This time, Cao Cao is not a scoundrel, he really can't hold on......

survived the last locust plague, Cao Cao secretly called it a fluke.

In the battle with Yuan Shao, although he won, Cao Cao also saw a huge gap in his strength with Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao knew very well that Yuan Shao would never stop there. Sooner or later, heavy troops will be assembled, and they will commit another crime.

Qingyan is located in the plain, except for the Yellow River, there is no natural barrier.

Yuan Shao in the north, Liu Bei in the south, and Lu Bu in the east. The neighbors on three sides all have enmity with Cao Cao!

If you want to keep the existing territory, the most active and effective way is to expand the army and strengthen the army.

The land of Qingyan has experienced a locust plague and a war with Jizhou, and there are refugees without food and clothing.

These refugees can be used as a source of soldiers.

And Cao Cao also followed Yuan Shao's practice in Jizhou, allowing the local families and small princes of Qingyan to provide a source of troops.

Qingzhou and Yanzhou, since the Zhou Dynasty, are the regions with the most feuds.

During the Han Dynasty, this area was also divided into many princes and kings surnamed Liu.

With the decline of the Han family, these princes and kings surnamed Liu also gradually declined.

However, emaciated camels are bigger than horses. Although these small princes and kings have declined, the strength of the family is still there. Each prince and king had at least a few hundred slave soldiers.

Cao Cao used both soft and hard, and let these princes and kings contribute domestic slaves and soldiers.

Cao Cao thought that this move would be resisted by the princes and kings. And Cao Cao had already planned to take tough measures against these princes and kings if necessary to force them to comply.

However, what Cao Cao didn't expect was that these princes and kings were very cooperative and contributed domestic slaves one after another.

Some princes and kings also let their own children, with domestic slaves, join the army as a whole. Even, he brought his own weapons and food to join the army!

Cao Cao was overjoyed, accepted all the orders, and soon recruited more than 30,000 recruits. In a short period of time, Cao Cao's soldiers and horses soared from 40,000 to 50,000 to nearly 100,000!

The strength of the army has climbed, and the strength of the army has skyrocketed.

It did play a deterrent role in Jizhou Yuan Shao.

Then, after only a year of strength-boosting pleasure, the terrible side effects began to manifest!

Raising soldiers requires food and pay. In order to cope with the locust plague, Cao Cao gave almost everything he had, and he could not afford the huge expenses brought about by the surge in troops!

At this time, Cao Cao finally realized something. Those princes and kings responded positively, not to support themselves, but to let themselves raise people for him!

When the slaves of the princes joined the army, the food they brought was limited after all, and more food needed to be provided by Cao Cao!

Cao Cao secretly scolded these princes and kings, but he couldn't return these soldiers to others, then the loss would be even greater!

Cao Cao had no choice but to speak again and borrow money from Liu Mang.

……

Cao Cao is thick-skinned, and the princes in the world are unsurpassed.

However, Cao Cao also knew that asking others for borrowing was not a long-term solution.

Whoever has it is better to have it than to have it yourself. If my father and mother are rich, they are not as rich as themselves, not to mention that the money is still someone else's.

Opening up the way to make money and finding ways to make money by yourself is the long-term way.

Cao Cao ordered his subordinates to open up ideas, offer plans to make money, and offer strategies to make money.

Cao Cao's subordinates, Erxun, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, etc., are all extremely smart.

However, being smart doesn't mean making money.

Many people offered advice to make money and make a fortune, but with little success.

Cao Cao himself was also extremely smart, and he wanted to learn from Liu Mang.

Of course, it is impossible for Cao Cao to ask Liu Mang: How did you earn the money? Teach me.

Even if he asked, Liu Mang might not tell him.

Cao Cao sent a lot of secret agents to secretly explore and learn Liu Mang's methods of collecting money in Liu Mang's merger and division.

Liu Mang's financial resources are very extensive, in addition to vigorously developing commerce and opening up trade routes, it also includes various industries: Huren iron mine, Yanmen coal mine, Hedong salt pond and so on.

