The fable made up by Shi Xun Xian is very simple, saying that when an old man was dying, he left his son a hundred acres of land, saying that there was 100,000 yuan hidden in it, and his son didn't know how to farm, so he hired someone to dig it, and he didn't even dig it for three years. He was lying to himself as a father, and in a fit of anger he sold the land to his neighbors, who cultivated well, and in just three years, the harvest of agricultural products was worth 100,000 yuan.

Of course, fables are fables, land prices, grain prices, that can't be detailed, 100 acres, 100,000 dollars, just give an imaginary number. Shi Xun means that the Western Regions was originally a fertile field, and if it is managed well, it will be able to produce a lot of output, but as a result, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not understand the reason and could not use the law, so he made the country poor and weak in his later years - this is really not the inevitable evil result of running the Western Regions.

"Emperor Xiaowu went out of the fortress five times to attack the Huns, and the soldiers were lost, and the war horses were not one. The lack of military resources is a heavy businessman, and the home of the Chinese is broken. That is, if there is no wheel, can it be long? And those who fight the wheel, but thousands of soldiers, the Han is so big, how can thousands of military supplies be difficult to supply? ”

Didn't they send tens of thousands of expeditionary troops out, a dozen thousands of miles, how could there be such a reason that they couldn't come up with any spare money?

Speaking of this, the topic changed abruptly: "In the Central Plains, each general set up a card in charge of the road, so as to strip the merchants, and the proceeds were used to replenish military funds." I am the Duke of Wei, so that all are dismissed, the counties are taxed, in order to lose the court, the merchants are prosperous, and the income is very high. Wei Gong is able to conquer the heroes, the tiger is on the river, and he gets two forces, one is called Tuntian, and the other is called Xingshang. It is the way of knowing businessmen, which has been known in ancient times, and the Siyin people are famous for this, and they are not sick in the country.

"The end of the Qin Dynasty sowed chaos. The land is deserted. People start from the end of the business (business). Emperor Gao thought it was to curb it, and he took business as cheap. However, agriculture is the foundation of the country, and business is also its branches, which are not solid and the wood is dead, and the branches are not prosperous and there is no luxury. Is the need of man in the field and on the loom? Salt and iron are distributed because of business, and money and silk flow because of business, so that it is within a hundred miles. Don't sell each other, Lao Tzu's so-called small country and widows are also, not my brilliant man. ”

Of course, no one really wants to ban business completely, but at the same time, few people pay enough attention to business. In their view, a merchant is to the state what a servant is to the family, without which the home would be dirty. But no one really thinks that such servants are so important that they must be encouraged and rewarded.

In addition, there was a natural hostility towards merchants. And this hostility clearly comes from jealousy - okay, I studied hard in the cold window, chanted history, and was finally able to become an official, even the court with the proceeds of corruption, not as much as you businessmen who made a few trips, is it bearable, which is unbearable?! As soon as I get the opportunity, I will let you break your house and pay me all the money!"

Therefore, Yehun must be explained in a deeper way. He said: "What people want, endless, what they want is to be able to aspire, and those who have no desire are not beneficial to the country......" To put it bluntly, the best of human beings is the driving force behind social development. For example, if there is a poor ravine and no traders, its inhabitants only know how to cultivate their stomachs and weave hemp to keep out the cold, then as long as the fruits of their labor are enough for their own family, the rest of their leisure can be used to be in a daze or to make people. One day a merchant came and brought them iron and pottery, so that they could produce more with less effort, but in a short time they had to produce more than usual to be able to afford it. As a result, some farmers are looking forward to a more leisurely future, and they are forced to work harder in the near future.

After a while, another merchant arrived, bringing with them livestock and silk fabrics, which in a sense were also a luxury for the peasants in this ravine. If you want to get these luxuries, you have to work harder, but after working hard, life becomes more comfortable, more fulfilling, and more meaningful.

