Chapter 43 The young man who cares about all people
Since the last time I received Cao Cao in Linzi, I haven't seen him for another two months.
Liu Bei didn't change much at all. He was wearing ordinary clothes, a Liu family crown, and a mustache, and he walked in with a majestic appearance.
Surprisingly, beside him, in addition to several close confidants such as Qian Zhao, Jian Yong, and Zuo Ji who usually followed him, there were also Taishi Ci Wangjun and another young official with a handsome face.
"Fourth brother."
Liu Bei was surprised and happy, and said happily: "Why are you here?"
Chen Mu smiled and said: "The affairs in Xuzhou have been almost settled. Brother Jingxing will serve as Langya Prime Minister next month. The East China Sea Kingdom will also be represented by Chen Gui, the former Prime Minister of Pei. The south is stable, so we should focus on the north."
"Um."
Liu Bei nodded, came up and took his hand and said, "Let's go in and talk later."
A group of people entered the hall and sat down in rows.
Liu Bei sat on the main seat without hesitation. On his left and right sides were Chen Mu and Tian Feng, followed by Qian Zhao, Jian Yong, Zuo Ji, Wang Jun, Yan Zhong, Xu Rong and others.
After everyone sat down, Chen Mu looked at Wang Jun and said with a smile: "Brother Xiangheng, we haven't seen each other for a long time since last year. Why are you here today?"
It’s not surprising that Taishi Ci is here, after all, he is a frontline general, but Wang Jun’s presence here is a bit puzzling.
As a former regular attendant, Wang Jun fled Luoyang and settled in Jinan all year round after the death of Empress Dowager Dong and Dong Zhuo taking power.
Because Liu Bei was the Prime Minister of Jinan at the time, in order to take care of his younger brother, Wang Jun found a county lieutenant for him. The county was in Jinan, so that Liu Bei could take care of him.
Later, when the world was in turmoil, Wang Jun moved his family to Zhuoxian County. During the Chinese New Year last year, there was a big gathering in Qingzhou. In addition to the frontline generals, many people came to Zi for the meeting. Wang Jun was also invited, and many old friends had dinner together.
They soon went their separate ways again.
Logically speaking, in order to thank Wang Jun for taking care of him, Liu Bei gave his family a lot of land, allowing his family to become big landowners in Chuo County. Wang Jun should now be retiring in Chuo County.
Wang Jun explained: "Thanks to Xuande's appreciation, my brother Rong was promoted to Ban County Magistrate two years ago. Because he managed the place well, Xuande called my brother to Pingyuan and promoted him to Pingyuan County. I happened to be in Ban County at that time.
So I came here with my brother."
"I see."
Chen Mu looked at the young official in surprise, who was also slightly bowing his hands in greeting. It seemed that this person was Wang Jun's younger brother Wang Rong. At first, he was afraid that he was a playboy, but he didn't expect that he was not.
Quite talented.
Liu Bei looked around and saw two unfamiliar faces. He couldn't help but asked curiously: "Fourth brother, who are these two people?"
When Wang Jun and Tai Shici saw Yan Zhong and Xu Rong, they immediately showed surprised expressions. Liu Bei didn't know Yan Zhong and Xu Rong because he had barely interacted with them.
Forgot it completely.
But Wang Jun and Tai Shi Ci knew very well that when they were in Luoyang, Yan Zhong often discussed things with them. As General Dong Zhuo, Xu Rong, Tai Shi Ci who was engaged in intelligence work, and Wang Jun, who was still in the palace at the time,
How could I not be impressed by him?
Chen Mu smiled and said: "Brother, these are Mr. Yan Yi and his adopted son Xu Zheng. I once told my eldest brother that they are hermits from Guanzhong. I originally wanted to invite my eldest brother to visit me, but unfortunately my eldest brother was in a hurry and never came."
Time, this time I am here, I specially ask you two to help me."
When Wang Jun and Tai Shici heard this, they looked at each other and kept their mouths shut in a tacit understanding so as not to expose it.
There are some things that should be said and some things that should not be said, but the two of them still understand it very clearly.
"It turns out to be Mr. Yan Yi and Xu Zhuangshi!"
Liu Bei quickly stood up, raised his hands to the two of them and said, "I have heard of your reputation before, and I wanted to pay you a visit. However, I am busy with worldly affairs and have no time to spare. It is a great honor to meet you today."