In the past year, Liu Mang has made the fastest money by selling crop seeds. Especially high-yielding wheat seeds and cotton seeds.

It is almost impossible to protect seeds from being stolen. Instead of spending manpower and material resources to protect, it is better to take the initiative to sell.

Liu Mang's way of making money, some Cao Cao can learn, and some can't.

High-quality iron and coal are very profitable, but Cao Cao can't learn.

Erxun is very capable, but they can't find iron ore, let alone make iron.

Cheng Yu is very strong, however, the cloth he weaves by hand is not even as good as the one woven by Huang Daopo with her feet.

Guo Jia is known as a ghost talent, but in terms of 100 skills, he is not at the same level as Song Yingxing, let alone the speed of speaking......

What Cao Cao can learn is to promote commerce and open up wasteland.

However, it is difficult for business and agriculture to achieve results in the short term.

Although Cao Cao spent a lot of effort, the embarrassment of finances still did not ease.

……

If this continues, there will be no money to pay the salaries, and if the army is not disbanded, the army will change sooner or later.

The competition for hegemony and the disbandment of the army are undoubtedly self-severing their arms and announcing to the world: Lao Tzu can't afford to play......

Cao Cao was difficult.

However, Cao Cao also has capital, that is, the land he occupies, and the special role he plays between Liu Mang and Yuan Shao.

In the northeast of the territory of the Han Dynasty, there was a situation in which Liu Mang, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao were divided.

Among the top three, Cao Cao is the weakest.

However, Liu Mang and Yuan Shao competed for hegemony, and everyone had to win over Cao Cao.

No matter from the perspective of geography or strength, whoever Cao Cao stands on the side of Liu Mang and Yuan Shao will take the initiative and gain an advantage.

Cao Cao is cunning, and he is clear about his role and role in the top three.

This is Cao Cao's capital, and it is the capital that he was cheeky enough to ask Liu Mang for borrowing again.

Cao Cao also thought about the worst outcome. If Liu Mang refuses to help, then he can't help it! Cao Cao was ready to open his mouth to borrow from Yuan Shao!

Cao Cao once betrayed Yuan Shao, although Yuan Shao hated Cao Cao in his heart.

However, as Liu Mang grew stronger and stronger, defeating the Jizhou army twice, Yuan Shao could not help but accept a reality - it was difficult to defeat Liu Mang quickly on his own.

Yuan Shao originally wanted to take advantage of Liu Mang's crusade against Yuan Shu to attack Cao Cao and avenge his defeat in Yanzhou.

Yuan Shao's staff gave Yuan Shao many suggestions.

They believed that if they took the initiative to attack Cao Cao, they could win, but they would inevitably lose both.

And Cao Cao has experienced a serious locust plague, and he must be very embarrassed at hand. Take the initiative to attack, it is better to wait and see.

When Cao Cao's economy collapses, he will launch an offensive again, and the result will be twice as effective with half the effort.

Yuan Shao did not take the initiative to attack Cao Cao, but also left a way back for Cao Cao, and when he couldn't hold on, he threw himself into his camp again.

Constantly changing sides is a despicable act that hurts people's expectations.

After all, Liu Mang controls the imperial court, controls the Son of Heaven, and also controls the righteousness.

As a last resort, Cao Cao didn't want to be derogated by the world as a capricious villain.

Cao Cao was in Yanzhou, tightening expenditures, increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. While sending Xun Yu to Liu Mang for help, he worked hard to open up financial resources.

It's easy to spend money, but it's hard to make money.

Although Cao Cao worked hard, the money became less and less, and life became more and more difficult.

Cao Cao really couldn't hold on.

In an irritable mood, Cao Cao walked around the room in circles, scratching his beard from time to time. He was pondering who to send to Jizhou to ask Yuan Shao for help......

"Report!" Konoe reported that a small colonel asked to see him.

"No, no, no!" Cao Cao waved his hand irritably.

He said...... There is a way to make money......" (To be continued.) )