Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3645: Iron Cannon Cracks the Wall, Ink Fragrance Awakens the World

As dusk fell, the candlelight on the bronze lampstand in the military tent cast a swaying shadow on the sheepskin map.

The temperature is still relatively low at night in early summer.

There is a big temperature difference between morning and evening in the interior of the continent, so it is normal to wear silk at noon and a jacket at night.

Pang Tong's movement of sorting the documents suddenly froze, and his fingertips gently stroked the words "exempt his family, but not his clan."

Fei Qian raised his eyes from the map, glanced at Pang Tong, then turned around the document and returned to the map. "Shi Yuan, do you think my order this day is too harsh?"

Pang Tong hesitated for a moment, "I dare not hide it from my lord. I have this idea."

Fei Qian nodded.

Outside the tent came the sound of armor clashing with weapons from the camp patrol team. Their orderly marching steps sounded like a countdown to some kind of new era.

Fei Qian took the kettle of water beside him, touched it and found it was still warm, so he poured a bowl and pushed it to Pang Tong, then poured himself a bowl and sipped it slowly.

If I were in the future, I might also be used to drinking the notorious bean juice...

Fei Qian suddenly thought about it with self-mockery, then shook his head and smiled.

Pang Tong took the rice water but did not drink it. His eyes swept across the dense cinnabar marks on the map and he said softly: "In the past, when Emperor Guangwu conquered Hebei, he could still leave a vacant position for people like Dou Rong and Wei Xiao. Although the Jizhou gentry are wavering, they control 70% of the granaries and 80% of the clerks. If we push them too hard..."

Fei Qian looked at Pang Tong, "Shi Yuan, this matter...hasn't it been discussed before?"

Pang Tong looked at the starch in his hand, remained silent for a while, and sighed, "My lord... a few days ago, I distributed the soldiers' salaries. The Han army in Guanzhong and Hedong was fine, but there were some problems with the Qiang soldiers in Longyou."

"What's the problem?" Fei Qian asked, "Could it be that these Qiang soldiers disobeyed orders and caused trouble?"

"That's not the case." Pang Tong said, "It's just a trivial matter. The Qiang people don't know arithmetic, and even if they count the soldiers' pay in person, there are still some who don't understand. They also listen to one side and believe one side. Some people take less and say less. Some coins are of different thicknesses, and some fodder is different in dryness and wetness... It's complicated..."

Pang Tong sighed, "Even if the Qiang people are like this, what about the people of Ji? I originally thought that although the number of people in the academy in Hedong and Guanzhong is not enough, we can use them all... and if the lord takes the land of Shandong today, and uses it to exclude the gentry and divide it equally, it will not be a problem... What I am worried about is that by then, there will be many ignorant people in Jizhou, and they will all be under the control of the people in the academy in Hedong and Guanzhong... If we are not careful, there may be chaos. "

Although Pang Tong did not explain it very clearly, Fei Qian could already understand what Pang Tong meant.

For those in higher positions, do they need middle-level assistants?
Of course it is necessary.

Because China is too big and has too many people.

There is great regional imbalance and customs vary from place to place.

Especially in feudal dynasties, it was difficult to manage the entire country with one set of laws or one model, so it could only be a system similar to the county system, and the countryside was outsourced to local gentry to fill in as a gray force.

Therefore, problems similar to what Pang Tong mentioned will arise.

These Qiang people, or the common people with lower education and social class, were not really going to have any conflict with Fei Qian, Pang Tong, and the entire Huqi political group. They were just simply stupid and unable to control their emotions and behavior.

It's like ordinary people who take an online ride-hailing car on a one-way street and insist on turning around immediately. When their wish is not fulfilled, they howl, curse, cry, and complain. Maybe they will calm down after getting off the car, but this kind of irrational emotional behavior is more likely to occur among the lower classes.

After all, with Fei Qian's current status, even if he made a U-turn on a one-way street or someone fined him, what could he do?
Pang Tong was worried about problems like these.

There are definitely some reasonable people in Jizhou, but there are definitely some who are unreasonable, and some who are intermittently unreasonable. Different situations require different treatments, and each treatment requires manpower and time. Therefore, Pang Tong felt that before the number of officials in Guanzhong and Hedong increased and the local areas could not be effectively supplemented, it would be better not to issue laws and decrees that would relatively stimulate the Jizhou gentry, such as "exempting their families but not their clans", etc.

