Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 366 Literary first, then martial arts

It's winter, heavy snow is falling, and Yecheng is already covered with snow.

In the Wei palace, charcoal fire jumped in the furnace, releasing a large amount of warm heat and raising the temperature in the room.

"Guanqiu Xing has been with Gu for many years. He has conquered the south and the north. The victory is to be loyal to the king and listen to good advice. Now he is appointed as the governor of Anding. He sent people to the Qiang and restored the vassal state. It can also be said to be a good thing."

Cao Cao sat on the desk, reading the official documents submitted by Guanqiu Xing, and sighed: "The Han Township in Shuofang has now become a place where the Qiang live, and the old achievements of the previous Han Dynasty have been abolished. It is a pity!"

Guanqiu Xing may be unknown, but his son Guanqiu Jian is well known. Most of the people with Guanqiu as their surname came from Wenxi County, Hedong.

When Cao Cao was pacifying Hebei, Guanqiu Xing was ordered by Zhong Yao to bring thousands of horses to support Cao Cao. Cao Cao appointed Wu Qiuxing as a general. From then on, he fought for Cao Cao in the north and south. He made many achievements and became qualified to serve as a prefect. In order to advance to a higher level, Guanqiu Xing approached Sun Quan, hoping to get out of the town.

Sun Quan dared to guarantee that Guanqiu Xing would be appointed as the governor, but it was because he dared to sell his official position and get a title. But as a close confidant of Cao Cao, he knew that Cao Cao had pre-selected candidates for various counties in Hexi, and among them was Guanqiu Xing.

After all, through the ages, trying to move up the ladder through relationships, isn’t it just a matter of missing something?

Someone may say a few nice words to let the leader know more about you; or someone may use some tricks, such as praising you more for your political achievements and less for your opponents. If there is a gap, with a little guidance, the leader will tend to favor you.

If he wanted to sell his official position and get a title, Sun Quan wouldn't have the ability, not to mention whether the money would be enough!

Therefore, under Sun Quan's casual words, Cao Cao appointed Wu Qiuxing as the governor of Anding. As Guan Qiu Jian's father, Guan Qiu Xing also had some abilities. After taking office, he took advantage of the remaining power of Xu Huang and Cao Zhen's troops in Shuofang, and ordered the school captain Fan Ling to go to the Qiang. The group of Qiang people living in northern Shaanxi invited him to serve as his father. Belong to the country and obey the king.

Sun Quan sat on the side table and said: "Shuofang fell into a Hu township, mostly because there were Qiang people inside and Xianbei bandits outside. When the inside was coordinated with the outside, the county fell and was occupied by the Qiang and Hu. The Han people fled, or maybe Some people stayed in Shuofang and became Qiang and Hu people."

The tone of his words changed, and Sun Quan praised him and said: "Fortunately, the king conquered the south and the north and made great achievements. He conquered the Central Plains with his troops, conquered Jizhou in the north, expedition to Liaodong, captured Hexi, and pacified Shuofang, and was able to make all barbarians surrender. He ruled Guanxi and taught great things. It’s prosperous, the old land will be restored, and it’s just around the corner.”

"hehe!"

Seeing Sun Quan praising his civil and martial arts, Cao Cao smiled and stroked his beard and said: "This is not a short-term achievement. It requires immigration to guard the border, long-term education, and the practice of customs. Only then can we dare to return to the old land and build it."

Putting down the official document in his hand, Cao Cao asked, "Has Liu Bei made any moves this year?"

This year, the border between the two sides is safe and sound. Only the war of words between Cao Cao and Liu Bei continued. Either Wang Can wrote an article criticizing Cao Cao, or Cao Zhi and Chen Lin wrote articles refuting Liu Bei.

"Your Highness, according to the scouts, Liu Bei purged the central army in Wuhan, gathered local warriors, and obtained 40,000 elite soldiers. He took the copper and iron from Wuhan, smelted soldiers and armor, and organized the army. The local government banned the troops."

Cui Yan stroked his beard and said: "But not only that, Liu Bei ordered Zhuge Liang to imitate the taxes in the Central Plains and impose new taxes on the southerners. The land rent per mu was eight liters, and each household produced three pieces of silk and three pounds of cotton. The income was equal to the income of the poor and the rich. . He also accepted Huo Jun's advice and ordered the southern counties to plant large amounts of wheat in order to increase grain production."

After a pause, Cui Yan's expression became serious and he said: "Your Highness, reforming taxation is not a big deal. Liu Bei planted a lot of wheat and practiced the method of rice and wheat rotation. We should pay attention to it. This may be the foundation of a strong country."

