Kuangfu Han Dynasty

Chapter 27 I Don't Know How To Lose

student?Master?What kind of evil idea did Zhang Shao come up with? Xu Shu was surprised, but he just smiled and said, "It's Ah Shao."

Zhang Shao explained to Xiahou Ba who looked confused: "I haven't had time to tell my second uncle that Mr. Xu was my elementary school teacher when he was in Xinye!"

Is there such a thing?The custom these days is that the children of the Guan family start their education at the age of eight and learn the art of Liujia and Wufang.Although Zhang Fei came from a poor family and was accustomed to military revolution, he was influenced by Liu Bei, who was a disciple of the great scholar Lu Zhi, and he also attached great importance to the education of the next generation, so Zhang Shao had indeed entered Mongolia.

But Xu Shu would be busy planning big events for Liu Bei all day long, so how could he have time to teach the little kids to read? The children's teacher was obviously a disciple of another great scholar Zheng Xuan, Sun Qian from Beihai.

But Zhang Shao must have his own reasons for doing this, so Xu Shu nodded with a smile and recognized this disciple: "A Shao is smart and can learn many words after being taught them."

Zhang Shao immediately replied: "Sir, you are complimenting me. I don't know enough characters now."

The two of them just made up the story in front of Xiahou Ba. Xu Shu began to understand Zhang Shao's intention and said: "Yes, I have already learned half of A Shao's "Ji Jiu Pian", and what's next is coming. You can start to study the "Book of Filial Piety" and learn about the responsibilities of parents and children, but unfortunately it was delayed due to the war."

Zhang Shaodao: "But now Prime Minister Cao has conquered Jingzhou, so there is no need to fight."

He looked up and asked Xiahou Ba: "Second uncle, will we stay in Jiangling for a while? Can I ask Mr. Xu to continue practicing calligraphy in his free time and finish the urgent chapter?"

"This..." Xiahou Ba hesitated, is this really appropriate?Then he excused himself and said, "You see Mr. Xu is so busy, how can you bother him anymore?"

Xu Shu immediately said: "It doesn't matter to me. After I finish my business these days, I can have some free time."

He sighed again: "It's also because I feel sorry for Ah Shao's talent. Mr. Zhongquan, you know Ah Shao's intelligence, but in this world, children who are young and end up are not necessarily better when they are young. Why? My family is ignorant. Don’t learn! Without knowledge to supplement your knowledge, you are like water without a source and a tree without roots. As you grow older, the enlightenment you received from heaven will gradually disappear."

What he said was as if Xiahou Ba would become Zhang Shao's "ignorant family member" if he didn't agree. Xiahou Ba was a little embarrassed.

If you think about it carefully, Xu Shu's words make sense. Zhang Shao is the nephew of the Xiahou family after all, and his education cannot be left behind.If he returns to the Central Plains in the future, Xiahou will have his own elementary education, but now, it is indeed a more suitable candidate for Xu Shu to continue to be Zhang Shao's teacher.

Director Zhang Shao was no longer needed. Xu Shu saw that Xiahou Ba's intention had moved, so he continued to work hard: "Furthermore, Ah Shao is so diligent and never forgets to learn even when he is in the camp. If his mother knows, she will definitely feel relieved."

"And if Mr. Zhongquan can seek education for his nephew, it will become a good story if word spreads about it. It will be of great help to you to get a good reputation among the elders and celebrities in your hometown."

When the words came to this point, Xiahou Ba's mind started to heat up, and he patted his chest and agreed: "Then when I get the Prime Minister's approval, I will ask Ashao Chi Shuxiu to visit and ask Mr. Yuan Zhi to continue teaching him how to read!"

……

Today, in order to get Xiahou Ba to see Xu Shu, Zhang Shao racked his brains and rushed here and there, which made him quite exhausted and felt his brain was tired. Fortunately, the final result was quite perfect.

