Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 365 Zhuge takes command

"Han Chronicles: Chronicles of Emperor Zhaowu": In the autumn of the 19th year of Jian'an, the Emperor Zhongzu issued an edict: "If you rent eight liters of land, you can use wheat to pay for it. Five liters of wheat can be used for four liters of rice, and ten liters of wheat can be used for eight liters of rice."

Sumai wants to promote it in the south, in addition to policy guidance, it also needs to emancipate the people ideologically.

For example, regarding the theory that wheat is poisonous, Liu Bei specifically asked Wang Can to hold a pen to explain that wheat is not poisonous. It means that wheat poison is mostly caused by poor storage rather than the wheat itself.

"On Wheat Poison" exposes the various states and counties, trying to let the grassroots people in the south have a clear understanding of wheat instead of demonizing wheat.

Let’s talk about the poisonous theory of Sumai. It has been spread so widely and its timeline is so long. How outrageous can it be?

Sun Simiao, a famous doctor in the Tang Dynasty, said that eating too much flour can easily cause external evils to enter the body, resulting in hair loss and abdominal distension. It is necessary to take Sichuan peppercorns and radish to detoxify. (Note ①)

Jia Ming, a famous doctor in the Yuan Dynasty, even exaggeratedly said that after eating noodles and being poisoned, he not only lost his hair, but also his eyebrows.

In addition to the above people, the Northern Song Dynasty medical scientist Dong Ji, the Northern Song Dynasty scientist Shen Kuo, and the Ming Dynasty scholar Gao Lian also believed that wheat was slightly poisonous.

Li Shizhen, a great medical expert in the Ming Dynasty, also believed that wheat was poisonous. However, Li Shizhen was better than Sun Simiao. He believed that northern wheat was non-toxic and southern wheat was poisonous.

How to detoxify?

It is said that eating noodle soup, eating Sichuan peppercorns, or eating wheat bran can detoxify wheat poisoning.

In Huo Jun's eyes, the prevalence of wheat poisoning theory is due to factors such as the humidity in the south, inconvenience of storage, and easy breeding of bacteria. It is better to say that the Chinese civilization, which mainly eats grain food, is not used to powder food, and the civilization's self-superiority.

Grain food, northerners eat millet, southerners eat rice. This is an indelible mark since the birth of Chinese civilization. The unorthodox diet of powdered food makes it difficult for Han people who are accustomed to eating grains to adapt.

Later, everyone in the world could eat snow-white rice, but ancient people who lacked advanced technology mostly steamed the rice with the shell. If wheat is cooked by steaming, its taste will be extremely bad, so naturally it was not valued by the ancestors.

In the late Southern Song Dynasty, Huang Zhen once said, "I hate wheat rice and think it is coarse... I heard that there are broken rice that is eaten by pigs and dogs, how about wheat rice?" ’

how so?

Duoyinnan people can eat rice, and its yield is higher than that of millet. Even if they cannot eat rice, they can still eat fish, shrimp, and wild vegetables.

Why don’t the northerners dislike it?

Due to the disasters of the past dynasties, there are many disasters in the north and less in the south. For example, during the Little Ice Age at the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was widespread famine in the north and peasant uprisings continued. Although there were famines in the south, they were mostly small areas.

Due to natural disasters and the emergence of stone mills, northerners had to start eating wheat and innovate their staple food. The dietary pattern of northern wheat and southern rice gradually evolved into the familiar dietary pattern of northern wheat and southern rice.

Of course, as for whether Sumai is toxic, it is no longer considered by the people of the South. Growing wheat is profitable, it can cover the rent of rice fields, and enough rice rations are left for the coming year. Anyway, I have nothing to do in autumn and winter, so it would be nice if I put more effort into planting some wheat.

The people at the grassroots level received the information late, and the middle and lower gentry who had their own information channels tried to plant wheat this year to pay taxes in the coming year. Even if the middle and upper gentry looked down on petty profits, they would still plant wheat out of consideration for saving rice.

Wuling County, Lingyang.

