Chapter 875 Argument

Chapter 875 Argument

Chapter 875 Argument
Shao Xun looked calm and asked, "What is a man-made disaster?"

"I have heard that the best way to govern the world is to love people." Wang Chong sneered and said, "Since the fourth year of the Divine Turtle Era, floods have occurred frequently, and there has been a locust plague. The people are suffering and it is difficult for them to survive. At this time, we should rest. However, Your Majesty has mobilized all three armies and led a long expedition, chasing sand in vain and wasting money and food. Is this disaster worse than birds and sparrows?"

"The counties of Qingzhou have already been hit by disasters. The old grain has been used up, and the new grain has not yet been harvested. People don't even have enough to eat, so how can there be any left to plant? However, the cruel officials and ruthless officials have been exploiting people. If they don't obey, they will be tortured. As a result, the people have fled, and farming has been abandoned. The problem is so severe that it has not been resolved to this day. Is this disaster worse than that of birds and sparrows?"

"Your Majesty has been waging war for twenty years, and the world has suffered for twenty years. Three years of floods, one year of epidemics. This is the warning from Heaven. What good is the relief? If you do not change your ways and give the people a rest, the mountains will collapse and the earth will split soon. Once this disaster comes, it will be too late to regret."

After saying this, he flicked his sleeves and stood with his hands behind his back.

When Bian Tao heard this from below, he almost cheered for him.

Well said, wonderfully said! Shao the thief claims to be a lover, but he has waged wars year after year, causing countless casualties. Is this a lover? Keep talking, talk hard, and see if Shao the thief can still keep his face.

Wang Yan's face was gloomy. He didn't care whether he loved someone or not, he only cared about the interests of his family.

He turned his head slightly.

One person understood, stepped out, and said, "You are talking about human misfortune, but have you heard about the misfortune of Gou Xi and Cao Yi?"

Cao Yi in the audience: “…”

"Who are you?" Wang Chong looked at him and asked.

"Langya Yan Zhong." The visitor bowed and replied.

Wang Chong looked Yan Zhong up and down and sneered, "Could it be the family of 'Yan Concubine'?"

Yan Zhong's face turned red all of a sudden, and he clenched his fists in anger.

This guy has a really bad mouth! Even if you were torn into pieces today, no one would speak up for you.

The so-called "Yan concubine" is a shame for the Yan family of Langya.

In the past, Wang Hun of Taiyuan was the governor of Xuzhou. When he married a second wife, he chose a girl named Yan from the local Langya State.

When Wang Hun was about to return the greeting, the guests present said, "The king, the marquis, the governor, and the new bride, the people of the state, I am afraid there is no way to return the greeting."

Wang Hun actually stopped the wedding and did not let it be completed. Later, Wang Hun's son thought his father did not return the greeting and the ceremony was not completed, and he was afraid that they were not husband and wife, so he also refused to bow to him and called him "Yan concubine".

The Yan family was just a low-ranking noble family. Although they felt deeply ashamed of their membership, they did not dare to leave because of the noble status of the Wang family of Taiyuan.

At present, the Yan family's status has improved, and the branch of Yan Han (who once served in the army of Sima Yue) who crossed the river to Jianye in the south has developed quite well, but the shame of that year is still there and has never been forgotten.

The fact that the Wang family of Taiyuan was brought down by Shao Xun and the Yan family celebrated is a clear example.

Yan Zhong was so angry that he didn't care about anything else, so he said, "In the past, Gou Xi was in power in Qingzhou. He killed people at will and was extremely tyrannical. Why didn't Wang get rid of this harm for the people?"

"Cao Yi occupied Guanggu and stored millions of grains. Why did the Wang family of Chengyang sit idly by and watch? How can this disaster be resolved?"

Cao Wei twisted his body uneasily.

Two old maids! You are scholars, but why are you quarreling like a shrew, throwing dirty water all the time? Can you be more graceful? Can you not hurt others by mistake? Several people have already looked at me, you know?

Wang Yan was also somewhat helpless.

Yan Zhongzhong was loyal enough, but he couldn't keep his cool and was easily provoked to anger, so that he lost his composure and cursed like a shrew. It was really unbearable.

