Chapter 89 Cao Cao and his chosen ones [Seeking follow-up reading]

“I am responsible for the overall population.”

In the study, Xi Zhicai was the first to speak.

He was quite thin, with a slightly pale face. He was the same age as Xun Yu, and was under thirty.

This man is a man of both civil and military talents. He is not only good at planning, but also proficient in military affairs. He is a qualified military strategist.

"Yanzhou has five counties and three states, with a population of over 1.6 million households. Chenliu County currently has 330,000 households, nearly 1.2 million people. The number of young and strong people is only one in ten."

Xi Zhicai spoke in a low voice for everyone to hear.

Cao Cao asked him to count the population of Chenliu County and the amount of arable land as quickly as possible.

In less than half a month, Xi Zhicai completed the population survey of the entire county based on the original county annals and other information with limited manpower.

You have to know that this was at the end of the Han Dynasty. The workload was so huge and the time was so short that it was absolutely impossible for ordinary people to do it.

Xi Zhicai not only checked the situation in Chenliu, but also collected information through Chen Ying and checked the approximate population numbers of several other counties in Yanzhou.

Including the current number of refugees and people without farmland in each county.

Sitting in the main seat in the study was Cao Cao, dressed in official robes.

To his lower left was Xun Yu, followed by Xi Zhicai, Chen Ying who provided intelligence, and a person sent by Yu.

Opposite Chen Ying was Zhang Liao with his back straight, and below him were the Cao family's relatives, including Cao Chun, Cao Hong, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun and others.

Only Jia Xu was not used to appearing in public and did not attend.

Zhao Rong, a captain from the Xiyuan Army who followed Cao Cao, and his family came to Chenliu, and were also qualified to attend the meeting and sat at the lower table.

Behind Cao Cao stood Dian Wei, who was as strong as an iron tower, and Xiao Xiang, who was silent.

The many assassination attempts they encountered after leaving Luoyang were the result of internal gatherings, and the two began to closely protect Cao Cao.

Less than a month after arriving in Chenliu, Cao Cao experienced four assassination attempts, all by assassins sent by Liangzhou.

The spies of both sides were also fighting against each other.

After Xi Zhicai finished speaking, it was Zhang Liao's turn to report on the situation of the troops:

"In the entire Chenliu County, if we do not distinguish between good and bad, the maximum number of soldiers that can fight is more than 20,000."

"Our own troops have grown to 11,000 people. We will temporarily stop recruiting soldiers and increase training to improve our combat effectiveness."

"In addition to the elite cavalry, I have 5,000 elite soldiers from Bingzhou under my command. They can fight on horseback or on foot, and they are the main force at present."

Zhang Liao looked around at everyone, with some excitement on his young face:
"These days, I have led various units to suppress the rebels and bandits around Chenliu. I have followed the governor's orders and used fighting to support training. So far, the results are good, but the weapons and armor are being consumed faster than expected. Madam Yu... can you urge us to do something quicker?"

Cao Cao wanted to control a powerful army.

However, the current situation in the court is far from enough in terms of armaments, food and wages provided.

Although Chenliu was self-sufficient, there was still a big gap.

When Cao Cao went back to ask his concubine, Yu Qing kicked her legs on the couch and said that Yu had no money either, and unless she was made the first wife, there would be room for negotiation.

This is Cao Cao's inner chamber secret.

He is also worried about money and food at the moment. He can't just focus on squeezing the Yu family to death. He has to find a way to increase the source of income, and do it quickly.

Before that, he killed Zhang Rang and ten other eunuchs and looted a large sum of money.

But maintaining an army is a bottomless pit.

Money is always spent faster than expected.

Armor and other military equipment, food and wages.

Cao Cao had made preparations in advance in Qiao County to expand his army of more than 10,000 soldiers and horses so quickly. With the full support of the Yu and Cao families, he was able to quickly equip himself with armor and weapons.

Yanzhou was an important granary of the Han Dynasty. It had lakes like Daye Lake and dense water systems such as Zishui and Weishui. It was rich in fish, cattails, lacquerware, silk, bamboo, etc.

The land in the state is fertile and suitable for farming and raising livestock.

