Whoever wins the crouching dragon wins the world

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... I looked at the thick stack of books on the desk, wrinkled into the shape of a bitter gourd, and complained, "Why are there so many? I have to work until the year of the monkey?"

Ma Haotian explained: "Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, treacherous heroes have risen together, the princes have separated their regimes, and there have been wars all year round, and the people are in dire straits. The prince's house is kind-hearted, and the people respect him very much. After winning Jingxiang, many refugees came to vote. Hundreds of destitute people were consoled by the princess."

The battle between Liu Xi and Liu Zhang in the west has begun.The ancient Yizhou is the area of ​​Sichuan in later generations, with a basin in the middle and surrounded by high mountains on the outside, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack.And it has rich products and fertile land since ancient times. There is a saying in "Warring States Policy": "The fields are fertile, the people are rich, the chariots are tens of thousands, and millions of people are fighting, the fertile fields are thousands of miles, the accumulation is abundant, and the terrain is convenient. This so-called Tianfu is the world. The heroic country." Although Liu Zhang is dark and weak, but according to this one side of the land, the land is occupied, and the storehouse is full of food and grass, and the soldiers are well supplied. Liu Xi only leads [-] Han troops to march, and the soldiers are exhausted, and the armor and equipment are far inferior to Liu Zhang. Excellent, only Liu Xi, as a time traveler, has the advantage of being able to "surprise and catch those who are not prepared", it is not easy to win.

Therefore, Kong Ming did not approve of Liu Xi attacking Liu Zhang at this time.According to him, we have just occupied Jingxiang, the situation is not stable, and the hearts of the people are restless. We should cultivate first, seize the opportunity to raise the banner of the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty to recruit troops, recruit talents, and take Yizhou after recruiting 2 people. , in order to have greater confidence.But Liu Xi insisted that the army should be attacked now.He argued with Kong Ming in the room for more than two days, repeatedly revised the marching plan, and finally persuaded Kong Ming to give it a try.

Liu Xi smiled wryly: "Kong Ming is really hard to deal with. If I have no choice in the future, I will try my best to agree with him and never provoke him again. In contrast, Guo Jia has a lot of knowledge about current affairs and never 'direct advice'. What."

……

It is true that Guo Jia seldom competes with Liu Xi, but he can always kill Liu Xi's whimsical plans in the cradle without anyone noticing.I have experienced many times that Liu Xi wanted to implement a certain reform with great interest, but I didn't see what Guo Jia did, and it suddenly ended without a problem.For example, the last time Liu Xi insisted on researching and developing gunpowder, and Kong Ming, Pang Tong and others tried their best to persuade them to be dry, but it still didn’t help. It’s better to let Guo Jia and Liu Xi meet face to face—although they closed the door for a day, but It is said that Guo Jia just smiled, and Liu Xi disarmed and surrendered, vowing to "never indulge in strange obscenities and tricks".

"Hey, you don't know how permeable his smile is. I really felt a chill rushing up from the soles of my feet. It's not an exaggeration at all!" Liu Xi's description fully reflected his second nature , to the utmost exaggeration.But everyone in the court is knowledgeable. I listened to the court discussion for more than a year in the name of the princess, and gradually realized some truth: the reason why Guo Jia has an extraordinary influence on Liu Xi may be because of Liu Xi He intends to show the world how much he relies on Guo Jia, and Guo Jia, who is well aware of this, also knows how to step up at the right time.

Ever since Liu Xi attacked Xiangyang and appointed Kong Ming as his military adviser without bringing his mastermind Guo Jia along, suspicions about Guo Jia's fall from grace have been heard endlessly in the court.Unlike Liu Xi’s staff structure, which was dominated by Guo Jia alone, with the rise of Shui Jing, Shao Chan, Pang Tong and other advisers, the think tank behind Liu Xi began to show a form of contention among a hundred schools of thought, and the division of factions began to emerge. .Shui Jing, Kong Ming, Pang Tong, Cui Zhouping, Cui Zhouping and others belonged to the Jingxiang sect who were connected with each other. Although Yong and other counselors transferred from Liu Bei's camp were not high-ranking officials and most of them failed to participate in court discussions, they were large in number and their energy should not be underestimated; Entering an official position and relying on donations to get out of the official position, although he is not in the top ranks, he is better than having self-knowledge, knowing how to hold a group for warmth under disadvantaged conditions, and to move the whole body with one hair; there is only one Guo Jia, who has been with Liu Xi for more than ten years, but insists on walking The way of "lonely minister" does not form cliques, does not form factions, and has never recommended a familiar relative or friend to the court for many years.

