Zhao Hou hurriedly explained: "Do you think that I am angry because of these profits? Not really. ”

"Have you ever seen a river burst? When the autumn water is filled, if there is a gap in the embankment on both sides of the river that resembles an ant's burrow, the gap will widen as the river washes away, and eventually leads to a breach. ”

"Now, these demands of the people are just for money, but they are like ant burrows in the river embankment, which looks small. However, over time, it will get bigger and bigger, until the levee bursts. ”

"I'm angry about the consequences of this cave in the riverbank. Do you think I'm just angry at that little ant cave? ”

Gong Zhonglian sighed and said, "Your Majesty, times have changed. ”

"The people all seek profit, know to seek profit, dare to seek profit. The embankment in the hearts of the people has been dug up, but it is still a small ant burrow in terms of performance outside the heart. ”

"You can't stop it."

"In the past, the water was controlled, blocked but not sparse, so that the river overflowed, and the world suffered from it.

"His son Dayu, blocking is not as good as sparse, after 20 years of the end of the world's floods, was lifted as the Son of Heaven, Emperor Shun gave way to Dayu, is a matter of enlightenment, Xia millennium foundation."

"What you want to block now, is the desire of all the people in the world to seek profit, is this something that can be done? I just finished telling you, there are four strategies in the world, do you have to choose the lowest strategy? ”

"I've already advised, you can't do the same up and down, the same benefits up and down, then please do the top and bottom transactions, the following interests and desires, this can keep the foundation of the Zhao family!"

"Times have changed...... Your Majesty, look at the world, it's no longer what it used to be. If you don't understand, how can I be at ease even if I die? ”

Among the letters that Gong Zhonglian saw, there were not only the demands of the peasants, but also the demands of the hundred workers, and the demands of the merchants.

In addition to these demands for practical material interests, there are also some political demands, because of the public opinion controlled and incited by the Mohists, so the fire is well grasped and hidden deeply, and it may not be impossible to agree, but there is a trap hidden behind it - as Zhao Hou said, it is the ant cave on the river embankment, which seems to be small, but it will expand day by day in the future.

The peasants demanded land, the laborers demanded equal rights and reduced taxes, and the merchants demanded profits, all of which were practical material interests.

The people of the hundred workers were willing to provide enough leather armor, weapons, and equipment, but they needed Zhao Hou to buy them with money, and resolutely opposed the direct collection of excess military taxes without the consent of the people.

The merchant was willing to provide enough money to support Gongzizhang's ascension, but the money would not be given directly to Gongzizhang, but would be traded through the Mo family as an intermediary, with the Mo family as a guarantee.

What the Mohists demanded was the monopoly of the grassland trade north of Takayanagi in the future, and the interest on this part of the money provided by the merchants could be used as shares for the monopoly of the northern grassland trade in the future.

Everyone is taking advantage of the fire to rob, from the Mo family to the merchants, to the hundreds of workers and farmers, all of them began to organize the "robbery while the fire is hot" under the organization of the Mo family.

Zhao Hou was angry, but once he sobered up after being angry, he knew his current situation very well.

Without food, money, and leather armor, it would be difficult for him to win this battle for the throne.

The army now is no longer what it used to be, no longer hundreds of sergeants and corporals, who go into battle with their own chariots and apprentices, and the victory or defeat of the chariot determines the outcome of the battle. Not to mention that dozens of elite chariots into battle like the Battle of Chengpu and the Battle of Liangtang can determine the victory or defeat of one of the three armies.

The intensity and scale of the war have increased much compared to a hundred years ago.

The advent of gunpowder, stirrups, and disciplined formations allowed the infantry of the common people to rise, the stirrups of wealthy yeoman farmers to replace chariots, and the artillery to replace archers.

Pulling up a team of tens of thousands of people, with hundreds of chariots and thousands of elite soldiers, as before, wants to dominate the outcome of the battle...... The battle of the water, the battle of the beam, and the battle of the aid have already given shocking answers.