I had heard about Corporal Liu Bei's courtesy, but I didn't expect that he could be so polite even though he was already in the position of state pastor. It was really admirable.
Yan Zhong and Xurong looked at each other and immediately stood up and cupped their hands and said: "Ming Gong Xian is famous all over the world. We have heard about it in Guanzhong for a long time. Now we are taking refuge in Qingzhou. As the saying goes, there are no eggs left unbroken after the nest is overturned. Qingzhou
Your safety is my safety, and we are willing to serve Duke Ming to ensure the safety of Qingzhou."
"Okay, okay."
Liu Bei looked very happy. In fact, he didn't know the abilities of the two of them, but since it was Chen Mu who approved it, it was different. He immediately said: "In that case, you can follow the fourth brother first and just listen to his orders.
Sit down quickly, sit down quickly."
"Thank you Ming Gong!"
Seeing that Liu Bei didn't recognize them, they both heaved a sigh of relief and sat down.
After finishing talking about meeting each other, Liu Bei looked at the crowd of talents in the hall, suddenly felt a little emotional, and sighed.
Chen Mu asked strangely: "What's wrong, brother? Why are you sighing?"
"well."
Liu Bei sighed again and said, "I just saw my fourth brother and Xiang Heng gathering together today, and suddenly I thought of Emperor Kangdi again."
The first emperor generally refers to the previous emperor. Now the person in front of Liu Yu is Liu Bian. Therefore, Liu Hong can no longer be called the first emperor, but should be called Emperor Kang.
It has been seven or eight years since Emperor Kangxi passed away, and there have been two or three emperors. Why did Liu Bei suddenly think of him?
Chen Mu wondered: "It has been several years since Emperor Kangxi passed away. Is my elder brother still thinking about him?"
"yes."
Liu Bei shook his head: "I think back in the Zhongping years, although there was the Yellow Turban Rebellion, after the Yellow Turban, the country was peaceful and the people were safe, and the world was at peace. If Emperor Kang had not died, I think this big man would not have fallen into this situation."
"This is all Dong Zhuo's fault, Xuande need not feel sad."
Wang Jun comforted him.
"It's not just Dong Zhuo. At that time, Emperor Kangxi collected taxes unscrupulously, which caused powerful people from all over the country to rebel. The Han Dynasty was full of wars and wars. It was also because of the instigation of his servants."
Liu Bei spoke frankly and heartily about the root cause of the rebellion among the powerful. Suddenly he saw that Wang Jun was a little embarrassed and quickly added: "Of course, Xiang Heng is a loyal and upright person, so naturally he has never participated in it. All this has nothing to do with Xiang Heng."
Wang Jun glanced at Chen Mu without any trace, and said awkwardly: "That's natural. I was just a Huangmenling at that time and had no power. How could I incite the emperor to harm the world like Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others?"
Chen Mu glanced at him and said in his heart, well, I did this. But then again, Wang Jun knows a lot about my dark history, should I silence him?
Liu Bei continued: "But the emperor cannot be blamed for this. At that time, the emperor collected land taxes. It was the powerful people who occupied the people's fields and did not pay taxes. The emperor was helpless. All this can only be blamed on the fact that there are too many moths in the world. Not only
Instead of serving the country, you will start an army and cause chaos!"
Did you mention powerful forces causing trouble again this time?
Well, fortunately Xun He is not here, otherwise there would probably be one more person who wants to silence him.
"And Dong Zhuo!"
Liu Bei suddenly punched the table hard and gritted his teeth and said: "They oppressed the late emperor, robbed the tomb, poisoned King Chenliu, and then took the late emperor to Chang'an, causing the late emperor to die in the chaos. Such evil thieves cannot be forgiven.
"
The atmosphere in the venue suddenly condensed.
Yan Zhong, Taishi Ci, Wang Jun and Xurong had their mouths twitching slightly and their eyelids beating wildly.
Xu Rong was like this because he felt uneasy. After all, he was an old general of Dong Zhuo and helped Dong Zhuo do some bad things. Hearing Liu Bei telling Dong Zhuo's evil deeds, he was naturally afraid.
As for Yan Zhong, Tai Shi Ci and Wang Jun, the three of them looked at Chen Mu almost at the same time.
Yan Zhong looked over because he knew that Dong Zhuo's rise to power was entirely instigated by Chen Mu. If it weren't for Chen Mu's evil plan, it would have been very difficult for Dong Zhuo to take power in Luoyang.
