Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3402 Food (Additional Update)

  What is the purpose of life?

If this question was asked to the young Wen Pin, he would have straightened his chest and answered loudly, "I will make great achievements! I will achieve immortal merits!"

But if you ask Wen Pin now, you will probably just get silence.

People grow up and become realistic, but they also lose something.

Especially when Wen Ping saw that the people coming were not reinforcements, but the angel Lu Su, Wen Ping felt the deep malice of the world towards him...

After Lu Su arrived, the two sides were unable to fight.

temporary.

Everyone knew it was temporary, but no one said it out loud.

At Lu Su's strong request, Wen Pin and others were able to catch their breath and also received some supplies sent by Lu Su.

Seeing his soldiers staring at the meat like starving ghosts, huddling around the pot, unwilling to move, just waiting for it to be cooked so they could share the food, Wen Pin suddenly understood that, in fact, the life of human beings is just to live.

Everything is for the sake of living.

Survive first, then you can have other...

In order to give the angels at least some courtesy, a curtain was placed on a small hill, which served as a good reception venue.

Although there were no fine wines or delicacies, there was barbecue.

Lu Su's appearance was not particularly outstanding, but he was very talented, eloquent, and had a reputation for being generous. Although this mission was almost forced upon him, he still smiled and did not seem to feel aggrieved at all.

Lu Su seemed to like Pang Shanmin very much and was very close to him. He would praise him intentionally or unintentionally during their conversations.

Pang Shanmin felt somewhat embarrassed to see that Lu Su admired him so much, but he felt quite comfortable in his heart. Besides, both of them had some knowledge and they could discuss scriptures and poems, so they got along well and started talking more.

The atmosphere is pretty good for now.

"Today is such a good time. If we use swords and guns and see blood, it will spoil the scenery!" Lu Su said with a smile, "Why not, for the sake of the emperor, both sides stop fighting today? I am a humble person, so I will borrow your precious land to invite General Wen to come down to the fort and have a few drinks together! If there is any grudge, let's put it aside today and settle it tomorrow! What do you think of the people in the mountains?"

Seeing Lu Su bringing out the emperor, Pang Shanmin's face changed slightly, and then he glanced at Huang Zhong.

Huang Zhong sat at the bottom, twirling his beard and making no comment.

Pang Shanmin pondered for a moment, then slowly straightened his back, looked at Lu Su, and said in a deep voice: "Yes!"

Lu Su's heart skipped a beat. He knew that after he said this, the good atmosphere he had created before would definitely be discounted, but he had to do it.

  Because Lu Su could not guarantee that he would be able to mediate successfully. What if he delayed in Guanzhong for a while, and only let Pang Tong go after the battle in Hedong was over?

So Lu Su had to seize any opportunity to at least show that he was trying hard...

For example, the Wuguan Road.

A one-day ceasefire, two-way, oh, three-party talks, no matter how you say it, it can prove that Lu Su has made efforts and is not just a person who eats for free and does not work.

  Moreover, Lu Su's timing was just right. After all, the two sides had not really fought each other to the point of smashing each other's brains out. Just stopping for one day would not cause that much loss to both sides, especially to Pang Shanmin and Huang Zhong. However, Lu Su did not expect that Pang Shanmin, who seemed a little shy when discussing poetry and scriptures just now, would change so much after hearing the military suggestion of a one-day ceasefire!

It's just like……

  A knife was pulled out of the scabbard!

Although Lu Su felt something was wrong, he had already said it and could not regret it immediately.

Wen Pin was invited to leave the fort, and then he, along with seven or eight guards, passed through the cavalry formation and arrived at the temporary gathering place behind a curtain.

Huang Zhong looked at Wen Pin and saw that although he looked tired, he did not show any signs of fear or shrinkage. So he nodded and greeted him, without making any special effort to embarrass Wen Pin.

Wen Pin stepped forward and greeted them one by one.

Wen Pin had not expected to have such a sit-down meeting before the war, so even if he came, he did not know what to say. Of course, even if Wen Pin was asked to prepare, he still did not know what to say. He was just a military commander who had read some books, but he could not say some allusions and poems in a vague way.

So after Wen Pin sat down, he fell silent.

