On the north bank of Lishui River, Nanyang military camp.
The camp stretches for more than ten miles. In addition to the various camps, there are also some school grounds inside the military camp.
But at this time, something strange happened in the school grounds. There were actually many boats placed there.
In the evening, Shen Chen inspected each camp. The craftsmen carefully followed his orders and continued to build wooden boats and placed them in the camps of each camp.
In the past few days, they had been attacking the city continuously. Although they had not suffered much losses, only spending countless arrows and stones, the soldiers were also quite tired. Therefore, except for the guards who were on guard, most of the soldiers went to bed early.
After inspecting each camp, Shen Chen returned to the general's tent in the main camp of the Chinese army. In the tent, Zhou Buyi and Cai Du took Deng Ai, Xie Hui, Zhang Li, Hu Miao, Li Qiu and other disciples to write documents.
Shen Chen's disciples include both martial arts and literature. There are many students who control key positions in the entire army from bottom to top. Fighting with the master, you can always learn a lot of new things.
Shen Chen was also able to control the grassroots of the army through them, allowing the 50,000-strong army to operate with ease, which was a good thing for both parties.
Seeing Shen Chen come in, Zhou Buyi stood up and said: "Senior brother, losing arrows these days costs a lot of money. More than 4.3 million arrows have been used, and the storage is almost half used, but now we have not
Capture a camp of Cao's army."
"It doesn't matter."
Shen Chen waved his hand: "The equipment is used to kill the enemy. It can reduce the casualties of our army. No matter how many bows and crossbows are lost, even if it only kills a few thousand people, it is still worth it."
Cai Du said: "General, today the king has received another news. The city of Lu has been captured by Cao Cao. He can only retreat to Qishan. Cao Cao sent Xia Houyuan to attack urgently. The camps are in turmoil and the situation is precarious. Therefore, the king hopes that the lord can take action as soon as possible."
"Um."
Shen Chen nodded: "My lord is anxious, and I understand that once we retreat from Qishan, Wudu will be in danger and can only retreat to Yangping Pass. Yangping Pass is the last line of defense. Once Yangping Pass is in danger, Hanzhong cannot be saved."
, the master needs Hanzhong."
The price of hiding troops is that there is a serious shortage of elite main forces on the front line. Coupled with the supply of grain and grass, the number of troops and horses is far less than that of Cao's army. Liu Bei will be at a serious disadvantage in the overall war situation.
When these disadvantages are magnified, they may have a chain reaction, eventually leading to the loss of even the strategically important area of Hanzhong.
Just as the West cannot lose Jerusalem, Liu Bei must not lose Hanzhong.
So he must be very anxious.
But Shen Chen knew that there was no rush to fight, so he still waited patiently for the opportunity.
"Report!"
At this moment, a scout came in from outside the tent, knelt down on one knee and said: "General, here is a letter from Cao Hong."
"oh?"
Shen Chen took the letter, looked at it, and laughed.
Zhou Buyi wondered: "Brother, what did Cao Hong write in his letter?"
"Cao Hong came down with a letter of challenge and asked me to wait for the decisive battle tomorrow."
Shen Chen smiled and said: "He said that Wang Lang, a great Confucian from the north, wanted to debate scriptures with me in front of the battle."
"Debate?"
Zhou Buyi thought of how his master Song Zhongzi, a great scholar, was so refuted that he could not speak, and sneered: "It seems that since ten years ago, no one in the south is willing to debate scriptures with my senior brother anymore. The north also often
There are scholars who come to the south, but they all come to Nanyang to be apprentices. I didn’t expect that some people would come to provoke me.”
"They probably deceived me into digging a canal, thinking that the siege equipment could not pass through, and the soldiers could not spread out in full formation, so they thought they could go out of the city to fight me."
Shen Chen smiled and said: "When we leave the city tomorrow, we will defeat the morale of Cao's army again. I will capture Cao Hong alive by then."
I have been sitting in Nanyang for more than ten years.
People all over the world think that if they teach and educate people all day long, they have become a teacher.
But after all, he has forgotten how majestic and majestic he was when he fought against countless famous scholars in Jingzhou, with lotus blossoms blooming on his lips.
At that time, he was proficient in all aspects of poetry, classical meanings, and ancient and modern prose, and he was almost the most proficient in literature in Nanzhou.
If Wang Lang thought that the writing style of southern classics was not as good as that of the north, he would be totally wrong.
"The general is mighty."
Everyone bowed their hands and saluted.
