It was October, and the autumn harvest had stopped.

Liu Bei and Guan Zhang were walking in the field, although there were farmers in the field at this time, they were only three or three, far less than the prosperity of summer.

He raised his foot and gently crushed the few clods of soil in front of him, and looked at the farmers who could not stay in the field, "The farmer is the cornerstone of a country." However, farmers work hard in the fields day and night, and often the income of a year is not as good as the profit of the business. Although it is said that agriculture is important, many farmers starve to death. Although it is said that business is suppressed, many businessmen are rich. Why? ”

Guan Zhang behind him didn't say anything when they heard it.

The question of farming has been around for a long time, and everyone in the world knows that farmers work hard. It's just that the poor have a weak heart and want to become incompetent, so it is needless to say.

And the prominent and the rich often disdain it.

It's not that no one mentions it at all, it's just that there are countless interests involved, and most of the people who mention it and take action are the souls of those with vested interests.

Scholars and bureaucrats often say that the world is the general trend, and in their eyes, those who hold the power are the general trend of the world.

Those who go against the trend will be crushed under the general trend.

After a while, Zhang Fei spoke: "The hard work of the farmers is pitiful, but now these are not things that the elder brother should consider. ”

Liu Bei nodded and said with a smile: "I know." ”

The three of them continued on their way, and stopped when they came to a place on the dragon.

Not far away, a young man in a short shirt was walking slowly through the field with his head bowed.

With every few steps, he would stop and meditate.

This person is Zao Yi, who was "kidnapped" by Liu Bei at the beginning.

Zao Yi is different from others, he loves this field thing the most, and now he is unrestrained in Zhuo County, but he is the most in harmony with his mind.

Liu Bei and the three of them didn't come forward to disturb, and sat cross-legged directly on the ridge head.

"Speaking of which, you and my brother used to come here often."

Liu Bei's eyes showed some nostalgia, when he was a teenager, he and Guan Yu were both "poor people", only Zhang Fei can be regarded as rich, and his family has a lot of land, and there is a lot of land here that is Zhang Fei's family's land.

At that time, one of the favorite things of the three of them was to come to this field together and watch the buckwheat green and swaying in the wind.

"I naturally remember, I still remember that my brother liked to sit on this field the most, watching the little lady who was carrying the pot pulp, and always shaking his head and pointing a point or two. This size is a little worse, and that age is a little younger. The second brother was already blushing, so he naturally couldn't see the blush at that time, but he often made me blush. ”

At that time, the three young people sat on the dragon, pointing out to the women who came and went from time to time. The people of the Han Dynasty were fierce, and most of the women smiled gently, not impressed.

But there are also fierce women, who are scolding when they open their mouths, or when they open their mouths, they will throw away their armor and flee.

Sometimes he will sue Zhang Fei's father, and for this matter alone, Zhang Fei doesn't know how many beatings he has been beaten by his father.

When you are a carefree youth, you will never get it when you pass away.

Liu Bei smiled: "What Yide said is not yes or no, I am not the only one who pointed at the beginning. The two of you haven't said much. However, it is common for men to love beauty, so don't women love men and look good? In the past, the three of us sat here, and there were many women who were also pointing at us. ”

Without waiting for Guan Zhang to answer, he raised his head slightly, looked at the young scholar who came over, and said with a smile: "Zaojun, am I right?" ”

Walking in the fields all year round, Zaoqi's complexion was tanned by the scorching sun. If you look at it suddenly, it looks more and more like an ordinary farmer in the field.

Now Zao Yi deals with farmers more in the field, so his original introverted and radical temperament is becoming more and more hearty, and he smiled when he heard this: "Liu Jun also said that women like good looks." As for you ......"

All four laughed.

"Zaojun is a lot more free and easy now, and he even makes jokes." Liu Bei said with a smile.

Zao Yi shook off the dust on his shoes and sat cross-legged opposite Liu Bei.