Fortunately, there is Lu Su.

As someone who often travels around...

Well, he doesn't run west often, but Lu Su has a lot of experience in the east. He knew that he couldn't let the situation get cold, so he said some words to warm up the situation, trying to hold it up. However, what Lu Su never expected was that some of the polite words that he had always used successfully in Shandong had problems here.

Just as the weather is always an important topic of conversation in the Great Sakura Empire, the Yellow Turbans have also been a hot topic in the Han Dynasty over the past few years.

Yes, in the Han Dynasty, it was called the Yellow Turban Rebellion. But in later times, it was also called the Yellow Turban Uprising.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion was a peasant war in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and one of the largest religious uprisings in Chinese history. The desperate and bankrupt peasants launched a fierce attack on the bureaucrats and landlords, and had a huge impact on the rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although Zhang Jue failed in the end, he led the Han Dynasty to form a situation of separatist princes.

Lu Su is a landlord.

Pang Shanmin is also a landlord.

But now when talking about the Yellow Turbans, their attitudes are completely different.

Lu Su has always been very disgusted with the Yellow Turbans who rose up in rebellion against the imperial court, burning, killing, and looting.

  If it weren't for the Yellow Turban rebels, he might still be in Linhuai, working happily as a small landlord. Why would he need to spend all his money to flee here or there?

Although there are more opportunities in troubled times, it is also hard!

Just like the various drifting in the future, opportunities are like duckweed on the water surface. Success is the survivor bias, and failure is the happiness index enhancer for landlords and house owners. You earn what you earn, and don't even think about taking a penny home.

Lu Su believed that the unorganized Yellow Turban rebels were just a mob rebellion that brought disaster to the country and destroyed lives. Lu Su was very direct in saying that he believed that suppressing the rebellion was right and necessary, but he had some reservations about whether to kill other ordinary Yellow Turban rebels after capturing and killing the ringleader.

Lu Su thought that killing the surrendered prisoners was too much. Huangfu might have killed too many people and ruined his luck, which led to the subsequent disasters and implicated his family...

Lu Su felt that when dealing with the Yellow Turbans, they should win the battle and force them to surrender. Those who could be recruited for use should be used, and those who could not be used should be appeased on the spot and allowed to live a stable life. Then the world would naturally be stabilized.

But Lu Su did not expect that Pang Shanmin had a different opinion on this.

When Lu Su was talking, Pang Shanmin frowned slightly, but he didn't say anything. When Lu Su almost finished speaking, Pang Shanmin slowly said something that surprised and puzzled Lu Su, but also seemed to make sense and needed to be understood and thought deeply...

"Why do the people rebel?" Pang Shanmin asked. Without waiting for Lu Su's answer, he said, "Because they have no way to survive. The people of the world are all seeking to survive. If they can neither live nor die, why don't they rebel?!"

  Wen Pin, who had been acting as a background wall, couldn't help but feel a sudden movement in his heart when he heard this!

He looked at Pang Shanmin.

This was the first time that Wen Pin went to see Pang Shanmin seriously since he arrived here.

Pang Shanmin is not handsome or suave, but at this moment, his expression seems to be full of power, solemn and dignified.

"How can the Han people survive? They can't make silk from mulberry trees, they can't make meat from fish, they can't make fur coats from hunters. If farmers don't work for a day, they won't have food for a day! How can the Han people survive? They toil all year round, but they can't get clothes or food. They can't repair leaking roofs or mend tattered clothes! How can the Han people survive? ! A family of five, working non-stop, with a hundred acres of land and two or three hundred shi of land, is great, but half of the taxes are taken, and they are still levied. The old and young at home are crying, and the corrupt officials outside are howling!"

Wen Pin sighed and lowered his head slightly. He knew that Pang Shanmin was right.

A five-member peasant family in Dahan needs at least 100 dan of grain for their own consumption every year, and a large amount of wheat bran and wild vegetables are also mixed in. In addition, the cost of exchanging for salt, production tools, daily necessities, etc. is added. If you sell rice, you will have to pay a layer of money, and if you buy things, you will have to pay another layer of money...

If a family's income does not meet the minimum living standard they need, they will inevitably fall into hunger and cold, not to mention maintaining farming for the next year.

