Xiaoqi

At this time, he noticed that Cai Mao's face was ugly, and a pair of cold eyes were staring at him like poisonous snakes, as if they were always ready to pounce on him and bite him to death.After seeing this, Pang Tong smiled disapprovingly. He knew why Cai Mao hated him so much and was eager to get rid of him.This is because once Liu Biao decides to use troops against the Western Jin Dynasty, Cai Mao will have to hand over the hundreds of thousands of troops in his hands. Even if he does not hand over all the military power, at least half of the troops will need to be handed over.Jingzhou's military power has always been Cai Mao's taboo, his greatest reliance, like his lifeline, and he does not allow others to interfere at all. Anyone who dares to fight for military power is his life and death enemy, and he must get rid of it quickly.

It stands to reason that Cai Maogui was a general of the Southern Han Dynasty, and it was his duty to lead the army. However, he was born in the navy and was good at water warfare but not land warfare.It is no problem to lead the army on weekdays, but once there is a war, the problem will come.If it is a water battle, it is okay to say that he can lead the troops to fight by himself without using artificial hands, but the land battle is different.He has led the army several times, and each time he returned in a big defeat. He is a complete layman and is not good at land warfare at all.Over time, every time he encountered a land battle, he had to hand over his military power to other generals, and he, as the commander of the rear army, provided food and grass for the army, just like a "grain and grass transportation captain". It sounds good, but it doesn't look good.

At the same time, once a war breaks out, the generals in the army will inevitably be transferred, which will disrupt the original army system and make Cai Mao lose control of the army.What worries him the most is that many of his trusted generals are usually very imposing, but if they are really allowed to fight on the battlefield, they will immediately become soft-footed shrimps, all of them are timid and afraid of fighting, so they surrender their military power helplessly. The soldiers and horses were handed over to other generals for command.In this way, the trusted generals under Cai Mao's tent will be excluded, and the army that has been painstakingly managed for many years will be handed over to others. After a long time, the army will completely become someone else's.

After all, military power is not a child's game. You can play whatever you want. Military power is hard to come by, and once lost, it is difficult to get it back.It is no exaggeration to say that military power has a special magical power, just like the courage of a man, its power is boundless, as long as you have it, you can do anything without fear.Therefore, no matter who has the military power, no one will give up easily, and once giving up means completely insulated from it.Perhaps it would be more accurate to describe it as overwhelmed.

While Cai Hao was staring at Pang Tong viciously, Liu Biao held the imperial list and looked at it for a while, and then said in a deep voice, "What does Zirou think about this? There are no outsiders here, so you can just speak up without hesitation."

Kuai Liang said: "I have never heard of the imperial examination system before, and I don't know its advantages and disadvantages, so I dare not speculate. However, from the imperial edict, the so-called imperial examination is the admission of scholars, mainly through the literary test. He mainly uses martial arts, supplemented by a hundred schools of thought. In this way, disciples of all three religions and nine streams can become officials, which will inevitably create a situation of mixed good and bad. This is the way to create chaos, and it is definitely not a wise move.

What's more, the Western Jin Dynasty occupies half of the country, and more than half of the states and counties of the Han Dynasty are occupied by him. The gentry and aristocratic families in its territory are no less than mine in Jingzhou. Li Wenchang's behavior is bound to damage the vital interests of these people. How can they let it go? Do not resist?Therefore, the humble minister thinks that this way is not advisable.

Now Li Wenchang uses such inferior methods to recruit scholars, thinking that he has a plan, but in fact he is rushing to the doctor in a hurry, sensationalizing the public, at best, to buy people's hearts, nothing to be afraid of! Obviously, Kuai Liang was very disdainful of the method of selecting scholars through the imperial examination. He sneered at it and ignored it at all. However, he saw the potential threat of the imperial examination. This is what he called grandstanding and buying people's hearts.

In troubled times, population is the foundation. Whether it is to buy people's hearts or people's aspirations, as long as you have enough population or win the support of the people, you will become hegemony sooner or later.At this point, Kuai Liang was soberly aware of the great threat of the imperial examination, and the reason why he rejected the imperial examination was because he came from a family and had a sense of superiority in his bones.

