Cao Cao is a hero.

He was able to dominate the Central Plains and sweep the northern border, relying not only on the bravery of the warriors of Qian Pei, but also on the support of the talents of Yingchuan.

It's not just luck.

His own decision-making, judgment, insight, resourcefulness, and even the ability to adapt to the situation... There is no other in the world.

Such a character and such an important Xiangfan, how could he not have a second layer of deployment?

Didn't prevent it from happening?

Cao Cao had long thought that if the situation in Xiangfan was so turbulent that it was irreparable?

So what about Guan Yu? He was bound to make a desperate attempt to storm Xiangfan.

He even thought of the worst-case scenario.

That is, he, Cao Cao, could not return to the aid at the first time.

In this case, how to keep Xiangfan, and even turn defeat into victory, is not an easy problem.

And this depends on Cao Cao's deployment.

Cao Cao specially sent Yu Ban, the head of the five good generals, to garrison troops in Runan, and sent Gao Ran (who died in Changbanpo during the deduction, there is no record in history, so he was still there) to garrison in Xuchang, and when he went to Hanzhong, he secretly delivered two brocades to Zhang Liao.

One of them is Sun Quan's response when he came to commit a big crime.

The content is only four words - "The thief is here, and the hair is made!" ”

It is precisely because of these four words that Zhang Babai has created the feat of Zhang Babai breaking through Sun 100,000.

As for the other letter, it is not so concise.

Cao Cao listed three scenarios.

The first is that during the flood period, if the situation in Xiangfan changes.

Then Zhang Liao did not move, and transferred Yu Ban to quickly rush to Xiangfan from Runan.

The second is the dry period, the same assumption, this time is to ban the troops without moving, Zhang Liao quickly rushed from Hefei to Xiangfan, sat in Xiangfan, and handed over the post of commander of Hefei to Lejin, who was also a good general of the five sons.

The third is that during the rising water period, if the situation in Xiangfan changes, Sun Quan will attack at the same time, Cao Cao's deployment is that Zhang Liao will go to Xiangfan and be forbidden to enter Hefei.

In this way, it can also be seen how much Cao Cao attaches importance to Xiangfan.

And the current situation is the second situation, there are 800 Zhang broke Sun 100,000 in the past, and then the dry period came, the pressure on Hefei undoubtedly plummeted, and it was impossible for Sun Quan to organize troops and horses to attack at this time.

Of course, at this time, Zhang Liao should have led his troops to attack the mouth of the water.

The changes in the rising and dry periods often marked the transition of the offensive and defensive trends of Wei and Wu.

In fact, Zhang Liao had planned to attack the mouth of the water.

Can... Who would have thought that suddenly Cao Ren fainted, and the news of Cao Chun's death came.

Zhang Liao immediately made a decision, gave up the attack on the mouth of the water, and waited and saw what happened.

And that's just a wait-and-see experience.

After all... Cao Ren fainted, there were still full pets in Xiangfan City, as well as Lu Chang, Zhao Yan, and Niu Jin... No matter how bad it is, Jiangxia still has that "iron wall" clerkship.

There are them in...

The situation in Xiangfan is as stable as Mount Tai, and it will not collapse.

Can... Who would have thought that not long after Zhang Liao received the first urgent letter, the second urgent mail came one after another.

- Wen Ping is gone, Manchu is gone, Niu Jin is gone, and Lu Chang is gone.

- Nuoda Xiangfan, now there is only one Zhao Yan left!

Isn't this what Prime Minister Cao Cheng said, "The situation in Xiangfan has changed"...

Immediately, Zhang Liao handed over the right to command the troops in Hefei, and he himself led a group of personal guards to rush to Shouchun at night.

The waterway could not be sailed, so they drove to Xiangyang on horseback, and it was not too late.

When Zhao Yan saw Zhang Liao, his eyes were directly stunned, and he couldn't believe it.

Some time ago, Zhang Wenyuan, who was "800 to 100,000" and "Megatron", made the Dongwu children stop crying, actually appeared in Xiangyang.

