Chapter 180 Xun You’s Six Strategies
One stone of frost sugar costs 1.2 million, and one stone of snow salt costs 100,000.
One stone of corn can be exchanged for two hundred and thirty dollars per stone, one stone of frosting sugar can be exchanged for nearly five thousand stone of corn, and one stone of snow salt can be exchanged for more than four hundred and thirty stone.
Rice, millet, and millet are more expensive, ranging from 300 to 500 yuan per stone respectively.
Liu Xian is very interested in frost sugar and snow salt. In this era, sugar is not only a delicacy, but also a precious medicinal material for treating diseases, especially sugar with pure color and high sweetness. , is extremely popular.
However, although Liu Xian was very interested, he did not have enough power.
Before coming, Liu Biao, Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang and others made arrangements with him and allowed him to use money and grain to buy salt, with the upper limit of 30 million yuan.
Except for Nanyang County, which has suffered huge population losses, the other counties in Jingzhou can be considered intact, with the total population still exceeding four million.
Adult men of the Eastern Han Dynasty ate 8 liters of salt per year, women and the elderly and the weak ate 6 liters of salt, and children ate 4 liters of salt.
Based on the calculation of a couple plus two children, a family of four needs 22 liters of salt a year.
In the Han Dynasty, one liter was 200 milliliters, and the specific gravity of salt was two grams per milliliter, so each liter of salt weighed 400 grams, which is approximately 18 pounds.
Jingzhou has a household registration of more than 1 million, and the annual demand for salt is more than 150,000 shi.
The price of salt is 1,200 to 1,500 yuan per stone. Calculated at the lowest price, it costs nearly 200 million yuan.
The authorization Liu Xian received was completely insufficient to pay.
Logically speaking, the more dispersed the sources of salt in Jingzhou are, the better.
Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for Jingzhou to hand over all its salt needs to Xuzhou.
But who knows that the current situation is not normal.
The most important thing in Jingzhou at this time is salt, not the source of salt.
Liu Xian believed that as long as the situation was communicated back, Jingzhou would be willing to buy them all, and he would also be credited with a lot of credit.
So, Liu Xian expressed the need to send someone back to Jingzhou immediately to ask Liu Biao for instructions.
Liu Bei did everything he could and arranged a fast boat for Liu Xian's entourage.
Subsequently, Liu Xian, Xu Shao, Teng Zhou and others settled in Xuzhou temporarily.
Liu Bei arranged for Hua Tuo to go to the Yingbin Hotel to treat Xu Shao.
After Hua Tuo went there, he found that Xu Shao had asthma.
Liu Feng somewhat understood that this might be because Xu Shao was old and could not adapt to the climate of Jiangdong. In addition, Liu Yao's reliance on him made his affairs complicated, which eventually caused bronchitis.
Hua Tuo prescribed corresponding medicine to Xu Shao and asked him to rest more, and his condition would naturally improve.
Liu Bei also specially sent frost candy and ordered Xu Shao to nourish his body. He told him not to use too much, but to eat a little every day to replenish his vitality.
Xu Shao was very moved by this.
************
That evening, Xun You was once again invited into the state capital by a state car.
When he was about to get out of the car, he saw Xuzhou Fangbo Liu Bei and his son Liu Feng standing outside the car, looking at him with a smile.
Xun You didn't dare to ask for help and hurriedly wanted to get out of the car and salute.
But Liu Bei personally reached out to help him, which surprised and delighted him.
It must be said that Liu Bei's behavior combined with his earthy face is particularly impressive and convincing.
After being helped out of the car by Liu Bei, Xun You quickly took a step back and paid homage: "Unexpectedly, Uncle Fang treated you so kindly. You deserve it."
Liu Bei once again stepped forward and held Xun You's hand, and lifted Xun You up forcefully: "Mr. Gongda is a wise and talented man. Bei is dull by nature, clumsy and lacks strategy, so he has special admiration for such talents as Mr. Gongda." . I heard that Mr. Bei was in Xiangyang, so he overestimated his ability and sent me an invitation. It was because he didn’t know the etiquette. I really admire him beyond words, so I could only act presumptuously. I hope you will forgive me. "
It was Xun You who was well-informed and was moved by Liu Bei.
In fact, Liu Bei spoke sincerely, and there seemed to be a kind of magic in his words that made people trust him, and felt that these were the words from the bottom of his heart from an honest man.
“I’ve heard for a long time that Corporal Fang Bo was very thirsty for talents, and I was doubtful. But when I saw him today, I realized that the facts were even more true than the rumors.”
Xun Youben was a man. With a humble character, Liu Bei was so polite, even if he was dissatisfied, he would not say anything unpleasant, not to mention that Xun You was indeed very moved at the moment.
