The happy life of the devil and the devil

"Is there something you want to ask so soon?" Yuan Shao threw away the folder in his hand, leaned on the pillow and sat up a little bit, with a smile in his words.Ling Yucheng put down the brochure in his hand, got up, turned around, sat firmly facing Yuan Shao, and said cautiously:

"It's not just from reading these memorials. ——I read history since I was a child, and I often have doubts when I was in northern Xinjiang for ten years: Since ancient times, the Yi and Xia have been in power. In the north, there are those who admire Xia Zhi and follow the Xia rituals like the Wei family, and some like the Gao family who order the Xia people to shave their hair and change clothes, follow the barbarian customs, and kill them if they don’t follow. But these countries are diverse, until the former dynasty Yan, the Yi people have occupied the land of Xia, and they have never enjoyed the country for less than a hundred years. I wonder what your Majesty thinks about this?

The smile on the corner of Yuan Shao's mouth slowly subsided, and only after hearing the second sentence, he left the pillow and sat upright.When he heard "Xiangguo has never been less than a hundred years", he stood up solemnly, took a few steps and sat down at the table, motioned Ling Yucheng to sit down on the chair at the opposite table, and stared at him respectfully. After a while, he suddenly shook his head and laughed:

"You, you... These words, I planned to read them for a few more days before bringing them out? - In front of my mouth full of farewell between Yi and Xia, you are so bold!"

"minister--"

"Okay, I'm not blaming you, I don't have a heart at all, and I am not worthy to be your lord. Of course, there is a reason to say these things late, and there are benefits to asking early. ——You have to test Compared to me?"

"Chen—don't dare." He said he didn't dare, but under the slightly drooping eyebrows, a pair of eyes were as bright as stars, and the corners of his mouth were slightly curved, it was clear that he couldn't be more daring.Yuan Shao didn't care either, he waved his hand to interrupt, and went straight on:

"If I say something about the reincarnation of fortune and non-compliance with morality, you will probably be able to turn around and leave this room immediately--it's okay for the rotten Confucians to talk about it, or write it as a call to action during a war. If we talk about it as a serious truth at this time, it is really a joke."

"If you say that the Yi people ruled the Xia, the country's fortunes have not lasted for a hundred years. The simplest reason is that there are fewer Yi people and more Xia people. However, in the years when the Wuhu ruled the North, the population of the Northwest was three Yi and two Xia. [-]. Even with the passage of time, the Xia people prosper, but this is not a reason for the Yi people to lose their country."

"Your Majesty sees clearly."

"Secondly, according to the words of the Xia people, they are the people of Yi and Di, who do not obey the king, do not know loyalty and filial piety, and do not have the way of monarch and subject father and son-so when the emperor is a little weaker, there will be chaos immediately. But having said that, Xia It is not uncommon for people to rule the country, where loyalty, filial piety, propriety and righteousness have gone, and it is not uncommon for fathers and sons to kill brothers and fight against each other, and it is not uncommon for ministers to defeat the emperor. It can be seen that the sage's education is not necessarily the principle of long-term preservation of the country's destiny!"

"Your Majesty's words are exactly—"

"Thirdly, since ancient times, the world has been won immediately, but it is unknown to rule the world immediately. The Hu people are good at raiding, but not good at pulling out cities; they are good at attacking and looting, but not good at defending. He caressed the people well, but he couldn’t keep the world after all. The country was content with leisure and happiness, and the morale of the army was low, so it was eventually captured by barbarians from the north. It can be seen that the balance of civil and military methods must be carefully considered.”

"Fourth..."

Ling Yucheng listened intently, leaned forward slightly, and said nothing, but the light in his eyes flowed, clearly carrying a knowing smile.After Yuan Shao finished speaking, he got up and added tea to the two people's cups, raised the cup himself, took a sip, sat upright, and said slowly:

"I have watched His Majesty rule the country over the past few years, set up officials, establish prefectures and counties, promote culture and education, and advocate farming. All kinds of actions have profound meanings. In the past ten years, the national strength and military strength have been flourishing, and the troops and horses of all ministries have become more and more measured. Thinking about it, Your Majesty has been thinking about it for more than a year or two when I just asked that question—if it wasn’t for this, I wouldn’t dare to present my humble opinion to Your Majesty.”