Liu Bei smiled and asked, "What does Zaojun think of Zhuo County?" ”

Zao Yi is not a person with a temperament after all, at this time, he has already cleaned up his face, and said: "It has been a few years since I came to Zhuo County. Although Zhuo County is a place of border stops, in the past two years, there is Xuande reputation outside, and it is pressed by the strength of virtue inside, but it can be regarded as a stable place for Jiajingren. It's just that now Xuande rarely returns to his hometown, and there are some things that I have in my throat, and I have to talk to Xuande. ”

Liu Bei also put away his smiling face and said solemnly: "Zaojun, please speak." ”

He knew that what Zao Yu was going to talk about was only afraid that most of it was a farm matter, and it would only be a farm matter that would make him so solemn.

"Farmers, the great affairs of the country. It's just that now there is a relic, everywhere, even Zhuo County is not exempt from vulgarity. The fields of the peasant households in the fields are often swallowed up by the powerful and rich families, and the peasant households are forced to commit themselves to the rich families for their livelihoods, so that the peasant households become more and more embarrassed, and the rich families become richer and richer, and in the long run, the land will inevitably collapse. ”

"If this is the case in one county, by extension, the world will be like this in the future."

Zao Yi is still the same Zao Yi, and he dares to speak out if he is not angry in his heart, otherwise he would not be angry with the Guo family when he was in Yangzhai. Although it is a lot calmer now, his temperament has not changed.

Liu Bei nodded, the issue of land annexation that Zao Yi said was just a cliché.

Since Emperor Guangwu established the Eastern Han Dynasty, the wealthy family has always been a big tail.

Even after the founding of Guangwu, the most powerful time of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the problem of the wealthy family was never solved, and the subsequent followers were naturally even more unthinkable.

What's more, since Emperor Ming, most of the Han emperors died young, and there were very few people who ruled all the year round.

There is endless infighting in the court, and there is no time to take care of the powerful families in these places, and then they have their hands free, but the places are already connected by the central government, and it is even more difficult to cut them off.

In other words, these powerful families have been integrated into the Eastern Han Dynasty and have become part of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Shen Guan is seriously ill.

"Zao Jun should also know that this matter has been going on for a long time, and it is not an ordinary thing, now that this matter has been raised, can there be a solution?" Liu Bei said with a smile.

He had already vaguely guessed what Zao Yi meant, after all, the person in front of him was the one who first advocated Tuntian.

Zao Qi was silent for a moment, and then said: "There is indeed a law, but it is different from the times, I don't know if Xuande dares to do it." ”

"Now that the merger is inevitable, it is better for Xuande to use the profits in his hands to slowly collect the land that is still in the hands of farmers in Zhuo County. The land is then handed over to the farmer to cultivate, and the rent is set. Buy more cattle and ploughing tools, and when it is time to farm, you can lend ploughing cattle to farmers and collect rent regularly. ”

After Liu Bei heard this, he raised his foot and twisted the gravel on the ground, and he didn't say a word.

Zao Yi didn't urge, he also knew that it was not easy for Liu Bei to make a decision.

There are many smart people in the world, but even if they know that many things are right, they dare to take that step in the right direction, and there are only a few people throughout the ages.

If Liu Bei does what he says, it will certainly make the farmers in Zhuo County feel better, but it will also make him completely opposed to the family in Zhuo County.

The wealthy family originally profited by exploiting the farmers, if Liu Bei collected the people and the fields, how could they profit?

Now although Liu Bei has the same reputation in Zhuo County, and Zhang Fei and others help him, but there are enough ants to bite the elephant to death.

If you change someone else, even if you are from a family, you have to be afraid of one or two.

But he believed that Liu Bei would give him a satisfactory answer.

After a while, Liu Bei laughed softly: "What Zao Jun said is reasonable, and the matter will be entrusted to Zao Jun." As for the matter of money and food, Zaojun can discuss with Yide. It's just that you still have to take it slowly. The four words that Bei said to Zao Jun that day were the sincere words of Bei. ”

Zao Yi smiled when he heard this, "I really didn't mistake Xuande, so I'll go and prepare." ”

He said goodbye to the three of them and hurriedly got up and left.