So Xun You reciprocated the favor and said: "Fang Bo is the leader of a state, but he is so courteous to the virtuous. Even if he cheats on others, he can still receive such kindness. I think this matter will be spread, and the outstanding people in the world will know about Fang Bo's heart." , traveled thousands of miles to come here to return."
After hearing Xun You's words, Liu Bei was so happy that he couldn't help but squeeze Xun You's hand and lead the way in: "Mr. Gongda, hurry up. Come in quickly, the banquet has been prepared, just waiting for you, sir."
Afterwards, Liu Bei held Xun You in front and led the way, while Liu Feng followed behind them. The three of them came to the back hall and divided the hosts. Bin sat down.
After the banquet began, Liu Bei did not persuade Xun You to drink, but carefully explained the dishes to Xun You.
Many people mistakenly think that the food in the Eastern Han Dynasty was very simple, but in fact, the Eastern Han Dynasty has been a period of explosion in cooking methods.
It's just that the wok has not yet been formed, so there is no cooking.
There are various production techniques such as clams, broiled, steamed, soup, roasted, mixed, waxed, pickled, preserved and so on. Although it is far less than that of Liu Feng's later generations, it was still very rich in the Eastern Han Dynasty. of.
It’s just that the costs of these practices are very high, and they are often not affordable by ordinary families.
Even if a noble family wanted to have a delicious meal, it would cost a lot of money and require a lot of manpower and material resources.
Liu Feng knew that Xun You was modest and frugal, so he was afraid that extravagance and waste would make him unhappy.
Therefore, most of the dishes prepared are common dishes. The main dishes are stewed meat, steamed eggs, and steamed fish.
Because of the addition of snow salt, the taste is extremely delicious and has no bitter taste. This makes Xun You surprised and happy, quite surprised and satisfied.
The wine is over half of the tour, and the food is over five flavors.
Liu Bei began to try to recruit Xun You and said: "Mr. Gongda has been coming to Xuzhou for some time. I wonder if he has any advice for Xuzhou and Bei?"
Liu Bei's thoughts, Xun You Knowing everything.
The so-called asking for advice is just a pretense. What the other party really wants to elicit is naturally the subsequent solicitation.
If you are willing to respond, you can naturally speak out and express your political stance. If the two parties are not conspiring with each other, then naturally they should not force themselves to get together.
On the other hand, it is also to demonstrate your abilities and talents so that you can be assigned a matching official position.
If there is no intention to correct it, just a few words of false praise will be enough to get it over with, and the other party will understand your position.
Xun You was silent for a moment, and then he said: "Uncle Fang governed Xu, cut down on food and clothing, gathered the refugees, and encouraged farming. These are all good governance, so there is no need for you to say more."
As soon as Xun You said these words, not to mention Liu Bei's eyes were disappointed, even Liu Feng was also very disappointed.
I didn’t expect that after working hard for so long, Xun You still looks down on his father?
In this case, we can only get together and part ways.
Although Xun You is a strong opponent, Liu Bei will never do anything harmful.
This is not only Liu Bei’s character background, but also a wise move.
If Xun You was invited to Xuzhou and was killed, how would the world think of Liu Bei?
Even the many scholars under Liu Bei's command would probably be furious about this.
Liu Bei couldn't hide his disappointment, but he still insisted on himself: "I must not forget what you said, sir. I would like to take a glass of wine here and wish you to meet the master of the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible and show off your talents." "
Liu Bei picked up the wine glass, but when he saw Xun You sitting still, his heart suddenly moved slightly.
But I heard Xun You said leisurely: "The foundation of Ming Dynasty is all in Xuzhou. Since ancient times, Xuzhou has been a place of hundreds of battles, easy to attack and difficult to defend. With Xiang Yu's courage, Emperor Gao defeated them all. You I am not talented, but I have thought of six unique strategies for Ming Gong. I am grateful for Ming Gong’s great love, and I would like to offer this to Ming Gong.”
Liu Bei was immediately overjoyed and responded quickly: "I would like to ask Mr. Gongda to say what he has to say, and I will listen attentively." , People everywhere are in dire straits. You leave from Chang'an and return to your hometown of Yingchuan. Then you go south to Xiangyang. Along the way, there are bones exposed in the wild, and there are no cocks in the land. There will definitely be a shortage of people."
"Minggong gathered the refugees and resettled them in the fields. This is a great policy. It will not only show Minggong's benevolence, but also increase Xuzhou's strength." "Ming Gong, you have been staying at Liu Biao's residence in Xiangyang for several years. The grain stored in Jingzhou can be as much as millions of stones. Ming Gong can send people to buy it. Jing Shenggong is trying to make a good relationship with Xuzhou at this time, so he will not do it. This is the strategy to block it."
