Three Kingdoms: The Reverse Son of the Guan Family, Dragon Blessing Jingxiang

Cao Cao is a tyrant.

His ability to unify the Central Plains and sweep across the northern border was not only due to the bravery of Qiao Pei warriors, but also the support of Yingchuan talents.

It's not just luck.

His decision-making power, judgment, insight, resourcefulness, and even the ability to adapt to battle... are unparalleled in the world.

For such a person and such an important Xiangfan, how could he not have a second level of deployment?

Not nipping problems in the bud?

Cao Cao had long thought that what if the situation in Xiangfan was so turbulent that it was irreversible?

What about Guan Yu? He was bound to make a desperate move to attack Xiangfan.

He even thought about the worst case scenario.

That is because he, Cao Cao, was unable to respond immediately.

In this case, how to protect Xiangfan and even turn defeat into victory is not an easy problem.

And this depends on Cao Cao's deployment.

Cao Cao specially sent Yu Jin, the leader of the five good generals, to garrison troops in Runan, and Gao Lan (who died in Changbanpo in the interpretation, but there is no record in history, so he is still alive) to garrison Xuchang. When he went to Hanzhong, he secretly Delivered two tips to Zhang Liao.

One of them is Sun Quan's response when he invaded in large numbers.

There are only four words in the content - "When thieves arrive, they will be found!"

It was precisely because of these four words that Zhang Babai achieved the feat of defeating Sun Shiwan.

As for the other letter, it was not so concise.

Cao Cao listed three situations.

The first is if the situation in Xiangfan changes during the rising water period.

Then Zhang Liao held his troops still and transferred Yu Jin to rush from Runan to Xiangfan's aid.

The second was during the dry season. The same assumption was made. This time, Yu Jin stood still and Zhang Liao quickly rushed from Hefei to Xiangfan, took up residence in Xiangfan, and handed over the commander-in-chief of Hefei to Le Jin, who was also a good general.

The third is during the high water period, if the situation in Xiangfan changes and Sun Quan invades at the same time, Cao Cao's plan is that Zhang Liao will go to Xiangfan and Yujin will enter Hefei.

This can also be seen how much Cao Cao values ​​Xiangfan.

The current situation is the second situation. In the past, Zhang 800 defeated Sun 100,000, and then the dry season came, and the pressure on Hefei undoubtedly dropped sharply. At this time, it was impossible for Sun Quan to organize troops to invade.

Of course, Zhang Liao should have led his troops to attack Ruxukou at this time.

The changes in the high water period and the low water period often mark the transformation of the offensive and defensive trends of Wei and Wu.

In fact, Zhang Liao originally planned to attack Ruxukou.

But... who would have thought that suddenly Cao Ren fainted and the news came that Cao Chun was dead.

Zhang Liao immediately decided to give up the attack on Ruxukou and wait and see what happens.

And this is just to wait and see.

After all... Cao Ren fainted, and there were still Man Chong, Lu Chang, Zhao Yan, and Niu Jin in Xiangfan City... No matter how bad things were, Jiangxia still had that "iron wall" literary talent.

With them there…

The situation in Xiangfan is as stable as Mount Tai, and it will not collapse yet.

But...who would have thought that not long after Zhang Liao received the first urgent message, the second urgent message followed.

——Wenpin is gone, Man Chong is gone, Niu Jin is gone, and Lu Chang is gone.

——There is only one Zhao Yan left in Xiangfan, a great city!

Isn't this what Prime Minister Cao said: "The situation in Xiangfan has changed"...

Zhang Liao immediately handed over the command of the troops in Hefei to Lejin, and he himself led a group of personal guards on the night journey to Shouchun.

The waterway was impassable, so they rode horses to Xiangyang. Finally, it was not too late.

Zhao Yan was stunned when he saw Zhang Liao. He couldn't believe it.

Some time ago, Zhang Wenyuan, who was "800 to 100,000" and "shocked the world" that made the children of Soochow stop crying, actually appeared in Xiangyang.

What's even more surprising is that Zhang Liao also brought news.

