Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3155: When Surrender Meets Investment

Zhao Yan stood in front of Wei Yan in a state of embarrassment, but he did not humble himself because of this, but was neither humble nor arrogant.

　　　　Do you want to surrender? 』

 Wei Yan seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

"Whether or not to surrender does not depend on me, but on the general." ” Zhao Yan cupped his hands and said.

At the end of the battle, Cao's army was almost wiped out. Most of the remaining soldiers were wounded and groaning sadly.

Zhao Yan was wearing a battle robe and armor. His coat had fallen off, his hair was disheveled, his face was stained with dirt and blood, and his weapons had naturally been confiscated.

The remaining remnants of Cao's army survived. There were not many uninjured soldiers of Cao's army, and they were tied aside.

 Wei Yan did not let his soldiers tie up Zhao Yan because Wei Yan had this confidence.

 Even if there are ten more people like Zhao Yan, they will not be Wei Yan's opponent.

What's more, Wei Yan now holds the sword in his hand. Even if it is not unsheathed, Wei Yan is sure to chop Zhao Yan to the ground if he makes some dangerous moves.

So when Wei Yan asked Zhao Yan, it was actually a bit like a cat looking at a mouse, with a mood of playing with its prey. No matter what the mouse did or how it ran, it could not escape the palm of the cat's hand.

But when Wei Yan and Zhao Yan faced each other, Wei Yan saw a look in Zhao Yan's eyes that made Wei Yan feel a little surprised...

 Not fear, nor madness.

 Seems a little contemptuous?

Um?

Still worried?

Zhao Yan looked at Wei Yan as if he were an illiterate. Because Zhao Yan was worried that the illiterate people would not understand what he said.

In case Wei Yan came up, he was going to kill, and he really met the soldiers and couldn't tell anything.

Wei Yan often saw this kind of gaze from scholars looking at warriors for a period of time.

 It was in Jingzhou at that time.

 Warriors are despised, while literati are noble.

 In other words, those who work hard are humble, and those who talk and think are noble.

I look down on Mud Legs, isn't it because Mud Legs have to deal with mud all day long, and his whole body smells either of sweat, mud, or excrement. He wears plain gauze and silk clothes with the nobles, and spends summers in the pavilion. The maid is waving her fan, sitting in winter furs, enjoying the warm fragrance and feeding her food. How can it be that there is a difference between heaven and earth?

The same is true for military commanders and soldiers. On the march, mud, water, and sweat mix and ferment together. Lice and fleas revel in their bodies. The fresh and **** smells when they are killed. They scream miserably when their intestines are disembowelled. Which one can be associated with the word comfort, and how can it be associated with it? One is elegant?

Even if the feudal literati of later generations sing about Red Cliff, they still shout "Feather Fan Lunjin". Who cares whether the big-headed soldiers participating in the battle are dirty or smelly?

If everyone goes to be elegant, who will do the dirty work?

In this question, the children of the scholars do not think about it. Anyway, they feel that there are many people. This is not the case, and there are always people who do it.

At that time, Wei Yan was also jealous of these literati and the children of the gentry.

When he was in Jingxiang, Wei Yan beat Yang Yi. Although it was a moment of anger, it may not have been the accumulation of various injustices he suffered as a military commander over a long period of time. Those literati clan were not as good as him in terms of military prowess, martial arts, and military skills, but they were treated differently just because they were from a noble clan, were from a wealthy family, or were related to someone.

 Why?

After these thoughts passed, Wei Yan's feeling of dissatisfaction became stronger and stronger.

 Wei Yan is now a general in charge of an army and has arbitrary military power, but he is still a little dissatisfied in his heart. He was not dissatisfied with the hussar, but was dissatisfied with the emphasis on civilized people over military personnel. He believed that this emphasis on civilized people over military personnel was unfair to generals like Wei Yan. He wanted greater achievements to prove that he was of greater value than those men of letters.

　　　　Do you want to surrender? Wei Yan stared at Zhao Yan, "What can you do to survive?" Could it be that he claims to be incapable of death, but that’s not true? 』

After hearing Wei Yan's sarcasm, Zhao Yan not only didn't get angry, but he breathed a sigh of relief.

 Since you know allusions and sarcasm, you can at least understand the words. Zhao Yan saluted Wei Yan and said, "The defeated general dare not speak of his ancestors... I just want to ask the general, does the general want to be famous all over the world in the name of massacre?" 』

“…” Wei Yan fell silent, then looked at Zhao Yan with squinted eyes, “Are you mocking Yu? 』

Zhao Yan shook his head and said, "It's not to be sarcastic, but to clarify one's ambitions." Maybe... it can be famous in the world, your and my ambition, or it can be called a bad name, or it can be called a good name... From this we can see the ambition of the Hussar. 』

 ‘You can also comment on the ambition of the hussar? ” Wei Yan laughed heartily.