Shen Chen waved his hands, sat back on the table and started processing official documents.
Fifty thousand troops plus 40,000 to 50,000 civilians and auxiliaries to eat, drink, and eat, is not a small amount.
Fortunately, the emergence of double-cropping rice in Jingzhou has greatly improved productivity, and Nanyang is close. Otherwise, transporting grain like Liu Bei did in Longyou would have been a waste of national power and would have been almost a militancy.
Therefore, every time there is a war, he has to deal with everything from the weapons, food, armor and equipment of the entire army to the military morale and mental health of the soldiers.
Daily business is still very busy.
On the second day, the soldiers ate breakfast at the first quarter of the meal and formed their formations at the end of the meal. By the time from the first quarter to the third quarter of Yuzhong, the army was already in formation.
At this time, the outside of the camps of Nanyang Army and Cao Army was completely different from before.
There are hundreds of criss-crossing trenches and canals, as ferocious as the criss-crossing scars on the bodies of many generals, stretching for three or four miles, all the way to the outside of Cao's army camp.
The excavation and construction of ditches not only placed a great burden on civilians and auxiliary soldiers, but also seriously hindered the movement of siege equipment from the camp.
Many Nanyang Army soldiers and even mid-level and senior generals did not understand why Shen Chen did what he did.
However, if he were an ordinary general, he might have already had doubts.
For example, Lu Xun before the Battle of Yiling and Sima Yi encountered by Zhuge Liang during the Northern Expedition would probably be ridiculed by Wu and Cao troops for being as fearful of Shu as a rat.
But no one doubted Shen Chen.
Because he is no longer the new governor like Lu Xun and Sima Yi who just took over, but a veteran who has been on the battlefield for many years in his teens.
Therefore, even if there is confusion, no one questions it.
Without the siege equipment, Shen Chen's army still lined up in the center of the battlefield.
Cao Jun over there also heard the news and took action at the same time, and organized his troops into battle.
The two sides met quickly.
When they were a hundred steps away from the enemy, several Cao soldiers rode out and came to the center.
This is already within the range where the arrows can miss. If Shen Chen ordered thousands of arrows to be fired at once, these people would definitely die.
However, Shen Chen did not give the order to shoot arrows.
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the style of knight-errants was prevalent. Although there were a large number of "traitors" who knelt down to Cao Wei, there were also loyalists like Gibbon and Wei Xi who had a heart for the Han Dynasty.
If you order to shoot arrows in front of tens of thousands of people on the battlefield, using any means necessary, it will humiliate the soldiers on your side, and it will also make Cao's army full of indignation and increase the morale of the other side.
So there are times when it’s time to be upright or to be upright.
What's more, Shen Chen is not afraid either.
He was wearing a general's armor, with a tiger gallbladder hanging from his waist, and a jade horse under his crotch. He was only accompanied by his disciple Shan Yi, and he walked over there in a swaggering manner.
The two sides gathered in the center of the soldiers on both sides and faced each other five or six meters apart.
Shen Chen saw three generals coming from Cao's army, as well as a white-haired old man. The leading general had an old face and looked very familiar, so he asked tentatively: "Cao Hong?"
"Someone is here!"
Cao Hong stood with a sword in his hand, and his style remained the same as before.
But Shen Chen just smiled and said: "I didn't expect you to be so old. The last time I saw you was ten years ago, when I besieged Kunyang."
Although the two sides have been in confrontation all year round, it is just a confrontation. The generals on both sides are in the camp, so how can they meet?
So Cao Hong, who was now in his fifties, suddenly appeared in front of him. He really didn't expect that time had changed so quickly. General Cao, who was so majestic back then, was now turning gray.
Cao Hong said coldly: "Shuzi, this family is not here to reminisce with you. If you know how to fight and retreat obediently, but if you don't, this family will have to pay with your blood."
"Damn it!"
Shan Yi said angrily: "Are you more arrogant?"
"Um?"
Cao Hongyi was furious, raised his knife and shouted: "Little thief, do you want to die?"
"Yide."
Shen Chen stopped Shan Yi, then turned to Cao Hong and said with a smile: "The older you get, the angrier your temper becomes."
"That's quite polite."
Cao Hong snorted and took the knife back.
Historically, when Cao Cao and Liu Bei were scolding each other in his later years, they were much more violent.
It was only when Cao Hong thought about Wang Lang saying that he could say Shen Chen last night that he restrained his impulsive temper, otherwise he would have started scolding her a long time ago.