What's even more unexpected is that Zhang Liao also brought news.

"General Xiahou has urgently summoned General Yu Ban, General Gao Lan, and Prince Cao Zhang... Now, they have gathered in Xudu, and the army will rush to the aid of Xiangfan in the near future. ”

Zhang Liao's words seem to have an aura in his chest.

It was as if the whole situation was under his control.

"Yun Chang is arrogant, he is bound to take advantage of the victory to march, the prime minister has set up a net for him early on, just wait for him to arrive in Fancheng, I will ambush him on all sides, and I will be captured alive!"

This...

Zhao Yan's eyes rolled, and he hurriedly asked, "Is it Fan Cheng?" Isn't it Xiangyang? ”

Hehe...

Zhang Liao smiled, it was a light smile.

Once again, he showed the big picture that only a great commander can have.

And... Only fellow countrymen and close friends will know Guan Yu.

"A Jingjiang River divides Xiangfan, Xiangyang is in the south, Fancheng is in the north, in Yunchang's view, even if Xiangyang is captured, Fancheng still needs to be taken, but if Fancheng is captured, Xiangyang will be destroyed without attack!"

Speaking of this, Zhang Liao paused, and his tone was firm. "Yun Chang is so arrogant, he will definitely not really attack Xiangyang, he will definitely take Fancheng... The general camp will be stationed between Fancheng and Wancheng, intending to cut off all supplies to Xiangfan! ”

"If it were someone else, he would never dare to go deep like this, but if it was him, he would definitely do it!"

The people who know Shanxi best are not necessarily Shanxi people, but they must be Guan Yu's fellow countrymen.

Zhang Liao knows Guan Yu too well.

In fact, Guan Yu in history, even when the Seventh Army was flooded and China was threatened.

The garrison of his Guanjia army was never in the area south of the Jingjiang River, near Jiangling.

Rather, it is north of the Jingjiang River, between Wancheng and Fancheng.

In the world, only Guan Yu would be so domineering and would not take Cao Wei seriously.

Even if it's an ambush on all sides.

Maybe in Guan Yu's eyes, it was he Guan Yu alone, who surrounded all these ten-faced people, and he almost shouted, everyone here is rubbish!

Call...

At this moment, Zhao Yan let out a long breath, and he sighed.

"It turns out that everything is in the hands of Prime Minister Cao Cheng."

"Blessings and misfortunes depend on each other..."Zhang Liao's tone was as serious and calm as ever, "Misfortune, once it is used well, it will also become a great thing, in this battle, we are bound to capture that Guan Yunchang!" ”

As he spoke, Zhang Liao's eyes lit up... It is the light of bravery.

In his opinion, he must take the title of "Shanxi's No. 1 Brave" from Guan Yu's head with his own hands.

- "I'm sorry, my dear friend!"

- "Our brothers are our own masters, let's have a good fight this time!"

…

…

Chengdu, Zhuge Mansion.

The oil lamp had burned out, and the gray morning light came in slightly, after Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei read Guan Lin's second answer sheet.

It was discussed all night long.

But the spirits of the two did not show the slightest grievance, and they still knelt on the side of the bamboo mat and concentrated.

Zhuge Liang's second exam question is, how to solve the problem of hoarding and raising prices by businessmen in Shuzhong?

And Guan Lin's answer is very simple, only three paragraphs.

The first paragraph - "The people are rich and the country is strong!" ”

The second paragraph - "Establishment of the Department of Commerce to collect commercial taxes. ”

The third paragraph - "Shuzhong businessmen can join the Commerce Department on a voluntary basis, and at the same time, all businessmen who join the Commerce Department will greatly improve their status, but they must submit to the jurisdiction of the Commerce Department." Non-businessmen in the Department of Commerce are not allowed to do business privately, and those who find it will be severely punished and will not be loaned. ”

These three paragraphs are actually quite simple.

Guan Lin wrote it after seeing the exam questions and thinking about it a little.

In fact, in the course of Chinese history, for a long time, there would be cases of merchants hoarding and raising prices.