Next, just wait for Xiahouba to plead with Boss Cao again, and Zhang Shao's strategy of "opening the canal" will be implemented. This is not an excessive request. Cao Cao should agree, right?

After watching Xu Shu leave, Zhang Shao thought to himself: "Although Cao Cao will definitely continue to send military guards to keep an eye on me because of his suspicion, Mr. Xu and I can completely communicate with each other through some code words... It should be possible, right? Let's cooperate today. Yes, isn’t there a tacit understanding?”

It is really comfortable to be teammates with smart people. Zhang Shao is looking forward to the next communication between the two.

And what about Xiahou Ba?At this moment, he was listening to Xia Houru talking about the news he had just learned: "Brother, have you heard about it? The prime minister has just made Liu Cong a marquis, and made him the governor of Qingzhou. Lubu has been posted outside the house."

Xia Houba nodded: "I also heard that the Prime Minister is planning to send Liu Cong and his brother back to the north. This person must be strictly monitored on his way back. I just don't know if he will send military guards to escort him. Don't call me. I don't want to go early. Go back to the Central Plains."

Zhang Shao heard this and suddenly remembered that in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao also made Liu Cong the governor of Qingzhou, Shilaozi, and sent Liu Cong and his mother, Mrs. Cai, northward.However, he secretly ordered people to lead Qingqi to catch up with Liu Cong and his son, killing them to avoid future troubles.

This kind of thing sounds very excessive. It will definitely cause an uproar in Jingzhou, which has just surrendered. Many Liu Biao's old generals and former officials are eager to avenge Liu Cong and his son. This matter may be used by himself and Xu Shu. Woolen cloth!Zhang Shaosui was more thoughtful and asked his two uncles: "Did Liu Cong's biological mother, Mrs. Cai, also follow the army to Jiangling?"

Xia Houru turned around and stared at Zhang Shao like a fool: "A Shao, you look very smart, how could you say such stupid things?"

Xiahou Ba defended: "As Shao is still young, it is normal for him not to know the details about Liu Biao's wife and children, or he may have heard others talk about it."

What's the meaning?Zhang Shao was confused, but it was Xiahou Ba who explained to him: "Mrs. Cai is just Liu Cong's stepmother, not his biological mother. She is now staying in the Cai Mansion in Xiangyang."

ha?
Xia Houru, who is familiar with the gossip of big shots, also answered: "Liu Biao's three sons, Liu Qi, Liu Cong, and his youngest son Liu Xiu, as well as a daughter, were all born to his first wife in Shanyang. As for marrying Cai in Jingzhou, they had nothing to do. "

As for why no more children can be born, who knows?Xiahou Ba thought it was because Liu Biao was already in his fifties at that time, and it would be difficult for him to have another baby.

Xia Houru, on the other hand, speculated with great interest whether Liu Biaodan was riding in a hurry when he rode into Jing, and he injured his egg...

Only then did Zhang Shao understand, but immediately he had a bigger doubt: "Since he is not his son, why did Cai have to support Liu Cong, causing Liu Biao to abolish the elder and establish a younger one?"

Xia Houru said: "Because Liu Cong married the niece of the Cai family! Mrs. Cai loves Cong and hates Qi..."

Wait a minute, it's a bit confusing, let me clear it up... Zhang Shao threw away all the plot of the novel in his mind, and remembered the true situation he just received.

From this point of view, Cao Cao, who was quite close to Cai Mao, would not do anything stupid like killing the Cai family's son-in-law to deliberately force the Cai family to rebel.Seeing that the opportunity to fill the people of Jingzhou with righteous indignation and create hidden dangers for Cao's army's defeat was gone, Zhang Shao felt regretful and wished he could go out in person to behead Liu Cong's brothers on behalf of Prime Minister Cao.

Zhang Shao thought again: "In that case, it seems that after Cao Cao entered Jingzhou, he didn't make any of the mistakes arranged for him in the novel. So, how can Chibi lose?"