　　　"Hussar wants to conquer the world, why can't he conquer the world?" "Zhao Yan said, "What's more, if he doesn't even have such a big heart, he will kill Yanjie. 』

Wei Yan was stunned for a moment, and then quickly snorted, "There's no need to provoke the general, just talk about it if you have something to say." 』

Zhao Yan looked at the sky and said, "At such a good time, the general is still chasing after him, which shows that the general's desire for meritorious service is greater than the threat of the good time... It also shows that the general's reputation is not obvious now, otherwise..."

Zhao Yan paused intentionally, and then without waiting for Wei Yan to ask or do anything else, he went on to say, "Otherwise, there would be no need to take the risk to pursue this point... If the general didn't have great ambitions, why bother working so hard?" ? 』

Wei Yan did not answer, and there was no special change in his face. Only the light in his eyes seemed to flicker.

 He ​​is originally a very independent person, and he will not change his mind easily, so no matter what Zhao Yan says, he will not be moved by his words, but the only one who can move him is himself.

 It is his own original intention.

All these years of hard work and endless battles, is it just for fun?

 Isn’t it because I once heard a sentence?

 Wei Yan’s hand gently rubbed the handle of the knife.

There are several words on the handle of the knife, which are already very blurry, but in Wei Yan's mind, they are still very clear.

 This is a very weird scene.

The two sides were killing each other a second ago, and the dead bodies were lying scattered in the mountain road. The smell of blood mixed with the stench of human abdominal cavities lingered around, but now Wei Yan and Zhao Yan seemed to be close friends. Generally talking about "ambition".

"The Han Dynasty shouldn't be like this... Since the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors, no one has conquered the world by slaughtering..." Zhao Yan said in a deep voice, "It is true that Shandong is pedantic, but how many of the Hussars are familiar with Shandong?" I have been to Sili, Jizhou, Yuzhou, and Yanzhou. I know the terrain of each place and understand the customs of Shandong... I also know a lot of secrets in Prime Minister Cao's army... Does the general think I have this value? 』

Wei Yan stared at Zhao Yan, "What exactly do you want to do?" 』

Zhao Yan laughed and said, "It's just a gamble." 』

　　　『A gamble? ’ Wei Yan asked.

Zhao Yan nodded, "I promised General Wen Qian that we could delay this for three days... but it only took one and a half days..."

Zhao Yan sighed and shook his head, "I have a high opinion of myself, and I have underestimated you, General... But since I have made a promise to others, I can't give up so easily... So I want to take a gamble... Like the General, I am still one of Dong's thieves." Generations who only know the merits of decapitation but do not know the harm of massacre are like committing suicide. The general can kill me first, and then go after General Wen Qian... If the general still has great ambitions, and hopes that the great Han Dynasty will be restored to peace, instead of the world being in chaos, stop the killing here and let General Wen Qian live. I will surrender the hussar... hussar If you want to know what's going on in Shandong, I'll tell you all...after all, are you still a minister of the Han Dynasty? You should know that if you kill your master and leave his ministers dead, heaven and earth will not bless you, and humans and gods will suffer the same disease..."

Wei Yan laughed loudly and said, "I will kill you all right here. Who knows?" 』

 Zhao Yan pointed to the sky, to the earth, and then to Wei Yan, "Heaven and earth can be known, and the general knows himself." 』

 ‘…’ Wei Yan glanced at Zhao Yan and suddenly laughed, ‘That’s it! You just want to delay me for a while so that you can fulfill your promise... interesting, somewhat interesting..."

 Zhao Yan was playing tricks, but he confessed the reason.

Zhao Yan had dealt with military lieutenant generals before, so he knew what to say and what not to say when dealing with these people. The most important thing was that Zhao Yan spoke frankly about his purpose instead of hiding it. Let Wei Yan guess.

Of course, Zhao Yan didn’t say tell the whole story and tell everything. For example, he didn’t tell everything completely, but just said what he wanted to know...

Wei Yan smiled and said, "Well...since it's a bet, let's make a bet...if I wait here for three days, you will advise my lord for three years...How about that?" 』

Zhao Yan was silent for a while, nodded and said, "A gentleman's words." 』

Wei Yanchang reached out and patted Zhao Yan, "It's hard to chase a horse!" 』

 After saying that, Wei Yan turned around and walked away, "Leave those few alive...Move quickly, we can't stay in this place..."

Zhao Yan became anxious when he heard this, "You...you..."