Yuan Shao's eyes lit up little by little.Few people in the country can understand his many deeds since he ascended the throne. Most of the courtiers are afraid of his majesty as a monarch and have to obey. Even the prince can't help complaining.Wandering around in the middle of the night, no one can discuss it, the taste really only you can taste, but you don't want to meet a bosom friend here!

"The sages once said that the Yi people are different from our race. They have different clothes, different customs, different diets, and language barriers. They live in the cold dewy field in the north, follow the grass and livestock, and shoot and hunt for a living. The minister thinks that this is true. It's a bit like the result is the cause. It's just because we live in seclusion in the north that we can't grow the five grains, so we follow the grass and livestock, and shoot and hunt for a living. Since we live after water and grass, we naturally have to follow our own convenience--wait until Living in the Central Plains for a long time, accustomed to farming, the customs are naturally the same as those of the Xia people. Under the rule of the Great Liang, there were also people from the five barbarians back then, now we can see what their origins are?"

"That's a bit interesting. Go on."

"Since the customs are different, the way to manage the people's livelihood must be found from the root. When living by water and grass, each tribe only depends on its strength, cattle, sheep, horses, slave population, whoever wins will take it away, anyway. It is easy to break - but it will not work after entering the Central Plains. The crops are planted in spring and harvested in autumn. Even if there is a battle in this year, there is no need to expect anything. Therefore, the Xia people emphasize morality and respect etiquette and righteousness. It is really for the convenience of everyone Sit down and talk about anything, and don’t go to war unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Yuan Shao couldn't help laughing.From Beiliang to the nobles and down to the common people, everyone felt that Xia people were weak in culture, and if any matter could be solved by cutting it with a knife, they had to mutter and grind their mouths for a long time-but thinking about it this way, there is a reason for being weak.

"The loss of Xiyan lies in the fact that it wants to abandon the land of the Central Plains and turn it into pastures for the nobles to shoot and hunt. It is said that this will ensure the combat effectiveness of the army-it is really fanciful. Not to mention anything else, within a hundred miles, grazing can feed How many people? How many people can be supported by farming? The population is small, not to mention where people come to weave cloth, forge iron, make wine, make medicine, and make armor and bows. The people who are being fed are going to starve to death, how can there be any reason why they can't rebel?——It's not so much that the Yi people can't keep the country because of the underpopulation, it's better to say that with their way of life, the living people can't reproduce .”

"However, if farming is the only way to feed so many people, then what will be raised will not be a prairie boy who can ride a horse at the age of three and shoot and hunt at the age of five."

"Your Majesty, each generation has its own way of life. Common people always hope to live a better life, not to go hungry, not to be cold, not to be whipped on the road for no reason, and all the children born Being able to feed—as for farming or grazing, for them, it is just a question of whether they can do it, not a question of whether they are willing to do it.”

"It's just that once the people change their way of life, their thoughts will naturally be different from before. The so-called 'barbarians and diners are China, and China is China', I feel that it should be about governing the country and the people according to local conditions. , The principle of adapting to the individual conditions. Use the method of governing the Central Plains to restrain those tribes who live by water and grass. Of course, they will ignore you. Instead, isn't it precisely because of this?"

Yuan Shao nodded heavily.Since Beiliang took control of the Central Plains, a large number of people have changed from herding to farming. The rules that have been practiced on the grassland for hundreds of years have gradually become outdated. However, blindly copying the system of the Xia people will not work.He has been advocating farming and enlightenment all these years, and he probably doesn't want to find a way out of it. However, if this kind of thing is not done well, it will affect the whole body, so how dare he be careless?

"Governing the people is one level, and those high-ranking officials and nobles are another level-seeing His Majesty's confiscation of vassals, establishment of prefectures and counties, and departure from the official system, one knows that His Majesty has always known in his heart that after entering the Central Plains, he must do this for a long time. But if you look closely at those The patriarch is powerful, and all the taxpayers and soldiers on their own territory are autonomous. They are called counties and counties, but they are actually feudal towns. If your majesty wants to mobilize their power, most of them have to take advantage of the situation and move slowly. One is the various divisions on the grassland. Second, His Majesty does not have enough manpower to manage these places."