Food, money, weapons and leather armor have all become indispensable and even decisive for the victory or defeat of the increasingly fierce and cruel war.

Therefore, the people can persuade the Mo family to "take advantage of the fire to rob".

And the Mo family's robbery has a tougher background and background:

There is no Mo family in Handan City, whether it can hold the siege of Ximen Leopard and the nobles of Zhao State, Zhao Hou does not dare to bet.

If Gao Liu was guarding against the more backward Hu people in the grassland, if he could devote himself to the battle between the sons of Zhao, he could quickly control Daijun, attack the city, and disintegrate the rebel aristocratic forces of Zhao.

Under these two confidences, Hu Feizi could sit high in Handan, let Zhongshuzi go five times in a row, and finally forced him to agree to the Mo family's conditions before agreeing to help defend the city.

And now, the soldiers of Takayanagi ...... Nominally belongs to the Zhao State, but under the military system of the Mo family, if the people of the Mo family do not nod, it is impossible for the soldiers of Gao Yanagi to go south. Zhao Hou knows this very well, he can't talk about the Mo family in terms of reasoning, but about the control of the army, those representatives, committee members, etc. of the Mo family infiltrated in the army, even if Gao Liu's Qu general is killed, Gao Liu's soldier Zhao Hou still can't be adjusted.

It's just that it can't be adjusted, Zhao Hou doesn't have much complaint, under the feudal system, the land that Zhao Hou can control seems to be the entire Zhao State, which is actually Jinyang, Handan, Zhongmu and other cities directly under the central government.

It's not just that Gao Yanagi can't move, but it's the same elsewhere, otherwise why would the Gongzi Dynasty rebel?

Now what Zhao Hou thinks is that once he agrees to these things to the people, it is tantamount to breaking the rules.

The Mo family has the rules of the Mo family, such as the current rules of the princes today, these two rules are completely different.

borrowed the people's grain and horses to be returned, this is the rule of the Mo family. ，

If you take away the people's grain and horses, you don't need to return them, this is the rule of the princes today.

If this rule is broken, will there be any unpredictable consequences in the future? Will it expand as rapidly as the collapse of an embankment, from an appeal for material interests to a political demand?

Gong Zhonglian didn't understand Zhao Hou's worries, but he had his own considerations, so he said again: "Your Majesty, I said, the cold lips and teeth and the close attack of distant friends are the policies that you need to constantly change. I thought you understood now, but you don't seem to understand now. ”

"The righteousness of the Mo family, you can't use it, it will cause trouble in the world, make the world rude and reform the rules."

"Wei Han's soldiers, you can't be unguarded, once the prince is on the throne, he will cut Handan to bribe Wei, and you can only choose to flee."

"Now, are you worried about the righteousness of the Mo family in twenty years? Or should you be worried that the soldiers of Wei and Han will support the Gongzi Dynasty and expel you? ”

"Now that the morality of the Mo family has spread all over the world, and Zhou Tianzi has not spoken out against it, do you want to be the first person in the world to oppose it? If you object, maybe Wei Zheng will immediately express his support, and the king of Chu will drink and celebrate that day. Do you think that the current Mo family is still the Mo family that only served with a thousand people back then? ”

"Now that the times have changed, you still use the strategy of Jinyang to guard Handan, which can't be kept. You still want to use the gift of King Zhou to merge the world, that's not it! ”

"I tell you again and again that if you want to annex the world, you must be the king of Zhao Min, not the king of Zhao."

"You know, why I got the news before, I don't care if Wei Han sent troops; Zhongshan rebelled against Wei, I don't care; I don't care if Childe raises troops? Why do I drag my crippled body to persuade you of these things that you are talking about today? ”

Zhao Hou shook his head and said: "I thought you thought that this was just like Jinyang back then, even though it seemed that the army was in danger, but in the end, the clouds and fog would disperse......

Gong Zhonglian shook his head with a smile and said, "Not really." ”

"When I heard the news that Gongzi Chao raised troops and Wei Han sent troops, what I thought was that the Emperor of Heaven would protect the Zhao family, and the Zhao State would rise in your hands!"

