troops. The rest could only fight with Cao Jun. Therefore, overall He said that it did not waste money and food and increase casualties like the previous Xiqiang war.

Therefore, the fact that Shandong's treasury is empty and its money is in straits actually has nothing to do with the desert and Youbei.

And if it is true that Cao Jun abandoned the Youbei region of the desert, then Shandong would be equivalent to only the Central Plains area. Although Cao Chun and others were indeed withdrawn, it seemed that the army was more concentrated and the number of soldiers in the Central Plains increased, but then The next question is what will Cao Cao use to fight Fei Qian's cavalry?

Even if you can attack the infantry phalanx and push it, what about the population, money and food consumed?

To attack Chang'an, let alone 30,000 to 50,000, even if there are 100,000 elite soldiers, they may not be able to conquer Hangu Tongguan. And these 100,000 or more soldiers and civilians, the daily food and drink expenses are an astonishing amount. These Where will the food and grass come out again?

Therefore, Cao Cao's strategy of using Youbei to train cavalry and using cavalry to control cavalry was the most cost-effective way, but it was criticized by many nobles in Shandong...

Now, Cao Cao took this opportunity to not only suppress Liu Xie, but also to increase the favorability of the squire, which made him a lot of money.