Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3289: Do it if you want

Indeed, Cao Pi had reason to be angry about the current situation in Jizhou.

But anger cannot solve problems, it often only creates more problems.

It is often impossible to have the best of both worlds in many things, and sometimes you can only make choices.

The result of wanting everything is often that you get nothing.

Cao Pi is now experiencing the consequences of wanting everything.

If he had not wanted everything before, the money and grain of Jizhou might not be so concentrated in the transit camp now, the soldiers in the counties would not be so weak, and the resentment of the local gentry would not be so great.

If he did not want everything, but instead tried his best to reconcile the relationship between Cui Yan and Chen Qun and leave the two of them in Yecheng to command, on the one hand, he could show the attitude of cooperation between Jizhou and Yuzhou to the outside world, and on the other hand, Wei Yan might not be able to gain much advantage from the cooperation of Cui Yan and Chen Qun.

Wei Yan was bold and sharp in his intuition on the battlefield.

He almost instinctively grasped the discord between Jizhou and Yuzhou, and sensed the hidden resentment of the gentry in Jizhou towards Cao's army. He immediately began to lure the gentry in Jizhou to become Wei Yan's "friendly forces", cooperating actively or passively to cover up Wei Yan's tracks.

Chen Qun guessed some of the problems, but he couldn't say it out loud. He could only hint at reminding Cao Pi that there was a drought in Jizhou and that he should do something, at least show an attitude and win over the gentry in Jizhou...

Just like in later generations, when there are festivals, many companies always give out some insignificant welfare items.

Although it is not much, and it is very likely that the money has been transferred through the middleman, it at least proves that the company has this intention, and the employees may feel a little more at ease.

  Cao Pi just came up and slammed the table, shouting at the top of his lungs, "China doesn't have much in terms of other things, but it has a lot of people. If you want to work, work hard. If you don't want to, get out!"

Isn’t this the same as a dairy factory mocking consumers by saying, “We don’t need any of you”?

As a result, Jizhou is now short of one person in the east and one person in the west, and suddenly there are holes everywhere.

Cao Pi angrily expressed his desire to loosen Chen Qun's chain and let him go out to bite... well, to suppress bandits. But in reality, even if Chen Qun killed all the officials in Jizhou who disobeyed his orders, would the problem be solved?

Obviously impossible.

Solving a problem is a very troublesome thing, so many people prefer to solve the person who raised the problem directly. So Cao Pi is now making a mistake on top of a mistake.

Cao Cao and Fei Qian were like two super companies in the Han Dynasty, with thousands or even tens of thousands of employees, directly involving millions of families and indirectly affecting tens of millions of people.

Then when something goes wrong it’s just killing, killing, killing?

  Which company had problems and solved them by killing its employees?

Layoffs?

Layoffs can only be considered as dismissal at best, but killing someone is a direct physical annihilation.

What kind of idiotic solution is this?

Now it's like layoffs are cutting into your blood vessels.

There were many delicious and fun things on a table, but a bug got mixed in among them.

The correct approach is definitely not to cry and shout, and then grab the tablecloth tightly, causing everything on the table to fall to the ground and shatter into pieces.

Chen Qun sent those memorials to let Cao Pi know the root of Jizhou's problems and what the most critical approach was...

The result was obvious. Cao Pi was like a crying and angry child. He didn't listen to what Chen Qun wanted to say, nor did he ask Chen Qun what to do. Instead, he grabbed the tablecloth and pulled it down with all his might.

In order to prevent the things on the table from falling to pieces, Chen Qun had no choice but to agree to lead the troops to encircle and suppress the "cavalry bandits".

When sending troops, some preparation is required.

Before leaving, Chen Qun called his children to his side.

Chen Tai is not old, but not young either.

Originally, Chen Qun brought Chen Tai to Yecheng, on the one hand to take better care of and teach Chen Tai, and on the other hand, he also hoped that Chen Tai would have more opportunities to interact with Cao Pi...

How to build closer relationships with the leader's relatives is obviously a science.

Unfortunately, now Chen Qun suddenly felt that it was not appropriate for Chen Tai and Cao Pi to get too close.

"Father..."

Chen Tai stepped forward to greet him.

