Chapter 3508 Who Is Begging Whom?

Chapter 3507 Who is begging whom

Generally speaking, whenever there is a political turmoil or a shake-up, the people who know about it first and start preparing secretly must be the upper class. Ordinary people don’t know anything at all, and even after it happens, they still don’t understand why the situation has suddenly changed so much.

The Cui family, of course, cannot be ordinary people who know nothing.

Cui Yan looked up at the sky.

The weather has not been very good these days. Even if there is sunshine, it only lasts for a short time and then will be covered by dark clouds.

The cold wind whistled from the north, pulling down the leaves of all the trees in Xu County.

Except for the cold-resistant pines and cypresses with coniferous leaves, all other broad-leaved trees were not spared.

So, is this big tree of the Cui family a coniferous tree that can survive this cold weather, or a broad-leaved tree that looks good but cannot withstand the cold wind?

Cui Yan is very careful with every step now.

But when he saw his son Cui Qin, he seemed to have no awareness of this.

Cui Yan was obviously not very old, and was far from the point where he needed to "beg for his bones". The reason why he said this was undoubtedly to test him.

Who was he testing?

First of all, his son, Cui Qin.

Unlike the later generations who had only one seedling in a hundred acres, ancient people, especially large families, must have advocated having many sons and grandsons to spread out. In addition to the most superficial principle that there is strength in numbers, there is also a rule hidden under the water, that is, there will always be good seedlings and rotten weeds in a piece of land. In a large family, among peers, an heir will be rolled out. Although not every family may be as exaggerated as the nine dragons fighting for the throne, in this process, generally everyone will have several opportunities. If they seize it, they will have the hope of inheriting a huge family property. If they don't seize it or mess it up, they will eventually become a sower who eats and waits for death.

The same is true for the Cui family.

Cui Yan does not dislike Cui Qin's ambition, but hates that he has ambition but does not have enough ability to match it.

Cui Qin had not shown any outstanding qualities before, so when he was sent to Xu County as a "hostage", Cui Yan naturally chose to let Cui Qin come.

As a hostage, it is not without opportunities.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were many hostages who became monarchs.

But the problem is that Cui Qin did nothing in Xu County...

Oh, not completely...

Anyway, Cui Qin must be the most familiar with the brothels in Xu County.

It is normal for young people to be lustful, but they cannot put aside their business.

Cui Yan now asked Cui Qin to come over and told him that he was going to "retire", which was actually to confirm Cui Qin's political sensitivity again...

But what disappointed Cui Yan was that Cui Qin did not realize that this was part of a political deal.

Politics is the art of compromise.

The children of ordinary noble families, or younger people, often think that the world is either black or white, good or bad, but Cui Yan knows very well that in this world, most things are difficult to distinguish between good and bad, not absolutely black or absolutely white, but gray.

The core of politics is to balance and coordinate various interests.

Since it is an interest, there are more or less, and there are priorities, so in this process, compromise has become a necessary art.

Compromise does not mean that it is necessarily a bad thing, nor does it mean giving up principles or succumbing to pressure, but in this process, finding a balance point between two or more parties...

The war situation in the world has progressed to the present, and it is no longer a problem between Fei Qian and Cao Cao. It may also involve major changes in the future Han Dynasty.

Only by thoroughly understanding this situation can we seize the initiative in future changes and even live a more comfortable life.

This has to mention the second object of Cui Yan's test, Emperor Liu Xie.

Emperor Liu Xie wants balance, which is nothing new.

Any emperor of the Han Dynasty who has some means will do this.

Granting favors, establishing authority, and balancing these three things are the basic skills of being an emperor.

If the basic skills are good, the court will be smooth, otherwise, there will be chaos from top to bottom.

Liu Xie is indeed working hard to learn and grow, which everyone can see, but the problem is...

There is no time!

If it were a peaceful era, Liu Xie could learn slowly, anyway, he is still young, but now the crisis is imminent, he must grow up immediately and take on the responsibility of the emperor!

