Three Kingdoms: The Guan Family's Rebellious Son, Long Blessing Jing Xiang

Chapter 188 Jianghu is not about fighting and killing, it is about favor, sophistication and trading
Cao Cao is a hero.

He was able to unify the Central Plains and sweep the northern border, not only because of the bravery of Qiao Peiwu, but also because of the support of Yingchuan talents.

Not just by luck.

His decision-making ability, judgment ability, insight ability, resourcefulness, and even his ability to adapt to the situation... is unmatched in the world.

Such a person, and such an important Xiangfan, how could he not have a second layer of deployment?

No precautions?
Cao Cao has long thought, what if the situation in Xiangfan is too turbulent to recover?

What about Guan Yu?He is bound to make a desperate attack on Xiangfan.

He even thought of the worst.

That is, he, Cao Cao, couldn't return to help immediately.

Under such circumstances, how to keep Xiangfan and even turn defeat into victory is not an easy problem.

And this depends on Cao Cao's deployment.

Cao Cao specially sent Yu Jin, the head of the five good generals, to garrison troops in Runan, and sent Gao Lan (who died in Changbanpo in the interpretation, there is no record in history, so he is still alive) to garrison in Xuchang. Delivered two kits to Zhang Liao.

One of them was Sun Quan's response to a large-scale crime.

There are only four words in the content - "The thief is here, it is a hair!"

It is precisely because of these four words that Zhang Babai's feat of defeating Sun Shiwan was achieved.

As for the other letter, it was not so concise.

Cao Cao listed three situations.

One is during the flood season, if the situation in Xiangfan changes.

Then Zhang Liao stood still and transferred Yu Jin to quickly rescue Xiangfan from Runan.

The second is during the dry season, the same assumption, this time Yu Jin stood still, and Zhang Liao quickly rushed from Hefei to Xiangfan, and took the command of Hefei to Le Jin, who was also a good general of the five sons.

The third is during the flood season, if the situation in Xiangfan changes and Sun Quan attacks aggressively at the same time, Cao Cao's deployment is that Zhang Liao will go to Xiangfan and be banned from entering Hefei.

It can also be seen from this that Cao Cao attaches great importance to Xiangfan.

But the current situation is the second situation. In the past, Zhang Babai defeated Sun Shiwan, and then the dry season came, and the pressure on Hefei undoubtedly dropped sharply. At this time, it is impossible for Sun Quan to organize troops to attack.

Of course, Zhang Liao should have led his troops to attack Ruxukou at this time.

The change of flood season and dry season often marks the transition of Wei and Wu's offensive and defensive trends.

In fact, Zhang Liao originally planned to attack Ruxukou.

But... who would have thought that suddenly Cao Ren fainted, and the news of Cao Chun's death came.

Zhang Liao immediately made a decision to give up attacking Ruxukou and wait and see what happened.

And this is just waiting and watching.

After all... Cao Ren fainted, there are still Man Chong, Lu Chang, Zhao Yan, and Niu Jin in Xiangfan City... no matter how bad it is, Jiang Xia still has that "iron wall" Wenpin.

there they are...

The situation in Xiangfan is as stable as Mount Tai, and it will not collapse.

But... Who would have thought that shortly after Zhang Liao received the first urgent mail, the second urgent mail would follow one after another.

—— Wenpin is gone, Man Chong is gone, Niu Jin is gone, and Lu Chang is gone.

——Xiangfan of Nuo University, now there is only one Zhao Yan left!
Isn't this what Prime Minister Cao said "the situation in Xiangfan has changed"...

Immediately Zhang Liao handed over the command of the army to Le Jin Hefei, and he himself led a group of personal guards to drive the night road to Shouchun.

The waterway was not suitable for boats, so they drove to Xiangyang on horseback, and it was not too late.

Zhao Yan's eyes froze when he saw Zhang Liao, he couldn't believe it.

Some time ago, Zhang Wenyuan, who was still "eight hundred thousand" and "megatronic" made that Soochow child stop crying, unexpectedly appeared in Xiangyang.

