Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 132: Recruiting talents, Liu Feng's power gradually grows
The following days.

Liu Feng focused all his energy on the governance of the new city.

On the one hand, we diligently implement good policies and support the people; on the other hand, we eradicate old evils and eliminate bandits.

Originally, the local wealthy families in Xincheng County were mainly surnamed Shen and Deng, and were mainly distributed in the three counties of Fangling, Shangyong and Xicheng.

Since Liu Feng registered the common people, Xincheng County has seen the rise of six new powerful families, namely Bai, Mei, Mi, Bei, Shu and Qu.

The Bai clan was an alliance of various clans in Jingshan, the Mei clan was the Yi people in the five counties of Yinxian, Lingxian, Zhuyang, Shandu and Zhonglu, and the Mi, Bei, Shu and Qu clans were the local big clans in Xincheng County.

Among them, the Bai surnamed nobles were mainly distributed in Changhan County in the south of Fangling County, the Mei surnamed nobles were mainly distributed in Beiwu County in the south of Shangyong, and the Mi, Bei, Shu, and Qu surnamed nobles were mainly distributed in Jianshi County west of Shangyong.

Within the general framework of unified laws, Liu Feng adopted the proposal of Gongcao Deng Fan and formulated corresponding legal details based on the different customs and habits of various ethnic groups.

Simultaneously.

Liu Feng also purchased seals and ribbons, and appointed Mei Fu, the leader of the Mei clan, as a colonel, and Mi Tutong, Bei Shina, Shu Heli, and Qu Xianzhi, the leaders of the Mi, Bei, Shu, and Qu clans, as commanders.

Select elite troops from each ethnic group to form a new third battalion.

The Bai and Mei surnames each produced a thousand people, and the Mi, Bei, Shu, and Qu tribes produced a total of a thousand people.

After integrating the new and old forces in the nine counties of Xincheng.

Liu Feng actually controlled nearly 40,000 households and had six battalions of soldiers under his command, totaling 6,000 men.

Appoint one lieutenant general: Li Ping.

There are ten lieutenants: Tian Qi, Kou Anguo, Fang Yue, Pan Feng, Yu She, Mu Shun, Li Fu, Deng Xian, Bai Shou, Mei Fu

There were also dozens of other generals and military commanders such as Tian Zhong, Han Chong, Mi Tutong, Bei Shi Na, Shu Heli, Qu Xianzhi, Wang Dang, Luo Xin, Shan Xiong, and Pei Qing.

In addition, there were the troops of Fangling Magistrate Deng Fu, General Jianxin and Xicheng Magistrate Shen Yi, General Zhengbei who led Shangyong Magistrate Shen Dan, and troops from nine counties. Liu Feng could actually control about 10,000 troops in the new city.

In addition, Gongcao Deng Fan, Wuguanyuan Yufan, Duyou Ma Yu, Zhubu Du Pu, Shuzuo Fan Cheng and various officials were deployed one after another.

Liu Feng's power in the nine counties of Xincheng County was basically formed.

however.

Forty thousand households support ten thousand soldiers and horses, plus thousands of officials and servants in the county and township offices. On this basis, Liu Feng also has to recruit soldiers, hoard money and grain, build roads and bridges, and establish strongholds. The financial pressure is actually very great.

Looking at the money and grain report compiled by the chief clerk Du Pu.

Liu Feng just felt a headache.

On the one hand, we need to reduce taxes and levies, and on the other hand, we need to maintain the army and officials.

If one of them is not handled properly, there will be a fiscal deficit.

Without money and food, not only will the soldiers be defeated, but the officials will also disperse, not to mention recruiting soldiers, hoarding money and food, building roads and bridges, and establishing strongholds.

"No wonder my father always lets Zhuge Liang stay in the rear. Without a Xiao He-like person in the rear to 'stabilize the country, comfort the people, provide food and supplies, and ensure that the food supply is not cut off', it would be almost impossible to go out and fight."

Liu Feng put down the report and sighed softly.

The news that Cao Cao died of illness has long been confirmed.

Due to Cao Cao's death from illness, the north also fell into chaos, with rebel forces emerging one after another in various places.

This time point is actually the most suitable for the Northern Expedition.

however.

The Battle of Hanzhong left Yizhou exhausted; the Battle of Xiangfan left Jingzhou exhausted.

Neither Yizhou nor Jingzhou had enough money and food to support the Northern Expedition.

Not only that.

The military pressure on Liu Bei's forces in Jingzhou also increased exponentially.

As Sun Quan's power weakened, Cao Wei's military focus also shifted westward.

Cao Pi not only deployed Xiahou Shang in Nanxiang, but also Cao Ren, Zhao Yan, Yu Jin, Man Chong, Xu Huang, and Lu Chang in Xiangyang, Wen Pin in Shiyang City north of Xiakou, Cao Xiu and Zhu Ling in Runan, and Cao Zhen and Zhang He in Guanzhong.

