Cao Cao's rank is over there. Even if Xu County is in some financial difficulties, the banquet to welcome Guo Jia cannot be omitted and simple. After all, it represents the beginning of the "Six Victories".
The time is probably not yet Unity hour, but due to the short days of autumn and winter, it is getting a little dark. In the courtyard of the General's Mansion, lights have begun to be decorated, and the lights are shining in all directions, fighting tenaciously against the darkness that is gradually suppressed.
Soldiers were guarding the outside, and attendants were rushing inside. Everyone performed their duties and did not dare to slack off at all.
The General's Mansion, originally known as the Sikong Mansion, was built at almost the same time as the Emperor Liu Xie's Palace. Although it is smaller in size than the Imperial Palace, it is much more majestic and larger than the average government office.
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The wide space of the main courtyard, coupled with the majestic architecture, naturally makes people feel their own insignificance, and they can't help but feel the pressure of power in the space, which affects their hearts and creates a sense of fear.
Around the main courtyard of the General's Mansion, the corridors are brightly lit and there are many people, but the scene is not chaotic. Some are walking in a hurry or standing in groups. There are few people talking and making noise, and no one is running around randomly.
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Guo Jia is naturally one of the protagonists. There are already many people surrounding him, with various official positions, but they all have almost the same smile on their faces.
"Without the guidance of the sacrificial wine, we would be like quails in Nozawa, hesitant and helpless..."
"That's right! The sacrificial wine is like a bright lamp, shining brightly in all directions!"
"We look forward to the return of the sacrificial wine, just like we look forward to the dew after a long drought. Fortunately, God has mercy on us, and the sacrificial wine returns safely."
"Exactly! If the wine is in good condition, we will feel at ease..."
Regardless of whether they knew each other before, or whether they had any previous friendships, a large number of people gathered here anyway, chirping and greeting Guo Jia one after another, or saying a few sighs, and Guo Jia among the crowd
He just smiled slightly, nodded in greeting, and then couldn't help but use his eyes to signal Xun Yu and others who were standing far away.
Man Chong looked up at the sky, seemingly not seeing it at all.
Liu Ye nodded and smiled, as if he thought it was a good thing that Guo Jia was so popular, and had no intention of stepping forward to stop him, nor did he have any intention of rescuing Guo Jia.
After all, Xun Yu couldn't bear it anymore, so he stepped forward, separated the crowd, and pulled Guo Jia out. "It's really cold here. I've come a long way from Xiao, so you should pay attention to your health! It's still early in the day, and the banquet still needs to be held."
Get ready, pay homage and come with someone, and temporarily go to Nuan Pavilion to wait..."
As he spoke, Xun Yu took Guo Jia out. Even if the surrounding officials wanted to get close to Guo Jia, a popular guy, they did not dare to say anything due to Xun Yu's status.
Can watch Guo Jia leave.
After entering the Nuan Pavilion, Xun Yu did not say anything to Guo Jia, but just sat silently. Outside the Nuan Pavilion, tiny voices floated in, and then adhered to the two of them.
The Nuan Pavilion was originally used as a temporary resting place while waiting for formal meetings. It can accommodate six people, so when there were only two people, Xun Yu and Guo Jia, it was a bit empty. The Nuan Pavilion can isolate the cold wind and rain, but it can block the wind and whispers.
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Guo Jia opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw Xun Yu raised his palm, he just waved it...
Guo Jia took a breath, then slowly exhaled, and fell silent.
Noisy outside, quiet inside.
Two or three palace lanterns swayed out circles of light, intertwined together. Dark shadows huddled under each object, shaking with the size of the aperture, like lurking beasts, waiting for the light.
A moment of relaxation.
When Guo Jia was in Chang'an, except for some time running around here and there under the "accompaniment" of his guards, he spent most of his time eating and sleeping, without exposure to wind or sun.
Not much hard work, coupled with the diagnosis and treatment by doctors from Baiyi Medical Center, so that now I look really fat and plump, and I look much richer.
On the contrary, during this period of time, Xun Yu had to calculate this and allocate that every day, and he also had to keep an eye on the surrounding areas of Xu County and inside and outside the palace. How could he live a comfortable life? Therefore, Xun Yu's face could not help but look a little old and tired.
