The update is coming, and the 7,000-word chapter is present!

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For Carmen's sorrow, Zhang Yuankong actually can't empathize. On the contrary, he was even a little complacent: after all, this conclusion was also the conclusion that Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and families and emperors had repeated countless times in Great Xia for thousands of years.

If the Taiping Road wins, it will inevitably collapse and the world will be in chaos!

(The heavens shall not be without a day for a time, and the people shall not be without a king for a time...... Besides, people and gods have different paths, how can they build a country with religion for a long time? ）

…… But.

"Wait, what did you say?"

"I say, the rule of the merchant is more terrible than that of the king."

Looking at Zhang Yuankong, Carmen said, "That kind of terrible ...... You haven't experienced it yet! ”

"You...... Can you tell me more about it? ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the guillotine engulfed the first king, almost all of the rebels felt relaxed, even though the leader who led them to defeat, capture, and ultimately guillotine the king soon after began to proclaim himself Lord Protector and declare himself to rule for life. After all, their leader is still a "man" and does not call himself a "king" and has no children to inherit his power.

Soon after, the leader died, and another general became his political heir, but perhaps unable to withstand the pressure of millennia of tradition, he knelt before the old rulers, returned the crown, and was canonized as the new great noble.

It was a setback, but it did not discourage the Carmens, and soon after, they triumphed again in another country, seized the king, and beheaded him.

"And then, about the same, the great general put an end to the chaos and put the throne back above the people...... But a little better than the guy from Munch, he sat on it himself. ”

He called the emperor a lonely man, made his former colleagues bow at his feet, and declared, "God has given me a crown, and whoever touches it will be destroyed." Then, the emperor was defeated by a hostile nation. Escorted by foreign troops, the exiled royal families returned home and became kings again.

"That's nothing, keep fighting with them."

If they fail, they go back to the streets, continue to promote and agitate, continue to accumulate strength, for Carmen, these are nothing, they are used to it.

"But ah, none of us noticed that in the process of this, the merchants ...... It's becoming a terrible force. ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The resurrected regime, which relied on the support of outsiders, was destined to not have enough authority, and the returning king found that his rule had long since lost its former majesty, and within a few years, the Carmen waited for the opportunity again.

"This time, we have more allies than we have ever had before."

In the short period of restoration, the king angered almost everyone: the old ministry of the defeated emperor, the other royal families and nobles who failed to reap the benefits of the new regime, Carmen and her comrades-in-arms, and......

"Great merchants."

This time, the battle was easier and smoother than any previous one. From the very beginning, we have received all kinds of support, materials, arms, and funds, and they have been pouring in.

"We gathered before the royal palace...... Laugh at the powerless guy who is cowering in the deep palace. ”

The king, in a state of rage and fear, issued one royal decree after another, demanding the intervention of the army, asking the regimental trainers to intervene, and asking the catchers to come out to maintain order, but the catchers were blatantly sabotage, and the leader of the regimental trainers pretended to be deaf and dumb, and the army was ...... The generals simply replied that the military was used against foreigners.

"What joy we had then."

At the end of the stalemate, the king finally gave in and declared, "I will give you back power," and he went into exile again, fleeing abroad, never to return.

"We've never won so easily...... At that time, we were all excitedly hugging and telling each other that the era of kingship was over forever! ”

Sighing, Carmen said that this summary was actually not wrong at all, it was by no means blindly optimistic, but it was only missing half a sentence.

"The era of kingship has ended, and the era of golden power has begun......"

Soon, people who were still immersed in happiness found that things were quietly changing.

The new regime was quickly established, and a large number of seats were held by the great merchants or their spokesmen, while others, equally important, fell into the hands of the old nobility, those who fought on the barricades, who stalemate in the squares, who laughed loudly at the palace guards and pulled their clothes and turned their chests towards their swords, the poor people...... They, for nothing.

"It's not just nothing...... We have lost more than we have ever been! ”

Carmen was furious when the new regime issued one order after another, each of which suppressed the poor more delicately and ferociously than the old regime.