"Brother really wants to deal with Zaojun's matter?"

As Zao Yi walked away, Zhang Fei spoke first, "I'm afraid that acting like this will touch the interests of many people in the county." Don't look at their subservience to their brother now, but it's just superficial. ”

"People die for money, let alone these who are accustomed to eating human blood. If it really moves their interests, I'm afraid that we will bite us to the death. And if it is a large-scale collection of farmers, I am afraid that it will not be easy to explain to the county government at that time. ”

Among the three, this seemingly rough man is actually the most careful.

Although Guan Yu was silent, he also had a sad face. Although he felt that what Zao Yu said was indeed a good way, what Zhang Fei said now also made sense.

Liu Bei smiled, "I naturally thought about these talents. First, Zhuo County is not small, but it is not big. If it is trouble, then it is enough to kill chickens and monkeys, and it is just enough to store a lot of wealth. There is no need to talk about benevolence and kindness in dealing with the wicked, do you still want him to put down the butcher's knife? ”

Zhang Fei nodded, his brother's words were his thoughts.

True righteousness should be applied to the good and the weak, not to the strong who have already taken up the sword.

A benevolent and righteous person should not be framed by benevolence and righteousness.

"As for the county government, what is needed is nothing more than the oral endowment and calculation of these peasant households. If these people are collected by the wealthy clans next to them, they will definitely hide the population. Even if it has not been collected, collecting money from these farmers has always been a trouble in the county government. ”

"If I collect these people, as long as we don't hide the population and hand them over according to the actual situation, it will naturally be fine, and the court still wants us to accept more people. After all, there is a lot of money, and even more, and it can save a lot of trouble in the county government. ”

At that time, most of the big families hid their population, and the taxes that could be collected by the court and China were also sharply reduced.

The wealthy family is getting richer and richer, and the Son of Heaven is getting poorer and poorer, which is also one of the reasons why Emperor Ling sold his official position in the future.

Liu Bei said with a smile, "Now our wine business is not bad, but we don't care about these small money." ”

It's not that Liu Bei is talking big, now that he has a lot of money, he really doesn't care about these little money.

Guan Zhang and the others also figured out the key at this time, the court was short of money, although their move was a bit deviant, but in the final analysis, it was nothing more than the ordinary actions of the powerful family, plus paying enough taxes for the court, the court naturally couldn't say anything.

"Although such an action is beneficial to the farmers, most of the people in charge will lose money, but I am afraid that it is not a long-term method." Guan Yu said.

Fang Cai's intention is naturally to extend this method in the future, but it is just a matter of losing money, and it is definitely not a long-term method.

"Second brother is too worried, when did my brother ever do a loss-making business?" Zhang Fei said with a smile.

Liu Bei stood up and moved his muscles, "What Yun Chang said is not bad, this matter is naturally going to lose money at first, but if it becomes a scale in the future, its gains are also immeasurable." ”

】

"The hardest part is in a letter. In the past, Shang Ying changed the law, and the wood was a letter. Now it is natural that someone should set an example and take the lead in this matter. Otherwise, the farmers would just sit back and see, and now that I am famous, it is the right time to do so. ”

"Besides, it's not all without benefit, now that we have fulfilled Zaojun's wish, Zaojun should also do us a small favor."

He coughed, "When Zaojun makes some achievements, Yide can make up a little story." ”

"In the story, it is said that Zao Jun was unable to use his talents when he was in Yangzhai, and he was oppressed by others, so don't name him, but also point to the Guo family a little."

"Then I Liu Xuande heard the name of Zao Jun, and I looked at each other several times, pushed food and food with him, undressed him, put his arms and words happy, pushed his heart to his heart, and told himself about his life ambition in four words, so I invited Zao Jun here. It is only then that Zaojun shows his strengths. ”

"There are often merchants and rangers in our county, so you can give them more benefits and ask them to spread more."

Guan Zhang and the others were stunned for a moment.

