Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 820: Words of Anti-Thieves

Zhuge Liang was not surprised by Yuan Xi's words. He said: "Liang heard that my lord was setting up a free school in Youzhou. All the children of scholars, peasants and workers could attend the school. However, he only controlled the Shang branch very strictly. So Liang thought at that time, this is the school." It’s not that the Lord has some opinions about it."

"After taking refuge with the lord, Liang discovered that Shi Jun had made a lot of money and goods by relying on the trade route, and most of them were in the name of the Zhen family's caravan. However, there were very few people from the Zhen family in the Zhen family's caravan. Almost all of them are manpower deployed by the Lord.”

"Liang feels that Shijun is especially wary of businessmen. Moreover, Shijun just said that businessmen are inherently rebellious. What is the reason for this?"

"Even in the biographies of Huo Shi, there are no such shocking statements, right?"

Yuan Xi nodded and said: "If I make any nonsense, the military counselor will listen to it. If you feel it is wrong, you can refute it to me."

"In the biographies of Huo Shi, it is believed that agriculture, industry, commerce, and Yu are the sources of food and clothing for the people. If they are large, they will be rich, and if they are small, they will be fresh. The top will make the country rich, and the bottom will make the family rich. I very much agree with this point."

"I do not deny the role of commerce. On the contrary, I believe that it is extremely important and an indispensable part of the world's prosperity."

"But businessmen and commerce are two different things."

“The characteristic of business is that it is open to all rivers, and all parties involved in exchanges will inevitably come into contact with and absorb foreign ideas and customs. Over time, its vision will inevitably not be limited to one place, and its purpose will become increasingly profit-seeking.”

"If an individual is a businessman, the priority is to make the family property rich. If a large family is a businessman, then the family territory is the most important thing. If I am a businessman, the starting point must be that the people in the territory are rich and live in peace and contentment. If the emperor does this, then it must be Standing on the world’s prosperity and peace.”

"But here comes the question. If it were not the emperor and the businessman had no national roots, from what standpoint would he look at the problem?"

"If the interests of the imperial court conflict with him in the future, what choice will they make for groups like maritime merchants?"

Zhuge Liang blurted out, "I'm afraid he will hide the goods overseas, or leave his homeland and go to another place like Fan Li?"

"That's right," Yuan Xi nodded and said: "Whether it's the Han court or the merchants who are wrong, but the nature of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages will sooner or later conflict with the interests of the country if there is a way out, so the merchants are against the court. Dissociation and even betrayal have become a natural choice."

"This is what I call the inherent rebelliousness of businessmen. This is based on human nature and the laws of nature. It is something that has happened before and will definitely happen in the future. And currently, it seems that there is no complete solution."

Zhuge Liang suddenly said: "Liang understands. My lord often said that people in Jiangdong are similar to businessmen. Is this the same truth?"

Yuan Xi nodded and said: "The military advisor understands by analogy, Yuan Xi admires it."

"The problems of Jiangdong are similar to those of merchants. They are both behaviors and thoughts that naturally occur when individuals are powerful enough to confront the political power. However, the target has changed from maritime merchants to nobles."

"When national interests conflict with their own, if they do not have the feeling of taking the country as their home, in order to protect their current and future gains, they will inevitably have different intentions and either collaborate with the enemy or simply rebel."

"Actually, I'm not completely opposed to it. It's not necessarily bad at this point. After all, the change of dynasties is a historical necessity. Otherwise, if the court is unethical, will the people wait to die?"

Zhuge Liang smiled bitterly and said, "Master... you really dare to say that."

Yuan Xi said seriously: "I have never concealed my ambition. After all, if we want to bring peace to the world and let the people live and work in peace and contentment again, people with ambition will inevitably reach a very high position."

"This position will be very high, so high that when you suddenly wake up, you will no longer be able to turn back."

"To be honest, in my opinion, the position of emperor is not a fascinating thing. After all, with every higher position, the things to be done, the responsibilities to be shouldered, and the pressure to be endured will be several times more. If it reaches In the position of emperor, how many people can start well and end well?"

"So to me, imperial power is more like a curse. In order to realize my wish, I have to bear this curse."

"To be honest, in my position now, there is no shortage of money and beautiful women. The so-called temptation of the emperor's power is really not that big for me. In comparison, I prefer that future generations live in peace. days."

Zhuge Liang smiled bitterly and said: "Having been in contact with Shijun for a long time, Liang can feel that these are Shijun's sincere words, but to outsiders, these words of my lord seem incredible."

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Really?"

"After all, in this era, it is unthinkable to voluntarily give up power."

"But after seeing so many things in later generations, I realized that this burden is very heavy, so heavy that even I can't bear it."

Zhuge Liang has long been accustomed to Yuan Xi telling future events in a tone of people who have experienced it. He is no longer surprised by this, so he continued: "So my lord has seen too many bad consequences caused by businessmen, so he takes such precautions?"

Yuan Xi sighed, "I'm also very conflicted."

"Businessmen do have a positive meaning, and this is also a necessary part of the prosperity of the dynasty."

