Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3446: Heavy on the outside but clumsy on the inside
Just as riots broke out in the Hedong area newly controlled by Fei Qian, the struggle between locals and outsiders in the interior of Jiangdong was also intensifying.

The concept of locals and outsiders here may be different from some concepts in later generations.

Strictly speaking, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the people in Chu were actually refugees from the Central Plains. They then combined with the southern barbarians and Shanyue people to create the insect and bird seal script. They can perhaps be called locals better than the Jiangdong people of the current Han Dynasty.

After all, the Zhou Dynasty lasted 800 years, and the Han Dynasty was less than half that length.

In the southeastern part of Jiangdong, the Baiyue area, there are more mountains and less land.

No matter which hill you climb, you will see mountains of different heights. Therefore, in such a terrain, under the existing conditions of the Han Dynasty, the population cannot stay densely in a small area. The low productivity means that once too many people gather, the poor products cannot support intensive consumption, which means that Shamoke has to be pushed by more and more men to move to one Han county after another.

Shamoke pulled the knife out of a Han official's chest, and then pushed the terrified corpse of the Han official to the ground.

Looking at the mess around him, Shamoke sighed softly.

His men had no problem wielding swords and guns and charging into battle, even if they were bleeding and injured, or had their limbs crippled, as long as they were still breathing, it seemed that it was no big deal. After all, the races that could survive in the poor mountains and bad waters of the Han Dynasty, in the South Vietnam mountainous area where there was a lack of medical care and medicine, many mosquitoes, and bacteria and miasma, basically had some special BUFFs in their bodies.

Just like the mud brothers in the United States, when they were captured from their place of origin, 20 to 30 percent of them were injured and died, and another half of them died during long-distance transportation. Then, when they were picking cotton on the manor, only 30 percent of them could survive under the high-intensity labor. Therefore, the physical genes of the mud brothers in the United States are very strong, because their ancestors have been selected from among ten or even fifty miles away.

Shanyue's selection is not as strong as Nige physically, but its resistance to mosquitoes is relatively high...

For example, the Shanyue people think that eating raw food and drinking blood are fresh, sweet and crunchy.

Therefore, various problems easily arose between the Shanyue people and the Han people.

Sometimes it may just be small things.

Shamoke's guards were surprised to see that Shamoke did not look happy after killing the Han official.

This is a rare big fish!

They also deliberately left it for Shamoke to kill, in order to show their respect and admiration for Shamoke.

Shamoke looked at the guards around him, said nothing, and walked aside and sat down. He felt a little overwhelmed now, not because of the problem of fighting, but because of the lack of management.

There were indeed problems with the Han officials in Jiangdong. Many officials blindly favored the Han people, safeguarded the interests of the gentry, and turned a blind eye to the casualties of the Shanyue people. These things were indeed very indignant to Shamoke, but after a trip to Sichuan, he realized that it was not a problem with officials in a county or a prefecture, but that the entire Jiangdong had problems.

At least when Shamoke was in Sichuan, he did not feel that he was discriminated against by the Han people there.

So Shamoke didn't think there was anything wrong with killing these Han officials in Jiangdong, but what worried him was the problems that would arise after the killing.

He has now captured five Jiangdong counties and almost occupied half of Changsha County, but their overall strength has not been improved after the capture of five counties. On the contrary, it has become more chaotic and weaker!
We won the battle, but became weaker...

Every time we captured a Han county town, it was a day of great harvest, but it was soon over.

And it disappeared inexplicably.

We had just opened a Han people’s granary, and then we ran out of food again on the third day, or even three days later.

Upon checking, we found that nothing was wasted and all was eaten.

In other words, the main issue is not the waste, but the endless, uncontrolled consumption and use.

Shamoke once wanted to take control, but there were no accounts, and no one knew who took how much and who ate how much.