However, the implementation of the imperial examination system in the Western Jin Dynasty, which did not ask about one's background and only relied on one's ability, undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the exclusive access to official positions enjoyed by all aristocratic families and noble families, completely overturned the glory of noble families, and directly damaged the fundamental interests of noble families and noble families.Naturally, they have to resolutely resist this, and they will not compromise no matter what; in a sense, this is a life-and-death struggle, which is no less tragic than fighting on the battlefield. until.

After Liu Biao heard the words, he stroked his beard noncommittally and began to ponder, then raised his eyes to Kuai Yue, and asked, "How about the different intentions?"

Kuai Yue seemed to have known about Liu Biao's question, so he said without hesitation: "My brother's words are not unreasonable. However, my humble minister's opinion is slightly different from my brother's. Everyone knows that Li Wenchang has been suppressing aristocratic families and gentry since he started his army. However, in all the states and counties captured by him, the aristocratic families and gentry families in the territory were severely damaged, and many centuries-old noble families were uprooted. Among them, there are not a few families that have suffered extermination. So far, there has been no exception.

It was precisely because Li Li's methods were too brutal that he encountered fierce resistance in the three times he led the army to enter the Central Plains, almost resisting every step of the way, which made it difficult for him to move forward and suffered heavy losses.However, Li Wenchang was tenacious in nature, decisive in killing, and good at creating opportunities. He repeatedly marched into the Central Plains, and used the hands of the princes to weaken the resistance of major families and gentry, so that he successfully captured Sili, Yuzhou, Xuzhou and other Central Plains counties. Then based on the Central Plains, plot the world.

Therefore, just now, my brother Cai said that the aristocratic families and gentry in the Western Jin Dynasty would definitely resist Li Li's implementation of the imperial examination, and the minister was deeply suspicious of this.It should be noted that most of the civil servants and generals under Li Li's command came from humble backgrounds, and more than [-]% of the generals were from civilian backgrounds.Therefore, they are well aware that it is difficult for civilians to become officials, so they must support the imperial examination to select scholars, and the imperial examination to obtain scholars is not only harmless but beneficial to military commanders, because military commanders originally gain fame by making meritorious deeds on the battlefield, and after the implementation of military examinations, there are more of them A way to become an official.Such a good thing, why not do it? "

Speaking of this, Kuai Yue noticed that Liu Biao's expression was displeased, but the words were all for this sake, even if it didn't please him, he had to bite the bullet and finish.

After a pause, he continued: "As for the aristocratic families and gentry in the Western Jin Dynasty, they have long been surrendered and killed by Li Li. As long as Li Li doesn't push them to a dead end, they won't dare to rebel?"

Chapter 230 Tooth Extraction 2/2

After a pause, Kuai Yue went on to say: "As for the aristocratic families and noble families in the Western Jin Dynasty, they have long been surrendered and killed by Li Li. As long as Li Li doesn't force them to a dead end, they will not dare to rebel. It is the Western Jin Dynasty The implementation of the imperial examination should be very smooth, and it can win the support of the majority of people. There will be no rebellion in the territory, let alone chaos.

This is my humble opinion, Your Majesty will take it for granted, the decision is entirely up to Your Majesty. Kuai Yue knew very well that Liu Biao had a prejudice against him, but he just had such a temper, he would say whatever he thought, and his words were not pleasing to the ear, and he might not change it in this life.

Because of his upright nature and disliked speech, Liu Biao chose to confer Kuailiang as Xiangguo instead of Kuaiyue after he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor.

Not only that, but Liu Biao also held prejudices against Kuai Yue, thinking that although he had strategy and was superior to his brother Kuai Liang in talent, he was not tough enough, liked to cling to the strong, and had no blood.

In addition, Kuai Yue and Cai Mao have close contacts and friendship, which makes Liu Biao have to treat them with caution.

If Kuai Yue is appointed as Prime Minister and Cai Mao is appointed General, then once they join forces, where will Liu Biao be placed?

Liu Biao was born in an emperor's family, so how could he not know that the way to control his subordinates is the first thing to be balanced?

So the position of chief assistant fell on Kuai Liang's head, and Kuai Yue only got the official position of advising doctor, which was actually just a more formal staff member.

Even though Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue are brothers, their tempers and dispositions are completely different.Kuai Liang has extraordinary knowledge, and is loyal and pure, so he will definitely do what he decides; and Kuai Yue is also extraordinary.However, there is suspicion of becoming stronger, and his position is not firm.This is what Liu Biao thinks of their brothers.This determines how he uses the Kuai brothers.As for whether it is correct to do so, Liu Biao actually has no idea.I don't know if I will miss it.

