Chapter 40 1. I remember flying on the grass back then

The few examiners in the Xiantong period of the Tang Dynasty blinked their eyes, maybe Chinese history is completely different. The biggest asset of young people is that they have an uncertain future in front of them.The biggest trouble for young people is that they don't know which choice to make in order to have a brighter future.It is like this today, and it was like this in the Tang Dynasty. It is estimated that it will be like this in another thousand years. When Huang Chao was young, he was also confused before the choice between being a bandit or the number one scholar.However, in the book Huang Chao read, it seems to be very clear: if there is a future in the examination of the number one scholar, then who will become a bandit?Moreover, Huang Chao did have the conditions to be the number one scholar in the examination: his family is not poor, and he is not stupid.It is said that when Huang Chao was five years old, he could recite one and a half poems. Children are young and ignorant, it is not easy to compose poems, let's compose another one.So Xiao Huangchao came up with another song: "The westerly wind is blowing and the yard is full of plants, but the core is cold and fragrant, and the butterflies are hard to come. If I were Qing Emperor in other years, I will repay the peach blossoms."

After all, it still means that.In today's words, it is called being very socially responsible since childhood. However, in the Tang Dynasty, which was approaching the end of the world, there were not many ways for young people to realize their own value. Apart from "killing people, setting fire and being recruited", the only right way seemed to be the examination of Jinshi.This is a road to heaven in one step. At that time, there was a poem saying: "In the year of Bingshen, the emperor of Yuanhe, thirty-three people became immortals together. Their robes were like rotten silver and brocade, and their prime ministers would ascend to the blue sky in the daytime." The risky and high-yield path, even if it fails the exam, seems to have no future troubles. The only trouble is that there are more people who take this path, and there are as many heroes as the crucian carp crossing the river under the bait.

It is said that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was watching the scene and said proudly: "The heroes of the world, enter my nest!" But he seems to have forgotten that there are still many heroes who have not squeezed into his nest, and they are going to get angry , Individuals may cause trouble. Examples are as follows: It is said that Huang Chao has participated in the imperial examination more than once, but unfortunately he failed all of them.This can't be completely blamed on Huang Chao himself. He is neither a descendant of Longxi Li, Qinghe Cui, Taiyuan Wang, Xingyang Zheng and other aristocratic families, and he does not have big figures like He Zhizhang, Bai Juyi, Han Changli who are willing to help him make connections. Mark the papers, and put yourself in the first place.Even if he wanted to cheat, he didn't make friends with a hero like Wen Tingyun who is eager for justice.He has quite a few friends, but they are all private salt dealers like Wang Xianzhi, Shang Junchang, etc. Jinshi examination is a gentle job, and Huang Chao can't ask Wang Xianzhi to carry two kitchen knives and squat at the entrance of the examination room to scare people Bar?

As for the article, it is the last part. Every time the great poet Jia Dao took an exam, he would put up a banner and go everywhere to ask others to teach him how to make sentences. When he saw anyone, he would worship: "My former husband, beg for a couplet, beg for a couplet!" Huang Chao is more or less the same The famous characters in all Tang poems are not much worse than this Mr. Jia Dao, right? Thinking about it, the chief examiners of those sessions really deserved to be killed. It was not good for them to omit anyone, but they just omit Huang Chao, the devil incarnation.But in any case, the facts of history are unchangeable: Huang Chao took the imperial examinations again and again, but failed again and again.Therefore, Huang Chao said in the Shang Dynasty: "If you fail to win the rank of Jinshi repeatedly, you will be a thief."

History is so erratic. Huang Chao's family has sold smuggled salt for many generations. The "New Tang Book" says that his family is quite rich, and the "Old Tang Book" says that he himself has done this business. In the late Tang Dynasty, many heroes were actually private salt dealers. In addition to Huang Chao and Wang Xianzhi, the famous ones included former Shu Wangjian, Wu Yueqian, Wu Guoquan minister Xu Wen and others.This is no accident.After the "Anshi Rebellion", in order to increase income, the imperial court implemented a national monopoly on salt, and salt profit became the most important source of income for the government.During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, the price of salt was only ten cents per bucket, during the reign of Emperor Suzong, it was increased to one hundred and ten cents per bucket, and during the reign of Emperor Dezong, it was increased to three hundred and seventy cents. Accounted for half of the total, amounting to more than six million yuan.In fact, the price of salt on the market is sometimes even double the official price—this forces many poor people to eat lightly.

Since the official sale of salt was so profitable, the government of the Tang Dynasty naturally attached great importance to maintaining market order.The imperial court stipulated that smuggling more than one bucket of salt should be punished with a stick, and more than one stone should be punished with death, and the means of transportation should be confiscated. A bucket of smuggled salt is rewarded with 1,000 yuan; within the local government, if there are two incidents of smuggling and smuggling salt in one month, the county magistrate will be dismissed; be punished. But even with such harsh punishments, private salt dealers are still quite active.This is not surprising, didn't Marx quote such a famous saying: "(capital) has 50% profit, it will take risks; for 100% profit, it dares to trample on all human laws; It dares to commit any crime and even risk hanging its head.” Salt smuggling, how many times the profit should this be?However, smuggling salt is not something ordinary people can do.But to smuggle salt, you must make a group of partners to act together, and you must have strategy, courage and courage, because you often encounter bandits and bandits or inspectors on the road to sell salt.No matter who they meet, if they are unwilling to pay the toll, the private salt dealers will inevitably use their knives.Therefore, the organization and combat effectiveness of the big salt dealers who survived the long-term fights are quite impressive.

Therefore, it is said in the history books that Huang Chao is good at riding and shooting, has a good eloquence, and can easily organize thousands of armed forces, which has a lot to do with his background as a private salt dealer.