Generally speaking, whenever there is a political turmoil and the situation is shaken, the first to know about it and start to prepare secretly are the people at the top. Ordinary people have no idea at all. Even after it happens, they still don’t understand why the situation suddenly changed.
Such changes have occurred.
Of course, the Cui family cannot be ordinary people who know nothing.
Cui Yan looked up at the sky.
The weather has not been very good these days. Even if there is sunshine, it only lasts for a cup of tea, and then it will be covered by dark clouds.
The cold wind howled from the north, pulling down the leaves of all the trees in Xu County.
Except for those hardy conifers and cypresses with coniferous leaves, no other broad-leaved trees were spared.
So, is Cui's big tree a coniferous tree that can survive this severe cold weather, or is it a broadleaf tree that looks good but cannot withstand the cold wind?
Cui Yan is very careful every step he takes now.
But when he saw his son Cui Qin, he seemed to have no awareness of this.
Cui Yan is obviously not old, and he is far from the age where he needs to "beg for bones." The reason why he said this was undoubtedly a test.
Who to test?
The first is his son, Cui Qin.
Different from the single seedlings in later generations, ancient people, especially big families, must have advocated having many children and grandchildren. In addition to the most superficial one, more people are more powerful, and there is another rule hidden under the water.
Even within an acre, there will always be good seedlings and rotten barnyard grass. In a big family, among peers, there will always be good seeds and bad weeds.
During this period, a successor will emerge from within. Although not every family may be as exaggerated as the one in Kowloon, but in this process, generally everyone will have several opportunities. If you seize it, you can expect to inherit such a huge family.
If the family assets are not grasped or mishandled, they will eventually become a sowing machine waiting to die.
The same is true for Cui.
Cui Yan didn't resent Cui Qin's ambition, but he hated Cui Qin's ambition but not enough ability to match it.
Cui Qin had not shown particularly outstanding qualities before, so when he wanted to send him to Xu County as a "proton", Cui Yan naturally chose to let Cui Qin come.
As a proton, there is no chance.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, many protons became kings.
But the problem is that Cui Qin has done nothing in Xu County...
Oh, it’s not like I didn’t do it at all…
Anyway, among the brothels and tile shops in Xu County, Cui Qin must be the most familiar with them.
It's normal for young people to be a little greedy, but you can't leave serious matters aside.
Cui Yan now calls Cui Qin over and tells him that he is "retiring". In fact, he is once again confirming whether Cui Qin has political sensitivity...
But Cui Yan was disappointed that Cui Qin did not realize that this was part of a political deal.
Politics is the art of compromise.
Ordinary gentry children, or younger people, often think that the world is black or white, good or bad, but Cui Yan knows very well that in this world, most things are difficult to distinguish between good and bad.
, not absolutely black, nor absolutely white, but gray.
The core of politics lies in balancing and coordinating various interests.
Since it is an interest, it has its size and severity, so in this process, compromise has become a necessary art.
Compromise does not mean that it is necessarily a bad thing, nor does it mean that you have to give up your principles or succumb to pressure, but that in the process, you can find a balance between both parties or multiple parties...
As the war situation in the world has progressed to the present, it is no longer a problem between Fei Qian and Cao Cao. It may also involve major changes in the Han Dynasty structure in the future.
Only by understanding the current situation thoroughly can we take advantage of future changes and even live a more prosperous life.
This has to mention the second target of Cui Yan's move, the emperor Liu Xie.
Emperor Liu Xie wants balance, this is nothing new.
As long as the emperor has some means, he will do something like this.
Showing kindness, establishing authority, and balancing these three are considered the basic skills of an emperor.
If the basic skills are good, the game will be good and the court will be smooth. On the contrary, it will be chaos up and down.
Liu Xie is indeed working hard to learn and grow. Everyone can see this, but the problem is...
No time!
If in the peaceful era, Liu Xieda could learn slowly, he was still young anyway, but now that the crisis is imminent, he must grow up immediately and take on the responsibility of the emperor!