Although Liu Xi has just taken the first step in the Long March, and the attention of his advisers is mainly focused on assisting the lord to revive the Han Dynasty, but where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. Guo Jia, who has the highest status and fights alone, is simply a ready-made one. A target will inevitably be squeezed out intentionally or unintentionally by colleagues.

According to my observation, Liu Xi should have thought of giving up the research and development camp long before Guo Jia came to Xiangyang, but he was unwilling to give credit to Kong Ming and other Jingxiang factions who had just made great contributions in the First World War in Xiangyang. This opportunity is to rectify the name of Guo Jia, who has been rumored to be despised—you see, it is useless to persuade others, but as soon as Guo Jia came, I changed my mind.

Those who choose to be lonely ministers are doomed to be isolated and helpless in the court, so Liu Xi has to put his preference in the most conspicuous position openly, and convey his attitude clearly: Guo Jia is my treasure, don't think about it To take him off the horse and replace him.

"It's not easy for you to see this layer." After I clarified the speculation in my heart to Liu Xi, he showed a gratified expression, "No matter how great a leader is, it's impossible for him to be a single iron plate. Competition between people can create a sense of crisis and help the team improve, but internal friction must be controlled within a reasonable range, otherwise the loss will not be worth the loss. Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang, and Pang Tong are the three main advisors in my camp at present. Guo Jia has become famous. For a long time, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were fledglings, so I arranged for Zhuge Liang to fight Xiangyang, talk about Sun Quan, and fight Chibi to give him a successful victory. Pang Tong was in danger of falling into Fengpo, but he was able to sort out all kinds of things in Leiyang County in half a day in history. I plan to keep him in Xiangyang to create a stable and prosperous rear for me. And Guo Jia is unparalleled in wisdom. Since he has shown his sign as a lonely minister, he will definitely observe in secret. My reaction. If I can give enough support, then he will go farther and farther on this road and become a clear stream of his own; if my attitude is not satisfactory to him, he may turn around at any time, or make friends with the Jingxiang faction , or show goodwill to Shao Chan and others in order to protect themselves. Guo Jia's self-pollution in history is the best proof."

Being a lone minister will not be dragged down by pig teammates, but the risk is also very high, which is equivalent to tying your wealth and life to the favor of the superior. You can either walk sideways or die sideways. There is no third possibility.

"We have only occupied Jingxiang, and we haven't even managed to divide the world into three parts. You actually started to plan the future court situation so early!" A good chess player counts as a hundred steps, but I am stuck in the current court discussion. In the atmosphere of gentle wind and drizzle, it is hard to imagine that there will be a day when the same room will fight each other in the future.

Liu Xi shook his head: "Currently, the relationship between the advisers is quite harmonious, but with the expansion of my power, the situation will become more and more complicated in the future. For example, when I captured Yizhou, Liu Zhang's old army became a new faction. The pulse will also gain a foothold in the court. Being a lone minister is the most taboo to give up halfway. It is easy to be angered by those who come to power, and it is difficult to integrate into a small group of others.

Therefore, Liu Xi does not hesitate to give Guo Jia extraordinary favor, because this is the foundation of his life, and team members like Kong Ming can only rely on tireless nagging to try their best to explain their views...

Looking at Liu Xi's toothache-swollen expression, I smiled and said, "You are the master, what are you afraid of? At worst, you can learn from Liu Bei and leave after saying 'I have made up my mind, there is no need to remonstrate'! What can Kong Ming do? ?”

"That's okay!" Liu Xi also laughed, "If it really comes to the point where you need to use your identity to suppress criticism, it's not far from self-destruction. Although I have some confidence because I know history, I will never Dare to underestimate the wisdom of Zhuge Kongming, the number one god in the world. If he refuses to attack Yizhou, no matter how confident I am, I will doubt myself. It’s too relentless, there is no flaw in the plan, if it weren’t for my special status, he would almost force me to issue a military order before letting go.”

In the plan that was finally approved by Kong Ming, there was a task about me in the logistics column - rewarding the army and comforting the people.

Kongming said: "'Government is based on virtue, such as Beichen, where the stars live together. I have been unhappy with my leisurely life for a long time, so I immediately agreed with a smile.

