"Your Majesty, I went to Shu, and now I understand why Sima Cuo said when King Qin Hui was conquering Shu, he said: If you take the land, you can expand the country; if you take the wealth, you can enrich the people and build the army."
In the third month of Yangchun in the thirty-eighth year of the First Emperor of Qin, Lu Jia, the "Governor of Ba County" who had rushed back to Xiangyang from Bashu, was standing in front of Hei Fu and talking eloquently.
He opened his arms and gestured: "Chengdu is a large basin, with thousands of miles of fertile fields, fertile soil, rich people, and abundant goods and shells. There are many salt wells in the land and strict roads. Copper is produced in Qiongdu, Wuyang, Nan'an, Linqiong, and Jiangyang.
If iron is mined, the annual city tax is almost equal to the land rent."
In short, this place is extremely rich, but transportation is inconvenient, and the cost of transporting money and grain to Guanzhong is too high. Instead, it is more convenient to ship eastward across the river to Nanjun - provided that you are not too unlucky and don't get shipwrecked in the Three Gorges.
After fighting for more than half a year, the finances of both the northern and southern regimes were somewhat tight: the monarchs and ministers of the Northern Qin Dynasty drank poison to quench their thirst, violated promises and added taxes in various ways, causing widespread complaints. In order to mobilize grain from Guanzhong to Nanyang, it was announced that no new grains could be eaten in the three hundred miles of Guanzhong.
, it is said that the price of rice in Xianyang is as high as one thousand yuan per stone!
The Northern Expedition was not much better. The foundation in the south was weak and it still had to support an army of more than 100,000 people. Although Xiao He was behind the scenes, after eating the autumn harvest, in order to save military rations, Heifu had to take the lead in eating porridge.
So after the beginning of spring, the money and grain from Shu County that came with Lu Jia gave them a lot of blood. Now they no longer have to worry about the lean season and no food to eat.
The "married" Ba family also continued to provide people and money. A large number of Ba people joined the Northern Expedition and followed Wu Chen north to Hanzhong. Taking advantage of their expertise in mountain warfare, they fought hard against the Guanzhong soldiers who were several times their size.
point.
In addition to finance, Bashu also brought rich rewards to Heifu in terms of strategy: Chang Yu, the governor of Shu County, sent troops to occupy Jiameng and attack Shiniu Road; Zhao Tuo of Ba County and Wu Chen led their troops to Micang Road to cooperate with Nanjun.
Under attack from three sides, Hanzhong was on the verge of collapse.
This is why Heifu focused his spring offensive on Hanzhong.
After asking about the military and government finances, Heifu took a sip of water and asked: "When will Chang Yuan send Gongsun Jun?"
Gongsun Jun, the eldest son of Fusu, was sent to Qiongdu by Qin Shihuang. Hu Hai sent envoys to have him poisoned, but he was protected by Chang Yan.
Lu Jia said: "Chang Yan said that Gongsun is young and cannot bear the surprise. It is better to wait for the Northern Expedition to capture Xianyang and return it to the old capital, and then send him there directly..."
He reminded Heifu: "Your Majesty, the land of Shu is blocked by a fortress. It crosses Qiongdu in the south, Shiniu in the north, Diqiang in the west, and is separated by Jianshan Mountain. It is extremely poor and dangerous. This is a country that defends itself alone. Although Chang Yan responds
The Northern Expeditionary Army, whether military or political, is its own faction and must be guarded against."
Heifu sneered: "Why, Chang Yan is dishonest?"
Lu Jia shook his head: "That's not true. Now the Northern Expeditionary Army is gradually gaining the upper hand. Chang Yan is aware of the situation, but even if Shu County is not allowed to use its full strength, he is still making plans for himself."
Hei Fu nodded: "I know it, but Bashu and Hanzhong are originally one. If there are three counties, it would be an excellent place for separatist rule. But once one of them is lost, this self-defense trend will be destroyed and cannot last long. Chang Yan
He is a smart man, and since he has made his choice, he will not do anything stupid."
He paused and asked again: "When you were in Chengdu, what did you think of Gongsun Jun?"
Lu Jia sighed and said: "The little boy is only ten years old, but he has been completely frightened by various changes. He always smiles at people and stares blankly. I have asked people to test him secretly. It doesn't seem like he is faking it."
"Sad."