, it seems that his complexion is much worse than that of Guo Jia.
His thoughts were torn between light and darkness. The light of the palace lantern fell on Guo Jia's face, but could not illuminate Xun Yu's eyebrows clearly. The two people sat on both sides of the table, but the shadows behind them seemed to be far away from each other under the swaying flames of the palace lantern...
Unknowingly, the preparations for the banquet outside were in full swing. People with voices from inside and outside, actors, musicians and the like had all gathered in the corner of the lower courtyard of the cloister hall. About seventy or eighty people were tinkling.
Adjusting the pitch of the instrument piecemeal.
Many things are a silent understanding. There is no need to say it clearly. Everyone also understands that Cao Cao's grand ceremony for Guo Jia is not just to welcome Guo Jia's return, but also has a deeper meaning...
At three o'clock in the morning, the banquet officially started. Cao Cao came out from the backyard, first accepted everyone's worship, and then greeted everyone to sit down. Guo Jia, as an important guest, sat in the chief position under Cao Cao.
The other officials, big and small, sat down one after another according to their respective official positions.
Soon after, the bell rang first, announcing the start of the banquet.
The waiters and maids filed in, and immediately placed several dishes and drinks that had been prepared in advance on everyone's table...
Of course, these things are just appetizers, and they are all cold. Perhaps in later generations, cold dishes were served first at banquets, and that is where it came from. Everyone present just tasted it, and only those sitting in remote corners
The clerk, relying on the fact that no one would pay attention to them anyway, just picked up the plate and poured it into the pocket he had prepared.
Cao Cao sat in the middle, holding a wine cup in his hand, smiling and inviting everyone to drink together, and then chatted with Guo Jia, Xiahou Dun and others from time to time. He seemed relaxed, happy and comfortable.
The surrounding musicians also began to play, all of which were specially selected happy songs. The ding-ding-dong-dong added a lot of joy and peace to the atmosphere. Unknowingly, more than ten performers wearing colorful clothes, like
Colorful fish usually swim in from the gaps between the seats, and then dance in the open space in the courtyard, or dance with water sleeves, or sway their bodies, dancing in various poses, like flowers that dazzle the eyes, colorful and gorgeous, and attracting voices of admiration.
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Cao Cao shook his head, seemingly immersed in singing and dancing.
During the four years of Taixing, too many things happened, which made Cao Cao exhausted both physically and mentally. Therefore, this short-term relaxation seems so rare and valuable.
But joy is always short-lived. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Cao Cao stood up and wavered to show that he wanted to change his clothes. Before leaving, he turned his head slightly and glanced at Guo Jia...
Guo Jia understood and stood up after a while. After turning around the corridor, he saw Dian Wei standing aside to signal, and then followed Dian Wei around the courtyard wall and into the side hall of the backyard.
"Fengxiao, sit down..." Cao Cao greeted, and then ordered, "Bring some tea..."
Guo Jia cupped his hands and said, "My lord, I'd better bring some wine..."
Cao Cao glanced at Guo Jia, smiled slightly, and nodded, "That's fine, I'll just follow my filial piety."
Not long after, a servant brought wine and some food.
Cao Cao waved his servant to leave, then picked up the wine glass, "Thank you for your hard work along the way as a filial piety! Come here, I will reward you with this wine!"
Guo Jia was not polite, drank a sip, and then put the glass down.
Cao Cao pondered for a moment, "Before, Fengxiao said that a certain person had six victories, but I didn't know... Fengxiao watched it in Xijing. What's the point of being a hussar?"
Guo Jia got another cup for himself, drank it, and then said slowly: "Ming Gong... the words of six victories are true, they are all our strengths... However, we also have four worries...
』
"Four worries..." Cao Cao nodded, and there was no obvious change in his expression because of Guo Jia's words. "You can speak frankly when you are filial!"
Guo Jia raised his thumb and said: "Let's talk about business first... Under the Qiusi, the power of business and trade, Ming Gong knows... In Chang'an, the world's wealth is gathered, and things from the four seas can be obtained from the top of the sea. The glue of the East China Sea
, The trees of the southern mountains, the skins of the northern desert, the gold of the western regions, every day in the market, the money and goods are worth tens of millions... This is what we "businessmen" worry about..."