Cao Cao frowned and said, "Rice-wheat rotation is just a matter for farmers. How can we build a strong country?"

"Your Highness doesn't know something!"

Cui Yan sorted out his thoughts and said: "In Guandong, I plant more permanent wheat, and plant it in rotation with millet, and harvest three times after two years. This is the reason why Guandong's agriculture is prosperous. Wu Chu planted rice, sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn, one harvest after one year. Now I will add planting and harvesting. Wheat, sown in autumn and harvested in spring, should be harvested two years later. I, Guandong, will harvest three crops at two years old, and An Neng can do that!"

"Rice can be eaten in four to five months, and millet can be eaten only half a year old. Rotational cultivation of rice and wheat will strengthen the bones of the Southern invaders. When the Jianghuai River came to report, Liu Ji and Sima Zhi reclaimed wasteland in the north of the Yangtze River and practiced the method of rotational cultivation of rice and wheat. After two years and four harvests, the army is self-sufficient. It is expected that from now on, many southern thieves will not worry about food and grass!"

As a native of Hebei, Cui Yan traveled to Wu and Chu when he was young. He not only understood northern agriculture, but also understood the rice grown by southerners. The emergence and promotion of rice-wheat rotation farming and increased yields are a big killer.

"Two years old and three years old, two years old and four years old?" Cao Cao took a breath.

As the ruler of the north, Cao Cao promoted farming. Needless to say, you can see how powerful it was. Regardless of the two years of bumper harvests, there is only one crop harvest missing. But when looking at the entire vast northern and southern agriculture, the disparity is staggering.

Regardless of the differences in crop yields and the number of acres of cultivated land, when rice-wheat rotation is rolled out, the population, finances, and military rations in the south will be one-quarter greater than those in the north, and the advantages between the north and the south will be reversed.

Of course, the agricultural method of rice-wheat rotation needs time to be promoted. In addition to its territory, the South will not be as good as the North in terms of population, taxation, planting area, and army numbers in the short term.

Cao Cao reacted and couldn't help but secretly cursed Liu Bei for being so lucky!

Zhuge Liang was good at governing the country. He was just a farmer before, but he was discovered by Liu Bei. Huo Jun belongs to the Hexagon Warriors. He was only a small official in the market before. He emerged from Liu Qi's rule and was taken over by Liu Bei.

"Cough cough!"

Sun Quan came to his senses and said, "What if Liu Bei made a big effort to expand Sumai in the south? In the barbarian land of the south, there are few Han people and not much cultivated land. We have 300,000 soldiers in the Central Plains and tens of millions of people. Regardless of soldiers, civilians, or food, we have We should win against the South. How can Cui Shangshu take advantage of others while weakening his own strength?"

During the year when Cao Cao was recuperating, the Central Plains once again counted the population data. The sum of military households, officials, field soldiers, and ordinary people showed that the population of the north was approximately more than 10 million.

There are as many as 300,000 soldiers stationed in the north, Longxi, Guanzhong, Xiangfan, Jianghuai, and Yecheng, including 100,000 mobile troops.

Historically, the civilian population of Cao Wei was only more than four million, but this is not the actual data of Cao Wei. Cao Wei was different from Shu Han and Soochow in that he also had a large number of field soldiers and military households. After all, if Cao Wei's civilian population was only 4.4 million, it would be impossible for the troops involved in the Three Huainan Rebellions to reach one-eighth of the country's population.

Cui Yan was an upright and strong man. In the past, he was displeased when he saw Sun Quan's flattery. He said: "Yan is not emulating others, but weakens his own strength, all because he is worried about my affairs in the Central Plains!"

With that said, Cui Yan raised his hand to Cao Cao and said: "Your Highness, Liu Bei can win people's hearts, Zhuge is good at governing the country, Huo Jun is good at both civil and military affairs, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, Gan Ning and others will be his minions. I only hope that Your Highness will listen. Collect good words, promote the talents of the Central Plains, and govern China."

Hearing Cui Yan's words, Cao Cao suddenly felt disgusted for some reason.

After calming down a little, Cao Cao stroked his beard and asked: "Liu Bei's situation is gradually getting better. Now, in the opinion of the ministers, how will you treat the enemy?"

Cao Cao didn't know how to deal with Liu Bei who was entrenched in the south. He seemed unable to defeat the enemy city, and he was unwilling to attack him.

Fu Qian, who joined the army, thought for a while and said: "Your Highness, there are two ways to govern the world, which are divided into civil and military. When using military force, you must first establish power, and when using literature, you must first establish virtue. If power and virtue complement each other, your highness will He can rule the world with his power."

