Three Kingdoms

  As long as there are conflicts of interests between political groups, various small parties under the large group cannot be extinct.

   Factions and factions fight with each other, but sometimes they cooperate with each other. This has occurred since the time when Huaxia Yanhuang merged tribes, and it has continued.

  In Xu County, there are more factions.

  Although the city of Xu County is not that big now, if you talk about factions, there are really a lot of them. It's like the six-person dormitory for girls in later generations, there can be twelve groups.

  There must be more than six officials in Xu County, so how many "groups" will there be?

neither knows.

  The fire flickered.

   I don't know how many ghosts and monsters are shining.

  There was a chaotic mess all around, and the sound of exclamation and roar was accompanied by the cold wind of autumn night, whizzing past.

  Originally, it was dry in autumn, and it hadn’t rained for several days. Now, it was deliberately set on fire, causing countless people in the city to scream in panic. Accompanied by the burning of wooden houses, sparks were flying in the night wind, as if the whole city had fallen into a frantic world.

  Xu County is divided into inner and outer cities because of the emperor's imperial city. The inner city is naturally where the imperial palace is located, and the outer city is where officials and a small number of people live. There are also many guards in the imperial city who also live outside the inner city, so basically most of the people living in Xuchang City are people who eat the imperial food, and the rest are merchants and shopkeepers who have contacts with various big surnames. There are not many ordinary people in the rest.

  The common people lived in the lower city, and the outer city was like a guard, protecting the inner city. In the outer city, Huang Wan, Jiang Gan and others encountered some troubles on the way to escape. They ran into Ren Jun who came with soldiers to put out the fire and quell the chaos.

  When Huang Wan was begging to die, he had already faced death calmly, but when he realized that he should actually live on, the previous calmness seemed to have disappeared. At this moment, hiding in the shadow of the alley, his face was blue and white, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, and his beard trembled wildly.

  It's like a person who committed suicide once would not want to commit suicide a second time in a short time.

  Human's desire to survive will control the human body and even affect the soul.

  In front of Huang Wan was Jiang Gan who volunteered to take Huang Wan to escape.

   Behind Huang Wan, there are more than a dozen followers scattered here and there. There are Huang Wan's old slaves, his confidantes, and some strong men brought by Jiang Gan. This group of people didn't have any decent weapons or equipment. Except for the short blades and war knives in the hands of those strong men, the rest of the people's hands were empty, and even Huang Wan's usual pen and ink was held in the hands of Huang Wan's servants...

   Such a team is unlikely to escape from the city, especially when they were halfway there, they happened to meet Ren Jun who came to fight the fire and suppress it.

  Ren Jun was still wearing the extremely loose robe, which seemed a little bulging because it was too loose or for some other reason. He sat on the horseback with sharp eyes, looking around, and on his left and right were soldiers of Cao Jun, each wearing armor and holding a knife and gun.

  As soon as the two sides meet, or as long as Huang Wan, Jiang Gan and others are discovered, the consequences can be imagined.

  The fig leaf of stability and peace in Xu County was torn to pieces by the flames and restlessness.

  The confusion, paleness, and weakness that have been covered up by all efforts and neglected intentionally or unintentionally by the Shandong gentry are fully revealed at this moment!

  Ren Jun was calm on the surface, but in fact he was secretly frightened.

  If a dynasty has a strong heart from top to bottom, self-confidence and self-improvement, then it will not be so flustered when encountering things. Because everyone knows that someone will stand up and who will take care of everything. Just like when the former Qin Dynasty was tyrannical, what kind of thieves would dare to make trouble on the road? The heads are credited! Needless to say, the soldiers will jump up when they see it, and even ordinary people will see green light in their eyes when they see the rioters and thieves!

  But in the blink of an eye, when Qin II came...

  Ren Jun doesn’t know if it’s the reappearance of Emperor Qin II, but judging from Xu County’s current performance, it’s definitely not self-confidence…

  There are naturally those who panic, and there are also those who have ulterior motives. Even Fang Ding, who was supposed to maintain order, has disappeared now.

   Think about it, too. Although those Fang Ding are considered to be half-public, they work endlessly on weekdays.

   What about a month? As for it?