"General Xiahou has urgently summoned General Yu Jin, General Gao Lan, and Young Master Cao Zhang... Now, they have gathered in Xudu, and soon the army will rush to Xiangfan."

Zhang Liao's words seemed to carry an aura of confidence.

It was as if the entire situation was always under his control.

"Yun Chang is so arrogant that he will surely take advantage of his victory to advance. The Prime Minister has set up a trap for him early in the morning. When he arrives at Fancheng, we will ambush him from all sides and capture him alive!"

this…

Zhao Yan rolled his eyes and asked quickly: "Is it Fancheng? Isn't it Xiangyang?"

hehe…

Zhang Liao smiled, a slight smile.

Once again, he showed the overall view of an outstanding commander.

And...that is how only a fellow countryman and a close friend can understand Guan Yu.

"A Jingjiang River divides Xiangfan, with Xiangyang in the south and Fancheng in the north. In Yunchang's view, even if Xiangyang is captured, Fancheng still needs to be captured. But if Fancheng is captured, Xiangyang will be destroyed without attacking!"

Speaking of this, Zhang Liao paused and his tone was determined. "How aloof and arrogant Yun Chang is. He will definitely not attack Xiangyang. He will definitely take Fancheng... He will station the general camp between Fancheng and Wancheng, intending to cut off all supplies to Xiangfan!"

"If it were anyone else, he would never dare to go so far alone, but if it were him, he would definitely do this!"

The people who know Shanxi people best are not necessarily Shanxi people, but they must be Guan Yu's fellow villagers.

Zhang Liao knew Guan Yu too well.

In fact, Guan Yu in history, even when he flooded the Seventh Army and shocked China.

His garrison of the Guan Family Army was never south of the Jingjiang River, in the area close to Jiangling.

But it is north of Jingjiang River, between Wancheng and Fancheng.

Guan Yu was the only one in the world who could be so domineering and not take Cao Wei seriously.

Even if it's an ambush from all sides.

Perhaps in Guan Yu's eyes, it was Guan Yu who surrounded all these ten-faced people, and all he had to do was shout, "Everyone here is rubbish!"

call…

At this moment, Zhao Yan let out a long breath and said with emotion.

"It turns out that everything is under the control of Prime Minister Cao."

"Blessings and misfortunes depend on each other..." Zhang Liao's tone was as serious and solemn as ever, "Disasters, once used properly, can also turn into good things. In this battle, we are bound to capture Guan Yunchang!"

As he spoke, Zhang Liao's eyes were filled with light... a light of bravery.

In his opinion, he must take the title of "No. 1 Hero in Shanxi" from Guan Yu's head with his own hands.

——"I'm sorry, dear friend!" 』

——"We brothers are each our own masters, let's have a good fight this time!" 』

…

…

Chengdu, Zhuge Mansion.

The oil lamp had burned out, and the gray morning light came in slightly. Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei read Guan Lin's second answer sheet.

The discussion lasted half the night.

However, the two people's spirits showed no signs of fatigue, and they still knelt down on the side of the bamboo mat and concentrated on it.

Zhuge Liang's second test question is: How should we solve the problem of merchants in Sichuan hoarding goods and driving up prices?

Guan Lin's answer is very simple, only three paragraphs.

The first paragraph - "The people are prosperous and the country is strong!"

Second paragraph - "Establish a Commerce Department to collect commercial taxes."

The third paragraph - "Businessmen in Shu can join the Commerce Department on a voluntary basis. At the same time, any merchant who joins the Commerce Department and greatly improves his status must submit to the jurisdiction of the Commerce Department. Businessmen who are not members of the Commerce Department are not allowed to do business privately. Found out The offenders will be severely punished without credit."

These three paragraphs are actually very simple.

Guan Lin wrote it after thinking about it for a while after seeing the test questions.

In fact, in the course of Chinese history, for a long period of time, businessmen would hoard goods and drive up prices.

For example, in the late Western Han Dynasty, major families annexed land and drove up prices, which seriously affected economic operations.

