son-in-law

Chapter 1085 Chapter 1026 The Great Tide of the Times (5)

Chapter 1085 Chapter [-] The Great Tide of the Times ([-])

In troubled times, people go their own way.

After leaving Bazhong, the forward caravan emptied most of its goods and lost dozens of accompanying personnel.

Two of the five scholars parted ways with Ning Ji and the others here.Lu Wenke, who is "promising", Fan Heng, who "respects the gods", and Chen Junsheng, a "cold guy" who occasionally expresses his opinions, made an appointment to take a long distance together, pass through Bazhong, enter Dai Mengwei's territory, and then follow the Han River East Going forward, I would rather avoid going with them on the way.

Leaving Bazhong and heading north, the caravan sold all the goods in the next county.Theoretically speaking, their journey will come to an end here, and Ning Ji, Lu Wenke and others who continue to move forward must either find the next caravan to accompany them, or start on the road.However, in the evening of this day, the boss of the caravan found them in the inn, and said that they had accepted a good job temporarily, and that they would go to Dai Mengwei's territory next time, and they could still go together for a while.

Over the past month or so, the two sides have gotten to know each other well, and Lu Wenke and the others readily accepted this, and Ning Ji had nothing to do with it.So on the fifth day of June, the team of more than ninety people with dozens of horses loaded some goods and some passengers on the same road, gathered a hundred people, and headed eastward along the winding mountain road. .

There were also two scholars among the new passengers, and they soon became acquainted with Lu Wenke and others, and the team of "rotten Confucians" who accompanied them had returned to five people, chatting beside Ning Ji every day.As for the father and daughter of Wang Jiang and Wang Xiuniang, who are monkey performers, they still followed the team at this time, and everyone got to know each other better. When they walked the mountain road during the day and chatted together with a bonfire at night, they were ordinary but physically The vigorous Wang Xiuniang can also say a few more witty words with Lu Wenke and others.

The vicinity of Bazhong is still mountainous, and if you go north, you will eventually reach the bank of the Han River and enter Hanzhong, which is ruled by the Chinese army.It is not easy to go east along the rugged mountain road, but after crossing Micang Mountain, you will enter the hinterland of Dai Mengwei's ruling area at this time.

Due to the special situation in the recent period, the number of merchants who take this east-west mountain road is several times higher than in previous years, but except for a very small number of locals, most of them are profit-seeking businessmen with their own special goals and demands, like Lu Wenke, Fan Heng, Chen Junsheng and other scholars who thought about "reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles", so they planned to go to the back of Dai Mengwei's site, were a minority of the minority.

In fact, before they crossed the Han River, crossed the Jianmen Pass, and arrived in the southwest, Lu Wenke, Fan Heng and others were not aware of wandering around, but after staying in the hustle and bustle of Chengdu for several months, Only these few scholars are ready to see the whole picture of the world in a relatively harsh environment.

Of course, for these things in the middle, Ning Ji is even more unclear at the moment, his current policy is still to bear the humiliation in the name of Long Aotian.It's just that in the past few days, I can vaguely feel the subtle changes in the tone of several scholars talking and chatting.

When these scholars were in the territory of the Huaxia Army, when they talked about many major events in the world, most of them were high-spirited and arrogant, and from time to time they pointed out the inappropriateness of the Huaxia Army's territory.However, after entering Bazhong, it seems that the scenes of loudly pointing out Jiangshan gradually decreased. Many times, comparing the scene outside with the Huaxia Army's two comparisons, most of them reluctantly admit that the Huaxia Army is indeed powerful. , although it is inevitable to add a few "however..." after this, but these "however..." are after all much quieter than on the side of Jianmenguan.

The world of Wu Dynasty was not without peace and grandeur, but those dreamlike scenes were already more than ten years ago.The arrival of the Jurchens destroyed the fantasy dream of the Central Plains. Even though there were years of peace and prosperity in the south of the Yangtze River, the short-term prosperity could not really cover up the humiliation of the fall of the Central Plains and the fear of the Jurchens. It was only ten years after Jianshuo , It is still impossible to create a practical atmosphere of "making Hangzhou as Bianzhou".

The Jurchen's fourth southward march really brought about a catastrophe that disintegrated the entire Wu Dynasty. However, in the later stage of this disaster, the Huaxia Army, which had been on the brink, emerged and defeated the most powerful Jurchen West Route Army. It gave them too much impact.

These scholars mustered up the courage to go to the southwest and saw the development and prosperity of Chengdu.This kind of prosperity is not what touches them the most, but what really makes them feel at a loss is that the core behind this prosperity has theories and sayings that they cannot understand and are incompatible with the past prosperity.These statements make them feel vain and uneasy, and in order to fight against this uneasiness, they can only make loud noises and try to prove their worth.