Taishi Ci and Wang Jun knew that King Chenliu and the late emperor were not dead, and had been tricked by Chen Mu into sending them overseas.
Seeing a few people secretly looking at him, Chen Mu looked at his nose and nose, and saw that the old god was there, motionless.
Well, there are a few more people who want to be silenced. If Hou Xu is killed, all the dirty things he has done over the years will be completely lost in the dust of history.
Should I do this?
So confused.
"Ming Gong, although Dong Zhuo is cruel, he has been dead for many years and has suffered the consequences. There is no need to mention such villains again."
At this moment, Tian Feng stood up and said: "The most urgent task is to get rid of traitors like Yuan Shao. As long as Yuan Shao is removed, the north will be settled. Ming Gong will be able to bring millions of soldiers and engulf the world with anger. Only then can we restore our
Great Han Dynasty!"
"Yes, Not Bad."
Liu Bei was persuaded by Tian Feng and nodded: "That's true, but Yuan Shao's strength should not be underestimated. I'm afraid it will not be easy for us to defeat him in a short time."
Tian Feng suddenly laughed, stroked his beard and said proudly: "Ming Gong, Feng has a plan, and he will defeat Yuan Shao!"
"oh?"
Liu Bei was overjoyed and said, "What's the plan?"
Tian Feng glanced at Chen Mu and said loudly: "Ming Gong should know that most of the salt used in Jizhou now comes from Qingzhou. Although salt is produced in Hedong, Jizhou is thousands of miles away from Guanzhong, and civil strife in Guanzhong continues. Yuan Shao thought
It is extremely difficult to obtain salt."
"If we cut off its salt, just like cutting off its roots, the civil strife in Jizhou will definitely continue. At this time, Yuan Shao has only two options. One is to attack us eagerly to quell the civil strife. The other is to go to Guanzhong to buy salt and hold on until death."
"However, to buy salt in Guanzhong, there will be great losses along the way, and we have to pass through Bingzhou, where we may be robbed by the Xianbei people. Therefore, I predict that Yuan Shao will not last long and will definitely want to fight to the death with us."
"Once an all-out war breaks out, it will not be us but Yuan Shao who is anxious. At that time, we will be as stable as Mount Tai. We will use many defense zones in the plains to hold on tenaciously with Yuan Shao and slowly wear them out."
"As long as you can't hold on, wait until a year and a half later, when Yuan Shao's troops are exhausted and his officers and men are weak due to lack of salt, then we can attack again!"
At the end of the sentence, Tian Feng's expression became even more proud. He grabbed his hand and said fiercely: "Then we can decide the outcome in a battle!"
Cut off salt?
Liu Bei was stunned by this plan.
If you think about it carefully, it really makes sense.
It was not that Yuan Shao had no source of salt. He could have made salt in the Bohai Sea.
The method of boiling sea salt with water has been popular since the Spring and Autumn Period. The Qi State was the richest in the world because of the money from boiling salt.
Now that the Bohai Sea is divided equally between himself and Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao really has no way to make salt by himself.
Then his only way is to buy it from other places.
Nowadays, sea salt mainly flows in from Qingzhou. Since it is close to the production area, the price has not been expensive.
But what if Qingzhou cuts off the salt?
The price of salt in Jizhou soared instantly, and the people's lives were miserable. Civil strife will inevitably continue in various places. When the time comes...wait a minute, the people will be miserable?
Before Liu Bei thought about the civil strife in Jizhou caused by the lack of salt that affected Yuan Shao's army, he had already thought about the lives of the people. His face suddenly changed slightly, and he shook his head and said: "No, this plan will never work."
Seeing that Liu Bei disagreed as Chen Mu expected, Tian Feng was not happy at that time. He took a step forward and said bluntly: "Ming Gong, this plan will definitely make Yuan Shaofang confused, why not?"
"If this is the case, the lives of the people in Jizhou will definitely be difficult. I am now called a role model by the people of the world, and all people believe in me. If people are killed or injured because of me, how can I face the people of the world?"
Liu Bei kept waving his hands, firmly disagreeing.
"Ming Gong!"
Tian Feng immediately said: "With the world's heavy responsibilities on our shoulders and the longing for the unification of all people, how can we be so benevolent as a woman?"
