At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 307: The Han army, which consumed a lot of money, was one Li Si behind Han Fei

On November 20, the fourth year of the Han Dynasty, in Chang'an City, the Prime Minister's Office.

Zhou Zhang received the news of victory from the front line and breathed a sigh of relief: "This war is finally over."

It is not easy to be the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. If the emperor wants to be benevolent and righteous, expenses will be indispensable.

For the first time, Zhou Zhang discovered that the price of benevolence and righteousness was so high. It cost tens of millions of shi of food every year. No wonder none of the heroes in the Warring States period were benevolent and righteous. They really couldn't afford to be benevolent and righteous.

This year's two wars depleted the great man's fortune. Last year, he managed to add 2000 million shi of grain to Aocang. As a result, after the two wars, Aocang's grain supply fell again, to an unprecedented level. 4000 million stones, and now most of the grain depots on Aocang are empty.

This is still based on the fact that Dahan's grain tax this year has increased by 2000 million dan, and the tax has increased by nearly 20 jin.

Zhang Cang made a calculation with an abacus and said: "In the war against the Xiongnu, my great Han Dynasty dispatched nearly 20 troops and nearly 40 civilians. Among them, the civilians escorted grain and grass for an average of 100 days. With a salary of 10 kilograms of grain per day, I The Han Dynasty spent 4 million catties of grain on civilian salaries, which is equivalent to about 330 million shi of grain. "

"The army was rewarded. Among them, the infantry was rewarded with 5000 coins for not going deep into the grassland to fight. The cavalry was rewarded with 16 coins for taking the initiative to fight the barbarians. The infantry was dispatched with 4 and the cavalry with ."

Zhang Cang quickly turned his abacus and said: "16 infantrymen will be rewarded with goods and money worth 8 gold, and 4 cavalry will be rewarded with goods and money worth 4 gold."

Zhou Zhang said: "Let the prefects of each county keep 30% of the money for local development, and the remaining 70% should be turned over to the court."

But he didn't expect that the Han Dynasty fought two battles this year, which directly wiped out the Han Dynasty's treasury.

War in the Central Plains is completely different from war in the frontier. The wealthy Central Plains will make money as long as they occupy the territory, but the frontier not only needs more food and supplies, but there is nothing to rob in the barren desert.

Of course, after spending so much money, the effect is still extremely significant. In this battle involving hundreds of thousands of people, the Han Dynasty suffered only more than 6000 casualties, and the number of soldiers killed in the battle was only a thousand. Compared with the tens of thousands of casualties suffered by the violent Qin, the Han Dynasty Comprehensive dominance.

Zhou Zhang shook his head when he heard this number and said: "The war consumes a lot, and the rewards consume even more. The balance from last year and this year has been consumed in this way."

Prime Minister Xiao He said: "Prime Minister, please don't forget that a large number of powerful nobles have been purged from Hebei in the Central Plains, not to mention those from Qi. This money is enough to reward soldiers, and there may be some leftover."

You must know that Wang Jian's 60-strong army faced off against the Chu army for two years, while the Han and Qi armies only lasted three months from the beginning of the war to the end of the war. The food routes of Wang Jian's army were not even as good as those of the Han army. With the Yellow River grain channel, the Han Dynasty's grain and grass flowed all the way down the river, and the consumption was much lower than that of Wang Jian's army.

He remembered that the balance last year was 12 gold. At that time, he still believed that with Dahan's healthy financial balance, Dahan would enter a prosperous age in less than five years.

Zhang Cang said: "Prime Minister, this is not a long-term solution for my Han Dynasty. This time I have accumulated hundreds of years of savings in the Central Plains and Hebei Province. But now that the nobles of the six countries in our Han Dynasty have been wiped out, the Han Dynasty will never find such a source of wealth again. If this happens again, In such a battle, I, the great man, will be in danger.”