For example, in the late Western Han Dynasty, major families annexed land and raised prices, which seriously affected economic operation.

Therefore, everyone elected Wang Mang to save the crisis.

Wang Mang was quite 'willful' to create the Six Springs coin system, from "Koizumi Naoichi" to "Oizumi Fifty", a total of six denominations were produced.

And the largest denomination, "Daquan 50", only used the "copper content" of two and a half five-baht coins

To put it simply, it means that for every "Daquan 50" issued, 47 and a half baht of wealth will be taken away from the people.

This move caused the big families to collect five baht coins, melt them and mint "Daquan" privately, and then use Daquan to buy "five baht coins" infinite nesting dolls, which triggered huge inflation.

This is the end of the Western Han Dynasty.

The end of the Eastern Han Dynasty was even more exaggerated.

Dong Zhuo cast a small amount of money, making the price of grain as high as hundreds of thousands, or even millions... There are also yes.

What's more, Liu Bei, who has always flaunted "benevolence and righteousness", was forced to play such a play in desperation.

Liu Bei in history, after entering Shu, faced the problem of "businessmen hoarding and raising prices".

The methods he adopted are also similar to Dong Zhuo's "minting small money".

It's just that Liu Bei's name is more elegant, called Zhibaiqian.

To put it simply, it is to mint a new kind of coin called "Zhibai Yuan", stabilize the price, one is equivalent to 100 coins of the past five baht coins, and then force merchants and ordinary people to replace the new coins within a time limit.

It seems that it is old money for new money, one for a hundred.

But in fact, the content of "copper" in a straight hundred coin is equivalent to the content of "copper" in a five-baht coin.

In this way, one for a hundred, the copper content of the extra ninety-nine pieces can continue to cast a new "straight hundred coins" in the city... On Liu Bei's side, the money and grain in the treasury naturally flowed endlessly.

This is equivalent to deception at the official level, deceiving the people's "copper" for "new" in the hands of the government.

It is the wheat that is collected to open a mill, and it is bought and sold without any profit.

And the people of Shuzhong out of trust in Liu Bei, at first, the big guy didn't think so much, and spontaneously took the five baht money to the government to exchange it for 100 yuan, and the price was controlled in a short time.

But as time went by, the people were not stupid, and they found that the Zhibai money in their hands became less and less valuable.

I used to be able to buy a piece of clothing, but now I can't afford even a sleeve.

Everyone's wealth has shrunk badly.

Everyone also found that although they were getting poorer and poorer, the money in Liu Bei's treasury was constantly increasing, and the military expenditure was also increasing.

In the end, the attitude of the entire Yizhou people towards Liu Bei also changed dramatically.

is also why, Liu Bei has always relied on the support of the patriarchal faction, the Jingzhou faction, and the Dongzhou faction...

The attitude of the local forces in Yizhou, and even the people of Yizhou, towards him... It can be described as "hard to say"!

Don't say that you support Liu Bei, I just hope that you Liu Bei will do well, don't further reduce the copper content in the 'Zhibai Money', further pit us, and squeeze us.

It is no exaggeration to say that if it weren't for Zhuge Liang's rule of Shu, coupled with the strict punishment and strict laws of the "Shu Law", the people would suffer losses, but they could only be forced to settle down.

Otherwise, under this economic system of "straight 100 money", the people's grievances in Shuzhong would have been boiling and the people's grievances were everywhere, and the situation would be uncontrollable.

And this also indirectly caused the local people in Yizhou, whether it is the clan or the people, to be unable to reach a heart with Liu Bei.

Of course...

The implementation of "straight 100 money" although it cheating people.

However, Liu Bei had no choice at all.

This is based on the promise made by Liu Bei to the soldiers before the capture of Chengdu, allowing the soldiers to take the money from the government by themselves.

Not only that, according to the record of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Biography of Zhang Fei", Liu Bei also gave Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu 500 catties of gold, 1,000 catties of silver, 50 million catties of money, and 1,000 horses of gold...

You know, this number is extremely exaggerated... It's almost equivalent to a county's income in Chengdu for a year.