  Even those sons of the gentry who have been favored by the big man for three or four hundred years, most of them no longer have the position of the emperor and the big man in their hearts.

  Is it possible?

   Therefore, Ren Jun's soldiers directly under the Cao family became the only force in Xu County at this moment.

  The flames swayed around, and the sound waves raised became louder and louder.

   Just when Huang Wan thought that there was no way to retreat and was about to be exposed, an accident happened suddenly.

  Someone assassinated Ren Jun in the street!

  False assassination, those killers will jump out on their own initiative and chat a lot with the protagonist. The main reason is that the debaters on both sides have another conversation on an issue that is already indisputable, and then insults, which must be mixed with laughter or anger from one side.

  In reality, the real assassination is often the time to fart.

  『Poof! 』

  Ren Jun on horseback fell in response!

  In the darkness of night, with lights and flames flickering, who would pay attention to the arrows shot in the darkness, and hear the sound of bowstrings hidden under the sound waves?

  『Protect Zhonglang! 』

  Ren Jun's guards yelled loudly, and then part of them separated, holding up a large shield to cover Ren Jun and retreating into the distance, while the other part ran towards the direction of the arrow, trying to catch the assassin...

  The chaotic footsteps missed the alley where Huang Wan, Jiang Gan and others were hiding.

  Huang Wan exhaled a long breath, looked at Jiang Gan, and couldn't help showing some admiration, "I never thought that Ziyi would have such a good hand...and also have such courage!" The big man is very lucky, the emperor is very lucky! 』

  Jiang Gan’s smile seemed a bit weird, his eyeballs couldn’t help but look in another direction, but he quickly retracted it, “Ah, this…Your Majesty, let’s take this opportunity and leave quickly…”

  A group of people, under the cover of chaos, headed towards the south gate of Xu County.

  On the other side of Xu County, Xun Yu sat on the side of the main hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and Cao Pi sat above him.

   In a chaotic situation, of course a core point needs to be in charge.

  Cao Pi and Xun Yu served as the center of stability.

   I don't know if it's because of poor sleep, nervousness, or some other reason, Cao Pi's complexion is not very good.

  The Prime Minister's Mansion is adjacent to the Imperial Palace, and there is still a certain distance from the area where the turmoil occurred. Moreover, the Imperial Palace has imperial guards, and the Prime Minister's Mansion also has Cao's elite personal guards, so no one who is blind will come over, but the voices of shouting and crying in the distance are still mixed with the night wind.

  『Xun Lingjun, may I ask that this... is this all planned? 』

  Cao Pi couldn't help asking, his attitude was much more humble. Before, the villain pretended to be an adult, and the prince pretended to be the lord. Now, although the sitting position is still the same, the posture is lowered a lot, like a student asking a teacher for advice.

  Although Cao Pi now more or less knows some of Xun Yu's arrangements, but when he really heard such chaotic voices, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. This is a completely different concept from standing next to your parents or watching Cao Cao turn the tide.

  It’s like watching a cook cook, oh oh, I understand...

   When it comes to actual operation, how do you do it?

  Cao Pi now seems to be cooking a dish by himself. Although Xun Yu did all the work of preparing the dishes, Cao Pi only needs to follow his father's model, pour everything into the pot, and wait for the heat to be enough. However, the crackling sparks and oil splashes in the process still make Cao Pi afraid.

  Won't the pan burn?

  It won’t explode if it’s so loud, right?

   Will it burn?

   Is it cooked? Do you want to lift the lid of the pot and have a look?

  All kinds of different options were circling in Cao Pi's mind, and Cao Pi couldn't help but want to send someone to check the situation several times. Fortunately, when the thought finally came out of his mouth, Cao Pi thought of what Mrs. Bian said, so he finally endured it, and turned to Xun Yu for advice.

  In fact, Xun Yu's overall plan is very simple.

   Well, that's easy to sum up.

  If you want to fight against the outside world, you must first secure the inside.

   You can’t hit halfway and suddenly the backyard catches fire, right?

   But if you want to settle down, it is naturally impossible to say that you can "settle" down by shouting from the left pocket to the right pocket.

  Cao Cao desperately sent school officials to Chang'an Sanfu and other areas to plant nails, so in turn, his own territory will be clean? No one is secretly digging traps, throwing caltrops or something?