"The military consumption and rewards for each soldier of our Han Dynasty are more than 10 times more than those of the princes of the Six Kingdoms, and 4-5 times more than those of the violent Qin Dynasty. The consumption and rewards of soldiers are so large that the court cannot bear it. Now I can't wait for reforms. This is even harder for people to change.”

In Zhang Cang's view, the Han Dynasty fully inherited the advantages of Bao Qin's military merits and titles, and even strengthened them. There was no generational difference between Bao Qin and the Six Kingdoms in terms of weapons and equipment, but the Han Dynasty crushed other princes in the world, regardless of their universal popularity. Iron weapons, armor, and all kinds of powerful and expensive arms, such as armored cavalry, armored heavy cavalry, stone artillery battalions, etc.

However, Zhang Cang persuaded him earnestly: "Although the world is safe, if you forget to fight, you will be in danger. There are no strong enemies for my Han Dynasty in the world now, but it does not mean that such strong enemies will not appear in the future. If the court wants to return to normal, it should change its strategy of heavy rewards and light punishments. "

Even the most common long arrows, the Han Dynasty is completely different from other princes in the world. Even during the violent Qin Dynasty, a battle only consumed hundreds of thousands of long arrows, but in this battle, the Han Dynasty consumed tens of millions of long arrows. The consumption increased dozens of times. Instead of arrows, the Han soldiers shot buckets of money and food.

Of course, this is only an approximate figure. The reward of the Han Dynasty is generally calculated in a balanced manner according to the danger level of the war, the frequency of the war, and the merits of the war, but it is roughly 10,000 yuan per capita.

The long arrows in the Han's arsenal in the Central Plains, Hebei, and Jianghuai were all used up in this battle. This directly turned the auxiliary crossbow archers into the main attackers. Only the Han family in the whole world could fight such a luxurious battle. .

Zhou Zhang was stunned, and then said with great joy: "I forgot the truth. This time we are fighting in the Central Plains."

In terms of combat effectiveness, the Han army was still superior to the Qin army, but corresponding to this was a sharp increase in financial expenditures. The Qin Dynasty could destroy the six countries in ten years, but the Han army only fought a war with an army of 60, but it almost consumed the Han army. Ten years of financial balance.

Zhou Zhang said: "After destroying Qi, there will be no strong enemy for my great Han in the world."

Now Zhou Zhang regrets that he did not dissuade Xu Fan from recruiting troops. At that time, Zhou Zhang wanted to use 60 soldiers to scare the ambitious people in the world. At the same time, Zhou Zhang thought that the financial income of the Han Dynasty was much healthier than that of the Qin Dynasty. Even the Qin Dynasty could recruit 60 soldiers. With tens of thousands of troops, he, a big man, can certainly do it.

Then he said with a grimace: "Now there are still 60 troops to be rewarded, and hundreds of thousands of civilians to be rewarded. This battle has greatly damaged the strength of the Han Dynasty. It will take at least 5 to 10 years to repay this debt."

But at this time, Zhou Zhang remembered that the rewards given by the Han Dynasty to ordinary soldiers were much heavier than those of the Qin Dynasty. According to the Han Dynasty, a soldier will be rewarded about 10 gold in a battle, and the civilians will receive 80 kilograms of grain per day. The reward for these millions of people is close to 12 gold. According to the balance of 6 gold last year, it will take 7- years to pay off this reward. a debt.

Comparing the two armies, the Han army consumed more than ten times the imperial court's financial resources.

But Xiao He objected: "It is precisely because of such a heavy reward that my Han army can be invincible and invincible. As for the high consumption, the lower officials think it is a good thing. The Qin Dynasty violently attacked the Qin Dynasty because of the frequent wars between the six countries. The First Emperor was not satisfied with the destruction, and wanted to conquer Baiyue in the south and attack the Xiongnu in the north. "

"And our Han Dynasty's military consumption is so high, it can make future kings understand that war is a national event, and launch wars cautiously. If we can only launch a war every ten years, this is a great good thing for the people of our Han Dynasty. Fight less, Only by fighting diligently can a country be prosperous for a long time.”