Therefore, everyone recommended Wang Mang to save the crisis.

Wang Mang rather "willfully" created the Liuquan currency system. From "Koizumi Naichi" to "Daquan Fifty", a total of six denominations were produced.

The largest denomination, the "Daquan Fifty", only uses the "copper content" of two and a half five-baht coins.

To put it simply, it means that for every "Daquan Fifty" issued, forty-seven and a half five baht worth of wealth will be taken away from the people.

This move caused large families to collect five-baht coins one after another, melt them down and cast them privately into "big springs", and then use the big springs to buy unlimited matryoshka dolls with "five-baht coins", triggering huge inflation.

This is the end of the Western Han Dynasty.

It was even more exaggerated in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

Dong Zhuo cast small coins, which sometimes caused the price of grain to reach hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars...

What's more, Liu Bei, who has always flaunted his "benevolence and righteousness", also acted like this out of desperation.

In history, Liu Bei, after entering Shu, faced the problem of "merchants hoarding goods and driving up prices."

The method he adopted was also similar to Dong Zhuo's "casting small coins."

However, Liu Bei's name is more elegant - Zhibaiqian.

To put it simply, it is to mint a new coin called "Zhibai Qian" to stabilize prices, one coin is equivalent to one hundred coins of the past five baht coins, and then force merchants and people to replace the new coins within a time limit.

It seems like old money is being exchanged for new money, one coin for a hundred coins.

But in fact, the "copper" content in a straight hundred coin is equivalent to the "copper" content in a five-baht coin.

In this way, if one coin is exchanged for a hundred coins, the copper content of the extra ninety-nine coins can be used to cast new "Zhihundian coins" for the city... On Liu Bei's side, the treasury's money and food will naturally continue to flow.

This is equivalent to deception at the official level, cheating the people's "copper" into the hands of the government by exchanging "old" for "new".

It's like running a mill out of the wheat you picked up, a business with no capital and huge profit.

Out of their trust in Liu Bei, the people in Shu didn't think too much at first, and spontaneously took five bahts to the government to exchange for hundreds of dollars, and prices were controlled in a short time.

But as time went by, the people were not stupid, and they found that the hundreds of dollars in their hands became less and less valuable.

The money that could buy a piece of clothing before can now not even buy a sleeve.

Everyone's wealth has been severely reduced.

Everyone also discovered that although they were getting poorer and poorer, the money in Liu Bei's treasury was constantly increasing, and so were military expenditures.

In the end, the entire Yizhou people's attitude towards Liu Bei also changed drastically.

That's why Liu Bei has always relied on the support of the Elder Faction, Jingzhou Faction, and Dongzhou Faction...

The attitude of the local forces in Yizhou and even the people of Yizhou towards him... can be described as "hard to describe in one word"!

Not to mention supporting Liu Bei, I just hope that you, Liu Bei, will do well and don't further reduce the copper content in the "Zhi Bai Qian", further deceive us, and squeeze us.

It is no exaggeration to say that if it were not for Zhuge Liang's unique way of governing Shu, coupled with the harsh punishments in the "Laws of Shu", the people would suffer losses, but they would have to settle the matter.

Otherwise, under this economic system of "straight money", public dissatisfaction has long been boiling and public dissatisfaction has spread in Sichuan, and the situation will definitely be out of control.

And this also indirectly caused the Yizhou locals, whether they were clans or people, to be unable to reach an agreement with Liu Bei.

certainly…

Although the implementation of "straight money" is deceptive.

However, Liu Bei had no choice at all.

This is based on Liu Bei's promise to the soldiers before he captured Chengdu, allowing the soldiers to take the money from the government for themselves.

Not only that, according to the records in "Three Kingdoms: Zhang Fei's Biography", Liu Bei also gave each of Zhuge Liang, Fazheng, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu five hundred catties of gold, one thousand catties of silver, fifty million yuan, and one thousand pieces of brocade...

You know, this number is extremely exaggerated... It is almost equivalent to the annual income of a county in Chengdu.

And where does this money come from?