After a long time, Guan Yu spoke, and said intermittently: "I want to come, I want to come brother, this is the city of Qianjin, the meaning of the city's horse bones, good, good strategy." ”

It was a little difficult for him Guan Yunchang to go against his heart, but fortunately, his complexion was already slightly red, so he couldn't see his red face.

Zhang Fei's eyes lit up, and he felt that Liu Bei's plan was not bad.

At that time, you can also add some other details, such as Liu Xuande, who is a horse bone in Qianjin City, and two good brothers who are thousands of enemies, as for how these two good brothers killed the generals in the two armies, it is worth talking about.

He suddenly remembered something and asked, "Brother, if this matter is effective, I am afraid that it will be very easy for outsiders to imitate." “

Liu Bei said with a smile: "Plucking a hair is not good for the world, Huizi doesn't do it, I will do it." As long as it is good for the farmers of the world, I hope that everyone will learn from it. ”

He paused for words and looked up at the farmland in the distance, "It's just that not all of them are Liu Xuande." ”

…………

The Gao family of Zhuo County has always been a wealthy family in the county, and in the past, it was better to lose 2,000 stones, and the words of Mo Zhihao were passed down by the Gao family.

Today, the Gao family ushered in an unexpected visitor.

The person who came was Liu Bei of Zhuo County, who is now famous in Youzhou.

Liu Bei's reputation in Youzhou is not small, which is enough to make the Gao family look up to a little, but it's just a little high.

There is never a shortage of talented young people in this world, but the more talented people are, the faster they fall.

In this world, the winner is the one who can live a long time.

And the family has lasted for many years, intertwined, and there are links up and down, so naturally these young people who have suddenly risen will not be put into their eyes.

Today, the Gao family treats Liu Bei quite politely, after all, the person who came forward to receive him is Gao Dan's biological father and the current head of the Gao family, Gao Hong.

Gao Hong was also a legendary figure in Zhuo County in the past, in the early years of the flying eagle lackeys flying and domineering, but later he turned to learn and sat on the position of the head of the family.

It's just that a generation naturally has a generation of stories, and this person has become more and more silent over the years. If you don't mention it deliberately, there are already many people who don't remember that he was also a figure who was in Youzhou back then.

Now the middle-aged man, who is no longer young, is looking at Liu Bei, who is sitting below.

He also had to admit that this young man who came out of Zhuo County did have his own style.

"I don't know what happened to Liu Jun here? Could it be that when I returned to Youzhou that day, my Gao family did not welcome you, so I came to the door to ask if the crime was not true? Gao Hong took the lead.

Liu Bei was not intimidated by his momentum, but just smiled, "The Gao family is high, and you can't climb high, how dare you come to the door for such a thing?" Today's visit is only for one thing, and it has been many days since I returned to Zhuo County, but why have I never seen any Gao family come to ask about Gao Dan? Could it be that he is no longer a son of the Gao family? ”

The middle-aged man sitting at the top leaned over and squinted slightly, "Liu Jun seems to be in charge of too much, Gao Shan is the son of the Gao family, how the Gao family acts, is naturally the Gao family's own business." Could it be that Liu Jun even wants to meddle in the housework of my Gao family? ”

"Naturally, I don't dare, I'm just a little upset about Gao Dan." Liu Bei didn't dodge, he raised his head and met Gao Hong's gaze, "When he was sent to the plug that day, he was treated as an outcast, and I think it is the only useful thing for him as a useless person." ”

"It's just that now that I've returned, no matter what the head of the Gao family thinks, as the father of Gao Dan, I should always ask where my son is? Instead of demonstrating solemnly, revealing the majesty of the Gao family. ”

Gao Hong didn't say anything, just stared at Liu Bei deadly, like a lion about to burst out.

It's just that after a long time, the lion did not jump up, but gradually fell silent.

"If it were a few years earlier, just based on Liu Jun's words, I would have to fight with Liu Jun. It's just that now that I'm older, my heart has decreased a lot, and I'm no longer as aggressive as I was back then. ”

He said with a smile: "Liu Jun broke into the name of Nuoda at a young age, and now it is the time when he is young and proud, and he is young and sharp, so he naturally doesn't know the difficulties of the head of this family." ”

"It seems that the power of a clan is in hand, the scenery is unlimited, and the affairs of the clan are decided in a word, but all kinds of interests are intertwined, and it takes a lot of effort just to sort out the relationship between them."