"Build barricades!"

With a roar, those who had nothing took up arms again and took to the streets, but ...... This time, the allies, who used to smile and be close, have stood on the opposite side of the barricades!

"The Charles of the Trevilles...... That viper in a tuxedo! ”

As a member of the ruined aristocracy, Charles was once a reliable friend of the rebels, and with a kind smile, he mingled with the rebels, providing arms, funds, public opinion and political support, and there were many people like him at the time. For Carmen and his comrades, this was undoubtedly something to be happy about. At the time, they believed that it was because the power of the people was demonstrated, and they might be speculators, but at least because they were subdued by the power of the people.

"Until, that day."

When the rebels took to the streets again, when the blood-stained flags were waved, when the barricades were rebuilt, the Charles, and so many Charles, finally showed their fangs!

"From the beginning, he was a lackey of the merchants, who paid and hid behind the scenes, while the Charles used the money to run errands, to do business, and to make a fortune by the way."

When the merchants wanted to see the end of the regime, they used money to silence the sword-wielding power, allowing Carmen and her comrades to move freely, but when the power was in their hands...... The sword will be unsheathed!

"On the first night, 80,000 troops were assembled, and in the next half month, a total of 250,000 troops were mobilized."

The generals, who once declared that "the duty of a soldier is to fight with foreigners," were in good spirits, brandishing their sabers in their hands, and directing a battle that could not be called a battle at all; And the regimental training that he once declared that he was only established to protect the territory and the people--- called the National Guard in the language of the Carmen country, his eyes were red with blood, and he unleashed their ferocity.

"How many people died? 100,000 people? Maybe more? I don't know, no one counts. ”

Locking off the perimeter of the city, the army drove into the city in a murderous manner, sweeping the districts one by one, and by the time the situation calmed down, the city was dyed red and the corpses were piled up.

"But what's the most ridiculous, you know?"

In the process of this matter, there are still a large number of members of the royal family and nobles cooperating with these forces, and among them there is even the power of the king who has just been expelled, as for the reason......

"They, in their bones, are originally a gang."

Looking at Zhang Yuankong, Carmen said: "Da Zhenren, you think that the most important difference in this world is the difference between Yixia, and once, we also thought that the most important difference in this world is the difference between nobles and commoners, but until that day, we really understood the most important and true distinction in this world...... There is only one. ”

Raising his right hand and raising his index finger, Carmen stared at Zhang Yuankong's eyes and said slowly: "The difference between rich and poor." ”

"The rich and the poor, the one who has property and the one who does not...... This is the distinction, the most essential distinction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Rich and poor...... Is it true that you will end up with me on the same path? ”

Yun Chongbo listened very carefully to these exotic past events relayed by Zhang Yuankong, but he didn't particularly care about it, after all, in the experience of Taiping Dao, a betrayal like this can be said to be not worth mentioning. For example, the Wang Jing Wang Shoujie mentioned many times in Zhang Yuankong's story, Yun Chongbo remembered it very clearly, and decades later, he would personally send such a betrayal to Taiping Dao.

"Speaking of which."

Yun Chongbo carefully weighed his sentences and asked Zhang Yuankong, can you introduce more about Wang Shoujie?

And the person next to him, that one is called Zhou Fo...... Ah, Zhou Fuhai's. ”

In the process of Zhang Yuankong's narration, Yun Chongbo was confused more than once. In his description, Wang Shoujie is a young man with both compassion and a sense of justice, and he also has a considerable affection for Taiping Dao. How did such a person become such an executioner in the future?

"Also, the shopkeeper of Zhou, Carmen seems to have been hostile to him from the beginning...... But I don't really understand why. ”

Of course, from the current point of view, if Carmen's inference is true, then this businessman who smiled and handed over the gold and silver to the soldiers in exchange for their "no prisoners" can be said to be "crazy", but Yun Chongbo doesn't understand that when Carmen first met Zhou Fuhai, these things had not happened at all, so where did the strong hostility that could not be concealed come from?