Mr. Hei sighed: "Did Fusu abandon him like this?"
"This is not what I remember the eldest son would do."
Heifu always has a feeling that Fusu will not just remain silent...
Lu Jia didn't care about Fusu, so he raised his hand and said, "After entering Guanzhong, do you want to support Gongsun Jun as the new emperor?"
Heifu was noncommittal: "I deny Hu Hai and do not recognize him. After entering Xianyang, I have already killed the false emperor. If I want to be recognized by the people of Qin, I still need a flag."
In other words, puppet!
"According to your statement, Gongsun Jun is actually the most suitable... Chang Yan must also be happy to see it succeed, so that he can have the merit of supporting him."
Lu Jia solemnly said: "I dare to ask the prince, if you support Gongsun Jun as the emperor, what happens next?"
"Do you want to do Yi Yin's business as Duke of Zhou?"
…
Heifu did not comment on Lu Jia's question.
"Isn't Yi Yin, Duke of Zhou, highly praised by Confucian scholars?"
Lu Jia said: "As a Confucian scholar, Lu Jia should highly recommend them, but as a minister, Lu Jia does not recommend that princes and princes imitate these two people."
He bowed again and said, "Please let me tell you the fate of Yi Yin and Duke Zhou in detail."
"Everyone said that Emperor Taijia had been in power for three years, but he was ignorant, tyrannical, disobedient to Tang laws, and disorderly in morality, so Yi Yin released him to Tong Palace. For three years, Yi Yin took charge of the country and served as the governor."
"Emperor Taijia lived in Tonggong for three years, repented and blamed himself, and did good deeds, so Yi Yin welcomed Emperor Taijia and entrusted him with the government. Emperor Taijia cultivated virtue, the princes returned to Yin, and the people were at peace. Yi Yin Jiazhi was appointed as Taijia There are three chapters of training, praising Emperor Taijia and calling him Emperor Taizong."
After telling the first version of Yi Yin's story, Lu Jia changed his tone.
"However, in addition to this, I have also heard of another theory."
"Some people say that Yi Yin established himself by letting Taijia live in Tong. Yiyin came to the throne and released Taijia for seven years. Taijia sneaked out of Tong to kill Yiyin, so he established his sons Yizhi and Yifen, and ordered him to restore his father's throne. The land and the house are divided into two parts..."
After hearing this, Heifu immediately became happy: "Lu Sheng, isn't this a statement of Legalism? Why did it come from the mouth of a Confucian scholar like you? So you think the latter is true and the former is false? Do you want to deny that "Shu" "?"
Lu Jia smiled and said: "Mencius said that if you believe in all the books, it is better to have no books at all. Although Meng Ke had many things that I didn't like, I deeply believe this."
"I believed your ghost!"
Hei Fu cursed in his heart. He once heard Zhang Cang complain about this sentence. It is better to believe in books than to have no books. It sounds like it refers to reading in general, not to stick to books or to be superstitious about books. It is often quoted.
But this is actually taken out of context!
Mencius's original words are clearly: "As for the article "Wucheng", I can only believe two or three sentences in it. As for the rest? It's not worth believing at all! A benevolent man is invincible in the world. King Wu of Zhou and even the most benevolent people will attack the most unbenevolent ones." King Zhou and the merchant soldiers turned against each other and defeated the enemy without fighting. However, in "Wucheng", why does it say that the Battle of Muye was bloody? What nonsense!"
This is obviously because you only believe in your own subjective opinions and do not believe in objective records.
If your argument is good for you, believe it; if it's not good for you, don't believe it, or even pretend you haven't seen it.
Haha, it seems no different from the forum trolls of later generations.
But when it was his turn to tell another person's story, Lu Jia once again believed in the records in ancient books.
"The Duke of Zhou saved the rebellion in one year, subdued Yin in the second year, practiced death in the third year, established the marquis and guard in the fourth year, and established the Zhou Dynasty in the fifth year."
"In the sixth year, Duke Zhou made rites and music. He set out in the suburbs of heaven and earth, looking at the mountains and rivers. There were no troops and troops, and the punishments and laws were suspended. Within the four seas, he offered sacrifices to the king of Yueshang, who came to Zhen, and re-translated them to come to the dynasty. For seven years, Duke Zhou administered the Wang Chang, the Duke of Zhou rebelled and became the king, and he took the position of the ministers in the north..."