Chen Qun pointed to a seat nearby and said, "Sit down."

Since we cannot get too close to Cao Pi, we must choose another direction and open up another channel.

  So now in Yecheng, or in Jizhou, what directions and channels are worthy of Chen Qun's investment?

Inside the hall, the father and son sat in silence.

The summer sun shone into the courtyard, appearing bright and hot, as if it was about to melt everything.

"The drought in Jizhou is serious..."

Chen Qun sighed softly.

The originally emerald green leaves in the courtyard are now bowing their heads.

Chen Tai didn't respond.

There was no wind, so the air around was a little stuffy.

Although the summer in Jizhou is not as humid and stuffy as that in Jiangdong, this windless weather can't help but make people feel as if something is blocking their hearts, making it difficult to breathe.

Cao Pi grew up gradually. Some of his temper could be described as "immature" or "childish" when he was young, but Cao Pi was not an ordinary child.

Moreover, the definition of children in the Han Dynasty was not as outrageous as that in later generations...

In later generations, are there people who are still children when they are in their thirties or forties? But in the Han Dynasty, it was not uncommon for people to become the head of the household and live independently at the age of twelve or thirteen.

Therefore, Cao Pi just kept throwing tantrums and acting like he didn't want to do anything, and he lost the composure as a successor, which made Chen Qun look down on him even more.

After a long silence, Chen Qun looked at Chen Tai.

Chen Tai quickly straightened his back slightly and waited respectfully.

"What is a noble family?"

Chen Qun asked.

Chen Tai thought for a moment, "A noble family is one that has been passed down from generation to generation. It has a distinguished family background and generations of nobles. The family tradition is honest, the title is inherited, and the descendants multiply and pass it down from generation to generation."

Chen Qun did not comment, and then asked: "What is the gentry?"

Chen Tai was stunned for a moment, "This...ah, the gentry is a family that makes a living by studying. Although their family background is not as prominent as that of the aristocratic families, they are also a family of scholars for generations, and their descendants all value learning. The family tradition is elegant and passed down from generation to generation. "

"Then what are the people?" Chen Qun asked.

"The people are the foundation of the country," Chen Tai replied.

Chen Qun nodded and sighed, "That's right."

Chen Qun is insightful, but he is also subject to his own limitations.

What is the root?

In fact, they are the sewers of the city, the roots of the forest, and the people who are often ignored in daily life...

But Chen Qun was just like Chen Tai, only mentioning the word "people" but actually could not see those people.

Just like when Chen Tai talked about "aristocratic families" and "aristocratic clans", he could talk eloquently, but when he talked about "the people", only a brief sentence was left.

Normally, they look upwards.

What do you see when you look up normally?

Tall buildings with lush branches and leaves.

As for the roots and soil underneath?

And the clogged sewers...

  How smelly and filthy it is, which "idiot" would go and see it?

Chen Qun does not consider himself a "fool", nor will he let his children become "fools".

"What do you think about the current situation in the world?" Chen Qun asked again. "The current situation in the world?" Chen Tai was silent for a moment. This question was a bit big and he didn't know how to answer it for a while.

Chen Qun looked at Chen Tai and said, "The world is vast and chaotic, but it is nothing more than aristocratic families, noble families, and common people..."

Chen Tai suddenly understood, "Father, are you saying that now that the aristocratic families have collapsed, the gentry should rise up and rule over the people?"

"Yes." Chen Qun nodded, but soon sighed, "It's just... Prince..."

Chen Qun looked around and lowered his voice, "I don't understand this."

Before the fall of the Yuan family, the Han Dynasty was a dynasty of aristocratic families. It can even be said that dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, aristocratic families were the only ones who could dominate. Even in the Records of the Grand Historian, "aristocratic families" were listed as the most important.

What? Chen Sheng and Wu Guang?

  That’s right, Chen Sheng was not from an aristocratic family, but he was eventually listed as one.

Chen Sheng was the first to launch an uprising under the strict rule of the Qin Dynasty, and he had made extraordinary contributions. Later, Chen Sheng established himself as the King of Chu, which was more or less a "king", and the generals he appointed also played a key role in overthrowing the rule of the Qin Dynasty. Therefore, Sima Qian praised Chen Sheng, comparing him to Shang Tang and Zhou Wu, affirming his achievements in overthrowing the previous dynasty and elevating Chen Sheng to the "family".