Moreover, Pang Shanmin was talking about a family with a hundred acres of land, which is already a very good family. But now in the Han Dynasty, many farmers actually have less than a hundred acres of land, usually only dozens of acres or even a few acres, and an annual income of only more than a hundred stones or less. After deducting various rents and taxes, there is not much left and it is impossible to survive.

"Why should Han people die? Birth, aging, illness and death are the normal conditions of human nature. However, if you don't spend all your money, you are not filial to your children; if you don't squander your wealth, you are not a son! Why should Han people die! The moneylender wears gorgeous clothes and sits behind the counter, and the filial son wears white linen and kneels to beg in the hall! Why should Han people die? ! Emperor Gaozu established the country with three articles of law, and the village elders all know them. What are the rules now? There are also those who enter the forests and mountains and die without permission, and they are not given compensation but severely punished! They can't live or die, so why don't they rebel? ! "

Lu Su was dumbfounded.

  In fact, doesn’t Lu Su know these problems?

He also knew about it, but the mainstream thinking in Shandong, or most people, when talking about the Yellow Turbans, were critical and opposed. At the same time, they often treated ordinary civilians with their noses up and their eyes down.

Because the people of Shandong felt that these untouchables were ignorant of literature and reason, and could not communicate, and were a completely different kind from them...

But they forget that if there were no Laozi, Confucius, Xunzi, Mozi and others who spread knowledge and writing, taught and explained doubts in the Spring and Autumn Period, most of them would still be lackeys under the dukes, only knowing the skills taught by their families. After acquiring knowledge, they took it for themselves, set up various obstacles, and laughed at the common people who could not obtain knowledge.

Pang Shanmin sighed, "I have heard that there was a folk song in the early years that said, 'The hair of the common people is like leeks, which will grow again after being cut; the head is like a chicken, which will crow again after being cut. Officials do not need to be feared, they should always be treated with contempt. But how can we expect peace!" When I heard it in the past, I was just sighing, but I did not know that the people suffered so much! I also hated the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but now I know it is so, I should know why it is so! If the Yellow Turbans rebel, they will die, and if they do not rebel, they will also die! In this case, it is better to rebel, then we can still kill corrupt officials, eliminate evil tyrants, burn carved beams and painted buildings, destroy the criss-crossing roads, divide money and jewelry, and eat fish and meat... Even if we know we will die, how can we be happy! The people have no future, and the whole world will rebel! When the time comes, everything will be burned, how can there be fine spring and white snow? There will only be blood and fire on the ground, and corpses filling the valleys and rivers! "

Lu Su swallowed and remained silent for a long time.

Lu Su has gone to Jiangdong and has stayed there for too long...

People will change the environment, and the environment will also affect people. Everything has two sides. When Lu Su was in Jiangdong, even though he was quite disdainful of Zhang Zhao and other people who only cared about the present, he himself was gradually affected. He looked at the problem in Jiangdong instead of the whole world, and he could not see the future direction clearly.

As for Pang Shanmin, after the baptism of the trip to Guanzhong, especially after the heart-to-heart talk with Pang Tong, he was truly reborn. He had many feelings accumulated in his heart, and it happened that Lu Su ran into the muzzle of the gun...

What Pang Shanmin said was not entirely a refutation of Lu Su, but also somewhat of a mockery of Pang Shanmin himself.

In the early years, Pang Shanmin only focused on the Pang family, the surrounding areas of Wancheng, and his own three acres of land.

But so what?

Can you protect it by just staring at it?

Before, Pang Shanmin didn’t believe that Pang Tong would give up the Pang family business, and didn’t believe that Pang Tong would give up Wancheng. That was because Pang Shanmin’s vision at the time was so limited that he couldn’t see it and didn’t believe it. As a result, when he arrived in Guanzhong, Pang Shanmin discovered that he had been the clown all along.

When Pang Shanmin said that those ordinary people and those rebellious masses were obsessed with the present because they could not see the future, wasn't he also mocking his past self?

Because we can't see the future, there is only today.

Because we can't see far away, we only focus on what is in front of us.