"That's a question I asked, too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Zhang Yuankong asked this question, Carmen thought for a while, and then she asked Zhang Yuankong that since he still remembered his hostility towards Zhou Fuhai, did he still remember those Xia people who were killed by the Xia army under the noses of the two of them?

"Do you think Zhou Fuhai is a kind and good businessman, not a wicked person who will take out money to buy other people's lives. It's because you don't see the other side of things. It's like, you think that the Xia army shouldn't kill the Xia people like the Yi people, just because you only see one side of the story. ”

"...... side of the 'Yixia Difference'."

"Oh, and what do you see? The difference between rich and poor? ”

In a very bad mood, Zhang Yuankong asked in a sharp voice with a little sarcasm, and immediately heard the answer.

“…… That's right, the difference between rich and poor. ”

"You always think that the most important distinction in this world is the difference between Yixia, but I tell you truthfully, the most important distinction is called the difference between rich and poor."

"This truth is something we have to comprehend with the lives of hundreds of thousands, millions of fellow practitioners!"

Looking at Zhang Yuankong fixedly, Carmen said, "It's a real person...... In terms of 'morality', you are a good person, but that's all. ”

"After all, Zhou Fuhai, he can also be regarded as a good person, can't he?"

Looking at Zhang Yuankong with sympathetic eyes--- although this kind of "you poor fool" gaze made Zhang Yuankong even more angry, Carmen asked Zhang Yuankong, did he ever think that if that day, he didn't control himself, rushed down, and saved these villagers, and then what?

"What if you save the next place?"

Looking at Zhang Yuankong quietly, Carmen asked him, even now, around this Qingxi Cave, there are at least thousands of such mountain people, and if you look at the world, you don't know how many are mortal.

"You save? How many can you save? ”

There was that sarcasm in his tone again, and Carmen asked Zhang Yuankong, what was he going to do after being saved?

"Take them back to Longhu Mountain and let them be tenants at the foot of the mountain? Or give them silver so that they can afford to cultivate the land around Wu Rong? ”

"It's so easy to be a good person...... It is easy to do good things that do not exceed your own boundaries in a place that you can see...... Just like Zhou Fuhai. ”

"But, what can you change if you are so good?"

"Kindness can't change the world, it's the world that will turn around and change your kindness, Dazhenren."

"You and your junior brother can still retain some kindness and sympathy today, just as Wang Shoujie still has recognition and sympathy for Taiping Dao...... However, you will rise, you will wield more power and wealth, you will return to Longhu Mountain, and you will become a figure like the Great Patriarch, and Wang Shoujie will be in charge of his family business, which is also a great businessman in our country, and in addition, his status is probably equivalent to that of a fiefdom earl? ”

Unconsciously moving his fingers, Carmen made a prediction about Zhang Yuankong's future, saying that he would eventually lose his goodness, because he had his own position and interests to protect.

"You're too arrogant to talk like that."

Zhang Yuankong pointed out fiercely that it is true that Daxia has never lacked local tyrants and inferior gentry who are rampant in the township, but it has never lacked benevolence and protection of the local gentry in the township.

"As for our Longhu Mountain, we have to give medicine and porridge every year, and how many people have been saved, do you know ......"

"Well, but where did the money come from?"

A sentence choked Zhang Yuankong, and Carmen asked him with a mockery, how much rent-free land was given to Longhu Mountain by the imperial court? How much land does Longhushan purchase and annex by itself?

"Three thousand hectares? Or 10,000 hectares? How much does this land produce in a year? How much money do you spend each year on good deeds? ”

“…… But we took some of the money out after all, didn't we? ”

"yes, that's right."

Spreading his hands, Carmen sneered: "Just like Zhou Fuhai, he took some of the money out!" ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a while, the atmosphere was at a stalemate, and if it weren't for the fact that he was still very weak, Zhang Yuankong would have already brushed his sleeves away. Carmen also seemed to feel that her tone was too impulsive, and she was silent for a while before speaking again, her tone already much gentler.

