I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 156: Set a small goal first
The soft silk has a light red hue and feels warm and smooth to the touch, even more delicate than a young girl's skin. It is obviously of extremely high quality. This silk is produced by the silk weaving workshop under the name of Hongnong Yang family. It is of high quality and is in short supply in the gold market in Luoyang. It is being snapped up by Hu merchants from the Western Regions.

Silk has been a symbol of wealth since ancient times. Even in the imperial court, silk could be used as money.

As for the silk exported to the Western Regions and even Europe, it was considered the most top-level luxury item, a rare treasure that could not be purchased even with money.

As long as it is produced, there is no need to worry about sales.

The jacquard machine improved by Lu Fang and many Mohists has greatly improved textile efficiency compared to the past, which means that production efficiency will increase. How much profit will this bring?

Just thinking about it is enough to make people tremble with excitement.

Although Confucian scholars despise businessmen who do business, aristocratic families also have to do business. Many families have a large number of profitable industries under their names. In fact, when it comes to making money, aristocratic families and wealthy families are often more ruthless than ordinary merchants, and they will even use all means possible. After all, no one doesn't like money.

But behind this small piece of silk in your hand lies a huge and coveted benefit.

Although no one has expressed their opinion yet, they are actually all tempted.

Just as the atmosphere was briefly deadlocked, Yang Xiu smiled and said to Wang Jing: "What instructions does Marquis Qi have? Just tell me. I don't know about others, but from now on, our Hongnong Yang family will follow the general's lead."

Shameless!
Next work!

Shameless!

Seeing Yang Xiu so shamelessly representing the Yang family to defect to Wang Jing, although he had expected it, he was still so angry that he wanted to curse.

No one has said that they would not agree to this, but before agreeing to it, shouldn't they go through the process, refuse three times and then bargain carefully so as to get more benefits for themselves?
You, the Yang family of Hongnong, knelt down at such a speed, which was so unrestrained and disgraceful!

Is there any pride left in the aristocratic family?
I am really ashamed to be associated with your Yang family!
Although they had cursed Yang Xiu and the entire Hongnong Yang family behind him for eighteen generations in their hearts, the current situation forced them to bow their heads and submit.

After all, making money is something that cannot be waited for. If you can't get on the bus first, you can't even get the soup, let alone the meat. You can only watch others get rich while you have to eat coarse food.

If you really fall into such a situation, what can modesty and pride do?

Huang Kui then glanced at Yuan Yin, and on behalf of the Luoyang family led by Anlu Huang, he spoke to Wang Jing, "We are all willing to support the general in establishing a guild system."

When these words were spoken, Huang Kui and the others felt their hearts bleeding.

After all, in the past, when the noble families did business, there was no such thing as paying taxes. Once they joined a guild, not only did they have to pay dues regularly, but the government could also directly check the accounts and take a cut of the entire guild's profits.

All these losses are money!
If the profits from silk were not so tempting and there was not a traitor in Yang Xiu's family, they would never have surrendered so easily.

Of course, joining a guild must be hugely profitable, otherwise they wouldn't be flocking to it in such large numbers.

To put it bluntly, it is greed, wanting to eat more and take more. Although it is impossible to maximize the benefits at the moment, at least they can participate and sit in a row to share the fruits.

The only opponent was the Yuan family of Runan.

It was not difficult for Yuan Yin himself to make the decision. His coming here this time only represented the attitude of the conservatives within the Yuan family and the aristocratic families.

After all, there were many big landlords in the old party who were not interested in business. They made profits from land and grain and were extremely opposed to Wang Jing's policies.

Yuan Yin, who was attending the meeting, said nothing, and Wang Jing did not take it seriously. If the Yuan family of Runan did not support it, then they did not support it. Anyway, the situation was already established, and the establishment of a new order was unstoppable.

Afterwards, Wang Jing explained the specific rules and regulations of the guild in front of everyone, and solemnly announced: "From this moment on, the Luoyang Commercial General Guild is officially established. From now on, everyone will make money and everyone will get rich!"

"Haha, Lord Qi is open-minded!"

"We swear to follow Marquis Qi until death!"

Although Wang Jing's words were rough, everyone felt comfortable listening to them. When it comes to getting rich, people may not want to say openly that they want it, but they all like it in their hearts.