"Now that the Warring States period is over, we, the Han Dynasty, cannot formulate strategies based on the situation of the Warring States Period. Otherwise, we, the Han Dynasty, will fall into a state of violence against the Qin Dynasty. If there are no enemies, we will look for enemies. The territory will become larger and larger, the national power will become weaker and weaker, and the people will become more and more miserable. The Qin Dynasty failed to take advantage of the situation, end the world's war, and failed the people's expectations for peace, so it died in the second generation. "

Zhou Zhang thought for a while and said: "I also think that it is better for the lower-level soldiers to have money than for the court to use the money to frequently launch wars. If it can slow down the wars of the Han Dynasty, the money is worth spending."

Zhou Zhang is from the Huang Lao sect and hates war. He also thinks what Xiao He said is very reasonable.

After discussing this topic, Xiao He took out a piece of data and gave it to Zhou Zhang: "Prime Minister, this is the data of the rail carriage from Chang'an City to Gaoling County. Although the rail carriage is expensive, we have to admit that it is fast and carries a heavy load. This The track has been running for half a year and has already earned back half of the investment. The track will be profitable next year. Qin Shaofu wants to expand the wooden track to Hangu Pass. "

Zhou Zhang said: "Gaoling is more than 400 miles away from Hangu Pass. Such a wooden rail plan is too radical. The imperial court does not have the financial resources. The most it can do is expand to Yueyang. Wait for the imperial government's financial recovery in two years before accelerating the construction of wooden rails. "

The wooden rails were quite a slap in Zhou Zhang's face. Zhou Zhang had already rejected Qin Bo's plan, but Qin Bo was unwilling to let their Mo family's top wonder project disappear like this.

So he went to Xu Fan and told him his plan. Isn't this wooden track the railway of later generations? Although it can only be regarded as a wooden road now, such infrastructure projects will greatly boost the economy, so Xu Fan helped Qin Bo intercede and let Zhou Zhang Construction of a test wooden track from Chang'an City to Gaoling.

Zhou Zhang reluctantly agreed, but also agreed with Xu Fan and Qin Bo that if the wooden track could not make ends meet, it would not be mentioned again in the future. It's no wonder that Zhou Zhang is so unfavorable about wooden rails. This thing costs 1 yuan per mile. Such a small wooden rail costs tens of millions. You must know that the Han Dynasty still has many poor border counties whose annual fiscal revenue is no more than 20 yuan. in this way.

The total length of this wooden track is only more than 50 miles, but because it was built in the plains, the cost was extremely low, and it also promoted the development between Chang'an City and Gaoling. The distance between Gaoling and Chang'an is now shortened to one hour, because There are many employment opportunities in Chang'an City, and a large number of people from Gaoling came to Chang'an City to work in wooden carriages.

Goods from Chang'an City can also be quickly transported to Gaoling. A large number of small traders buy low-priced cloth from Chang'an City and take rail carriages to Gaoling to sell them, so that Gaoling has become a nearby small commodity market.

Nowadays, there are goods and passengers coming and going on this wooden track every day, and the daily income is high. That’s why Qin Bo wants to continue to expand the length of the wooden track, because only with a track network of sufficient scale, can the wooden track Enter into positive interactions.

Zhou Zhang no longer rejected Qin Bo's wooden rail plan, but he did not want the wooden rail to expand too radically. Then Zhou Zhang said to Zhang Cang: "Take Dahan's account book for this year and submit it to His Majesty for review."

Zhang Cang said: "No!"

On November 22, the fourth year of the Han Dynasty, Linzi City, Qi Palace.

Chen Sheng took the "Dahan Monthly" and read the article aloud.