"The Zhen family in Hebei, the Chen family in Xuzhou, the Cai family in Jingzhou, and other merchants from all over the country gathered in Chang'an. The Dahan Chamber of Commerce established under Qiaoqi's command encompassed all sizes and formulated business regulations. It was like a court outside the court, outside the law.
This method is controlled by all merchants, big and small, and there are no disadvantages in this matter..." Guo Jia said slowly, "If it becomes powerful, we can order merchants all over the world to... ban the sale of something... or...
Not for resale here..."
Cao Cao nodded.
"Therefore, the Duke of Ming Dynasty should also do this. He established a trading company, bestowed it with names, and managed business through business, so that he could compete..." Guo Jia said, "If we only use checkpoints and tax control... I'm afraid it won't work at first.
As time goes by...this thing of money and silk is the most touching..."
Cao Cao pinched his beard and remained silent.
Most people think that setting up checkpoints on the road will solve the problem, but in fact, in addition to some initial effects, it will bring more disadvantages later.
When a card is set up on the official road to collect fees, there are always people who can find some bypass roads. Since the caravan can pass through these roads that bypass the checkpoint, it also means that the army can pass through at certain critical moments!
So does Cao Cao's pass checkpoint still have any significance?
In addition, you can also directly use money to buy sentry soldiers and generals. If these people collected money once to release the caravan, will they also collect money to release other groups in the future?
Therefore, Guo Jia made it clear that it is useless to simply set up checkpoints to hinder merchants. Even if Cao Cao ordered that no buying and selling be allowed except for horses and soldiers, it would not have much effect. After all, only the stronger party can make the rules.
, and the weaker party can only passively accept it more often.
Just like the mutual trade between Han people and Hu people, it often depends on which side is stronger, and which side will eventually listen. Now Fei Qian is obviously stronger than Cao Cao in business, so Cao Cao can't help but do what he wants in many things.
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Guo Jia raised his second finger, "If you want to benefit from business, you must first be better at work. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty should call on the skilled workers from all over the world to divide the work, cooperate, and refine their skills, so that they can compete with the hussar's workshop..."
… Nowadays, the armor of the hussars is so strong that it is the best in the world, so it is the reason for strong workmanship, and our craftsmen..."
Cao Cao continued to nod. Cao Cao was embarrassed to tell Guo Jia that he had already tried this, but the result was...
Nowadays, the number of craftsmen of the Han Dynasty, or the craftsmen of the Shandong generation, is no less than that of Fei Qian. The smart people among the craftsmen are not much worse than those of the Huang family craftsmen under Fei Qian, but the only difference is that
That is, Feiqian is more concentrated and large-scale.
What Guo Jia meant was to suggest that Cao Cao learn from Fei Qian and centralize craftsmen for large-scale development. Because after centralization, craftsmen can exchange their knowledge and work with others to study a certain project, and then everyone will not be distracted.
People study each other's research, and then waste some time and energy by repeating it.
"..." Guo Jia drank another glass of wine, "The man who will lead the craftsmen must be selected by the Ming Dynasty to appoint talented people... When I was in Chang'an, I often heard that among the craftsmen, if there were any difficulties and puzzles,
, then it can be written or described in Huaqi, and Huaqi can solve it by spinning..."
Cao Cao raised his eyebrows and said, "Could it be that Fei Ziyuan has obtained the true biography of Mozi as rumored?"
"Perhaps there must be..." Guo Jia shook his head, "I have often wondered whether there are people with such diverse knowledge in this world? There is a star observatory at Lishan Mountain in Chang'an, where Qiaoqi can observe the sky and correct the calendar...
…This astronomy and geography are actually all-encompassing…”
Cao Cao sighed and said, "Perhaps it is like this... When Fei Ziyuan studied under Cai Zhonglang, and was taught by Pang Degong under Lushan, what happened later... I heard that the book of Dongguan originally in Luoyang earned more than half of it.
...』
Guo Jia sighed, "How can we be so rich in blessings?"
The two of them couldn't help but sigh together.
After a while, Guo Jia continued: "If you want strong industry, you need prosperous agriculture."