In the official residence, Ran Sheng, the head of the pavilion, was sitting on the banquet and announced to the seven or eight people under the pavilion: "The king has decreed that from this age, wheat can be used to pay the field rent in lieu of rice. Five liters of wheat can be used to pay the land rent." Pay four liters of rice on your behalf. This is a gift from the king. The elders should go back to the countryside and tell the people to boldly plant wheat!"

"Zangsumai?"

The politicians were whispering to each other and discussing this policy.

"Good thing!"

The man with half-white beard and hair was getting excited and said with a smile: "When the county magistrate took office, he ordered to practice Sumai. I advised the people, and the people took care of the problem. Some said they didn't know Sumai, or said Sumai was poisonous, or said there were no wheat seeds. . Now that the king has issued this edict, I don’t need my advice, I am afraid that these people will think about planting wheat."

"Ting Pavilion Chief, Your Majesty, I am collecting wheat as field rent. I don't know how long it will last. Are you afraid that if you plant it this year, you will revoke the order next year?" Jiang Qi said worriedly: "If this happens again, I am afraid that no one will plant wheat. receive."

Ran Sheng stroked his beard and said: "The county official said that warehouses have been built in the county specifically for storing wheat. And the central government has ordered that each county build water mills and stone mills in places with rapid water flow to grind wheat. Predicting this action, Your Majesty should have long-term thoughts of harvesting wheat."

The construction of storage warehouses, water mills and stone mills should not be known to ordinary pavilion chiefs, but in order to enhance the confidence of grassroots officials and people, the prefect Jiang Wan informed the county magistrates under his control of the system project and asked them to pass it on to increase the number of government officials. credibility.

"What is a stone mill?" Jiang Qi asked curiously: "Why does the wheat need a stone mill to grind it? And what can use water as the force to grind the wheat."

Ran Sheng shook his head and said: "Someone has heard of stone mills, but has never seen the real thing. I heard from the county official that if you have stone mills in Sumai, you can make flour cakes, and northerners often use them as food." "

Clapping his hands, Ran Sheng said: "Whatever the stone mill is? The elders will go back and tell the villagers that you can use the wheat to pay for the field rent. As for how to cultivate the wheat, the county magistrate will send someone to teach you."

"promise!"

The court officials stood up one after another, and on the way out of the official residence, everyone talked privately.

"Old man Xing, are you planning to grow wheat at home?" Jiang Qi asked, lowering his voice.

Ran Xing scratched his beard and said: "Su wheat can be planted now, but I don't have wheat seeds. If I want to plant it, I can only wait for one year. Next year, I will plant the whole field with Su wheat, and I will use it to pay the land rent the year after that."

With that said, Ran Xing looked at Jiang Qi and saw his happy expression, and asked, "Do you have wheat seeds?"

Jiang Qi chuckled and said: "When Magistrate Ma was there, he encouraged wheat farming to be cultivated. I was afraid of the magistrate's inspection, so I planted an acre of wheat in Botian. Although I rarely took care of it, I still produced some wheat. I am afraid that I will pay the tax now." It’s not enough, but it should be enough to keep it for wheat cultivation!”

Ran Xing smiled and said: "Thanks to your cleverness, no wonder you asked about the stone mill. How much wheat seed can you keep for me now?"

Jiang Qi winked at the official residence and said with a smile: "Yesterday, Pavilion Chief Ran asked me to get some wheat seeds. I'm afraid I don't have enough wheat seeds on hand. If you want to spread your wheat seeds, you can spread one liter of three pieces. With this amount, At least it will be enough for you to plant two or three acres of land."

Policies are always disseminated from top to bottom. Most of the first people to enjoy the benefits of the policy are not ordinary people, but officials under Liu Bei's account. They learned of the government order and informed their families to prepare wheat seeds in advance for farming this year and handing them over to the government after next year's harvest.

When people want to get wheat seeds, most of them have to wait until next autumn and winter to plant permanent wheat in the fields.

Of course, this is also a phenomenon that Zhuge Liang, Huo Jun and other senior officials of the Southern Han Dynasty are happy to see. Most of these local officials are prestigious and powerful people in the local area.

They took the lead in planting wheat, and soon many local people would follow suit and plant wheat, which would also help spread the technology of wheat cultivation.

