"Hoo!"
The sound of driving horses and chariots can be heard on the road in the city. Looking down from the city wall, the crowd is crowded together, shoulder to shoulder. Some people carried a bag, probably because they wanted to go to the market early to buy something.
There was also someone who stood at a tea stall by the side of the road and ordered a bowl of tea while eating his own dry food. Judging by his dusty appearance, he must have traveled a long way.
On the main road in the middle, trailers carrying goods pass by, and the drivers of the carts urge the cattle and horses pulling the carts from time to time.
A few children hid in the corner, and the carts and horses pulling the goods sometimes overturned some small goods. If the owner of the car didn't notice, they could pick them up. Sometimes it's a grass ball, sometimes it's something else, whatever it is, they can always play together for a long time.
Among the four prefectures under Cao Cao's rule, Qingzhou is already rich and prosperous, Xuzhou is not bad, and Yanzhou and Yuzhou have gradually recovered from wars and droughts in recent years.
The head of the city is at a high place, and the wind is always strong at high places. Cao Cao leaned on the city wall with both hands, and his clothes and sleeves were slightly blown by the wind. He looked at the scene in the city with a smile on his face.
Gu Nan stood by his side. Cao Cao suddenly said today that he wanted to take her to see Xuchang, so he brought her here.
Looking at the city, there was a lot of noise, but it made her feel at ease. At least it is much more stable than when looking at the dead silence on the battlefield.
"Look at that, sir." Cao Cao suddenly smiled and pointed to a place on the street where several children were running among the crowd, holding a small object that fell from a truck just now.
He reached out and nodded, as if remembering those children.
"When Xuchang opens an academy in the future, those children must be disciplined well."
Gu Nan looked over, and smiled with her lips pursed.
"Well, I made a note."
The two looked at the city wall for a long time and saw many people. On a street in a city gate, it seemed that there were all kinds of human beings and all living beings.
But if this is really the case in the world, there shouldn't be so many wars and displacements.
Cao Cao raised his head, recalled when he started, and sighed with a smile.
"The prosperity of Xuchang today is almost comparable to that of Luoyang back then, or even worse. When I was still living in Chenliu, I never imagined what it is like today."
But at that time, he was full of enthusiasm, and he never thought that this road would be so difficult.
Leaning against the city wall, Cao Cao lightly closed his eyes, as if recalling what happened along the way.
"Mr. said that Qingzhou is desirable, so he led his troops to take a fight. When he came to Qingzhou, he really took it down easily and gained a foothold. At that time, I couldn't believe that it would be so easy to take down the next state."
"After Qingzhou, the Yellow Turban was pacified, and more and more refugees gathered, so there was nothing to do. My husband suggested farming and cutting agricultural taxes. Now all the refugees can live, and the wasteland is reclaimed. The land is not only in the hands of the gentry. Although the tax has been reduced, However, the amount of food collected has not decreased but increased. In Yanzhou alone, there are millions of dendrobiums a year."
"It's not a problem for the refugees. My husband also suggested opening a bazaar, lowering the merchant tax, and financing the merchants. Once the order is issued, the merchants in the world must pass through the three states of Xuqing and Yanzhou. And the largest caravans among them are all supported by me. Only In this city of Xuchang, ten thousand gold circulates every day."
"Now there is the technique of printing, we can promote calligraphy, and wait for the establishment of academies in various places in the future. With the selection method of Mr., the academies in various places will select excellent ones to Xuchang, and then select excellent ones from Xuchang academies to become officials. At that time, talented people from all over the world will come into my hands, and officials will no longer only come from the gentry."
"Land, merchants, officials, sir are really playing a big game of chess. The world's nobles, princes, people, and even the master himself are all in this game of chess."
Cao Cao has always employed the nobles, but he has also been guarding against the nobles. He understands the power of the gentry, and he is afraid that the gentry will treat him like the princes treat the world, and become a disaster.
The place where the gentry can cause disaster is on the land, food, financial resources, and a large number of scholars appointed. Once it is made bigger by them, it is tantamount to being emptied. But now, for him, he no longer has to be restrained by the gentry.
As long as he guarantees that the real power and military strength will not flow into the hands of the gentry, the gentry will always be the sword in his hand and will never threaten himself.
And these guarantees are all from the handwriting of the person beside him.
Cao Cao laughed uncontrollably, 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 dare not use you."
Even the gentry would never have imagined that the person who stripped them of their functions bit by bit would be an idler who went to his mansion to teach every day, wandered around, and hardly cared about political affairs.
And what she did was actually just propose three strategies.
He knew very well that if Mr. Gu thought about it, he would probably be more terrifying than the whole family in the world.
But he also knew exactly what Mr. Gu wanted.
The person in front of him is a very pure person, purer than anyone else in the world. She seems to have only one purpose, 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 anymore, I will leave."
"No." Cao Cao shook his head and raised his hand towards the city.
"One day I will bring Mr. Gu to this city again. At that time, I will build a high-rise building that leads directly to the top of the cloud. At that time, Mr. Gu will definitely let Mr. Gu see a prosperous world!"
Cao Cao looked at the distant houses and crowds in Xuchang.
"This is what Mr. Fuck promised, and he will definitely do it. Before that, Mr. can't leave."
He looked at the distance with a smile, but didn't realize that the people around him didn't answer him.
······
After Yuan Shao's death, the three prefectures in Hebei had no owners, but Cao Cao never sent an army to attack, but waited quietly.
Guo Jia once explained to Cao Cao that Yuan Shao had three sons, and the three sons fought openly and secretly, and the people under the tent each supported them. Regarding the inheritance, the three sons must have a dispute, so he suggested that Cao Cao should take action first. Just wait for the three sons to fight each other and defeat them one by one, then they can easily win the land of the three states.
So Cao Cao has been standing still, just waiting for the three states to chaos themselves.
Sure enough, within a year, Yuan's eldest son, Yuan Tan, had a fight with his youngest son, Yuan Shang. Yuan Tan lost to Yuan Shang and begged for surrender from Cao Cao.
Cao Cao ordered Xiahou Dun, who had already been stationed at the side, to lead the army, and took advantage of Yuan Shang's attack on Yuan Tan to march and besiege Yecheng. Yuan Shang led his army back to rescue, but after the camp was built, it was surrounded by Xiahou Dun's army. Yuan Shang was frightened and asked to surrender, but Cao Cao refused. So he fled by night, and Yuan Jun broke up.
Cao Cao ordered Xiahou Dun to take Yuan Shang's Yinshou Festival axe to surrender to the defenders of Yecheng. The fighting spirit in the city collapsed, and Yecheng was captured.
(Historically, Cao Cao moved his base north to Yecheng, but not here.)
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