What was even more surprising was that Zhang Liao also brought news.

"General Xiahou has urgently summoned General Yu Jin, General Gao Lan, and Young Master Cao Zhang... Now, they have gathered in Xudu, and soon the army will rush to assist Xiangfan."

Zhang Liao's words seemed to carry a well-thought-out aura.

It was as if the whole situation was always under his control.

"Yun Chang is so arrogant that he is bound to take advantage of the victory and advance. The Prime Minister set up a net for him early in the morning. When he arrives in Fancheng, I wait for him to ambush him from all sides, and he is bound to be captured alive!"

This…

Zhao Yan rolled his eyes and quickly asked, "Is it Fancheng? Isn't it Xiangyang?"

Ha ha…

Zhang Liao smiled, a shallow smile.

He once again showed the overall view of an outstanding commander.

And... Only fellow villagers and close friends can understand Guan Yu.

"A Jingjiang River divides Xiangfan, Xiangyang is in the south, and Fancheng is in the north. From Yun Chang's point of view, even if Xiangyang is captured, Fancheng must be taken, but if Fancheng is captured, Xiangyang will be destroyed by itself!"

Speaking of this, Zhang Liao paused, his tone was firm. "Yun Chang is so arrogant, he will definitely not really attack Xiangyang, he will definitely take Fancheng... he will station the general camp between Fancheng and Wancheng, intending to cut off all the supplies of Xiangfan!"

"If it was someone else, I would never dare to go deep alone like this, but if it was him, I would definitely do it!"

Those who know Shanxi people best are not necessarily Shanxi people, but they must be Guan Yu's fellow villagers.

Zhang Liao knew Guan Yu too well.

In fact, Guan Yu in history, even when the Seventh Army was flooded and Megatron Huaxia.

The garrison of his Guan family army was never in the south of Jingjiang, the area close to Jiangling.

It is to the north of Jingjiang, between Wancheng and Fancheng.

In the current world, Guan Yu is the only one who can be so domineering and ignore Cao Wei so much.

Even if it is an ambush from all sides.

Perhaps in Guan Yu's eyes, it was Guan Yu alone who surrounded all the ten-faced people, and he almost shouted, everyone here is rubbish!
call…

At this moment, Zhao Yan let out a long breath, and he said with emotion.

"It turns out that everything is under the control of Prime Minister Cao."

"Fortune and misfortune depend on each other..." Zhang Liao's tone was as serious and serious as ever, "Once a disaster is used well, it will become a great good. In this battle, we will definitely capture Guan Yunchang!"

While speaking, Zhang Liao's eyes were filled with light...the light of bravery.

In his opinion, he must take the title of "No. [-] Bravery in Shanxi" from Guan Yu himself.

——"Sorry, dear friend! 』

——"We brothers are masters, let's have a good fight this time!" 』

...

...

Chengdu, Zhuge Mansion.

The oil lamp had burned out, and the gray morning light came in a little. After Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei read Guan Lin's second answer sheet.

Discussed all night.

But the spirits of the two did not show the slightest fatigue, and they still knelt and sat on the side of the bamboo mat to concentrate.

Zhuge Liang's second test question is, merchants in central Sichuan are hoarding and driving up prices, how to solve it?
And Guan Lin's answer is very simple, only three paragraphs.

The first paragraph - "the people are rich and the country is strong!"

The second paragraph - "Establish a Commerce Department to collect commercial taxes."

The third paragraph——"Shuzhong merchants can join the Commerce Department voluntarily. At the same time, all merchants who join the Commerce Department wantonly improve their status, but they must submit to the jurisdiction of the Commerce Department. Non-businessmen in the Commerce Department are not allowed to do business privately. Those who are punished will not be forgiven."

These three paragraphs are actually very simple.

Guan Lin wrote it after a little thought after seeing the test questions.

In fact, in the course of Chinese history, for a long period of time, there will be situations of merchants hoarding and driving up prices.

