Chapter 1407 Demonstrations and counter-demonstrations, temptations and counter-tests
"Why is Mr. Lu looking at me like this?"
Sensing Lu Yu's strange gaze and complicated expression, Feng Da Sima couldn't help but ask.
Lu Yu, who was standing there in a daze, finally came to his senses and quickly apologized:
"Feng Gong is famous all over the world and has been famous for a long time. He often regrets not being able to pay him an audience. Today I am lucky enough to have an audience with him. I am shocked by Feng Gong's majestic appearance, so I am rude."
Wonderful appearance?
It sounds like a compliment, but it doesn't sound right?
Feng Dashima thought for a while and didn't think anything was wrong.
"No problem, Mr. Lu, please sit down."
"Thank you Mr. Feng."
After Lu Yu sat down, Feng Da Sima offered tea again, and then asked:
"Where did Mr. Lu come from this time?"
Lu Yu bowed slightly and replied:
"A certain person was entrusted by Taifu Sima to go to the Han camp as an envoy."
Feng Da Sima smiled and said:
"Sima Zhongda is good at picking people."
Lu Yu was the son of Lu Zhi, and Emperor Zhaolie once studied under Lu Zhi.
If you really want to say it, there is nothing wrong with Emperor Zhaolie and Lu Yu calling each other senior brothers - it might have happened before, but it certainly doesn't happen now.
"Well, I also have something to say to Mr. Lu, but since Mr. Lu is entrusted by Sima Gong, let's put business first and then private affairs. Mr. Lu, let's talk about the matters entrusted by Sima Gong first."
When Lu Yu heard this, he quickly sat upright and said solemnly:
"Then let me speak frankly. If there is any offense, I hope Mr. Feng will forgive me."
"The two armies are fighting. If you don't kill the envoy, Duke Lu will just say it."
Lu Yu cupped his hands and said:
"Feng Gong's reputation as a soldier has shocked the world. Even Sima Taifu is deeply admired. Now that Feng Gong has promoted the tiger and wolf divisions, he has the intention to advance eastward and annex Hebei, and everyone in Hebei is shocked."
"The Taifu knew that his intelligence was not as good as Feng Gongyuan's, but he was wrongly loved by the Emperor of Wei Dynasty and guarded Hebei Province. Therefore, he was willing to hunt with Feng Gongyuan in Jingxing even though he knew that he was hitting rocks with eggs."
"If the Duke wins, the Grand Tutor will hand over Hebei Province. If the Grand Tutor is lucky enough to win, and it has been more than half a year since Feng Gong mobilized the troops, why not withdraw the troops and think about a better strategy, so as not to waste the people and money?"
After hearing these words, Feng Da Sima thought for a moment and then understood, with a strange smile on his face:
"Sima Gong went to Weizeguan to decide the outcome with me?"
"Feng Gongmingjian."
Feng Da Sima chuckled and slowly leaned on the backrest. His eyes fell on Lu Yu, with a rather meaningful feeling. After a while, he suddenly said:
"Is there insufficient food and fodder in Lord Sima's army, so he is anxious to fight me decisively?"
Lu Yu shook his head and replied without changing his expression:
"Mr. Feng is overly worried. Before Taifu Sima came, Boling alone had already collected three months' worth of food for the army. How can there be any talk of insufficient food and grass?"
"Bo Ling..." Feng Da Sima raised his head and thought for a moment, "Oh, yes, the Boling Cui family is a prominent family in Hebei. It is not surprising that they can provide Sima Gong with food for three months."
Then he looked at Lu Yu and said:
"It seems that Sima Gong has won the trust of the Hebei family. The Boling Cui family alone can provide so much food. The Qinghe Cui family and the Boling Cui family have always been in the same spirit, so they are indispensable?"
"In addition, the Li family of Zhao County and the Lu family of Fanyang where Lu Gong lives, each family sent three months of food to Sima Gong. After all, Sima Gong has at least more than a year's food in his hands."
Lu Yuwei sat still, his expression indifferent, and he didn't even blink.
Feng Da Sima couldn't see any changes on Lu Yu's face. He was not disappointed, he just smiled and said:
"It seems that on the surface, Sima Gong sent Lu Gong to declare a challenge to me, but in fact he came to demonstrate."
"Feng Gong's words are serious. It's just that Taifu Sima felt deeply that the war was going on, the soldiers would be burdened, and the people would suffer, so he wanted to decide the outcome as soon as possible to avoid harm to the people."
"In this way, Sima Gong is considerate of the people." Sima Feng smiled half-heartedly, "It's just that now Sima Gong leads the army to live in Xiongguan, and I lead the army to station in the valley."
"I, a city siegeer, am not in a hurry. Sima Gong is guarding such a great pass, so why should I be in a hurry?"
