Chapter 274: More Powerful Than a Tiger [Subscription Request]

In the afternoon, the sky is clear.

Cao Cao had a manor built outside Yecheng.

When Xu Yue brought his men here, Cao Cao was already in a farm on the outskirts of the city.

After being informed, Xu Yue entered the manor under the leadership of his personal troops.

There were colorful flowers along the way. In the village in early May, flowers were red and willows were green. A small lake was built in the village by diverting the Zhang River.

Various fruit trees and other plants are planted along the lake.

Red Hare, Claw Yellow, Yin and Rui were running around happily in the farm.

Dian Wei's wife brought more than 200 donkeys as a dowry, and they were also kept in a corner of the farm. The donkeys' braying could be heard from afar, one after another, creating a spectacular sight.

Dian Wei was like a dragon guarding a treasure. He would come to see his donkeys whenever he had some free time.

The first person Xu Yue saw was Jia Xu, and he said solemnly, "I greet the King of Dharma."

When Cao Cao was free, he wanted to have some fun.

Some time ago, he learned that Jia Xu wanted to give spies code names, so he personally took charge and gave them a series of code names and incisions.

The spies all claimed to be members of the evil cult and called Jia Xu the Supreme Dharma King.

The believers are ranked according to the underworld and the world of the living.

Person five is a secret agent in the mortal world, ranked in the top ten, and is responsible for carrying out missions.

The spies of the underworld have deep roots and rarely show their faces.

"It's OK."

Jia Xu praised Ren Wu, and then said, “But what you did was not clean, you should be more cautious.

For example, you bribed the night watchman in Tongyang County so that when you were escorting the target after the success, you could avoid being met by the night watchman in the city and causing trouble. Bribing people in advance is a big mistake.

After the bribery, the operation was over, but it was even more wrong not to clean up the contacts. "

Ren Wu bowed: "I thought if I stayed here, I might have a chance to be of use again when I go to Jiangdong in the future."

Jia Xu: "As a spy, don't think about keeping a long-term plan, as it will only increase the uncertainty.

Leaving behind is a clue that can be traced back. You seriously underestimated your opponent's mind. Use it once, and expect to use it again next time?"

Person 5 wanted to explain.

He had someone bribe the night patrol team and did not show up himself, so even if something went wrong, he would not be implicated.

But if the other party is smart enough, it is possible that he can follow the clues and set a hook to lure him.

Director Jia's considerations were more prudent. Xu Yue said, "Ren Wu has learned a lesson. Thank you, King of Dharma, for your teachings."

Jia Xu said nothing, turned around and took Xu Yue to see Cao Cao.

Cao Cao's laughter could be heard from a distance.

He was barefoot, looking at the seedlings in the field.

Diao Chan is dressed in a fiery red dress, while Wen Ji is dressed in a flowing white dress.

The two women were both extremely beautiful and were serving by the side.

A new batch of seeds was planted in the ground in early spring.

In a few months, it grows rapidly.

The vegetable shelves are full of green fruits, which look quite pleasing to the eye.

Cao Cao went to the fields himself not to show off or because he loved farming, but because he wanted to know the actual harvest and understand farming, which would be beneficial to governance.

When he saw Jia Xu bringing his men back, he came towards the edge of the field, followed by two sickly men, Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia.

Pull them over and get some exercise.

The three of them discussed as they walked.

"The first thing to do in agricultural management is to ensure that canals are dug and irrigation is adequate. We dug many canals when we were in Yanzhou. Now it has been almost four years, and the first batch of four canals will be completed this autumn."

Xi Zhicai readily cites data on these agricultural matters and grain preparations:

“The harvest in the counties on the south bank should increase by nearly 20% next year.”

Cao Cao sighed:

"We have conquered Wuhuan, but we still need to repair the canal, otherwise transportation will be inconvenient and the utilization rate of Youzhou will be low. From a long-term perspective, the sooner we start, the better."

As they were talking, Cao Cao came up barefoot.

Diao Chan brought water over and leaned over to help him wash his hands and feet. Cao Cao waved his hand, took the basin, and washed the mud off his hands and feet on the ridge. He put on his shoes and socks and said, "I've brought everyone back."