"The world is in chaos, and there is a loss of order. Your Highness used force to conquer, and seven out of ten were defeated. The only one who has not accepted the king's order is Liu Bei'er!"

"Liu Bei separated the Bashu and Wu Chu. Wu and Chu are in danger of the Yangtze River, and Bashu is blocked by the mountains. It is difficult to subdue them, and it is also difficult to be virtuous. If you are stupid, you can rest your troops according to your armor, stop your troops and raise your soldiers, and reward them according to their merits. In this way, people’s hearts will be strengthened both internally and externally.”

"If Your Highness wants to march south, he will raise a hundred thousand troops and drive straight in to the bank of the Yangtze River. But if the thieves take advantage of the favorable location and hold on, the soldiers and horses will not be able to perform their duties, and there will be no way to carry out extraordinary changes!"

It is not difficult to understand what Fu Qian means. Cao Cao raised his troops to march south, no matter how he fought. If the enemy retreats and does not fight, Cao Cao will have little success. It is better to rest and recuperate, reward one's merits, and calm one's inner mind.

"Does Wen He have any ideas?" Cao Cao asked.

Jia Xu raised his eyes slightly, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, although Liu Bei separated the barbarian lands, he still relied on the mountains and rivers. Liu Bei has great talents, Huo Jun has an excellent military strategy, Zhuge Liang is good at governing the country, and the southern thieves are in dangerous positions. It’s hard to plan in haste!”

"Your Highness is well versed in the art of war. He is familiar with the learning of Sun and Wu, and knows the changes in the art of war. The way to use military force is to first look for opportunities and then fight them. Watch the enemy invaders in Hanzhong, Jiangling, and Hefei. I will steal information from the generals and be indiscriminate, inferior, and cautious." Yes. Your Highness wants to raise an army to conquer it. Liu Bei and Huo Jun are waiting at the center. There is no opportunity to take advantage of it now. I think it is better to put civility first and then military force."

Jia Xu's words were much nicer than Fu Qian's. Through the comparison of mountains and geography and Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and Huo Jun, he tactfully told Cao Cao that the current situation of north-south separatism has been determined. Without fighter planes, you cannot send troops to conquer the south, otherwise it will be difficult to win.

If he sends generals to march south, he wants to attack Hanzhong where Lu Xun is defending, Jiangling where Guan Yu is in charge, and Jianghuai where Lu Su is overseeing, but Cao Cao has no generals who can do the job. If Cao Cao goes on a personal expedition, Liu Bei will definitely raise a large army to fight, and it will be difficult to win by then. Therefore, it is better to manage the internal affairs first and then mobilize the troops.

Cao Cao exhaled and sighed. Over the years, he has been defeated by Chrysostom!

If he had fought steadily, conquered Jianghan, appeased Jingnan, and surrendered Bashu, he would have already unified the world by now. How could he watch Liu Bei separate the south and raise a big daddy by himself?

"That's fine!"

Cao Cao thought for a long time and said: "There have been frequent battles in recent years, and the army and the people should rest and recuperate. Now let Xiangfan and Shouchun strengthen the city, accumulate grain and grass, and smelt armor and soldiers in preparation for the invasion of the southern thieves."

"The people in the south are few and the land is rich in water. Although rice-wheat rotation cultivation is a powerful thing for the country, it is not easy to compare with the Central Plains. You don't have to worry about this."

"No!" Everyone responded.

Before the ministers could retreat, they saw Xun Ji stumbling into the hall.

Before he had time to take off his cloak covered with rain and snow, Xun Ji knelt on the ground with a plop and cried bitterly: "Your Majesty, my father just died of illness in my house."

"Gongda!"

Cao Cao's face changed greatly, and he said sadly: "How could Gongda abandon his father and leave!"

Looking at Xun Ji, Cao Cao shed tears and cried: "Your father is gentle, courteous, thrifty, resourceful, and famous in the world. Now that he has died of illness, I should lose one of my arms!"

"Your Highness!" Xun Ji wiped his tears and cried bitterly.

"Father, my son and I have been taught by Master Xun a lot. Please pay tribute and bury him." Cao Pi said with tears in his eyes.

Cao Cao held his head with his hands and suddenly felt the headache coming on again. He endured the headache and said, "Xun Gongda is a teacher to others, and Zihuan should respect him with all due respect."

"No!" Cao Pi responded.

With Cao Cao's wave, everyone exited the hall. In the silent hall, only Cao Cao's voice lamenting Xun You could be heard.

"Gongda died of illness, how sad!"

(End of this chapter)