For example, at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, major families annexed land and drove up prices, seriously affecting economic operations.

Therefore, everyone elected Wang Mang to rescue the crisis.

Wang Mang created the Liuquan currency system rather "willfully", from "Koizumi Naoichi" to "Daizumi Fifty", a total of six denominations were produced.

And the largest denomination "Daquan Fifty" only used the "copper content" of two and a half five baht coins

To put it simply, it means that every time a "Daquan Fifty" is issued, 47 and a half five baht coins of wealth will be taken away from the people.

This move caused big families to collect five baht coins one after another, and after melting them, they cast "Daquan" privately, and then used the big springs to buy "five baht coins" unlimited dolls, which caused huge inflation.

This is the end of the Western Han Dynasty.

It was even more exaggerated at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Dong Zhuo minted small coins, which made the price of grain as high as hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars... There are also some.

What's more, Liu Bei, who has always been advertised as "benevolence and righteousness", was forced to play such a game in desperation.

In history, Liu Bei faced the problem of "merchant hoarding and driving up prices" after entering Shu.

The method he adopted was also similar to Dong Zhuo's "casting small money".

It's just that Liu Bei's name is more elegant - Zhibaiqian.

To put it simply, it is to mint a new coin called "Zhi Baiqian" to stabilize prices. One coin is equivalent to one hundred coins of the past five baht coins, and then force merchants and common people to replace new coins within a time limit.

It seems that old money is exchanged for new money, one for one hundred.

But in fact, the "copper" content in a straight hundred coin is equivalent to that in a five baht coin.

In this way, one coin is exchanged for one hundred coins, and the copper content of the extra 99 coins can continue to cast new "straight hundred coins"... On Liu Bei's side, the treasury will naturally have a steady stream of money and food.

This is equivalent to deception at the official level, defrauding the people's "copper" into the hands of the government by exchanging "old" for "new".

It is the wheat picked up to open the mill, a business without capital and huge profits.

But out of trust in Liu Bei, the people in central Shu didn't think too much at first, and spontaneously took the five baht money to the government to exchange it for a hundred yuan, and the price was controlled in a short time.

But as time went by, the people were not stupid, and they found that the [-] coins in their hands were becoming less and less valuable.

The money that used to be able to buy a piece of clothing can't even afford a sleeve now.

Everyone's wealth has shrunk severely.

Everyone also found that although they were getting poorer and poorer, the money in Liu Bei's treasury continued to increase, and military expenditures also continued to increase.

In the end, the attitude of the people of Yizhou towards Liu Bei also changed drastically.

That's why, Liu Bei has always relied on the support of the Veteran Faction, the Jingzhou Faction, and the Dongzhou Faction...

The attitude of the local forces in Yizhou, and even the people of Yizhou towards him... can be described as "indescribable"!
Not to mention supporting Liu Bei, I just hope that you, Liu Bei, will do well, and don't further reduce the copper content in "Zhibaiqian", and further cheat us and squeeze us.

It is no exaggeration to say that if it weren't for Zhuge Liang's way of governing Shu, coupled with the severe punishments in the "Law of Shu", the people suffered losses, but they could only be forced to calm down.

Otherwise, under this economic system of "directly a hundred dollars", people's grievances in central Sichuan have long been boiling, and the situation is definitely out of control.

And this also indirectly caused the Yizhou locals, whether it was the clan or the people, to be unable to reach an agreement with Liu Bei.

certainly…

Although the promotion of "direct hundred dollars" is deceptive.

However, Liu Bei had no choice at all.

This is based on Liu Bei's promise to the soldiers before the capture of Chengdu, allowing the soldiers to take the money from the government by themselves.

Not only that, according to the records of "Three Kingdoms: Zhang Fei Biography", Liu Bei also gave each of Zhuge Liang, Fazheng, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu five hundred catties of gold, one thousand catties of silver, 5000 million yuan of money, and one thousand horses of brocade...

You know, this figure is extremely exaggerated... almost equal to the annual income of a county in Chengdu.

