Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3605: Cutting off the Inheritance and Burning the Contract

Dusk is getting darker.

Fei Qian was silent, and Jia Xu was also silent.

Although Fei Qian looked serious on the surface, he was not actually angry, because being angry is actually something worthless, especially being angry about other people's affairs.

Jia Xu's strategy has been hidden for a long time.

It can even be said that in many cases, Jia Xu's strategies have some negative effects.

It’s just that those negative effects will not appear on Jia Xu.

Just like Jia Xu’s suggestion this time, is it effective?

It is definitely effective.

But there are definitely side effects.

The same is true of the advice Jia Xu gave to Fei Qian.

On the surface, it can solve the problem of Shandong gentry's children's surrender, and it can even have a strong soothing and demonstration effect in a short period of time. Then you can see a large group of Shandong gentry's children rushing to the skirt of the cavalry, prostrating themselves with a puff, and vying with each other to express their "loyalty".

Fei Qian only needed to pick out a few, throw out some meat and bones, then sit on them and watch the fight for them on the ground.

But is this really a good thing?

I don’t know whether the others are good or not, but Jia Xu is definitely good.

After all, Fei Qian wanted to emulate Shang Yang's setting up of a tree, so at least he had to make sure that the tree stood upright and would not fall down, right? So Jia Xu basically pulled himself out of the court dispute and placed himself in a special position. As long as Jia Xu did not commit suicide, he would basically not die.

It’s a pity that it has been exposed by Fei Qian now.

Although Jia Xu looked normal on the surface, the hair on the back of his neck stood up, as if he had sensed something in the air...

When you are silent, if you have something on hand you can pretend to be busy, but if you just sit there with nothing to do, it will inevitably be awkward, and the longer you are silent, the more awkward it will be.

The candle flame crackled and burst, barely breaking the silence.

"I am old and confused..." Jia Xu broke the silence with the sound of candle flames.

"When you offered advice earlier, I didn't see you being stupid." Fei Qian waved his hand and said, "Don't say those clichés. Let's talk business."

"Yes." Jia Xu bowed his hands habitually, "My lord is wise."

"You're still smart? You almost sold me out..."

Fei Qian muttered to himself, and suddenly felt a little hungry, so he raised his voice and asked for some food to be sent over.

Talking to Jia Xu is a brain-consuming and energy-consuming task.

Soon, the servants brought some Hu cakes.

Hu Bing is actually a baked pancake with sesame seeds on it.

Fei Qian motioned to Jia Xu to eat too, and then he took a cake and started to eat it.

The cake was baked very dry and hard, and the sesame seeds were easy to fall off, so Fei Qian was used to supporting his chin with his hands, and after eating it, he would pour the crumbs and sesame seeds in his hands into his mouth.

Jia Xu looked at it and suddenly his eyes turned red. He lowered his head and began to eat slowly.

After a while, Jia Xu also finished a cake, wiped his mouth with a towel, drank a sip of tea, and said: "I have another plan, which can be followed by the old Guangwu. Let each family send their sons to Guanzhong as hostages and grant them a house in Chang'an..."

"Fei Xiong Xuan?" Fei Qian asked.

Jia Xu nodded slightly, then shook his head again, "If... we can send it back."

Feixiongxuan was originally a gathering place for useless people, but later Yuan Shang came out of it and became a minor secretary under the Jingzhao Yin, while Liu Zhang was still in a daze.

Fei Qian probably understood what Jia Xu meant.

If the people sent by these families can be trained...

Well, that's roughly what it means. If so, you can get out. But if it cannot be disciplined, then lock it up until it becomes useless, and then throw it back when needed.

Fei Qian also nodded, and then shook his head. "This strategy... is feasible, but... Wenhe's method is inevitably a rehash of previous people. If it is an ordinary place, it's fine, but occasionally, if there are some determined people, it will cause great trouble."

Fei Qian said, "What's more... I want talents that can be used... not birds kept in cages."

Jia Xu nodded, "In that case, there is another plan... maybe we can follow Chao Cuo's strategy of reducing the power of the feudal lords and order each county to report those who privately store armor..."

Outside the government office, the sound of a night watchman's drum was heard, startling a night owl perched on a cypress tree.