But Liu Xie is still hesitating at the moment...
Liu Xie didn't know exactly where this balance point was.
Therefore, although Cui Yan and Liu Xie had a good talk these days, in fact there was not much progress at all.
Both sides want to use the other to achieve their goals, but are unwilling to make corresponding concessions.
Both want to feel good, but neither wants to move. They both want the other to take the initiative and move more...
Cui Yan's retreat is to make Liu Xie express his position. Otherwise, if it drags on, accidents may happen. Secondly, Cui Yan has a sense of crisis in his heart...
He had been getting closer to the emperor these days, but the people in Yingchuan didn't react at all. This was obviously very abnormal.
So the third target of Cui Yan's test was the Yingchuan sect...
There is no need to elaborate on this point, everyone will understand it naturally.
In addition to these three relatively superficial points, Cui Yan was also secretly testing the Jizhou faction.
This node now can even be said to be the most critical moment for Cui.
Whether you are advancing or retreating, these are very critical choices.
Cui Yan hoped that even if Cui Qin could not understand all the key points, he could at least say something useful. However, Cui Yan did not expect that Cui Qin's first reaction when he heard that Cui Yan was resigning was that Cui Yan resigned.
So what about Cui Qin’s own position?
After all, in the Han tradition, if the father has a good position, it means that the son has a good position.
Although Cui Qin was a little dissatisfied with his role as a hostage in Xu County, he was still very satisfied with his life in Xu County.
After all, in order to appease high-ranking officials like Cui Yan, the treatment for their protons is not bad, and there will be special arrangements for food, clothing, housing and transportation. The salary of ordinary officials may also be discounted, for protons like Cui Qin
, not only will there be no deductions, there will even be additional subsidies!
So Cui Qin's first reaction was that he didn't want his father to resign, but he couldn't explain why he didn't resign...
Cui Yan closed his eyes and drove Cui Qin away.
At the most critical moment, Cui Yan would never allow Cui Qin to mess up his plan, so Cui Yan ordered Cui Qin to be grounded and not allowed to go out without permission. He must concentrate on playing this game well and determine the status of Jizhou and Yuzhou.
divided.
Because Yuan Shao fell before, Jizhou was ranked lower than Yuzhou.
Now, it’s hard to say who is begging whom!
…
…
The news that Cui Yan wanted to "beg for bones" spread, catching many people off guard and causing an uproar in the market. Many Yingchuan disciples couldn't help but gather together and talk about it.
In fact, many people knew the news that the emperor Liu Xie and Cui Yan were colluding and preparing to go public, but they did not expect that Cui Yan would suddenly withdraw his capital!
Doesn’t this put the emperor aside?!
At the same time, Cui Yan's withdrawal of capital vaguely implies that Jizhou will be completely separated from Yuzhou!
"Cui Shijun's move is to retreat in order to advance, but it is so cruel!"
"This retreat will put us and the people in Yingchuan on fire!"
"Once the Cui family retreats, the situation in Shandong will deteriorate, and it will have nothing to do with Jizhou..."
"Have you heard that the Qingqi Ruo came this time to cut off the land of Hebei! This Cui family must be thinking about the future. If it is really cut off... then..."
"Wait a minute, don't you think this is too coincidental? There are rumors that the land of Hebei will be cut off, and the Cui family will withdraw to Hebei... If all this is planned by some people..."
"If the hussars really come, only we, Yuzhou Yingchuan, can stop them?"
"Isn't there Yanqing and Xu Jing?"
read
"Don't tell me you don't know what's going on in these places?!"
"If you want to keep the Cui family, you will probably have to give them enough benefits..."
"This is simply taking advantage of the situation!"
For a moment, it was like a huge rock hitting the waves, and the sky was full of waves. Everyone was talking about it, some were surprised, and some were angry, but most of them were worried about their own three-acre land.
The people's hearts in Xu County are fluctuating, and in recent years, they have gradually reached their extreme.