A normal "aristocratic family" is the one that Chen Tai answered, "a family of scholars and officials for generations."

What Chen Qun meant was very close to the path he took in history.

Because China is a large agricultural country, the kingdoms before the Han Dynasty, including the Han Dynasty, were usually, and could only be, provided by a political elite group in a certain region with the will to form a group. For example, Liu Bang and Liu Xiu, their subordinates all had political groups with their regions as the core, and Cao Cao himself was also the same.

In the midst of the great turmoil in the world, the most ordinary people are at most followers of these political elites. In a sense, they are also involved in the changes in national politics, but their influence is really very limited.

In the manor system of the Han Dynasty, most of these ordinary people at the bottom of society, except for a few who were lucky enough to float to the surface, were submerged below the surface and could not participate in influencing political decisions. They were just "countrymen", people governed by the emperor and officials, and various "people" composed of various prefixes, such as subjects, subjects, common people, grass-roots people, untouchables, and unruly people...

But China is the first country to realize the importance of the people.

If the saying "people are the most important, the state is the second, and the monarch is the least important" is limited to Mencius' ideals, then "water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it," as well as "public opinion" and "people's heart" have become the focus of emperors and political elites of all dynasties, and are important constraints on the political governance of any dynasty. Many institutional practices in Chinese history have also, to varying degrees, sought to follow public opinion and win the hearts of the people.

So it is obvious that China has a preliminary awareness of "people" or "subjects", but this awareness also has certain limitations.

This limitation does not mean that there is any difference between Western "citizens" and Eastern "citizens", because Western "citizens" and Eastern "subjects" are completely different concepts formed by historical development, and cannot be simply compared with each other to evaluate their good or bad.

Chen Qun is the embodiment of this conceptual limitation.

He saw clearly that the collapse of the Han Dynasty was the collapse of the aristocratic families. He understood that if the Han Dynasty wanted to restore order, it could only rely on more gentry rather than on a single aristocratic family. So Chen Qun proposed the "Kaozheng System" to Cao Cao, which is historically known as the "Nine-Rank System". However, for various reasons, Cao Cao did not effectively promote the "Kaozheng System".

Chen Qun had previously taken advantage of Wei Yan's incident to submit memorials from various places to Cao Pi. His original idea was to use this opportunity to promote the unity of the Jizhou gentry, consolidate the lower-level gentry in the "Kaozheng System", and let them automatically and spontaneously look for experience packs, that is, "bandits" and "drought" like leveling up by killing monsters.

But it's a pity...

Cao Pi did not appreciate it, or he simply did not understand the key issue.

That's a pity.

Chen Qun was not going to go to Cao Pi to ask for the second time.

"The system of examination and rectification is to judge people by their character. People are divided into high and low, and the system is used to correct people. That's why it is called examination and rectification." Chen Qun said slowly, "This system is aimed at selecting virtuous and capable people to serve the court. In the current chaotic times, it is difficult to verify the authenticity of the county officials who are selected as filial and honest officials, and there is a lack of talents. Therefore, the county officials are appointed as examiners to examine the talents of the county and state, and evaluate their character, ability, family background, etc. to determine their grades. This can avoid tediousness and be fair. "

Chen Tai looked at Chen Qun, "Father..."

"Now the bandits are rampant in the prefectures and counties, and the drought is still spreading in the fields, which are all difficult for the local areas." Chen Qun said in a deep voice, "Now I am following the order of the prince to lead the soldiers in Yecheng, to attack the bandits and pacify the local areas... Do you know what to do?"

"This..." Chen Tai seemed to understand something, but not completely.

"Cui Jigui is not in Jizhou now." Chen Qun added.

Chen Tai thought for a long time, and then suddenly realized, "Ah, I understand."

Chen Qun nodded, "Then get busy. Your father...will raise an army to attack the bandits in three days!"

Chen Tai took a breath and said, "As ordered. I'll take my leave."

……

……

While Jizhou was in turmoil and everyone was thinking about their own things, the Cao army camp at the foot of Emei Mountain was hit by the most intense artillery bombardment.

