Ma Chao said: "Besides, the family has a lot of slaves and maids, and these slaves and maids are the population we urgently need. If we can get most of their slaves and maids, we will have a lot more taxes and a lot more soldiers, and our strength will naturally be stronger. Moreover, the family lost its land and population, and most likely went into business. The strength and influence of the businessmen are more than a little weaker than that of the landlords, and they are much easier to manage than the landlords. There are more merchants, and I can also prosper the goods in Liangzhou. Wasn't Liangzhou on the Silk Road? Just drive them to the Western Regions to earn back their wealth for us. ”

Ma Teng stroked his palms and laughed, and said, "Okay, Chao'er really played these families around, which not only weakened their strength, but also made them useful to me. ”

But after thinking about it again, Ma Teng said again: "However, Yang Fu is from a family, will he disobey the yang and the yin and harm our big things?" ”

Ma Chao thought about it and felt that since he had chosen to believe in Yang Fu, he should no longer doubt him, so he said: "It is precisely because Yang Fu was born in a family that he understands the psychology of the families better, and it is easier to drive those families to be used by me." Father, don't worry. ”

Ma Teng nodded and said, "How is the reduction of troops in your charge going?" ”

Ma Chao said: "It was already completed ten days ago, and there are 40,000 cavalry left on the surface. These 40,000 riders, all of them are elites with one as ten. Only 2,000 cavalry is enough to break through 10,000 infantry on standby, and 30,000 unprepared infantry cavalry. In addition, there are 10,000 infantry as the garrison of the city, which has been arranged in the name of the county soldiers to the city close to the imperial court and Han Sui, such as the street pavilion. They are also the elite of the elite, and they are equipped with heavy armor, and it is not a problem to maintain the formation and form a killing force with 1,000 men and 10,000 cavalry in the field. In addition to 40,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry, there are also 800 first camps, which are extremely elite. ”

Ma Teng nodded and was very satisfied, and said, "Yang Biao didn't embarrass you, right?" ”

Ma Chao smiled: "He thinks about it." In the early stage, I kept staring at the county soldiers, but I couldn't say anything, so I just gave up. Later, he presided over many of Gong Cao's projects, such as water conservancy and road construction, and he did not have the heart to pay attention to it. ”

Ma Teng said: "Speaking of Yang Biao, Yang Biao has carried out many projects, water conservancy alone is enough to irrigate eighty percent of our fields, and the official roads have also been repaired to the newly established four counties of Qiangzhong, and he also exhausted our retired weapons to cast swords into plows and build farm tools." The construction of other cities, treasury, schools, fortresses, forts, and post stations is also huge. He also wanted to build a more luxurious Thorn History Mansion for us, but his father was afraid that the people would talk about it, so he refused.

For this reason, the conscription he levied covered almost all the young and middle-aged people in Liangzhou, even women, children, old and children, and sent them, but the Xiliang army did not go, otherwise the 1.6 million people in Liangzhou would have been used by him to build the project.

Not only that, but because his project is so huge, most of our money and food have been consumed by him. If it weren't for my father knowing that you wanted to buy the family's land, dock fort and hukou, then we wouldn't have a penny or a grain of millet left. For this reason, Hu Cao Peng Yan Zhong has been complaining and persuading his father to stop Yang Biao. ”

After Ma Chao listened, he had to sigh that Yang Biao was scheming, because Yang Biao planned to use this way to drag down the Ma family until he perished.

Ma Chao said: "Father, my son looks at Yang Biao's move, it is 'Zheng Guo's plan'. ”

At the end of the Warring States period, Korea was the most severely invaded by Qin among the six countries because it was just outside the Hangu Pass. The land is the smallest of the Seven Heroes, and it often bribes Qin with land, so it is getting weaker and weaker. In order to resist the Qin State, the Korean monarchs and ministers came up with a clever plan: they sent the famous craftsman Zheng Guo into Qin, and Zheng Guo suggested that the Qin State overhaul the water conservancy, the real purpose was to "tire Qin", so that the Qin State would put most of its manpower, material and financial resources on water conservancy construction, so that it would not be able to send a letter to Guguan in the east and invade Korea.

Ma Teng exclaimed: "Chao'er is saying that Yang Biao wants to learn from Zheng Guo and drag us down with a lot of tiring and over-requisitioned projects?" ”

Ma Chao said: "Exactly. Yang Biao just wanted to use this name to levy the vast majority of the people, on the one hand, so that our forces could not be concentrated on the project, and we could no longer pose a threat to the imperial court; On the other hand, it consumes most of our money and food and weakens us; Moreover, the people are too busy with conscription to take care of farming, which can also weaken us. Moreover, we use frequent conscription to make the people resent us, so that the people's hearts will return to the court. Hmph, that's killing multiple birds with one stone. Er really said the wrong thing, he was able to get rid of Wang Fu and Cao Jie, and he really had some skills. ”

Ma Teng said angrily: "In this case, for the sake of my father, I will order Yang Biao to be arrested!" ”

Ma Chao hurriedly stopped: "Slow! ”

"Chao'er, why did you stop it?"

Ma Chao said: "Actually, Yang Biao's use of 'Zheng Guoji' may not be a good thing. Although he presided over the construction of too many projects, mobilized most of our accounts, and consumed most of the money and food, he did weaken us to a certain extent. But after all, he is conscientious, and Liangzhou has become more and more powerful because of the project he presided over, and the speed of Liangzhou's recovery is much faster. ”

Ma Teng said: "But what if it really affects farming? ”

Ma Chao smiled: "That's Yang Biao's miscalculation." At present, the winter wheat, millet, beans, etc. have already been sown, and the weeds in the fields have not yet grown, and the people do not need to bother too much to deal with them. ”

"Well, that's true. However, the hearts and minds of the people that we have won so hard will not be lost, right? ”

Ma Chao smiled: "This is even more of Yang Biao's miscalculation." If we build water conservancy, aren't we irrigating the fields that the people have been allocated? Didn't the city be built so that the people could have a place to take refuge when thieves were in rebellion? These are all diligent administrations, and the people will naturally be happy, but how can they be resentful? If the father is not at ease, he can give some money and food to those who are dedicated to serving the conscription and are positive, and the people will be more motivated and will not complain. ”

Ma Teng smiled: "Okay, just do what you say." In the past, after the construction of the Zhengguo Canal, the fields in Guanzhong were irrigated and became fertile land, which made Qin stronger and accumulated the strength to sweep away the Six Kingdoms. Now Yang Biao wants to be our Zheng Guo and help us become stronger, we can't treat him badly. So he gave him money and bread for his father, and enlarged his field of work for encouragement. ”

Ma Chao smiled: "Father is wise. ”

Ma Teng said: "However, because Yang Biao has too many projects, we still have to take out a lot of money and food as a reward for the people who serve in forced labor." I'm afraid we don't have so much money and food to buy the real estate and household registration of the family. Moreover, Yang Biao also consumed most of the weapons, and we still lack iron, Ma Jun often urges his father to raise iron as soon as possible, otherwise there will be problems in the creation of weapons. ”