However, after leaving the land in the southwest, what they need to face is a broken mountain and river after all.

What is the use of continuing to speak loudly?

For Ning Ji, these things can only be seen clearly after recalling them several years later.

……

"...However, the biggest problem of the Huaxia Army, in my opinion, is still the inability to get soldiers."

At the moment when the caravan passed through the mountains and set up camp on the mountainside by the roadside to light a fire in the evening, Fan Heng and others continued the discussion.It seems that they realized that they had already left the Southwest, so they wanted to summarize what they had seen and heard while their memories were still deep. The discussions in the past two days have deepened some things they didn't elaborate on before.

"...After several months in the Southwest, all kinds of things are dazzling, the market is full of money, and the news on the news is also eye-opening, but what concerns you the most, to put it bluntly, isn't it the Southwest? The system of selecting scholars. I have been there once for the so-called civil servant examination, have you ever been there?"

When a middle-aged Confucian scholar named Fan Heng talked about this, he looked at the people around him. Chen Junsheng smiled inscrutably with a cold face, Lu Wenke shook his head, and the other two scholars said: "I got a second grade in the exam." Someone said: "It's okay." Fan Heng also laughed.

"On the day of the exam, not long after entering the arena, two examinees tore up the paper and yelled that the paper was nonsense. They had studied the scriptures all their lives, and had never seen such a vulgar selection system, and then they were invited out by the exam staff. To be honest, although I had prepared before, I never thought that Mr. Nanning would do it so thoroughly... The five subjects of the exam, the so-called language, mathematics, rationale, Ge, and Shen, overturned all the Confucian students' previous learning, and also No wonder the crowd made a fuss on the newsprint afterwards..."

Fan Heng said, shaking his head and sighing.Lu Wenke said: "The two subjects of Chinese and Shenlun have something to do with what my generation has learned."

"Brother Lu's statement is absurd." A scribe next to him also shook his head, "My generation has been studying and studying for decades, from learning characters to the Four Books and Five Classics, all my life's explanations are the humble words and righteousness of the saints, but the Chinese in the Southwest exam, It's just the foundation of literacy. Look at the so-called Chinese test questions... In the first half of the volume, "Xue Er" is translated into vernacular, requiring correct punctuation. "Xue Er" is just the beginning of "The Analects of Confucius". You have to memorize it by heart, it’s written on it, what’s the point of these test questions?”

The man spread his hands: "As for the second half of the volume, something happened in a certain place, and I want you to write a letter summarizing it... Everyone, just one volume of Chinese, I have learned more than 20 years, and the test is only The basics of elementary school. What Mr. Ning wants is only someone who can write and write fluent sentences. This paper has [-] points. It is said that I took advantage of it. However, as long as you can read, who can't pass the test? Later, I heard someone secretly say that those with neat and beautiful handwriting can get up to five points...five points."

When he talked about the five points, he was indignant.Everyone naturally nodded.

"This is where my generation takes advantage of the most." The man said bitterly, "And juxtaposed with Chinese, the mathematics is also [-]%. Who is selected? It's just the shopkeeper and accountant! Of course, Mr. Ning has a high-sounding appearance. There are several of the six arts of a gentleman, and we can’t compare with those accountants. The basics of physics are private goods of that generation, but up to now, it cannot be said that it is unreasonable. After all, those who came to the Southwest, Mr. "I have read all of them... But what is the so-called Gewu thinking! On half of the test paper, one of the five patterns is different, and two are different from the others. Why are they different? Later, it was full of controversy. Mr. Ning was full of physics, Gewu , What is the relationship between these test questions and Gewu!"

"The five items for selecting a scholar, except that the language has a little relationship with the past study of the Confucian classics, the numbers, objects, and characters are all private goods. As for the last argument that Brother Lu said before, although it can be written about the situation in the world, it can be written. When talking about Southwest, don’t you still have to talk about his work? Now Southwest has muskets, hot air balloons, rockets, and factories and workshops all over the mountains and plains. If you don’t talk about these, how can you talk about Southwest? Once you talk about it And these, if you don’t understand its principle, how can you discuss its development? So in the end, all the things here are Mr. Nanning’s private goods. So these days, how many scholars went to the southwest It's not that he left angrily. Brother Fan's so-called not being able to get a scholar is right in his words."