We can only "cheat" it from the poor people of Yizhou.

This is a huge pitfall faced by the development of the central Sichuan region during the Ji Han regime! A huge hidden danger.

As for Guan Lin, he answered this question very quickly.

But it reminds me of this "unhealthy" and "abnormal" economic model in the Shu Han regime.

The charm of Shuhan...

The romanticism of the Shu Han Dynasty was originally people-oriented.

Without the support of the people and the popularity of the people, this regime will sooner or later become strangers... Therefore, Guan Lin's answer avoided "straight money" as much as possible.

You can't defraud people of their money...

Then we have to find new "economic growth points", right?

So Guan Lin glanced at the merchant.

In this examination paper, his first sentence was "The people are prosperous and the country is strong." This is a reminder to Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang that they must not ruin Liu Bei's "Only the virtuous and virtuous" sign and the people of Shu because of small profits. people hope.

The second sentence is to establish a Commerce Department to collect commercial taxes.

This is to find the growth point of Shuzhong's economy.

It's so boring to always focus on the poor people, the common people who have been "squeezed dry" of their wealth.

To make money, you have to make money from rich people.

If we talk about future generations, 80% of the wealth is in the hands of 20% of the people.

In the late Han Dynasty, 99% of the wealth was controlled by 1% of the people, which is not an exaggeration at all.

Make money from these wealthy businessmen...

Establish a Commerce Department to collect high business taxes and constrain their behavior.

In return, the status of merchants was greatly improved.

This is "transaction", which is the core and focus of Guan Lin's answer.

People say that the world of martial arts is not about fighting and killing, but about human nature.

In fact, Jianghu is not about human relations, but about equal exchange.

If Shu Han wants to break the "economic" dilemma, it must pay something and exchange something.

Instead of paying for the disappointment of the people of Yizhou and the change of people's mentality, it is better to pay... a substantial improvement in the status of merchants in exchange for more wisdom from the Shu Han treasury, thereby breaking the economic field.

It should be noted that merchants had the lowest status among the three religions and nine streams in ancient times.

During the reign of Qin Shihuang, merchants had to be registered in the market.

Merchants and their descendants, like criminal officials and son-in-laws, were among those who were banished to the garrison and could be taken to the frontier to serve or settle down at any time.

During the period of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, it was stipulated that merchants were not allowed to wear silk clothes, ride in cars, buy land, take concubines, or even eat large amounts of meat. They also had to pay double the amount of money as slaves.

By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the banishment system of the Qin Dynasty was restored, and merchants with "market registration" and their descendants were once again included in the targets of expropriation.

There are even some.

The businessman... not only was he included in the list, but his descendants were also unable to stand up due to their poor background.

In this way, businessmen are classified as "untouchables" and "untouchables", and those engaged in business are classified as "untouchables".

From the perspective of merchants, it seems that... they are also extremely eager to improve their status.

…

In this answer sheet, Guan Lin only wrote three paragraphs and a few words.

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang looked at it casually at first...

But as we look more deeply, think more deeply, and discuss more deeply...

Gradually, they discovered that the answer was brilliant.

Then, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang discussed the feasibility of the topics of "establishing a commercial bureau", "raising the status of merchants", and "enriching the treasury" throughout the night.

And Guan Lin thought of all his mental journey.

Until the dawn dawns, until the rooster crows...

Liu Bei just stood up suddenly. He seemed to have thought it through completely. He slapped the table and said in a deep voice: "What a Guan Yunqi, what a 'people are rich and the country is strong', what a commercial department, what a way to elevate the status of merchants. In exchange for the support of merchants and the replenishment of the treasury, Guan Yunqi is amazing!"

"yes…"

Zhuge Liang also slowly stood up. He was not tired at all from the night's discussion.

At this moment, his whole body seemed to be wrapped in a heat wave, and his mood was agitated.

