Three Kingdoms: At the beginning, Lu Bu was mistaken for his father-in-law

237 Chapter 236 Lin Mo's head is about to split

In Jizhou, Yecheng, and Yuan's mansion, Lin Mo rubbed his temples, his chin stuck in a daze in a daze.

Beiguo is a mess here, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it with four words: internal and external troubles.

Originally thought that relying on Yuan Shang to order Beiguo could make him feel like a fish in water in Beiguo, but judging from the current situation, it is more like a fish in a soup pot.

The power of the Beiguo family far exceeded Lin Mo's imagination, and he even felt that he was about to lose control of this situation and it would cause chaos.

This matter has to start with the annual taxes, acres of land, and booklets sent by the counties in the Northland.

At that time, Lin Mo discovered a very strange problem, that is, the county government's taxation, registered land acres and population were very different from what he knew.

With this figure, it is absolutely impossible for Yuan Shao to support hundreds of thousands of troops in the Northern Kingdom. If the above figures are simply used to fill the treasury, then the entire Jizhou and Qingzhou can support no more than 15 troops.

Here comes the question, Yuan Shao claimed to have an army of 70 at his peak, where did he get food and troops?
After asking the Xin family brothers, they found out that Yuan Shao's so-called hundreds of thousands of troops, more than half of them were serfs or private soldiers raised by aristocratic families from the four northern states.

Also sent to Yuan Shao were countless weapons, war horses and food.

This is the strength of the aristocratic family. Everyone working together can push out a leader Yuan Shao who can swallow mountains and rivers.

However, there are advantages and disadvantages in everything, and the advantages are obvious. As the leader of the world's gentry, the Yuan family can follow the example of Liu Xiu, the son of the plane, and recruit all forces to strengthen themselves.

The disadvantage is that you have to be controlled by the aristocratic family and controlled by them, and this kind of control does not necessarily have to be a collision on the bright side, but more about the improvement of the family's power.

The simplest analogy is that in a county or county, the aristocratic family annexes the land, and in turn absorbs the people, turning these people into serfs of the aristocratic family, and with armaments, they become government soldiers.

And as the aristocratic family acquires more and more land and absorbs more and more people, the tax that the government office can receive will become smaller and smaller, because the people absorbed by the aristocratic family will not be registered by the government office. There is no need to pay taxes.

In essence, this is the core reason for the disaster of party imprisonment.

Because big and small aristocratic families were dividing up the big man's cake, the imperial power and monarchy were challenged, and the eunuchs had to be pushed forward to suppress the gentry as a last resort.

But Yuan Shao was able to resolve this conflict better because the Yuan family itself was the largest family, and he could easily use these rich families for his own use.

The problem is that Lu Bu doesn't have this background, the more the family eats, the less he can eat.

Moreover, the trend of annexation and the absorption of refugees in the Northern Kingdom is far more serious than that of Xuzhou and Huainan, and the taxation of the treasury of the two states can only be on par with Xuzhou.

After careful investigation, Lin Mo discovered that it was himself who caused this situation.

The Quyuanli invented in Xuzhou at the beginning allowed the people to open up wasteland outside the city. Due to the increase in efficiency and a series of policies to benefit the people, they can support a family.

Especially after the advent of chemical fertilizers, there was even a surplus of food for farmers. The direct effect of this situation was that Xuzhou's taxes were greatly increased, and the government had sufficient money to expand Lu Bu's military strength.

But the channel through which the Quyuanli and the keel waterwheel entered the Northern Kingdom was through the aristocratic family. They built the Quyuanli first, and went to open up wasteland outside the city. Anyway, there were too many serfs in the family.

It's really not enough, storage is just a matter of food, as long as the autumn harvest comes, the harvest will eventually exceed the expenditure, which directly makes the aristocratic family's annexation prevail outside the city, and further increases the number of people the aristocratic family absorbs.

Correspondingly, the tax that the treasury can collect is even lower.

In Xuzhou, the advent of Qu Yuanli gave the people hope of survival, and successfully gave Lu Bu the upper hand in the collision with the family.

However, in the Northern Kingdom, Quyuanli became an accomplice of the aristocratic families to annex the land and absorb the people, and at the same time further weakened the control of the Lord of the Northern Kingdom.

This led to the first problem that caused Lin Mo a headache, how to make policy decisions?

The three prefectures of Xuzhou and Huainan have preferential policies in terms of taxation and registries, and they also have the upper hand in getting along with the aristocratic family.

So, what about the Northland?

Originally, the taxes were low, and we had to go the way of Xuzhou.

In case of a natural or man-made disaster one day, you have to ask the aristocratic family to open a warehouse.

Moreover, under this situation, it can be foreseen that in the future in the Northland, Lu Bu will definitely be at a disadvantage in getting along with the aristocratic family.

This kind of weakness, Yuan Shang's identity cannot be changed, because all this was done with the acquiescence of the old Yuan's family.

Worst of all, the Northern Family has already begun to move.

