The truth was just as Cao Ang had predicted.

Before the army arrived in Chengyang County, it met Xiahoudun, who led 2,000 soldiers and horses, escorted a cart of grain, and rushed in a hurry.

The two sides converge.

The crisis was lifted suddenly.

Not only did the Cao family's regular army increase in number, but it was able to control the prisoners more effectively.

At the same time the arrival of these grains.

It also ensures that no one starves to death along the way.

The tens of thousands of soldiers who marched with the army, after seeing this cart of grain, their eyes simply lit up, and they became more and more honest, and they strengthened their belief in following General Cao.

After all, after the surrender.

For so many days, they can eat hot food every day, even if they can't fill their stomachs, it is much better than the hard days when they ran around with the Yellow Turban Army and ate the last meal without the next meal.

Of course, there are no thorns in it.

It's just that the thugs and murderers who want to gather a group of people, forcibly snatch food, and then flee have become fertilizer for flowers and trees along the way.

It has made great contributions to Yanzhou's green planting industry.

And the vast majority of people have a firm belief that they want to continue to mix with the Cao family, and after seeing the grain truck, they have motivation in their hearts.

The mental numbness is relieved.

The speed of the march of the army has finally increased, and the displaced people are no longer moving away little by little.

Plus Cao Ang these days.

Every day when he was idle, he would take a group of people and walk around the team.

Pointing to the grain carts full of grain.

All kinds of painting flatbread.

"When you arrive at your destination, you don't have to worry about eating and drinking."

"Follow me, marry a wife and have children in one year, buy land in three years, and prosper in ten years!"

"There are so many fields in Yanzhou that no one plants them, and General Ben plans to divide the fields among those who perform well."

Words like that.

Cao Ang can completely change his tricks every day, and he will not repeat ten sentences.

Inspired by such a spirit.

Can the army still walk like a fly?

The second half of the journey, which was originally more than ten days, was directly reduced by more than half.

On the sixth day, they arrived in Dingtao County.

…………

Jiyin County Taishou Mansion.

Cao Ang leaned on the cushion with his hands and feet, and the whole person collapsed there without any image, not at all like the temperament he showed when he entered the city before.

"Squeak~"

With the sound of the door being pushed open.

Cao Cao stepped in.

Seeing his son like this, he hurriedly closed the door, and then laughed directly.

He is accustomed to seeing Cao Ang's maturity that is far beyond ordinary people, and he is always holding the pearl of wisdom, and everything is in his chest, as if nothing can linger in his arms.

Hence the scene at the moment.

It really made him laugh a little.

"My son, didn't you go into the city for the ritual music that my father arranged for you earlier, and you were a little tired?"

When Cao Ang led his army to Dingtao County.

Cao Cao directly led the crowd to greet him outside the city, and arranged many sounds of etiquette and music along the way, and even the people greeted him in the middle of the road.

It's just that it is unknown whether these people spontaneously ate pot pulp to welcome the king, or whether they were ordered by the government and forcibly asked to come.

In short, Cao Ang received a warm welcome.

Lao Cao gave him a very high pomp.

……

And after hearing my father's words.

Cao Ang rolled over on the spot, still slumped on the ground, but instead faced Cao Cao.

The whole person said a little lazily.

"Father, the child has led thousands of people, and has been fighting with tens of thousands of enemy troops for many days, and the string in his head has been tight, and he is so nervous that he doesn't dare to have the slightest slackness, not to mention how uncomfortable it is."

"It's just that in front of the generals of the three armed forces, as the commander of the army, I must maintain my majesty, so I dare not show the slightest clue."

"Only in your little cabin, when our father and son are here, can I relax a little and lie down comfortably."

As soon as the words fell.

The smile on Cao Cao's face instantly retracted.

It turns out to be a little more complicated.

The eyes were irrepressible, revealing his distress for Cao Ang and his care for his son as a father.

Oh, yes!

Sensei Guan Zixuan is so mature and calm on weekdays, but he is a young man after all.

This time, he led the army to the front line, facing an enemy who was more than ten times his own strength, thinking about strategies day and night, and constantly under great pressure.

Shouldering the heavy responsibility of strengthening the foundation of the Cao family, he gritted his teeth and did not dare to show the slightest flaw.

