Chapter 157 How many soldiers does Yanzhou have now [Subscribe]

The Bitan Jade Pen was made by Gong Mo, a skilled craftsman in the early Han Dynasty.

After the pen was completed, it was presented to Emperor Gaozu, the founder of the country, for his use.

Later, due to unexpected events, it was lost among the people. Whenever news of this pen came out, it would cause quite a stir among the famous people of the world.

Wen Ji and her father Cai Yong were both masters of poetry and prose. They were particularly fond of famous products such as pens, ink, paper and inkstones, which could be easily identified at a glance.

Cao Cao opened the jade box.

The pen was as thick as an index finger, about eight inches long, and was made entirely of beautiful emerald green jade with a faint green glow.

There are hidden patterns engraved on the pen barrel, and the nib at the front end can be replaced.

The amazing thing about this pen is its material. The jade used to make the pen holder is a rare treasure and is naturally moist.

It is said that ink can be used directly without dipping it in water, which provides a lot of convenience for writing.

Another scroll records the names of important Qingbi Li personnel, their backgrounds and other information.

"At the bottom of the box, there is also the Jade Screen Treasure Scroll, which is a secret treasure collected by my Qingbi Li."

Bai Ke said this in secret language.

Secretly presenting an extra treasure is a small way of giving gifts.

Having an extra treasure hidden secretly can often exceed the expectations of the recipient and is more likely to leave a deep and good impression.

Cao Cao had a lot of things to do, so he collected the things. Bai Ke and Bian Mei then took their leave.

When she returned to her cabin, Bai Ke patted her plump chest:
"The governor of Yanzhou didn't seem to care about our offering. His expression remained unchanged."

Bian Mei yawned: "He is just like that, except for some special times, you can't tell whether he is happy or angry.

Don't worry, Master's wife, he doesn't really care whether he sends gifts or not."

Bai Ke thought to himself, "With you here, I feel at ease. The most important 'treasure' of my Qingbi Li has already been obtained by the governor of Yanzhou."

Bian Mei yawned again, waved her hands and said, "I'm so sleepy, I need to take a nap."

Bai Ke curled the corners of his mouth, he was exhausted from last night.

Main cabin.

Cao Cao took the jade box containing the Bitan jade pen. There was a small layer at the bottom, and the things inside were more precious than the pen.

It is an exquisite jade wall that is nine inches long and three fingers wide.

There is dense Qin seal script written on it. Its full name is Yuping Yin Yang Tide Viewing Scroll. It is a method of practicing a secret art and is quite interesting.

Cao Cao took a glance at it and put it away, thinking he could read it in his spare time.

He handed the Bitan jade pen to Wen Ji:

"Your father must love this thing very much. Take it back and give it to him. Just tell him that I invite him to come over and have a gathering."

Cai Yong also came to Daye Lake two months ago.

He was almost sixty years old at the time. After coming to Yanzhou, he wandered around and wrote poems, feeling quite free.

He and Cao Cao had similar interests and hobbies, and they had a very good friendship and often gave each other gifts.

Wen Ji did not expect Cao Cao to give such an expensive pen to his father. Her eyes flashed with melancholy but charmingly:

"This Bitan Jade Brush is a rare and valuable item. How could my father accept it?"

"It's okay. If your father doesn't want it, just send it back to me. Go!"

Wen Ji took the jade pen, held it carefully in her hand, and walked out of the cabin briskly.

When Ling Jin walked into the cabin, Cao Cao stood by the window with one hand behind his back, looking out at the boundless blue waters of Daye Lake.

This time he went out to search for gold in a tomb and retrieve the Xunzhu.

Ling Jin's arms and half of his body were burned, and he came to see Cao Cao with white brocade still wrapped around his hands.

"Is this dangerous?"

"There is a thunder and fire formation in that tomb, and there is a hidden layer in the top wall. If you dig into the tomb from the top wall, kerosene will spill out and burn on its own, turning the entire tomb into a furnace."