"What is the carnivorous cloth, for luxury? The country is poor and weak, and I have to be an ear; The country is rich and strong, everyone gets meat and clothing, and I get it from hard work, so why slander? Mencius saw King Hui of Liang, and said: 'A house of five acres, the tree is mulberry, and fifty can be clothed; Chickens, guineas, dogs, and animals, if there is no time, the seventy can eat meat. 'Because the country is weak and the people are poor. Now I eat meat in cloth, how can I be corrupt and extravagant? ”

None of us are under the age of fifty, let alone seventy, and according to what Mencius told King Hui of Liang, none of us are qualified to wear silk clothes and eat meat. Could it be that we are all extravagant and corrupt? Because this time is different from the past, even if the chaos is not over, the current Han Dynasty is much richer and stronger than the Liang (Wei) State in the past. Isn't this the goal we are pursuing? In order to achieve this goal, we should indulge the people's ** and broaden their horizons, and the revitalization of merchants is the best means of stimulation.

When Yang Fu heard this, he always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't find a mistake, so he couldn't help but twist his beard and groan: "Indulging people's desires? There is desire and fear to ward off evil and luxury, and do everything. ”

Shi Xun pouted and smiled, and said in his heart that my set of statements is indeed a bit far from the traditional Confucian theory, and we have to find a way to bring it back-"It is the teaching of the order of the Nai Xu, the righteousness of Shen Xiaoyi, and the education is thriving because of this." In ancient times, people were like beasts, chasing food and leaving, but could Ranqing wait to see wolves and jackals? That is, this ferocious genus, also knows how to eat and divide the group, and knows how to support the young of the same species, is the benevolence of the wolf jackal more than that of people? Mencius said that "at the beginning of man, his nature is good", and the nature of birds and beasts is also. People and beasts are different, they have desires and can fulfill their desires, and they can do their desires without losing their benevolence, which is the so-called Confucianism. ”

Human nature is kind, but this kindness is not separated from animal nature, only the ability to transform nature, the pursuit and obtain a greater **, while not extinguishing this nature, is the difference between humans and animals. Confucianism wants to guide such a path. Otherwise, it would be good if the big guys were poor, "people do not suffer from widowhood but suffer from unevenness", all of them are half-starved and half-full, and small countries and widows, in groups of three or five, to ensure the most harmonious interior. But what's the difference between that and ordinary social animals?

Yang Fu and Jiang Xu were completely stupid - one is what Xun said, it is indeed a bit advanced, and second, he was not prepared in advance, a hammer in the east and a hammer in the west, and the system is not strong, but the words are given, harmonious and self-consistent, and you can't find any loopholes. Yan Xing next to him was even more foggy, and finally spread his hands and said that I was a big boss. Can you make it a little more straightforward?

Yeshun said to keep it simple. Yes, yes. He lowered his head and looked at the table. Dip a little saliva and stick a sesame seed that has slipped through the net, and show it to the three of them: "This flax is also obtained by Zhang Qian through the Western Regions." In the past, Emperor Xiaowu made a conquest of Dawan, and obtained the heavenly horse, if he used it to store the imperial garden, he stopped the king's selfish desires, and if he used it to match the horse, the Han horse was so resistant to war. Zhang Jian and get alfalfa. If it is planted in the forest, it will stop entertaining the king's ears and eyes, and if it is widely spread, the Han horse will rest ......"

Yan Xing patted the food table, and said that as soon as you say this, I will understand-I know more about war horses than they do. Our Liangzhou can produce good horses, one is a good breed, so the old legend is because of the introduction of heavenly horses from the Dawan country as a match, and the second is the food fine. Alfalfa is planted in many places, and horses love to eat that kind of grass. From this point of view. Running the Western Regions is not a purely loss-making business, and these two benefits alone are worth looking at that land firmly.

Shi Xun said that there are many species introduced by Zhang Qian from the Western Regions, as well as flax (sesame), pomegranate, garlic (garlic), courgette (cucumber), peach (grape), pepper, etc., etc., which enrich our table and give farmers more planting choices. Everyone knows that people can be healthy not just by eating food, and all kinds of vegetables and fruits must be mixed with food to maintain health. However, China is vast, and not all places are suitable for growing all kinds of vegetables and fruits, and the more species introduced, the greater the choice.