And where does all this money come from?

can only be "deceived" from the poor people of Yizhou.

This is a huge pit faced by the development of the Shuzhong region in the Ji Han regime! A huge hidden danger.

And Guan Lin, although he answered this question quickly.

However, it is associated with the "unhealthy" and "deformed" economic model in the Shu Han regime.

The charm of Shu Han...

The romanticism of Shu Han was originally people-oriented.

Without the support of the people, without the popularity of the people, sooner or later this regime will go to a strange place... Therefore, Guan Lin's answer avoided "straight 100 coins" as much as possible.

You can't cheat the people out of their money...

Then we have to find a new "economic growth point", right?

So, Guan Lin glanced at Shang Jia.

In this exam paper, his first sentence was "the people are rich and the country is strong", which is to remind Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang that they must not smash Liu Bei's signboard of "virtuous and virtuous" because of Xiaoli, and smash the popularity of the people in Shuzhong.

The second sentence is the establishment of the Department of Commerce to collect commercial taxes.

This is to find the growth point of Shuzhong's economy.

always focuses on the poor people, a group of Li Shu who have been "squeezed dry" of oil and water, how boring it is.

To make money, you have to make money from rich people.

If we talk about the Hereafter, 80 percent of the wealth is in the hands of 20 percent of the people.

At the end of the Han Dynasty, 99 percent of the wealth was in the hands of one percent, which is not an exaggeration.

Make money from these rich businessmen...

Establish a commerce bureau to collect high business taxes and restrain their behavior.

And in return, the status of the merchant was greatly improved.

This is the "transaction", which is the core and focus of Guan Lin's answer.

People say that the rivers and lakes are not fighting and killing, but human feelings.

In fact, the rivers and lakes are not sophisticated, but equivalent exchanges.

If Shu Han wants to break the dilemma of "economy", he must pay something and exchange something.

Instead of paying the cold hearts of Yizhou people and the change of people's hearts, it is better to pay... The great fortune of the status of the merchant was raised, in exchange for more wisdom of the Shu Han treasury, which made the economic field break down.

It should be known that among the three religions and nine streams in ancient times, the status of merchants was the lowest.

During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, merchants had to be incorporated into the city register.

Merchants and their descendants, like criminal officials and sons-in-law, were among the ranks of the delinquent and could be sent to serve or settle in the frontier at any time.

During the Gaozu period of the Han Dynasty, it was stipulated that merchants were not allowed to wear silk clothes, ride cars, buy land, take concubines, or even eat large meat.

By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty's military system was restored, and the merchants and their descendants with "city registration" were once again included in the levy and issuance objects.

And even some.

Merchant... Not only was he included in the roster, but even his children and grandchildren were not allowed to turn over because of their bad background.

In this way, businessmen are classified as "last business" and "untouchable", and those who engage in business are classified as "untouchables".

And from the perspective of a businessman, it seems... They are also desperate for their status to be promoted.

…

In this answer sheet, Guan Lin wrote only three paragraphs and a few words.

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were also careless when they first watched...

But with the in-depth seeing, in-depth thinking, in-depth discussion...

Gradually, they discovered the subtlety of the answer.

Then, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang discussed the feasibility of "establishing a commerce bureau", "raising the status of businessmen", and "enriching the treasury" for a whole night.

And all Guan Lin's mental journeys are all thought of.

Until the dawn of the morning, until the rooster crows...

Liu Bei got up suddenly, he seemed to have completely figured it out, he slapped the table, and muttered: "A good Guan Yunqi, a good 'people are rich and the country is strong', a good one is a Department of Commerce, and a good way to raise the status of businessmen, in exchange for the support of businessmen and the fullness of the treasury, this Guan Yunqi is a god!" ”

"yes..."

Zhuge Liang also got up slowly, and the night of discussion made him not tired at all.

At this moment, he felt as if he was wrapped in a heat wave, and his mood was agitated.

