Chapter 12 Rebellion in Nanzhong
The most despairing thing in the world is not that you can’t get what you want, but that you get it and lose it again. He personally formulated the Longzhong Pair, watched it become a reality step by step, and then watched it suddenly disappear. Zhuge Liang didn't feel countless grass and mud horses galloping past in his heart. Feng Yong felt that it was most likely... some.
But what can be done? As a human minister, he could only silently clean up the mess left by Liu Bei. As the minister of Tuogu, and as the father-in-law of Liu Chan, the survival of the Shu Han Dynasty now depends on him. He must do his best to protect the last fire of the Han Dynasty. The only way to repay Liu Bei's kindness is to After death.
Ma Su was silent, looking at the forty-two-year-old prime minister of Han Dynasty, whose hair had turned gray due to excessive pressure, and felt sad. Although he and the Prime Minister were called master and apprentice, they were really like father and son. Their relationship was deep. But now, he felt that he was full of knowledge, but he couldn't share some of the pressure for the prime minister, and he felt even more ashamed.
"The chaos in Nanzhong is a clown's ear, not worth a cent." Zhuge Liang opened the bamboo slips, swept them over, and said slowly, "Soochow, short-sighted people, there is nothing to worry about. The one I am worried about is Cao Wei. "
Yong Kai, a senior leader of a local wealthy family in Jianzhou County, Shu (now east of Jinning County, Yunnan Province), had already had different intentions. A few years ago, he first killed the prefect Zheng'ang, and then captured the prefect Zhang Yi and surrendered to Soochow.
Soochow appointed Yong Kai as the governor of Yongchang (now northeast of Baochang, Yunnan). Yongchang City's meritorious Cao Lu Kai and Fu Cheng Wang and his wife led soldiers and people to close the city gates. At the same time, they set up troops to defend Yongchang in dangerous places, preventing Yong Kai from entering Yongchang.
Yongkai then sent people to persuade Meng Huo and various barbarian tribes to rebel against Shu. He also united with Zhu Bao, the governor of Zangke (now northwest of Kaili, Guizhou), and the Yi king Gaobao of Yuexi (now southeast of Xichang, Sichuan) to raise troops. By June of the first year of Jianxing (223), the Nanzhong rebellion broke out in full force.
"Lu Kai and Wang are both loyal and loyal people. Now Yongchang is alone and in danger. Why doesn't the Prime Minister send troops to rescue him?"
Zhuge Liang sighed softly, "Why don't I want to send troops to quell the chaos as soon as possible, but now, the country has a new mourning, there are insufficient soldiers and horses, unprepared equipment, and foreign enemies are pressing on the territory, what should I do?"
"What else can we do? Naturally, it's the same as usual!" Feng Yong jumped to his feet and cursed loudly, "Didn't I teach you a long time ago? Two cows plow the land, can't one cow not drive it?"
At the end of May, it was getting hotter day by day in central Sichuan. The housekeeper went to the city and brought back the ordered plowshares. As for the iron pot, it was said that it would take some time because the blacksmith was still trying to figure out how to make it. Yongkou is required to be both smooth and as thin as possible.
Feng Yong has no better way to respond to this besides expressing his disappointment with the industrial level of this era. As for steelmaking in small blast furnaces, let alone whether I can do it, even if I can do it, I can't even eat well now, so how can I be in the mood to do it?
The final completion of the Quyuan plow finally did not delay the following summer plowing. As a landlord, Feng Yong naturally could not lose his dignity and go to the fields in person. He could only stand on the edge of the fields and guide.
As the maker of the curved shaft plow, Ding Er was the first to use the curved shaft plow. When he clumsily put the yoke on the cow, the cow beside him shook his head with wide eyes, as if he was wondering why he was alone this time, instead of having a partner to pull the plow with him like in the past.
“Try to walk as straight as possible and try to see how deep you can go.”
As a veteran farmer, Ding Er is still qualified. The curved shaft plow developed from the straight shaft plow, and the two have something in common. After turning up a furrow crookedly, it becomes much straighter the second time.