On the other hand, Shen Chen is thirty-three years old this year. He may have studied Confucianism, and he has become more and more calm, with no emotion or anger. Even if Cao Hong made rude remarks, he just smiled and didn't care.
There is no need to worry about dead people.
Shen Chen turned his head to look at the old man and asked, "Is this Wang Jijiu who asked me to debate the Bible today?"
He was not a Situ at this time. Historically, it was not until Cao Rui succeeded to the throne eight years later that he replaced Hua Xin as Situ. He finally died of illness in the second year of Taihe, that is, nine years later.
According to precious historical records, he was sixty-seven years old when he died, so he was exactly sixty-seven years old at this time.
Wang Lang bowed his hands, cupped his hands and saluted, "King Jingxing of the East China Sea."
"Donghai Shen Xiaoqing."
Shen Chen returned the favor.
The two of them are from the same hometown, both from Donghai.
However, Shenchen belongs to Xiangben County in the East China Sea, and Wanglang belongs to Tan County in the East China Sea. The two counties are neighboring counties, separated by the Yishui River.
After seeing the ceremony, Wang Lang stood up and said solemnly: "I have heard about Shen Zhongzi for a long time, and I am fortunate to meet him today. However, as you read the meaning of the scripture, I have some unclear points. I hope you can clear up my confusion."
"please."
Shen Chen stretched out his hand to signal.
Wang Lang then said: "In "Zhu Ziyan", Xu Zi once asked Shen Zi, did the great ancestor replace Qin because he was ordered to do so? You said he was ordered to do so. The people did not return to Han as envoys. Han is the destiny of heaven."
"good."
Shen Chen nodded, such an orthodox argument itself does not need to be argued.
Wang Lang said: "If that's the case, why did Liu Xuande disobey orders and not respect the imperial edict? Why are you rebellious and disrespectful? You have attacked the emperor's capital several times and disturbed your majesty. Are you not a traitor and a traitor?"
Shen Chen said: "How can I not respect the imperial edict when I am punishing the thieves? Doesn't it mean that His Majesty disrespects the imperial edict on clothes and belts written in blood, and respects the fake edict written by the emperor when the thief kidnapped him?"
Wang Lang cupped his hands to the north and said: "Your Majesty is in Chendu, and the Emperor of Heaven resides here. It is because of the king's orders. Since it is an edict, it should be accepted."
Shen Chen laughed and said: "Fu Jie, Zhou was in chaos, Tang and Wu killed Jie because of the will of the world, Zhou. Jie, Zhou was the king, Tang, and Wu were ministers, could it be that Jie, Zhou's order, Tang, and Wu respected it, how could there be Shang?
If Tang Gaozu had been ordered by Li Si and Zhao Gao, how could the Han Dynasty have existed today?"
Wang Lang said: "The king of Wei was ordered by the emperor to conquer the four directions. How can it be generalized? Do you think the emperor is Jie or Zhou?"
"No, the emperor is the king, and Cao Cao is the Duke Hui."
Shen Chen said: "In the past, when Duke Wen of Jin wanted to dominate the world, he defeated Chu in the Battle of Chengpu. After that, he invited King Zhou Xiang to come and named him Hou Bo. "Spring and Autumn" said that King Zhou patrolled Heyang
.But Confucius once angrily criticized Duke Wen of Jin, saying that "the princes have no right to summon the emperor." It can be seen that the emperor was coerced by Duke Wen of Jin."
"When King Hui of Qin was hesitant between attacking Shu and South Korea, Zhang Yi once proposed to use the emperor to order the princes. By the Warring States Period, the majesty of the emperor no longer existed. Although it was the mandate of heaven, the Master said that there is no way to be polite.
This is how joyful conquests come from the princes."
"At that time, Duke Huan of Qi assisted the Zhou Dynasty and respected the king Xiangyi. He ordered King Cheng of Chu to pay tribute to the emperor. The Taigong watched the troops arrive at Muye and became prosperous. When receiving orders from the emperor, he must also respect the etiquette and not exceed the rules."
"Mencius said: "Those who dominate with force and fake benevolence will have a great country." Cao Cao betrayed the White Horse Alliance and claimed to be king. He killed the queen, uncles, and ministers at home. He slaughtered people, noble families, and princes from all over the world outside. This is not true.
When Duke Huan honors the king, it is for Duke Wen to benefit the king and hold the emperor hostage."
