Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3507 Who is begging whom

Generally speaking, whenever there is any political turmoil or a shake-up in the situation, the people who know about it first and start preparing secretly are always the upper class. Ordinary people have no idea at all, and even after it happens, they still don't understand why the situation suddenly changed so much.

The Cui family certainly cannot be ordinary people who know nothing.

Cui Yan looked up at the sky.

The weather has not been very good these past few days. Even if there is sunshine, it only lasts for a short while before being covered by dark clouds.

A cold wind howled from the north, pulling off the leaves of all the trees in Xu County.

Except for those cold-resistant coniferous pines and cypresses, all other broad-leaved trees were not spared.

So, is Cui's big tree a coniferous tree that can survive this harsh weather, or is it a broad-leaved tree that looks beautiful but cannot withstand the cold wind?

Cui Yan is now very careful in every step he takes.

But when he saw his son Cui Qin, he seemed to have no awareness of this.

Cui Yan was obviously not very old, and was far from the stage where he needed to "beg for his bones". The reason why he said this was undoubtedly a test.

Who are you trying to test?

The first is his son, Cui Qin.

Unlike the later generations where only one child grows out of a hundred acres of land, the ancients, especially the big families, must have advocated having many children and grandchildren to spread out. In addition to the most superficial belief that there is strength in numbers, there is another rule hidden under the surface, that is, there will always be good seedlings and rotten weeds in a field. In a big family, among peers, an heir will emerge. Although not every family is as exaggerated as the nine dragons fighting for the throne, in this process, generally everyone will have several opportunities. If they seize them, they will have the hope of inheriting a huge family asset. If they don't seize them or mess up, they will eventually become a sower who eats and waits for death.

The same is true for Cui.

Cui Yan did not dislike Cui Qin's ambition, but he hated having ambition without sufficient ability to match it.

Cui Qin had not shown any particularly outstanding qualities before, so when he was sent to Xu County as a "hostage", Cui Yan naturally chose to let Cui Qin come.

As a proton, there is still a chance.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were also many hostages who became kings.

But the problem is that Cui Qin did nothing in Xu County...

Oh, not completely done...

Anyway, among all the brothels and nightclubs in Xu County, Cui Qin must be the most familiar with them.

It is normal for young people to be a little lustful, but they cannot put aside their serious work.

Cui Yan now called Cui Qin over and told him that he was going to "retire". In fact, this was to confirm once again whether Cui Qin had political sensitivity...

But to Cui Yan's disappointment, Cui Qin did not realize that this was part of a political deal.

Politics is the art of compromise.

Ordinary children of aristocratic families, or younger people, often think that the world is either black or white, good or bad, but Cui Yan knows very well that in this world, most things are difficult to distinguish between good and bad. They are not absolutely black or absolutely white, but gray.

The core of politics is to balance and coordinate various interests.

Since it is an interest, there will be amounts and importance, so compromise becomes a necessary art in this process.

Compromise does not necessarily mean a bad thing, nor does it mean giving up principles or succumbing to pressure, but in this process, finding a balance point between two or more parties...

The current state of the war in the world is no longer a matter for Fei Qian and Cao Cao alone. It is possible that it will also involve major changes in the future structure of the Han Dynasty.

Only by thoroughly understanding the current situation can we seize the initiative in future changes and even live a more comfortable life.

This brings us to the second person Cui Yan was testing, Emperor Liu Xie.

It's nothing new that Emperor Liu Xie wants balance.

Any emperor of the Han Dynasty who has some means would do this.

Showing favors, establishing authority, and maintaining balance are the basic skills of an emperor.

Those with good basic skills will play well and the court will run smoothly. Otherwise, there will be chaos from top to bottom.

Liu Xie is indeed working hard to learn and grow, and everyone can see that, but the problem is...

Time is running out!

If it were a peaceful time, Liu Xie could learn slowly since he was still young. But now the crisis was imminent and he had to grow up immediately and take on the responsibility of being an emperor!

But Liu Xie was still hesitating...

Liu Xie didn’t know where the balance point was.

Therefore, although Cui Yan had a very pleasant conversation with Liu Xie during the past few days, there was actually not much progress at all.

Both sides want to use the other to achieve their goals, but are unwilling to make corresponding concessions.

They both want to feel good, but neither of them wants to move. They both want the other to take the initiative and move more...

Cui Yan's retreat was to make Liu Xie express his stance. Otherwise, if the matter dragged on, something unexpected might happen. Secondly, Cui Yan had a sense of crisis in his heart...

He has been close to the emperor these days, but these people in Yingchuan have not reacted at all. This is obviously very abnormal.

Therefore, the third person Cui Yan tried to test was the Yingchuan sect...

There is no need to explain this in detail, everyone who understands will understand.

In addition to these three more superficial points, Cui Yan was also secretly testing the internal situation of the Jizhou faction.

This point can even be said to be the most critical moment for the Cui family.

Whether to advance or retreat, it is a very critical choice.

Cui Yan hoped that even if Cui Qin could not understand all the tricks, he could at least say something useful. However, Cui Yan did not expect that when Cui Qin heard that Cui Yan was going to resign, his first reaction was, "If Cui Yan resigned, what would happen to Cui Qin's own position?"