"There is also a Yin-Yang well in the tomb."

“I discovered and avoided the gap between the lightning and fire array and the top wall.

This was the first time I encountered a Yin-Yang Well. The tomb was filled with kerosene, like water pouring into the well, with nowhere to hide. A raging fire immediately ignited."

"If it weren't for the fire-proof armor made by Mo Gong, I would have had a hard time escaping from the tomb this time."

Ling Jin explained the process of taking things:
“That tomb is a mother-child tomb, with an evil grave outside and no life-saving door.

It's like a box, with the outer tomb chamber enclosing the inner chamber. If you want to enter the inner chamber, you have to pass through the evil door, and there is no way around it."

"The owner of the tomb uses a murder hole to wrap the tomb. This is the first time I have seen it."

"From the perspective of Feng Shui, a grave surrounded by an evil hole will bring disaster to future generations, and it is difficult for them to have a good end. The cruel heart of this tomb owner is really rare."

"How is your injury?"

Cao Cao returned to the main seat from the window.

"Doctor Hua has personally examined it and said that new skin can be grown after a few days of care, so there won't be any major problems." Ling Jin then presented the information bead he had retrieved.

Seven beads, one main and six secondary.

They are all misty white in color and the size of a fingertip. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of water like the tide and the extinction of incantations as tiny as stardust.

The method of carving the spell pattern into the beads without destroying them has been lost in modern times.

Therefore, the number of Xunzhu in existence will become fewer and fewer.

This thing is very useful, so Cao Cao treasured it and kept it.

After Ling Jin left, he was busy until the afternoon.

There was a gentle breeze on the lake.

Only Diao Chan was left in the cabin: "The governor asked me to learn how to manage finances and taxes, and I also have something to report."

Cao Cao turned around.

The girl had her straight black hair tied up into a bun, and she was wearing a light pink, layered collar dress, with even the pleats at the neckline exuding a sense of refinement.

Cao Cao beckoned.

Diao Chan sat down in front of him in tacit understanding, and took off her embroidered shoes, revealing her white, tender and smooth feet. She pulled up the hem of her skirt to make it more convenient to sit, revealing her delicate and well-proportioned calves.

Cao Cao played with it casually, and Diao Chan whispered softly, "I have written down the flowers used in the county over the past two months. Would the governor like to see it?"

Seeing Cao Cao nod, she took out a small account book from her sleeve.

This booklet is different from the official account and is specially reserved for her and Cao Cao to read.

The booklet records Yanzhou's income and expenditure.

How much does each piece of armor consume? How much does it cost to forge one armor plate from raw iron?

"In the past two months, we have manufactured more than 3,000 pieces of armor in Yanzhou and built two additional industrial camps..."

Diao Chan said: "I have learned a skill, which is that I can see many other things through the accounts."

“For example, how many soldiers do we have in Yanzhou now? The cost of raising one cavalryman can support eleven infantrymen.

There is a big difference between the cost of equipment, maintenance of armor, and harnesses for elite cavalry and infantry, so the results can be seen through the accounts. "

Cao Cao nodded happily.

A few months ago, Diao Chan didn't quite understand this.

To master the power of one side and the complicated income and expenditure, one must fully understand the details and prevent someone from embezzling money in the process. There is a lot to learn.

"Then tell me, how many soldiers and horses do we have in Yanzhou now? How many infantry and cavalry?"

Diao Chan widened her eyes, pretending to think, flipping through the book and muttering to herself for a while:

"Our governor's office directly controls about 195,000 soldiers and horses. We say to the outside world that we have 160,000 soldiers and horses, but in fact we have nearly 30,000 soldiers and horses secretly, which is unknown to outsiders. It is our hidden trump card.

160,000 infantry and nearly 30,000 cavalry?"

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Your calculation is not accurate. I will punish you tonight.