Xu Fan, who was lying on the rocking chair, frowned after listening to a few articles. The first few articles said that he was benevolent and the Han officials were wise, and then they said that King Qi was cruel, etc., which made him smell like a father.

This "Dahan Monthly" has only been running for a few issues, but it already has such a strong sense of paternalism, and it has become bureaucratic too quickly.

Chen Sheng read: "Han Zi's art is to clarify the law and emphasize merit. The virtuous will not be beneficial to the country without reward; the unfaithful will not harm the government without punishment~~~~ The commentator may say: "Wei Wen style Duan Ganmu Lu, Qin soldiers If it is not achieved, it is not the result of the law; if it is a special achievement, it cannot be done regularly. Although it is beneficial to the whole country, it is not valuable. "

Xu Fan was a little stunned and said: "The Han Zi mentioned here is Han Fei?"

Chen Sheng said: "Yes."

Xu Fan said: "Han Fei has been dead for so many years, and there are still people who want to attack him. How much hatred is there? Who wrote this article?"

Chen Sheng looked at it and said, "The great scholar Fu Sheng."

Xu Fan said: "This is strange. Fu Sheng is a gentleman, why did he suddenly do such a thing?"

It's okay for Fu Sheng to argue with Han Fei head-on. Everyone relies on their own abilities and no one will say anything. But now that Han Fei has been dead for decades, Fu Sheng is asking a dead person to argue. This is not bullying and he cannot talk back.

Chen Sheng smiled and said: "Brother-in-law, I know this. About a few months ago, the novelist Zhong Jun withdrew Li Si's article. Li Si got angry and asked Zhao Gao to co-found the "Rule of Law Monthly"."

"In the first issue of the Rule of Law Monthly, Zhao Gao wrote an annotation on Han Fei's "Five Mosquitoes", which caused a sensation among scholars in Guanzhong. They thought this was the Legalists' desire to come out again, so the great scholar Fu Sheng wrote this specifically article to refute Han Fei’s views.”

This actually aroused Xu Fan's interest. "Is there any "Rule of Law Monthly" in Qidi? Find me a copy."

"No!" Soon Chen Sheng went to find Xu Fan's "Rule of Law Monthly"

Also following Chen Sheng was Zhang Liang.

"Zifang, are you here too?"

Zhang Liang said: "I heard that Your Majesty wanted to read Han Fei's "Five Beetles". I happened to have the "Rule of Law Monthly" in my hand, so I came with him."

Zhang Liang was somewhat worried that the Han Emperor would be bewitched by the Legalists. Han Fei was considered the best at bewitching kings among the Legalists. Even the First Emperor, who was so difficult to get along with, took Han Fei as a confidant when he met him. Today, he is also a Legalist at heart. It's just that the emperor has directed the law against the Han officials. Zhang Liang is really worried that the rule of law will be restored.

Xu Fan said: "A Sheng, you read "Five Beetles" annotated by Zhao Gao."

"In ancient times, the population was sparse and there were many birds and beasts. The people could not stand the intrusion of animals, insects and snakes. At this time, a saint appeared and he invented the method of building shacks on trees to avoid all kinds of harm; therefore people were very happy They loved him and elected him to govern the world, calling him Youchao. At that time, the people ate wild fruits, clams and clams, which were fishy and rancid, hurting the stomach and intestines, and many people got sick.

At this time, another saint appeared. He invented the method of drilling wood to make fire to grill food and get rid of the fishy smell. People loved him very much, elected him to govern the world, and called him Suiren. Therefore, the saint did not want to Copying ancient laws does not adhere to old customs, but formulates corresponding political measures based on the actual situation of the current society. "

"Cai!" Xu Fan suddenly shouted. Unexpectedly, Han Fei, an ancient man, understood that things are constantly developing two thousand years ago.

"No wonder the First Emperor hated Han Fei for meeting him late! I feel the same way. For such a master of hundreds of schools to die in prison, it is really the greatest loss in the world."