When he said this, everyone nodded.Chen Junsheng with a stern face on the side threw a stick into the fire:

"It's not surprising. In the early years, there were rumors that the ambition of the devil in his life was to destroy Confucianism, but later, the Southwest did not ban Confucian classics, and even the Four Books annotated by Qin Siyuan, the right minister, attracted people's desires and followed the principles of heaven. Southwest sells a lot of classics for sale, and everyone in the world thinks that he has retreated in spite of difficulties. Who knows that this time when Southwest recruits scholars, it is only then that he is trying to see for nothing. Be merciful. The first volume of Chinese only tests literacy and hyphenation. First, everyone has been studying hard for decades, and then the methods of scheming and calculation are in the next few volumes. Treasurers, cashiers and the like."

Chen Junsheng didn't talk much along the way, but whenever he spoke, it was always on target.Everyone knew that he was talented and knowledgeable, so they couldn't help asking at this moment: "Brother Chen didn't pass the exam?"

Chen Junsheng said proudly: "What I send in my heart is not in the southwest. After reading it, I still have to go back."

Everyone was greatly admired, Long Aotian, who was sitting on the side, shrank his head. At this moment, he also felt that the scholar was domineering, and he was a little shorter - he is very skilled in martial arts, and he will be number one in the world in the future, but after all, he does not love Reading has nothing to do with learning masters, so people with profound knowledge are always a little unaware.Of course, Chen Junsheng was the only one who could give him this feeling at this time.

"The message in my heart is not in the southwest. After reading it, I still have to go back... Write it down and write it down..." he thought in his heart.When you meet other people in the future, you can also talk like this.

At this time, the sun had already set, and the stars and night rose in the dark mountains. Wang Jiang, Wang Xiuniang, their father and daughter, and two bookboys brought food to the side, and they continued to talk while eating.

"It's the same. In the past, people were still unaware of the theory of exterminating Confucianism in the Southwest. In the first half of this year, they became clear about these things. I have a few friends who came out together because of this, and are going to vote for Duke Dai. Jundao Southwest is so perverted, after all, big things will happen. People of my generation who are educated and educated will not be able to stay out of it in the future. Southwest certainly defeated the Jurchens for a while by relying on the way of shopkeepers and accountants, but Confucianism has been passed down for thousands of years. Could it be that it is really inferior to such a profit-seeking path?"

"It's useless to talk about moral articles. This statement is irrefutable. If you don't talk about moral articles at all, can it last for a long time? I think Dai Gong is right. He is unjust and helpless. Sooner or later, bad things will happen. It's just his bad things." , it is also possible to make this world chaotic for decades..."

"I think the essence of Southwest China lies in the study of things. The way of physics is indeed broad and profound, but the lack lies in moral articles. Studying things and governing the world can make the world's materials abundant and sufficient, but Confucianism emphasizes people's hearts. Between the two, what is important is a sublation It's just a measure."

"Actually, in the Southwest this time, although many people were caught off guard by the five test papers of language, mathematics, Ligeshen, the people with the sharpest thinking in the world are still among the scholars of my generation. After a while, those shopkeepers and accountants They can't take advantage of them. After my generation of literati have thoroughly understood the knowledge of Gewu, they will definitely use it better than the vulgar people in the Southwest. Mr. Nanning is known as the demon of the heart, but what he accepts are all kinds of vulgar things. It was the biggest mistake of his life."

"In my opinion, quick thinking does not depend on what you read. It's just that in my Confucian world in the past, most of the smart people were screened out in this way, but those who couldn't read became shopkeepers, accountants, Craftsmen... In the past, the world didn't know the benefits of things. This is a huge omission, but even if this omission is to be made up, it needs to be done by people with quick thinking in the crowd. Mr. Nanning is interested in things, I don't think it's wrong, What was wrong was that he acted too seriously. Since the elites in the world all studied Confucianism in the past, today only the Confucianist method can be used to screen out the elites, and then use these elites as a basis to gradually change them. This is the right way. Now These shopkeepers, cashiers, craftsmen and the like, because of their low-level qualifications, they are doing cheap business, and he screens out the middle-lower ones, and wants to make innovations, how can it be successful?"

"Brother's high opinion."

"Rational, reasonable..."

After discussing for a while, everyone talked about how many Confucian scholars in the southwest chose their future.One of the two newly arrived Confucian scholars asked, "Have you ever considered Duke Dai?"

Fan Heng, Lu Wenke, Chen Junsheng and others looked at each other.Fan Heng frowned: "During the journey, I waited for a few people to discuss with each other, and I did consider it, but at this time, I had a lot of doubts in my heart. To be honest, the situation that Mr. Dai encountered from last year to this year is really not good. It's easy, but his response, from afar, is admirable..."