After his thoughts became clear, Pang Shanmin understood why Wancheng was so easily breached and why it could not be defended. However, places like Tongguan and Wuguan in Guanzhong were like iron walls and could not be breached even if ten or even a hundred times more enemy troops came.

It’s not how strong the pass is, but how determined the people’s hearts are.

  Previously, as the governor of Wancheng, Pang Shanmin only focused on his family and the three feet of land in front of his door. So, did he expect other people and merchants in Wancheng, and the common people and laborers, to be selfless and fight and sacrifice for the Pang family business?

Pang Shanmin felt how ridiculous he was before, so naturally he showed how hateful he was now.

But in Lu Su's eyes, it seemed as if Pang Shanmin hated him. He was dumbfounded and dared not say another word.

At that moment, Lu Su even thought that Pang Shanmin was possessed by Zhang Jue or some other rebel leader. It was possible that Pang Shanmin would leave the table and shout, "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different species?"

So Lu Su did not dare to continue arguing, for fear of irritating Pang Shanmin. He could only smile in an awkward but polite manner.

However, Lu Su did not expect that the person who was most shocked among those present was not Lu Su himself, but Wen Pin!

In the Han Dynasty, "righteousness" was very important.

Some people may talk about this importance, while others may keep it in their hearts.

Wen Pin is undoubtedly the latter.

In history, when Liu Cong surrendered, Wen Pin did not rush to meet Cao Cao, so much so that Cao Cao later asked Wen Pin, "Why are you so late?"

Compared with those young men of the aristocratic families in Jingxiang who rushed to bow down to Cao Cao and express their iron will and loyalty, Wen Pin, who was not good at expressing himself and was even a bit "pedantic", seemed like an outlier.

Just like "food" and "grain".

When everyone thinks that good quality rice is food, they forget that rice should be in quantity to be called "grain". Otherwise, the world will only focus on the few grains of good rice, but ignore that most people are actually eating more and worse bran and wild vegetables.

Wen Pin put down his wine glass, lowered his head and thought in silence.

It's not that no one in the Han Dynasty noticed that there was something wrong with the Han system, or in other words, the political model, but in many cases, even if they knew there was a problem, they didn't know how to solve it. So they could only drag it out, waste time, and then watch the whole country slide into the abyss bit by bit.

Wen Pin had loyalty and bravery in his heart, but he never said it out loud. He also had a strong man in his heart, but he also never said it out loud.

In comparison, Lu Su's "loyalty" to the Han Dynasty...

In fact, to a certain extent, the more loyal Lu Su was to Sun Quan, the more disloyal he was to the Han Dynasty.

However, under the long-standing dual monarchy system of the Han Dynasty, it was in line with the cognition of the gentry and was even praised as a virtue...

Therefore, Lu Su was a little bit uncomfortable with being fooled by Pang Shanmin. He forced a smile and tried to save the situation, but it looked very strange. When he was thinking hard about how to save the situation, he heard Wen Pin said, "I am willing to follow the angel to Guanzhong... Oh, just me and a few personal guards, and the rest of the soldiers... will be decided by General Pang and General Huang."

"Ah?" Lu Su was stunned. "This..."

What kind of divine expansion is this?

"Envoy Pang..." Wen Pin looked up at Pang Shanmin, "You said these words before... Oh, forgive me for being rude, but Envoy Pang only had these insights and these sentimental words after arriving in Chang'an?"

Pang Shanmin did not shy away from the question and nodded in agreement.

Wen Pin nodded, and was silent for a long time before he bowed to Lu Su and said, "I am not talented, but I have some martial arts skills. I would like to escort the angel into Guanzhong. I wonder if the angel is willing to accept me?"

Lu Su was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Of course I am willing, but I wonder if General Pang is willing to release General Wen?"

Pang Shanmin looked at Wen Pin and asked, "General Wen, why do you insist on going to Guanzhong?"

"Because before the Han Dynasty, no one had ever said that the Han people could neither live nor die!" Wen Pin said in a deep voice, "Even before General Pang went to Chang'an, he had never said that! Chang'an Qinglong Temple... Wen has long been fascinated by it. Now that the angel has come today, isn't it Wen's chance?"

I wish the country to become stronger and the people to be happier!