"The princess is really a fairy, with a heart like a Bodhisattva!" An old lady wept bitterly after receiving the rice noodles from me.She didn't dare to shake my hand, so she could only knock her head heavily on the ground, expressing her gratitude sincerely.

I glanced at her ragged clothes, vertical and horizontal wrinkles, and pale hair, and asked in a soft voice: "The old man is old? How is life recently?"

The old woman covered her face and sobbed: "The grassroots are in their forties. After entering Xiangyang, everything will be fine, everything will be fine!"

Only 43?In modern times, she can only be regarded as a middle-aged woman at best, but her skin is dull and haggard. At first glance, I thought she was over eighty.

Mourning how difficult people's lives are!I concealed the shock in my heart, ordered someone to give me a seat, and chatted with her.The old woman talked about family affairs, and said: "The grassland people were originally stable people. When the eighteen princes rebelled against Dong Zhuo, their family fled southward. Who knew that there were robbers on the road, and the property was robbed. The two daughters-in-law returned it. It's ruined." The woman wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeves, and said in a slow tone, "The eldest son fought them desperately, and was cut in half with a knife..."

I was terrified when I heard it, Xia Lu handed over a handkerchief at the right time, the woman thanked me and continued: "The second brother escaped with my grandson and granddaughter, but when we passed by Berkshire, my grandson suddenly fell ill and had a serious fever. Dr. Qian Xun, there is nowhere to find him in the wilderness, but he just watched him die of illness, that is the only flesh and blood left by my eldest son!"

The woman was sobbing, and the audience felt sorry for her.I persuaded: "The dead are dead, please let the elderly mourn and obey. My emperor brother once said: 'The superior should worry about the world's worries first, and then enjoy the world's joy', which means that those in charge of government affairs should act with The righteousness of the country is the most important thing, and I am dedicated to the well-being of the people. The old man is my big man, and since we have arrived in Xiangyang, if I have a meal with the emperor, I will definitely have a bite of you."

Although the source of humanism can be traced back to Confucius and Mencius, there are very few monarchs who can truly put the people first in history, and it is even more difficult to find them in the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms.The old woman looked at me incredulously, with tears in her eyes, and she was chanting "Wuliang Tianzun" over and over again, almost incoherent with excitement.When I got up to leave, she suddenly pulled her three-year-old granddaughter and begged me by her hand: "This is the granddaughter of Caomin, named Maoer, the daughter of the second child...Her father went to war with the prince... "

I picked up that skinny girl, she didn't have any sense of flesh, she was full of bones, she was looking at me ignorantly: "Hungry, cat is hungry..."

"I'll have something to eat right away..." I comforted myself, but I knew in my heart that there were tens of thousands of refugees like her in Xiangyang, how many of them could I save?The high-sounding rhetoric just now was just a political show.There is indeed food in Jingzhou City, but the food has to be saved to support the front line, so it cannot fill the stomachs of the refugees.

The condolences day after day made me feel the hardships of the working people at the bottom, and also gave me the consciousness of thrift.With so many people struggling on the line of life and death, what right do I have to waste a meter of cloth or a grain of food?Overnight, I seem to have returned to the days in Nanyang Longzhong, calculating carefully, breaking a penny into two halves to spend.

"Kong Ming." A few days later, I said to Kong Ming one night, "I want to open a porridge factory in the city in the name of the emperor, and the expenses can be paid from my princess moon silver."

There was a flash of understanding in Kong Ming's eyes, but he didn't agree immediately: "There are so many refugees, your little money may not be able to support them..."

"Always a kind heart..." And it can also help Liu Xi win the favor of the public.

Kong Ming pondered: "It's better to go north to Cao to borrow money."

"Go to Caodi to borrow money?" I was startled, and then I realized that he was talking about going to Shengyang County for a "honeymoon".Xing Hao returned to Shengyang half a year ago, and Xing Ju and his two mercenaries respected themselves. Although they hadn't shouted the slogan of rebellion, they had actually escaped Cao Cao's control.And I have promised Liu Xi that after we get married, I will go to Shengyang in disguise with Kong Ming to help the Xing family raise the banner against Cao.After all, it is my fief, and no one can change the name of Shengyang better than me.

But in the previous plan, there was no mention of borrowing money, so I went to Caodi to borrow money. Wouldn't it be too difficult?

I have doubts in my heart, but Kong Ming has a plan in mind: "Princess, don't worry, the mountain people have their own tricks."

The author has something to say: Thanks to Xia Shishi and Yueli for their mines!