"Yes, Man Wu came back to report." Xu Yue said.

Cao Cao had recently asked them to find the best shipbuilder in the world.

Most of these people are in Jiangdong.

The spies in Cao's camp had long targeted a group of craftsmen, but had not taken any action.

All parties made preparations and took action on the same night. People who were targeted in many counties were looted and taken to Cao's camp together.

There are quite a lot of people brought back this time.

In the main house of Zhuangzi, Cao Cao met Wang Xuan, the chief craftsman from Jiangdong.

Speaking of Wang Xuan, not many people know him in later generations.

But his great-grandson was named Wang Jun, who was quite famous. He was a famous general in the Western Jin Dynasty and was knowledgeable and good at fighting.

He initially worked as an official in Hedong County.

In the eighth year of Taishi (272 AD), he was appointed governor of Guanghan. He had been engaged in shipbuilding for seven years and was very good at it. Later, he put down the rebellion in Yizhou and was transferred to be governor of Yizhou.

Because Jiangdong is close to the Yangtze River, the shipbuilding industry is prosperous, and there are eight major shipbuilding companies in total.

Boss Cao's northern troops suffered a lot during the naval battle of Chibi.

At this time, Jiangdong had ships that could go out to sea and head north. It had close ties with Liaodong, and they traded resources with each other, making a lot of money.

Cao Cao made preparations early and snatched these craftsmen back first.

The primary target is Wang Xuan.

There were 41 people in his family, young and old, all taken away together.

Some of them did not live together and were scattered in different cities, but they were plundered together.

Wang Xuan was frightened all the way, and only when he arrived in Jizhou was he told that the King of Wei wanted to rob them.

He was a craftsman, so his loyalty was not a big issue, and his life and death were in the hands of Cao's army. On the way, he was persuaded by five people to join Cao, and even had a preliminary discussion on his treatment.

At this time, Cao Cao looked at Wang Xuan who was brought over. He was about forty years old and had a normal body shape.

He gives people the feeling of concentration and diligence that is unique to craftsmen.

Wang Xuan knelt down and paid his respects, saying in fear and trepidation: "I am honored to meet the King of Wei." Diao Chan was making tea for Cao Cao on the side.

Wang Xuan glanced at Diao Chan inadvertently, his eyes froze, and he was amazed beyond words.

"Your ancestors have been building ships for generations?"

"Yes."

Wang Xuan retracted his gaze, prostrated himself respectfully, and mentioned his ancestors with great pride:
"My family has been shipbuilders since the Qin Dynasty. The Qin Emperor sent people out to sea many times to search for immortals and explore the seas. The large ships were built by my ancestors, as well as the Liu and Li families. The three families jointly supervised the construction."

"From sea vessels and warships to light and fast boats, and boats on rivers and lakes, I can prepare them.

There are twelve people in my family who have reached the level of master shipwrights and can build ships independently, and each of them is good at different ship preparations. "

Cao Cao was satisfied and said, "Very good. I have a chief craftsman and two deputy supervisors under me.

If you do well, you can be promoted to deputy supervisor, in charge of various ship preparations, are you willing?"

You have to know that today's craftsmen, no matter how great they are, generally have a low status.

Generally, the supervisor of craftsmen is a layman leading professionals, and is usually the confidant of the head of a faction.

Deputy Supervisor is also an important position, which is almost monopolized by people from the gentry.

Craftsmen like Wang Xuan, who are on the front line preparing ships, are just doing their job.

He never thought about becoming a craftsman supervisor, it was a quick promotion.

The conditions offered by Cao Cao were not only an increase in salary, but also an improvement in his social status, allowing him to leap into another class.

With the craftsmen supervising the craftsmen, it becomes a vertical management, and then all the staff are arranged to cooperate. For the production, the efficiency will be improved by many times.

Of course, there are also disadvantages.

But in wartime, keep things simple and focus on efficiency.

When it comes to employing people, Cao Cao's ability is unparalleled in the world. Just a few words from him can touch people's hearts, which is exactly what Wang Xuan longed for but could not get.

