20demayo Page 589
Page 589
This is not to say that Lu Buwei's talent is insufficient. In fact, since he became the internal history of Qin, Lu Buwei's talent has been recognized by the entire political circle of Qin State, and it is a very good one.
The reason why he looks down on Lu Buwei is entirely because of his businessman background.
Is the status of businessmen low in this era?
To be honest, it seems very low, but it is not low.
In the biographies of Shiji Huozhi, it was said: "The son of a thousand pieces of gold will not die in the city." He broke the law and was dragged to the gate of the vegetable market to be beheaded.
It is also said that "the prosperity of the world is for profit, and the prosperity of the world is for profit." How well-developed commercial activities are, and how deeply people have realized the truth of "If you want to be rich, do business".
This is the first era in Chinese history that "laughs at the poor but not at the prostitutes".
In this era, there were countless merchants in the big cities of the Central Plains, such as Handan, Taoyi, Linzi, and Luoyi. , and those who are happy to compare with it."
Big merchants like Lu Buwei, who are as rich as the enemy, are not as real as princes, but they enjoy almost the same things as princes.
The rise of merchants may not be considered bad news for farmers and craftsmen, at least there is another way out for farmers and craftsmen when they really can't survive.
But for the ruling class "shi" of this era, it is completely different.
Scholars, peasants, businessmen, and scholars here refer to a very broad concept, which can refer to both humble scholars and high-ranking nobles.
Once the merchants rise up, they naturally hope to gain power through their wealth, which arouses the uneasiness and hostility of the "scholar" class.
In the eyes of the scholars, the way of the merchants caused the peasants and workers to be uneasy about their jobs. It was an act that weakened the strength of the country and made the pockets of the merchants bigger, and they must be cast aside.
For Qin, which governs the country with Legalism, businessmen are even more unwelcome.
The principle of Qin's military merit system is very simple, it is the only way for civilians to go to the battlefield to earn military merit.
If the merchants are popular, it is tantamount to giving the civilians another way out. The civilians can make money as long as they work for the merchants, and why do they go to the battlefield with their heads in their hands?
Therefore, Qin's suppression of businessmen is the most severe, and discrimination against businessmen is also deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
This is also the most fundamental reason why the Qin Dynasty's rule is ultimately difficult to continue. Absolute freedom cannot be achieved in any era, but no matter in any era, civilians should not have only one choice.
The reason why Lu Buwei couldn't open the situation in Xianyang despite the dual identities of being married to Yangquan Jun Michen and being a prince teacher, is actually related to his identity as a businessman.
This discrimination is also manifested in another aspect.
Today's Qin State has vaguely formed a situation where the three giants Mi Chen, Cai Ze, and Lu Buwei stand side by side. If Mi Chen or Cai Ze speaks, then except for the other two who are also giants, the remaining Qin ministers basically The boss dared not interrupt.
But when Lu Buwei spoke, dissent immediately appeared.
A minister of the Qin State stood up and said to Lu Buwei: "Wei Wei said this, I will not take it. I think that Lord Wu An has already taken all the land of Hedong County, and Zhao Jun was passively beaten in Hedong County and did not fight back. From this point of view, the level of the Zhao army is no more than mediocre. As long as Lord Wu An leads his troops back to rescue Guanzhong, the siege of Guanzhong will be resolved, so why ask the king of Zhao for peace?"
Lu Buwei took a closer look and found that this guy turned out to be one of Mi Chen's subordinates. He immediately sneered and said:
"Most of the Zhao army led by Pang Nuan in Hedong County are soldiers and civilians from the county. It is natural that they cannot resist the Great Qin Lion. However, the [-] soldiers and horses led by Lian Po are all out-and-out elites. In the past few years, there has been no defeat in the Quartet. With Li Mu's [-] cavalry as his assistant, it is difficult for anyone in the world to compete with him. Moreover, Lord Wu An was defeated by Lian Po a few years ago. Ru An knows that this battle is easy Must be able to win?"
Lu Buwei spoke eloquently, what he said was well-founded, and there were previous battles as evidence, the opponent was immediately refuted speechless, and could only retreat in embarrassment.
Mi Chen on the side finally couldn't hold back any longer, and said in a deep voice, "Wei Wei's words are exaggerated. I think that Zhao Guo is now brazenly invading Guanzhong, and he is the unrighteous teacher. Wu An Jun is now holding the power of a great victory. Leading the army back to aid, and with the support of the elders of the central government, the people will surely win."
