"Phew!"

The sound of chariots and horses could be heard from the roads of the city, and when you looked down from the city walls, the crowds crowded together. Some people carry a bag on their backs, probably because they want to go to the market in the morning to buy something.

There are also people who stand on the tea stall on the side of the road and order a bowl of tea, eating their own dry food, looking at his dusty appearance, he should have walked a long way.

On the main road in the middle, trailers carrying goods come and go, and the people driving the carts urge the cattle and horses pulling the carts from time to time.

A few children hide in the corner, and the carts and horses that pull the goods sometimes turn some small goods upside down, and if the owner does not notice, they can pick them up. Sometimes it's a straw ball, sometimes it's some other gadget, whatever it is, they can always play together for half a day.

Now the four states under Cao Cao's rule, Qingzhou can be said to be rich, Xuzhou is not bad, Yanzhou and Yuzhou have gradually recovered from war and drought in recent years.

The head of the city is on a high place, and the wind in the high place is always very strong, Cao Cao's hands are on the city wall, the hem and sleeves of his clothes are slightly blown by the wind, looking at the scene in the city, with a smile on his face.

Gu Nan was standing beside him, and today Cao Cao suddenly said that he wanted to take her to see Xuchang together, so he brought her here.

Looking into the city, there was a commotion of people, but it made her heart settle down. At least it's much more stable than when you look at the dead silence of the battlefield.

"Look at that, sir." Cao Cao suddenly smiled and pointed to a place on the street, where several children were running through the crowd, holding a small object that had just fallen from a truck.

Reaching out and nodding it, it seemed to have written down the appearance of the children.

"In the future, when Xuchang opens a academy, those children must be disciplined well."

Gu Nan looked over and smiled lightly.

"Well, I made a note of it."

The two looked at the city wall for a long time, and saw many people, and on a street in a city gate, it seemed that there were all kinds of people in the world, and there were all living beings.

But if this is really the case in the world, there should not be so many wars and displacements.

Cao Cao raised his head, remembering when he had started, and sighed with a smile.

"Today's Xuchang is prosperous, almost comparable to Luoyang back then, and even surpassed. When I was still living in Chenliu, how could I have been like now. ”

But at that time, he was full of spirit, and he never thought that this road would be so difficult.

Leaning against the city wall, Cao Cao closed his eyes lightly, as if recalling the events along the way.

"Mr. said that Qingzhou is desirable, Cao led the troops to fight, came to Qingzhou, and it was really easy to take it down, and there was a foothold. At the time, I couldn't believe that it would be so easy to take a state. ”

After Qingzhou, the Yellow Turban was pacified, and more and more displaced people gathered, and they were helpless. He suggested that the agricultural tax should be reduced. Now the displaced people can live, the wasteland is cultivated, and the land is not just in the hands of the nobles. Although taxes have been reduced, the amount of grain collected has increased instead of decreasing. In this Yanzhou alone, there are millions of Hu a year. ”

The homeless people are not hindered, and the gentleman suggested that the market should be opened, the business tax should be reduced, and the merchants should be financed. As soon as the order is issued, the world's merchants will pass through the three states of Xuqingyan. And the big caravans are all supported by me. Only this Xuchang city is a city of ten thousand gold circulating every day. ”

"Now there is the art of printing, and it is possible to promote the writing and writing, and wait until the establishment of academies in various places in the future. With Mr.'s set of selection techniques, the excellent ones from the academies around the country were selected to Xuchang, and then the excellent ones were selected from the Xuchang Academy to enter the office. At that time, the talented people of the world came into my hands, and the scholars were no longer only from the noble family. ”

"Land, businessmen, scholars, and gentlemen are really playing a big game of chess. The world's scholars, princes, people, and even Mr. himself are all in this game of chess. ”

Cao Cao has always appointed the scholars, but he has also been on the guard against the scholars. He understood the power of the scholars, and was afraid that the scholars would be to him to the point where the princes were to the world, and it would become a disaster.

And where the nobles can do the trouble, it is in the land, food, wealth, and the large number of appointed scholars. Once they make it bigger, it is equivalent to being hollowed out. But now for him, he no longer has to be restrained by the scholars.

As long as he guarantees that the real power and strength do not flow into the hands of the scholars, the scholars will always be the sword in his hands and will never threaten himself.

And these guarantees are all from the handiwork of this person beside him.

Cao Cao laughed silently and looked at Gu Nan beside him.

"Mr. Gu, if I don't know your original intention, if you came on the way, I really don't dare to use you."

I can't imagine that the person who stripped them of their role little by little would be an idler who came to his house every day to teach, wandered around, and hardly paid attention to political affairs.

And what she did was actually only come up with three strategies.

He knew very well that if Mr. Gu wanted to, he would probably be even more terrifying than the entire family in the world.

But he also knew very well what Mr. Gu wanted.

The person in front of him is a very pure person, more pure than anyone in the world, she really seems to have only one purpose in mind, so he said that she deserves a better world.

Gu Nan smiled slightly at Cao Cao: "If one day, you don't want to use me, I will leave." ”

"Nope." Cao Cao shook his head and raised his hand to the city.

"One day I will bring Mr. Gu to this city again, and then I will build a tall building that will lead to Genting. At that time, Mr. Gu will definitely take a good look at the prosperous world! ”

Cao Cao looked out over the houses and crowds of people stretching away in Xuchang.

"That's what the promised, and I will do it. Until then, the gentleman can't leave. ”

He smiled and looked into the distance, but he didn't notice that the people around him didn't answer him.

······

After Yuan Shao's death, the three states of Hebei were left ownerless, but Cao Cao never waved his army to attack, but waited quietly.

Guo Jia once explained to Cao Cao that Yuan Shao had three sons, and the three sons were all open and secret, and the people under the account had their own support. Regarding the matter of inheritance, the three sons must have a dispute, so he suggested that Cao Cao Xianbi make a move. Just wait for the three sons to fight each other, and break them one by one, then they can easily take the land of the three states.

Therefore, Cao Cao has been standing still, just waiting for the three states to be in chaos.

Sure enough, within a year, Yuan's eldest son Yuan Tan had a fight with his youngest son Yuan Shang, and Yuan Tan was defeated by Yuan Shang and surrendered to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao ordered Xiahoudun, who had already garrisoned the army, to lead the army to the expedition, and took advantage of Yuan Shang's troops to attack Yuan Tan and marched to besiege Yecheng. Yuan Shang led the army to rescue, but after the camp was built, it was surrounded by Xiahoudun's army. Yuan Shang was frightened and asked for surrender, but Cao Cao did not allow it. So he fled by night, and Yuan's army was dispersed.

Cao Cao ordered Xiahoudun to take the seal ribbon of the captured Yuan Shang to surrender the defenders of Yecheng, and the fighting spirit in the city collapsed, and Yecheng was breached.

(Historically, Cao Cao moved his stronghold north to Yecheng, but there was none.) ）