Chapter 315 Ma Chao, the clown jumping on the beam
After all, Han Sui was also a tycoon. From a white man to an army of 100,000, he survived the annexation by dozens of princes in Liangzhou. How could such a person do such a stupid thing?
Liu Zhang frowned slightly and said loudly: "Immediately send an order. Yang Ren, the governor of Shangyong, is temporarily acting as the governor of Hanzhong. You must guard the pass. I will arrive in Hanzhong soon. In addition, I will immediately convene all the civil and military officials to discuss matters."
"yes."
Liu Zhang took Hao Sheng and Hu Che'er, who were sweating profusely, to the hall. All the civil servants were talking a lot in the hall. They were all a little uneasy when they saw that Jing Yi had not recovered yet and encountered a powerful enemy.
Wei Yan glanced left and right, and when Liu Zhang sat on the throne, he went out to pay homage to Liu Zhang and said: "My lord, why do you care about the little Xiliang thief? Give me 40,000 soldiers and horses to control the Shangyong counties in Hanzhong, and I will defeat Ma Chao.
Capture Xiliang for my lord."
"It is to recover Xiliang." Xu Jing corrected: "Xiliang was originally our Han territory, but now it is occupied by rebels. My lord has taken it as his own responsibility to help the Han Dynasty, so he should recover it, not seize it."
"If you have the energy to chew words, it's better to draw your sword once on the battlefield." Wei Yan glanced sideways at Xu Jing and bowed to Liu Zhang.
Liu Zhang smiled and said to everyone: "Do you know what I want you to do when I ask you to come here to discuss matters?"
"Huh?" All the civil and military officials looked at each other. They had just heard that Wu Ban was seriously injured and that Ma Chao had gathered the Qiang people and led an army of 80,000 to attack the city. Isn't it obvious what he was going to do?
Fazheng glanced at Liu Zhang's relaxed expression, realized something slightly, and asked, "Don't you, my lord, want to discuss the Xiliang soldiers' invasion of the border?"
"That's right." Liu Zhang said in a deep voice: "Compared with the Xiliang Army, we have a major issue that needs to be discussed that is more related to the future and destiny of Jingyi. I have decided." Liu Zhang stood up and said: "Reopen the Southwest Silk Road."
Liu Zhang was very vocal. In fact, Liu Zhang had been planning this decision for a long time. For several months, he had been weighing the pros and cons of opening the Silk Road, inspecting Yizhou's commercial vitality, and its financial, food and manpower base.
The former is the prerequisite for benefits from opening the Silk Road, and the latter is the guarantee for opening the Silk Road.
"what? What?"
All the ministers, including Fa Zheng, were shocked and started talking. Wang Lei's face flashed with righteousness, and he was about to step out, but was stopped by Huang Quan: "Don't you know what my lord's temper is like? What he decides is a matter of death."
Can it be changed? Just be patient and listen to the lord’s reasons first, and then give him advice before it’s too late.”
Wang Lei struggled for a moment and took back his steps. Today, he has been imprisoned several times. Although Liu Zhang released him every time after doing what he had done, from the very beginning when he decided to take the imperial examination in Jiangzhou, to
He massacred many clans, but he never changed a single thing Liu Zhang decided.
Fazheng came out of the queue and bowed calmly: "My lord, the opening of the Southwest Silk Road is very inconvenient. I believe my lord has already understood it. Why is my lord suddenly determined to open the Silk Road?"
"There is no reason. We have a small population, low taxes, and few talents. Without major reforms, we will never be Cao Cao's opponent in the future. We will die sooner or later. Why not give it a try?"
Liu Zhang said in a deep voice, looking at the civil and military officials who were whispering to each other, all with anxious faces. The opening of the Southwest Silk Road would consume a lot of money, food, and young men, and they would also face harassment from barbarians. Everyone knew this well.
.
Listening to the discussion of the civil servants, Liu Zhang walked down the steps. As soon as he stepped down the last step, the civil servants immediately stopped talking.
"Everyone, keep talking. I came down just to hear your opinions more clearly. I don't want you to talk."
Liu Zhang frowned. It seemed that his image in the hearts of these civil servants was not very good. Especially many civil servants who were transferred from local areas were still unclear about Liu Zhang's temper. They all thought that Liu Zhang was a man who acted arbitrarily and killed people.
This is not good.
Liu Zhang glanced at the civil servants and then turned to Wang Lei. Wang Lei looked around and saw that no one dared to speak. He was not afraid. The worst he could do was to go to jail again. He was not afraid of death. Why should he be afraid of this?
He immediately came out of the queue and bowed loudly: "My lord, what you said is inappropriate."
Gong Zhi, Dong He and other civil servants who were transferred from the local area all looked at Wang Lei, and Liu Zhang also looked at Wang Lei coldly.