"Gou Xi and Cao Yi are in charge of Qingzhou. Even though they have many faults, they do not disturb the people." Wang Chong avoided answering Yan Zhong's question and just said.

Yan Zhongqi was delighted.

The word "people" is really wonderful.

In the past, the Yan family was just a small aristocratic family at the bottom of the society, and the daughters of the Yan family were called "people of the state". What were the "people" that Wang Chong was referring to?
Yan Zhong was just amused by anger and didn't really laugh, but the warriors on the opposite side all laughed.

"Gou Xi has selected thousands of beauties and enjoys them day and night. Isn't this disturbing the people?" Chen Yougen couldn't help but sneered.

"Gou Xi also killed people for no reason. I remember that some nobles were also killed, right?"

"Cao Yi, has Gou Xi's beauty fallen into your hands?"

"You are so shameless to eat alone."

Cao Wei: “…”

He was really hurt.

If I had known this would happen, I would have made up my mind back then to exterminate the Wang family of Chengyang at all costs, so as to avoid being criticized now.

Shao Xun glanced at the warrior and his laughter gradually stopped.

"What a good way to not disturb the people." As everyone laughed, Yan Zhong calmed down and said, "But I don't know what the king meant by not disturbing the people?"

"Rest and recuperate, govern by inaction." Wang Chong said as a matter of course: "Let the scholars of the world have good farmland and spacious houses, and have boats and carriages to travel, so that they can rest their bodies. They can take care of their parents with delicious food, and their wives and children will not have to work hard."

"In autumn and summer, I read in my detached house, where there are clear springs, luxuriant forests, bamboo trees, pines and cypresses, as well as fish ponds and earthen caves to entertain the eyes and the heart."

"In winter and spring, friends go with us to see the wilds, enjoy the rafting, and return with great pleasure."

"Assistant officials in counties and prefectures should visit famous people from time to time, consult them on government affairs, and appoint them as subordinates to benefit the people." After this statement was made, many scholars changed their views on Wang Chong and felt that he was not the kind of person who sought to attract attention.

The vision he proposed has existed since ancient times and has always been the ideal life for scholars.

If you can do this, you don't even need to be an official anymore. Isn't it tiring? Isn't it good to indulge in pleasure?
Of course, there is always someone in the family who has to take on the burden of being an official, and the others just need to help out a little.

Furthermore, even if you become an official, you don’t have to do any work.

Nowadays, there are many officials who ignore state affairs all day long. They feel tired, vulgar, miserable and boring. They might as well just relax and drink.

The military officers sitting behind Chen Yougen and others were furious when they heard this.

Who were they originally? Injured boatmen, farmers who toiled all day, soldiers who had been slaves for generations, and refugees who struggled to survive.

They are all human beings, so why can scholars be so unrestrained and enjoy life wantonly, while they are struggling on the brink of life and death?
There was no other way in the past. When you saw these scholars, you had to kneel down and kowtow. Others treated you like air and could do whatever they wanted.

But what about now? With sharp blades in hand and murderous intent, they have the ability not to kneel and the ability to destroy the beautiful manor life of the scholars.

Someone stood up immediately. It was Ji Shou, the leader of the Silver Spear Army. He said angrily, "In the past, I pulled the oars on the Luo River. I toiled all day and could barely fill my stomach. In a year, I could only get some meat on community days, New Year's Day, and when I offered sacrifices to the river god. When the Xiongnu came, we fought hard and drove them away. Why do you have delicacies from land and sea, but I don't? Why don't you share some with me?"

"Give me some to eat," although the words are crude, it is the simplest and most direct request of the new military elites.

They were not communists, they also wanted to live a better life than ordinary people. But the number of military personnel was very large, with tens of thousands of recruits and 50,000 to 60,000 government soldiers, including their families and soldiers, and the direct beneficiary population exceeded one million. Compared with the scholars who enjoyed the benefits alone, this was certainly a big improvement.

As for improving the living standards of the entire population, obstacles must be removed so that the two-year three-crop agricultural production model can be promoted as much as possible to harvest more grain. Generally speaking, under the current circumstances, only self-cultivating farmers can benefit, and farmhands and serfs should be forgotten, as the extra grain may not be theirs.