“But in the final analysis, it can be the icing on the cake, but it is difficult to provide help in times of need.”

"When the world is prosperous, it can promote the circulation of goods and accumulate wealth, but when the world is in crisis, it will often intensify its exploitation, lead the situation out of control, and in the end even collaborate with the enemy and betray."

"If we want to prevent this situation from happening, we must add the concept of family and country to the concept of businessmen to constrain it and make it deeply bound to the political power." "If they are independent and detached, betrayal will be inevitable, especially It’s a coastal trade route, and the merchants on it are the hardest hit.”

"They can move forward and retreat freely, and can stay away from overseas to protect themselves when disaster strikes. How can we expect them to be loyal to the country?"

"From the perspective of a ruler, I can see that this is the inherent evil of businessmen. If it is not controlled, it will be like a tiger emerging from the water, causing harm to the world."

"So every time there is trouble, there must be businessmen behind it, and the wealth they possess is also one of the important reasons for raising armies."

Zhuge Liang sighed: "But in their view, they are unfair politicians, and there is no guarantee that they will not arouse their rebellious psychology."

Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Yes, this is because the theory of commodity colonization does not fully reveal the nature of trade, which makes businessmen think that it is natural for them to make profits, and it is their own merit, just like the people reclaiming wasteland."

"In fact, military advisors should understand that after the concept of the country emerged, land is no longer an ownerless thing, but the property of the national government."

"The country as a group has the responsibility to protect the safety of its people and to protect its territory. This is a responsibility that all people in the country cannot refuse."

"That's why military service and corvee appeared. Excluding the part that the ruler should not waste, the rest are necessary expenses to ensure this responsibility."

"Water conservancy, roads, soldiers, and wars are all necessary expenditures to make the country prosperous, fend off foreign enemies, and protect people's livelihood. Of course, everyone contributes money and efforts together, and no one can escape."

"That's why Ma Teng, who was honored by the Han Dynasty, had such a bad reputation after he became a bandit who caused trouble, even worse than Zhang Jiao, because he ate from the bowl and in turn hurt the people he was supposed to protect."

"The same is true for trade routes. Without the state guaranteeing smooth roads, personal safety, and deterrence from foreign vassals, do merchants really think they can do business with peace of mind?"

"The goods they sell are ultimately made by farmers and workers. When they buy them, do they really give them enough money to pay for their labor?"

"If you don't put chains around their necks, no one can imagine the extent to which they will do whatever they want, and the lower limit of out-of-control human nature."

Seeing Zhuge Liang hesitate to speak, Yuan Xi smiled and said: "I know what the military advisor is worried about, but I will not stop eating because of choking. After all, in my opinion, this idea of ​​rebellion is not entirely without merit."

"It would be the most terrible thing if everyone just accepts it and doesn't know how to resist when they encounter injustice and oppression."

"I am not against rebellion. On the contrary, I think this is the only way to prevent those in power from doing whatever they want. The emperor has no way and the whole world will rebel. The emperor is ordered by heaven but has no way. Everyone can take it."

Zhuge Liang shook his head helplessly, "My lord, these words sound more like a rebel than the Yellow Turban Army. From now on, you should be careful with your words and deeds to avoid being criticized by others."

Yuan Xi laughed, "Isn't it because I appreciate the military advisor and understand that the military advisor can understand me, so I can tell the truth?"

"And I have nothing to hide now. In fact, everyone in the world has turned against me, but I just didn't say it out loud."

"What I admire is the aspiration to rebel for the common good, rather than the ulterior motives of those who rebel for fame, wealth and fame."

"As long as the chains of justice are tied around the necks of businessmen and the feelings of family and country are infused into them, then they will be good."

"Although the words are a bit unpleasant, there is no one in the world who has no chains on his body. Even the emperor will be trapped by the people of the world. If the people are not allowed to live well, it will be immoral and unjust, and the chains around their necks will be tightened until Take their lives, right?"

Zhuge Liang sighed after hearing this: "My lord has said everything I want to say, and I have nothing more to say."

"Except for my lord, who has a stronger desire for women, he is much simpler than the nobles when it comes to pleasures such as clothes and food. Therefore, combining his words and deeds, it is clear that what you say is true."

"Otherwise, it would be difficult to convince Liang when these words are spoken in other people's mouths."

Yuan Xi laughed, "Thanks to the great love of military advisors, military advisors will definitely play a vital role in the world in the future."

Zhuge Liang shook his head. Yuan Xi was so sure, maybe he could see it from stargazing, right?

Now he has determined that Yuan Xi's stargazing technique cannot be learned by him at all. It is a talent that only belongs to the other party, or even just an excuse.

Just looking at the stars at night, the opponent actually couldn't help him improve even half a point. It can be said that he is much better than Yuan Xi in this area. This is completely different from Zhuge Liang's original guess and expectation.

But for some reason, Zhuge Liang didn't feel disappointed at this time, because Yuan Xi opened another window for him.

The scene of heaven and earth outside the window is more magnificent, magnificent and moving than Zhuge Liang could have imagined before.

(End of this chapter)