……

After hastily finishing their meal, Xu Shu and others returned to the hall to work at their desks at Xin Pi's invitation. Officials affiliated with the county governor's office were also able to enter the county office after being carefully searched and interrogated by the military guards, and met with the officials of the prime minister's shogunate. Cao docking work.

According to the work arranged by the marching commander Shi Yuanba, the person who handed over the handover to the prime minister's office was the Hucao of Nanjun. This department is in charge of household registration in a county, as well as the situation of fields, houses, miscellaneous labor, etc., and is the top priority of the inventory work, because Prime Minister Cao may ask at any time: "What is the household registration of Nanjun now, as you mentioned yesterday?"

"In the third year of Emperor Xiaohuan's Yongshou (AD 157), he calculated the household registration of counties and counties in the world. At that time, the counties in Nanjun had a total of 16 households and a population of 570."

Xu Shu completed the work in a short time and handed the native registration book to Xin Pi: "It was 50 years ago. After that, until Liu Jingsheng came to Jingzhou, there was no detailed check of household registration. After two generations of reproduction, there may be tens of thousands more people. , but there shouldn’t be much difference in the number of native citizens.”

He handed over another brochure: "However, a rough estimate shows that the number of guests in Nan County is far more than expected!"

It turns out that Jingzhou was governed by Liu Biao, which generally avoided the chaotic wars in the states in the late Han Dynasty. Because it was relatively stable, it attracted a large number of outsiders to support the old and the young, and to come here with their families.

For example, Nanyang County in the north of Jingzhou was once the most populous county in the world. In the three years of Yongshou, there were 52 households and 240 million people.But this was also the county with the most frequent wars. First, Dong Zhuo sent troops to plunder, and then Yuan Shu and Sun Jian, the allied forces of Dong Zhuo, used it as a base to fight fiercely with the Xiliang army. They also levied taxes on people and expanded into Henan and Jing.

After that, Nanyang changed its banner at the top of the city and changed its ownership frequently among various warlords. Tigers and wolves brutally abused the people. This resulted in all 37 counties in Nanyang being destroyed by war.As a result, most of the Nanyang people crossed the Han River to the south to seek refuge, and half of them stayed in Nanjun. In other words, Nanjun received at least 60 Nanyang people.

In addition to the great evil in Kyushu, hundreds of thousands of Guan people came from Yingchuan, Henan, Guanzhong, Runan and other places.Therefore, in theory, there should be more than 100 million guest residents in Nanjun today, far exceeding the number of native residents who have lived here for generations.

However, it may be that the statistics of Liu Biao's regime are not accurate enough, or it may involve the interests of some people.The slips recording the resettlement of guest residents clearly stated that the number of guest residents who entered Nanjun over the past ten years and were arranged to settle in various places by Zhennan General Mansion was only 60 million, which was far less than the number of native residents.

But even so, compared with the counties in the Central Plains where only one household registration exists, Nan County is still very impressive.

"What a big county!" Xin Pi was overjoyed when he saw it and said, "No wonder Liu Biao was able to support nearly [-] Jingzhou soldiers with just this county! Now that the autumn harvest has finished early, we only need to ask for the tax according to the official status and we can harvest it. Enough food and military supplies for the southern expedition army for several months!"

That's right, only by understanding the current population situation of Nanjun can we determine the amount of tax and grain that Cao Cao can allocate in the future, and the number of slaves that can be collected by the school. The tens of thousands of strong men Xia Houyuan captured in Dangyang are not enough for Cao Cao's army. Call it a favor.

Xu Shu said deliberately: "Brother George, now that Jingzhou has just surrendered, many people have experienced the tragedy of having their relatives and friends killed in the wilderness. The Prime Minister has brought the king's army here and also said that he wants to start a new life with the people. Shouldn't we stop the troops first and save them?" Are you going to care for the lonely and weak people when they are in trouble? Now, it is inappropriate to immediately calculate taxes and send more laborers."