At this time, Yang Xiu suggested again: "Marquis Qi, since ancient times, a snake cannot survive without a head, and soldiers cannot move without a general. The guild should have a leader to lead everyone, so as to prevent the guild members from fighting each other and becoming a pile of loose sand."

Head of the meeting?

Didn’t we elect this ourselves when we got back?
Everyone was drinking happily, but now they felt very disappointed and had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Wang Jing asked Yang Xiu with a smile, as if he had discussed this with him long ago: "Does Dezu have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

Yang Xiu bowed and said, "Why should Lord Qi go to a distant place instead of a nearby one? Isn't Lu Fang, the guest official in your palace, the most suitable candidate?"

Many people are well aware of Lu Fang's identity, and they also know that Wang Jing wants to keep the guild firmly in his hands.

However, Wang Jing was the one who divided the cake, so no one had any objection to this.

Wang Jing glanced at everyone, and the corner of his mouth curled up: "Now, Dezu wants to recommend Lu Fang as the first president of Luoyang Chamber of Commerce. Who is in favor and who is against it?"

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Wang Jing and Yang Xiu were singing the same tune and performing a duet.

But who would dare to stand up and say "no" in front of Wang Jing?

No one dares.

Therefore, Lu Fang was directly elected as the first president of Luoyang General Chamber of Commerce with unanimous votes.

After the banquet, Wang Jing summoned his ministers to discuss the next major policy guidelines in secret.

In the small study, Chief Clerk Xun You, Attendant Yang Xiu, Prefect of Henan Jia Xu, and the newly promoted head of the Chamber of Commerce Lu Fang, all gathered together to discuss important matters.

A hundred years later, this meeting is now known as the "Luoyang Conference" and is considered to be the beginning of the transformation of the Central Plains region from agricultural civilization to industrial civilization.

Wang Jing sat in the middle, his eyes focused. "The noble families coming to the banquet today only account for less than 40% of the total number of noble families in Luoyang. What do you think?"

Xun You stroked his beard and smiled: "My lord, you have established a guild system. Of course, some people are happy to join, some are just watching with money, and some are dismissive. Our army can use this to distinguish who should be won over, who can be divided, and who must be attacked."

As expected of the world's top strategist, Xun You revealed the mystery in just one sentence.

The establishment of the guild system itself was just setting a standard, which was the yardstick Wang Jing used to measure the noble families in the world.

Those who are within the scale are undoubtedly our own people, and can be won over and supported. However, those who are outside the scale are our enemies, and there is no other way to deal with them except to suppress and eliminate them.

Jia Xu was good at observing people's expressions and guessing people's hearts. When he saw Wang Jing's strange look, he took the initiative to ask, "My lord, did you summon us today to talk about something?"

Wang Jing showed an approving look when he heard this. It was good to have a subordinate who could support the comedy.

Just when I was worrying about how to start the conversation, Jia Xu took the lead.

Xun You also took the opportunity to speak up: "Luoyang has fallen into the control of our army. How should the next strategy be carried out? Has the lord made up his mind?"

"Gongda, Wenhe, both of you are wise men with both literary and military strategies. Do you have any suggestions?"

Wang Jing's gaze fell on Xun You and Jia Xu respectively. Although Yang Xiu was extremely smart and had an extraordinary IQ, he was only fifteen years old after all. He was young and inexperienced, and still inexperienced in politics. Perhaps he had a high intellectual talent, but his practical experience was definitely not comparable to top strategists like Xun You and Jia Xu.

Xun You, who had been prepared in his heart, bowed to Wang Jing and began to speak out his analysis and judgment: "In the current situation, the choices before our army are nothing more than two strategies: advancing eastward or advancing westward. Luoyang is surrounded by mountains and has strong natural defenses. In addition, our army is strong and unbeatable. It is more than enough to protect ourselves."

After saying this, Xun You pointed to the map and said, "To the east, we can advance towards Chenliu and Puyang, and take over Yuzhou and Yanzhou. The advantage is that these two places are the most prosperous and wealthy areas in the Central Plains, with a large population and fertile land. The disadvantage is that they are surrounded by enemies on three sides and are in a war zone on all sides. Once we are besieged by the various princes in the heart of the Central Plains, I am afraid our army will be exhausted running around to put out fires everywhere."