Ran Xing pondered for a while and said: "It's still early today. There is a small jar of rice wine hidden in a certain house. Let the children beat a few kilograms of dog meat. You and I can drink it up." In an agricultural society where meat types are not developed, dogs are easy to raise. Because of its high birth rate and delicious taste, it has become an indispensable source of meat in agricultural societies. Therefore, dog meat was eaten by everyone from the emperor to the common people.

Hearing about drinking water and eating dog meat, Jiang Qi couldn't help but salivate and said with a smile: "Since the king banned alcohol, I have not drank water for half a year. Now that there is fine wine and dog meat, how can I not go there!"

"go!"

Not to mention how grassroots officials use their prophetic advantages to plant wheat in advance. But for the senior officials of the Southern Han Dynasty, it is still a matter of promotion. As time goes by, the habit of planting wheat will spread throughout the south.

In the palace, Liu Bei chatted with Huo Jun, Mi Zhu, Zhao Yun, and Huang Quan about military affairs, with a smile on his face, which showed that he was in a good mood.

Liu Bei flipped through the Forbidden Army documents and said: "The North and South Forbidden Army, 40,000 sergeants, three supervisors and three Cao Cao, have all been established. I think you can help me."

As he spoke, Liu Bei looked at Huo Jun and said, "Zhong Miao has successfully mobilized elite local generals to form the Southern Army. What a great achievement Zhong Miao has done!"

Among the reconstruction of the Forbidden Army, the Northern Army was not troublesome. Based on the previous Central Army, generals Zhao Yun and Chen Dao selected elites and selected 20,000 people to be incorporated into the Northern Army.

Only the Southern Army was more troublesome. Its troops had to be drawn from the generals of various states and counties. Since Liu Bei's succession process was relatively peaceful, the southern generals were more independent.

Faced with Liu Bei's order to deploy elite troops, most of them did not want to obey. In order to take the lead, senior generals such as Huo Jun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Gan Ning took the lead in sending elite sergeants, either hundreds or more than a thousand, to the center to express their attitude.

Huo Jun gathered 500 soldiers from the army, and together with Lu Su, Gao Xiang, Xu Sheng, Huo Du and other generals, they formed about 2,000 elite troops.

The local armed forces in Jiangdong also gathered 3,000 elite troops for Liu Bei. When Bashu surrendered its generals, Liu Bei also took away three thousand elite soldiers. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei each sent out more than a thousand men, making up a total of 3,000 men. Shi Xie was also very sensible. Needless to say, Liu Bei took the initiative to send 2,000 righteous men from Jiaozhou to Wuhan.

Not to mention Lu Xun, the Shen brothers, Wenpin, He Qi and other generals who had private soldiers, more or less dispatched troops to Wuhan.

With the senior generals taking the lead, everyone saw that Liu Bei was firm in his ideas, and it was difficult for the middle and low-level generals to refuse. After two or three months of delay, the generals from various states worked together to gather 20,000 elite troops for the Southern Army.

Liu Bei was not polite and ordered Huang Zhong to select soldiers and horses. If there were any weak ones, he should return to his headquarters and let the generals choose again.

Huo Jun bowed his hands and said humbly, "I will do my best to serve the state!"

Liu Bei put down the document and said: "Planting wheat extensively, implementing the four policies, and benefiting the people are the great policies of this country; setting up a forbidden army, strengthening the weak branches, and intimidating the four sides are the cornerstones of this country. So far this year, military and political affairs have been slightly Small success."

"The six states in the south seem to be peaceful, but there are disobedient people. The five rivers of Jingchu and Wu are more barbarian, and the more barbarians are in Wuyue Mountain. They may be hundreds of thousands or more than a hundred thousand, entrenched in the mountains and forests. They do not obey the king and do not pay taxes. Greed. The despicable property may have gone down the mountain to plunder it, but now I am worried about it.”

Changing the topic, Liu Bei said: "In recent days, I have been discussing with the ministers, and some people may have advised me to send troops to clear out the Wuxi and Shanyue barbarians at the right time in order to increase the population. I don't know what you think?"

Huo Jun pondered for a while and said: "It is not impossible to conquer the barbarians and enrich the population. Since the king took charge of the south, he has adopted gentle methods to pacify the Wuxi and Shanyue barbarians. Now that the foundation has been laid, in order to enrich the local household registration, or recruit elite soldiers to join the army . You can choose a good time next year to conquer the Wuxi and Shanyue barbarians."