After Kuai Yue finished speaking, he sat down, Liu Biao leaned on the soft chair, squinted his eyes and fell asleep, his right hand rested on the edge of the table, and his ring finger lightly tapped on the table, silent in thought.

"Your Majesty, I think that what the doctor said is reasonable and has unique insights." Just as Liu Biao closed his eyes and thought about it, Pang Tong spoke.He first affirmed that Kuai Yue's analysis made sense.Then he went on to say: "In fact, before the emergence of the imperial examination to select scholars, we all believed that the method of recommending officials based on filial piety and honesty was the only way to become an official. I have been using this method for more than [-] years in the Han Dynasty. However, once the method of selecting officials through the imperial examination came out, it is not difficult for us to see its irreplaceable superiority and tenacious vitality. It is inevitable that the system of selecting officials through the imperial examination will replace the system of recommendation It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the general trend.”

When Pang Tong said this, Liu Biao suddenly opened his eyes.The sharp eyes stared straight at Pang Tong, the sharp and cold eyes were as sharp as a sharp sword, as if they wanted to pass through Pang Tong's eyes to reach his heart, to see what was going on in his mind.When is this, why are you still helping Li Li of the Western Jin Dynasty to speak.

Obviously, what Liu Biao most wanted to hear at the moment was not how powerful or wise Li Li was in the Western Jin Dynasty, but to hear that there were flaws and flaws in the Western Jin Dynasty.How can I seize these flaws and deal a severe blow to Li Li of the Western Jin Dynasty, and hit Li Li's arrogance hard.

This is Liu Biao's most direct and urgent idea.So he called them one by one.Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue were asked to express their opinions one after another, but unfortunately none of what the Kuai brothers said touched Liu Biao's heart.Let him very dissatisfied.Originally, he thought that Pang Tong would be able to guess his own thoughts after listening to the words of the Kuai brothers, so that he could say a few pleasant words along his own train of thought, which would at least make him feel better. Brothers are exactly the same.For a moment, Liu Biao was disappointed, his expression was gloomy, his eyes paused for a while on Pang Tong's extremely ordinary face, then he turned his head back and listened to Pang Tong's explanation, while squinting his eyes and meditating.

Pang Tong clearly saw the disappointment on Liu Biao's face, but he continued unmoved: "At present, the Western Jin Dynasty is fully implementing the imperial examination. It is foreseeable that this move will definitely attract many Confucian scholars and scholars from poor backgrounds. The reckless warriors rushed to Chang'an to take the exam, and then selected a large number of civil and military talents. In this way, in terms of attracting talents and recruiting generals, the Western Jin Dynasty is undoubtedly ahead of us again and seizes the opportunity. The Southern Han Dynasty and the Northern Wei Dynasty A large number of civil and military talents in the territory will frantically pour into the Western Jin Dynasty, and the Western Jin Dynasty will become more and more talented and powerful."

Pang Tong's words were equivalent to adding fuel to the flames. Hearing Liu Biao's brows twitched, he felt harsh, and the horizontal lines on his forehead appeared one after another, and he was on the verge of anger.Fortunately, Liu Biao was very self-cultivated, with profound experience, and the city was even more unfathomable, so he suppressed the anger that had already rushed to his throat, held back, and waited patiently for Pang Tong to finish speaking.

An old man who is nearly 70 years old, the ruthless years have left marks on his forehead, waves of wind and waves have wrinkled his cheeks, and more than ten years of chaotic conquests have been tempering his mind all the time and emotion.Today, he no longer has the anger of a young man, the temper that is prone to thunder and rage, and the hostility to shout and kill; As well as the wisdom and experience accumulated over half a century.

For the elderly, the most precious thing is not the glory and wealth, but the open-mindedness cultivated after the vicissitudes of life, which is the wisdom of life accumulated over decades.If you don't have this harvest, then you can only waste your time, even if you live a hundred years, it will be in vain. There is no essential difference between a 30-year life span and a long life span of a hundred years.