That's a lot of burden!

Cao Cao sighed a lot for a while.

couldn't help but take a few steps forward, sat down beside Cao Ang, and then patted Cao Ang's shoulder with his hand.

"Ang'er, thank you for your hard work!"

……

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Cao Ang finally recovered from his slack posture, turned over, and sat cross-legged beside Cao Cao.

Then he pointed out.

"Father, can you settle those Yellow Turban Bandit soldiers who surrendered to our army?"

I heard talking about business.

Cao Cao's expression was suddenly solemn, and he nodded solemnly.

"My son can rest assured, this matter happens to be what my father is good at, and tens of thousands of people have been placed in many places at the moment, just waiting for the next few days to properly solve them one by one."

Speaking of which.

Cao Cao asked rhetorically.

"Ang'er, what arrangements have you made for these young men who have been escorted back?"

There is such a large team involved.

How to arrange it must be discussed with a few strategists, but Cao Cao still wants to hear Cao Ang's opinion as a reference.

And Cao Ang heard this.

From the table on the side, he took a blank bamboo slip and spread it out in front of him.

While holding a brush and writing on it.

While narrating to Cao Cao.

……

"Father, according to the child's idea, this group of people should be divided into three parts."

"The sturdiest, the sturdiest, and the longest in the army, we will directly integrate them into our own army."

"This group of people should not be too many, the number of people should be controlled within 10,000, after all, the number of eligible people is about the same, and we can't afford to raise more people."

Cao Cao bowed slightly.

There is no doubt about it.

In troubled times, the military is a priority.

has obtained a living force, which must be the first to select the best part of it to supplement the troops and expand the Cao family's combat strength.

I just heard what Cao Ang said that it was controlled within more than 10,000 yuan.

Cao Cao still couldn't help but sigh.

The Cao family is still too poor!

They didn't even dare to expand the army more, for fear of leading to logistical and financial collapse, after all, when the drums of war sounded, 10,000 taels of gold could feed 10,000 troops and 10,000 displaced people, and those were completely two concepts.

If only they were as rich as the two brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, they could recruit twenty or thirty thousand soldiers and horses, and that would be fine.

And after jotting this one.

Cao Ang took another column.

Keep writing.

"The second is to pick out those who are slightly weaker than those who join the army, and at the same time have a more docile and obedient temperament, and arrange them to work in several mines."

"The child has found several mines in Shan Father County and other places, including iron ore and charcoal, and now it is the time when manpower is needed, but there is no large garrison there, so it is necessary to select honest and obedient people to go over."

Mines are important.

Especially iron ore, its role is so large, Cao Cao also knows it.

Therefore, this arrangement is essential.

……

"After picking these two groups of people, how do you plan to arrange the rest of the people, do you want to scatter them and distribute them to various counties, so that they can be used as Yanzhou population, or do you have other plans?"

Picked out the elite.

The rest are ordinary young adults.

In the past history, for the captives of this element, there are many power leaders who choose to let go directly, as long as you don't make trouble anymore and don't run out of my territory, then whatever you want, anyway, it is the population on the territory that I rule.

It's just that Cao Ang doesn't plan to do this.

He put the brush aside.

Then he turned his head and said to Cao Cao with a smile: "Just let them go like this, wouldn't it be a pity, no matter what, we have to let them work for us for a few years." ”

"Besides, at the moment, they are just a group of displaced people, there is no surplus food, even if they are released to various counties, I am afraid they will not be able to support themselves, and in the end, they will add a lot of trouble to the counties under our rule."

"Therefore, in the child's opinion, it is better to practice the method of cash-for-work instead of letting it go."

"What is cash-for-work?"

Cao Cao was a little dazed.

He didn't really understand this somewhat technical term, although he understood what disaster relief meant.

And in the face of his father's doubts.

Cao Ang flipped through another map from the table.

Map of Dingtao County.

Then he drew a circle on the place where the farmland was marked, and said with a smile.

"The so-called cash-for-work means that the displaced people will work for us, while we will provide some food to support them temporarily, and when the situation in Yanzhou improves, we will release them as ordinary people."

"And this work can be building city walls, paving roads, or even raising horses for us."

"But what our Cao family needs most at the moment is food, so you can plan a large piece of land as the army's military field."