Although Wang Jing's Northern Army was brave and good at fighting, its weaknesses were also very obvious. To put it bluntly, there were too few people and insufficient foundation, making it difficult to deploy defenses everywhere.

The reason why they were able to defeat the coalition forces was because of the natural fortress of Hulao Pass, which forced the main forces of the coalition forces to gather in one place. Lu Bu then unexpectedly cut off the coalition forces' retreat and their food supply, thus deciding the outcome of the battle and achieving a great victory.

But once you leave Hulao Pass, Yuzhou and Yanzhou are both vast plains with flat terrain and no strategic locations to defend.

Surrounded by enemies on all sides, Wang Jing would not be able to defend such a vast territory even if he occupied it.

"Gongda thinks that advancing eastward is not a good idea, so what about advancing westward?"

Xun You did not speak, but cast his eyes to Jia Xu who was huddled aside and lazily, and urged him with a smile: "Wenhe is slacking off again. You were born in Xiliang and followed Dong Zhuo to fight, so you must be well aware of the situation there." "Alas, I really made the wrong friends and met the wrong person. Earlier you came to me to ask about the information about Xiliang, and I told you everything I knew. Anyway, Gongda also knows everything Xu knows. As the saying goes, one matter does not require two masters. Can't you just solve the doubts for the lord? Why bother asking for my opinion?"

Jia Xu's face was full of helplessness.

Xun You was not going to let him go: "Wenhe, you are a native of Xiliang after all. I am an outsider, and I can't explain it as clearly as you do."

Jia Xu had no choice but to personally explain the actual situation of Xiliang to Wang Jing: "My lord, Chang'an is located in Guanzhong, where there are many natural treasures and many talented people. Since the Zhou Dynasty, it has been the foundation of the kingdom. It is said that whoever controls Chang'an controls the world. If our army marches westward, it is not difficult to capture Chang'an. The difficulty lies in how to deal with the rebellion of the Qiang people."

The Qiang tribes were initially subject to the Xiongnu. Later, the Yanhan Dynasty prospered and grew stronger. During the reign of Emperor Jing, a branch of the Qiang people surrendered to the Central Plains dynasty. This is the origin of the Western Qiang.

Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty moved the Western Qiang to Longxi County and settled them in five counties, namely Didao, Angu, Lintao, Didao and Qiangdao, where they lived together with the Han people. He used them as mercenaries to guard the northwestern border.

However, the Qiang people who had successfully established a foothold on the border of Xiliang were obviously unwilling to continue working for the Han Dynasty. They were originally mercenaries and their customs were extremely fierce. Therefore, during the Western Han Dynasty, they often rebelled if they were not satisfied, killing Han people on the border and robbing women and property.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Qiang rebellion became even more severe. There were five large-scale Han-Qiang wars alone. Various Qiang tribes rebelled, and other sporadic wars were countless.

Jia Xu was born in Liangzhou, so he was naturally very familiar with the local situation: "It is easy to destroy the tens of thousands of troops stationed in Chang'an by Huangfu Song, but it is difficult to deal with the rebellious troops of the Western Liang nobles such as Han Sui and Ma Teng who colluded with the Qiang people."

After a conversation, Wang Jing finally understood what Jia Xu meant.

Once the Northern Army moved westward, it would be tantamount to trapping itself in the quagmire of war. Not only would it have to deal with endless Qiang rebellions, but it would also have to deal with hundreds of thousands of rebel nobles under the command of Han Sui, Ma Teng and others.

These people were all fierce men who openly raised the flag of rebellion during the reign of Emperor Ling.

It would be fine for others, but Yan Xing, the number one general under Han Sui, was poached by Wang Jing, so the grudge between them is quite big.

As for Ma Teng's Ma family army, it was also a big trouble. Of course, the trouble was not with Ma Teng, but with his hot-tempered son Ma Chao.

Historically, Ma Teng, the father, voluntarily surrendered to Cao Cao. However, Ma Chao, one of the "Twenty-Four Filial Sons", turned around and immediately rebelled against Cao Cao. He even almost chopped off the head of Prime Minister Cao, who liked to use other people's heads, and kicked it like a ball.

Wang Jing thought about it and shook his head decisively: "Let Huangfu Yizhen worry about this hot potato first. I won't ask for trouble."