"Ming Gong, Xu Yang has not separated his family since ancient times. In the past, the overlord of Western Chu was defeated by our Emperor Gao. This was the key to the struggle between the two sides. In the end, Emperor Gao succeeded in winning over Ying Bu, and immediately cut off one of Xiang Yu's arms and began to switch from defense to offense."
At the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Yingbu followed Xiang Yu, defeated Qin and restored Chu, and was named the King of Jiujiang.
The Jiujiang Kingdom at that time was most of today's Yangzhou, including Lujiang County and Jiujiang County in the north of the Yangtze River, Danyang County in the south of the Yangtze River, and part of Yuzhang County.
If Yingbu sides with Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu will no longer worry about the threat from the left wing, and he and Yangzhou will be horns with each other. They will have broad strategic depth. If Liu Bang wants to win, he will not be able to win. Even if there is no chance, at least the difficulty should be raised a few times.
Now Yangzhou also has the extremely mature Wu County, as well as the two kingdoms of Ouyue and Minyue that included the late Qin and early Han Dynasties.
Xun You is crazily hinting to Liu Bei that Yangzhou is the most important development direction of Xuzhou.
"Ming Gong, although the Central Plains is good, it is now a land of hundreds of battles, with wars and wars everywhere, and the refugees are displaced. This is a burden rather than a benefit."
Xun You's simple face showed a little excitement: "Gao Only when the emperor had full control of Yong and Yi could he succeed in one battle after repeated defeats. Why didn't Ming Gong follow the example of his ancestors and take Xu Yang first? If he retreats, he can stabilize the people and wait for the right time. If he advances, he can exert great power and eliminate the evil people. , Kuang assists the Han Dynasty, and his achievements are no less than those of Qi Huan and Jin Wenye."
"This is a strategy for gain."
Liu Bei nodded repeatedly when he heard this, and couldn't help but glance at Liu Feng. .
Because of Xun You's policy, his opinions were very similar to those of Liu Feng. Could it be that his son's ability was on par with famous men like Xun Gongda?
"Third, the battle between Cao Cao and Lu in Yanzhou has been going on for nearly a year." , at least half a year, Lu Bu will be defeated by Cao Cao, and he will have no choice but to defect to Xuzhou."
Liu Bei's heart thumped again, and he looked at Liu Feng again.
My son has a good temper. It is clear that what Xun You said is exactly the same as him, but he looks calm and does not show anything, he is really a good man.
"Ming Gong, if Lu Bu really comes to vote, this will be a hot potato."
A look of helplessness appeared on Xun You's face: "To be honest, Lu Bu was really kind to You in saving his life."
"Oh?!"
Liu Bei looked surprised. This happened In fact, he also knew that Liu Feng had told him about it, and he also praised Xun You as a very human being who regarded death as if he were at home.
"Is this happening?"
Xun You then planned to kill Dong in Chang'an, but failed and was caught. He was thrown into prison and waited to be questioned. Then he happened to meet Wang Yun and Lu Bu to kill him. Dong Zhuo narrated the story of his rescue.
Liu Bei listened and praised Xun You for not being afraid of life and death.
After a few humble words, Xun You turned around and said: "Ming Gong, no matter how changeable Lu Bu's temperament is and how he has no loyalty at all, he has helped the Han family and punished thieves. This is known to the whole world. . If Lu Bu comes to surrender, if Ming Gong takes him in, he may be in danger; if he doesn't, he may lose the hope of the world."
Hearing this, Liu Bei showed hesitation, which aroused Xun You. of curiosity.
"Did Duke Ming already have a countermeasure?"
Hearing Xun You's question, Liu Bei nodded: "I won't hide it from Gongda, but I have an idea and I want to ask Gongda for his opinion."
Xun You waited respectfully and said: "I don't dare, please make it known to the public."
Liu Bei said: "If his troops are sent to Qingzhou and placed under the command of Kong Beihai, what would Gongda think?"
< br>When Xun You heard this, he immediately laughed: "Ming Gong, this strategy is exactly what you wanted to propose."
It turns out that Xun You coincided with each other.
Xun You continued: "Kong Beihai has always admired Lu Bu very much and admired him very much. Lu Bu and Yuan Shao are like fire and water. If we put him in Qingzhou, he will serve as our northern barrier in Xuzhou. But we still can't be careless. , you need a resourceful person to be in charge of Langya, then you will have no worries.”
Liu Bei nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "What Gongda said is extremely reasonable, so be prepared to follow it."
Historically, Kong Rong admired Lu Bu very much and was full of praise, and Lu Bu was indeed very fond of celebrities. Not to mention being lenient and being made a fool by Chen Gui and Chen Deng, Mr. Chen was caught instead of betraying him, and in the end he pretended that nothing happened.