When Lu Yu heard this, he couldn't help but frowned and said:
"Yu once heard that Feng's open school taught a wide range of students, teaching all kinds of people, and even made great ambitions: to establish a heart for the world, to establish a destiny for the people, to carry forward the unique knowledge of the past saints, and to create peace for all generations."
"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the two armies are now facing each other. Every time one person is killed or injured, one family is suffering the pain of losing a father or a son."
"Not to mention that parents and children are in the rear and have to bear the burden of labor and taxes. Is this what Feng Gong said, to establish a life for the people?"
When Feng Da Sima heard this, he laughed and then asked:
"Before answering this question, I would like to ask Lu Gong a question first: Does Lu Gong know how many Dingkou there were in the world before the war broke out in the Later Han Dynasty?"
Lu Yu frowned, thought for a moment, and said with some uncertainty:
"I think there are more than 60 million?"
"To be precise, there were more than 65 million recorded in the official household register at most. By the seventh year of Emperor Guanghe's reign, there were also 55 million. That was the year when the Yellow Turbans began to cause chaos, and to this day
It’s been dozens of years.”
After saying that, Feng Dasima asked again:
"When the world is divided into three parts, will Mr. Lu know how many people there are in the official household register?"
"How many?"
"According to my estimation, it will not exceed eight million at most!"
Lu Yu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:
"How does Feng Gong know?"
It's not that he doesn't believe this data. After all, in the past decades of war, "bones exposed in the wild" and "nine rooms out of ten" are not lies.
What he doubted was how Feng got this data.
After all, the Three Kingdoms are in a tripartite relationship, and the household registration is a secret. How could someone like Feng know the data about Wei and Wu?
Feng Dasima chuckled:
"What's so difficult about this? At that time, the Han Dynasty once calculated that the population of Shu was less than one million, but the number of sergeants was about 120,000."
"The ratio of sergeants to Dingkou is not even ten to one, and the other two countries are about the same. Even if it is calculated as ten to one, the number of Dingkou in Wu State will not exceed two million at most."
"And you, I think there are about five million. If the three parties add up, what is it if it's not eight million?"
The population cannot be known directly, but there is no problem in estimating the military strength of each of the three countries.
Some people in later generations used the ratio of population to sergeants to accuse Zhuge Lao Yao of being militaristic. I don’t know if they didn’t calculate the ratio of soldiers and civilians in Wei and Wu, or they deliberately avoided talking about it.
In fact, when the war is tense, even if there is a difference in the ratio of military to civilians among the three countries, it is not much different. Basically, it is between nine and ten.
When Lu Yu heard this, cold sweat finally broke down uncontrollably.
At this time, he remembered that in addition to poetry, the rough military commander in front of him was also a master of arithmetic.
He even created an unheard-of field of arithmetic.
Feng Da Sima didn't care what Lu Yu was thinking. He held the case with both hands and said slowly:
"Gong Lu, from 55 million to 8 million, not to mention how many people are hidden by aristocratic families like yours, but how many people have died in decades of war, can you calculate it?"
Lu Yu's face changed drastically and he didn't dare to answer.
Feng Da Sima had no intention of letting him go. He stood up directly, walked around the desk, and approached step by step:
"Mr. Lu keeps saying that he is here for the sake of the people, but do you know how many cities Cao Cao, the so-called Emperor of the Puppet Wei Dynasty, whom you loyal to, slaughtered? How many people died under his butcher knife?"
Lu Yu was shocked and did not dare to look directly into Feng Da Sima's eyes.
Feng Da Sima sneered, "When Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty crossed the Han River south to Dangyang, more than 100,000 people and officials in Jingzhou supported the old and brought the young with them. This can be said to be benevolent and righteous, and the people followed."
"Ji Han founded the country with benevolence and righteousness, and followed the king's way. Wherever he went, the people all drank from the pots and cups. Now there are thieves who massacred the city and usurped the Han Dynasty and said in front of the king of the Han Dynasty that he was committed to the livelihood of the people. I have never seen such a shameless person.
Yes!"
"I have led the troops here today to quell the rebels, revive the Han Dynasty, spread benevolence and righteousness to the world, and bring peace to the world!"
Lu Yu felt that all the blood in her body suddenly rushed to her face, and her face was swollen and purple.
I just wish I had never met Mr. Feng.
I'm so stupid, really, I'm really stupid...
Knowing that this person is known for his clever words and seductiveness, you actually dare to have a verbal dispute with him...
If he hadn't remembered Taifu Sima's great trust and had some sense in him, Lu Yu would have covered his face in shame and ran away.
He took a deep breath again, and without any shame, asked forcefully:
"Since Mr. Feng prides himself on benevolence and righteousness, and now that the Imperial Tutor is willing to end the war as soon as possible, why is Mr. Feng unwilling to accept the invitation of Sima Gong to fight?"