This situation occurs because, on the one hand, the proportion of official officials in Xu County is too high, so generally speaking, the news leaks out very quickly. It only happens in the court in the morning, or something is discussed in the afternoon.
It will become the talk of the streets.
On the other hand, most people have no sense of confidentiality, and sometimes they will add fuel to the flames. After all, as a people under the feet of the Han Emperor, if you can't talk about some political topics and the world's pattern on weekdays, then how can you be considered a qualified Kyoto citizen?
Of course, in the rapid spread of these news, there may not be black gloves and white gloves from all parties.
Jizhou has Jizhou's methods, and Yuzhou also has Yuzhou's methods. Poor ordinary people in the cities and towns of Xu County are like grass and grass in the wilderness. They are blown to one side by the wind and hit by the rain on the other.
On the face, you can only passively accept it, without any room for independent choice.
The hustle and bustle in the market can be described as all kinds of strange and all kinds of things, but of course the current political core circle in Xu County knows more or less what it is like.
In fact, a few days ago, Xun Yu had already paid attention to the mutual hookup between the emperor Liu Xie and Cui Yan.
This is actually inevitable, and Xun Yu also specifically asked people not to interfere, just to see what Cui Yan would do.
Cao Cao was in Heluo and Xun Yu was in Xu County.
If the emperor Liu Xie wants to cause trouble, no one will care. Because everyone knows that no matter how big the trouble is, the emperor Liu Xie is just playing house, and there is a tacit understanding between the top and bottom of the court not to take it seriously.
What is an emperor without soldiers, money, people and power?
But Cui Yan is different.
Talking about Cui Yan alone is not a big problem, but Cui Yan is implicated in Jizhou, which is a big and troublesome political article. In addition, Jizhou is also facing the threat of Zhao Yun's troops from Youzhou moving south.
It seems that it needs to be treated with more caution.
And more importantly, how should the Cavalry deal with it?
The first of course is the soldiers and horses. Do you mean to pull out the field soldiers near Yingchuan? That would really be killing the goose to lay eggs. Even if it can withstand the impact of the Hussars, it will leave Yanzhou and Yuzhou empty, delaying farming, and
When there is no follow-up power, if something happens again, I am afraid that it will be in a state of collapse and never be able to recover!
So how about mobilizing soldiers and horses from other states and counties? The last time we mobilized, there were already some dissatisfied complaints. In view of Cao Cao's reputation at the time, it was more or less able to suppress it. But now that Cao Cao has been defeated, he wants to mobilize troops from other states and counties again.
Soldiers are not so easy to mobilize. Without good communication and mobilization, or coercion and inducement, nothing can be mobilized!
Again, how much time will the hussars give? Some people say that spring will come, others think that the hussars have to recover, so it should be autumn, and some people say that the hussars are vicious, so they must wait until the end of summer, close to the autumn harvest.
Come...
If it is really to defend the Hussars, then Heluo must be the first to take the lead. No matter when the Hussars are dispatched, the Heluo area must be the first area to engage in battle. However, after the turmoil in the Heluo area, it has always been
It is very weak, and the defense of Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Jizhou and other places is also important, so Cao Cao's Qingzhou Army can still only be in the front!
This is basically understood by the smart people in Yuzhou and Jizhou. Even the emperor Liu Xie's thinking of playing house also knows this. Therefore, when Liu Xie and Cui Yan blend together, they hope more to be able to sit down.
Come down and talk, instead of actually breaking up!
Cui Yan's "Begging for Bones" captures this point.
Who begs whom?
This order is very important.
Cui Yan's inscription "Begging for Bones" could not be more clear...
In the seal, it was stated that since he became the governor of Jizhou, he had been wandering around a lot, working hard, and was exhausted both physically and mentally, so he wanted to resign. But in fact, the meaning was very clear. As long as Cui Yan, the "Jizhou Governor,"
"Assassin" is worthy of his name, and even better, so Heluo military affairs still have room for maneuver. Although it is not guaranteed to defeat the Hussars, at least it can stop the incoming enemy!