"People's hearts?" Lu Buwei sneered when he heard the words, and said: "Mr. Yangquan, there were more than a thousand kingdoms in the Zhou Dynasty in the past, but now there are only seven kingdoms left. Are all the monarchs in these ruined countries unpopular? Great Qin has no advantage in armies, and cannot defeat Zhao in military battles, so what is the use of winning the hearts of the people?"
The two men fought each other, and immediately started arguing in the hall.
Obviously, the relationship between these two people, who were considered political allies before, has completely deteriorated now.
The young Prince Zhao Zichu of the Qin Kingdom sat on the main seat, looking at the two important officials of the Qin Kingdom who were arguing fiercely in front of him, a look of impatience flashed across his face.
From Zi Chu's point of view, he is of course more inclined to listen to Lu Buwei's opinion and negotiate peace with the people of Qin.
But he is also very clear that Yangquan Jun Michen is his uncle first, and Qin Xiangbang has a pivotal influence, and his opinions cannot be ignored.
Zichu coughed, knocked heavily on the table in front of him, stopped the argument between Lu Buwei and Mi Chen, then turned his head and said to another important official of the Qin State who had not yet spoken: "Mr. Gang Cheng, you how about?"
Cai Ze, whose name was called, stood up unhurriedly, bowed to Zi Chu, and then said, "Prince, in my opinion, there are actually merits in the words of Lord Yangquan and Wei Wei. also."
"Oh?" Zi Chu raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised.
You must know that before this, Cai Ze and Mi Chen were at odds, so Zi Chu called Cai Ze by name and spoke more or less in the hope that Cai Ze could help Lu Buwei.
But now Cai Ze actually put on a stance that makes sense on both sides, which is very interesting.
Zi Chu asked, "I don't know what Gang Cheng-jun means by that?"
Cai Ze said sternly: "I feel that the crown prince might as well order Lord Wu An to send troops back to help and fight the Zhao people. If you can win the battle, then naturally it is the best. If you can't win the battle, you must rely on Lord Wu An's ability. It will not be a big defeat, and then we will consider the matter of negotiating peace with Zhao Guo. I wonder what the prince thinks?"
Of course, Cai Ze also has his own considerations.
Judging from the current situation, the Wang Lu recommended by Cai Ze is already abolished, so Bai Qi has become a target that Cai Ze cannot offend, otherwise Cai Ze will have a very difficult life if Bai Qi and Mi Chen team up .
So at this time, Cai Ze naturally wouldn't take the risk of offending Bai Qi to persuade Zi Chu and Zhao Guo to negotiate a peace.
But Cai Ze didn't want to offend Lu Buwei either. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Lu Buwei is Zi Chu's most trusted confidant. Offending Lu Buwei is tantamount to offending Zi Chu. That confidence doesn't take Lu Buwei seriously.
So Cai Ze's plan of not offending both sides came naturally.
Zi Chu frowned and thought for a while, then said, "What do you think of Gang Chengjun's plan?"
Mi Chen immediately said: "Prince, I have no objection."
Lu Buwei glanced at Mi Chen, and said after a while: "Prince, I have no objection."
Zi Chu nodded and said: "In this case, then quickly send someone to Hedong to convey my order to Lord Wu'an, and order him to quickly return the army to help Xianyang!"
Chapter 582 Congratulations to Jianguo (Fourth Change)
A large camp stood on a plain fifty miles north of Jingyang City, and more than 2 elite Zhao cavalry led by Li Mu camped here.
On this day, a group of convoys arrived from the north and slowly entered the camp under the escort of two thousand cavalry.
These convoys carried a large amount of grain, which was seized by Li Mu from Liyang City, first transported to the territory controlled by the Yiqu people, and now transported to Zhao Jun's camp.
Yi Qusheng was by Li Mu's side, and looked at Li Mu with a somewhat strange expression: "Li Mu, are you planning to burn Jingyang City again?"
Li Mu glanced at Yi Qusheng, then shook his head: "I'm not interested, I can't burn it."
He said he wasn't interested, but if he could really burn Jingyang City, Li Mu would really consider it.
The only problem is that there are now more than 5 Qin troops stationed in Jingyang City. It is absolutely courting death to attack a city with [-] defenders with [-] cavalry.
Yi Qusheng curled his lips and said, "If that's the case, then why do you still have people transport food here?"
Li Mu glanced at Yi Qusheng with a strange expression, and said: "Right now, you have looted all the villages and cities that can only be looted within a hundred miles, but now there is not enough food. If you don't transport food , so where does the army get food?"