Feng Da Sima laughed again, looked at the other party with contempt, did not answer the question immediately, but pointed to the east and asked:
"Do you know, Mr. Lu, how much is the current price of food in Yecheng?"
Of course Lu Yu knew, but he didn't want to say it, but he had to say it. He hesitated and said, "Three thousand yuan per stone."
Feng Dasima glanced at the other party in surprise. He thought that the other party would deliberately cheat on him, but he didn't expect that he was actually honest.
"Yecheng is the largest city in Hebei, right? With the supply from counties and counties in Hebei, the food can actually reach 3,000 yuan per stone. It is conceivable that the price of food in various places is probably high or not low."
In fact, this is still just the lowest price.
When it is high, it can reach 5,000 yuan.
Feng Da Sima sighed, "I'm afraid it's not enough to describe the hardship of the people as miserable."
"As far as I know, the price of grain in some places in Hebei has even reached close to 10,000 yuan."
Lu Yu was silent, not daring to accept this statement.
Feng Da Sima turned around, pointed to the west again, and asked:
"Does Mr. Lu know what the price of food is in Jinyang behind me?"
Lu Yu shook his head: "I don't know."
"Three hundred and fifty dollars."
Lu Yu's eyes suddenly widened, he couldn't help raising his voice, and blurted out:
"impossible!"
Feng Da Sima said calmly:
"It's not impossible. Go eastward from here and you'll reach Taiyuan. If Mr. Lu doesn't believe it, just go and have a look. It only takes about ten days, so it won't waste much time."
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Lu Yu stared at Feng Da Sima, as if he wanted to see something strange on his face.
But Feng Dasima looked calm, as if he was just talking about an ordinary thing.
Lu Yu had to give up and at the same time considered the authenticity of this matter in her heart.
He originally knew that Han's national power was the strongest in the world, but he used the whole country to attack Hebei and fought for more than half a year. He was only dozens of miles behind and the price of food was so cheap. In his opinion, this was simply a piece of cake.
Something incredible.
What he didn't know was that Taiyuan County was the food supplier for Pingcheng's industrial base, and the Xinghan Society had spent a lot of effort in increasing Taiyuan's food production in recent years.
Coupled with the deliberate suppression by the Dahan Joint Reserve Bureau, it is naturally impossible to raise the price of food in Taiyuan.
"Does Mr. Lu know the current price of food in Hedong?"
"I don't know."
"Four hundred dollars."
The families in Hedong were violently plowed, and coupled with the implementation of the New Deal, the number of homesteaders was greatly increased, and grain output was greatly increased.
Keeping the price of grain at around 400 yuan will not hurt farmers, but it can also increase the enthusiasm of farmers.
"Does Mr. Lu know the price of food in Chang'an?"
"I don't know."
"Five hundred dollars."
As the most benign place, the heart of the Han Empire, with frequent business trips, wealthy households, and powerful people, it is understandable that food prices are high.
"Does Mr. Lu know where the lowest food prices are in the Han Dynasty?"
"Please make it clear, Mr. Feng."
"Both Shu and Liangzhou are worth three hundred coins."
Needless to say, Shu.
Liangzhou at this time was different from that of later generations. It was a fertile land with abundant water and grass and developed animal husbandry.
The main rivers in Liangzhou, such as Weishui, often flood in spring and summer. You can take a boat directly to Juyanze.
When Feng was in charge of Liangzhou, he issued an order not to cut down trees around Juyanze or build fields around lakes. He even erected a monument as a warning.
It's not because of environmental protection, but because Juyan County, as the main grain-producing area in Liangzhou, needs Juyanze as a natural reservoir to store water and prevent floods.
The counter-intuitive fact is that throughout the Later Han Dynasty, as long as there were no wars, the price of grain in Liangzhou would be lower than that in the mainland of the Han Dynasty.
"Does Mr. Lu know where the price of food is the most expensive in the land controlled by the Han Dynasty?"
"I don't know."
"Luoyang, one thousand yuan."
Luoyang is only connected to Guanzhong by the Weihan Ancient Road. If you want to use the big river, it's not that it's impossible, but it's too wasteful of manpower and material resources.
During the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, the construction of track track paths on both sides of the river from Tongguan to Hangu Pass has never stopped.
But... repairs and repairs stopped and repairs stopped. Until now, there is still no way to transport grain on a large scale.
Unless you are a prodigal, you will be indifferent to the loss of transporting ten ships and sinking nine.
In addition, Luoyang is newly restored and is on the front line, so food prices are naturally the highest.
But even so, it is still several times lower than Yecheng.