If it weren't for the need to guard against Sun Quan, Cao Pi would even want to transfer Zhang Liao to Nanxiang.

Sun Quan was unwilling to withdraw from Jingzhou. Even though he and Liu Bei sent envoys to each other to make peace, he secretly appointed Lu Xun as the governor of Fankou.

Seeing that Sun Quan was still determined to take advantage of the situation and Cao Pi was eyeing him covetously, Guan Yu had no choice but to deploy generals and heavy troops in Xiakou, Lukou, Miankou and Yangkou.

In the seemingly peaceful situation, murderous intentions are everywhere.

As the saying goes: A good cook cannot cook without rice.

Even if Liu Feng knew the future, he could only sit back and watch Cao Pi methodically suppress the rebellion and centralize power to deploy defenses in the north.

"General, the new city has just been built, and we haven't started the direct investment yet. It would be better to enter the market directly, perhaps we can fill the treasury." Du Pu saw that Liu Feng was worried, so he suggested in a low voice.

The "straightforward" that Du Pu mentioned refers to the Zhibai coins issued by Liu Bei in Xichuan.

The essence of Zhibai coins is a plunder of the wealth of the wealthy and powerful, and also a means of wealth redistribution.

However, the specific circumstances of Xincheng County and the Xichuan counties are different.

No matter whether it was the original powerful families or the newly added powerful families, they were willing to settle down in Xincheng County because of Liu Feng's prestige.

Unlike the nobles in the counties of Xichuan who ostensibly welcomed Liu Bei to take control of Xichuan but actually just wanted to replace Liu Zhang, the new and old nobles in Xincheng County contributed money, grain, and labor, and they were truly attached to Liu Feng.

At this time, if Liu Feng used Zhibai coins to plunder the wealth of the new and old nobles in Xincheng County, it was equivalent to telling the new and old nobles in Xincheng County: the fat sheep has finally fallen into the wolf's den and it's time to slaughter it.

If this were true, the prestige Liu Feng had built up over the past few months would be completely gone.

He paused for a moment.

Liu Feng revised Dupu's proposal.

Although it is impossible to use Zhibai coins to plunder the wealth of the wealthy families in Xincheng County, it is possible to use Zhibai coins to plunder the wealth of the wealthy families in Nanxiang County.

Zhibai coins are tied to Yizhou's hard currency, Shu brocade.

As the saying goes: The only way to defeat the enemy is with brocade.

Shu brocade is the best in the world and is also the most favored brocade by the powerful and wealthy.

Even if the people in Nanxiang now are the Eight Tigers of the Cao Wei royal family, Cao Pi's favorite minister, and Xiahou Shang, who holds a very powerful position, they cannot control the desire of the nobles in Nanxiang to wear Shu brocade.

Without the silky and smooth Shu brocade, whether it is court talks, dance parties, banquets or house decoration, everything will be overshadowed.

"We sent people to Nanxiang County to spread two pieces of news. The first piece of news said, 'A wealthy merchant in Xincheng County has just acquired a large amount of Shu brocade and wanted to sell it in Xincheng. However, Shu brocade can only be traded with direct payment, and Xincheng County has banned direct payment, so Shu brocade is unsalable.' The wealthy merchant intends to secretly sell Shu brocade in Nanxiang and sell it at half price.

The second piece of news said, "Because Xincheng Governor Liu Feng had made great contributions, the King of Hanzhong awarded him a hundred million yuan."

Doop's eyes widened.

Selling Shu brocade at half price?
The King of Hanzhong gave him hundreds of millions of dollars?

"My lord, are you trying to trick the nobles in Nanxiang County into giving you grain and wheat in exchange for money?" Du Pu had already guessed Liu Feng's intention.

Liu Feng said sternly, "Master Du, what you said is wrong. What does the rumor spread by the wealthy merchant have to do with me, the governor of Xincheng?"

The corners of Dupu's mouth twitched.

There seems to be nothing wrong with this.

"But where did you get the money to exchange it with the nobles in Nanxiang County?" Du Pu asked the second question. After all, "The King of Hanzhong gave hundreds of millions of dollars" was just a lie.

Liu Feng leaned against the table and chuckled, "You just proposed to let Zhibai enter the market, why are you confused now? If the nobles in Nanxiang County want to actively exchange Zhibai, they can use the Zhibai of Qianhang to exchange it."

Du Pu was stunned: "But the money is straightforward, it is saved by the soldiers. If it is exchanged to the nobles of Nanxiang County, what should the soldiers do if they need it in the future?"

When Xincheng County was first established, Liu Feng temporarily banned the circulation of Zhibai in Xincheng County in order to stabilize prices and prevent soldiers from bullying the people and abusing Zhibai.

In order to appease the soldiers, Liu Feng set up a money bank, which encouraged the soldiers to deposit their money in the bank by distributing daily necessities such as grain and wheat every month as interest.

Du Pu did not understand the deeper meaning of this. He only thought that the existence of the money bank was to stabilize prices and appease the soldiers, and that it could only be used in Xincheng County. He never thought of using the money in the money bank to exchange for grain and wheat from the wealthy families in Nanxiang County.