"Confucius said, I must do my duty to the master! If he attacks Yuan Shao, it is my duty to do so."
Liu Bei frowned, pointed to the west and said: "It is related to the life and death of millions of people in Jizhou and the safety of countless Li people. How can a woman be benevolent?"
"Eat less salt and you won't die."
"Does Yuan Hao not know that if people don't eat salt for a long time, they will get sick and die quickly?"
"It's not too late to give salt to the people after Jizhou is pacified."
"But at that time, I don't know how many people will die, how many families will be destroyed, and all these debts will be charged to me, Liu Xuande!"
"Unifying the world will show great benevolence and righteousness!"
"If you act righteously, you will be trusted by the people. If you are not righteous, you will be disbelieved by the people. This is why the master's legislation first serves as a check for himself, so he orders it to be carried out in the world. If I do this, how can I win the trust of the world and how can I unify the world?
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Tian Feng was still pleading, but Liu Bei remained unmoved.
Chen Mu watched them argue below, already knowing the result in his heart.
It is true that Tian Feng's strategy is very feasible. As long as the border smuggling problem can be strictly controlled, Jizhou will indeed cause civil strife due to lack of salt.
But in that case, the people who would cause the greatest harm to Jizhou would not be Yuan Shao, but the people.
Yuan Shao will first serve the army with salt to ensure the army's supply. With Jizhou's size and inventory, Jizhou's army will not be short of salt for at least a year and a half.
However, it is impossible for ordinary people to keep a large amount of salt at home. They only buy it after using it up. Due to the fluctuation of salt prices, the family may completely run out of salt within a month or even half a month, and fall into a panic of no salt.
It will take at least about a year for Tian Feng's plan to cut off salt to have an impact on Yuan Shao's army. This means that within this year, the entire people of Jizhou will suffer disaster.
Perhaps modern people who have adequate living material conditions are confused by the lack of salt.
Will you die without salt?
If you don't eat salt, you won't necessarily die, but you will suffer a lot.
Because without salt intake for a long time, people may suffer from shock and death, and may also be accompanied by various diseases, physical weakness, decreased immunity, and death from other complications at any time, which is somewhat similar to AIDS.
Therefore, if millions of people continue to avoid eating salt, it is easy to understand what the consequences will be.
Chen Mu knew very well that Liu Bei was no longer the same Liu Bei who "lived alone when he was poor".
Liu Bei had nothing at that time. Faced with Chen Mu's persuasion, he might have restrained himself, hoping that when he became prosperous in the future, he could "do great things and benefit the world."
Liu Bei now occupies a high position and has a vast territory and population. The most important thing is that he not only has a good reputation all over the world, but even the people of Jizhou have always been fond of him and feel that even if they are hostile, they still think
Liu Shijun is a good person.
Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for Liu Bei to ruin his own brand and undermine his reputation.
This is not the baggage of an idol, but the magnanimity that a person who achieves great things should have. If he ruins the reputation he relies on for a short time, the history books may not be sure how to arrange the aftermath. This is indeed very uncomfortable for Liu Bei.
matter.
According to the parlance at that time, it was called cherishing feathers.
Although many people have different opinions on whether to cherish feathers.
For example, Cao Cao was thick-skinned and was not afraid of being scolded, so he dared to eat human flesh, steal tombs, and massacre county towns. He was even praised as a great man by future generations.
But it’s precisely because you have such a belief in your heart that people admire and respect you, isn’t it?
Chen Mu watched Big Brother impassionedly telling Tian Feng the truth. In a daze, he suddenly remembered that year and month in Guangnian.
How many years ago was it?
oh.
It's been twelve years.
Time flies so fast, it turns out it has been so long.
At that time, he was also telling himself the great truth of "Those who give to the people and can help others must be holy."
At that time, he also told himself earnestly and sincerely that he should put people first and take the people as the foundation.
Isn't that time and that moment exactly like this moment?
I used to think that I had come to this troubled world for no reason, and that because of the precarious situation, I would use any means to plot evil in the world and spend my whole life wandering.
Who knew that once you meet Liu Lang's talent, you will miss your life.
Chen Mu looked at Tian Feng, who was dumbfounded by Liu Bei's nonsense, and suddenly laughed.
A flash.
It's been so many years, and he still hasn't changed.
After wandering for half a lifetime, he came back as the same young man who cared about all the people in the world!