After talking about the price of food, Feng Dasima smiled slightly at Lu Yu:
"Lu Gong, tell me, if the price of food in Chang'an rises to one thousand yuan, how much will the price of food in Yecheng rise to? Ten thousand yuan? Or thirty thousand? One hundred thousand yuan?"
After the price increase of food, a necessity for people's livelihood, exceeds a certain threshold, it no longer continues to rise linearly, but rises at a power function level.
Because there is a price but no market.
The biggest fear is that no matter how high the price you ask, you won't be able to buy it.
"Nowadays, the people in Yecheng need three to five thousand yuan to buy one stone of grain. Lu Gong is not worried about the suffering of the people in Yecheng. Instead, he is worried about the suffering of the Han people who can buy the same grain for only three to five hundred yuan?"
Feng Da Sima issued a soul critical strike:
"This is really the same as the army that massacred the city and questioned the teachers of benevolence and righteousness."
Lu Yu could no longer control himself. His legs softened and he slumped back to his seat.
Feng Da Sima ignored the other party. It was a hot day and his mouth was a little dry after talking so much. He gestured to the left and right, and soon, a bowl of ice cheese exuding air-conditioning was brought to him.
After so many years of improvement, the goat's milk and cow's milk used in ice cheese no longer have the fishy smell as it did in the early days.
The sugar added is no longer maltose, but honey.
I took a big spoonful and put it in my mouth. It was smooth and refreshing. It was really a good way to cool down in summer.
"Give Mr. Lu a piece too."
After drinking most of the bowl in one breath, Feng Dashima spoke again:
"Sima Gong just led his troops to Weize Pass, and he sent Lu Gong here to test, demonstrate, or invite a fight, which shows his ambition."
As he said that, Feng Da Sima smiled meaningfully and said, "If I remember correctly, Mr. Sima is about to reach the age of seventy, or has he already arrived?"
"Now he actually has to personally lead the army and fight with Yong in front of the battle. It's really an old man's fault. I just don't know if Sima Gong can still endure the hardships of military service at his advanced age?"
Lu Yu had no intention of eating the ice cream, but just smelling the sweet smell made him unable to resist.
When Feng Da Sima said this, he only thought that the other party was openly complimenting and secretly denouncing him, so he quickly swallowed the ice cream in his mouth and said solemnly:
"Since Feng Gong knows that an old man is a helpless man, doesn't he know that old age makes him stronger? Although Taifu is old, he has been the prime minister of Hebei's military and political affairs over the years. He has done everything in his power, no matter how big or small, and no one has been left out. Everyone is convinced."
Feng Dasima raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and his smile became a little weird:
"Oh? Really? Sima Gong, as the governor of Hebei's military and administrative affairs at such an advanced age, has to do everything down to the smallest detail and not miss anything. Doesn't it mean that he has to stay up late every day and have no time to spare?"
"The Taifu devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Wei Dynasty. Even if he worked hard and slept late at night, he had no complaints."
Feng Da Sima chuckled, nodded, and sighed slightly:
"Actually, regardless of the positions of both parties, the only person who can catch my eye today is Sima Gong."
"Even if he and I are our own masters, I deeply admire his tenacity. Isn't it a great joy in life to be able to rival someone like Sima Gong in his lifetime?"
Lu Yu was greatly surprised when he heard Feng Da Sima's words about heroes cherishing heroes. He did not expect that Feng Gong had this kind of view towards the Taifu.
After thinking about it again, I think it makes sense.
This person revealed the deep meaning of Tai Tu's sending him here with just one word, and he even put huge pressure on himself with a backhand.
Feng Gong and Taifu are indeed natural rivals.
It is beyond the comparison of stupid people like me.
At this thought, Lu Yu couldn't help but sigh:
"If the Grand Tutor heard what Mr. Feng said, he would feel like a confidant."
Feng Da Sima couldn't help but laugh out loud. He was very happy to see that he raised his bowl instead of wine and said:
"It's just that Mr. Sima is old and has to work hard and sleep well at night. So you can take care of your health, so as not to say that Feng took advantage of his youth and was defeated by force."
"But I wonder if Mr. Sima's appetite is okay? How much can he eat in a day?"
Lu Yu didn't even think about it and answered directly:
"The Taifu is old, so he is not as strong as the young, and he works too much, just a few liters a day."
Feng Da Sima smiled and nodded, beckoned again, and had someone bring him a wooden box.
"The heat is unbearable, and I already have a poor appetite. Here is a box of ice cream that I usually eat. Mr. Lu, please give it to Mr. Sima for me, so that I can adjust my appetite so that I can eat more."
"Thank you Mr. Feng."
Feng Da Sima's eyes were dark and he was smiling.
Sima Yi has many things to do and eats little. He is nearly 70 years old, but he has to work hard and sleep at night. How can he last long?