"I had only thought about the severe punishments and laws in the "Laws of Shu" to restrain the people of Yizhou before, but I never thought that these merchants could hoard and drive up prices. Corresponding rules could also be formulated. The 'Commerce Department' mentioned by Yun Qi is unique , it’s eye-catching! What Yun Qi mentioned about the elevation of merchants’ status in exchange for heavy taxes on business is easy for these merchants to accept.”

Liu Bei looked at the answer sheet deeply, as if every word and sentence in it brought him deep insights.

He paused, and his tone gradually became more appreciative.

"This man's broad vision and grand structure are admirable. The Tao Te Ching says, 'If you want to take something, you must first give it to it.' If you want to take the wealth of a merchant, you must first give him a certain status. This is the principle of unity. Both sides benefit!”

"This is also the simplest and most convenient way to replenish the treasury. What's more... if all merchants can really be brought under the jurisdiction of the 'Commercial Department', how can there still be hoarding and price gouging in Sichuan? Yunqi's suggestion , it kills two birds with one stone and kills two birds with one stone!"

appreciate…

Liu Bei not only appreciated this suggestion, but also his nephew Guan Lin Guan Yunqi.

Speaking of which, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang are not mediocre people who can gain a foothold in this world. They are both extremely smart and wise people.

They can't think of this because they don't think about it at all.

I am afraid to think about everything.

Based on Guan Lin's answer, the more Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang thought about it, the more incredible it became. It was like the elevation of merchant status suddenly opened a new window for them.

In fact, in later generations, the status of businessmen was not low.

Even in this era where materialism is rampant and everything is focused on "money", the social status of businessmen is incredibly high.

And corresponding to their status is their large amount of taxes...

It seems that as long as people pay more taxes, their status will be high and they can be given any title!

Who would be so free that they would restrict other people’s basic necessities of life?

If the guarantee is not complete, the society will provide various kinds of care.

Therefore, Guan Lin would think of "businessmen", "commercial tax", and the Commerce Bureau... No, it's the Commerce Bureau.

but…

In ancient times, even if a person was as talented as Zhuge Kongming, it would be difficult for him to think in this direction under the strict conceptual system of "scholars, farmers, workers, and merchants" and class status.

It is even more impossible to imagine that one day, the status of businessmen will be greatly improved, and this improvement can help them in the most practical way.

It sounds strange...

Merchants in Sichuan were hoarding goods and driving up prices, leaving the treasury without food.

These two problems have troubled Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang for a long time.

At this moment...because of Guan Lin's answer sheet, because of the Commerce Department, and because of the merchant's elevated status, the problem was suddenly solved.

Although it goes against tradition…

But in an emergency, you should do something extraordinary!

Both Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang think it is feasible and can be done!

Liu Bei's words continued.

As if...his mood was extremely palpitating. While pacing, he sighed deeply:

"Previously, I, General Zuo's Mansion West Cao Liu Ba, proposed to me that by casting hundreds of coins to equalize the prices of goods and let officials set up official markets, the problem of empty treasury can be easily solved... I tossed and turned over this matter and thought about it again and again. ...I always feel that this is a fraud, an attempt to deceive the people of Shu!"

"Maybe it can help fill the treasury with money and food in the short term, but in the long run... it will definitely hurt the people's hearts. Kong Ming, you know best what I rely on to stand in the world; because of Pang Tong's "evil" and Fa Zheng's "cunning", I He took control of Bashu in an unethical way and robbed Liu Zhang of his territory. I already feel ashamed of the clan... I have thought about it many times recently. Evil and deceit are indispensable. However, power can never subdue others. Only the virtuous and virtuous master can win. Make people believe and obey.”

Speaking of this, Liu Bei pointed to Guan Lin's answer sheet and his tone became heavier.

"From this point of view, I want to thank Yun Qi. He did not let me sink deeper and deeper into the road of deception and evil. He stopped me from the cliff and allowed me to balance this justice, this kindness, and this The relationship between evil and treachery.”

Liu Bei stared deeply at the words written by Guan Lin.

It was as if he was looking at his nephew with great concern.