It is a very difficult concept to make the mountain people who don't even know what two plus two equals to understand the problem of two times two, because even if they know the answer, they will stare and say, since they are the same, just add them, why do we need to learn another arithmetic of multiplication? Isn't addition easier?
Moreover, due to the aimless and unrestrained killing of the Shanyue barbarians, the Han people in the county occupied by Shamoke basically fled.

When Shamoko asked these people why they wanted to kill those Han people, Shanyuenan was puzzled, "Shouldn't they be killed? What's wrong? What's wrong with killing them? They are Han people!"

The sun had already risen completely at this time, but the sky and the earth did not appear bright because of the abundant sunlight. Instead, they appeared gray because of the dilapidated scene around them.

"If we continue to fight like this, we will lose..."

After a long silence, Shamoko said, "The Jiangdong people are preparing for a counterattack, and our forces have been dispersed... and we still have many women and children who have no fighting power. What do you think they are doing here?"

Shamoke's guards scratched their heads, not understanding what Shamoke meant.

Shanyue men do not do housework in the tribal villages.

Apart from fighting and preparing for battle, they do nothing else.

This is determined by the lifestyle, so after a county town is captured, the women and children in the family will soon follow.

The Shanyue men ate, drank, slept, and when they woke up they gathered their strength before preparing to capture the next city.

Originally, Shamoke thought this was fine, but for some reason, he now felt that this model was not good at all. If he won, he would get nothing, and if he lost, he would suffer heavy losses. So what was the purpose of fighting?
Is it just to kill a few Han officials, and then have fun for a few days, and have a buffet for all the young and old in the village?

"Before, Zhuge Congshi said that we would have no future like this, but I didn't understand what he meant by that," said Shamoke, "Now I roughly understand..."

"My Lord, I don't know what you mean..." The guard was big, but his brain seemed small. To him, tomorrow is just tomorrow, the sun will still rise, and there is no difference.

"You said, we should..." Shamoke sighed, "Forget it... go and call a few leaders..."

The guard responded immediately and hurried off. He knew nothing about strategic battles, and could not understand Shamoke's current worries, so when he heard Shamoke's simple and direct order, he was relieved and did it without saying anything.

But other leaders did not have guards as simple and direct.

Shamoke wanted these leaders to gather their troops and prepare to deal with the large-scale counterattack of the Jiangdong army. Shamoke also said that the longer Jiangdong's current counterattack was delayed, the more fierce the subsequent counterattack would be.

The leaders nodded one after another. On the surface, they would not disobey Shamoke's orders, but when it came to executing them, they encountered such difficulties and problems that they could not move at all.

Shamoke was very angry, but he didn't have any good solution.

The Shanyue tribes and strongholds model meant that although Shamoko had the title of king, when he really went to a specific stronghold, the leader's words might not be effective. Ordinary Shanyue people respected Shamoko, but they could not understand why Shamoko retreated under such a "good situation".

Shamoke was anxious, but he couldn't think of any good solution.

It was at this time that Shamoko truly realized that, apart from being very good at killing people, he did not seem to have much management talent...

……

……

Shamoke's worries are correct. But unfortunately, even if you have the right thoughts, your actions may not necessarily lead to the right things, and the results may not necessarily be good.

In Wu County in Jiangdong, there is a magnificent mansion.

Just looking at the door lintel, it’s not simple.

Not to mention the high blue brick walls and colorfully painted tiles, just the fact that the steps in front of the door are paved with large blue stone slabs and polished to a mirror-like finish is enough to tell that the owner of this place is not ordinary.

Moreover, there are obviously flowers, plants and trees planted in the courtyard, which makes it look particularly elegant.

Wu County is one of the more developed counties in Jiangdong, so the population density is naturally higher. In such a place, one can still own a large mansion in the midst of a hustle and bustle, which naturally can only be enjoyed by the most noble of the noble.

Zhang Zhao is undoubtedly the "noble man" who is qualified to enjoy such treatment.

Zhang Zhao's reputation has long been established in history. He was a capable man and, to some extent, a loyal minister.

He assisted Sun Quan, and although he and Emperor Sun had frequent disputes, he was able to see the whole thing through.