"In ancient times, King Wen of Zhou lived in the Feng and Hao area, and the land was only a hundred miles square. He implemented benevolent and righteous politics, used pacification methods to make Xirong surrender to him, and finally unified the world. King Xu Yan lived east of the Han River, and the land was only 100 miles square. Five hundred miles square, he practiced benevolent and righteous politics, and thirty-six countries offered him land as tribute~~~."

Xu Fan listened to Zhao Gao's translation of "Five Mosquitoes" as if he were a modern teacher explaining what historical materialism is.

As a modern person, he didn't feel much violation when he heard it. Han Fei's ideological level has reached the level of a philosopher two thousand years later. No wonder later generations will say that Han Fei is the master of Legalism. He almost considered Han Fei his confidant.

Zhang Liang couldn't help but smile bitterly when he saw the emperor's expression. At this time, he finally understood that this was Zhao Gao's attempt to attract the emperor's attention.

Although the emperor was a master, he preferred the vernacular. The emperor also often requested that all government documents in the Han Dynasty should be written in simple and straightforward vernacular, so that the people could understand the court's notices. Therefore, in the officialdom of the Han Dynasty, vernacular, Arabic numerals, icons, etc. have become very common.

But among the people, the original tradition is still followed, and the articles are all about trivial matters. When he read the "Rule of Law Monthly", he was surprised that Zhao Gao actually wrote "Five Worms" to Han Fei in vernacular. Now seeing the emperor's expression, he finally understood.

After listening to Han Fei's "Five Worms", Xu Fan said: "A Sheng, please read again Fu Sheng's words to refute Han Zi."

"Han Zi's art is based on the method and the merit~~~~ The commentator may say: "Wei Wen style Duanganmulu, Qin soldiers can't reach it, it is an illegal merit; one merit is unique and cannot be practiced often, although it is beneficial to the whole country , not expensive.

Qin's army is strong and invincible, but its troops are still in large numbers and those who do not invade the territory of Wei are wise in their skills and the etiquette of Wei. Husbands respect the virtuous, and the laws of a weak country are strong, and those with little strength can help them. How about calling it illegal merit? "

Xu Fan waved his hand to tell Chen Sheng to stop. Fu Sheng was writing in classical Chinese. Xu Fan had to think about it in his heart before he could fully understand the meaning. This paragraph seemed to be saying that the Qin State was worse than the Wei State during the period of King Wei Wen. Be strong.

He looked at Zhang Liang and asked, "If I remember correctly, during the period of King Wei Wen, the Wei State became the overlord of the world due to reforms. It attacked Qin in the west, Zhao in the north, Chu in the south, and Qi in the east. Why in the words of Fu Sheng, the great scholar, Qin was strong with its troops, and the Qin state did not gradually become strong and prosperous after Shang Yang's reforms. This argument is completely wrong. "

Zhang Liang smiled bitterly and nodded: "Fu Sheng, the great scholar, is not a historian after all. Maybe he thought that Bao Qin has always been so powerful."

Xu Fan shook his head when he heard it, and then asked Chen Sheng to continue reading.

"~~~ It is not right for the Grand Duke not to reward those who have served in official positions without merit, and then punish the people who have not committed any crimes but have not committed any crimes. However, Han Zi did this, and it was wrong to say so."

"Stop!" Xu Fan waved his hand.

"I used to hear people say that the articles were written in a smelly and smelly way, and I always thought it was too exaggerated. Today I listened to Han Fei's article first, and then to Fu Sheng's article. It turns out that the ancients were not exaggerating. Comparing the two articles, I can see that the two sides have different opinions. The difference is there.”

"Han Fei's writings are like sweet rain, refreshing the heart and mind, while Fu Sheng's writings are like swill, making people unable to feel their stomachs churn. No wonder Han Fei can be called a son, but Fu Sheng is just a great Confucian. There is only one Li Si difference between Fu Sheng and Han Fei."

(End of this chapter)