Three Kingdoms: Cao Ying's mastermind, from nine to five

Chapter 253 This is Prosperity and Beauty, He Has Won the Heart of the People

Guo Jia never liked to ask too many questions, but he knew Cao Cao's temperament, and he had no relationship or reason with Gongsun Du, even if he knew this matter clearly.

It also doesn't make Cao Cao regard Gongsun Du as a trustworthy person. He must have a detailed map of Liaodong, all for the convenience of marching in the future.

As for whether to send troops to attack Liaodong, the power to choose is still in the hands of Cao Cao.

However, such a decision may not be very good for Xu Zhen. To continue to investigate the map of Liaodong, it must be kept secret and must not be leaked to Gongsundu.

Otherwise, it would be tantamount to overthrowing Xu Zhen's persuasion and promise to them, and this hatred would naturally fall on Xu Zhen.

This matter needs to be clarified.

Thinking of this, Guo Jia was about to speak, but held back, and finally decided to write a letter to Bowen.

After all, he gave Xu's mother too many presents, so I still have to remind him.

"Next time, I really can't accept any gifts from Xu Bowen."

He doesn't accept gifts himself, he comes to give gifts every day, and he still doesn't give them to me, and it's not good if he doesn't accept them for the old lady, after all, the old lady respects, fears and loves him when she sees him.

"Ugh."

……

Youzhou, Zhuo County.

Xu Zhen returned to Zhuojun to serve as a council member with Cao Chun. All the officials in various places were newly appointed, and some of them were gentry from other places.

Some of them have a good reputation among the local people and are recommended by celebrities.

Xu Zhen looked at Guo Jia's letter and smiled slightly.

He said to Cao Chun: "Look, Feng Xiao also knows that this matter should not be done in public, but a map of Liaodong should be drawn quietly."

"But in the end, it's not good for you," Cao Chun said with a grim expression, "Why did you write to the prime minister to ask him to continue to order the collection of Liaodong maps?"

"Because I want to fight Liaodong," Xu Zhen said with a smile.

Cao Chun was stunned by this decisive attitude, so it was so.

"Then, you also specially advised Gongsun Kang about these things?"

"That's natural. Only by keeping one's mind steady can one do things. After the map is drawn, the people's conditions in various places will be known. The officials and generals will also be evaluated. If you understand it deeply, it will be much easier to attack."

"But it takes at least a year or two to do these things, won't Bowen feel tired?"

"I wish for it—well... I will still be tired, but for the prime minister, for the sake of the big man, what is personal fatigue?" Xu Zhen said with a smile.

Cao Chun was stunned for a while, feeling guilty for a while.

He came to Youzhou to garrison, leading more than 1 tiger and leopard riders, and [-] Chinese infantry from the same trilogy. He thought that there would be no war and he planned to eat the military pay sent by Xu Du.

Now compared with Xu Zhen, I feel that I am nothing.

"Bowen, your words really make me feel ashamed..."

"It's okay, I still need to ask my brother for help, and then I will be able to march, and it is also my brother's credit."

Xu Zhen sighed and patted his shoulder.

Cao Chun's face brightened, and he immediately said excitedly: "What's the matter, you just say it! As long as I can do it, I will go through fire and water, and I will do whatever it takes!"

Xu Zhen smiled and said: "Military salary and military rations, I have to rely on my brother to ask for everything before sending troops. After all, I am a Jizhou shepherd, and I have to take care of asking for food and grass in Bingzhou, and then asking for rations in Youzhou. I really can't afford this." mouth."

"Oh, oh, this is it..."

Tsk, you boy have been waiting here for me for a long time.

Cao Chun gasped a few times and scratched his head, feeling that he had been duped, but he said the words of going through fire and water again.

You have to do it even if you bite the bullet.

"Fine……"

……

In the autumn of that year, Jizhou manpower and Youzhou manpower gathered more than [-] people to move northward, and together with more than [-] people living in Liaodong, they used materials to dig stones and began to pave the way.

Open the road in every forest, and build a bridge when you meet water.

A road was created for the caravan, and at the same time, the people were led into Youzhou, and dozens of merchant horse teams were sent to Youbeiping County, and then all the way to Western Liaoning.

At that time, Gongsundu's soldiers and horses happened to be outside Lulongsai on the west side of Xuantu County in the northwest of Liaoning Province, looking for Yuan Xi's whereabouts, so they saw this grand migration.

I can't help feeling that the people's kindness is high. The originally barren lands of Liaoxi and Liaodong have not seen such a scene for many years. At this time, Xu Zhen personally led troops to help.

Helped digging with others along the way to build roads, called on the soldiers and civilians to cut trees together, and personally supervised the construction of bridges.

For several months, they had been eating and sleeping outside. The people in Liaodong heard about it and came to see it one after another. They saw that after Xu Zhen came, he sent the leftover food and homemade wine to quench the thirst and hunger of the soldiers.