But at the same time, Zhang Zhao is also a mortal. He also has his own emotions and temper.

Yes, that’s right, Zhang Zhao’s negotiations with Sun Quan broke down again.

Zhang Zhao believed that he understood the situation in Jiangdong better than Sun Quan.

Jiangdong looks like a large area, but it is actually divided into small areas. Jiangdong's political system is a complete county capital, all under the management and jurisdiction of the Han Dynasty, but in reality, the Han Dynasty has no say in Jiangdong's affairs, only Jiangdong has the say. In a specific area of ​​Jiangdong, there are more power transactions, compromises and constraints.

In Jiangdong, the various noble families both cooperated and betrayed each other.

Although Sun Quan was in power and was the Lord of Jiangdong, in reality he was still restricted by all parties.

The most crucial point is that Zhang Zhao believes that this political model is correct.

The power of the monarch cannot be expanded infinitely, otherwise the entire country will be dragged into the abyss by the monarch's desires...

Just like Emperor Wu of Han.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

No one can deny the greatness of Emperor Wu of Han, but at the same time, during the foreign wars, Emperor Wu of Han did not bring any extra benefits to the people of Han, but instead added more burdens.

Zhang Zhao used Emperor Wu of Han as an example, hoping that Sun Quan would order the troops to withdraw.

Zhang Zhao said that the war in Jiangdong dragged on for a long time, and the people of Jiangdong did not gain any benefits from the war, but instead suffered a lot of losses because of the war.

Zhang Zhao did not just express it verbally, but also took out the statistics of Jiangdong's taxes this year and told Sun Quan that due to the impact of the war on the conscription of civilians, Jiangdong's overall income this year has dropped by 30%, and the grain harvest has also decreased. Moreover, if the war is not stopped, it will continue to be adversely affected next year. By then, Jiangdong will be unable to win externally and will also lose its vitality internally. No matter whether the Cao family or the Fei family takes control of the Central Plains, Jiangdong will not be able to respond effectively.

Sun Quan expressed doubt. He asked why they had said before that there were too many refugees and the local area did not need so much labor, so it was a good idea to send refugees to the army, and everyone said it was a good idea, but now they suddenly said that taxes were reduced because of insufficient labor? What was going on? Moreover, the people and property captured by the Zhu family from Jiangling were piled up like a mountain on the dock. Anyone with eyes could see it. How could it be said that there was no gain?
Zhang Zhao smiled.

He laughed at Sun Quan for not being able to tell the difference.

There is a huge difference between 'people' and 'people'.

Sun Shiwan was naturally annoyed, and the two of them parted unhappily once again.

Zhang Zhao handed in a sick leave note as soon as he returned home.

When Sun Quan found out, he started to curse again, saying that the old man was pretending to be sick again...

This was almost a recurring scene between Zhang Zhao and Sun Quan.

The people of Jiangdong even put forward odds, saying how many days it would take for the two to "get back together" this time.

At this moment, the Zhang mansion is quiet.

Although Zhang Zhao was not seriously ill, he had to look sick since he was ill. Therefore, no matter whether it was the closed door or the servants and maids in the courtyard, they were all very careful and walked lightly, fearing that they would be angry with their master due to carelessness.

Zhang Zhao would not do anything directly to these servants, but the steward would.

Although the steward is also a slave in a sense, a high-level slave naturally has the ideological awareness of a high-level slave.

In the main hall, Qin Song had a helpless look on his face.

Qin Song, like Zhang Zhao, was from Jiangbei. They were both early disciples of Sun Ce and counselors who gave him advice. They also had a good relationship with Zhang Zhao on weekdays. But even so, Qin Song still had to sit on the bench for a while when he arrived at the Zhang mansion.

Qin Song also knew that Zhang Zhao did this not to target him, but to target Sun Quan who asked him to come, but what could he do?

Zhang Zhao is just like this.