The key is - "People who live by the sea, fish eating is cheap, and the price can be ten times that of selling inland; Chu's oranges, Huaibei is citrus, if it is sold in the north, the price is also ten times. Merchants think they are rich, and the state levies them taxes and taxes, and the government treasury can also be filled. Ban Mengjian Yunyuan Guogong Cuiyu, Tong Rhino, the monarch is luxurious, but if you lose with good horses, the army is strong, lose with a sloppy army, the people are not afraid of the cold, the tax is prosperous, and the country is spared.

"I know that there are many deserts in the Western Regions, and there are springs between them, which is an oasis, and its land is small, which is inconvenient for reclamation, but it controls the trade routes, and the taxes are hundreds of millions, and it is a person who can become a country!"

When Yan Xing heard this, he couldn't help but slap his palms and laugh, saying that I understand it thoroughly, and if I control the Western Regions, good things can be sent to China in a steady stream, and our surplus products can also be exported to distant countries, just like trading with Qianghu, and we can also take the opportunity to collect taxes and get a large amount of income. Therefore, as long as commerce is encouraged and trade routes are guaranteed, the country will not be poor, and when the time comes, it will be a big deal to raise thousands of soldiers to guard the wheel.

Yes Xun is right, Yanming, you are really a smart person - you see those two goods are still thinking about it, and you don't know the essentials, you are already about to leave the school. Scholars are always like this, they have to figure out a truth in everything, but I am not a student of economics, so I really can't explain the truth to you in a few words. In fact, the facts are here, what else is needed? It is as simple as that.

When you are interested, simply sing a poem - at this time, Xun Yuan is not the raw hand of the Lei Ze Poetry Club that day, you let him make a poem on the spot to surpass the seven sons of Jian'an, that is nonsense, casually shocking Yang Fu and other local scholars who are more political than literary, or not embarrassed:

"The river is a desperate way, and the region has its own township. When will I see you in the hollow? The goodness of the world. Far from the east to the east, Chen Weiyang is very precious. Shengde is not edible, and the servants are not for Zang. The bell rings far away from the moraine, and the pigeon trains out of Dunhuang. Descend Hu and extinguish, since Zihan Daochang. ”

This five-word ninety percent is original, of course, there are references - not plagiarism - first of all, "the bell is far away from the moraine, and the Dunhuang is practiced" comes from Zhang Ji's "Liangzhou Ci" "Countless bells are far away from the moraine, and the white should be practiced to Anxi"; Secondly, the concluding sentence is taken from Li Bai's "Hu no one, Han Daochang". The poems are not very good, but they are also stable.

Yang Fu and Jiang Xu pondered for a long time, but they still only agreed with Shi Xun's opinion for the time being, and they were generally still in a state of knowing it but not knowing why it was - who is Hongfu? The world's talented people, Wei Gong's right-hand man, and a master of scripture, what he said cannot be unreasonable, but we are stupid and have not been able to understand it thoroughly. He said that the operation of the Western Regions will not only not bring a burden to the country, but can enrich the national treasury, okay, let's believe it for the time being, how to operate it? Let's wait until we get through the Western Regions first, and then ask him for detailed advice.

But Jiang Xu thought about it for a long time, and couldn't help but ask again: "Can the servant give this reason to Duke Wei and General Lu?" "It's Xun who said that Wei Gongxiong is very talented, where can I say more--In fact, Cao Cao's thinking is not as advanced as he said, but Tong Guò is Xun's efforts to advocate the revitalization of commerce and exchange with Xianbei and other foreign peoples, Cao Cao has seen a little bit of domestic and foreign trade, so he reluctantly agreed-As for Lu Bu: "I can't let him know it for the time being." ”

Jiang Xu didn't understand, why? Why shouldn't Lu Bu have heard of you? (To be continued......)