"If agriculture is not prosperous, then there will be no intention to work..." Guo Jia raised his third finger, "Farm is the foundation of a country. Only when the foundation is solid and deep can the branches and leaves flourish. Nowadays, the cultivation of fields under the cavalry is very effective.
, but our fields are far from what people want, for no other reason..."
Guo Jia glanced at Cao Cao and hesitated for a moment, but then quickly continued, "The people who cultivate the fields will be theirs for as little as five years and as many as ten years... Therefore, the people who cultivate the fields will be theirs."
We all spare no effort, fearing that if we do less, we will have no land to gain. However, if we cultivate the fields and use them as troops to colonize more of them, the amount of production has nothing to do with it. As long as we don’t have sticks and scolds..."
Cao Cao took a deep breath, then glanced at Guo Jia, but didn't say anything.
Cao Cao's military garrison means that most of the farmland harvest belongs to Cao Cao, which also supports Cao Cao's large-scale explosion of troops. However, in the same process of garrisoning, these half-soldiers and half-farmers can neither be regarded as
A good soldier cannot be considered a good farmer. Even if he takes care of both aspects, it is the same as failing to do both well.
Speaking of soldiers, the combat effectiveness of these field soldiers is worrying, especially when compared with the soldiers of the hussars, they are simply terrible, otherwise Xun Yu would not have gone far to get rid of Zang Ba's Taishan soldiers to come to the rescue...
From a farmer's point of view, these military camps cannot focus on scouting crops like farmers. In more cases, these military camps are just like what Guo Jia said.
Punishment is enough, but work efficiency and initiative will of course be greatly reduced.
Even though there are also some agricultural bachelors to guide them, Cao Cao and others always hold a skeptical and scrupulous attitude. Many technologies have to wait for one or two years of testing before they are slowly expanded to the whole territory. On the other hand, many agricultural bachelors
The field soldiers will not implement the suggestions put forward, because their boss is not an agricultural bachelor, but a Diannong school captain. For the Diannong school captain, it is more often about stability. It is best if there is a clear statement from above.
They were only willing to do it after receiving the instructions, so they didn’t expect high output from the fields of these military camps.
If you go up and down, there is a difference of two or three stones in the output of an acre of land, so what is the overall difference? Guo Jia didn't calculate, he didn't want to, let alone didn't dare to calculate.
"Replacing military garrison with civilian garrison can solve this problem..." Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao, "But if we want to change it, we must first solve this last problem..."
Cao Cao frowned and stared at Guo Jia, and suddenly interrupted Guo Jia, "What Feng Xiao said eventually fell on this "scholar"?"
Guo Jia poured another glass of wine, drank it, nodded, and said, "Yes."
In fact, the four worries seem to refer to four aspects, but in the end they fall into one word, which is "shi", because in Shandong, the gentry controlled everything, and everything was linked to the gentry.
The shops were controlled by the gentry, the land was in the hands of the gentry, and the officials were also held by the gentry. Cao Cao himself was from a large gentry clan, and thousands of people in the Xiahou Cao family depended on Cao Cao for their survival. There was no way Cao Cao could act like this
Fei Qian delegates power the same way.
The reason is very simple. In Cao Cao, most of the gentry children always vowed when they took office, I believe, I can, I promise, but once something goes wrong, they don't know, don't understand, I'm sorry, the big deal
Make a statement and shake off the hat of a crying general, and you will not get any punishment, or you can deal with it in a big way, and continue to make money in another place...
Under such circumstances, who would really be willing to take responsibility? It's just that who is worse than the other, or who can cover up better than the other.
Cao Cao has actually thought about what Guo Jia said for a long time, but if he really wanted to change it like Fei Qian did, Cao Cao would have no idea. Because Fei Qian created a brand new political ecological environment and operating model in Guanzhong, Cao Cao is a little bit different.
I don’t even understand them, let alone being familiar with them.
Human beings naturally have fear when facing unfamiliar things, and Cao Cao was also unavoidable.
When Cao Cao came back from his long meditation and wanted to ask Guo Jia something more, he realized that Guo Jia had drank the whole bottle of wine at some point and drunkenly collapsed on the mat.