And where did the money come from?
We can only "cheat" from the poor Yizhou people.

This is a huge pit facing the development of the Central Shu region during the Ji Han regime!A huge hidden danger.

As for Guan Lin, he answered this question quickly.

But it is associated with the "unhealthy" and "deformed" economic model in the Shu Han regime.

The charm of the Shu Han...

The romanticism of the Shu Han is based on people.

Without the support of the people and the popularity of the people, this regime will sooner or later become strangers... Therefore, Guan Lin's answer avoided "straight hundred dollars" as much as possible.

You can't cheat people out of their money...

Then we have to find a new "economic growth point", right?

So Guan Lin glanced at the merchants.

In this examination paper, his first sentence is "the people are rich and the country is strong", which is to remind Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang that they must not smash Liu Bei's "virtuous and virtuous" signboard and the people in Sichuan just because of small profits. popularity.

The second sentence is to set up a Commerce Department and collect commercial taxes.

This is to find the economic growth point of Sichuan.

It's so boring to always focus on the poor people who have been "squeezed dry".

To make money, you have to make money from the rich.

If we talk about future generations, 80.00% of wealth is in the hands of 20.00% of people.

At the end of the Han Dynasty, 90.00% of the wealth was controlled by one percent of the people, which is not an exaggeration at all.

Get money from these rich merchants...

Establish a commercial bureau, collect high commercial taxes, and restrain their behavior.

In return, the status of merchants was greatly improved.

This is a "deal", which is the core and focus of Guan Lin's answer.

People say that the rivers and lakes are not about fighting and killing, but about the ways of the world.

In fact, Jianghu is not about the sophistication of the world, but an exchange of equal value.

If the Shu Han wants to break the "economic" dilemma, they must pay something and exchange something.

Instead of paying for the disappointment of Yizhou people and the change of people's minds, it is better to pay...the great blessing of the status of merchants, in exchange for more wisdom of the Shu Han treasury, thus breaking the economic situation.

It should be known that among the three religions and nine streams in ancient times, merchants had the lowest status.

During the reign of Qin Shihuang, merchants had to be incorporated into the city registration.

Merchants and their descendants, like criminal officials and sons-in-law, are all on the list of banished, and can be sent to the frontier to serve or settle at any time.

During the period of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, it was stipulated that merchants were not allowed to wear silk clothes, ride cars, buy land, take concubines, or even eat big meat, and they had to pay twice as much as slaves.

By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the relegation system of the Qin Dynasty was restored, and merchants and their descendants with "city registration" were once again included in the requisition objects.

There are even.

Businessmen... Not only were they included in the roster, but even their descendants were not allowed to stand up because of their bad backgrounds.

In this way, businessmen are listed as "last industry" and "low industry", and those who engage in business are listed as "untouchables".

And from the perspective of merchants, it seems...they also desperately hope that their status can be improved.

...

In this answer sheet, Guan Lin wrote only three paragraphs and a few words.

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were also careless at first glance...

But then, look deeply, think deeply, discuss deeply...

They gradually discovered that the answer was ingenious.

Then, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang discussed the feasibility of "establishing a commercial bureau", "improving the status of merchants", and "enriching the treasury" for a whole night.

And Guan Lin thought of all his mental journeys.

Until dawn, until the rooster crows...

Liu Bei just got up suddenly, he seemed to have figured it out completely, he slapped the desk table, pondered: "What a good Guan Yunqi, what a 'people's prosperity and national strength', what a commercial bureau, what a way to elevate the status of merchants, In exchange for the support of merchants and the filling of the treasury, this Guan Yunqi is amazing!"

"yes…"

Zhuge Liang also got up slowly, the whole night's discussion made him not a bit tired.

At this moment, his whole body seemed to be wrapped in a heat wave, and his mood was agitated.