After all, there are rat droppings in the rice, so you can wait until they are cleaned up before adding water to cook the porridge.

Fei Qian thought for a moment, but did not explain Pang Tong's suggestion. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "Shi Yuan, do you know that the artillery battalion has been issued two new types of shells today?"

Pang Tong nodded in confusion at first, then his eyebrows moved, as if he had thought of something.

"Originally, artillery only had solid bullets..." Fei Qian said slowly, "Now, there are three types of shells... How many types will there be in the future? If we let the gentry of Jizhou make it... The Han Dynasty has been nearly four hundred years, and they have no choice but to stick to their old ways!"

The firelight from the bronze lamp flickered in Fei Qian's eyes, as if reflecting in advance the moment when the bricks and stones of the city wall collapsed under the artillery fire.

Pang Tong's pupils shrank slightly.

He recalled the explosion test he had seen in the Beiqu Gorge in Pingyang before, where the simulated city walls were reduced to dust amidst a loud bang.

He also recalled seeing the huge rocks blocking the road between the Qinling Mountains being torn into pieces by gunpowder and turned into stepping stones for the mountain path.

There was nothing wrong with Pang Tong's idea. The only problem was that he was a native of the Han Dynasty. Before he saw Fei Qian invent gunpowder, he could not imagine that such a world-shaking power could be used by humans.

Pang Tong finally drank the somewhat cooled water and sighed, "My Lord, this will make the early stages very chaotic..."

Just like gunpowder cracked the boulders, large and small stones will still clog the road, and it will take some time to clear them before a new road appears.

"And these nobles are not stupid, they will come up with a solution quickly... After all, they have seen too much..." Pang Tong added, "When the time comes, we will have to protect the place and guard against these nobles..."

"So they need to witness the change of times with their own eyes!"

Fei Qian stood up, opened the curtain of the tent and walked out.

Under the night sky, Fei Qian's voice was particularly clear, "When the city walls lose their meaning, and when private soldiers can't stop the artillery, these "smart people" will naturally recalculate the pros and cons."

Pang Tong followed Fei Qian and walked out of the tent.

The night breeze brings fresh air, which makes people feel refreshed.

Pang Tong asked: "Then, regarding the classification of treatment for surrendered people, do you intend to include it in the military law of the New Annotation of the Six Strategies?"

"No, we need to publish a separate "Order to Persuade Surrender" and print it with movable type."

Fei Qian pulled out a few pieces of paper from his sleeve, then looked at them under the torch beside the big tent, took out one of them and handed it to Pang Tong, "Look at this, it's similar to the six-column account, and it's recorded separately. For example, the military exploits of Zhang Junyi and other early Jizhou soldiers who surrendered, and also include the records of the food reserves when the surrendered generals surrendered the city, the completeness of the household registration, etc. If there are any objections at that time, it will be compared with this."

Pang Tong took it and stepped sideways to check it in the light of the torch beside the tent.

Pang Tong noticed that there was a separate column in it, which turned out to be "Collection of Books"!
"The merit of presenting this "collection of books"..." Pang Tong laughed, his eyebrows dancing with joy, obviously realizing some of the essence of Fei Qian's thin paper, "If so... it can be said to be better than 100,000 soldiers!"

Fei Qian stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the unpolluted, bright starry sky of Dahan. Those charming colors made Fei Qian feel for a moment as if he was floating in the endless universe, with those different colors surrounding him.

After a while, Fei Qian slowly said, "The difference between the sons of the gentry and the common people is these scriptures... This is the beginning of the sons of the gentry, and it should also be their end."

The sound of hurried horse hooves came from afar.

Fei Qian and Pang Tong both stopped talking and looked over.

Expedited military reports, day and night. Sure enough, a moment later, a guard brought a military report to Fei Qian.

Fei Qian glanced at the wax seal and said, "Military report from Captain Jiang."

Although there were torches outside the big tent, the night wind made it difficult to read the small words on the silk book. Therefore, Fei Qian and Pang Tong turned around and went back into the tent, lit the bronze lamp, and checked it up and down.

Jiang Jiong and Zhu Ling led the cavalry into the Hanoi area and broke through three forts in one day!
After hearing the news, the local gentry and local tyrants all surrendered!
Jiang Jiong specifically noted in the military newspaper that the granaries were largely intact and the library was also undamaged.