Wang Lei's face did not change as he continued: "My lord said that our population is not as good as Cao Cao's, our taxation is not as good as Cao Cao's, our talents are not as good as Cao Cao's, and we cannot win without ingenious strategies. This is not wrong.
But there is more than just Cao Cao in the world. We have formed an alliance with Sun Quan. If Cao Cao goes south, Jiangdong will also be in crisis. Sun Quan will definitely not sit idly by. If Cao Cao attacks Jingxiang, Sun Quan will leave Hefei. If Cao Cao attacks Hefei, our army will leave.
Fancheng, use the south to fight against the north, even if Cao Cao is strong, we may not lose."
After Wang Lei finished speaking, he buried his head and waited for Liu Zhang to make an apology. All the civil servants looked at Liu Zhang.
Liu Zhang smiled: "Well said." He pointed at Wang Lei and turned to other civil servants: "Did you see it? This is what a civil servant should be like. It's not like you. When I come down, all opinions will be ignored."
It shrunk into the large intestine."
"Hahaha." The generals laughed. Liu Zhang turned back coldly and glanced at them. Gao Pei and others immediately became solemn.
Liu Zhang loudly said to the civil officials: "Only by fighting with warriors and admonishing by civil servants can the world prosper. If you really have any opinions, speak them out boldly. Although I, Liu Zhang, may not necessarily listen, I am not a coward and will not offend you."
Liu Zhang paused for a moment, then suddenly pulled out the sword in Zhang Ren's hand and said to all the civil servants: "Today, I, Liu Zhang, swear an oath on this sword. From now on, whenever civil servants give advice, no matter what the remonstrance is, the remonstrance will not be punished."
Liu Zhang inserted the sword on the red pillar. It seemed that his sword skills were not in vain. He turned to Wang Fu and said: "Master Wang, send someone to write on this pillar the words "Admonishing officials not guilty".
All civil servants, not only those who are in the hall today, but also those who will enter this hall in the future, dare to speak out and give advice."
"Lord Shengming."
"Lord, Holy Ming." All the civil and military officials paid their respects.
"Okay, let's talk about it."
Liu Zhang stepped up the steps and looked back. The civil servants discussed for a while and finally let go. Gong Zhi stepped forward and said: "My lord, what Wang Lei said is not unreasonable. Moreover, now is the time when Xiliang troops are approaching the border. Even if
Discussing the opening of the Silk Road should wait until the Xiliang soldiers are defeated."
"Yeah yeah."
Dong He stepped forward and paid homage: "My lord, my subordinates believe that the most urgent task now is not to revitalize commerce, but to revitalize agriculture."
The civil and military officials immediately booed when they saw Dong He. Who doesn't know that Liu Zhang is now vigorously supporting business, which is a basic national policy, and he actually came out to oppose it. Isn't this too short-sighted?
Dong He looked calm and said in a deep voice: "Based on the population, if Cao Cao unified the north, he would be able to dispatch at least 500,000 troops, all of whom are northern warriors. We must fight with the same number. In other words, we need
During the period of rest and recuperation, he accumulated food and fodder for an army of 500,000 to fight.
Now our two prefectures, Jingyi and Jingyi, have just encountered a major chaos, and their grain output has just been sufficient. According to our strategy, we need to rest for four to five years, and now one year has passed.
My subordinates estimate that even if the money, food, materials and people are not used for other purposes, we will not be able to accumulate enough supplies in three or four years. What’s more, we still have the Qiang and Xiliang troops to cause nuisance. Therefore, my subordinates believe that even if the business is done now,
To develop both agriculture and agriculture, we should also focus on agriculture. It is absolutely not feasible to open the Silk Road."
The civil servants discussed for a while and came out one after another.
"I second the proposal."
"I second the proposal."
Liu Zhang smiled and nodded, and said loudly: "I am very happy to see that everyone can express what is in their heart. Well, I will answer you one by one."
"Wang Lei said that we have Jiangdong as our ally and are not afraid of Cao Cao. This is really a big mistake.
Who are Jiangdong Wenwu? They are experts at playing seesaw. Cao Cao is powerful, so they will definitely ally with us to fight against Cao Cao. If Cao Cao attacks Jingxiang, Sun Quan will definitely leave Hefei.
But, are we going to always be weaker than Cao Cao? Are we going to be like Jiangdong, huddled in Jingyi and Yizhou? I, Liu Zhang, am going to be an Anlehou Lord in this land until the end of my life? Let me tell you."
Liu Zhang looked at the civil and military officials coldly: "Today I will tell all the civil and military officials in Jing Yi one thing. You must always remember that Han and traitors are not at odds with each other, and the king's industry is not in peace. Even if I, Liu Zhang, spill my blood on the battlefield, and the national traitor Cao Cao does not die for a day,
As long as the country is not unified, I, the warrior of Jingyi, will never rest."