The change in Liu Biao's expression did not affect Pang Tong's explanation of his views, but after seeing him praise Li Li of the Western Jin Dynasty, he changed his topic abruptly, which seemed to mean a turn of events: "At present, the preparations for the imperial examination in the Western Jin Dynasty are in full swing, and Li Li's civil and military They all turned their eyes and minds to Chang'an, focusing on the upcoming first scientific examination. This is a rare opportunity for our Southern Han Kingdom, a favorable opportunity to regain Nanyang County in one fell swoop, and a chance to change the world pattern again Therefore, I have the courage to advise that the day of the Chang'an imperial examination will be the time when our army of the Southern Han Dynasty will capture Nanyang County!"

As soon as these words came out, there was silence in the hall without a single sound.The six people present could clearly hear their own breathing, which was heavy and rapid, and there was a bit of excitement in the surprise, and a bit of worry in the excitement, worrying about gains and losses.

At this moment, Liu Biao, who was leaning on the dragon chair, suddenly opened his eyes and smiled. The wrinkles on his forehead seemed to have become lighter, and he seemed ten years younger in an instant.At this time, Liu Biao looked at Pang Tong with more gentle eyes, like the warm sunshine outside the window shining on his body, which made Pang Tong feel warm and comfortable physically and mentally.

Pang Tong’s explanation of the turning point made Liu Biao deeply feel that this young man with an unattractive appearance and even a hideous appearance is indeed unusual. Although his appearance is not good-looking and women do not like him, his strategy and wisdom can make up for everything. A hundred times stronger than his looks, he can be called a rare hero among men.

For Liu Biao, judging people by their appearance was his style ten years ago.At that time, most of the young people he could fancy were handsome and talented, but the facts proved that appearance and talent were not equal, or even counterproductive.Among the young people he single-handedly selected, there are only a handful of really useful young people. The handsome young people often think highly of themselves, but they have high standards and low abilities. Their talents do not match their appearance at all, so that after more than ten years, Liu Biao has been able to use people around him. It was the group of people who followed Jingzhou in the first place.

Until he clearly realized that the collapse of the Han Dynasty was imminent, he finally made up his mind to change the consistent standards for selecting talents.So Xiangyang Gong Cao Pang Tong naturally came into his sight, and after some in-depth discussions, he broke the rules and promoted the ugly "Phoenix" Pang Shiyuan.This was the first time in Liu Biao's life that he recruited such an ordinary-looking young man. Unexpectedly, although Pang Tong's appearance was not amazing, even a little scary, he was a real young "talent".

After Pang Tong became an official, he presented Liu Biao with a "Certificate of Voting", claiming that he could surrender the [-] Jiangdong Army without a single soldier.As soon as this remark came out, all the civil and military officials in Jingzhou, including Liu Biao, scoffed. They all agreed that he was talking too much, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he was boastful.Without believing that Pang Tong could do what he said, doubts and ridicule were clearly displayed on everyone's faces. In the end, Liu Biao adopted Pang Tong's strategy with the comfort of "just a try".After all, it is always good for young people to dare to think, do, fight, and fight hard. It is worth encouraging. In addition, if you have nothing to do, you might as well give it a try.

It was precisely with the mentality of "the spirit can be stimulated but not vented", Liu Biao ordered that all the civil and military forces in Jingzhou fully support Pang Tong's strategy of "planning Jiangdong" without mobilizing the army.No one thought that Pang Tong would make a big fuss by taking advantage of the assassination of Sun Ce in Jiangdong, and with the full support of Liu Biao behind him, he only used more than a thousand assassins and tens of thousands of Jingzhou navy bluffs to force Jiangdong Wenwu to bow his head and proclaim himself a vassal. Under Liu Biao's command.

Pang Tongtong made a world-class achievement in one fell swoop, and naturally sat on the position of chief military adviser, and was heavily relied on by Liu Biao.For this reason, Liu Biao was secretly proud of himself for a long time, and was so excited that he performed supernormally for two consecutive days, showing off his glory on the couch, making Cai's gentleness like water, and the almost crazy shouting almost made Liu Biao's bones crisp , and finally tasted the beauty of the joy of fish and water for the first time in Cai.

Since then, Liu Biao's reliance on Pang Tong has been undisguised, and he was promoted from a meritorious official to a military adviser and general by leaps and bounds. After the establishment of the Southern Dynasty, he was the same as the Jiuqing, and he really entered the core decision-making level.

Three years later, Pang Tong once again proved to Liu Biao that he had lived up to Liu Biao's trust, that his plans and ideas were in perfect agreement with Liu Biao's, and he unswervingly supported Liu Biao's use of troops in the Western Jin Dynasty.

ps: Sincerely thank you: book friend "The Captain of the Flat Head" monthly ticket support, thank you!