He continued with emotion:

"——Don't do good deeds because they are small, and don't do evil because they are small! Yun Qi has both the evil of Pang Shiyuan and the deceit of "filial piety and uprightness", and even more of Kong Ming's "decentness". The way the second brother teaches his son makes me, as an elder brother, envious and admired, but also... ashamed."

Speaking of shame…

It's because when talking about Guan Yu's sons, Liu Bei will inevitably think of his sons Liu Chan and Liu Adou!

Children, what they fear most is comparison.

This is no better than not knowing. Now Liu Bei only thinks that when it comes to intelligence, when it comes to agility, when it comes to controlling the current situation.

His son Liu Chan…

Even carrying Guan Lin's shoes is not worthy!

Liu Bei even felt that Adou was far behind even if one of Guan Lin's nose hairs was compared.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Other people’s children…

Haha, after all, he is someone else’s child.

Seeing Liu Bei's thoughts, Zhuge Liang quickly advised: "My lord, don't be upset. Adou is still young and has not yet enlightened... Besides, Yun Qi didn't seem to show any talent when he was young. Now... this can be regarded as an epiphany!" "

"Haha..." Zhuge Liang's words made Liu Bei feel better, and he laughed out loud as if to comfort him, "Yun Qi is the son of the second brother. The son of the second brother is the same as my son. How can I not look forward to him?" Become a talented person?"

"I just felt that... such a difficult problem, I never thought that it would be solved easily by Yun Qi's answer... It kind of embarrasses me and Kong Ming."

Liu Bei said with a smile, as if he was willing to accept this humiliation.

"Yes..." Zhuge Liang sighed with emotion: "If there are more Yunqi who can shame me and my lord, great things will be done!"

The brief emotion and long sigh ended.

Liu Bei turned back to the resolute boss: "The establishment of a Commerce Department to restrain merchants and improve their status is of great importance. The details need to be carefully planned by Kong Ming..."

"Don't worry, my lord." Zhuge Liang handed over his hand, "I will arrange for this matter later... set up a commercial department, post notices, and solve the urgent needs of the treasury."

"Okay!" Liu Bei nodded.

It seems that Zhuge Liang is very relieved when he is doing things.

at this time…

Liu Bei suddenly thought of something again. He raised his eyes and looked at the sky, "I never thought that I only saw one answer sheet from Yun Qi all night. It seems that there is another answer sheet."

"Indeed..." Zhuge Liang would have almost forgotten this if Liu Bei hadn't reminded him.

We were too immersed in the conversation about the Commerce Department, commercial tax, and improving the status of businessmen...

The feasibility of this topic alone.

This pair of masters and servants, a pair of monarchs and ministers... really chatted all night long, catching up with the conversation between Long and Zhong back then.

Zhuge Liang quickly got the third bamboo slip...

While slowly unfolding it, he introduced: "This is Yun Qi's third answer sheet. The title is... Yizhou's initial decision? Each meritorious minister asks for acres of land. How should the limited acres of land be distributed."

While he was talking, the bamboo slip had been unfolded.

As it unfolded, in Guan Lin's answer sheet... Zhuge Liang noticed the first four words, and it was only these four words that immediately stunned him.

Making his eyes widen instantly.

『——Spread it out! 』

Almost at the same time.

"Lord—" A clear voice came into the main hall of Zhuge Mansion.

Not long after, Zhao Yun pushed open the door and walked in, looking a little unbelievable and horrified.

Liu Bei noticed Zhao Yun's eyes and asked quickly.

"What's the matter with Zilong?"

"Report to my lord." Zhao Yun replied truthfully: "Shangyong's detailed report sent an urgent report. Cao Cao's army withdrew from Hanzhong and passed through Shangyong to aid Xiangfan. Only Xiahou Yuan, Guo Huai and other generals were left to garrison Hanzhong!"

As soon as this statement came out...

Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang subconsciously.

Zhuge Liang did not raise his eyes. It was obvious that he had not yet completely recovered from the shock of the four words "spreading a small family into his own land".

The meaning in Liu Bei's eyes couldn't be clearer.

Guan Lin Guan Yunqi's first answer sheet - all correct!

…

…