Han family achievements

Chapter 437 Multiple Betting
Zhang Liao was destined to wait in vain.

That night, Liu Bian stayed at an ordinary farmhouse with only Zhao Yun.

In the small yard, a big pot was set up. The white-haired old man stirred the pot with a stick, and said with a smile to Liu Bian and Zhao Yun: "We haven't had guests in the house for a long time, so don't laugh."

Liu Bian looked at the leftovers in the pot, as well as the wild vegetables and vague minced meat that he found from nowhere, and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, I brought some dry biscuits, just give me some saliva."

The old woman in the house walked out on crutches, with a kind smile on her face, and said: "There is no village in front of the house, no shop in the back, and we are the only family here. If you leave again, there won't even be a place to sleep."

Liu Bian looked at her and said, "Old lady, are you the only one? Where are the children?"

The old woman's legs and feet were a little weak, so she sat down next to the old man with difficulty. She first glanced at the pot, and then said with a smile: "The eldest brother died after he was born, the second brother was beaten to death, and the third child was pulled." He went to war and hasn’t been heard from for many years. He probably didn’t know where he died.”

Listening to the old woman's calm and calm tone, Liu Bian looked slightly startled and said, "This junior is taking the liberty."

The old man took back the wooden stick, covered the fruit cover, sat next to the old woman, covered her legs with a blanket, and argued with Liu with a smile: "I have seen through it a long time ago."

Liu Bian saw that there was no sadness on their faces and said with a smile: "The elder's broad-mindedness makes the younger generation admire him."

"What kind of mind,"

The old man leaned on his wife's crutch and said with a face of reminiscence, "It was all decades ago."

Liu Bian was actually not good at talking to others, and he didn't know how to answer the conversation for a while.

It was Zhao Yun who spoke for the first time and said, "Old man, how do you live here when there is no one inhabited and the two elders cannot live in this place?"

The old woman leaned next to the old man, with a smile on her face, and said: "It's not difficult, there are wild vegetables everywhere, and we also raise some chickens and ducks, which is just enough to eat."

"Don't you want to eat rice noodles?" Zhao Yun looked confused.

The old man said: "I am too old to eat."

Liu Bian looked at the teeth of the two people, and if there was any understanding, he said: "I see that there are a lot of wastelands everywhere. It should be okay to plant less, right?"

The old man shook his head with a smile and said: "No, these lands are owned by owners. Once planted, the owners will know that they will lose money."

Liu Bian was startled, looked around carefully, and said, "There are probably thousands of acres of wasteland here... Well, how much compensation do we have to pay?"

"Compensate for ten years of rent," the old woman said.

Liu Bian frowned and said: "With so much wasteland, if we let it go wild, why don't we let it be cultivated?"

"That's right." The old woman said.

Liu Bian was a little confused about the reasoning behind this, and said: "Why, if you plant seeds for people, you can get back some rent. This is completely ridiculous. Isn't the owner's family losing money every year?"

The old man looked at Liu Bian strangely, and then said with some surprise: "The guest is also from a noble family, right?"

Liu Bian nodded thoughtfully and said, "It's not big at all. It all depends on the influence of our ancestors."

The old man smiled and said, "No wonder. Actually, we didn't understand it before, but later a poor gentleman passed by and explained the whole story to us."

"I would like to hear the details." Liu Bian looked slightly solemn.

Seeing him like this, the old man couldn't help but recall the gentleman's words carefully, and said: "The gentleman said that the owner does not want to lower the rent. If the wasteland here is given to the poor for cultivation, then it will have to be affixed with grain seeds and farming tools. The cost cannot be recovered. If we cause dissatisfaction among other tenants for these pieces of wasteland, it will be more than worth the loss. "

The words were a bit convoluted, but Liu Bian thought about it for a moment and finally understood.

The owner's family has more than just this piece of land. If the rent here is lowered and the poor are even required to open up wasteland and cultivate the land, the tenants over there will have a hard time explaining it. Therefore, these land would rather be left wasteland than be cultivated by the poor.

Liu Bian thought of the milk theory, that he would rather dump it than lower the price.

"Is there a lot of wasteland here?" Zhao Yun saw Liu Bian lost in thought and picked up the topic.

"many,"

The old man glanced at the pot lid and said helplessly: "In the past ten years or so, wars have been going on everywhere. Too many people have died, and countless wastelands have been left behind."

"Since it is a wasteland, how can there be landlords?" Liu Bian raised his head and looked at the old man.

The old man stretched out his hand to lift the lid of the pot and took a look, and then said: "Those who flee will sell their land before leaving."

The old woman followed: "Their land is not good, and the good land has been bought long ago. I heard that the Li family in Dongzhuang bought more than 5,000 acres of land for two million yuan."

