On the way back to Yuyang from the Great Wall, Xian Yufu and Tai Shici and others talked and laughed all the way, calling them brothers. On the other hand, Li Min, Tian Chou and other Youzhou officials were all silent, and their hearts were heavy. For such a contrast, Cai Ji is not surprised. A military general like Xian Yufu has a foundation in the army. As long as Cai Ji does not take away his military power, the two sides can continue to maintain the relationship between superiors and subordinates relatively peacefully. And Li Min, Tian Chou and others are either from families, or from local clans, once Cai Ji starts to govern the powerful and merge, it will inevitably involve their own interests. As the so-called pulling a whole body, even if Li Min and Tian Chou can understand the law, they cannot change the reality that this move will touch the interests of the Youzhou clan.

In fact, not only Youzhou, but also the entire Hebei region has similar problems. Because Yuan Shao was influenced by his family background and the purpose of winning the support of the powerful people of the world, he has always implemented political and economic policies that are beneficial to Confucian scholars and local tycoons in the three prefectures of Hebei, Bing, and You. The core of this is to adopt a "relaxed" attitude towards the big people. The effect of this move is naturally obvious, and in return, many big families in Hebei have chosen to go out under Yuan Shao's account. Even if Yuan Shao later established himself as the emperor, there were still several families who followed him with all their hearts. For example, one of the four major military divisions under Yuan Shao's command was born in the Wei County clan, and his clansmen not only annexed land and hid sinners in Wei County, but also blatantly pursued fugitive slaves, which can be described as extremely arrogant. Therefore, under the repeated connivance of Yuan Shao, the Shijia Haoqiang in the Heshuo area is far tougher than that of Qing and Xu Erzhou. For this reason, Cai Ji has long been prepared to entangle with these cows, ghosts, snakes, and gods for a long time.

However, to Cai Ji's surprise, the first person to come to her after returning to the city was neither Li Min, Tian Chou, nor other heroes in Youzhou, but Jia Xu, who had not made a sound on the Great Wall. When the people were reporting outside the study, Cai Ji was discussing with Pang Tong about sending troops to Shanggu. Hearing that it was Jia Xu who was visiting, Cai Ji only pouted slightly, and then asked someone to invite Jia Xu into the study. But who knew that Jia Xu, who has always been cautious, asked Cai Ji straight to the point as soon as he entered the house this time, "The method of merging with the strong and the strong." But what is the Lord's idea? ”

Facing Jia Xu's questioning, Cai Ji raised his hand to stop Pang Tong, who wanted to answer for her, and turned to Jia Xu in a calm tone, "Exactly." ”

Jia Xu saw Cai Ji answer so simply. The white brow couldn't help but tighten even tighter. But I heard him ask in a deep voice, "Does the Lord know that Cao Cao is also re-emphasizing the method of annexation in Jizhou?" ”

Cai Ji nodded and said, "I've heard about this matter. ”

After hearing this, Jia Xu stared at Cai Ji and asked word by word, "Cao Cao's move has been criticized by Shilin in Jizhou, and the lord has never thought of taking the opportunity to do the opposite to win over the Heshuo clan?" ”

It turned out that when it came to dealing with Hebei's big clans. Cao Cao was already ahead of Cai Ji. In some later literatures, it seems that the peasants who lost their land were always regarded as the biggest victims of land annexation. In fact, compared with the common people, the annexation of land was more fatal to the danger of dynastic rule. After all, people can still work as tenants, casual laborers, or even sell themselves into slavery if they lose their land. Since the unification of the six countries in China and the establishment of the great unified dynasty based on the county system, yeoman farmers have become the main bearers of taxes and forced labor in successive dynasties. The so-called "yeoman farmer" refers to a peasant household that combines farming and weaving on the basis of private ownership of a small plot of land and with a single family as the economic unit. It is worth mentioning that most landlords are also considered yeoman farmers. In the face of the powerful people who have power and force to rely on, they have no power to fight back, just like the peasants of small households.

The land of yeoman farmers seized by the powerful and powerful. It is the small-scale peasant economy that is being destroyed, and it is the corners of the treasury that are being dug up. When the land was annexed to a certain extent, a large number of yeoman farmers were lost. The government would not be able to collect enough taxes, and the dynasty's finances would inevitably deteriorate, forcing the rulers to raise taxes. Of course, the powerful families have their own tax avoidance methods. The vast majority of the tax will eventually be distributed among the yeoman farmers. As a result, the overwhelmed yeoman farmers abandoned their land to evade taxes and forced labor, thus speeding up the annexation of land and people by the powerful clans. Under the vicious circle, the dynasty that lost its source of taxes completely collapsed its finances and emptied its treasury. Over time, neither the central court nor the local government can afford to build water conservancy and defend border passes. In the event of a natural or man-made disaster, or a foreign invasion. It is not surprising that the originally crumbling dynasty has fallen.

Therefore, whether it is the emperor or the princes, as long as they have a little common sense, they all know that the merger of the powerful is a big trouble. However, on the other hand, the emperor and the princes could not rule the world without the power of the world. As a result, successive rulers have always oscillated between crackdown and leniency in the face of powerful annexation. And the benchmark for swing is the word "money". When you have money, you loosen it, and when you don't have money, you tighten it. As for princes like Cao Cao, who were already stretched thin on money and food. Naturally, it is hard to crack down on the heroes of the world, and there is nothing to say.