All civil and military personnel changed their colors in awe.
"So." Liu Zhang said in a deep voice: "We are not waiting for Cao Cao to attack us. We want to make the Northern Expedition, rescue the emperor, attack Yecheng, and kill Cao Cao. If we can achieve our goal, we will not be able to do it all the time.
If Cao Cao is strong and we are weak, we will surely become strong one day."
"And that day, will the people of Jiangdong still be allies with us? Will that piece of alliance paper still have any effect? Therefore, we will face many enemies sooner or later. In this case, we have a small population and low taxes.
, we must come up with unique strategies to make up for our inherent shortcomings."
"My subordinates are stupid, but my master's words will wake him up like a dream." Wang Lei bowed deeply.
Liu Zhang continued: "Let's talk about Gong Zhi again. Gong Zhi said that the Xiliang army is pressing down on the border. We should not open the Silk Road at this time. Let me tell you, the Xiliang army is very aggressive. It's just taking advantage of the chaos in Hanzhong. As soon as I arrive,
Can Hanzhong and Xiliang cavalry still fly past Yangping Pass?
At this time, our internal affairs cannot be stopped. Let me tell you, in this Xiliang incident, first the leader of the Qingyi Qiang was killed, and then the Wu Ban was seriously injured. Someone must have instigated it, and it was probably Cao Cao.
Why are they instigating? Isn't it just to make us unable to rest assured in our internal affairs, so that we can wait until Cao Cao destroys Yuan Shao's forces in the north, and then destroys us? Can we be fooled by them?
This time Xiliang invades the border, you don't have to worry at all. We have natural barriers in Sichuan and Shu. I don't want to fight. Unless all the soldiers and horses in Guanzhong arrive, otherwise, don't even think about shaking Hanzhong, Ma Chao, and you, the clown."
"My subordinate is not good at military affairs and speaks nonsense. Please don't blame me, my lord." Gong Zhi bowed and returned to the queue.
"The last one is Dong He. I really didn't expect that there is such a great talent in this place. With Dong He's foresight, he is much better than those rebels who were executed. He should have entered the Mufu a long time ago. He was transferred from Jiangyang
When you entered Jiangzhou, I did not check you."
All the civil servants looked at Dong He with envy, but Dong He looked calm.
Liu Zhang said: "What Dong He said is right. We don't have enough food to fight the war, so why do we do business? Can copper coins be eaten? Can gold be eaten? If the people don't have enough to eat, who will buy your things? If you go to other places
If the state buys grain, isn’t it that someone else’s lifeline is in someone else’s hands?”
"However." Liu Zhang changed the topic: "I have said it before, risk your life and survive. Dong He also said it himself, even if we develop for four years and accumulate a little food and grass, how long can we fight with an army of 500,000?
We can't defeat Cao Cao if we continue to do so. How can we talk about the Northern Expedition?"
Dong He came out and paid homage: "What my lord means is that instead of being killed by Cao Cao in the end, why not take a gamble before the decisive battle and strive to gain the strength to compete with Cao Cao?"
Liu Zhang nodded.
"It's too risky."
"This is too risky." All the civil servants discussed it one after another.
"Wei Yan, do you think it's risky?" Liu Zhang asked Wei Yan.
Wei Yan came out of the queue and said with a strong voice: "Wealth comes from taking risks. There are as many risks as there are benefits. If you don't dare to take risks, it's better to go home and nurse your children."
Liu Zhang smiled and said loudly: "Have you heard this? Taking risks is not terrible. If you want to achieve great things, you cannot sit in swaddling clothes."
I called everyone here today. The first is to let everyone feel at ease about the Xiliang Army and not to make a fuss. The second is to allow everyone to return to their respective duties and continue to recuperate and prepare for the opening of the Silk Road, which is a major event for us in the next few years."
"Follow orders."
Fazheng looked at Liu Zhang and knew that Liu Zhang had many things that he had not said. Although Liu Zhang liked gambling, he would do everything possible to increase his chances of winning.
All the civil and military personnel retired, and Liu Zhang left behind a few core civil and military personnel. Including Dong He, they returned to the courtyard and each found a seat to sit down. The maid brought tea and cakes, and Liu Zhang got straight to the point.
"Everyone, our Jingyi's grand strategy has never changed, which is to recuperate and recuperate. Whether it is opening the Silk Road or developing both commerce and agriculture, it is all to obtain more materials. The reason why we keep you here is that there are still some details that need to be
Consultation.
The first is to open the Silk Road. Maybe what I just said is not convincing to everyone. I have thought about it for a long time and carefully weighed the pros and cons.