At the beginning, some aristocratic families took the registers of serfs and grain and grass that had been signed by the Yuan family in the past, and demanded to return the soldiers and horses lent to the Yuan family.

Isn't this bullshit? Lin Mo knew that it was just an excuse, purely to challenge Lu Bu Linmo and his son-in-law.

As for this kind of dissatisfaction, the Xin family brothers did not help at all, and even aggravated their antagonism.

It wasn't until this time that Lin Mo suddenly realized that his calculations were wrong. He originally planned to promote Guo Tu and the Xin family brothers to appease the northern family, and with Yuan Shang in charge, he should be able to stabilize it.

I forgot all of a sudden, Guo Tu and the Xin family brothers are all from Henan, including the Yuan family themselves, and the Hebei people feel insulted.

The problem is, you have to agree to the request of returning farmers from the Northern Kingdom family, because they have documents to testify, unless you deny Yuan Shang's status as the Lord of the Northern Kingdom.

It's not good for me to push them into a hurry. If they unite and run to support Yuan Xi, it will be a serious matter.

The current problem has fallen into a paradox. If you want to appease the family of the Northern Kingdom, you can only give up power, promote the scholars of the Northern Kingdom, and give them some important positions.

But the Beiguo family is already very strong, what Lin Mo thinks is how to weaken them, it is best to achieve a benign balance like Xuzhou, if you still use official positions to stabilize them, you will definitely suffer the consequences in the end.

"If necessary, knock down two, and make an example to the monkeys!" Lu Bu was very angry because he couldn't understand why he had to suffer from being dumb like this, even though he was already considered the actual ruler of the Northern Kingdom.

"Who are you going to hit? Can you hit him?" Lin Mo smiled wryly.

"We will beat whoever is the fiercest, and if we subdue the biggest one, the others will be honest!" The barracks like to play this trick, if you have the ability to beat the fiercest one down, everyone else will be afraid you.

However, if this method is applied to the Da Shi family, it will not work.

At least, in this era, he can't handle this kind of situation.

As for which one is the biggest and the most vicious, after the death of Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Pang Ji and others, Beiguo seems to have lost the representatives of the famous family.

Actually not, there are two families, although there are not many celebrities, but their strength and background can be ranked among the top ten families in the entire Han world.

They are the Li family of Zhao State, and the Cui family of Qinghe County, that is, the Zhao Jun Li family and the Qinghe Cui family among the most famous five surnames and seven Wangs in the Tang Dynasty.

In this era, the influence of these two big families is not as powerful as that of the early Tang Dynasty, but they should not be underestimated either.

Especially after the representatives of these aristocratic families of Jushou died, the entire Northern Kingdom began to follow the lead of these two families.

If they are really moved, once everyone in the family is in danger, it is entirely possible that they will all turn to support Yuan Xi.

And these aristocratic families, just the serfs and government soldiers kept in captivity at home, ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands like the Cui family and the Li family, can become a force by themselves.

You can't play hard with them, you can only use political means.

"Actually, the thing they are worried about is because we are too inclined to the Yingchuan faction, and I didn't handle it well enough.

When the Anfeng war is over, let Yan Liangwenchou return to the Northland. Although they are only generals, they are from the Northland, and their reliance on them is also an attitude towards the Northland. "

For these families, Lin Mo never thought of compromise from the beginning to the end, because he and them were the same as the conflict between the imperial power and the family, which was the disaster of the party, and could not be mediated.

Therefore, weakening them is the way to go, and Lin Mo did think of some ways, but before that, he still needs to appease these people and buy some time for himself.

"Anfeng Express!" A scout ran in and handed the bamboo slip with Anfeng's seal to Lu Bu.

Lin Mo couldn't help poking his head over to see what was going on. He learned that Chen Deng was used as a bait to earn more than 1 yuan from Cao Jun and beheaded Gao Lan. Weng and his son-in-law were quite happy.

I hope I don't disappoint myself this time.

But after reading the content of the express, both Weng and his son-in-law chose to remain silent, with melancholy expressions on their faces.

Cao Jun has retreated, which is excellent news. After all, Xiahou Dun suffered a big loss on Anfeng's side.

The problem is that Zhang Liao was seriously injured, but they couldn't be happier.

Especially Lu Bu, he walked to the window sill and hid half of his face in the shadow, so he couldn't tell what he was thinking, but Lin Mo knew very well that he must be very worried.

Zhang Yang died, Wei Xu, Hou Cheng, and Hao Meng died in battle, Cao Xing, Song Xian, and Cheng Lian rebelled, and only Wei Yue and Zhang Liao remained in the old robes left by the old father-in-law.

If feelings can be measured qualitatively, Zhang Liao is undoubtedly the most heart-to-heart brother in the world. His old father-in-law once said that he, like Zhang Yang, is a brother worthy of his life.

Now, Zhang Liao didn't know whether he was alive or dead. It is conceivable that he must be very sad, wishing he could fly to Anfeng with his wings.

"Uncle has been a soldier for half his life, a little injury will be fine." Lin Mo couldn't think of better words of comfort.