After Gongsun Kang heard about it, he also brought troops to help build roads, cut trees, and dig stones to refine materials.

The craftsmen in Liaodong did not dare to disobey, and immediately came to help, so they shortened the construction period by half.

When he was leaving, Xu Zhen's eyes wished he could bite Gongsun Du to death.

His reward is less than average, and his self-discipline value is only [-].

This further strengthened Xu Zhen's determination to step on Liaodong himself. After all, soldiers never tire of deceit. When Liaodong is captured, how Gongsundu and his son will be arranged is another story. Anyway, as long as they are willing to surrender, they will definitely be higher than Liaodong.

Fortunately, a few months after the start of the construction, Xu Zhen personally saw that a lot of fields and orchards had been reclaimed outside the cities and towns of counties and towns in eastern Liaodong. No problem.

These newly reclaimed fields, as well as those wastelands that are gradually being restored, can become the foundation for the resettlement of the people in the future.

A county in Liaodong has half the size of Youzhou. Of course, most of them are uninhabited places.

In addition, the road is rugged and there are many mountain roads. If there is no chi road built, it is convenient to enter by detouring Xuantu, or crossing the mountain, which is difficult for cavalry.

Pawns are also prone to getting lost in the mountains.

It's different now, setting up guard posts along the main road is enough to send troops to march.

Everything is moving in a better direction.

But since the end of the autumn harvest, the weather in Liaodong has cooled down rapidly, and the caravans going north also rushed back to You and Hebei counties before closing the mountains.

This trip also allowed the people of Liaodong to obtain a lot of goods from the south, and the returning caravan also brought a huge amount of grain and cloth, as well as strange objects from outside the region.

But in the past six months, Xu Zhen really scared the two fathers and sons of the Gongsun family.

Liaodong, Xiangping government office.

Gongsun Du's hair became much grayer again, and he put on a mink velvet cloak, and sat by the fire pit in the hall, with a soft horse stool under his seat, which was a product from Jizhou.

In the past, no one made such a small padded seat, but now craftsmen in Jizhou make it, which is very popular among the people.

After tea and dinner, put a horse tie in the yard, sit and chat, and have a little food, which is more leisurely than anything else.

In the past, after the sunset, the common people thought that the sky had fallen asleep.

Ordinary people basically go to bed at home, and before sunset, if they have nothing to do, they have no other hobbies.

They also gather together to chat, wait for the sunset, sit down on a raised rock when tired of standing, or squat at the base of the wall in a daze.

Boring people in winter can squat down and count the number of ice edges under the eaves.

Now there are more other games, Jizhou wooden cards, Jizhou chess, etc., chess, backgammon, go, etc. made by Jizhou craftsmen. It is said that Xu Zhen also invented a card game called "Fighter Clan", which is very popular among the people and Cao Cao. favorite.

This trip won the hearts of the people.

"Oh," Gongsundu stretched his waist, stretched his body, and asked someone to lift the recliner over, approach the brazier, and lie down on it again.

After a few sounds that sounded like wailing, but were actually very comfortable yells, he stretched his waist on the recliner, and said to his son not far in front of him in a deep voice: "On this trip alone, we have arrived at so many commodities. If you choose some and sell them to Goguryeo and Puyu, how many treasures can you get in exchange?"

"This car rider is scary."

The old man moved his shoulders, closed his eyes, and sighed, "If he was 20 years younger, he could still deal with the chariots, but now that they kissed each other from a distance, he was actually smiling."

"He is so tired of building bridges and roads, and he can't stop smiling from ear to ear. It seems that he has gained something, but he really has gained something. He has won the hearts of the people."

"My people in Liaodong have also begun to spread word of mouth about Xu Cheqi's deeds."

"Father, this is a good thing!" Gongsun Kang bowed immediately. Although he was a little cold, he was very polite and didn't follow him to squat by the fire pit, but his face was still full of joy. "He is really for the people."

"That's why we have the hearts of the people."

"Furthermore, Xu Cheqi's deeds are spread in Liaodong, which is very exciting for the people and refugees. Now that we have connected with Youzhou again, we can also form a caravan to Youzhou and Hebei for two weeks after the beginning of spring."

"Compared to the past, it is much better to isolate the west of Liaoning and other places, and use the natural moat to self-styled. This is a prosperous scene in the east of Liaodong, and my father should be happy."

"I can't be happy," Gongsundu said lazily with his eyes closed. "After the opening of business, there are a lot of contacts, but if what Xu Cheqi said before is true, he should protect my Gongsun family, right? This winter, we have to go back again." Go check it out."

"Taking advantage of the wind and snow to seal the mountain, Kang'er, you have to go and arrange the patrols of the guard post. Don't take it lightly."

"Let's not harm the chariot, but we must guard against the sudden entry of soldiers and horses into Liaodong. We will see after the spring. Negotiations with this chariot will take several years of mutual trust."