Xin Bi smiled leisurely and said to Xu Shu: "Yuan Zhi also took charge of the military affairs for Liu Xuande. The Art of War says that when a hundred thousand troops are raised and troops are sent thousands of miles away, the people's expense and the public's support cost thousands of gold per day... This principle, Yuan Zhi You must understand."

"On the eve of the autumn harvest, the Prime Minister went south to Jianghan with nearly 20 people. In addition to the laborers on the road, there was a commotion inside and outside the Central Plains. There were at least [-] families who were lazy on the roads and were not allowed to farm. Not to mention the daily expenses. Thousands of gold? If the food is sent thousands of miles from the north, the consumption will be doubled." "Therefore, after capturing Jingzhou, it is best to let the state supplement the required food, military supplies, and laborers."

Having said this, Xin Pi glanced at the crowded hall outside, stood up, and took Xu Shu to the small school outside. Then he whispered: "Moreover, Yuan Zhi, think about it carefully, if this batch of grain If the military resources cannot be sent out from Jingzhou, why should we ask the generals in the court and our hometown Yuzhou to come out?"

Yes, Peiqiao and Yingchuan both belong to Yuzhou. Cao Cao's generals and officials have the largest number of people from these two places. How many family interests are involved?

Xin Pi's next sentence was even more shocking. He sneered and said, "Or should we let Jizhou, which has been established as a foundation by the Prime Minister, come out?"

Xu Shu knew that since the Yuan clan was eliminated and Hebei was captured, Cao Cao had set his sights on this glorious land of Longxing.He took the post of shepherd in Jizhou by himself, doing little corvee and receiving little tax in order to win over the people and try to build him into the foundation of the Cao family.

I heard that a few years ago, Cao Cao tried to restore the ancient Kyushu system under the guise of retrospect.Because in that case, Youzhou, Bingzhou and part of the Si Li Xiaowei Department would be placed under the jurisdiction of Jizhou, which would be under the direct jurisdiction of him, the Jizhou Mu. However, this plan was abandoned only because of the opposition of Xun Yu and others.

In other words, Cao Cao now almost regards Jizhou as his private property, which is known to everyone in the court.How could he leave the knife on Jingzhou, who had no power to resist, and not cut it, instead of cutting the flesh on his own thigh?

Understand, this is really "Jingzhou and Nanjun can be asked, but Jizhou and Yingchuan cannot be asked."

Xu Shu looked like he had been taught something and quickly bowed and said: "I see, thank you Brother George for reminding me! Otherwise, I would have remonstrated with the Prime Minister..."

"Fortunately, Yuan Zhi has not yet made the trip, otherwise Ding would be very disobedient to the Prime Minister's wishes!" Xin Pi said, "Yuan Zhi is still familiar with the Book of Rites, right? You should know what single sentence was missed in the five strategies of Ding Jing presented by Du Zixu today. "

Of course Xu Shu knew it, and responded: "There are four missing words between 'release the prisoner of Jizi, enable people to do business and regain their positions', and the fifth policy 'common people are paid as much as they deserve'."

"The common people are in charge of government."

Xu Shu still pretended to be stupid and said: "But I thought Du Jun accidentally omitted it..."

"Ha!" Xin Pi shook his head: "Starting from Du An, Du Zixu's great-grandfather, who entered Imperial College at the age of thirteen and was known as the 'Qi Tong', the Du family in Dingling studied "Xiao Dai Li Ji". Du Zixu had read it well since he was a child. He can even recite it backwards and forwards, how could he forget it?"

"It is obvious that those four words are deliberately ignored, because once they are mentioned, they are in line with what Confucians call a teacher of benevolence and righteousness, but they will also be regarded by the Prime Minister as a woman's benevolence and do not know the priorities... Du Zixu is known as Loyal, but actually thoughtful.”

"Xu Fu has made a big mistake. Brother George needs to teach him!"