This strategy is inevitably a bit dark.

The strategy Jia Xu is offering now is probably similar to the story of killing a scholar with a peach. Anyway, it is the nobles themselves who are the ones who are doing the fighting, and Fei Qian only needs to watch, or occasionally pretend to be confused and add fuel to the flames. The nobles are obviously not united. Even if there are marriages, there are often many conflicts within these nobles because of the conflict of interests.

Without mentioning other things, if Cao Cao was defeated, I'm afraid there would be many people who wanted to kill the Cao and Xiahou families, right? Just like when Han Fu was driven away by Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao didn't even have to do it himself, and the people who lined up to get rid of Han Fu could line up in the toilet.

Fei Qian glanced at Jia Xu.

Could it be that this guy has guessed why I kept Xiahou Dun alive?

The Shandong gentry are actually a bit like brothers within a wall, and they have many connections with each other. If Fei Qian oppresses them too much, it will instead encourage these people within the wall to abandon their original conflicts and unite to face the outside world.

Cao Cao obviously knew this, so he had always been tolerating the noise, disobedience, and secretive poaching of these "brothers". However, if someone really wanted to dig the wall down in one go, Cao Cao would definitely not tolerate it.

In this process, the brothers may unite, or they may deepen their conflicts and hatred.

After all, human hearts and human nature are diverse. Cao Cao is gambling, Fei Qian is gambling, and now Jia Xu is offering advice, is he also gambling?

"Encourage mutual slaughter, revenge for hatred, revenge for grievances?" Fei Qian laughed, "Then collect all the troops in the world, just like the First Emperor? But how long can the First Emperor last? Only one lifetime."

Fei Qian didn't say it explicitly, but he believed that Jia Xu could understand.

If Fei Qian conquered Shandong Central Plains this time, then in Fei Qian's life, with his momentum of sweeping across the world, even if there was any dissatisfaction in Shandong Central Plains, they might not dare to jump out in person. Even if some of them jumped out occasionally, they would not be able to lead the other sons of the aristocratic families who were defeated by Fei Qian, and naturally nothing big would be accomplished.

But once Fei Qian died...

But in fact, these words have another explanation...

"After I die, I won't care about the flood!"

Just like Fei Qian said before, knowing that there is a problem with this, is there any need to continue doing it?

Jia Xu sighed.

It’s good that Fei Qian is wise, but he’s too wise…

Just like once Party A becomes too knowledgeable, Party B will definitely not be happy.

Jia Xu looked at the flickering candle flame, the melted wax flowing down the lampstand and solidifying, and whispered, "If that's the case... then let's use the method of burning the contract to buy justice..."

Fei Qian paused.

This turtle finally said something different.

"Let me explain it in detail."

Fei Qian gestured.

Jia Xu said in a deep voice, "Many of the noble families in Shandong have annexed land and lent money privately... If the new law of the lord is implemented in Shandong and the Central Plains, the people will surely be poor."

Fei Qian glanced at Jia Xu.

Fei Qian could understand what Jia Xu meant.

When Jia Xu said that the common people had "food and drink in their baskets", it meant that the gentry and the local gentry were full of hatred.

However, it seems that what Jia Xu wants to express is not just the contradiction and contrast between the common people and the nobles, but also something else...

Fei Qian followed Jia Xu's gaze and looked at his desk. On the desk, where Jia Xu's eyes fell, was Fei Zhen's article.

Understood.

Previously, Jia Xu commented that the people were "slightly floating above the rest". If Fei Qian implemented the new land system in Shandong, the biggest problem would not be the people, but whether the problem of "slightly floating above the rest" could be solved.

The people in Shandong and Central Plains are just as simple and honest as the people in Guanzhong, but they also have some bad habits. It doesn't mean that all ordinary people are kind, nor that all the children of the gentry are evil. In some things or at some stages, kindness and evil are relative.

"Wenhe's meaning..." Fei Qian narrowed his eyes, "Will these Shandong people in the Central Plains cooperate with the local gentry and wealthy to undermine the new system?"