Cao Cao's subordinates had inherited a large number of craftsmen from Yuan Shao, including boatmen.

There are also four docks.

The joining of Wang Xuan and others has weakened the enemy and strengthened ourselves, making us even more powerful.

In addition to Wang Xuan, there were several other talented people who were also brought in, and Cao Cao met them one by one.

There are several more batches of people robbed from Jiangdong on the way.

In the afternoon, when Cao Cao and his party were on their way back to the city, they could see troops and cavalry from all directions marching around Yecheng.

Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun were both ordered to march north to guard against the Eastern Xianbei invasion in the spring.

The Xianbei envoys also left together, and it has been more than half a month.

Huang Zhong was sent to Liangzhou to take charge.

Cao Cao planned to take control of Liang Province as soon as possible, complete the unification of the north, reopen the Silk Road, and assist in economic recovery.

In Jiangdong, although Sun Ce no longer had any major opponents, the area was not stable, and there were many armed forces formed by the union of the gentry.

Jiangdong, like Jingzhou, is still in turmoil.

Cao Cao predicted that after pacifying Liang Province, if Jiangdong and Jingzhou united as they did in history, he would have fought the Battle of Chibi a few years earlier, sweeping both sides at once and defeating them, which would have given him the opportunity to unify the world.

At present, all parties are speeding up and making their own plans.

After the spring, Cao's army, like a tiger that had survived the cold winter, came down the mountain to hunt, and launched a new round of operations with great momentum.

When Cao Cao returned to Yecheng, he saw a herd of horses at the city gate. They were all first-class horses, about three or four thousand in total, being driven south.

Xu Chu led a team of more than 40 people and was selecting horses.

The people he led were all heavy cavalry.

After conquering Youzhou and the Hexi Corridor in Liangzhou, the heavy cavalry was also steadily expanded.

Youzhou and Liangzhou have been home to many brave warriors and many valiant and skilled fighters since ancient times.

After a preliminary screening in the two states, a total of eleven people were selected to join the heavy cavalry.

The total number of heavy cavalry was expanded to forty-one.

At sunset, Cao Cao returned to the mansion.

He entered the study room. The national seal and Chengying sword emitted a purple halo and hung on the side of the desk. The scene was wonderful.

"How's the Emperor doing?"

"Be ready to escape at any time."

Jia Xu said: "Kong Rong also went to Luoyang, trying to help the emperor escape."

"When the time is right, let them go. But guide them well and don't let them go astray."

Don’t get the point, what Cao Cao said was to let the emperor go to Yizhou.

Among the Thirteen States, Yizhou has the largest territory and the most fun.

It was located in a remote area and had not experienced much war during the turbulent times. Moreover, the Liu family, who were of the same clan as the emperor, was in power. Relatively speaking, this gave the emperor a greater sense of security.

And there is Liu Bei.

If he wanted to develop, the only place he could plan for was Yizhou, which covered Bashu.

If the emperor was in Yizhou and Da'er met him, how should he respond?
He had always wanted to revive the Han Dynasty, so it was just right to give him the emperor position.

It is actually not difficult to get the emperor to go to Yizhou on his own initiative.

The emperor had people arranged by Zhong Yao around him.

That night in the Luoyang Palace, a long-time attendant secretly handed a secret letter to the emperor.

The emperor was inspired when he opened the scroll.

The secret letter was actually sent from "Yizhou", saying that the Liu family was related by blood and was willing to welcome the emperor and would arrange personnel to meet him.

The Fu family had previously made efforts to contact Yizhou.

But there was no movement over there.

I didn't expect a sudden response.

The emperor did not know that the secret letter was a forged one, leading him to Yizhou.

On the same night, Cao Cao got up from Yu Qing's couch, went to the quiet room to practice, and then took out the Xiantai Seal.

Ever since the national seal and Cao Cao's destiny came together, the Xiantai seal, which had been silent for a long time, also began to change.

Cao Cao took it out.

On the seal, a thin silver line appeared among the countless spell patterns.

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(End of this chapter)