"You have a sense of propriety..." Fei Qian said with a smile, "Destroy the fortress wall but keep the granary, destroy the manor but keep the library... It not only cuts off the foundation of the fortress's defense, but also leaves some thoughts for these self-proclaimed saints... Haha, good! Shi Yuan will write a reply letter, give some praise, and remind you that next time, in addition to the granary and library, the workshops should also be preserved as much as possible... It is better to advance steadily, without taking risks."

"As you command." Pang Tong took the letter, looked at it, and then sat aside. He wrote a reply in a few moments and asked Fei Qian to read it.

Fei Qian read it and nodded, "Come here! Send this letter back to Captain Jiang!"

The guard took the letter and retreated.

Fei Qian turned around and spread out a map of the area around Wen County. "There is one more question..."

"Private soldiers." Pang Tong added on the side.

Fei Qian nodded, "There is no doubt that the private armies of the nobles must be disbanded. In the sixth year of Emperor Guangwu's Jianwu reign, the commandery officers of the prefectures and kingdoms were abolished... This is a lesson..."

The move by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu to dismiss the commandery officers in the sixth year of Jianwu was essentially an important part of the centralized reform in the early Eastern Han Dynasty. However, although the Grand Mage had reached the pinnacle of magic, he obviously failed to fully consider the political strategic layout, which was somewhat like treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.

Liu Xiu personally experienced the chaos at the end of the Xinmang Dynasty and was well aware of the risks of separatism caused by the dispersion of local military power.

In the late Western Han Dynasty, the system of checks and balances between the commandery commanders and the governors gradually became ineffective, and the governors became the ones who monopolized power and colluded with local tyrants to rise up as private soldiers, which became the driving force behind the collapse of Wang Mang's regime. Liu Xiu dismissed the commandery commanders in order to eliminate the independent military mobilization capabilities of the localities and prevent the emergence of a second separatist force like the "Gengshi Emperor". Of course, he was also afraid that there would be another magician who copied his success path...

When exploring certain social phenomena in history, it is sometimes found that dominant groups maintain their dominant position intentionally or unintentionally.

In order to prevent some generals and meritorious officials who had fought with him from suddenly thinking, "I can do it too," Liu Xiu weakened the power of the founding generals through the strategy of "retreating meritorious officials and promoting civil officials." The abolition of the Duwei official was an extension of this logic. The purpose was good, to bring local military command back to the central government, to have the "General of the Household" or a general appointed by the central government directly command the troops, to cut off the connection between local tyrants and the army, and to ensure the absolute monopoly of the imperial power over violent institutions.

Of course, long-term wars have led to the decline of people's livelihood. Abolishing the duwei officer can reduce local military expenditures, eliminate redundant military establishments, and divert resources to agricultural revitalization, which is also beneficial.

Unfortunately, in the long history of China, policy adjustments often involve an excessive pursuit of "balance."

The local nobles and powerful families were not stupid either. On the surface, they firmly supported the wise decision of the Grand Mage. Whether it was the general meeting or the small meeting, they clearly emphasized that the law must be obeyed and the county lieutenants must be abolished. However, in fact, they secretly increased their support for various "gray gloves" and "black gloves"...

The frequent mobilization of troops by the central government to suppress the rebellion exacerbated the financial crisis.

Moreover, the lack of military forces at the county level will not reduce the military danger in the local area, but will leave an unnecessary gap...

Areas that light cannot reach will inevitably be filled with shadows.

The lack of official military forces in the prefectures and counties provided space for the development of local powerful armed forces. This policy, like the collection of elite soldiers in the Song Dynasty and the abolition of the prime minister in the Ming Dynasty, became a key node in the evolution of the centralized system. Its influence went far beyond the military field and profoundly shaped the political ecology of the Chinese feudal dynasty.

What Fei Qian must pay attention to now is that he must not make the same mistakes as Liu Xiu or any other ruler.

For example, the policy of "abolishing the military commanders" implemented by Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu, was originally intended to weaken local military power and strengthen central power in order to maintain national unity and stability. This policy effectively strengthened the central authority and consolidated the regime in the short term.

However, like many major historical changes, the effects of policy implementation are complex.

Over time, this policy may also bring new challenges in terms of local governance, military response efficiency, etc.