But Liu Xie is still hesitating...

Liu Xie doesn't know where this balance point is?

Therefore, although Cui Yan has had a good chat with Liu Xie these days, there is actually not much progress.

Both sides want to use each other to achieve their goals, but are unwilling to make corresponding concessions.

They all wanted to have fun, but they didn't want to move. They all wanted the other party to take the initiative and move more...

Cui Yan's retreat was to make Liu Xie express his position. Otherwise, if it dragged on, something might happen. Secondly, Cui Yan had a sense of crisis in his heart...

He was close to the emperor these days, but these people in Yingchuan didn't react at all. This was obviously very abnormal.

So Cui Yan's third target of testing was the Yingchuan faction...

There is no need to elaborate on this point, and those who understand it will understand it.

In addition to these three superficial points, Cui Yan was also secretly testing the inside of the Jizhou faction.

Now this node can even be said to be the most critical moment for the Cui family.

Whether you are advancing or retreating, these are very critical choices.

Cui Yan hoped that even if Cui Qin could not understand all the key points, he could at least say something useful. However, Cui Yan did not expect that Cui Qin's first reaction when he heard that Cui Yan was resigning was that Cui Yan resigned. What about Cui Qin’s own position?

After all, in Han tradition, a good position for me means that my son will have a good position.

Although Cui Qin was a little dissatisfied with his role as a hostage in Xu County, he was still very satisfied with his life in Xu County.

After all, in order to appease high-ranking officials like Cui Yan, the treatment for their protons is not bad, and their food, clothing, housing and transportation will be arranged by dedicated personnel. The salary of ordinary officials may also be discounted. For protons like Cui Qin, not only will they not be deducted, they will even receive additional subsidies!

So Cui Qin's first reaction was that he didn't want his father to resign, but he couldn't explain why he didn't resign...

Cui Yan closed his eyes and drove Cui Qin away.

At the most critical moment, Cui Yan would never allow Cui Qin to mess up his plan, so Cui Yan ordered Cui Qin to be grounded and not allowed to go out without permission. He must concentrate on playing this game well and determine the status of Jizhou and Yuzhou. divided.

Because Yuan Shao fell before, Jizhou was lower than Yuzhou.

Now, it’s hard to say who is begging whom!

…

…

The news that Cui Yan wanted to "beg for bones" spread, catching many people off guard. It caused an uproar in the market, and many Yingchuan disciples couldn't help but gather together and talk about it.

In fact, many people knew the news that the emperor Liu Xie and Cui Yan were colluding to go public, but they did not expect that Cui Yan would suddenly withdraw his capital!

Doesn't this put the emperor aside? !

At the same time, Cui Yan's withdrawal of capital vaguely implies that Jizhou will be completely separated from Yuzhou!

"Cui Shijun's move is to retreat in order to advance, but it is so cruel! 』

"This retreat will put us and the others in Yingchuan on fire!" 』

"Once the Cui family retreats, the situation in Shandong will deteriorate, and it will have nothing to do with Jizhou..."

"Have you heard that this time Qingqi Ruo comes and wants to cut off the land of Hebei!" Mrs. Cui must be thinking about the future. If she is really cut off... then..."

"Wait a minute, don't you think this is too coincidental? There are rumors that the land in Hebei will be cut off, and the Cui family will shrink back to Hebei... If all this is planned by some people..."

"If the hussars really come, only we, Yuzhou Yingchuan, can stop them?" 』

"Isn't there Yanqing and Xu Jing?" 』

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"Don't you say you don't know what's going on in these places?" ! 』

"If you want to keep the Cui family, you will probably have to give them enough benefits..."

"This is simply taking advantage of the situation!" 』

Suddenly, it was like a huge rock hitting the waves, and the sky was filled with waves. Everyone was talking a lot, some were surprised and some were angry, but most of them were worried about their own three-quarters of an acre of land.