Chapter 231

Time flows like a stream, taking away the withered leaves and melting ice and snow, as well as the white and flawless apricot blossoms.

Looking at the mountains and rivers in the northern country, the green hills are rolling and lush, the big rivers are surging, and the streams are murmuring. It is the season of blooming flowers.

On April [-], scholars in long robes can be seen everywhere in Chang'an City, elegant and elegant; warriors in strong clothes have wind under their feet, and they are very heroic.The literati and warriors gathered together, the three religions and nine streams gathered together, the shops and inns were full, bustling, bustling, shoulder to shoulder, a prosperous scene.

At this time, there are still seven hours before the first imperial examination event.

Many young people with lofty ideals want to take advantage of the leisure time of the setting sun to relive the last time of civilian life, go shopping in the market, look at the dazzling array of goods, and enjoy the sunset and sunset.Some self-styled literati want to take advantage of the little time left to indulge again, so they rush to famous restaurants such as Wanhualou and Nanyuan Restaurant to drink flower wine, listen to ditties, and enjoy the performances of dancers. graceful dance.If you can get the favor of a beautiful woman and spend a good night together, it will be an unexpected joy of icing on the cake.

Obviously, the literati and warriors gathered in Chang'an City at this moment are very confident, or maybe they are conceited.But before the mystery is revealed, they are all optimistic and positive, full of expectations for their own future, and have beautiful visions for the future.Perhaps in their view, tonight will be their last ordinary time as ordinary people; after today, they will no longer be ordinary, fame and wealth are in front of them, Guangzong Yaozu is just around the corner, and they will be appointed as marquises or extremely human officials in the future Also unknown.

As of now, most of them have arrived in Chang'an for more than half a month.I have already walked all over the streets and alleys of the city, especially the market near the post house, I have stepped on it countless times.However, even if you have to walk back and forth several times a day.They still don't feel bored, because the shops, wine shops and restaurants on the market have new patterns almost every day.It changes from day to day and never repeats itself.It is not the house that changes, but the objects and delicacies, as well as all kinds of decorations, which really emerge in endlessly, with a variety of tricks, which makes people overwhelmed and never tired of seeing them.

It is worth noting that these test takers who arrived in Chang'an half a month in advance.Most of them came from the two major vassal states other than the Western Jin Dynasty.They are all smugglers who "illegally entered the country". Fortunately, they came prepared and carried certificates that could prove their identity. They entered the territory of the Western Jin Dynasty based on this, and then the government office registered and made a book nearby, and issued customs clearance guides and documents. The test certificates will be sent to Chang'an in batches.

During the journey to Chang'an, it was the first time for many of them to take a fast carriage, and only officials or aristocratic families were qualified to ride in a two-horse carriage.They were astounded by the scenery and novelties along the way.Sincerely praise the eye-opening, long-sighted, worthwhile trip.

After entering Chang'an City, they were placed in a posthouse.Ten people share a room, which is convenient for statistics and management.However, there are exceptions. Many descendants of merchants or local tyrants (local tyrants) are not used to having so many people in one room.In addition, they were not short of money, so they moved out of the post house.Live alone in the inn.There are not a few rich children living in inns like this, making all the more than two hundred inns in Chang'an city full.As a result, many people in the city vacated the remaining rooms in their homes and used them as temporary inns, with full board and lodging at a high price.It is reported that the imperial examination will last for about half a month. For this alone, most people in the city can get benefits, and half a month's income can at least cover half a year's expenses.

As the exam date is getting closer, the last half month is the peak time for exam takers to come to Chang'an. The population of the city is increasing day by day, ranging from two to 3000 people to tens of thousands of people.Of course, these people were not all literati or warriors who were taking the exam. Among them, retinues and maids accounted for more than [-]%. After all, how could those children from wealthy families come alone, retinues and maids were indispensable.It is no exaggeration to say that many rich young masters would not dare to go out without someone to protect or serve them, and they would even be unable to take care of themselves.

As evening comes, the lights come on.The Nanyuan Restaurant located next to the former Great General's Mansion was brightly lit, hundreds of luxury carriages were parked in front of the door, and there was an endless stream of people entering and leaving the restaurant, making it extremely lively.