When talking about Dai Mengwei's situation, everyone nodded to Fan Heng's statement.

Last year when the Southwest War ended, Dai Mengwei, as a descendant, saved millions of people from Zong Han and Xi Yin. The Huaxia Army has retreated, and besides the Southwest Huaxia Army, he is indeed the most glorious figure in the whole world.

In a sense, his operation of turning his hands into clouds and his hands into rain this round is even more in line with the Confucian literati's imagination of influential figures than the bravery of the Huaxia Army.Just like when the Kingdom of Jin was rising and the Kingdom of Liao was still alive, all kinds of literati in the Wu Dynasty came up with strategies to combine vertically and horizontally and strategize. It's just that the Jin people were too barbaric, and in the end these plans all went bankrupt.

However, Dai Mengwei's success this time has undoubtedly told the people of the world that with the sea-like strategy in his chest, he can seize the opportunity, make a decisive move, and use the power of Confucian scholars to control the world and applaud him.

Of course, despite such encouragement, in the following year, everyone knew more or less that Dai Mengwei was not having a good time.

Previously, the West Route Army of the Kingdom of Jin marched from Jingxiang to Hanzhong, and from Hanzhong all the way to Jianmen Pass. Almost all the cities and towns of thousands of miles along the way were burned, killed and looted. Water is stuffed in.

After the West Route Army withdrew in embarrassment, these people and supplies could not be taken away.Millions of people, the dilapidated city, the few supplies left, plus a few Han army teams with a large number of people and weak combat power... were all given to Dai Mengwei, although the Huaxia army temporarily She retreated, but Dai Mengwei was still left with an embarrassing mess.

For most bystanders at the time, if Dai Mengwei was really a rotten Confucian who only knew moral articles, then the Dai regime that was cobbled together due to the special situation may have been affected by various objective factors in the second half of last year. fall apart.

However, things did not develop that way.

In the second half of last year, when the founding meeting of the Huaxia People's Power attracted the attention of the world, Dai Mengwei also completed his political arrangements along the Han River.In the case of lack of clothing and food, on the one hand, he sought help from the outside world—mainly from Liu Guangshi; Therefore, Dai Mengwei himself set an example to practice strict frugality, and also called on all the people below to cope with the difficulties and resume production. Even on the banks of the Han River, he himself went fishing in the water to set an example.

For half a year last year, the area under Dai Mengwei's jurisdiction experienced a severe famine. Later, Cao Silong's rebellion broke up a narrow strip close to the Huaxia Army and became a neutral area.But in most of the places under Dai Mengwei's administration, the system of distribution of responsibilities from the army to middle-level officials, to village sages and elders has played its role within a certain period of time.

Although some people starved to death inside, except for the "just right" rebellion broke out in the tricky Cao Silong tribe inside, there were not many traces of turmoil in the rest of the place.Even this year, the miscellaneous generals and soldiers under their command who were originally still here by the Jurchens seem to have expressed their allegiance to Dai Mengwei more sincerely. All parties in the world have their own guesses about the detailed reasons. But the admiration for Dai Mengwei's methods can be regarded as the same emotion.

This old man who used his slanted wrist to stand in a high position in a blink of an eye did not just have some slanted plans in his chest. In terms of dignified governance, he did indeed have his own solid skills.

So much so that in the first half of this year, after the Confucian scholars who went to the southwest finally understood Mr. Ning's picture, they in turn praised Dai Mengwei even more enthusiastically.Many people think that Dai Mengwei has the attitude of an "ancient sage", such as Tie Yan and Wu Qimei in Lin'an City. Although they also fought against the Huaxia Army, they are really different.

"...When I was in the Southwest, I even heard some gossip in private that Mr. Nanning couldn't help but comment on Dai Gong. Although Mo and Dai Gong are hostile to each other, they cherish each other's abilities, and I have to admire them..."

In the light of the bonfire, Fan Heng shook his head and talked about the gossip he heard from the southwest, and everyone listened with gusto.After saying this, he paused slightly.

"However, I can't wait to come to Duke Dai's side. There are roughly three reasons... First, everyone has their own place to go; One piece, after all, is the first part of the journey of the Huaxia Army after leaving Sichuan. In the future, the Huaxia Army will really do something. Whether the world will take it for granted is two things to say, but the one who bears the brunt is probably unreasonable. , with a firm will, as the leader of the world, there is absolutely no room for change, and in the future, he will inevitably die, after all, this position is too close..."