Cai Ji's current situation is that he can maintain his finances for the time being without dealing with the merger of Haoqiang, and if he starts with the merger of Haoqiang, he will lose the support of some of the Heshuo clans. From this point of view, Jia Xujian yì Cai Ji took advantage of Cao Cao's rectification of the powerful and powerful merger opportunity to pull the Hebei clan, which is not a clever plan in politics.

It's just that Cai Ji clearly does not intend to compromise on this matter. And not just because she knows the dangers of annexation. What's more critical is that Cai Ji has exempted the taxes of Hebei and Youzhou in order to appease the people. Coupled with the fierce battle for nearly a year before, Rao is Cai Ji owns the two granaries of Donglai and Beihai, and he has to admit that his finances are on the verge of the limit. In this case, the fastest way to replenish blood is undoubtedly to eat a large household. Therefore, even though he knew that this would offend people, Cai Ji, like Cao Cao, still targeted those fat-headed and big-eared family heroes.

saw Cai Ji staring at Jia Xu and said calmly, "What Mr. Wenhe said is not unreasonable. Taking advantage of Cao Cao's severe punishment of the merger, if he is relaxed and strong, he can indeed make friends with many Heshuo clans. Speaking of this, Cai Ji suddenly raised his voice and said, "But as a minister of the Han Dynasty, you should be loyal to the country!" Relaxed and strong, although he can marry others privately, he spends thousands of horses of silk and ten thousand stone valleys, which is still useless in state affairs! ”

"It's useless to be good in state affairs!" Pang Tong, who had long been eager to try, heard what Cai Ji said, and immediately echoed excitedly, "The Lord is wise! The Han Dynasty was not lenient, and Yuan Shao was lenient, so he did not take it. If the lord corrects it violently and makes the upper and lower know the system, he will definitely be able to win over the princes of the world. ”

Facing Cai Ji, who had a firm attitude, and Pang Tong, who was excited, Jia Xu's mood at the moment was both relieved and worried. It's gratifying that Cai Ji didn't blindly please everyone like Yuan Shao. Ignoring the danger of merger, and then cutting off the foundation. What worries me is that Cai Ji and Pang Tong are still young, and they are too optimistic about the merger of the powerful and powerful. Jia Xu, who was familiar with the classics of Confucianism and Law, certainly knew very well what kind of damage a regime would bring to a regime by annexing land and population by the powerful clan. And his humble background made Jia Xu support the fight against the strong merger with a low heart. But years of experience in officialdom told him that this matter was impassioned to say, but it was full of dangers to do.

In fact. If Jia Xu's lord at this time was Cao Cao, then he would probably choose to remain silent. After all, Cao Jun was in urgent need of money and food, and Cao Cao himself was suspicious. In this case, talking about the merger of the powerful will only cause Cao Cao to be dissatisfied. In contrast, although Cai Ji emphasized the "rule of magic" like Cao Cao, she was more humble and more receptive to the opinions of others. And because of that. Jia Xu didn't want to see Cai Ji lose the good situation he had because of a momentary impulse.

Thinking about this, Jia Xu did not shy away from saying to Cai Ji, "The Lord is Mingjian, Heshuo is not like Qing, Xu Erzhou has been war-torn for a long time, and all kinds of waste are waiting to be revived. As Shi Yuan said before, Yuan Shao was generous and generous, resulting in a forest of heroes and strongmen in Hebei, You, and the three states, and the big clans were even more intertwined. Each other is inside and out. As the so-called pulling a hair and moving the whole body, the world has not yet been calmed, and the Lord rashly rectifies and merges the powerful. I am afraid that this move will provoke a rebellion! ”

Cai Ji knew that Jia Xu was not alarmist. In the original history, after Cao Cao unified Hebei, he began to drastically rectify and merge to restrain the powerful of the world. Thus, on the premise of slowing down the exploitation of the people, it increased the country's income and strength, and laid a solid foundation for the establishment of Cao Wei and the return of the Three Kingdoms to Jin. But at the same time, as Jia Xu analyzed, Cao Cao became the target of criticism by the famous scholars in the blink of an eye because he harmed the interests of the Hebei family. Not only that, after Cao Cao's defeat at Chibi, the powerful people of the world took the opportunity to plan several rebellions and assassinations against Cao Cao. So much so that Cao Cao's successor, Cao Pi, had to use the Jiupin Zhongzheng system to curry favor with the powerful of the world.

Seeing Cai Ji fall into deep thought. Pang Tong on the side thought that she was a rat trap and did not dare to make a move against the world. In a hurry, Pang Tong couldn't help but shout murderously, "If you dare to commit a crime, you will be killed!" I don't believe that Haoqiang's neck is harder than a steel knife! ”

"Shi Yuan wants to be a merchant Junhu?" Jia Xu swept Pang Tongyi's eyes and asked.