The people's hearts in Xu County are fluctuating, and they have gradually reached their extreme in recent years.

This situation occurs because, on the one hand, the proportion of official officials in Xu County is too high, so generally speaking, news leaks out quickly. It only happens in the court in the morning, or something is discussed in the afternoon. It will become the talk of the streets.

On the other hand, most people have no sense of confidentiality, and sometimes they will add fuel to the flames. After all, as a people under the feet of the Han Emperor, if you can't talk about political topics and the world's pattern on weekdays, then what kind of qualified people in Kyoto can you be?

Of course, in the rapid spread of these news, there may not be black gloves and white gloves from all parties.

Jizhou has Jizhou's methods, and Yuzhou also has Yuzhou's methods. Poor ordinary people in the cities and towns of Xu County are like grass and grass in the wilderness. They are blown to one side by the wind and hit by the rain on the other. On the face, you can only passively accept it, without any room for independent choice.

The hustle and bustle in the market can be said to be all kinds of strange, but of course the current political core circle in Xu County knows more or less what it is like.

In fact, a few days ago, Xun Yu had already paid attention to the mutual hookup between the emperor Liu Xie and Cui Yan.

This is actually inevitable, and Xun Yu also specifically asked people not to interfere, just to see what Cui Yan would do.

Cao Cao was in Heluo and Xun Yu was in Xu County.

If Emperor Liu Xie wants to cause trouble, no one will care. Because everyone knew that even if Emperor Liu Xie made a big fuss, it was just playing house, and there was a tacit understanding between the top and bottom of the court not to take it seriously. What is an emperor without soldiers, money, people, and power?

But Cui Yan is different.

Talking about Cui Yan alone is not a big problem, but Cui Yan is implicated in Jizhou, which is a big and troublesome political article. In addition, Jizhou is now also facing the threat of Zhao Yun's troops moving south in Youzhou, which makes it even more necessary to treat it with caution.

And more importantly, how should the Hussar respond?

The first thing is of course the soldiers and horses. Could it be that we want to pull out the field soldiers near Yingchuan? That would really be killing the goose that lays the egg. Even if it withstands the attack of the Hussars, it will leave Yanzhou and Yuzhou empty and delay farming. If there is no follow-up power, if there are any changes, I am afraid that it will never recover!

Then mobilize troops from other states and counties? When Cao Cao was mobilized last time, there were already some dissatisfied complaints. In view of Cao Cao's reputation at the time, he could still withstand the pressure. But now that Cao Cao has been defeated, it is not so easy to mobilize soldiers from other states and counties. , without some good communication and mobilization, or coercion and inducement, I'm afraid nothing can be done!

Again, how much time will Hussar give? Some people say that spring will come, others think that the Hussars will also recover, so it should be autumn. Some people say that the Hussars are vicious and they must wait until the end of summer, close to the autumn harvest...

If it is really to defend the Hussars, then Heluo must be the first to take the lead. No matter when the Hussars are dispatched, the Heluo area must be the first area to engage in battle. However, after the turmoil in the Heluo area, it has always been It is very weak, and the defense of Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Jizhou and other places is also important, so Cao Cao's Qingzhou Army can still only be in front!

The smart people in Yuzhou and Jizhou basically understand this. Even the emperor Liu Xie’s play-house mentality also knows this. Therefore, when Liu Xie and Cui Yan blended together, they hoped more to be able to sit down. Come down and talk, instead of actually breaking up!

Cui Yan's "Begging for Bones" captures this point.

Who begs whom?

This order is important.

Cui Yan's hint in the seal of "Begging for Bones" couldn't be clearer...

In the seal, it was stated that since he became the governor of Jizhou, he had been wandering around a lot, working hard, and was exhausted physically and mentally, so he wanted to resign. But in fact, the meaning was very clear. As long as Cui Yan, the "Jizhou Governor," "Provincial Governor" is worthy of his name, and even better, so there is still room for maneuver in Heluo's military affairs. Although it is not guaranteed to defeat the Hussars, it can at least stop the enemy!