"As for the third concern, it is the recent news on the road that people are being trafficked under Daigong's command. If this rumor is confirmed, it will greatly damage Daigong's reputation. Although most of them may be deliberately spread by the Huaxia Army, it can be implemented. Before, after all, it is inevitable that people will feel uneasy..."

When he said this, he slightly lowered his voice, and gestured towards the other people in the camp:

"The caravan's original itinerary was to stop in the north of Bazhong. Unexpectedly, when it arrived at the place, Chief Nalu came over and said that there was a new business, so he went all the way eastward. I inquired in private, and it is said that it came here On the other side, a group of people will be transported to Jianmen Pass... Dai Gong is short of food and clothing, and I am afraid that this year will not be greatly relieved. Many people are about to starve to death, so they have to sell themselves and their families together. They signed a death contract of 20 or 30 years, with little pay, and the caravan prepared some food, and they could take people away. People were transported to Jianmen Pass like animals. Contact with businessmen, you can make a lot of money in the middle.”

The fire was whimpering in the night, and the faces of the people around the fire were bright and dark. They remembered the scene of passing through the rugged mountain road. They did pass by two caravans suspected of being "traffickers" on the road, but these Most of the NPCs were sold "voluntarily", so they were not restricted in their freedom. It is difficult to say for sure, but imagining it now, I really feel that it is [-]% or [-]% credible.

"...Duke Dai is really in short supply of food. If you have tried your best, some people will sell themselves to the southwest, it seems... it is not a big evil..."

Lu Wenke thought for a while, then said hesitantly.

However, Fan Heng shook his head and lowered his voice: "If it is only sold voluntarily, then there is nothing to say, but if all of this involves the participation of Duke Dai's army and local sages, so what? The people under the rule who can’t support themselves are easily sold, while colluding with the black merchants in the southwest, the local village sages and the army have made a lot of money... If this is the case, what do you think?"

His deep voice was mixed with the sound of the wind, and everyone around the fire leaned forward to listen, even Ning Ji listened with his ears pricked up while grabbing an empty rice bowl, only Chen Junsheng picked up a branch and stabbed the person in front of him. In the bonfire, sparks rose from the sound of "cracking", and he smiled coldly.

"If this is the case, it can only show that Mr. Dai is really smart and powerful... Think about it carefully, in such a situation, his subordinates are not enough money and food to support so many people, so they sell the people who cannot support them at the bottom. Working in the Southwest, he obtained money and food, and used the money and food to stabilize the army under his hands, the elders, and the sages in various places. Because of the suppression of the army, the elders, and the sages, although there is famine in various places, there will be no chaos. Because the middle and upper levels have benefited, the mob left behind by the Jurchens was really united within a mere one year, and they sincerely recognized Duke Dai as the master. According to Southwest, it was Being united by Duke Dai..."

The branch in his hand pulled the flames: "In this chaotic world, if there is no such means, how can we really be able to share the stage with the Jinren in the North and the Black Banner in the Southwest, and wrestle each other's wrists. If it weren't for Dai Gong's ability, how could he get that Mr. Wei Ning's sincerely convincing statement of "the law of ancient and modern people"? As early as in Bazhong, I once said, where did so many people come from? There was also speculation at the time, but if it is true, I will be more attached to Mr. Dai. Gao Shan Yang Zhi, you must know that when he took over the land from the Jinren, his subordinates were still mobs. In a year, the interests of all parties were taken care of, and everything was organized from top to bottom. It was only after seeing these things that Mr. Ning really regarded him as an opponent."

"Of course you can say that." Fan Heng sighed, "But those who were betrayed..."

"In troubled times, they are still alive after all, so how can they complain?" Chen Junsheng said, "And they will be sold to the southwest when they live in the future. Think about it, they signed a 30-year contract of sale to those The black merchants worked hard without any rewards. For ten or eight years, the grievances broke out, and I am afraid that they also vented on the head of the Huaxia Army. When Dai Gong shows his benevolence, he may be able to win the other side. According to me Ah, Southwest said it respected the contract, but in the end left such a big loophole, that Mr. Ning is not exhaustive after all, sooner or later, he will suffer a big loss in these things..."

Everyone was in a complicated state of mind. Hearing this, they each nodded. Ning Ji next to him hugged the empty bowl and licked it. At this moment, his face tensed, and he couldn't help but nodded.According to this "cold-faced slut", the old man surnamed Dai is too bad. Like everyone in the general staff, he is a scheming dog who is good at digging holes...

And I overheard such a big secret today, so I don't know whether to write a letter back to warn my father.It is a big deal to run away from home, but the news from Dai Laogou is obviously a big deal too. It is difficult to make a decision for a while, and he licks his job in a tangled state...

(End of this chapter)