Wei Yan turned around and smiled, "Don't worry, I didn't say I wanted to set off, I just wanted to change places... The smell of blood here is so strong, we will definitely attract jackals, tigers and leopards at night..."

Seeing Wei Yan and others walking away, the only remaining three or four soldiers of Cao's army were beside Zhao Yan. "Zhao joined the army...even if it takes three days, most of these people will still chase..."

Zhao Yan sighed, "I know...just do your best and obey fate." 』

　　『Then you really want to join the army...over there?　　　　 Zhao Yan looked over sideways and said, "You don't think I'm just trying to survive for myself, do you?" I just want to have the opportunity to save a few more people from Shandong... to prevent the Yangcheng massacre from happening again... not to mention... it would be good to delay the hussars a little bit..."

Wei Yan walked aside.

Wei Yan's old horse came to Wei Yan's side and said, "General, we...really don't want to pursue you anymore?" 』

Wei Yan laughed as he walked, "Who said that?" It’s just... you can see for yourself, our people are also very tired... why don’t we find a chance to take a rest... and the enemy sees that we are not chasing... people, I feel relieved now, and I want to pick it up again... Haha..."

Wei Yan looked sideways at Zhao Yan, and then sneered. Do you want to lower the morale of my men by surrendering troops?

 Think beautifully.

 For a day and a half, my men can have a good rest, but those injured Cao Jun...

 You can only ask for blessings.

Even if he can survive this day and a half, Zhao Yan will be asked to lead Cao's army back to the east of the river by then. If Cao's army cannot hold on and die, Wei Yan will not be blamed...

You want to calculate my Wei Yanwen length, hum.

 …

 …

In Pingyang City, Fei Qian was sitting in the main hall, and this time what was placed in the middle of the hall was not a map or a sand table, but gold, silver and copper coins.

  New style of Qiusi money.

 War.

 In primitive society, it might just be a confrontation between sticks of bone and sticks of wood.

 In the feudal era, bronze and iron wars entered into a battle with each other.

So for a time traveler, war is just about two sides lining up and riding horses to kill?

Isn’t it too embarrassing for the travelers?

 Here in Feiqian, currency wars are also wars.

　　　　Coins reflect the rise and fall of a country's economy. Since ancient times, when the country is prosperous, the money will be prosperous, the money will be good, and the meat will be rich, and the people will want to receive it. When the country is declining, the money will be weak, the money will be bad, and the skin will be bad, and the people will abandon it. 』

　　　　Currency is the medium of exchange. The system of currency is the law that regulates circulation. The two complement each other and serve the world together. 』

Fei Qian was sitting in the hall. Under his steps were shiny newly minted coins, even a bit like the God of Wealth.

Of course, it’s more about spreading money…

　　　However, the price of money is not fixed. When the market needs it, the price is high; when there is war and turmoil, the price is low. Therefore, the ancients were confused and thought that the currency system was based on quantity, which is actually wrong. 』

　　　　The currency of a country should be like a sword or a spear. If you don't know its disadvantages, you will also suffer from them. Therefore, politicians should assess the current situation and determine the currency system to protect the prosperity of the country. 』

Fei Qian said slowly.

 For many people in Pingyang, especially Xun Chen and Sima Yi, Fei Qian will be entrusted with important tasks.

Sima Yi was from Hanoi and was martyred by his younger brother. In any case, he has proved himself. Among the officials who will serve in Shandong in the future, he will definitely have a place.

As a counselor who defected to Feiqian earlier, Xun Chen made mistakes, but after all, he had been diligently responsible for all logistical matters in Pingyang for so many years without a single complaint. It was time to give him another chance.

Hence, Xun Chen and Sima Yi were naturally shortlisted as candidates who could promote changes in the economic system and change China's monetary history in Shandong.

  China's currency is actually an invisible weapon that has lasted for thousands of years, but it has not been able to make good use of it.

Throughout the long history of Chinese currency, China has been the currency maker in Asia from ancient times to modern times until it was defeated by the Eight-Power Allied Forces. Not to mention the Han Dynasty, the surrounding countries and friendly countries, one by one, are all It's the younger brother who doesn't even have serious money.

As a result, the Han Dynasty's five-baht coin was freely used by various surrounding countries, and it did not play the role of a currency machete at all.

In the Tang Dynasty, the scope of application of Chinese copper coins was even more expanded. Basically, Tang coins were circulating in the East Japanese market, and money made privately by daimyo was despised. As for the dead duck who only has a stick with a tough mouth, no matter how much you deny it, you can't erase the fact that they don't have a decent monetary system at all.