"You are not qualified to be the chief clerk." Liu Feng held his forehead with his hand.

Dupu's neck turned red, and he bowed and apologized: "I am stupid, please help me solve my doubts."

Liu Feng sighed: "The straightforwardness of circulation is straightforward, and the straightforwardness that cannot be circulated is just a pile of scrap copper. The essence of circulation is to exchange what is needed.

What the Xincheng County treasury needs is grain and wheat, and what the soldiers of Xincheng County need is also grain and wheat. Putting grain and wheat in the money bank is better than putting a lot of them directly in the money bank.

Even if the soldiers want to use Zhibai, can't you take the grain and wheat to other cities in Jingyi to exchange? With grain and wheat in hand, why worry about not having Zhibai in the bank?
You must remember one thing: using money to exchange for the grain and wheat of Wu and Wei is called seeking profit from the people; using money to exchange for the grain and wheat of the scholars and common people in Xincheng County is called oppressing the scholars and common people.

After all, we don’t have Shu brocade in our hands, so we can’t cheat our own family.”

After carefully explaining to Dupu the original intention of issuing Zhibai coins and how to avoid local inflation caused by the newly issued coins, Dupu finally understood Liu Feng's original intention of establishing a money bank.

"I know what to do." Dupu's face was filled with smiles.

As the chief clerk, what worries him most is the fiscal deficit. Now that there is a solution, Dupu is naturally happy.

Wait until Dupu leaves.

Liu Feng only felt physically and mentally exhausted.

“No wonder Zhuge Liang died young because he was too exhausted. He had to manage military affairs, government affairs, economy, and diplomacy. Human resources were limited. How could he live long if he had to manage everything?

Looks like I have to ask for someone’s help.”

A few days ago.

Kou Anguo escorted Liu Feng's wife and children, Sun Yan and Liu Lin, to Fangling, and mentioned Mi Fang who fled back to Chengdu after the battle of Jiangling.

Upon learning about the "good things" that Mi Fang had done in Jingzhou, Mi Zhu was so angry that he whipped Mi Fang thirty times on the spot and almost drew his sword to chop Mi Fang to death.

But Mi Fang is Mi Zhu's younger brother after all.

It is said that the eldest brother is like a father. The biological father of the Mi brothers died early. Mi Fang is Mi Zhu's younger brother and is like Mi Zhu's son.

If Mi Zhu really wanted to watch Mi Fang die without helping her, he would not be able to do it.

During this period, Mi Zhu lost face and asked many old friends for help, just hoping that everyone could plead for Mi Fang and save his life.

However, Liu Bei is still in Jiangling City, and his old friends in Xichuan do not know Liu Bei’s specific attitude, so they dare not agree easily.

In the end, Zhuge Liang could not bear it anymore and secretly reminded Mi Zhu to take Mi Fang to Jiangling City to meet Liu Bei directly.

Mi Zhu finally reacted and hurriedly took Mi Fang to Jiangling City to apologize.

Liu Feng originally didn't want to get involved in this matter.

After all, Liu Feng himself was in a suspicious position. It was good enough that he had not been impeached because his contributions were too great and posed a threat to Liu Chan. It would have been too tactless for him to get involved in Mi Fang's affairs.

But today.

Liu Feng's mind changed.

Xincheng County needs a talent who is proficient in business and will never surrender to Cao Wei.

However, Liu Feng was not interested in Mi Fang.

Given Mi Fang's character, even if he was saved by Liu Feng's kindness, he would not be willing to come to Xincheng County to work for Liu Feng, and Liu Feng would not be able to trust Mi Fang completely.

If Mi Fang came to Xincheng County and showed off his seniority in front of Liu Feng or relied on his expertise in business to secretly set a trap for Liu Feng, then Liu Feng would become Mr. Dongguo.

not to mention.

Mi Fang is old and can't do this for many more years.

Liu Feng had his eyes on Mi Zhu's son Mi Wei.

He inherited Mi Zhu's elegance and family knowledge, and followed Liu Bei in his campaigns since he was young.

According to historical records, after Liu Bei's death, Mi Wei was promoted to the rank of General of the Huben Guards, commanding the Huben imperial guards and being in charge of the central guard.

He has a good family background, is both civil and military, and has extraordinary knowledge.

the most important is.

With Mi Wei in the new city, if any rumors related to Liu Feng spread in Chengdu in the future, Mi Wei would be the first person to be contacted for verification.

what?
You said that Liu Feng took advantage of Mi Wei's kindness and made him lie?
This is not only a doubt on Liu Feng, but also a doubt on the morality of Mi Zhu and his son and their loyalty to Liu Bei.

Suspecting two direct descendants of the Yuan clan in a row, the consequences are not something a slanderer can bear.

This is not the way to fight politically.

Think of this.

Liu Feng picked up his pen and wrote a letter.

(End of this chapter)