Chapter 82 Chapter Eleven

After serving as the emperor and gaining the stability of the initial regime, Cao Mengde made up his mind to revitalize the basic issues of the people's livelihood first. "Guo Jia, in your opinion, what is our immediate priority?" Cao Mengde asked. Guo Jia replied without hesitation: "Only by developing production and stabilizing people's hearts can the world be prosperous and prosperous." yes!People depend on food, and without food, they can’t get people’s hearts. Don’t the Yellow Turbans make trouble for their stomachs? Zhang Ergou, who was dying but asked for a full meal, and the scene he witnessed on the way out are again in the Cao Mengde's mind flashed.

"Although Yuan Shao owns Jizhou, which is famous for its abundance of food, the army still often needs to feed on mulberries. The Yuan Shu army stationed in Shouchun needs to rely on shellfish in the water for a living. There is no food, and there are countless invincible and self-defeating small armies." Guo Jia further analyzed. "But who has the ability to manage agriculture?" Cao Mengde asked impatiently. Guo Jia said: "Zaozhi is the most qualified." Zaozhi was originally a magistrate in Yanzhou. When Zhang Miao and Chen Gong rebelled, Zaoyi stood firm in Dong'a and made great contributions to Cao Mengde. Cao Mengde quickly found Zaoyi and talked directly about how to manage food.

Zaozhi said: "The Qingzhou army that was reorganized four years ago was almost all peasants, and they were allowed to set up military settlements for post-war agricultural reclamation; at the same time, exiled refugees and local people were recruited to cultivate, and the government rented out the cultivated land and seedlings. If the government borrows public farm tools to cultivate cattle, the harvested grain will be divided according to a certain percentage, which will definitely increase the enthusiasm of the people to grow grain.” Cao Mengde held Zaozhi's hand tightly and said: "You are very reasonable. Yanzhou has gone through wars, and the fields have no permanent owner, and the people have no permanent residence. Heart, on the other hand, the supply of the army is fully guaranteed.”

Zaozhi added: "With the revival of agriculture, work such as repairing embankments, building bridges, dredging rivers, and controlling ditches must also be carried out accordingly. I suggest that Han Hao assist me. He is quite capable in water conservancy." Han Hao was originally a subordinate officer of Yuan Shu's camp, surrendered to Xiahou Dun during the Battle of Kuangting, and is currently a subordinate officer of Cao Mengde's Yulin Army. Cao Mengde finally had a major event in his heart.He was very happy, and sighed: "The sky does not disappoint, and people also help me!"

While Cao Mengde was implementing the garrison system and consolidating internal forces, the two old enemies in the southeast, Lu Bu and Yuan Shu, were conducting a military alliance and planning to launch a major counterattack against Cao Mengde.After Yuan Shu was defeated by Cao Mengde in the battle of Kuangting, he fled to Huainan to regroup his army.The area of ​​Huainan was free from wars at the end of the Han Dynasty, and was rich in products, coupled with inexhaustible aquatic products, which restored Yuan Shu's vitality. Lu Bu's army, which happened to be defeated by Cao Mengde in Yanzhou, also seized Liu Bei's power in Xuzhou with attack tactics.Lv Bu's army has always been strong in fighting power, which makes Yuan Shu, whose sphere of influence borders on it, feel threatened.Therefore, Yuan Shu took the initiative to propose marriage to Lu Bu.Lu Bu also had Liu Bei stationed in Xiaopei in the northwest and Cao Mengde in the west.In order to avoid future worries, he agreed to Yuan Shu's marriage.In order to test the sincerity of Lu Bu's alliance, Yuan Shu took the opportunity to send general Ji Ling to attack Liu Bei, and Liu Bei sent someone to ask Lu Bu for help.The generals in Lu Bu's camp thought that they could take advantage of this to eliminate Liu Bei and unify Xuzhou, but Lu Bu changed from his usual sloppy recklessness and appeared very sophisticated. He believed that Yuan Shu and the small army in the north had always had a deep relationship. Attack Xuzhou.Therefore, Lu Bu strongly advocated the relief of Liu Bei's crisis.

Ji Ling's army attacked to the southeast of Pei County, and Liu Bei was ready to fight desperately. When the two sides were at war, Lu Bu led the army to mediate and reconcile the two sides.During this period, Lü Bu also cleverly performed a special trick, using a longbow to shoot a twig of the eucalyptus at the Yuanmen gate 150 paces away. Apart from showing Yuan and Liu his high martial arts skills, he also romantically expressed his Interfering in the peace of the Lord is completely in line with God's will, which makes Yuan Shu, who is plotting to fight for hegemony in the East, miserable.

After all, Liu Bei was afraid of the greedy and treacherous Yuan Shu joining forces with the capricious Lu Bu, so he secretly recruited soldiers and horses in Xiaopei to get rid of Lu Bu's influence. Sun Qian suggested that Pei County should be completely abandoned, and flee west to join Cao Mengde. One day, Cao Mengde was drinking and composing poems in the camp. When he heard that Liu Bei had come to vote, he was shocked at first, but after a moment of meditation, he became calm as before and continued drinking and composing poems.Xun Yu couldn't sit still at first, and said: "Liu Bei is also a hero, and he will not be able to control him in the future. It is better to kill him to avoid future troubles."

Cao Mengde held his beard with his hand, without any indication. Cao Mengde summoned Guo Jia privately and informed him of Xun Yu's advice. Guo Jia said: "My lord raises righteous soldiers and eliminates violence for the people. The most important thing is to win the trust of the world and recruit talents. Liu Bei has always been known as a hero, and he came to seek refuge under a very difficult background. If Liu Bei is hurt, The lord must be notorious morally, who will dare to join us in the future. Liu Bei is indeed a person who is not easy to control, the lord can tolerate him, the heroes of the world will admire your virtue and talent, and people who will follow you will not be far away You have come from thousands of miles away. If you lose your reputation because of Liu Bei, it is not worth it."

Cao Mengde felt that Guo Jia's analysis was very incisive and reasonable. Cheng Yu met Cao Mengde in private, and said: "I have observed Liu Bei's behavior. This person is not willing to be dependent on others. Letting him go is like letting go of a tiger. There will be endless troubles. Don't learn from Xiang Yu." Cao Mengde said sharply: "Nowadays the world is in great chaos, and we need a hero like Liu Bei who knows how to govern the world. Don't lose the heart of the world for one person. I have already considered how to treat Liu Bei. Don't talk about it anymore. Even if Liu Bei betrays me in the future Me, I don't regret it either."

Cheng Yu, who has always been good at resourcefulness, was also a little puzzled. Cao Mengde hosted a banquet in honor of Liu Bei. Liu Bei said: "The general accepts me, a mediocre person who can't become a great weapon, and doesn't care about the past suspicions in Xuzhou. It is really magnanimous." "Mr. Xuande's reputation of governing Xuzhou benevolently and caring for the people has long made me envious. If I don't help people like you, why should I help Yuan Shu and Lu Bu?" Cao Mengde looked very humble.