Strategic choices all have pros and cons, so how to advance and retreat and make choices is a great test of the ruler's wisdom and vision, and even his personal destiny and luck.

Once you make the wrong choice, at best you will miss the opportunity and delay the pace of unifying the world.

In serious cases, you may be defeated and killed in the battle, and the world may change hands. You must be careful.

"It's a dilemma whether to go east or west, so my decision is to choose neither."

After some thought, Wang Jing said something shocking.

However, Xun You and Jia Xu did not seem surprised at all, but instead looked thoughtful.

The two looked at each other and laughed in unison: "This is really surprising, but not surprising."

Wang Jing also laughed and joked with the two of them, "It seems that Gongda and Wenhe seemed to have expected this?"

"It's not hard to guess."

Xun You sighed: "What I want to know is why the lord made this choice."

Although Jia Xu and Yang Xiu did not speak, they looked at Wang Jing intently, waiting for his answer.

Wang Jing did not directly answer their questions, but clapped his hands and said, "Zhengliang, you can come out now."

Lu Fang walked out from behind the screen with a smile on his face and a stack of books in his hands.

"Send the things down."

"Yes."

The books in Lu Fang's hand were distributed to each person, one copy each.

Whether it was Xun You, Jia Xu or Yang Xiu, they all opened the book with great curiosity and read ten lines at a glance.

At first, their faces were calm and their eyes were peaceful.

But as time passed, the surprise on their faces became more and more intense. In the end, they were deeply shocked. The development strategy designated by Wang Jing was really beyond their imagination.

"War is the continuation of politics, and the essence of politics is actually the pursuit of interests. Interests can be big or small, ranging from the livelihood of the people to one's own selfishness. The ambitions and goals of the person determine his or her pattern and mind. I want to seek great benefits for the world, are you willing to lend a helping hand?"

At this moment, Wang Jing once again displayed his extraordinary ambition and courage, which impressed Xun You and others.

In fact, the content of the book is very large, involving all aspects of the industry. The amount of content is unprecedented and gave them a great shock.

In fact, Wang Jing just compiled the things he saw from the Time Travelers' Alliance in his previous life into a book, and then sorted them according to their importance, and made a "Five-Year Development Plan".

Instead of blindly expanding territory, what Wang Jing needs to do now is to first transform the production model of the territory under his rule. Not to mention carrying out an industrial revolution, at least he needs to make preliminary preparations for it.

For example, a large number of workshops were opened to make use of the landless refugees and vigorously develop industry and commerce, rather than leaving them to fend for themselves.

"Everyone, you have all read the plan, right? Now we can set a small goal for ourselves, such as building a hundred workshops."

Xun You and the others were dumbfounded, thinking that Wang Jing was joking, and tried their best to persuade him: "My lord, I think we should take it step by step..."

However, Wang Jing thought that time was of the essence, so he waved his hand and said, "No need to say more, I have made up my mind."

"This……"

Xun You hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "My lord, if you want to do extraordinary things, you have to take extraordinary measures."

One hundred large workshops, with a total workforce of over 100,000, would require an extremely staggering amount of money to accomplish this task. It simply cannot be accomplished in a short period of time through normal means.

So Xun You thought about it and finally came to a conclusion: "My lord, this may require a war."

Wang Jing heard this and showed a resolute look: "Then let's start a war!"

Xun You sighed again and began to plan for Wang Jing.

…………

On an autumn night in Luoyang, the moonlight is as cool as water.

In front of Zuiyue Tower, two guests in luxurious clothes were sitting and drinking to the moon.

"Uncle brother."

"Brother Ziyuan."

"It is a rare opportunity for us to drink this cup to the full."

After Xu You and Yang Hong hypocritically addressed each other as brothers, they looked at each other coldly, cleverly hiding the disdain and hostility in their hearts.

The two brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu both wanted to conquer the world. As advisers under the two Yuans, Xu You and Yang Hong served their respective masters, so naturally they disliked each other.

However, now facing a common opponent, they had no choice but to unite secretly, just like when they formed an alliance to attack Dong Zhuo from the south and the north.

But this time, the two Yuans changed their target of attack.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Xu You put down his wine glass, looked slightly tipsy and said, "Brother Uncle, what do you think the strategic intention of Marquis Qi is?"

(End of this chapter)