Two million yuan is equivalent to two thousand taels of silver. The average price for an acre of land with more than 5,000 years of history is only 400 yuan. It is really cheap.

Liu Bian sighed in his heart, and then asked: "Are all these lands in the hands of wealthy noble families?"

The old man stood up, picked up the bowl, and began to serve Liu Bian rice. He said, "I don't know about this, but those who follow the noble families are well fed and clothed, which is different from us. Sir, please don't ask for simple meals." dislike."

Liu Bian stood up quickly, took it with both hands, and said, "Thank you very much, father-in-law."

The old man smiled and served Zhao Yun another meal.

Liu Bian took a sip and felt that it had all the flavors, and there was no salt, so it was very bland.

Zhao Yun took the bowl handed over by the old man without drinking. He glanced at Liu Bian and said, "I remember that the government would measure the land from time to time. Are these not measured and registered? Does the government also allow these acres to be abandoned?"

The old man filled a bowl for him and his wife, sat back and said, "I don't know what these little old men know. Anyway, these lands have been abandoned for some years. Some refugees came here and wanted to cultivate them, but they were all beaten away." ”

The old woman took a bite, looked at Liu Bian and Zhao Yun, and said doubtfully: "I see that these two guests are dressed gorgeously, and they don't look like ordinary people. Why do they like to inquire about these things that everyone knows?"

Liu Bian was startled, touched his face with his index finger, and said awkwardly: "I have been studying at home all year round, but this is the first time I have traveled far away, making my mother-in-law laugh."

The old woman was immediately relieved and said with a smile: "Don't be surprised, don't be surprised. If the old woman lives a few more years, she has seen many such scholars."

Liu Bian took another sip, feeling his throat stinging, and said, "Old man, is this all you eat on weekdays?"

The old man seemed to have some misunderstanding and said: "It's to entertain guests. On weekdays, we can't eat so well."

Liu Bian agreed with a smile, swallowing this bowl of 'good rice' with some difficulty.

Zhao Yun was not as 'pretentious' as Liu Bian. He ate quickly and soon finished half the bowl. Seeing that Liu Bian was silent, he said, "Old man, will the government here force corvees?"

The old man gave the vegetables in his bowl to the old woman. Hearing this, he said: "There used to be some, but not this year. I heard that the government had other important matters. In the past, the thoroughfares were used to clear fields and build roads, but now they are stopped." Come down."

The old woman took a bite, looked at Zhao Yun and said: "It seems that some young people have left, I don't know where they went, leaving us old bones, unable to do much."

Liu Bian glanced at Zhao Yun and said thoughtfully: "Has the population of Xiapi County also decreased so much?"

The old man seemed to have a good impression of Liu Bian, a scholar who was not familiar with the world, and said with a smile: "Our guests came all the way south and saw a lot of deserted villages and wastelands, right? It can't be said that there are ten houses and nine empty houses, but it's close to it."

Liu Bian nodded slightly. The situation in Xiapi County was worse than he expected.

The population has dropped sharply, the land is barren, and there are thousands of miles of wilderness and no human habitation.

"Will you pay taxes?" Suddenly, Liu Bian looked up and asked the old man. The old man sighed and said: "You want the poll tax, and you can't go anywhere. There are a few juniors who came back from Yanzhou, and each of them is worth fifty cents a year, regardless of gender."

Liu Bian looked at the old man's bare situation and silently noted this in his mind.

……

Early the next morning, Liu Bian said goodbye and slowly left the house with Zhao Yun.

The old man looked at the retreating figures of Liu Bian and Zhao Yun, and sighed: "He is another young man who is not familiar with the world. He will suffer hardships along the way."

The old woman also looked worried and said: "These two young men are quite polite. They are not those people. I just hope they go home soon."

The two of them were a little forbearing, waiting for Liu Bian and Zhao Yun to turn around a forest and disappear, and then turned back.

Supporting each other, they walked back to the yard tremblingly.

The old man bent down to clean up the dishes. When he opened Liu Bian's bowl, he found a money bag. When he reached for it, he was startled and trotted out, but Liu Bian and Zhao Yun were nowhere to be seen.

"What's wrong?" The old woman came over with a crutch and asked doubtfully.

The old man shook his head and said, "You are indeed a good young man who left us a bag of money."

The old woman looked at the money bag in the old man's hand, looked at the forest, and sighed: "Such a good young man, I hope he won't be captured."

"Your Majesty, there are several mountain tops occupied by bandits ahead, so we have to take a detour." Huangfu Jianchang said following Liu Bian.

Liu Bian glanced at it, turned to Zhao Yun, and said, "Zilong, you asked those questions intentionally, was that intentional?"

Zhao Yun looked calm and bowed: "Yes."

Liu Bian hummed and said, "Those questions are indeed what I want to know."

Zhao Yun has always been cautious and never talks too much around him.