"I only thought of the "Law of Shu" to restrain the people of Yizhou with severe punishments, but I never thought that these merchants hoarded and drove up prices, and they could also formulate corresponding rules. The 'Business Administration' mentioned by Yunqi is unique. , It’s eye-catching! Yunqi mentioned that the promotion of merchants’ status in exchange for heavy taxes on business is also easy for these merchants to accept.”

Liu Bei looked at the answer sheet deeply, as if every word and every sentence in it brought him a deep feeling.

He paused, and gradually there was more appreciation in his tone.

"This son's vision is broad and his structure is admirable. The "Tao Te Ching" says, "If you want to get it, you must give it first." If you want to take the wealth of merchants, you must first give them a certain status. Two benefits!"

"This is also the easiest and most convenient way to fill the treasury, not to mention... if it is true that all merchants can be brought under the jurisdiction of the 'Commerce Department', how can there be hoarding and price-raising in Sichuan? Yunqi's suggestion , is killing two birds with one stone, killing two birds with one stone!"

appreciate…

Liu Bei not only appreciates this proposal, but also appreciates Guan Lin, Guan Yunqi, his nephew.

Speaking of it, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang are not mediocre, they are extremely smart and wise people who can gain a foothold in this world.

They can't think of this because they don't think about it at all.

Everything is afraid to ponder.

Based on Guan Lin's answer, the more Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang thought about it, the more inconceivable they found it, as if the promotion of the status of merchants opened a new window for them at once.

In fact, in later generations, the status of businessmen is not low.

Even in this era of materialistic desires and everything looking at "money", the social status of businessmen is unbelievably high.

Corresponding to their status is their large amount of tax payment...

It seems that as long as people pay more taxes, their status is high, and they can be given any title!
Who would be too idle to restrict other people's basic necessities of life?
If the guarantee is not complete, the society will give all kinds of care.

Therefore, Guan Lin would think of "merchant", think of "commercial tax", think of the Commercial Bureau...ah no, it is the Commercial Bureau.

嗏

In ancient times, even a person as talented as Zhuge Kongming, under the strict concept system of "scholars, farmers, industry, and merchants", it was difficult for him to think in this direction.

It is even more impossible to imagine that one day, the status of merchants will be greatly improved, and this improvement can most effectively help them.

Strange to say...

Merchants in central Shu hoarded and drove up prices, so that there was no food in the treasury.

These two problems have plagued Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang for a long time.

At this moment... because of Guan Lin's answer sheet, because of the Commerce Department, and because of the promotion of the merchant's status, the solution was solved all at once.

Although contrary to tradition…

But in extraordinary times, it is time to do this extraordinary thing!
Both Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang think it is feasible, it can be done!
Liu Bei's words continued.

As if... His heart was throbbing extremely, he paced and said with deep emotion:
"Earlier, I, General Zuo's mansion, Xicao Liuba, once suggested to me that we should mint a hundred coins, equalize prices, and let officials set up official markets, so that the problem of empty treasury can be easily solved...I tossed and turned, thought over and over again ...I always feel that this is a fraud, to deceive the people of Sichuan!"

"Maybe in a short period of time, it can help the government treasury to be filled with money and food, but in the long run...it will definitely hurt the hearts of the people. Kong Ming, you know what I rely on to stand in the world; because of Pang Tong's "evil" and Fazheng's "deceitful" Entering Bashu in an unrighteous way and robbing Liu Zhang's territory, I feel ashamed of the clan... I have been thinking many times recently, evil and deceit are indispensable, but power can never be subdued. Make people believe and obey."

Speaking of this, Liu Bei pointed to Guan Lin's answer sheet, and his tone became more and more serious.

"From this point of view, I want to thank Yunqi. He didn't let me get deeper and deeper on the road of deceit and evil. He let me rein in the precipice and let me balance this justice, this benevolence, and this The relationship between evil and cunning."

Liu Bei stared deeply at the words written by Guan Lin.

It was as if he was looking at this nephew with great concern.

He continued with emotion:

"——Don't do good because it's small, and don't do evil because it's small! This son of Yunqi has both the evil of 'Pang Shiyuan', the cunning of 'Fa Xiaozhi', and the 'decency' of Kong Ming, The second brother teaches his son like this, which makes me, an elder brother, envious and admired, but also... ashamed."