In short, all of this is really a matter of numbers...... Calculations and comparisons determine why you will eventually lose your goodness, and why the rule of merchants is the most terrible of all things. ”

"You've been talking about the merchant era since just now...... What the hell is going on? ”

"Because, merchant...... The survival of businessmen is all based on 'calculation'. ”

Carmen asked Zhang Yuankong, let's take the things around them, the Lin Liu family is not satisfied with only occupying the interests of changing ships, and hopes to make finished silk and pottery products by themselves, but in the competition with the Wang family, they always fail, what is this for?

"Because ......"

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Yuankong said a few speculations, from the quality of the product, to the condition, to the channels of raw material procurement, but Carmen just shook his head.

"None of this is the essence."

"What is the essence? The essence is calculation. ”

Citing the example of one of the Wang family's most important products, Carmen said that the price for which the Wang family now delivered a piece of pottery to the Lin family's fleet at the port was equivalent to fifteen catties of grain.

"On the territory of the Wang family, there is good clay, which is controlled by them, and one pound of clay exchanged for grain is enough to burn three pieces of pottery of this size."

Comparing a shape with his hand, after thinking about it, he felt that it was still small, so he opened it a little wider, and Carmen continued to calculate the cost of the Wang family to burn a piece of pottery, a number of fireworks, a number of manpower, and a number of costs to transport it to Wu Ronglai.

"You see, the Wang family needs at least seven catties of grain to spend on such a piece of pottery, so why do they set the price to fifteen catties of grain?"

"Why?"

While asking, Zhang Yuankong was also surprised, he really didn't expect that there could be such a big profit in this ordinary piece of pottery.

didn't answer, Carmen just stared at Zhang Yuankong intently, still with the kind of "you poor stupid" look, until Zhang Yuankong was about to burst out, she sighed and said:

“…… Of course, it is because the Lin family wants to produce a piece of pottery, and it will cost at least sixteen catties of grain! ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When a sentence was spoken, Yun Chongbo suddenly let out an "ah", Zhang Yuankong looked at him and said with a wry smile: "Understood? ”

Yun Chongbo had a calm face, did not answer immediately, and thought for a long time before he let out a long sigh--- just like the sigh of Carmen that Zhang Yuankong had just imitated.

"To put it bluntly, it's as simple as that...... But I didn't think about it! ”

"yes."

Zhang Yuankong sighed: "This is calculation, this is the essence of businessmen...... It was decided that they must rule more viciously, or else...... They themselves will perish first! ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the most outstanding disciple of the younger generation of Longhu Mountain, Zhang Yuankong's mind and understanding are the best choice, and Carmen immediately realized the essence.

"That's right, that's what you said."

If, as it is now, more than eighty percent of the pottery that goes to sea through Wurong is provided by the Wang family and several other great families, and under the tacit understanding of everyone, there are very rich profits in it, and they themselves can live a good life, and they also have the spare energy to do good deeds, such as paving bridges and roads, and giving porridge and medicine.

However, if someone wants to expand their share, or if there are new players who want to participate, such as the Lin Liu family, then the results of their calculations will inevitably affect the results of the Wang family's calculations.

"If the Lin family can burn a piece of porcelain at the cost of eight catties of grain, the Wang family must reduce the price of porcelain to seven catties, or lower, which has nothing to do with whether they have the ability to do it. Drop or get out. ”

This is why the Lin Liu family wants to buy slave labor, not because they hate or hate the mountain people, but because this is the cheapest way they can reduce costs, there is no emotion in this, there is only business in it.

"There is always a fixed number of things that can be used as raw materials, and soon, everyone will find out that manpower is ...... Only manpower is the best place to win. ”

In Carmen's country, when the rule of merchants was established, people became expendables, the adult men who struggled in the workshops could only survive on average, and the children were thrown into the flesh mill from the time they could walk.

"Of course, there are good businessmen, but their fate is not good."

To give an example, a man named Simon or a Western official once tried in his workshop to provide better working conditions and spend more money on the people who worked.

"And then he went bankrupt."