Lu Bu didn't speak, just nodded dully.

Lin Mo didn't say anything else, he wasn't good at comforting people in the first place, not to mention that he himself was entangled in a lot of troubles.

Because the battle report clearly stated that besides Zhang Liao, Yan Liang and Wen Chou were also injured.

Jiang Yiqu from Liyang, Zhang Yan from Taihang Mountain, the aristocratic family from the Northern Kingdom, Cao Cao who is coveting, and Yuan Xi from Youzhou, the Northern Kingdom is really a mess.

Now, the only thing Lin Mo can count on is that Guo Tu can bring Yuan Xi back. If he wants to deal with the Northern Family, he must stop their idea of ​​supporting Yuan Xi first, so that he can start without any worries.

Of course, even if Guo Tula doesn't return to Yuan Xi, he can still count on the two people he found this time to help at the critical moment. The premise is that they still have to use troops against Youzhou. Only in this way can they really be useful.

According to the calculation of the day, Guo Tu should have arrived in Youzhou long ago, and he didn't reply to the letter, so Lin Mo was still a little anxious.

Until Guo Tu, the next step of the plan cannot be carried out.

Therefore, besides appeasing these aristocratic families, there is only one word left to do now.

Hopefully, don't make yourself wait too long.

The situation was similar to what Lin Mo had expected. Guo Tu had indeed been in Youzhou for a few days. The only difference was that his trip was neither successful nor failed, because he never saw Yuan Xi at all.

In fact, before Guo Tu arrived in Youzhou, Cao Cao's envoys had already met Yuan Xi. At that time, Yuan Xi was just a good son of the Yuan family who wanted to settle down and guard the border. He had no intention of fighting for power and did not want to be involved. in struggle.

But Cao Cao's emissary made a lot of lobbying, saying that the Yuan Tan of yesterday and the Yuan Xi of tomorrow, tigers do not hurt people's hearts, but people hurt tigers' hearts.

Coupled with the news that Lu Bu coerced Yuan Shang to order the Northern Kingdom to spread throughout the Northern Kingdom, Yuan Xi began to panic.

This fear stemmed from his ignorance of whether Lu Bu would attack him, until he learned the news that Guo Tu had entered Youzhou, he began to firmly believe that Lu Bu would not let him go.

Moreover, he was much smarter than Yuan Shang, and he didn't have any decent counselors around him. Based on his own analysis, he also guessed that Guo Tu was here to be courteous first and then soldier.

Let me first explain that I was ordered by Yuan Shang, the lord of the Northern Kingdom, please go back to Jizhou, go and dig your own grave; if you don't go, Lu Bu will definitely start a war to attack Youzhou in this name.

What to do, in a dilemma, fortunately, Guo Tu was nowhere to be seen, and he was thrown in the post house, while he ran from Zhuo County to Fanyang County.

Yuan Xi knew that once Lv Bu had the intention to kill, hiding himself would not be the solution after all. This hurdle would have to be faced sooner or later, but he needed to be fully prepared before facing the worst situation.

The first thing is to need an ally who is strong enough to make Lu Bu afraid. This is of course Cao Cao.

The second point is to strengthen ourselves. In this regard, the Zhen family of foreign relatives can help a lot, but the financial resources of the Zhen family alone are not enough. We also need a super luxurious family that can hold the place. Only Fan Yang's Lu family has this strength.

The Lu family in Fan Yang, like the Cui family in Qinghe and the Li family in Zhaojun, became one of the famous Five Surnames and Seven Wangs in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It was one of the most prosperous families in the entire Northern Kingdom. Ranked among the top ten families of the Han Dynasty, the typical representative is Lu Zhi.

As long as you can get the support of the Lu family, it is equivalent to getting the support of the entire Youzhou family. At the same time, relying on the relationship between the Lu family, the Cui family, and the Li family, you may even have the opportunity to disintegrate from within in the next confrontation them.

Now, the only advantage for Yuan Xi is that everyone knows that Lu Bu coerced Yuan Shang to order the North Kingdom, so even if he expresses his intention to replace Yuan Shang, it is not a disobedience to Yuan Shao's will.

Moreover, the Lu family will not lose their morals.

This trip to Yuan Xi had little effect, and the attitude of the Lu family was ambiguous, neither expressing their support nor refusing.

The aristocratic family's consistent style may also be considered in the overall situation. They still need to discuss privately with other big aristocratic families. After all, the interests of the aristocratic family have always been one, and only by forming a group can the warlords and princes be afraid.

Therefore, what Yuan Xi can do now is the same as Lin Mo, wait.

But he didn't want to go back to Zhuo County to wait, so he simply stayed in Fan Yang. Before he got a clear answer, he really didn't know how to face Guo Tu.

Or, if he stays in Fan Yang for a longer time, Guo Tu will leave in the end.

In short, he didn't want to see Guo Tu, and he didn't plan to leave Fan Yang until he was fully sure.

　Chapter 2Night
　　
　
(End of this chapter)