"My lord Liu Xuande acts with benevolence and righteousness, which is the support of the people. Externally, just like Duke Huan, who wears clothes and carries edicts to attack the Cao thieves, he is ordered by heaven. How can we be afraid of the Cao thieves because Cao thieves act falsely? So we
The purpose of attacking the Emperor's capital city is not to disturb His Majesty, but to rescue His Majesty so that the Emperor can return to his rightful ways!"
The words are well-founded and convincing.
Wang Lang had no intention of refuting, but nodded in agreement and said: "Well, if that's the case, then how should we explain Liu Bei's self-proclaimed king? And wherever the King of Wei went, the people's hearts followed him. You said that the people's hearts are destiny, is this the case?
Shouldn't it be like the great ancestor who replaced Qin in order to obtain a magical weapon?"
He has spoken very boldly, mainly because Liu Xie's usefulness has become less and less nowadays. All the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty are Wei ministers instead of Han ministers, and the people in the north are all subjects of Wei State rather than Han subjects, and the aristocratic families also support them.
Cao Wei, not Liu Han.
In particular, Liu Bei attacked the wealthy families in the south, so that the wealthy families in the north all moved closer to Cao Cao. As the ones with the right to speak, they naturally no longer cared about whether the majesty of the Emperor of Han still existed.
Therefore, Wang Lang almost said today in front of the soldiers of both armies that Cao Cao has occupied the entire north and the people of the north have surrendered, so he should also become the new emperor on behalf of the Han Dynasty.
However, Shen Chen immediately responded: "In ancient times, we took over the world based on the people's hearts, but now we take over the world based on the people's lives."
Wang Lang asked: "What's the explanation?"
"In the Tang Dynasty, Yu Shangren, the people of the world followed the emperor. Isn't it said that he took the world with the support of the people?"
Shen Chen said: "Wei Shangquan drove the innocent men under sharp swords and fought for every inch of territory in a hundred battles. From the soldiers to the princes, from the princes to the emperor, you can't be powerful without soldiers, and you can't be subdued without fighting. You can't say that you take the world and take the lives of the people."
?”
"The number of days changes, the artifacts become more and more easy to change, and they belong to the virtuous people. This is the natural principle."
Wang Lang smiled and said: "Liu Xuande said that he acted with benevolence and righteousness. Didn't he also declare himself king this time and fight for an inch of territory with swords and soldiers? You said that the king of Wei took the world for the lives of the people. Isn't he not like this?"
"The destiny of heaven is still in the Han Dynasty, not in the Wei Dynasty. Under my rule, the people will have enough food and clothing, and everyone will live and work in peace and contentment. Isn't this the royal way?"
Shen Chen asked back: "As far as I know, there are many casualties among the people under Cao Wei's rule. Not even a tenth of the people's farmland is left, and 60 to 70% of the harvested grain must be handed over to the Wei State. In addition, the scholar family system is established, and women and soldiers are recruited.
There is a war on the front line, but his wife has been forcibly given away to someone else. Such evil behavior, how can we call a virtuous person?"
"Forehead......"
Wang Lang was speechless for a moment, because Cao Cao had indeed done this, and the exploitation of the farmland system has become more and more serious. It used to be 46 or 55, but now it has increased to 73. There are still soldiers on the front lines fighting, and the wives in the rear are being
Giving money to others is really unethical.
Shen Chen continued: "I have been to Henan many times, and what I have seen and heard is that there are bones and bones all along the way. There are no strong men for thousands of miles in the fertile wilderness. The government forced the people to join the army, so that the fields were deserted and hunger was rampant. I heard that there was another rebellion in Qingzhou last year?
"
"How can a few minor troubles shake the foundation of the country?"
Wang Lang waved his hand and said: "Then according to your wishes, if the emperor loses the support of the people and the people in the north no longer want to be Han people, it will be destiny for the King of Wei to replace the Han people. If you go against the grain, you are going against nature. If you say that the King of Wei is dominating with force and fake benevolence,
Didn’t Liu Bei usurp the country with hypocritical benevolence?”
Shen Chen raised his hands to the north and said: "Your Majesty, as long as your Majesty is here, my lord Xuande will help you. If Cao Cao usurps the Han Dynasty and seizes the sacred weapon of Sheji for the benefit of the world, my lord will take it back from Cao Cao.
It’s destiny!”
"hehe."
Wang Lang sneered and said: "You open up the people and shut up the world. King Wei has conquered all the north, and there are more than tens of millions of people under his rule. If you hadn't carried out the orders of King Yu, King Wei would have unified China long ago and made the people live in peace."