Xu Shu quickly said yes. When it came to this, Xinpi also knew that the rest of the words would not be easy to say, so he stopped in time and laughed and said: "Since Yuan Zhi has understood it, he will rest in the house when he returns to the house. , think about it yourself... In short, the client registration of Nan County Princess can be handed over to the Prime Minister as it is. How to recruit military supplies and food has its own long history, military advisors offering wine and Yang Dezu, who is still in Xiangyang, planning, don't go too far. Words."

"only."

Xu Shu agreed and said goodbye to Xin Pi. At this time, other Cao Cao and Nanjun officials were still busy inside and outside the hall. Xu Shu caught a passing county official and asked: "Is the Nanjun meritorious Cao here?" He had asked someone before. He said the same thing, and now he got exactly the same reply: the Nanjun meritorious officer reported his illness and asked the county meritorious officer to take over the work on his behalf with the staff of the Prime Minister's Office.

Xu Shu felt a little regretful and went out to the courtyard. When he looked up, he saw that the moon in early October only had a silver edge and the sky was dim.

But Xu Shu's heart felt particularly bright.

Breathing the cool air, Xu Shu was finally able to combine all the things he had seen and heard in Cao Ying these days and piece together an answer whose outline was vaguely visible in the mist.

"Kong Ming, I didn't understand why you were so sure that Cao Cao would lose."

Xu Shu was in darkness, thinking about the bright moon: "But now, I seem to have seen a trace of the cause of Cao Jun's defeat in Jingzhou!"

……

Xu Shu was not in a hurry to rest in his house. Instead, he walked and thought in the courtyard where the military guards patrolled from time to time.Being in Cao's camp these days, he clearly saw the measures taken by Cao Cao after entering Jingzhou.

The first thing Cao Cao did was undoubtedly to win over some of the top imperial clansmen in Liu Biao's time, such as Kuai and Cai.He took Kuai Yue with him in the army, where he often had banquets and asked questions, and his intimacy was even greater than that of Jia Xu and Cheng Yu. He also treated Cai Mao as an old friend, and these two people were probably going to be made marquises, so it was settled. Leaders of both civil and military circles in Jingzhou.

Next, Du Xi proposed five strategies, targeting the middle-level scholars and officials in Jingzhou: those who were still thinking about the Han Dynasty and suspected that Cao Cao was a Han traitor; those who were grateful to Liu Biao and wanted to repay his son's death. Officials; hermits who have long been dissatisfied with Liu Biao's regime and have avoided serving, or even tried to resist; people who are devoted to the imperial court and eager to return to the north, but are still hesitant to wait and see...

The fifth strategy is to introduce the highly respected Han Song, and let this "Hope of Chu" become Cao Cao's "Guo Wei", who will be on the "recruitment platform" to criticize and recruit many scholars in Jingzhou.After that, Cao Cao can naturally appoint officials and promote them, so that he can win the hearts of the officials.

As for the sources of these officials, except for a few foreigners who fled from the north to the south, most of the rest came from the small and medium-sized Guan clans in Jingzhou, such as the Huan family in Linxiang.They were originally on the fence, but after seeing the Five Strategies in Jingzhou, they no longer hesitated. The family tombs, manor, and fields were in Jingzhou. It would be a loss to follow Liu Bei to escape and resist. Cooperating with the warlords who ruled their hometown was the only way for the Crown clan to survive. way.

All the above people hope that Cao Cao will have long-term peace and stability in Jingzhou, and will never be won over by Xu Shu before the situation really changes.

As a result, the people Xu Shu could collude with became extremely limited.

He silently clasped his fingers in his sleeves and calculated how many chips he could take.

One is like Wang Wei, who was enmity with Cao Cao and had an army of anti-Cao armed forces.