Walking slowly, Liu Bian said: "The matter is more serious than I expected: on the one hand, there are many wastelands and the population has dropped sharply; on the other hand, the land is concentrated and cannot be cultivated. It's just that Luoyang City has set a policy and issued a document. It doesn’t solve the problem.”

Huangfu Jianchang, Zhao Yun, Lu Yu and others did not speak. This topic was no longer something they could discuss.

Liu Bian walked slowly, looked up into the distance, and said with deep eyes: "The land issue is still a fundamental issue. And land-based population and taxation also have big problems. To solve these problems, unified action from top to bottom is required. The government must strengthen its will, and at the same time, the local governments must work together to achieve success. This also involves the issue of official governance, and official governance cannot be solved in a few words and in one or two years. I originally thought that it would take five years, plus the previous five years. , in ten years, there should be some small success, but looking at it now, let alone small success, even half of the goal may not be achieved..."

Liu Bian was the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and the foundation of the Han Dynasty was the gentry. The Han Dynasty would have perished long ago without the support of the gentry.

However, the continuous expansion of the gentry was eroding the foundation of the Han Dynasty. If things continued like this, the Han Dynasty would still fall.

As long as Liu Bian changes his identity, he can break the jar, smash all the forces that are not conducive to his rule, and start all over again.

Just like Cao Cao in history.

Cao Cao wanted the power that belonged to him, not the Han Dynasty. He wore the cloak of a Han official and swept away all the forces that opposed or were not conducive to him, with little scruples.

But Liu Bian can't do it. He is not wearing Han skin. He is the real emperor of the Han Dynasty. He wants Han skin, but also Han bones!

Lu Yu and others followed Liu Bian, not daring to say a word.

This is a 'national policy' and they are not qualified or have the courage to 'participate in the discussion'.

Liu Bian walked slowly, meditating constantly, and various countermeasures flashed through his mind.

I don't know how long it took, but Lu Yu spoke up and said: "Your Majesty, there is a letter from Luoyang, saying that Sima Gong passed away from illness."

Liu Bian was not surprised. He stopped, put his hands behind his back, and said, "Let Xu You preside over the funeral in a grander style. At the same time, I will send a message to the minister's desk that Xu You will succeed the minister of punishment."

"Yes." Lu Yu responded.

Liu Bian took a deep breath, shook off the distractions in his mind, and said, "Is there any news from Yanzhou?"

Chief Huangfu Jian stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, there is nothing special for the moment. There is no big movement from Cao Sima. The soldiers and horses transferred from the Forbidden Army camp are already in Chenliu."

Liu Bian hummed, looked towards the north with sharp eyes, and said: "All changes must be based on a stable basis, 'separation of military and political affairs', and return of military power to the court, in order to deal with the chaos that may be caused by the 'New Deal'. "

Cao Cao's movements were a bit slow.

"His Majesty,"

Zhao Yun came forward at this time and said: "Zhang Liao, Lu Bu is here."

When Liu Bian heard this, he turned his head and saw two fast horses galloping not far to the east.

Not long after, the two men arrived in front of Liu Bian. Without weapons, they jumped off their horses, knelt down on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Liao/Lü Bu, see you!"

Liu Bian looked at the two of them and realized that Lu Bu's figure was actually not as strong as Zhang Liao's.

"No courtesy." Liu Bian said with a smile.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The two stood up at the same time, bowing and standing in front of Liu Bian.

Compared with Zhang Liao's calmness, Lu Bu was very excited and eager to try, but hesitated to speak.

This is not the first time he has met Liu Bian, but it is the latest one!
He lowered his head, his eyes were shining, and he was thinking about how to get close to His Majesty and hug the thickest thigh of this big man.

"Follow me for a walk."

Liu Bian continued to move forward, glanced at Zhang Liao, and said, "I have read the report from Xuzhou. Your farming is doing well."

"I am only acting according to orders." Zhang Liao said, his face calm and unmoving.

Liu Bian smiled and said, "The farming operation shouldn't be able to support your expenses. Did you raise the rest from donations?"

Zhang Liao looked slightly hesitant and said: "Yes. Every noble clan in Xuzhou will donate a certain amount of money and food to me every month to supply military supplies. I will report this matter every month..."

Liu Bian waved his hand and said, "I didn't say you did anything wrong, so there's no need to mind."

Zhang Liao bowed and said, "Yes."

Liu Bian looked into the distance, paced, and kept thinking in his mind.

In troubled times, leaders choose ministers and ministers, and aristocratic families are also constantly making bets. When Liu Bei was in charge of Xuzhou, many aristocratic families supported him, and now it is Zhang Liao.

In addition to money and food, there are also family members who serve as officials in various shogunate offices.

Betting on multiple sides and double-dealing are the common practices of the gentry in this era.

(End of this chapter)