"I only thought of the strict punishment and strict law of the "Shu Law" to restrain the people of Yizhou, but I never thought that the hoarding of these businessmen and the raising of prices can also formulate corresponding rules. The 'Department of Commerce' mentioned by Yunqi is unique and eye-catching! The elevation of the status of the merchants mentioned by Yunqi in exchange for the heavy taxes of commerce is also easy for these merchants to accept. ”

Liu Bei looked at this answer sheet deeply, as if every word and sentence in it brought him a deep understanding.

He paused, and his tone gradually became more appreciative.

"The breadth of this son's vision, the size of the pattern is admirable, "Tao Te Ching" has a saying, 'will want to take it, must give it first', both to take the wealth of the businessman, first give it a certain status, this is a combination of two benefits!"

"This is also the easiest and most convenient way to fill the treasury, not to mention... If all the merchants can really be brought under the jurisdiction of the 'Commerce Bureau', then how can there still be hoarding and price gouging in Shuzhong? Yunqi's suggestion is to kill two birds with one stone, killing two birds with one stone! ”

Admire...

Liu Bei not only appreciates this proposal, but also appreciates Guan Lin Guan Yunqi, the nephew.

Speaking of which, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang are not mediocre talents, and they can gain a foothold in this world, they are both extremely smart and wise people.

They can't think of this because they don't think about it at all.

I am afraid to ponder everything.

Based on Guan Lin's answer, the more Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang pondered, the more incredible they felt, like the rise of the status of businessmen, which suddenly opened a new window for them.

In fact, in later generations, the status of businessmen was not low.

Even in this era of rampant materialism and all looking at "money", the social status of merchants is simply incredibly high.

And the status corresponds to their massive tax payments...

It's like, as long as people pay more taxes, their status is high, and they can give any title!

Who would be so idle that they would restrict other people's food, clothing, housing and transportation?

If you don't keep it all, the society will give you all kinds of care.

Therefore, Guan Lin will think of "businessmen", "commercial tax", and "commercial bureaus"... Ah no, it's the Department of Commerce.

But...

In ancient times, it was as intelligent as Zhuge Kongming, and under the strict conceptual system of "scholars, farmers, industrialists, and merchants" and strict class status, it was difficult for him to think in this direction.

It is even less likely that one day the status of merchants will rise dramatically, and that this promotion will most effectively help them.

It's also strange to say...

Shuzhong merchants hoarded Juqi, drove up prices, and even ran out of grain in the treasury.

These two problems have plagued Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang for a long time.

At this moment... Because of Guan Lin's answer, because of the Commerce Department, because of the rise of the status of businessmen, it was solved at once.

Although contrary to tradition...

But in extraordinary times, do this extraordinary thing!

Both Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang think it is feasible and feasible!

Liu Bei's words continued.

It's like... His mood was extremely throbbing, and he paced with deep emotion:

"Previously, I proposed to me that I should cast a hundred coins, level the prices, and let the officials set up an official market, so that the problem of the emptiness of the treasury can be solved... I tossed and turned, thinking about it again and again... I always feel that this is a fraud, and it is to deceive the people of Shuzhong! ”

"Maybe it can help the government treasury to fill up with money and food in a short time, but in the long run... is bound to hurt the hearts of the people, Kong Ming, what I rely on in the world, you know best; Because of Pang Tong's "evil" and Fa Zheng's "treachery", I entered Bashu in an immoral way and robbed Liu Zhang's territory, and I have felt ashamed of the clan... Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the indispensability of evil and treachery, but power can never convince people, and only the virtuous and virtuous of the master can make people believe and obey. ”

Speaking of this, Liu Bei pointed to Guan Lin's answer sheet, and his tone became more and more heavy.

"From this point of view, I want to thank Yunqi, he did not let me fall deeper and deeper on the road of treachery and evil, he let me restrain me from the precipice, so that I can balance the relationship between this justice, this benevolence, and this evil and treachery."

Liu Bei stared deeply at the words written by Guan Lin.

It was as if he was looking at this nephew with great concern.