Since Liu Bei took charge of Wu Chu, in order to maintain the stability of the regime, he has adopted soft policies to appease the barbarians and powerful people. Now that Liu Bei has proclaimed himself king and founded the country, he has troops in Bashu, and his reputation has greatly increased, how can he continue to follow the old policy?

Sending troops to conquer Wuxi and Shanyue barbarians will not only show off their muscles, but also subjugate the barbarians. If the conquest of the barbarians goes smoothly, there is no problem in subduing hundreds of thousands of men and women. By the way, we can also take the opportunity to adjust the administrative structure and deepen the governance of Jing and Yang.

"Zilong, Gongheng?" Liu Bei asked.

"I have no objection!" Zhao Yun said.

Huang Quan stroked his beard and said: "Your Majesty, to conquer the barbarians, it is not advisable to use force. It is advisable to select people who are both civil and military as commanders. Use the method of combining hardness and softness, conquer and appease, so that the barbarians can return to their hearts." .”

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said: "What Gong Heng said is reasonable. We must conquer the barbarians and fight within our own prefectures and counties. If the expedition is too violent, it will harm the people and prevent them from recuperating and recuperating."

After a pause, Liu Bei asked: "Who do you think can be the commander-in-chief of the conquest of the barbarians?"

Huo Jun thought for a moment, raised his hands and said, "Your Highness, Jun thinks that the military advisor general Zhuge Kongming can take on this important task?"

"Kong Ming leads the army?" Liu Bei said hesitantly.

"Exactly!"

Huo Jun looked around at the generals present and said: "The barbarians are weak, so if you raise an army to conquer, you can easily win. If you win, you will plunder the people, and the people need to be pacified. Therefore, conquering the barbarians in the two states is called using troops, but in fact it is to pacify the barbarians. Moreover, the barbarians spread far and wide, and the conquest and pacification are difficult." If you do not take refuge in the mountains properly, you will lose your household registration."

"Kong Ming was in charge of two states at the same time. He was able to manage changes and understand changes. He was upright and strategic. He conquered barbarians and organized households to bring order to the people. This was Kong Ming's specialty!"

Huo Jun bowed his hand to Liu Bei and said: "He is upright and resourceful, coordinates the military and political affairs, and is diligent in pacifying the barbarians. This Jun is not as good as Kong Ming!"

Fighting barbarians is really not difficult. For Huo Jun, all he has to do is have the skills. What is really difficult is how to appease the barbarians and turn them into common people on their household registration. However, in terms of pacifying the barbarians, organizing households to harmonize the people, and focusing on civil affairs, Huo Jun was not as good as Zhuge Liang.

Historically, when Zhuge Liang defeated Nanzhong, you thought it was a fierce battle. He captured Meng Huo seven times and surrendered to the barbarians. In fact, Zhuge Liang sent out troops in the spring and returned in the autumn, marching + fighting + governing. It only took him half a year to resolve the Nanzhong rebellion.

Judging from the march route and the time of the campaign, Zhuge Liang, while governing Nanzhong, conveniently defeated the barbarians and led his army to travel to Dianchi Lake.

Of course, this is only for Zhuge Liang's military capabilities. Generals may not be that simple. This is one of the reasons why Huo Jun recommended Zhuge Liang to take command.

Liu Bei stood up and smiled and said: "I originally wanted Zhongmiao to command the army and command the troops to conquer the Wuxi and Shanyue barbarians. Now Zhongmiao recommends Kong Ming. I take it for granted! Kong Ming's talent is not comparable to that of Xiao He, he can also lead the army. Go out and fight!”

As he said that, Liu Bei looked at Huang Quan and said, "If Kong Ming is willing to serve as the commander in the campaign against the two barbarians, how about letting Gong Heng be his deputy to protect all the armies and conquer the mountains and rivers on the left of the Yangtze River?"

"I will live up to His Highness's orders!" Huang Quan said excitedly.

"good!"
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①: "Eat more, stay longer, and be polite. Afraid of peppers and radishes."

(End of this chapter)