"There is a difference between scholars and common people, why bother to say more?" Wang Chong glanced at Ji Shou and said, "Is it possible for a military strategist to cure the world's serious illnesses and study the benefits and disadvantages of the common people?"

The season is over.

Yan Zhong sighed secretly. What was this soldier doing by jumping out on his own? It was definitely a bad thing!
He was just about to pursue the matter and make Wang Chong speechless, but you succeeded in changing the subject. At this point, he didn't know what to say, because he also felt uncomfortable with what Fang Jishou had just said.

It is a fact that there are contradictions and conflicts among scholars.

But Bingjiazi jumped out and blatantly demanded a share of the profits. Even though Yan Zhong was a more realistic person and thought this move was inevitable, he was still not happy to be shouted at in front of him.

That is, based on practical considerations, he felt that he should give up some benefits appropriately and tolerate each other for the sake of the country, but it did not mean that he agreed with it in his heart. This was just a helpless choice made out of fear of the huge destructive power of the warriors.

To some extent, Yan Zhong and Wang Chong are the same kind of people, except that one is more realistic and willing to adapt, while the other lives in his own world, is stubborn and refuses to adapt.

Shao Xun coughed lightly and said, "That's quite off topic."

Ji Shou was startled, turned around, bowed, and sat down again.

He is good at killing people, but his verbal ability is too weak. If he continues talking, he will probably be talked out of his wits.

Shao Xun's gaze fell on Yan Zhong again.

Yan Zhong understood, sorted out his thoughts, and said to Wang Chong: "You just mentioned man-made disasters. Are the Xiongnu a man-made disaster? In the past, Cao Yi was stationed in Qingzhou, and he plundered the people's wealth and sent it all to Pingyang. Isn't this a man-made disaster?"

Cao Yi secretly wiped the sweat off his face.

Too dangerous! Wouldn't the quarrel end in such a mess that the two men were fine, but he was caught by the soldiers on the spot to settle old scores?
"Liu Jing, a member of the pseudo-Han royal family, drowned 30,000 people in the river in Liyang. Wasn't this a man-made disaster? I would have also not drowned you, so that you can speak nonsense here today." Yan Zhong continued.

"Wang Mi has killed countless people since he came to Sizhou from Qingzhou."

"Liu Cong's troops surrounded Luoyang, and countless royal family members and common people died."

"In the battles of Dayang and Changping, even the children of famous families could not escape."

"Shi Le occupied Ye City, and all the well-dressed gentlemen entered his camp and were forced to help Zhou in his atrocities."

"What is the solution to this disaster?"

"Four years ago, Tuoba Yulu had already intended to march south. If it weren't for the great king's bravery and desperate fighting, would you have been able to enjoy peace in Yingling?"

Wang Chong stared, wanting to say that even if the Xiongnu and Xianbei took over, they would still have to win over the scholars to serve them, and they could still be free. But this was hard to hear, and he didn't have much confidence - the Hu people would definitely win over the scholars, but in the process, it was inevitable that there would be accidental injuries, and as for who would be injured, it was hard to say.

But he just wouldn't accept it.

The theory of manor proposed by Zhong Changtong of the Later Han Dynasty, the beautiful picture of "living freely in the world, looking down on the world; not being held responsible at the time, and keeping life forever" was engraved in his mind like a thought stamp.

The self-sufficient manor is a pure land where he can confine his body and soul.

He had no worries about food and clothing in the manor and lived a rich life. He had countless people serving him, and he could read and play. His thoughts could even travel beyond the universe and imagine the mysteries of life, so he would not tolerate others desecrating him.

He would curse anyone who wanted to demolish the manor because it would destroy his beliefs.

Shao Xun, who was sitting at the top, glanced at Wang Chong expressionlessly.

He cleaned up the situation too quickly and protected these scholars too well. The Wang family of Yingling had never suffered. If Shi Hu invaded Qingzhou and fought against Cao Yi as in history, Wang Chong would not dare to think so.

"Your Majesty." Jin Zheng, who had been silent until now, suddenly stood up and said, "Send this fellow to Liyang and find someone to sink him in the river."

(End of this chapter)