"Then recruit these people into the army in the name of the army, and they don't need to go to the battlefield, just cultivate the fields for the army and plow them."

"In this way, not only can we increase our food reserves, but we can also properly house these people, and these precious young people will not be wasted."

……

Cao Cao blinked.

First, I looked at the map.

Then he looked up at Cao Ang.

Then I couldn't help but make a gesture of praise and sincerely admired.

"High!"

"I'm so tall!"

Cao Cao is completely convinced.

He understands the military cantonment system.

That is, the army goes to the battlefield in wartime, but when there is no war, it acts as a peasant, works and cultivates, so as to obtain a large amount of grain reserves.

And Cao Ang is doing this now.

It is to replace the army with the outcast.

The price to pay for the latter is considerable.

Just secure their rations, draw them a few loaves of bread, and promise to give them a field of their own after a few years of working for the army.

Presumably, these displaced people, who have been displaced and are accustomed to living a precarious life, will be more than happy to become a member of the army.

Of course.

Before the first wave of grain was produced, the rations of these displaced people in the early stage needed to be allocated by the government.

This is also a very large expense.

The Cao family can't bear it yet.

But Cao Cao was unfazed.

After solving the chaos in Yanzhou, he squeezed out Liu Dai and served as the pastor of Yanzhou.

It is completely possible to mobilize the power of a state, and it will not be a problem to feed these tens of thousands of people at that time.

The more Cao Cao thought about it, the more he felt that this plan was feasible.

He even stood up and paced left and right.

While slapping his face, he said with words in his mouth: "Not only that, if we need to expand the army in the future, we can even choose from these people nearby, and we don't have to spend time and effort recruiting them." ”

"That's a great plan!"

Cao Cao drew inferences.

Came up with another use for this group of people.

That is to be a reservist.

Think about it here.

Cao Cao hurriedly took the previous bamboo slip from the table, and then brushed it, and wrote the third article on the side.

And so on.

He felt safe.

……

The next half hour.

The father and son discussed several things in secret.

Including Cao Cao, after realizing the great role of cavalry, decided to continue to expand the size of cavalry.

It is planned that Cao Chun will be energetic, continue to buy war horses, train cavalry, and strive to make cavalry a trump card in the hands of the Cao family.

For this reason, Cao Cao even decided to tilt military spending towards the cavalry battalion to show his importance.

In addition, he paid close attention to the battlefield in Shouzhang County and always paid attention to Liu Dai's movements.

Rearmament warfare.

Keep your army in a semi-combat state.

Once they get the news of Liu Dai's defeat to the Yellow Turban Army, the Cao family father and son have to prepare to mobilize troops and horses, go straight to Changyi County, and come forward to clean up the mess.

These things are almost discussed.

Cao Ang said goodbye to his father and left.

……

It's just that after he left the Taishou Mansion.

Didn't go home immediately.

Instead, he sent someone to find Xu Jing.

Since Yanzhou is undecided at the moment, it is not suitable for any famous things such as the Yuedan review.

Therefore, Cao Ang's plan to "evaluate oneself" has not yet been launched.

And Xu Jing, as the core figure of this plan, is naturally in a semi-idle state.

On weekdays, I also help out, deal with some official affairs in the county, and when I have nothing to do, I put my family on hold, and my life is quite comfortable.

About a quarter of an hour later.

With the sound of footsteps.

Xu Jing appeared in front of Cao Ang.

"General, you are looking for the next step, but what is the important matter?"

Cao Ang smiled at Xu Jing.

Then he groped out a piece of cloth from his arms and solemnly handed it to Xu Jing.

"Wen Xiu, I need you to find someone for me, he should be in the area of Pingyuan County right now, and here are all kinds of information about him."

"You look for it according to the characteristics I wrote to you, and when you get to the place, ask around, and it shouldn't be difficult to find this person."

……

Xu Jing was stunned at first.

But it quickly reacted.

Didn't ask much nonsense.

Just unfolded the cloth, and in the flickering of his eyes, he had read through the words on it.

Then he smiled slightly.

"General, the characteristics you wrote on this are too obvious, as long as there is such a person there, I will definitely find him for you!"

Cao Ang nodded.

He handed Xu Jing a warrant.