"As long as you can help the Lord to enrich the country and strengthen the army, what's the matter if you become a merchant king!" Pang Tong said this. Immediately turned his heart sideways, and hugged his fist at Cai Ji, "If the lord is afraid of provoking a rebellion, he can first rectify and merge in Youzhou, and then divide the five horses to settle the grievances!" ”

Shang Jun is Shang Ying, who was a politician in the Warring States Period and a representative figure of famous Legalism. It is a descendant of the monarch of the country, surnamed Ji, Gongsun, so it is called Wei Marting, also known as Gongsun Marting, and later sealed in Shang, and later known as Shang Marting. Shang Ying was deeply valued by Qin Xiaogong, and ruled in Qin for 19 years, and the Qin State was greatly governed, known as Shang Ying's reform in history. However, Shang Jun's law was too harsh and unkind, and offended a large number of Qin nobles. After the death of Qin Xiaogong, Shang Ying was persecuted by political enemies, and was finally dealt with by King Qin Huiwen.

Pang Tong dared to decide to follow Shang Ying's example, undoubtedly gambling with his own life. Cai Ji was moved, but couldn't help but say, "Fool." What do you want five Shiyuan to do? Sent to be in charge of the five states? ”

Although this remark was a joke, it made Pang Tong feel Cai Ji's heart of defending him. With a warm heart, he immediately strengthened his determination to "die for his confidant". However, before Pang Tong could further elaborate on the strategy to deal with the powerful of the world, Cai Ji had already expressed his attitude to him and Jia Xu, "Governing a big country is like cooking a small fresh." The matter of rectifying the merger of the powerful and powerful must not be left undone, nor can it be brutally done. After listening to what Mr. Wenhe said just now, I feel that there are two principles that need to be followed in the rectification and merger of Youzhou. ”

When Jia Xu and Pang Tong heard Cai Ji say this, they couldn't help but exchange glances, and both arched their hands and said, "I want to hear about it." ”

"First, don't sit together; Second, follow Cao Gui. Cai Ji said with two fingers. In fact, even if Jia Xu didn't come, Cai Ji would talk to Pang Tong about these two principles. However, since Jia Xu started his head, Cai Ji naturally took the opportunity to put forward the principles that had been prepared for a long time.

"Joint sitting" refers to a system in which persons who have a certain relationship with the offender are jointly and severally punished for committing a crime committed by another person. Therefore, the meaning of "not sitting together" is easy to understand, that is, not blindly expanding the scope of the crackdown on rectification and merger. "Sui Cao Gui" literally seems to be a bit close to the meaning of Xiao Sui Cao Gui. But if you think about it, there should be a deeper meaning. So as soon as Cai Ji's voice fell, Pang Tong hurriedly asked, "Dare to ask the Lord, do you want us to learn from Cao Cao?" ”

"Exactly." Cai Ji nodded with a smile.

"If that's the case, wouldn't we be one step behind Cao Cao in everything." Pang Tong frowned and said. It is said that after learning that Cai Ji had the intention of merging with Youzhou and other local governments, Pang Tong had the intention of competing with Cao Cao in Youzhou. can listen to Cai Ji's meaning at this moment, but he wants him to learn from Cao Cao everywhere, so how can he compare to Cao Cao.

Cai Ji saw that Pang Tong couldn't pay attention to what he meant, so he waved his hand and explained, "Definitely." As long as the rectification efforts do not exceed Cao Cao. As for how to act, it is up to Shi Yuan to decide. ”

What kind of person Pang Tong is, after Cai Ji mentioned it a little, he understood the mystery. As Jia Xu mentioned earlier, Cao Cao is also rectifying the merger of the powerful at this time. As long as you have a good degree, you can use Cao Cao as a shield to divert the contradiction between the Youzhou clan Haoqiang and Cai Ji. After all, the family business of these powerful families is in Youzhou, even if they are dissatisfied with Cai Ji, they have to pinch their noses and endure Cao Cao, who is even harsher and crueler than Cai Ji. It is absolutely impossible to immigrate all the way to Soochow and Jingzhou with his family. Thinking of this, Pang Tong immediately smiled at Cai Ji and said with a sly smile, "Rest assured, the Lord will take Cao Cao as the criterion everywhere." ”

Jia Xu looked at Cai Ji and then at Pang Tong, and finally showed a slight smile on his originally tense face. Obviously, these two principles of Cai Ji are very much in line with Jia Xu's heart. In fact, according to Jia Xu's original idea, he wanted Cai Ji to put aside the plan of rectification and merger for the time being, and wait until the world is pacified. In fact, previous dynasties have done the same. However, according to the plan proposed by Cai Ji, it is also feasible. So Jia Xu immediately twisted his head towards Cai Ji, "The Lord is careful in everything. It's the old man who is worried. ”

Cai Ji waved his hand humbly and said, "Mr. Wenhe's words are wrong. Rectification and merger are a matter of importance, and more guidance will be needed in the future. ”

The long-lost small theater:

Little Phoenix: Lord, please divide the corpses of the five horses to settle the grudges!

Xiao Cai: Huh!? Shi Yuan wants to be a leech! O(╯□╰)o~~~

Little Phoenix: ~~~~(>_