Otherwise, Yuzhou must be allowed to play with itself!
This is indeed the case. If we can still get the support of Jizhou, then at least we can gain the time and resources to resist the Hussars. But if we really fall apart, it’s hard to say. But the problem is, this time
If you give in, what about next time?
The local government took advantage of the weakness of the central court to threaten state affairs. If this is the case, then who will threaten the court next time?
And there is a more serious problem. Even if Cui Yan agrees and compromises this time, will Jizhou's soldiers, horses, money and food really be sent to Heluo to supply the front line?
You must know that Jizhou is also facing the threat of Zhao Yun from Youzhou. Once Zhao Yun takes action, or even Zhao Yun fails to take action, the people of Jizhou will regard it as an excuse to refuse to allocate food, grass and soldiers. Then Xun Yu and others will
If you give in, it will really become a joke!
Such is the dilemma.
Yuzhou alone can no longer support the huge military consumption.
The shortfall incurred in previous years has yet to be filled.
Over the years, I have relied on Xun Yu's left hand to fill his right hand, and his left pocket to fill his right pocket...
Just kidding, how is this possible? It’s not just about relying on Yuzhou’s capital, Yingchuan’s wealth accumulated over the past century. However, this amount of money is a huge amount for a family or a region, but it really has to be invested in
In the entire country, it is basically a drop in the bucket.
According to common sense calculations, if the war continues in the tenth year of Taixing, it will cost at least hundreds of millions of military expenditures. Even if Yuzhou digs out all the coffins, this large amount of expenditure may not be usable. Moreover, military pay is not something that can be used in normal times.
owe
Yes, it doesn't matter, but if you really have to go into battle, you always have to pay a little money to buy your life. At least let these soldiers feel comfortable before setting off, so that after they go into battle, they will always express their desire for this and that.
I'm done with it...
But where will this money and materials come from?
Some people previously suggested melting copper and casting a batch of five-baht coins to pay for the army.
For the big guys above the court, this matter is nothing more than the issuance of additional currency. It can also be regarded as a basic operation. During the Three Kingdoms period in history, various coins worth ten to a hundred were issued by all three countries. No one should laugh at it.
Who. Anyway, those who suffer are the middle class. Ordinary untouchables have no money, so the impact is not that big. But those handicraftsmen or small traders who have finally accumulated a little money are forced to continue to suffer and endure.
Already.
But this trick suddenly doesn't work anymore...
The reason is that nowadays, all that is circulating in the market is Qiusi money!
Before the war, everyone thought that Fei Qian was stupid and printed copper coins in vain, almost as a copy for Shandong. However, when the market is now using Hussar coins, even the Yingchuan faction minted them.
If you treat it as a ten-for-a-hundred, and force the people to use it, it will not have the original effect.
This very simple financial method taught Xun Yu and others a solid lesson.
Therefore, the current situation requires the support of Jizhou, both in terms of manpower and money. However, the Yingchuan faction is also unwilling to compromise like this, so while pretending to be stupid, what is the deal with Cui Yan?
How to deal with this "begging for bones" seal, the problem was still thrown to Liu Xie.
This issue may be the only major project and national decision-making that Liu Xie can deal with in this period of time. But for Liu Xie, this determination is not so easy...
Liu Xie was anxious and worried, so he could only hold successive court meetings and summon ministers to inquire about the response. But how could these ministers' evasive tactics be able to be used by Liu Xie? After many discussions, there was no result.
There were small meetings and conferences, but there was no result. Discussions went on and on, but there was no answer.
Time passed like this day by day.
Liu Xie had no choice but to issue an edict to refuse Cui Yan's application, but Liu Xie knew that Cui Yan's second request would be delivered again soon...
In the center of the imperial court, the atmosphere has been tense these past few days.
This low-pressure atmosphere has also spread to Xu County. The once bustling brothels and restaurants are now missing some singing, dancing and drinking parties. Everyone feels that an ice and snow storm is coming, but no one can predict what will happen to this ice and snow storm.