"Kang'er can't trust others."

Gongsun Kang bowed and said, "Father doesn't have to be like this, I don't think Che Qi is a treacherous villain."

"Hey, you are too naive and innocent to learn the way to survive. As a father, I never trust others, so I have today's family business."

Gongsun Kang stopped talking, and bowed his head to wait for his father's advice. Gongsun Du was a strict father, and he was cruel to foreign enemies and slaves.

Therefore, Gongsun Kang still talks about filial piety most of the time and does not contradict his father.

"Xu Zhen, is this a way to buy people's hearts, or is it done on purpose, otherwise why would he laugh? It's just that I have already planned to spread my reputation to Liaodong first, disturb the hearts of my people, and weaken the reputation of my Gongsun family." .”

"Yes, father is right."

That being said, Gongsun Kang never felt that Xu Zhen would harm him, and his father was too worried.

"We still have to be prepared. The grain seeds that will be given next year should be filled with empty grains, so that it is best not to grow any grain in Youzhou, or steam all the grain seeds."

"It's all a good idea."

"Tsk, father..."

"Hey, you don't understand. You don't know how to be kind. You don't understand the people of the two places. We still have to get the benefits. It's better to find a way to sit in Liaodong."

Gongsun Du opened his eyes, yawned slightly, and opened his eyes to see his son's eyes.

I was a little disappointed when I found that he was looking at me, "Why is Kang Er looking at me like that?"

"Father, there is no room for internal strife at this time. It will take several years for us to gain the approval of the Cao family. Whether we can continue the family in the future depends on the merits of this chariot and the love of the prime minister in Xuchang City."

"I still think it's better to guard the inside and outside. This year, Xu Zhen will go farther away from Liaodong... he almost entered the city."

The old man got up and pondered for a long time. In fact, his heart was also at war with heaven and man. He was reluctant to part with Jizhou’s goods, and he dared not continue to open. He always felt that Xu Zhen, Hubaoqi, and 10,000+ people came together, as if there was coercion It made him restless.

If there is careful work in it, there will be no peace in the future. Among the residents of Liaodong, if Xu Zhen's achievements and deeds are passed on by word of mouth, how will the people honor him in the future.

This time, although Xu Zhen never entered the city, it was enough to scare Gongsun Du.

"Son, let me think about it again, will I pay back next year's tribute..." Gongsun Du said, closing his eyes and frowning in thought.

……

Yuyang County.

After Xu Zhen came back, he rested here temporarily.

At the same time, all the soldiers of the Suwei camp under his command took out detailed partial maps drawn by themselves, and together they formed a large area.

The mountains and rivers are outlined with simple lines, and densely marked with small prints.

Xu Zhen has the ability of photographic memory, so he memorized the most terrains.

After one place is combined, those parts that cannot be used and have slight deviations are excluded.

If it is barely enough to make a big picture, it can already be painted a hundred miles away from Xiangping.

Some maps are given by trusted merchants.

These days, not everyone knows how to draw maps. People who know how to map mountains and rivers are old scouts, or people who understand terrain among scholars, and there are very few people in the first place.

Therefore, there are not many available in Xu Zhen's army. Dozens of people are slowly portrayed, and these people are still trained by him. Many people in the old guard camp can't understand the map.

When depicting, he acted secretly without anyone knowing. He worked slowly and meticulously, but he also drew the mountain forest trails on both sides of the main road.

Xu Zhen glanced at it, memorized the division of the map, and then thought of what he had seen and heard along the way. He probably knew the way, but there were some secret trails, but he couldn't find any of them.

"Well... now marching, there is a [-]% chance of a sudden surprise attack and a big defeat in Liaodong, but it is still not enough."

Dian Wei yawned and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, how many more years do you have to wait?"

"A year or two..." Xu Zhen looked at the map with squinted eyes, and said without turning his head, "Garrison troops, stockpiling grain, and when the spring is ready, let's see how Gongsun Du reacts."

"If you continue to travel, you still have a chance. If you set up guard posts along the way, you have to consider marching. After this main road is established, I really don't want to use it so soon."

"Hey, just wait..."

Dian Wei sighed, and he didn't have much to fight. For the past six months, he followed the princes to do hard work for the people.

"Don't worry, you must not rush to decide Liaodong," Xu Zhen muttered to himself.

At this time, Dian Wei tilted his head to take a look, and immediately complained: "I find this picture strange."

"It's all drawings of the outer roads and mountain roads. What's the use? It would be great if there is a Liaodong person who knows how to draw maps."

As soon as he finished speaking, his shoulders suddenly sank, and Xu Zhen grabbed his shoulders suddenly. Dian Wei looked intently and found Che Qi's face full of surprise.

"Awei, I really know one person, and it's in Liaodong! He must know how to draw a map, and he can find it! It will definitely help me!"

(End of this chapter)