Butler Zhao, who was standing behind him, had his eyes widened and his body was trembling slightly, looking particularly excited. The previous plow required at least two people and two oxen, but now it only needs one person and one ox, and the plowing speed is even faster than before. This is simply a God-given tool for plowing! He looked at the owner's house in front of him, frowning at the fields, and felt in a trance. Why was it that he couldn't see through the owner's house more and more?
What are the three countries lacking most? The answer is people, especially young and strong men. No matter how much the expert historians of later generations boast about the large number of talented people, there is one phenomenon that cannot be concealed, and that is the sharp decline in population. Even if we add the hidden population of powerful landlord families and the incalculable refugee population, it still cannot conceal the fact that the population dropped sharply in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
You said that there are so many talented people in the Three Kingdoms, why don’t you think of ways to make people better fed and clothed? What's the point of fighting?
Only Feng Yong knew that the turmoil that had lasted for forty years would continue for nearly sixty more years. And he knew even more that during the time that Old Demon Zhuge was in power, he would continue to squeeze out the war potential of Shu.
The ones with the greatest impact were not the landless tenant farmers, because they had never owned anything, nor the landless farmers, because they had always been burdened with heavy labor and grain taxes, but the powerful local landowners who originally had privileges. Their privileges will continue to be weakened, and their interests will continue to be forced to spit out, such as money, food, the population dependent on them, etc.
Otherwise, if the small Shu Kingdom really wants those powerful landowners like Cao Wei in the north and Soochow in the east to keep sucking blood from the country without producing anything, what would Old Demon Zhuge do for the Northern Expedition?
As for the idea that the elites of local powerful landlords can be used to govern the country like the other two countries, Zhuge Lao Yao said with a smile, it does not exist. With a money bag in your left hand and human resources in your right hand, do you still want to take control of the country again? What did you say you wanted to do? Should I let you become the emperor directly?
The course of history shows that the political vision of Liu Bei and Zhuge Laoyao is indeed correct. Foreign political groups control power, and local powerful landowners control the money, food and population. This is a very dangerous situation. If the locals are allowed to climb up and take control of the power, they don't need more, just a part. Don't talk about regaining the Han Dynasty or returning to the old capital in Shu Kingdom. It will be good if they can maintain the status quo. They can even play GG as soon as foreign enemies come. .
Is Shu very weak at the end of its life? So weak that if a team of several thousand people stood at the foot of Jincheng and shouted twice, the whole court would have to surrender?
No, it was just because at that time, after decades, the court of Shu was filled with local officials who had climbed up from below. They could surrender to Wu or Wei, but they just didn't want to resist - fight or anything. The most annoying thing is that I am always asked to provide money, food, and people, but there is no return, and it is even thankless. What's the use?
In Shuhan, aristocratic families have so few privileges, and they have to shoulder so many burdens like those in Guizhou. Let's look at the Wei State, who really cares about the gentry and aristocratic families, right? It's better to be demoted directly. You can still hold the official position, still make money, still have the fields, and can continue to bully those Guizhou leaders. Wouldn't that be more wonderful?
So Zhuge Lao Yao said that you guys are bad guys, do you think I will let you go easily?
Although Feng Yong is considered a migrant, he has also taken root in the local area. The days are still long after this. If in the turmoil of the next few decades, there are really not enough men to go to the front line, and only women can do the work of cultivating the land, then he must prepare for a rainy day from now on, one man, one cow The curved shaft plow that can plow the land can only be regarded as the first step.
The experiment with the curved shaft plow was very successful. Unfortunately, the accumulation time of farmyard manure was too short and the amount was not enough. This year’s summer plowing can only be done as deep as possible to see if it can increase the yield of rice.
Feng Yong stood at the head of the field, feeling a little regretful.
Thanks to Xili Hua La Di Crap La, Princess Gu Yue and others for their recommendations and collections. The author was so moved that he burst into tears and had no way to repay him. He could only wait and add another chapter later.
(End of this chapter)