Historical experience shows that any policy needs to be dynamically adjusted and improved based on actual conditions.

In the process of policy implementation, how to comprehensively and timely collect feedback from different groups, ensure smooth flow of information, and thus more effectively respond to social needs is a topic that all dynasties in China have faced.

How to face it, rather than avoid or cover it up, is what reflects the responsibility and commitment of a country and a regime.

If we wait until it can no longer be covered up, becomes rotten and decayed, and serious problems break out, then high officials or even the emperor will suddenly slam the table and ask, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

What's the use?

The structural contradiction between information concealment within the bureaucratic system, the impulse for short-term political achievements and long-term governance risks is a deep-rooted problem in China's thousand-year feudal dynasties.

The emperor's surname may have changed, but this problem, which started in the Han Dynasty, has continued for a long time.

When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, Emperor Ling of Han was surprised to ask, "Why are there no soldiers available in the prefectures and counties?" He completely forgot that it was the Eastern Han court itself that disbanded the local standing army. This "policy amnesia" is the inevitable result of long-term information concealment. The decision-makers have long been accustomed to the "world" constructed by "beautified" memorials, and have no psychological expectation of real crises.

The "Three Articles of Agreement" that the imperial court promised to the people back then can be changed at will and amended at will...

The people of the Eastern Han Dynasty were already impoverished and miserable, but the bureaucrats in the court were still laughing, saying that among the people of the world, which family did not have a hundred or fifty acres of land, a few houses, some ox carts, and five hundred thousand yuan?

No way, no way, no way?
Soldiers were patrolling outside the big tent, and the sound of armor and weapons colliding lightly could be heard inside.

Pang Tong stood beside Fei Qian and whispered, "My lord, Jizhou is not settled yet, but you want to order the private soldiers of the nobles first. Isn't it too hasty?"

"This is exactly why I want to leave the library for the nobles." Fei Qian smiled, "These guys can't want this, that, and everything else... The dispute between Sang Hongyang and the virtuous and virtuous literature was ultimately about how to distribute the word "profit". Now we have this..."

Fei Qian pointed to the artillery model on the table, "Something that can redefine the distribution rules...why do we have to wait for their consent?"

Pang Tong looked at the cannon model and said after a moment, "My Lord, do you know that when Zhang Tang made the Platinum Grade 3, he originally just wanted to use it for emergency purposes, but he didn't expect it to take five years?"

"Shi Yuan's intention is... that these "temporary" laws will eventually become the selfish desires of some people?" Fei Qian asked.

Pang Tong was silent.

Fei Qian nodded and said, "This is why the children of Shandong gentry value poetry more than arithmetic! If everyone in the world knew how to calculate, these corrupt officials would have to live in fear even if they were greedy!"

If people in later generations did not know how to distinguish the authenticity of my cousin’s collection, and did not understand the four arithmetic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, wouldn’t they just listen to the instructions of complying with the procedures and meeting the income requirements and be done with it?

"But at present, there are still not enough people who are good at arithmetic..." Fei Qian said, "In Jizhou, there must be at least 3,000 clerks who are at least proficient in arithmetic..."

"These clerks who are only good at arithmetic are within the high walls of the noble families!" Pang Tong said.

Fei Qian nodded and said, "So now we can act quickly and also slowly. If we act slowly, we can build more elementary schools for the people in the countryside. After ten years, we can see initial results. As for acting quickly..."

Fei Qian was silent for a while, stretched out his hand to light the wick, making the candlelight brighter, and suddenly talked about something seemingly unrelated: "I have seen the smartest shepherd in the Western Regions. He can use seventeen kinds of whistles to command the flock of sheep... But... when he saw the artillery blow down the city wall for the first time, he threw away his whip and knelt on the ground crying. "

"The sons of the noble families can build the walls higher..." Fei Qian's eyes were dim, "But no matter how high the walls are, they will eventually collapse... The noble families are shrewd shepherds, and the people are silent sheep. But what I want to do is not to replace the shepherds, but to let the sheep know that they don't have to be sheep."

Pang Tong's breathing became a little rapid. He recalled that when he was a young man in Lushan, he flipped through the "Mozi·Shangtong" hidden in the box by Pang Degong. The words on the bamboo slips, which had been somewhat faded in his memory, suddenly seemed to be added with ink color by invisible pen and ink, and were given new meaning.