It is true that some troops were hidden, but it is more expensive for us to maintain troops, because when forming heavy cavalry, a thousand soldiers can be equivalent to the cost of ten thousand people. This is where you miscalculated."

"Go out for a walk."

He put the girl's shoes and socks back on, stood up, holding Diao Chan's hand and walking out.

The sun sets.

Cai Yong and others also gathered by the shore of Daye Lake and fished.

The fish caught are slaughtered on the spot and grilled on the shore.

After baking, sprinkle a layer of fine salt, and it will taste fresh, fragrant and slightly salty.

Two ferocious beasts, one big and one small, came running out from behind a low hill near the shore. They were Yin and Rui.

Yin was holding a pair of big fat rabbits in his mouth.

Rui was holding two little rabbits in his mouth.

It looks like the whole rabbit family was killed.

The big rabbit was held in the tiger's mouth, but was not bitten to death. Instead, it rolled its eyes and saw its wife and children being caught by the tiger. It was doomed to die in humiliation, and it cried with the female rabbit on the other side. It was a true tragedy.

Yin brought the rabbit family to Cao Cao, meaning that he should eat them first.

It put the rabbit down and used its big head to push Cao Cao.

After two months in Onozawa, this guy's wild nature returned, with more of a fierce beast aura, but his body was extremely dirty, as if he had rolled out of a mud pit.

Cao Cao pushed its big head aside.

Xu Chu learned the art of tiger fighting and had a natural affinity for tigers. He took Yin aside, fetched some clean water from the lake, and gave it and Rui a bath.

"Meng De, I heard that the two generals around you are both extremely brave, and one of them is enough to defeat a thousand troops."

Cai Yong was dressed in dark brown Hanfu, stroking his beard and fishing, chatting casually.

"That's true. Zhongkang and Dadian are not only brave, but also loyal and reliable. I have always relied on them."

After Cao Cao finished speaking, Dian Wei quietly straightened his chest.

While Xu Chu was bathing Yin, he pricked up his ears to listen to the conversation here, and eagerly hoped in his heart: "The governor, please praise me, please praise me..."

"Among my generals, Zhongkang and Dadian are the best at charging into the enemy's formation and defeating the enemy, and it is easy for them to kill a general in a hostile army.

There won’t be another general as brave and loyal as Zhongkang and Dadian in the world.”

Cao Cao's words are highly praised.

After hearing this, Xu Chu was so satisfied that he almost jumped up with joy.

[You praised Xu Chu in front of Cai Yong, a famous scholar in the world, making him extremely happy. Loyalty value +0.5, +0.1, +0.1...77.5]

This fool just loves to hear praise.

This time, he was praised in front of Cai Yong, and his loyalty increased significantly.

Rumble!
There was a roar of thunder in the sky, and the midsummer rain came suddenly.

Cao Cao and Cai Yong returned to the boat. Each of them brought a small stool and went fishing on the deck in the rain.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu were holding umbrellas behind.

The two men scrambled to hold the umbrella for Cao Cao and almost got into a fight.

"Meng De, you have been leading the troops outside for the past two months, and I have been walking around Yanzhou to check things out."

Cai Yong turned to the main topic: "The farming policy you promulgated has been quite effective. Yanzhou should be able to have a good harvest this year."

Just last June, there was a locust plague in Yanzhou.

However, the scale was small, and coupled with the advance preparations for locust control, the destructive power on Yanzhou was limited.

Cai Yong and Cao Cao were talking when a soldier rowed up to them and said, "Governor, there is a letter from Chang'an."

"Chang'an?"

Cao Cao signaled Dian Wei to take it.

He then took the letter, read it, squinted his eyes, looked at the lake, and pondered in silence.

Cai Yong stretched out his hand and Cao Cao handed him the letter.

Cai Yong first looked at the signature and found that it was a letter from Yuan Wei.

Ps: I was delayed a bit because I was out for something, so I'm even later, sorry. Please vote~
(End of this chapter)