Let me talk about profit first. I have been investigating our business a few days ago, and I am very satisfied. Business is active, and business creation is also active. We have many products that can be sold at high prices, but we just lack enough buyers. If the Silk Road is opened, we will
Porcelain, cloth, silk, and paper will be continuously exported in exchange for gold, silver, armor, and weapons.
Therefore, opening the Silk Road is extremely beneficial to us. Maybe you will not believe that besides our Han Dynasty, there are several wealthy empires. They have many things we need. In addition to gold and silver, the Great Qin armor dagger donated by Qu Xi
, the elephant presented by Yin Baijin, high-yielding crops with a higher yield per mu than rice, and many more, we can exchange them for porcelain, silk and other commodities.
As for the disadvantages of opening the Silk Road, you have all said what needs to be said. Whether it is men, money, or food consumption, in the final analysis, it is a food problem. I have two solutions to solve it. You should listen to it first."
Liu Zhang took a sip of tea and said, "The first option is to exchange money for food.
I have measured our finances. We have less food and more money. Banks and official workshops and shops are all places where money comes from. It is impossible for Sun Quan and Cao Cao to attach great importance to business like us and set up assembly lines. Even if they do, management and technology will
We are not mature enough in terms of development either.
Our product prices and types have inherent advantages, and we are monopolized in many aspects. Sales to Sun Quan and Cao Cao, and sales to the Western Regions through Yumen Pass, can bring us countless amounts of money.
Many daily and agricultural supplies, such as soap locust, plows, etc., were previously made by farmers themselves, but now they are made in workshops. The prices are cheap and farmers are willing to buy them. This not only saves them time to grow more food, but also brings us
money.
Huang Quan, you have to do two things. First, the farmers' taxes will be collected as they are now. But if the farmers get more grain, and it is verified to be true, they will be rewarded with money per hundred catties. The wasteland that was opened during the slack season will only be rewarded. Second
If you plant grain every spring, you will be rewarded on an acre basis.
This is the first step in exchanging money for grain. In this way, it will not only increase farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain and produce more grain, but also allow farmers to have a certain amount of money and promote internal business prosperity.
But remember not to commit fraud, especially if local officials deliberately overreport and make repeated declarations. Anyone found guilty will be severely punished, ranging from dismissal from office to beheading."
"Yes." Huang Quan responded.
"The second step of exchanging money for grain is to purchase grain from Cao Cao and Sun Quan's jurisdiction through various official and private channels. The price can be slightly higher, and the more you can collect, the better. These grains are only used as grain storage and are not included in grain production.
According to statistics, you can pretend that these grains do not exist. In short, we cannot reduce the number of farmers in Jingyi just because of these grains."
"Yes." All the civil servants replied in unison.
"The second plan is a conservation plan. We will open the Silk Road. For the time being, we will only open roads to Shendu and the Da Yuezhi Empire (Kushan Empire). Zhang Ren, who is training soldiers and horses in the western grasslands, I will give him orders from time to time.
Explore the road leading to Kunlun Mountain. If you encounter Qiang and Di obstacles, it's a good time to practice your skills.
In terms of manpower, we selected winter and summer as the seasons for opening roads. In spring and autumn, most of the strong men were taken back to continue farming. In addition, all those who committed crimes in the future will no longer be sentenced to jail and will all be transferred to the south.
Xinjiang opens the Silk Road, which should be able to recover a certain amount of human losses."
Liu Zhang paused for a moment and saw Zhou Bujie walking out of the side door, taking a small bench and walking to the grape trellis, leaning against a tree and taking a nap, listening to the discussion with his ears raised.
"In short." Liu Zhang said: "There are advantages and disadvantages to opening the Silk Road, but after ten days of thinking, I feel that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. By increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, opening the Silk Road will not make us use up all our money and food. If we open the Silk Road
, our businessmen will definitely be able to recover their costs.
If a large number of soldiers and armor are imported by then, we will not need to expand too many troops. If the equipment is well-equipped, an army of 300,000 may not be unable to defeat Cao Cao's army of 500,000, or even more. This is the policy of elite troops, which can save a lot of food.
Of course, this is something to talk about later. What else do you think about the opening of the Silk Road?"
Liu Zhang looked at the civil and military officials. Liu Zhang had already said this. What else could the civil and military officials say? Huang Quan said: "My lord is thoughtful and considerate of everything. It really puts the civil servants under my command to shame.
After my lord’s analysis, it’s not impossible to open this Silk Road, but what should I do with the Xiliang soldiers? Will the Xiliang soldiers really retreat as soon as my lord arrives in Hanzhong?”
ps: #tyrantLiu Zhang# Thanks to Jiang Yujie km, barefoot, I am barefoot for the reward, and thanks to Midnight de Moon 588 for the reward.