However, the continuous increase in the number of refugees and their horrifying mobility spread like a locust plague, and even Yanzhou did not have much surplus.

Cao Cao was in such a difficult situation recently that he couldn't even afford to eat mullets, so he saved money to train and support his troops. The wealth he had accumulated from the Ten Eunuchs was not all gold and silver, and could only support him for three to five months at most.

If we don't prepare early and want to continue to expand and develop at a high speed, we will probably have to do as Jia Xu said and rob tombs.

It's okay to rob a tomb just to steal the money... Cao Cao was thinking.

Everyone talked and discussed, expressing their opinions.

Chen Ying was not a direct subordinate of Cao Cao and rarely spoke.

But as she sat in on the hearing, she was secretly moved by the various things reported by these people.

In less than a month, Cao Cao not only quickly gained a foothold in Chenliu, but also expanded his troops and increased his power.

The speed of its expansion is staggering.

Chen Ying personally participated in it, and what he felt most deeply was the abilities of the people under Cao Cao.

It seems that the word "great talent" is not enough to describe it.

Xi Zhicai alone could handle all the affairs of the county in two hours a day. The rest of the time he was busy with Cao Cao and developing his forces.

Cao Cao was only responsible for handling important matters screened and sent by all parties and giving directions.

There is also Jia Xu, the one who hides in the dark and doesn't like to show up in public.

Due to the exchange of intelligence, Chen Ying and Jia Xu had more contacts.

Jia Xu had only worked with her two or three times before he proposed improvement suggestions for some aspects of the Yuan intelligence system under her charge, with the aim of enabling him to communicate more quickly.

Chen Ying made adjustments according to what Jia Xu said, and indeed the efficiency increased greatly.

If Jia Wenhe could work for the Yuan family, it would be impossible for Dong Zhuo to hide the fact that he used the Yuan family's resources to develop himself from the Taifu... Chen Ying thought.

She glanced at Xun Yu who was sitting in the first position.

After Xun Yu came to Chenliu, he was responsible for coordinating all parties and personally visited the surrounding counties, which was a means of forming alliances.

Chen Ying paid special attention to it and found out that Xun Yu was using Chenliu's resources to cooperate and exchange with several nearby counties.

In later generations, this was called resource integration and coordinated development.

At present, it is a strategic way to unite the inside and outside to quickly promote its own expansion. At the same time, it avoids being excluded and isolated by the surrounding counties, which would hinder its own development.

These people under Cao Cao's command each demonstrated amazing abilities.

Chen Ying's thoughts flashed. If these people were given a few years together, what would happen? !
The night is getting darker.

The crowd continued discussing until midnight before dispersing.

When no one was in the study, Jia Xu appeared like a ghost: "The governor wanted to see me?"

"I haven't sent anyone to tell them yet, how did you know I was looking for you?" Cao Cao glanced at him.

"Zhang Liao is training his troops and is short of food and money. The governor wants to ask me about taking money from the tomb." Jia Xu calculated with his fingers.

After working together for a period of time, he figured out some of Cao Cao's character. He was not jealous of talent and mostly admired the abilities of his subordinates. Therefore, his attitude was more relaxed than before and he did not deliberately hide his shortcomings.

He also found that by showing himself appropriately, he could gain more trust from Cao Cao.

Whether it is Jia Xu or Xun Yu, they are both the best in the world in some aspects.

But Cao Cao… was the best in all fields. So he had no reason to be jealous of his subordinates, and he would not be afraid of them. He was content with what he did.

Cao Cao turned to the main topic and said:
"You dug graves before and got the ink bag and other things. I remember you mentioned that there seemed to be a group of special people who helped you dig graves. Can you find those people?"

"Yes, I knew the governor was going to raise money and food, so I sent a message a few days ago and asked the group to come over."

"According to the date, it should be here in the next two days."

Jia Xu: "We have also received news from Changsha that the diagnosis of Huang Zhong's descendant Huang Xu has come to an end. They are also on their way to Chenliu and will arrive in a few days."

Ps: It will be available on the shelves at noon on Friday. I would like to ask everyone to pre-order it in advance. Thanks

(End of this chapter)