  Cao Cao didn't believe it.

   Xun Yu also thought it was impossible.

  Even though Xun Yu had already cleaned up the land of Yuzhou and Yingchuan several times before, Xun Yu believed that there were fish that slipped through the net that were ambushed by hussars. These fish that slipped through the net may have good cover on weekdays, and it is often not easy to find them under normal inspection and capture conditions.

   That's right, the easy ones are dead.

  The remaining ones, it is impossible to expose them without some means...

  Especially within Xu County, the deeper it is hidden, the greater the threat.

  『Hussars have a 80% chance, they are not in Guanzhong. 』Xun Yu didn't answer Cao Pi's words directly, but changed another topic.

  Of course, it is possible that Xun Yu felt that Cao Pi asked too stupidly, and he was going to ignore that question.

  Cao Pi was taken aback for a moment, and immediately broke away from the tension in front of him, thinking, "What about the other 20%?" 』

   Xun Yu smiled, a slightly bitter smile, "Is there anyone in this world who is perfect?" 』

  Cao Pi nodded, and then he realized a problem, a problem that made him a little unbelievable and a little embarrassing. Does Xun Yu's words mean that his father no longer dares to confront Fei Qian head-on, and can only steal food, uh, house when Huqi is not at home?

   Xun Yu seemed to have understood Cao Pi's thoughts, and took out a roll of bamboo paper from his sleeve. When he was about to hand it to Cao Pi, his eyes flickered, and he showed a self-deprecating smile, "Your Majesty, do you know that everyone in the north and south of the river is imitating this paper?" Of course, the color is dull, or it is rough...but this Chang'an bamboo paper is becoming more and more fine and smooth, and the color is warm...』

What does it mean?

  Cao Pi subconsciously took the bamboo paper delivered by Xun Yu, and instead of opening it immediately, he looked at the texture of the paper. "Isn't this similar to government paper? ah? Could it be that…"

  Xun Yu nodded and said: "Although the name used in the mansion is self-produced, it is actually... all purchased in Chang'an..."

  『This…』 Cao Pi didn't know what to say for a while.

  Xun Yu lowered his eyes, "Not only paper, but also various utensils... even armored equipment, all of which are more and more dependent on Chang'an..."

   When cleaning up the interior, Xun Yu naturally discovered some corruption problems in procurement. At first, he thought it was just general corruption, but when he studied it carefully, Xun Yu discovered that many things in Shandong are inseparable from Chang'an.

   Originally, Xun Yu thought that as long as he controlled the raw materials, such as iron-copper ore, he could strangle Fei Qian's neck.

  Such as being stuck at certain times, increasing the price of ore, or stopping the transaction of ore at a critical moment, etc., similar to those methods in the Spring and Autumn Period.

  After all, Cao Cao's finances are really tight. In order to raise soldiers, he knew that he was drinking poison to quench his thirst, so he had to do it first. But the problem is that with the passage of time, the hunger and thirst have not been completely relieved, and the economy has not been effectively improved, but the poison of poisonous alcohol is faintly breaking out...

   Xun Yu discovered that Hushi's methods were far beyond his understanding, and the response he thought was actually useless at all!

   Moreover, Xun Yu opened the door to purchase Chang'an weapons and equipment, so the tradition of the Han Dynasty was brought into play. A small gap was opened at the top, and a big hole could be opened at the bottom. Anyway, the world belongs to Lao Liu's family, the soldiers belong to Lao Cao's family, but the cute little money belongs to his family.

  What is family, country and world?

   is to have a home first!

  Even though Xun Yu is a top-notch talent at the moment, he lost completely in the battle of the scissors and the poor harvest in the face of Fei Qian's new economic invasion. He knows that something is wrong, but what is wrong, or how to solve this problem, he has thought of various ways, but either they cannot be effective in the short term, or other people are unwilling to cooperate.

   After all, not everyone has the ambition, nor does everyone have the conditions, so that the whole country, from the central to the local, can unite as one, tighten their belts and rub their hands together to rub big mushrooms. Even if Xun Yu is willing to go hungry and reduce expenses, what's the use? Would the Emperor Liu Huihui be willing to gnaw on the stinky beef bone again? Are all the officials willing to curl up under the broken eaves and walls again, and make a living by collecting firewood by themselves? Are the descendants of Cao's Xiahou family willing to donate all their wealth to support Cao Cao's great cause? Are the local powerful noble families willing to give up all their land to maintain the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty?