The second one is the Guan Clan whose descendants went south with Liu Bei. They are destined to be severely suppressed by Cao Cao, but the Guan Clan in Jingzhou also raises many soldiers and will not sit still and wait for death when they are forced into a corner.There are other potential allies who are carefully protected and hidden by Xu Shu. Cao Cao is invincible, so of course they dare not do anything. But if Cao Cao is really defeated, Xu Shu is confident to mobilize these people again.

The third is the vast “people”.

But in the hearts of Cao Cao's monarchs and ministers, there was no people.

"King Wu entered the Yin Dynasty and enabled the people to govern! The so-called relaxation of government means to get rid of the harsh government of the Zhou Dynasty..." Xu Shu clearly remembered that when he was studying in Yingchuan, the master explained this sentence like this, and the canon he quoted was correct. It is "Xiao Dai Li Ji" that the Du family is good at.

Therefore, Du Xi should be the clearest about the meaning, but he deliberately hid it because Du Xi knew very well that the people of Jingzhou were not disturbed by harsh governance in the past.

Liu Biao had no great ambitions, but because of this, General Zhennan became a rare local power in the late Han Dynasty that did not struggle.Liu Biao also encouraged Jingzhou to engage in farming, settled the people who came to join the business, and provided land for fishing. This indeed made the people of Jingzhou safe and abundant, and allowed millions of people to enjoy a rare peace in troubled times.

"The atrocities of Jie and Zhou that the people of Jingzhou are facing today are all caused by Cao's army."

Xu Shu thought of the more than [-] people who were trampled and massacred by Cao Qi in Changbanpo, who abandoned their men and women, and the tens of thousands of men who were forcibly detained as young men by Xia Houyuan in Dangyang.There are also heavy military taxes and labor that will be imposed on every household in Nanjun, which are unprecedented in the past.

Xunzi said: The king is like a boat; the common people are like water.Water will carry the boat, water will overturn the boat!This is a hint of failure in Cao Cao.

But having said that, it is not easy to change the water of Jingzhou from being resigned to becoming rough and turbulent, or even imitating the Yellow Turban and taking the initiative to capsize the ship.
People's indignation will take a long time to brew. Have you not seen how rebellious Dong Zhuo was in Guanzhong and Henan, but the people did not dare to resist at all.Only after Dong Zhuo was killed by the soldiers who joined forces with the state warriors did the common people dare to inflict their anger on a corpse.

So even though we have seen the cause of his defeat, there is still a long way to go to turn it into the true result of Cao Cao's defeat!
"But I have to go up and down to search." Xu Shu thought of this and saw that the moon was already high. He planned to go to the toilet and then went back to the dormitory to sleep - Xu Shu drank too much water today when he was doing office work, and now he had a strong urge to urinate.

When he came to the deserted toilet in a corner of the county house, Xu Shu still told himself in his heart: "Xu Shu, Xu Shu, you are just serving others. You and Yu Rang, the former minister of Zhibo, did not hesitate to change in order to avenge the lord." What does your name mean compared to being a prisoner and smearing the toilets in the palace?"

After he entered, he lifted up his lower garments and unbuttoned his pants while facing the drowning ditch, when he heard footsteps coming from behind him.

Xu Shu was a little embarrassed, but this was a public toilet, and meeting people was a common occurrence, so he had to move a little to make room for the visitor - if he only got into a small one.

Unexpectedly, this person walked directly behind Xu Shu and suddenly slapped Xu Shu on the shoulder with both hands!
"Who!?"

Xu Shu was startled and turned around to question. Because it was night, the toilet was not even illuminated by candles and stars. It was pitch black and he couldn't see who it was, but he heard the man sneer again:
"Xu Yuanzhi, you are so bold!"

"Kong Ming joined forces with Jiangdong, and you came to pretend to surrender, hoping to cooperate inside and outside! You have no choice but to hide this trick from Cao Cao, and you must not hide it from me!"

These words only shocked Xu Shu to death... It was precisely: If Sun Liu can win, who thinks that Cao Ying is alone?After all, who is this person? Let’s see the breakdown in the next chapter.

(End of this chapter)