 Economic development after the Song Dynasty caused a sharp increase in the demand for currency in the Song Dynasty, and had a more profound impact on neighboring countries. The usage rate of silver currency in the Ming Dynasty was the highest in the world. A large amount of silver from the Americas flowed into China, and then turned into silk and porcelain and flowed to the West...

  It is unimaginable for China to expand to every corner of the world without the support of the monetary system. In a vast territory, accents are definitely different and habits are also very different, but as long as the same currency is used, communication is possible.

　　　There are three coins. Gold, platinum, red gold are also. Fei Qian pointed to the currency in front of him and said, "However, people are often confused about this name and don't know what it means, so we should give it a new name... Gold is called gold, platinum is called silver, and red gold is called copper. This is a law to distinguish them." 』

 In Shuowen Jiezi, there is an explanation of "silver, platinum".

As for the platinum of later generations, according to the current technological level of the Han Dynasty, it is basically impossible to refine it.

 Silver was initially excluded from currency by China…

“The road to agricultural, industrial, and commercial trade was open, so coins such as turtles, shells, money, knives, and cloth flourished. This is what the people need, just like water flowing from a high mountain, it cannot be filled with congestion. Fei Qian said slowly, "The currency of Qin, which unites the world and the six kingdoms, is considered second-class." Gold is named after Yi and is the top coin. Copper coins are as good as Zhou Dynasty coins, with the text saying half a tael, and they are as heavy as the text. Pearls, jade, turtles, shells, silver and tin are used as decorations on utensils, not as coins. 』

It is a very long process for silver to go from being a currency to becoming a legal tender with huge circulation. It can be said that it was not until the Ming Dynasty that silver was officially monetized in China and even became the silver standard.

 The reason for this is actually related to the unification of China.

 The unification of China promoted the unification of currency, but to some extent hindered the development of the monetary system.

In the West, due to the large number of feudal countries, the king of a country could decide what kind of currency it would be and how much it would be worth, but he could not make his own currency equally recognized in other countries. Therefore, a currency that could truly be accepted by multiple countries was Only precious metals. In comparison, the unified China has been much slower in its monetary system. After all, the unified national system can easily decide whether to pay ten, to pay a hundred, or even to pay a large sum of five thousand.

If Fei Qian does not make any intervention, then the currency of China's subsequent feudal dynasties will most likely cycle between inflation and deflation. Every time a currency problem arises, the court will only want to cut the people's leeks. No matter how hard it is, the big gentry will take advantage of it, either minting private money or hoarding it, causing the country's economy to collapse rapidly, and then fall into a quagmire and enter a vicious cycle until the end of the dynasty.

Feiqian also wanted to promote paper money in the early days, but this thing was really too advanced, so now it can only degenerate into a heavy metal currency system, and it has also been recognized by most areas of the Han Dynasty. In fact, it is like a Western feudal state. During the Kingdom of China, due to constant disputes in various places, transactions between countries could only be carried out in precious metals agreed by the public.

There are good things in Guanzhong, and various places want them. They took five bahts and came to Guanzhong but refused to recognize them. Therefore, the feudal lords, gentry and squires among the Han Dynasty could only hold their noses and approve the money for the expedition to the west and the Qiusi money, and then they They are used to the current monetary system.

Of course, the most important point in this link is that Feiqian was even paying money to promote the use of currency. It’s not that the princes from all over the world have never thought of private casting, but the cost is there, making it impossible to make money from private casting, which relatively reduces the possibility of imitation.

Now, with the big man recognizing precious metals, Fei Qian has waited until it is time to completely push the giant wheel of currency. With the further improvement of coinage technology, the time has come to further determine the Chinese currency system...

Fei Qian took a step forward, grabbed a handful of gold, silver and copper coins, and then threw them back with a clank.

　　　『The foundation of enriching the people lies in food. 』

　　　　Food is the product of agriculture. 』

　　　Goods are things for work. 』

　　　　The person who makes food and goods the same is a businessman. 』

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ifies valuably for merchants . 』

“When Yu the Great controlled the floods, it was better to block them than to dredge them. Money is like flowing water. Who can block it?” 』

Fei Qian stood in the hall, with shiny coins at his feet, "Now the country of the Western Regions has probably reached Xu County, right?" 』

Fei Qian smiled and said, "If the Cao family is defeated...youruo and Zhongda, you might as well use the precedent of Shanshan to briefly discuss the ransom in Shandong?" 』

Hearing this, Xun Chen and Sima Yi both looked extremely cautious in the hall...

The words of the General Hussars may sound ordinary, but when I think about it carefully, my heart skips a beat. This...

What exactly does ˆˆ mean?

 (End of this chapter)