Jia Xu sighed and said, "It's not true. I heard today that the Qiang and Han people in Longyou live together. The Han people found Han officials and arbitrarily changed the boundaries... At first, I didn't know it. Today, they changed it by three inches, and tomorrow they increased it by one foot. If one Han person changed it, the whole group would change it. The Qiang people couldn't argue with them, so they gathered the tribesmen to beat them... Later, the Han people reported the Qiang people for committing crimes, and the inspectors came and arrested the Qiang people... Now I don't know how to judge..."

"Um……"

Fei Qian closed his eyes and sighed.

Is Jia Xu talking about the Han and Qiang people?
Yes.

But it’s not.

"My lord, how about..." Jia Xu looked at Fei Qian's face and knew what he meant. Fei Qian understood, "How about..."

"No." Fei Qian waved his hand.

Jia Xu lowered his head, and some inexplicable look flashed in the corners of his eyes.

Fei Qian didn't notice it because he was stumped by the question.

Of course, it’s okay for Fei Qian to just ignore it.

Who doesn’t know how to have fun?
Who wouldn’t give up?
There is nothing difficult in the world, just give up.

English-Chinese dictionary, abandon the first line.

For many years, the gentry forced their children to study hard and used the method of raising Gu to train the next generation of family heads, but told the common people to play and have fun, that learning is useless, knowledge is useless, and life is not just about studying, there are many other exciting things in life...

Yes. But first you have to be able to survive, to live well, to be wonderful, to have other things. Otherwise, you are busy with survival, to make three meals a day, to pay for your parents' support, to buy extracurricular teaching materials for your children, to pay the bank loan, and then when you see those who are more knowledgeable and have stronger skills living a comfortable life, will you feel that you had enough fun in your youth, or wonder why you couldn't read a few more books back then?

"The matter of the Han and Qiang people should be sent to the Court of Law for discussion."

Fei Qian made a decision.

"My lord is wise!"

Jia Xu immediately lowered his shoulders, bowed his head and kowtowed, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden.

"Wenhe..." Fei Qian ordered the turtle.

Jia Xu played dumb and responded with a silly smile.

"Forget it... Shi Yuan has a plan, Shandong gentry, we can follow the old story of Hedong..." Fei Qian looked at Jia Xu, "What do you think of Wenhe?"

"There are few scholars in Hedong." Jia Xu cherishes words as if they were gold.

Fei Qian nodded and understood.

Indeed.

The same thing, when facing one person, and when it is expanded to one hundred people, thousands of people, or even more than ten thousand people, each level of quantity is a different concept.

Otherwise, every military parade in later generations would not have shocked the world.

Once your butt is crooked, it is very difficult to sit upright again.

"Is there any strategy to break it?" Fei Qian asked.

Jia Xu sighed and said, "We can set up a 'Price Stabilization Office'."

Fei Qian repeated it, not quite understanding it.

"The land is turned into a deed. The bark of the land can be sold, but the bones of the land cannot be sold." Jia Xu cleared his throat, "All land under heaven belongs to the king."

In the name of the emperor, the land within the county system was issued with "red and black deeds", with the red deed recording the ownership and the black deed recording the right to use. Farmers holding the red deed could inherit the land from generation to generation, while the black deed allowed for circulation but strictly prohibited private trading.

After hearing this, Fei Qian raised his eyebrows slightly.

This seems to be somewhat similar to the later concept of separation of land ownership and use rights.

So early?
Fei Qian thought about it and it seemed that such an idea had indeed existed very early in history.

But it doesn't seem to be the Han Dynasty.

How did this turtle come up with this idea?

Or does the phrase "Is this the king's land?" already contain this meaning?
If there were only public fields and no private fields, then all the people in the world would be lazy. If there were only private fields and no public fields, then all the people in the world would inevitably become greedy.

"It's like raising silkworms and reeling silk," Jia Xu was worried that Fei Qian didn't understand, so he explained, "Mulberry trees belong to the owner, and the silkworm room can be rented."

Fei Qian nodded slightly.

He thought of some descriptions in history books.

For example, "Shihuozhi" can be regarded as an economic database of ancient China.

Since the Han Dynasty, each dynasty has had its own "Food and Money Records".

If we make a vertical comparison of the data in "Food and Money Records", we will find a shocking and somewhat helpless pattern - the peak of cultivated land area in each feudal dynasty probably occurred within 100 years of its founding.