Speaking of this, Lu Jia paused: "But at this time, someone came in front of King Cheng and said that Duke Zhou intended to usurp the throne, which was not good for King Cheng. King Cheng was suspicious, and Duke Zhou had no choice but to flee to Chu to avoid suspicion. Until later, King Cheng
After looking through the documents collected in the treasury, I found that Duke Zhou was willing to die on his behalf when King Wu fell ill, so he sent someone to bring Duke Zhou back..."
"Therefore, King Fang of Yiyin was killed by Taijia."
"The Duke of Zhou's regency is suspected by King Cheng."
"I have read the historical records and found that since ancient times, when a young ruler succeeded to the throne, when he came of age, the ministers who served in charge of the government, even though they had done many achievements, were not suspected by their kings, there were very few of them. Except for Yi Yin and Zhou Gong, King Min of Qi was suspicious
Lord Mengchang, King Zhaoxiang of Qin were suspicious of Ranghou Wei Ran, and the First Emperor was suspicious of Lu Buwei. This is all the case."
Although these three people themselves are not clean.
He said earnestly:
"If you are not close to the Duke of Zhou, you cannot do the things of the Duke of Zhou. Therefore, it is the plan of the prince. Yi Yin, the Duke of Zhou cannot imitate him!"
It is not recommended to be Yi Yin, Duke of Zhou, so what does Lu Jia think Hei Fu should do?
The answer was right there in his mouth, ready to come out!
But the Confucian scholar knew that the time was not yet ripe, so he hid half of his words and stopped talking.
After Lu Jia left, Heifu smiled helplessly.
"Not only for me, but also for yourself and all the heroes and soldiers of the Northern Expedition?"
…
Hei Fu still doesn’t know the little thoughts of his men? Since the beginning of the army, Lu Jia is not the only one who has been trying to persuade them to join in in a roundabout way.
From the moment he raised his troops, Hei Fu walked on a single-plank bridge, with an abyss on both sides, piles of corpses, and wild beasts lurking in it...
Looking back? That's impossible.
Is there someone blocking you in front? Even the person you least want to be your enemy has to push him down!
If you want to reach the other side smoothly, you can't rely on one person alone. Fortunately, Heifu has Nanjun's old troops, as well as Xiao He, Han Xin, and Lu Jia, a group of newly recruited capable ministers, who can assist him.
But people are not tools of death, but people with self-awareness.
As a human being, we will have desires.
Some people want to show off their talents and live up to what they have learned throughout their lives.
Some people want to strengthen the school and occupy a place in the future court.
Some people want to honor their ancestors and win more fields.
Some people want to rule the world and cut off the world's flesh with their own hands.
Some people want to be granted the title of marquis and become a general, return to their hometown in fine clothes, and leave a mark in history...
The prerequisite for realizing these long-cherished wishes is that the Northern Expeditionary Army wins this war.
As a result, the old and new ministers, and the endless desires of everyone, joined together and became the powerful hand behind Heifu, pushing him to move forward, speeding up across the abyss of war, and heading towards victory!
Heifu must respect, take care of, and understand the demands of his subordinates.
This is reality, and there is nothing naive about it. Anyone who ignores the desires of others will be abandoned by them.
Even the black husband is no exception! Once he discovers that you can't satisfy his desires, who knows, the pusher will become a black hand!
But while being careful to satisfy everyone's desires, Heifu also has to be careful.
Because this power will also intentionally or unintentionally try to manipulate Hei Fu and frequently induce him to go in the direction they want!
The farther back you go, the stronger the push behind you is. At that time, you may not be able to tell the difference anymore.
Is he leading them forward, or is he forced to move forward in a hurry, and once he stops, he is pushed and staggered by his officials? Like a prisoner wearing shackles!
As they pushed, they kept saying: "They are all planning for the master, for the master's descendants..."
For the war heroes, the higher they climb, the better. It is best to kick down the descendants of the First Emperor and take over the world by themselves. Only then can the rewards and benefits they receive be maximized and guaranteed!
"But Mr. Hei, you must never forget who you are and what is the purpose of doing all this?"
Alone in the tent, Heifu murmured, asking and answering questions to himself.
"remember."
Stepping out of the curtain, the warm spring sun shone through, making Heifu squint his eyes.