After all, in the Han tradition, if the father has a good position, it means that the son will have a good position.

Although Cui Qin was somewhat dissatisfied with his position as a hostage in Xu County, he was still very satisfied with his life in Xu County.

After all, in order to appease high-ranking officials like Cui Yan, the treatment of their hostages was not bad, and there were special people to arrange food, clothing, housing and transportation. The salaries of ordinary officials might be discounted, but for hostages like Cui Qin, not only would there be no deductions, but there would even be extra subsidies!

So Cui Qin's first reaction was that he didn't want his father to resign, but he was hesitant to explain why he didn't resign...

Cui Yan closed his eyes and drove Cui Qin away.

At the most critical moment, Cui Yan would never allow Cui Qin to disrupt his layout, so Cui Yan ordered Cui Qin to be under house arrest and not to go out without permission. He must concentrate on playing this game well and determine the difference in status between Jizhou and Yuzhou.

Before, because of Yuan Shao’s downfall, Jizhou was inferior to Yuzhou.

Now, it’s hard to say who is begging whom!

……

... When the news that Cui Yan wanted to "beg for his bones" spread, many people were caught off guard and caused an uproar in the market. Many Yingchuan disciples could not help but gather together to discuss the matter.

In fact, many people knew that Emperor Liu Xie and Cui Yan were colluding to go public, but they did not expect that Cui Yan would suddenly withdraw his investment!

Isn't this just leaving the emperor aside? !

At the same time, Cui Yan's withdrawal of investment also hinted that Jizhou would be completely separated from Yuzhou!

"Envoy Cui's move of retreating in order to advance is really ruthless!"

"This retreat is putting us, the people of Yingchuan, on the fire!"

"Once the Cui family retreats, the situation in Shandong will deteriorate, and it will have nothing to do with Jizhou..."

"Have you heard? If the cavalry comes this time, they will take the land of Hebei! The Cui family must be considering the future. If they really take it away... then..."

"Wait, don't you think this is too coincidental? There are rumors about the cession of Hebei land, and the Cui family is going to retreat back to Hebei... If all this was planned by someone..."

"If the cavalry really comes, can we, Yuzhou Yingchuan alone, stop them?"

"Aren't there still Yanqing and Xu Jing?"

"What's going on in these places? Don't you know?!"

"If you want to keep Cui, you will probably have to give them enough benefits..."

"This is simply taking advantage of someone's misfortune!"

Suddenly, it was like a huge rock hitting the waves, with the sky full of flying clouds. People were talking about it, some were surprised, some were angry, but most of them were still worried about their own little piece of land.

The people in Xu County are in a state of unrest, and this has gradually reached its peak in recent years.

This situation occurred, on the one hand, because the proportion of civil servants in Xu County was too high, so generally speaking, news leaked out very quickly. Something that happened or was discussed in the court in the morning would become the talk of the streets in the afternoon.

On the other hand, most people have no sense of confidentiality, and sometimes they even add fuel to the flames. After all, as the people living under the feet of the Han emperor, if they cannot talk about political topics and the world situation on a daily basis, then how can they be considered qualified Kyoto citizens?

Of course, in the rapid spread of these news, there may be black gloves and white gloves from all parties.

Jizhou has its own methods, and Yuzhou has its own methods. The ordinary people in Xu County are poor. They are like weeds in the wilderness. They are blown to one side by the wind and hit in the face by the rain. They can only accept it passively and have no room for independent choice.

There are all kinds of descriptions of the commotion in the market, but as for the current political core circle of Xu County, of course everyone knows more or less what it is like.

In fact, a few days ago, Xun Yu had already noticed the collusion between Emperor Liu Xie and Cui Yan.

This was actually inevitable, and Xun Yu also specifically asked people not to interfere, just to see what Cui Yan would do.

Cao Cao was in Heluo, and Xun Yu was in Xu County.

If Emperor Liu Xie wants to stir up trouble, no one will care. Because everyone knows that no matter how big the trouble is, it is just a game. Everyone in the court tacitly agrees not to take it seriously. What is an emperor without soldiers, money, people, and power?

But Cui Yan is different.

If we talk about Cui Yan alone, it is not a big problem, but Cui Yan is involved in Jizhou, which is a big and troublesome political issue. In addition, Jizhou is now facing the threat of Zhao Yun's troops in Youzhou going south, so it seems that it needs to be treated with caution.

And more importantly, how should the cavalry respond?

The first thing is of course the troops. Do we have to pull out the garrison troops near Yingchuan? That would be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Even if we can withstand the impact of the cavalry, it will leave Yanzhou and Yuzhou empty and delay farming. If there is no follow-up force, and there is any more change, I am afraid that we will never be able to recover!

Then how about mobilizing troops from other states and counties? The last time they mobilized troops, there were already quite a few complaints. Given Cao Cao's reputation at the time, they were able to suppress them to some extent. But now that Cao Cao has fallen, it is not so easy to mobilize troops from other states and counties. Without proper communication and mobilization, or coercion and inducement, I am afraid that nothing can be mobilized!