Zhao Hou pondered for a while and said: "What you are talking about, is it the matter of "The Fourth Year of Zhaogong", the so-called difficulties of neighboring countries, and it cannot be feared. or how difficult it is to consolidate the country and open up its territory; Or it is not difficult to lose its country and lose its defense. ”

"So-called, how difficult is it to prosper the country?"

Gongzhong Lian Xi said: "The gentleman's wisdom is exactly what it means to prosper the country with many difficulties. ”

"The Gongzi Dynasty rebelled, and many of the nobles returned to the Gongzi Dynasty. The fiefs of these nobles belong to the Zhao State, but can you have jurisdiction? ”

Zhao Hou shook his head, and Gong Zhong Lian said: "But if you defeat them, you send people who are not nobles such as Ximen Leopard of Wei Ye and Wu Qi of Xihe as officials, and you give them money as a lulu, so that they can carry out your will and collect the taxes there and pay them to the treasury of the national capital." Well, the land there is you can govern. ”

"What you have now is nothing more than Handan, Zhongmu, Jinyang and other places. However, once the rebellion of the Gongzi Dynasty subsides, you will have the danger of the entire Taihang and the martyrdom of the county. When the time comes, you will be able to requisition soldiers, grain, taxes, and cloth ten times as much as you are now. ”

"If power is centralized in the king, there will be change."

"Wei Li Kui's change of law, with the wisdom of Wenhou, Wu Qi, Tian Zifang, Duan Ganmu, Ximen Leopard, and Beimen Ke Zhixian, like a twinkling star, began to implement."

"Qin Shengxuan changed and invited Wu Qi, who occupied the West River, to enter Qin, the nobles were uneasy, and Qin's internal turmoil was imminent."

"The king of Chu changed the law, asked the ink man to train the new army, the city of Yan Ying, and even Qu Yi to defect, and the prince will get another seven cities......"

"It seems that Qin Chu is weak, but once the change is completed, they will all have a strength no less than that of Wenhou Zhiwei. Therefore, in the past, it was said that the difficulties of neighboring countries should not be safeguarded. or how difficult it is to consolidate the country and open up its territory; Or it is not difficult to lose its country and lose its defense. ”

"That's how difficult it is to prosper the country."

"Now Zhao Guo seems to have internal and external troubles, but these internal and external troubles are concentrated in one place, as long as they are handled properly, it will be the time for Zhao Guo to change the law!"

"At that time, you have military power, weakened the nobles of the Gongzi Dynasty, and recovered their fiefdoms, what can stop you?"

"If the law is not changed, the foundation of the Zhao family cannot be guaranteed. You think that Qin and Chu are in chaos, but after the chaos, they are changing the law, once they succeed, then why should the Zhao clan compete with them for the world? ”

"Now, the nobles have a lot of opposition to you, and you don't consider yourself the protector of the common people at this time, what are you waiting for? Wait for those ambitious people, wait for those who are good at inciting the Mo family to be the protectors of this common people? ”

"Now, it is the time for you to rely on Handan, Zhongmu, scholars, farmers, and industry and commerce to fight against the nobles and the old clan. You have to be the king of Zhao Min, not the marquis of Zhao. ”

"The land was distributed to the people, and the people paid their taxes to the state, whose state owned? Not yours yet? ”

"You are now using the heart of a feudal monarch to be the king of a country. The feudal lord cares whether the people in his fiefdom give the money to him or the state, and why do you, as the monarch, still think about this? You are the country! The country is you! Use the heart of a feudal monarch to be Zhao Hou, can this be done well? ”

"Now there is an opportunity for you to be the king of Zhao State, but you can choose to be the feudal king of Handan. It's like someone gives you a piece of gold and a stone, and you choose the stone. You're not a good monarch yet. ”

"The difference between a monarch and a feudal monarch, please think carefully. You have now become the Marquis of Zhao, but your heart is still Handanjun. ”