"—You're right!" Yuan Shao sighed.Over the years, he has put all his heart and soul into fighting those patriarchs and nobles, and only he himself knows the hard work.However, even if he is an emperor, it is impossible for him to fight against the nobles of a country, especially those well-trained local officials. Among the nobles of Beiliang, few people can even read and write documents!

"When it comes to officials, it must involve cultural governance and education. When it comes to culture and education, it must involve clothing etiquette. The difference between Yi and Xia is the most troublesome place, and it is also the place where accidents are most likely to happen. In the past, the Gao family ordered the Xia people to shave their hair and change clothes. , follow the barbarian customs, so that people's resentment boiled; Wearing Hu clothes has been repeatedly banned by the government; some high-ranking officials in Xiyan also use Eguanbo belts as their beauty, and they wear wide robes and sleeves every day, ostentatiously passing through the market. Changing customs and changing customs, you can go down like water, why bother to force it blindly? At most, you can tell other countries that the etiquette system is chaotic,— —Except for being troublesome when fighting in groups, and not being able to kill anyone.”

This night, the lights in the main room were kept on until the third watch.The guards on duty outside the door came in and out, refilled the tea seven or eight times, and saw the two people in the room talking more and more energetically, and finally all the pens, ink, paper and inkstones were spread out, and there were maps of various places here and there. There is no place for people to stay.When the two got up to pack their books and albums, Ling Yucheng caressed the edge of the whole map of Beiliang, and said in a low voice: "Ten years of gathering together, ten years of lessons, this can be the king of the world. ——If you can do this, It is not in vain for me to follow His Majesty."

"Ten years of gathering, ten years of lessons—" Yuan Shao chewed these eight words slowly, then turned his head and fixed his gaze on him: "That's all your plan? You don't want to send troops south to break through Yuyang, To avenge yourself?"

His eyes were as cold as a knife, and he looked down from a high place, and for a moment, he had the illusion that the whole Mount Tai was pressing down on him.Ling Yucheng almost froze under his gaze, calmed down immediately, and smiled wryly:

"Revenge? I never thought about it."

"Ok?"

"That's my homeland after all... When I was young, if I hadn't become a prince, I would have starved to death on the street, let alone the opportunity to study in the palace and learn this skill. After all, I always inherited the great danger. Royal favor."

His voice gradually lowered: "It's not the first time that I was wronged and sent to prison... Last time, it was not Emperor Dayu who saved me. If it was just death, I would admit it, but they, they ..." The tone suddenly rose: "The ten years of bloody battles, reputation and reputation before and after death, should be repaid for Dayu's 24 years of kindness. From then on, Dayu and I owe nothing to each other!"

"Don't you owe each other?" The corners of Yuan Shao's mouth slowly curled up: "It's good that you don't have any hatred in your heart. If you don't rush to revenge, you won't act too hastily. ——Then why are you planning these things for me again?" ? Ten years of gathering together, ten years of lessons, you can use this to rule the world, aren't you afraid that I will accumulate enough national power and destroy Dayu in one go?"

"If Your Majesty does not use my plan, with the current system of Great Liang, it is possible to fight but not rule. Even if it is a temporary victory, it will not last long. The safest way is to invade and retreat by yourself. It will not hurt Dayu's roots. If you adopt my plan Thoughts, within 20 years, they will concentrate on internal affairs, and have no intention of going south. In 20 years, if Dayu can't work hard to govern, it will deserve to be wiped out!"

Such a proud and fierce tone!Yuan Shao laughed: "No wonder, you don't want to use troops against the Southern Dynasty if you don't ask me." He once asked that night when the titles of monarchs and ministers were determined. At that time, Ling Yucheng raised his head and chuckled: Is this what you ask for?Thinking about it now, he should have made up his mind at that time. "If you can fight for 20 years, you are worthy of them."

He casually put a stack of notebooks on the table: "Sort through your thoughts today and write a memorial. You don't have to rush to write, think carefully and write carefully. This notebook will definitely not work in a year or two. To be honest, even ten or eight years may not see the light of day, but—"

He turned his head slowly, his eyes were serious, and he comforted with deep concern: "One day, the world will know."

The author has something to say: the distinction between Hua and Barbarians...is a very troublesome thing

However, adding Sutai and Ximin, it becomes an overhead society, and it may not be so troublesome. After all, Dayu also intermarried with these two women's countries, and he may not have the arrogance that you are all barbarians in culture.