  Are the city walls of the Han Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, or the Ming and Qing Dynasties the same?

Apparently not.

In ancient times, the earliest defense system was fences and trenches, which were used to defend against wild beasts. Later, city walls were added to defend against people. In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the city walls were basically formed, with rammed earth as the lining and bricks and stones as the covering, which became the standard for the city walls of the feudal dynasties in later generations.

However, as the means of attacking the city became more and more numerous and more brutal, the city walls began to develop horizontally and become thicker and thicker. Most of the city walls that have survived in later generations are from the Ming and Qing dynasties, while the early Han and Tang dynasties, because on the one hand, they are too old, and on the other hand, they are not as thick and solid as those in the Ming and Qing dynasties, so there are not many surviving ones.

Generally speaking, the strength of the "shield" used to defend was determined according to the "spear" at the time. Therefore, when Fei Qian took out the artillery that spanned this dynasty, the city walls built according to the old defense standards could not stop it, let alone the military camp?

  So did Cao’s army not know that Fei Qian had artillery?

Actually, I know.

But the key is that the time left for Cao Cao was too short.

When the news that Shanshan's capital was destroyed by artillery reached Shandong, some people thought it was "fake news" created by Fei Qian...

Artillery roared.

Fei Qian only used two bronze cannons, and after several consecutive bombardments, he created a small gap in the Cao army camp at the bottom of the slope. Although the wall of the camp did not collapse, the morale of the Cao army was obviously collapsing.

Even though Liu Zhu quickly organized people to block the collapsed part of the village wall and barely maintained the front line, the collapse in people's morale was not so easy to make up for.

The formation Fei Qian set up was like a crab, with the two big claws representing the cavalry on both wings.

The thick array in the middle contained infantry, artillery and baggage, and there was also a section of cavalry in the rear, like the thinner legs of a crab.

The mission of the infantry is not only to attack, but more to guard the artillery array.

The duty of the cavalry is to strangle the enemy like a giant pair of pliers when there is a flaw in the enemy's formation.

This kind of array is simple and straightforward. Both our side and the enemy can see it clearly and understand it. It is not like the Eight Gates Golden Lock, the Nine Bends of the Yellow River, etc. that make people confused and at a loss.

But the problem is that even if Liu Zhu understood, he had no other choice but to defend and pray for Cao's reinforcements to arrive soon...

Fei Qian was in the back of the center formation, and Xu Chu was standing beside him.

"Go ahead."

Fei Qian nodded slightly.

Xu Chu bowed, then stood up and walked forward proudly.

This is the stage Fei Qian built for Xu Chu, and now Xu Chu is about to take the stage.

A good general cannot be trained by talking about military affairs on paper alone, but must be tested in actual combat.

The Cao army camp, which is neither big nor small, at the foot of the slope is Xu Chu's trial ground.

Of course they can win, but if the damage is too great, or if the command is chaotic and hesitant, they may lose the chance to go on stage next time, or even never have a second chance.

Following Xu Chu's command, the infantry line gradually advanced forward.

The archers followed behind the big shield soldiers, fifty steps away from their own line of troops, neither too far nor too close, which was exactly the range where the archers could exert their greatest power. They could use volleys or diffuse fire to support the infantry formation on the front line at any time.

The war drums roared and the flags fluttered.

Everyone under the cavalry was full of fighting spirit and they advanced forward in an orderly formation.

In contrast, the Cao army soldiers in the camp were pale and their hands and feet were shaking.

Even with camp trenches and chevaux de frise traps, they could not bring any comfort to the Cao army soldiers, let alone any sense of security.

The soldiers of Cao's army felt like they were trapped in a boundless swamp. No matter whether they struggled or stayed still, it would mean death, sooner or later.

If Liu Zhu had not repeatedly emphasized that fighting outside the camp would mean death, and that staying in the camp would allow them to wait for reinforcements, these Cao soldiers might have collapsed and fled during the previous rounds of artillery fire.

But this is only temporary, and both Liu Zhu and the Cao army soldiers know this.

Liu Zhu stayed at the front line, constantly encouraging Cao's soldiers and stabilizing the front line, but no one knew how long the Cao's camp at the bottom of the slope could hold out.