Shen Chen also sneered and said: "You said you have read my book, but I feel like you haven't read it at all. All I heard from your mouth was that you were opening your eyes for Cao Cao, telling me that since Cao Cao has won the north, I
You should surrender to him. But you didn’t see the tens of thousands of people I mentioned in the book, nor did you see how many cities Cao Cao slaughtered as I mentioned.”
"Since we are doing it for the world, even if there are casualties, it is inevitable." Wang Lang said solemnly: "Killing a hundred thousand can save tens of millions. Isn't this what we should do?"
"But I didn't see Cao Cao saving tens of thousands of people!"
Shen Chen said categorically: "The people in the north do not live a life of cultivating the fields to support themselves, but are enslaved by Cao Cao's farming and enslaved by the aristocratic families. Our lord gets one-tenth of the taxes in the south, and the people get nine-tenths."
, the people will become richer, everyone will have clothes to wear, and everyone will have food to eat. However, Cao Cao enslaved the people in the north, and out of ten fields, Cao Cao got seven or eight out of ten, and the aristocratic family got eighty-nine out of ten, and they only had to work hard.
The people of the whole life have to eat one bite and barely survive. How can such a life be considered a good life? Have you not seen that since the stalemate between the north and the south, how many people in the north have fled to the south, and how many people have lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, unwilling to be Wei people. In the final analysis, Wang
Jijiu is also from a noble family, and he has enslaved countless people under his rule. Because Cao Cao protected you, you became his minions. You cynics are worthy of talking to me about all the peoples and the world."
This is where the contradiction lies.
Wang Lang himself is a member of the Donghai Wang family, which owns land, people and property. He is a vested interest in the landowners and estates of a wealthy family. Hidden property can help them obtain a large amount of food and property. Naturally, they will not side with the people.
】
Therefore, Wang Lang would not come to talk to Shen Chen about the people, but would only come to talk to him about whether the Han Dynasty was ordered by heaven. The Han Dynasty's strength was exhausted, and whether it was destiny for Cao Wei to replace the Han Dynasty.
However, Shen Chen always insisted that the one who wins the people's hearts is the destiny, so he always emphasized that Liu Bei won the people's hearts and Cao Cao's people's hearts were won by force.
Although the world is not one of good and evil, there is always a delicate gray between black and white.
But if the ruling class cannot move infinitely closer to justice and seek benefits for the people, then the people will continue to suffer.
The rule of Cao Wei advocated power and the rule of law. It had a enslavement policy for the people, such as forcibly recruiting young men, relocating people to farmland, the scholar family system, giving birth to women, etc. The people were mostly exploited and oppressed, and it was often difficult for those who survived, let alone
What dignity.
However, under Liu Bei's rule, it was a normal royal policy, adopting a recruitment system, issuing military pay, collecting one-tenth of the land tax, and prohibiting aristocratic families from forming a monopoly on population and land, and the people became richer.
certainly.
The premise of all this is that the productivity of Liu Bei Group has been greatly increased, otherwise it would be difficult to support such a huge army.
But just like that, the two systems have already produced essential differences.
After the establishment of Cao Wei, because of its alliance with the aristocratic family, it received the support of the aristocratic family. The aristocratic family controlled a large number of people and land, and the grassroots were forced to support Cao Wei. This allowed Cao Cao to always have a strong army, but the people would suffer extremely.
The Shu Han mainly suppresses aristocratic families. The aristocratic families will not cooperate with the Shu Han, so they have to find ways to increase the enthusiasm of the people. Only in this way can they barely survive, but at least the people will live a much better life.
If Cao Wei unified the world, just like the Jin Dynasty, aristocratic families would have the right to speak, and the people of the whole world would be enslaved like cattle and horses.
If the Shu Han unified the world, just like many later dynasties when the country was first founded, the original inherent classes were destroyed due to great chaos, the land was redistributed, and the people's lives would naturally recover.
Even if one or two hundred years later, like the late Ming Dynasty, a gentry group emerged to replace the aristocratic family groups and become a new landlord class, it would be better than the existing landlord class directly taking power.
At least the Western Jin Dynasty existed for more than fifty years, and the Ming Dynasty existed for more than two hundred years. What's more, Shen Chen will definitely make new policies in the future to prevent this kind of thing from happening.
So in essence, what Shu Han is doing now is to safeguard the interests of the people just like our army.
Since Cao Wei was protecting the interests of the family, conflicts between the two sides were inevitable.