The 827 million hectares of fertile farmland in the Western Han Dynasty provided the basis for the bold statement that "those who offend the mighty Han will be punished no matter how far away they are." The 620 million hectares of arable land in the Tang Dynasty supported the prosperous scene of all nations coming to pay tribute. Behind these data, there is a game that is more exciting than the swordplay in the Golden Palace.

The Song Dynasty's "Food and Goods Records" recorded three major fluctuations in grain prices in Bianjing. On the surface, this was caused by natural disasters, but in fact it was a chain reaction caused by land annexation. Just like the slight fluctuation of 1% of the powerful in the United States in later generations, it affected the financial market of tens of billions of dollars.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the amount of registered arable land in the country was constantly decreasing, and there were even data before and after that showed a decrease of more than 30%. However, because the emperor was not sensitive to such data and the ministers themselves were also beneficiaries of land annexation, this data that could have sounded the alarm became a piece of waste paper, oh, a piece of waste paper.

It is not known whether Jia Yu was influenced by Fei Qian or he figured it out on his own, but the system of separation of use rights and ownership rights he proposed is somewhat similar to the system of separation of field bones and field skins in later generations. The name of "royal field" was also added, and a numbering registration system was introduced in official contracts. Each deed had to be filed with the three-level land equalization offices at the national, county and prefecture levels to prevent local officials from cheating as much as possible.

Of course, this still cannot prevent officials and local gentry from colluding with each other and engaging in corruption, but at least the state can have some effective data. As for whether to turn a blind eye or wait until the New Year to kill two pigs, it all depends on the specific operation...

"In addition, we can use the method of joint guarantee for green seedlings." Jia Xu continued, "Ten households with land deeds can guarantee each other and jointly borrow grain seeds from the government warehouse. They need to provide their own oxen and plows, and when the autumn harvest comes, they must first sell the grain from the government warehouse in exchange for exemption certificates."

Fei Qian was silent and nodded. According to Jia Xu, this would not only solve the problem of small farmers borrowing money, but also avoid the annexation of farmland caused by borrowing money. In addition, the vouchers for exemption from labor service could be used to increase the advantages of government warehouses, and to prevent private grain merchants from hoarding grain and increasing their grain collection costs.

This is the landing...

At least one foot was on the ground.

As for whether it can be implemented in the future, it depends on specific implementation.

To this end, Jia Xu also listed three ways to prevent counterattack.

The first is to use the Cavalry Gold Coin, or Cavalry Gold Zhu, to balance land transactions.

It is stipulated that large-scale land transactions must be conducted in the form of cavalry gold coins. The majority of coins circulating in the market are copper coins, followed by silver coins, and gold coins are rare. Even for large-scale goods, many merchants now use flying coins. Jia Xu stipulated that land transactions must be conducted in the form of physical cavalry gold coins, which not only increased the cost of land transactions, but also allowed the supply to be controlled and tightened at any time...

Fei Qian felt that this seemed to be the prototype of later banks regulating the market through currency.

Second, Jia Xu suggested that Fei Qian allow the nobles in Shandong to exchange the land that exceeds their title land for salt and iron permits or Western Region permits in proportion. This would prevent the nobles in Shandong from feeling that they had lost too much, and it would also guide these guys who originally had their eyes fixed on the land to convert their industries and transform land capital into commercial capital.

Third, the shortage of patrol forces must also be strengthened. Young and strong people without land can be organized to join the patrol volunteers. During this period, they can wear military uniforms, obey the patrol command, and obtain low-interest loans to purchase the right to use wasteland. These "patrol volunteers" wearing red robes can quickly replenish the general combat units in the countryside, and are also the vested interests of land reform. When local tyrants want to resist, they must also weigh their options.

Jia Xu told a lot of stories in great detail.

Basically, they are summarized from his actual experience in Longyou and Guanzhong, and are combined with Jia Xu's own thinking and exploration, flashing with the brilliance of his wisdom.

Fei Qian listened and nodded from time to time.

However, in the end, Jia Xu seemed to have his old problem again. He blinked and looked at Fei Qian, and said softly, "My lord, I actually have a better plan..."