No.

   Xun Yu can't do anything. In a sense, she is a clever daughter-in-law, but it is difficult for her to cook without rice.

  In fact, among the big surnames of the Shandong gentry, there are a lot of money. He even knows that some families have melted the collected copper coins and cast them into copper balls, copper tripods, bronze statues, etc., so much money that they have nowhere to spend.

I have no money! Freeze said! impossible!

  Even if it is the Xun family, even with Xun Yu's current status, as the patriarch in the family, it is impossible for the Xun family to contribute money to the great Han, or to subsidize Cao Cao's military resources. At most, it's just out of sympathy, giving more or less, like sending a beggar. Even if Xun Yu repeatedly emphasized that the crisis in Shandong, the big man hangs upside down, and the threat is in front of him, nothing has changed.

   It's all about my own ability to be greedy... er, to fish... well, why should I contribute the money I earned for nothing?

   Xun Yu exhaled lightly, his thin face became more defined under the candlelight, and his cheeks were sunken. He knew that now was not the best time to attack Fei Qian, but now he could hardly hold on anymore. And he had a premonition that if the evolution continued like this, Shandong would be locked in a closed room, and in the end he could only slowly suffocate to death.

  Cao Pi looked at the various values ​​written by Xun Yu on the bamboo paper, "Ling Jun, this is..."

  『In Chang’an, there are performance evaluations for counties and counties in Sichuan, Shu, Hedong and other places...』 Xun Yu said another word that he wanted to do, but also couldn’t do it, "performance".

"ah? 』Cao Pi obviously didn't understand this term at all.

  『Simply put, it is to serve as a prefect and local official in various places, and the required goals are to be fulfilled, including the amount of taxes paid each year... 』Xun Yu roughly explained, 『A certain amount was collected from some places and used as the total tax paid by the hussars. On the other side, it is the amount of taxes paid by the great man...』

"oh? 』Cao Pi took a closer look.

  The tax revenue of the two parties may not necessarily be used as an absolute factor in the comparison of the power of the two parties, but it can be used as a very important reference value.

  『Ah, there are still more of us...』 Cao Pi exhaled, with a somewhat relaxed expression on his face.

   Xun Yu smiled wryly, "Indeed. However...50% of the taxes collected will be used to support the emperor and the salaries of the officials...』

"ah? ! 』Cao Pi stared round.

  『The other 20% was originally reserved for the local area to build water conservancy and repair roads... 』Xun Yu said in a low voice, 『Now it can only be paid in half...There are many channels in the place, which are in disrepair and damaged...In addition, there are expenses for developing wasteland and settlements...』

   Besides, Xun Yu hasn’t mentioned some cost loss issues. For example, ten coins were allocated by the above, but only one coin was left in the end...

  『No…』Cao Pi subconsciously denied it, and then said with a look of disbelief, 『Then… isn’t there any expenditure in Chang’an? Cao Pi suddenly felt a headache. The pages on the bamboo paper represented the value of Chang'an, like soldiers with fangs and claws, holding black knives, chasing Cao Cao's side.

  Xun Yu smiled wryly, "Of course there are expenditures, but the cost is relatively small...and the key is not only there..."

  Cao Pi was about to ask in detail, when he saw a Cao soldier rushing to the hall to report, with sweat on his face, "Report to your son, your lord!" Ren Zhonglang was assassinated in the city! 』

  『Aha! ’ Cao Pi slapped his hands, ‘Good! Just act according to plan! 』

  The heat is up, it’s time to cook!

   After Cao Pi finished speaking, he found that the soldier's face was a little weird, and he didn't look excited. He couldn't help but feel a little bit in his heart, and asked, "What else is there?" 』

  Cao Bingjingrui lowered his head and seemed to swallow his saliva, "...Report to the prince, Ren Zhonglang...he was "really" assassinated..."

  『Ah…』Cao Pi stood up involuntarily, with his mouth wide open, 『Huh? ! 』