Again, how much time will the Hussars give? Some say they will come in the spring, others think the Hussars also need to recover, so it should be autumn, and some say the Hussars are vicious, so they will definitely come in late summer, close to the autumn harvest...

If they really want to defend against the Cavalry Army, they must first let Heluo hold the line. No matter when the Cavalry Army is dispatched, the Heluo area must be the first area to engage in battle. However, the Heluo area has been very weak after the turmoil, and the defense of Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Jizhou and other places is also important, so Cao Cao's Qingzhou Legion can only hold the front!

The smart people in Yuzhou and Jizhou basically understood this point. Even the Emperor Liu Xie knew this point. So when Liu Xie was negotiating with Cui Yan, he hoped to sit down and talk rather than really part ways!

Cui Yan's "begging for bones" grasped this point.

Who is asking whom?

The order is important.

Cui Yan had hinted clearly in his petition to "beg for his remains"...

In the memorial, he said that since he took office as the governor of Jizhou, he had been traveling around a lot, working hard, and was exhausted physically and mentally, so he wanted to resign. But in fact, the meaning was very clear. As long as Cui Yan could live up to the title of "Governor of Jizhou" and even get a higher level, there would be room for maneuver in the military affairs of Heluo. Although it was not guaranteed that the Hussars could be defeated, at least they could stop the enemy!

Otherwise, Yuzhou will definitely be left to play with itself!

This is indeed the case. If we can still get the support of Jizhou, then at least we can gain time and resources to resist the Hussars. But if we really fall out, it will be hard to say. But the problem is, if we make concessions this time, what about the next time?

The local governments took advantage of the weakness of the central government and threatened the central government with state affairs. If this precedent is allowed, who will threaten the central government next time?

And there is an even more serious problem. Even if we agree to Cui Yan and compromise this time, will Jizhou's troops, horses, money and food really be sent to Heluo to supply the front line?

You know, Jizhou is also facing the threat of Zhao Yun from Youzhou. Once Zhao Yun makes any move, or even if he doesn't make any move, the people of Jizhou will use it as an excuse to refuse to deploy food, fodder and soldiers. Then, the retreat of Xun Yu and others will become a joke!

That's what a dilemma is.

Yuzhou alone is no longer able to support the huge military consumption.

The deficit incurred in previous years has yet to be made up.

Over the years, Xun Yu has been relying on transferring money from his left hand to his right hand and from his left pocket to his right pocket...

Are you kidding me? How is this possible? It's all the wealth accumulated by Yingchuan over the past hundred years. However, this amount of money is a huge amount for a family or a region, but if it is really invested in the entire country, it is basically a drop in the bucket.

According to common sense, if the war continues in the tenth year of Taixing, it will cost at least hundreds of millions of dollars in military expenses. Even if Yuzhou digs out all its coffin money, it may not be enough. Moreover, it is not a big deal to owe soldiers money at ordinary times, but when they really go to the battlefield to fight, they have to pay a little money to buy their lives, at least to let these soldiers have a good time before they go, so that they will not ask for this and that and then quit...

But where can we get the money and supplies from?

Someone previously suggested melting the copper and casting a batch of Wuzhu coins to be used as military pay.

For the bigwigs in the court, this matter is just to increase the currency, which is also a basic operation. In the Three Kingdoms period in history, all three countries issued various coins worth ten or a hundred. No one should laugh at anyone. Anyway, the victims are the middle class, and ordinary people have no money, so the impact is not that great. However, those craftsmen or small vendors who have finally accumulated a little money are forced to suffer and endure.

But this trick is suddenly not working anymore...

The reason is that what is circulating in the market nowadays are all cavalry coins!

Before the war, everyone thought Fei Qian was stupid, printing copper coins for nothing, almost at a loss for Shandong. As a result, when the market is now using cavalry coins, even if the Yingchuan faction minted something like a ten-hundred-dollar coin and forced the people to use it, it would not have the original effect.

This very simple financial method taught Xun Yu and others a solid lesson.

Therefore, in the current situation, whether in terms of manpower or money, the support of Jizhou is needed. However, the Yingchuan faction was also unwilling to compromise. So, while pretending to be stupid, the problem of how to deal with Cui Yan's "begging for his bones" was still left to Liu Xie.

This issue may be the only major project and national decision that Liu Xie can handle in this period of time. But for Liu Xie, this decision is not so easy to make...

Liu Xie was so anxious that he could only hold court meetings again and again, summoning ministers to ask for answers. But how could Liu Xie handle the ministers' evasive tactics? After much discussion, there was no result.

There were many meetings, big and small, but no results. There was much discussion but no answers.

Time goes by day by day.

Liu Xie had no choice but to issue an imperial edict to reject Cui Yan's application. However, Liu Xie knew that Cui Yan would submit a second request soon...

The atmosphere in the central government has been tense over the past few days.

This low-pressure atmosphere also spread to the city of Xu County. The once bustling brothels and restaurants now had fewer singing and dancing parties. Everyone felt that an ice and snow storm was about to come, but no one could tell where this ice and snow storm would take the situation in Shandong!