Because he spent more money on manpower than others, he couldn't sell things as cheaply and profitably as others, and soon, he used up all his assets and lost his name.

"The rule of the merchants, and the rule of the lords, is completely different."

Different lords tend to rule in completely different ways, some are fierce and greedy, others are relatively mild, and in general, the latter will be poor and ridiculed, but usually that's it, they are willing to choose a poorer life, and they can live like this.

"But businessmen can't, they don't have a choice."

A lord who doesn't know how to exploit is poorer at best, but a merchant who doesn't know how to exploit will soon die from the squeeze of his peers, so he has no choice.

"Exploitation...... Or death, you see, that's the result of the calculation. ”

Merchants kill people, not because they hate this person, businessmen start wars, not because they hate that country, the driving force of everything is calculation, there is no emotion in this, only business.

“…… This is the era of golden power, the era that we are happy to usher in with blood and sacrifice. ”

Sitting there weakly, Carmen told Zhang Yuankong that he had finally given up after being betrayed by the Charles.

"I'm tired...... Moreover, I don't see a way out. ”

I always believed that as long as the era of kingship ended, there would be an eternal happy time, but as a result, I was stabbed in the back by a ferocious stab and pushed into a deeper abyss. Carmen finally loses faith in her struggle. One day, she said goodbye to her colleagues, boarded the first ship in the port at will, and went overseas.

"I've been a lot of places and ended up here. Here, I found a lot of interesting things, and I also learned that there are organizations like Taiping Dao here...... I wanted to find them, to meet them, but I couldn't find them. ”

Speaking of which, it is still necessary to rely on the blessings of Zhang Yuankong, as they entered Wurong, the storm was turbulent, and the Taiping Dao, which had been hidden deep underground, finally appeared in front of people, which also made Carmen make up his mind.

"You want to join them?"

"Join? No, it won't. ”

Smiling to herself, Carmen said that her heart was dead.

"After July of that year, I was a dead man...... After that, all kinds of things were just a lingering breath. ”

"I'm just going to take another look."

Tell Zhang Yuankong that he will take care of him for another day, and when his strength is initially restored, the employment relationship should end, and at that time, Carmen will try again, to find Taiping Dao, to see if she can join them.

"Great real people...... You are a kind person, but I have seen many, many people like you. ”

Many people can retain a relative kindness when they do not touch their own fundamental interests, but when the price of exercising this kindness is to betray their origins, few people can do it.

"The Great True Man...... Do you think you can? ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"After that, we never spoke again."

In a strange silence, Carmen took care of Zhang Yuankong for another day, and when he was initially healed and able to jump, run, and engage in low-intensity combat, he silently packed up his things and left without saying a word.

"Speaking of which, there's something that I've thought was strange since just now."

Frowning, Yun Chongbo asked, Zhang Yuankong has been missing for the past few days, why has no one come to look for him at all?

"Even if Yisi Ba Xijun is crazy, Fengxiang Archer is not crazy, why didn't their leader arrange for someone to come to you? Not to mention that you didn't show up for a few days, didn't the news get back to the city? Nanjin real people they ...... You can't just look at it, right? ”

"Well, you did get one thing right."

“…… Yisba Xijun, they did go crazy. ”

"You mean?"

After leaving the cave where he had been hiding for a few days, Zhang Yuankong first determined his location, and then while returning to the city, he kept using the dragon and tiger secret method to release contact signals. The next day, he successfully rendezvoused with Zhang Yuanjin.

"What do you look like!"

As soon as they met, they were shocked, Zhang Yuanjin's appearance was even worse than himself: his clothes were tattered, his body was bloodstained, and there were a few pieces of smoky and burnt black, which was simply like he had just rushed out of somewhere.

"Senior brother, I've found you!"

Zhang Yuanjin's next sentence was like a thunderbolt on the ground, which immediately made Zhang Yuankong throw everything else out of the clouds.

"Yisi Pa Xi army is in rebellion...... Fengxiang's shooters were killed and wounded, General Wang was dead, General Xue was dead, and Wu Rong was ...... Lost! ”