On the contrary, Gao Shun, who had made great achievements in suppressing the rebellion, was defeated. The camp he commanded was taken away by Lu Bu, and was left to his brother-in-law Wei Xu to lead it, until it was returned to Gao Shun during the war.
Xun You then offered three more strategies.
"The fourth strategy is a false plan to attack Guo. The Ming Dynasty can recommend Yuan Shao's son as a talented person, and at the cost of supporting him as the governor of Qingzhou, he can preserve the Beihai country that Kong Wenju ruled. In this way, , Duke Ming not only saved Kong Beihai, who was friendly to me, but also eliminated Yuan Tan's excuse to continue to expand and oppress me, Langya."
"The fifth strategy is to make friends far away and attack closely. Ming Gong can secretly send envoys to Bashu to make friends with Liu Zhang."
"Although Liu Zhang is a bit weak, he is not without wisdom. He does not want to make progress, but only wants Separating Bashu, we can form a secret alliance to help. "Jingzhou Liu Jingsheng is broad on the outside but tough on the inside. Looking at it from afar, he must have plans for Yangzhou." The envoys are here to make friends with Duke Ming, to test Xu and Yang, and to find out if there is any change in Yangzhou. Liu Jingsheng will definitely go down the river and attack the city. "
"The sixth strategy. It’s because the trees are blooming.”
After Xun You quenched his thirst for a while, he continued: "Now that the emperor is still in Guanzhong and is being bullied by the thieves in Liangzhou, Duke Ming is a clan member of the Han Dynasty. Why not send people to Beijing to pay tribute and let the emperor know that there are still clan members in Xuzhou and continue to pay tribute to him? Where is the heart of the Han Dynasty? "
"These six strategies are the strategies that you have worked hard to find, and they are all dedicated to Duke Ming. You can choose feasible strategies and try them out."
Liu Bei. He was overjoyed immediately, left the table and saluted Xun You and said: "I am not very happy to have Mr. Xun You give me advice. I am not talented, so I dare to ask Mr. Xun You if he can always be by my side. I don't have enough advice."
Xun You also got up and left. He sat down at the banquet and bowed to him, saying, "You have little talent and little knowledge. I didn't expect Ming Gong to be so kind to you. If Ming Gong doesn't give up, you are willing to do your best for Ming Gong."
"Okay! Okay! Great!"< br>
Liu Bei was overjoyed, walked quickly to Xun You and helped him up.
"Gongda, there are currently three positions, you can choose one."
Liu Bei introduced: "One is the prefect of Guangling. This position has been vacant for a long time. If Gongda If you are interested, you should be ready to recommend him.”
The prefect is a high-ranking official with two thousand stones, and he should be the central authority with the power to recommend and appoint him.
But since the establishment of animal husbandry after abolishing history, Zhou Mu has been like the master of a country. As long as his hard power is sufficient, he has long held the power of appointing and removing the governors and prime ministers of the following states, counties, and counties in his hands.
Although Liu Bei was a weak state pastor when he entered Xuzhou, he has won consecutive battles in the past six months and has firmly controlled the army. The gentry in Xuzhou also supported Liu Bei because of their low corvee and light service.
Coupled with Chen Deng, Mi Zhu and other pro-Liu faction activities, Liu Bei has transformed into a powerful state pastor in Xuzhou.
Among all the states in the world, I am afraid that only Yuan Shao of Jizhou can be stronger than Liu Bei.
It is precisely because of this that Liu Bei has been able to hold down the position of Guangling Prefect until now, and he decided it with one word.
However, under Liu Feng's persuasion, Liu Bei planned to split Guangling County into two. The part near the front line has been Guangling County for a long time, and the coastal area behind it was split into Haixi County.
Xuzhou is too small, and there are too few places to accommodate two thousand stone. It still needs to be expanded.
When Yangzhou is captured, this situation will be much better.
"If Gongda wants to stay in the state capital, I will treat him as a military aircraft agent."
Liu Bei then explained to Xun You what a military aircraft agent is. To put it bluntly, it means controlling Xuzhou's intelligence. Responsible for gathering all kinds of information and directly responsible to Liu Bei.
Although this position was originally created by Liu Bei, in terms of importance and trust, I am afraid that even Biejia's position cannot be compared to it.
"The third is that in addition to the position of Biejia, Xun You can choose the three positions of Zhizhong, Changshi and Gongcao." The status of celebrities in this state is an unspoken rule.
If Liu Bei breaks this rule rashly, it will definitely cause dissatisfaction among many Xuzhou scholars. This is completely unnecessary.
Xun You is also very clear about this and understands the reason.
Finally, Liu Bei added: "If Gongda has other ideas, feel free to tell Yu Bei. As long as it is reasonable, Bei will do anything he can."
(End of this chapter)