Otherwise, Yuzhou must be allowed to play with itself!

This is indeed the case. If we can still get the support of Jizhou, then at least we can gain the time and resources to resist the Hussars. But if we really fall apart, it's hard to say. But the problem is, if concessions were made this time, what about next time?

The local government took advantage of the weakness of the central court to threaten state affairs. If this is the case, then who will threaten the court next time?

And there is a more serious problem. Even if Cui Yan agrees and compromises this time, will Jizhou's soldiers, horses, money and food really be sent to Heluo to supply the front line?

You must know that Jizhou is also facing the threat of Zhao Yun from Youzhou. Once Zhao Yun takes action, or even Zhao Yun fails to take action, the people of Jizhou will regard it as an excuse to refuse to deploy food, grass and soldiers. Then Xun Yu and others will If you give in, it will really become a joke!

Such is the dilemma.

Yuzhou alone can no longer support the huge military consumption.

The shortfall incurred in previous years has yet to be filled.

Over the years, I have relied on Xun Yu's left hand to fill his right hand, and his left pocket to fill his right pocket...

Just kidding, how is this possible? It’s not just relying on Yuzhou’s capital, Yingchuan’s wealth accumulated over the past century. However, this amount of money is a huge amount for a family or a region, but if it is really invested in the entire country, it is basically a drop in the bucket.

According to common sense calculations, if the war continues in Taixing for ten years, it will cost at least hundreds of millions of military expenditures. This large amount of expenditure may not be usable even if Yuzhou digs out all the coffins. Moreover, when it comes to military pay, you usually don’t owe anything, but if you really have to go into battle, you always have to pay a little money to buy your life. At least, these soldiers can feel comfortable before setting off, so that they won’t be restless after going into battle. It just means that you want this or that and then give up...

But where will this money and supplies come from?

Some people previously suggested melting copper and casting a batch of five-baht coins as military pay.

For the big guys above the court, this matter is nothing more than issuing additional currency, which can be considered a basic operation. During the Three Kingdoms period in history, all three countries issued various coins worth ten or a hundred, so don’t laugh at anyone. Anyway, those who suffered were the middle class. Ordinary untouchables had no money, so the impact was not that big. However, those handicraftsmen or small traders who had finally saved a little money were forced to continue to suffer and endure.

But this trick suddenly doesn't work anymore...

The reason is that today, all that is circulating in the market is Qiusi money!

Before the war, everyone thought that Fei Qian was stupid and printed copper coins in vain, almost just for Shandong. As a result, when the market is now full of hussar coins, even if the Yingchuan faction casts something worth ten to a hundred and forces the people to use it, it will not have the original effect.

This very simple financial method taught Xun Yu and others a solid lesson.

Therefore, the current situation requires the support of Jizhou, both in terms of manpower and money. However, the Yingchuan faction is also unwilling to compromise like this, so while pretending to be stupid, what is the deal with Cui Yan? How to deal with this "begging for bones" seal, the problem is still thrown to Liu Xie.

This issue may be the only major project and national decision-making that Liu Xie can handle in this period of time. But for Liu Xie, this determination is not so easy...

Liu Xie was anxious and worried, so he could only hold successive court meetings and summon ministers to inquire about the response. But how could Liu Xie be able to master these ministers' evasive tactics? Discussions and discussions went on, but nothing came of it.

Big meetings and small meetings, no results, discussions and discussions, no answers.

Time passed day by day.

Liu Xie had no choice but to issue a rejection order and rejected Cui Yan's application, but Liu Xie knew that Cui Yan's second request would be submitted again soon...

The atmosphere in the central government has been tense in the past few days.

This low-pressure atmosphere has also spread to Xu County. The originally bustling brothels and restaurants now have fewer singing and dancing parties. Everyone feels that an ice and snow storm seems to be coming, but no one can say for sure where this ice and snow storm will take the situation in Shandong!