Speaking of shame...

It is because when talking about Guan Yu's son, Liu Bei will inevitably think of his son Liu Chan, Liu Adou!

Children, the most fearful thing is comparison.

This is no better than ignorance. Liu Bei now only thinks that when it comes to intelligence, agility, and control of the current situation.

His son Liu Chan...

It's not worthy to even lift Guan Lin's shoes!
Even Liu Bei felt that even if he compared Guan Lin's nose hair, A Dou would be far behind.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

other people's children...

Hehe, after all, he is someone else's child.

Seeing Liu Bei's thoughts, Zhuge Liang quickly persuaded: "My lord, don't be sad, A Dou is still young and has not yet enlightened... Besides, Yunqi didn't seem to show his talent when he was young, and now... this can be regarded as an epiphany! "

"Haha..." Zhuge Liang's words made Liu Bei feel better, and he laughed out in comfort, "Yun Qi is the son of the second brother, and the son of the second brother is just like my son, why don't I look forward to him Become a talent?"

"I just think... such a difficult problem, I never thought it would be solved by Yunqi's answer sheet... It feels a bit embarrassing to me and Kong Ming."

Liu Bei said it with a smile, as if, he was willing to accept this shame.

"Yes..." Zhuge Liang said with emotion: "If there are more cloud flags who shame me and my lord, it will be a great cause!"

The short sigh of emotion and sigh is over.

Liu Bei turned back to the resolute owner: "The establishment of the Commerce Department, restraining merchants, and elevating the status of merchants is of great importance, and the details need to be carefully planned by Kong Ming..."

"Don't worry, my lord." Zhuge Liang cupped his hands, "I'll go to make arrangements for this matter later... Establish a commercial department, post notices, and relieve the urgent need of the treasury."

"Good!" Liu Bei nodded.

It seems that Zhuge Liang is very relieved when he handles affairs.

at this time…

Liu Bei suddenly thought of something again, he looked up at the sky, "I never thought about it, but I only read Yunqi's answer sheet all night, and there seems to be another answer sheet."

"Indeed..." Zhuge Liang would have almost forgotten this if Liu Bei hadn't reminded him.

Talking too much about the Department of Commerce, about commercial taxes, about elevating the status of merchants...

The feasibility of this topic alone.

This pair of masters and servants, a pair of monarchs and ministers... really chatted all night, catching up with the smooth talk between Longzhong and Shi.

Zhuge Liang quickly fetched the third bamboo slip...

While slowly unfolding it, he introduced: "This is Yunqi's third answer sheet. The title revealed is...Yizhou's initial decision? All meritorious ministers ask for farmland. How should the limited farmland be distributed?"

While speaking, this bamboo slip has been unfolded.

And as it unfolded, in Guan Lin's answer sheet...Zhuge Liang noticed the first four words, and only these four words, and he was stunned all of a sudden.

It made his eyes widen in an instant.

『——Spread into the mu! 』

Almost at the same time.

"My lord—" A crisp voice came into the main hall of Zhuge Mansion.

Not long after, Zhao Yun pushed the door open and walked in with an unbelievably horrified look on his face.

Liu Bei noticed Zhao Yun's eyes and asked quickly.

"What's the matter with Zilong?"

"Report to the lord." Zhao Yun replied truthfully: "Shangyong sent an urgent report. Cao Cao's army withdrew from Hanzhong. After Shangyong rushed to help Xiangfan, only Xia Houyuan, Guo Huai and others were left in Hanzhong!"

As soon as this statement comes out…

Liu Bei subconsciously looked at Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang didn't raise his eyes, obviously, he hadn't completely come out of the astonishment of the words "spread into the mu".

And the meaning in Liu Bei's eyes couldn't be clearer.

Guan Lin, Guan Yunqi's first answer sheet - all correct!
...

...

(End of this chapter)