He went on to sigh:

"- Don't take the good for the small, don't take the evil for the small! Yunqi's son has both the evil of 'Pang Shiyuan', the trick of 'law filial piety', and the 'decency' of Kong Ming, the second brother's godson is like this, which makes me envious and admired as a brother, but also... Ashamed. ”

Speaking of shame...

is because when talking about Guan Yu's son, Liu Bei will inevitably think of his son Liu Chan, Liu Adou!

Kids, what I'm most afraid of is comparison.

This is better than not knowing, Liu Bei only thinks that when it comes to intelligence, cleverness, and control of the current situation.

His son Liu Chan...

It's not worth lifting shoes for Guan Lin!

Even, Liu Bei felt that even if he compared one of Guan Lin's nose hairs, Adou was far behind.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Someone else's child...

Hehe, after all, it's someone else's child.

Seeing Liu Bei's thoughts, Zhuge Liang hurriedly persuaded: "Don't be sad, Adou is still young and has not yet been enlightened... Besides, Yunqi didn't seem to show his talent when he was young, and now... This is an epiphany! ”

"Haha..."Zhuge Liang's words made Liu Bei's mood feel better, and he laughed out loud with comfort, "Yunqi is the son of the second brother, and the son of the second brother is the same as my son, how can I not expect him to become a talent?" ”

"I just think... Such a problem, I never thought that it was Yunqi's answer sheet that was easily solved... It's a little embarrassing for me and Kong Ming. ”

Liu Bei said with a smile, as if he was very willing to accept this shame.

"Yes..."Zhuge Liang said with emotion: "If there are a few more cloud flags to shame me and the lord like this, the great cause will be prosperous!" ”

The short sigh and the long sigh end.

Liu Bei turned back into the resolute and resolute human master: "The establishment of the Department of Commerce, the restraint of businessmen, and the elevation of the status of businessmen are very important, and the details still need to be carefully planned by Kong Ming..."

"Don't worry, my lord." Zhuge Liang arched his hand, "I'll go to raise this matter later... The Department of Commerce was established and notices were posted to relieve the urgent needs of the treasury. ”

"Good!" Liu Bei bowed his head.

It seems that Zhuge Liang is doing things, and he is very relieved.

That's when ...

Liu Bei suddenly thought of something again, he raised his eyes to look at the sky, "I never thought about it, but I only read such an answer sheet from Yunqi all night, and it seems that there is another answer sheet." ”

"Indeed..."If it weren't for Liu Bei's reminder, Zhuge Liang would have almost forgotten this.

The conversation about the Department of Commerce, about the business tax, about the elevation of the status of businessmen, is too engrossed...

The feasibility of this topic alone.

This pair of master and servant, a pair of kings and ministers... I really chatted all night, and I caught up with the conversation between Longzhong and the times.

Zhuge Liang hurriedly took the third bamboo slip...

While slowly unfolding, he introduced: "This is the third answer sheet of Yunqi, and the question shown is... Yizhou is preliminary? The meritorious ministers asked for acres of land, and how to distribute the limited acres of land. ”

As he spoke, the bamboo slip had already been unfolded.

And as it unfolds, Guan Lin's answer sheet... Zhuge Liang noticed the first four words, and it was just these four words, and he was immediately stunned.

His eyes widened for a moment.

"-Spread into acres!"

Almost at the same time.

"Lord-" A crisp voice came into the main hall of Zhuge Mansion.

After a while, Zhao Yun pushed the door in, and his expression looked a little unbelievably terrifying.

Liu Bei noticed Zhao Yun's eyes and hurriedly asked.

"What's the matter with Zilong?"

"Report to the Lord." Zhao Yun replied truthfully: "Shangyong's meticulous work sent an urgent report, Cao Cao's army withdrew from Hanzhong, and Shangyong galloped to Xiangfan, leaving only Xiahou Yuan, Guo Huai and others to garrison Hanzhong!" ”

As soon as this statement came out...

Liu Bei subconsciously looked at Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang didn't raise his eyes, it was obvious that he hadn't completely come out of the surprise of the words "paved into the mu".

And the meaning in Liu Bei's eyes couldn't be clearer.

Guan Lin Guan Yunqi's first answer sheet - all right!

…

…

(End of chapter)