"The head of the family is the most selfish, but he is also the most unselfish. Liu Jun is smart, and he should be able to understand it when he thinks about it. ”

Liu Bei nodded, among the big families, the most difficult thing to do is balance.

Gao Hong stood up and paced in the room, "I didn't ask Gao Dan, and even asked him to fight for his life, it's not that I don't like him." Among my sons, in fact, Shan Er is the most like me when I was a teenager. But I am first the head of the family, and then the father of another. The things of the world must always be clear. ”

"If it is because of my own selfish love, the interests of the Gao family for a hundred years will be ruined. In the future, when you come to Jiuquan, what face will you have to meet the ancestors of the Gao family? You are still young now, and I had the same thoughts as you when you were your age, but it was only later that I realized that there are some things, and what I think in my heart is not important at all. ”

"Those who are on high always have to be alone, without any neighbors. This is true of a country, and so is a family. ”

"So you can only kill your relatives in righteousness?" Liu Bei said with a smile, "In Yu Bei's opinion, the so-called name of righteousness is nothing more than finding a reasonable excuse for his own cowardice. ”

"Kill one and save a thousand, first kill them, and then praise their righteousness. But the one who is slain deserves to die? Has anyone ever asked the slain if he was willing to sacrifice his life? No one asked, silent, and everyone was happy. ”

Gao Hong was silent, looking up through the window.

Outside the window, in the trees, birds returning from a feeding house are feeding the nest of birds.

At this time, Liu Bei remembered the scene when he was separated from Gao Dan that day, and he couldn't help but be angry in his heart, and he also stood up.

Gao Dan never returned with him, but took the initiative to stay in Gaoliu City.

The last parting between the two was on the stele forest in the back mountain of Takayanagi.

At that time, the two of them were standing in front of Chen Han's tomb, and in the soil in front of them, there was the long sword that was snatched from the hands of the Xianbei people.

At that time, after experiencing a series of battles, the young man who had long since faded his face was straight.

Between his demeanor, he is more and more like the owner of the old sword.

Originally, Liu Bei wanted to take him back to Youzhou, but Gao Dan shook his head with a smile and refused.

Even after a lot of time, Liu Bei still remembers this young man who he couldn't look down on back then, and said something that would make him, and even many self-proclaimed heroes in the world would be ashamed.

This young man, who could only fly eagles and lackeys in Zhuoxian in the past, pressed the sword on his waist and laughed loudly: "Liu Jun, I was ignorant in the past, but I was offended."

"It's just that now that I've been on the battlefield and seen heroes, it's a little difficult for me to go back to Zhuoxian and be the gentleman who only knows how to run around in the alleys."

He looked down at Chen Han's tombstone in front of him, and said softly: "I'm not a hero like you and Brother Chen, I'm just an ordinary scoundrel, and I can't do anything great." It's just that ordinary people, accustomed to seeing you heroes, occasionally want to do something small within their ability. ”

He raised his head again and said with a smile: "Chen Han, who was born from a humble background but is a hero, can die in this place, why can't Gao Dan, a gentleman from a high-ranking family, die here?"

Liu Bei opened his mouth, but stopped talking.

"My father won't ask much about me. If Liu Jun has leisure, please tell my father. ”

He laughed loudly: "Gao Dan, don't return home."

…………

Liu Bei relayed the events of the day to Gao Hong.

When he left, he forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and left only a word for Gao Hong.

"What will happen to the Gao family in the future, what we see is not what happens to these people who live in Zhuo County now, but what will happen to Gao Dan who is left alone on the plug."

Gao Hong was the only one left in the house.

At this time, this middle-aged man, who had always been known for his toughness in the family, slowly bent down.

His shoulders shrugged and he sobbed silently.

Outside the window, in the trees, the young finches flew away from the branches.