Logically speaking, it would be difficult for such a person to gain a foothold in Jiangdong, a region with complicated relationships and fierce intrigue, let alone hold an important position for a long time. However, it happened that the relationships in Jiangdong were complicated, and Zhang Zhao, a Jiangbei native, was more trusted by Sun Quan than a Jiangdong native. And most importantly, every time Zhang Zhao said something, he had a point, not just empty words.

Just like the proposal to withdraw troops this time, Zhang Zhao also presented data and discussed the matter at hand.

So after Sun Quan became furious, he wanted to go back to look for Zhang Zhao again, but for the sake of face, he sent Qin Song first.

After waiting for nearly an hour, during which the servants changed the tea three times and Qin Song also went to change his clothes, Zhang Zhao came to see Qin Song wearing a rather loose brocade robe. He did not wear a crown, but a silk scarf tied on his head and his hair loose.

Qin Song laughed and said, "Why does Mr. Zhang have to do this?"

Qin Song thought Zhang Zhao was pretending to be sick, so this was something everyone knew. Seeing that Zhang Zhao even changed into hospital gown, there was no need for this, right?
As soon as Zhang Zhao opened his mouth, Qin Song was shocked.

"This old man... is really ill..."

Zhang Zhao's voice was a little hoarse, and even the timbre had changed.

Maybe it was because Sun Quan was angry with him, maybe it was because he was old, or maybe it was some other reason, but after the leave application was submitted, Zhang Zhao really fell ill.

"Oh my!" Qin Song suddenly became nervous, "Why don't you go and ask the doctor to come!"

Zhang Zhao waved his hands, "It's okay, it's okay... Haha, it's all old problems... The doctor checked it out, used acupuncture, and drank herbal medicine... It's getting better now..."

Qin Song looked at Zhang Zhao's face carefully and saw that Zhang Zhao did look a little sick. Although his complexion was not very good and a little below normal, it was not very bad. It was indeed not a serious illness, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

As people age, they are bound to have various minor problems here and there, just like a machine will wear out after being used for a long time.

"Oh, if I had known that Mr. Zhang was ill, I shouldn't have come!" Qin Song stood up and bowed to Zhang Zhao, "Please forgive me, Mr. Zhang... Mr. Zhang should rest and recuperate. I... will come back in a few days..."

"No need, no need..." Zhang Zhao waved his hand and was about to say something, but he coughed twice, took a sip of the rice water beside him to suppress his anger, and then continued, "I'm already here... Besides, the current situation in Jiangdong... cough cough, I heard that the governor's health... is not good..."

Qin Song hesitated for a moment, then sat down again as Zhang Zhao indicated.

"Commander-in-chief... has anything happened over there?" Qin Song's source of information was obviously not as good as Zhang Zhao and others, so he also wanted to know the situation on the front line.

Zhang Zhao pondered for a moment, then took out a piece of silk cloth from his sleeve and handed it to Qin Song.

Qin Song looked at it and his face turned paler and paler.

“This…this…”

Zhou Yu, the great commander-in-chief of Zhou, was unable to gain an absolute advantage in the battle against the Sichuan-Shu army?
Is this still the Sichuan navy?
Or is it the Sichuan navy that some people have vowed before, which was established only recently, has poor training, and incomplete equipment?
If we cannot achieve an overwhelming victory in the battle against the Sichuan Navy, then in the future...

Qin Song didn't dare to think about it. He was so scared that even his hands shook a few times.

After Qin Song finished reading it, he returned the information to Zhang Zhao, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Zhang Zhao put the silk cloth back into his sleeve, then silently held the bowl of rice water and sipped it bit by bit.

Qin Song looked embarrassed.

He now regretted coming to Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao put down the slurry in his hand and said slowly, "Those who pour with tiles are skillful, those who pour with hooks are afraid, and those who pour with gold are weak. Their skills are the same, but if they are proud of something, they will focus on the outside. Those who focus on the outside are clumsy inside. In Jiangdong today, are they tiles, hooks, or gold? Wenbiao can report this to the emperor."