"It's not safe to go to Pingyuan County here, you take this command and go to the Tiger Camp to transfer 200 people to set off with you."

"First, to protect your safety, and second, if this person refuses to come with you, you will forcibly tie him up!"

This guy has a lot to do with Cao Ang's next plans, so he's going to get it done anyway.

Even if it's a big deal, you have to see this person appear in front of you.

And Xu Jing took the order.

I also felt that Cao Ang attached great importance to this matter.

Immediately clenched his fists.

Shen Sheng replied: "The general can rest assured, his subordinates will definitely live up to their trust!" ”

……

The last thing is arranged.

Cao Ang finally had nothing to do and was light.

After returning to your residence.

I plan to sleep beautifully.

Just as he bypassed the front yard and pushed open the courtyard gate across the courtyard, he suddenly heard a pleasant sound in his ears, and as he kept walking, the sound became clearer and clearer.

Ding ding dong, like the sound of a clear spring.

Cao Ang didn't understand the level of technology.

All he could say was that it sounded good.

As for how good it sounds, and what level it belongs to, Cao Ang doesn't know anything.

But whether he understood it or not, it did not prevent Cao Ang from being curious, and instead walked in the direction where the sound of the piano came from.

And with the distance getting closer.

The sound is getting clearer.

The sound of the piano is even more beautiful.

This should have been played by Cai Zhaoji, right?

Cao Ang secretly guessed in his heart.

After all, since Diao Chan entered the door, in addition to singing and dancing, he has not shown his skills in playing the piano.

Not to mention Dong Bai.

Cao Ang seriously suspected that this little girl had no artistic cells, and belonged to the seven tricks and six tricks.

Then rule it out.

There is only Cai Yan left, this top talented woman who has been proficient in music and rhythm and even left a famous story in the history books.

Such speculation together.

Cao Ang's interest grew stronger and stronger.

Even the pace is a little faster.

……

Cai Yan is really in a good mood today.

In fact, strictly speaking, since she followed Cao Ang to Dingtao County, she has been in a very good mood.

No one bothered her on weekdays.

Just do her own thing, read when she wants to read, play the piano if she wants to, write when she wants to write, it's all up to her.

Such a way of life.

For a girl like Cai Zhaoji, who likes to be quiet and doesn't like to move, she prefers to delve into her own interests and hobbies and immerse herself in the world of literature and music than when she goes out and welcomes her to be sent off.

It couldn't have been more perfect!

Although she didn't have any friends in the house, at best, she was on the way from Luoyang to Dingtao County, and she was a little familiar with Dong Bai.

In addition, it is Diao Chan, who will ask her on weekdays if she has any needs for food and clothing, so she has dealt with her a few more times.

But Akihime felt that it was about the same.

Good fences make good neighbors.

Even if you want a good friend, you have to keep a little distance.

……

And for Cao Ang, who brought himself into this way of life, Cai Yan is full of gratitude.

I can even say that I am grateful.

If it weren't for Cao Zixuan's efforts to dissuade her from going to Hedong and bring her here with many words, how could she have such a tasteful life today?

Maybe she will have to be a busy bride in that Hedong Wei family, and live in the world, which is very bad to think about.

Not to mention that Cao Ang once told her.

Wei Zhongdao, who he had never met and had only heard his name, was a terminally ill person.

Think about it if you get married, and your husband will die within a year or two, leaving her alone with negative emotions and busy with all kinds of chores.

I shuddered.

And that's why I'm so happy today.

It is precisely because of Cao Ang.

Cao Cao was all over the streets of the city, preaching that Cao Ang returned victorious, and Cai Yan heard only a few words even if he was in the boudoir.

After hearing that Cao Ang had returned victorious.

And after no injuries.

Miss Zhaoji, who felt deeply gracious, was of course in a happy mood, so she improvised a song.

Just as she was playing.

While the thoughts are flying.

On the edge of the window facing the piano platform, a dark shadow suddenly appeared, which made Cai Yan suddenly startled.

The hands that plucked the strings couldn't help but mess up a little, and the next second there was a wrong note.

"Buzz!"

After a burst of trills.

Cai Yan pressed the strings with both hands and stopped playing.

Then she saw clearly that the so-called black shadow was the Cao Ang she was talking about.

……

Recommended commuter passes

(End of chapter)