Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 864 Subordinates’ Thoughts

While wiping Yuan Xi's forehead, Mrs. Hong talked about the situation that day, and finally said: "I fell off the cliff and was about to pass out. I vaguely heard a few intermittent words on the cliff. It should be Cao Jun soldiers chasing me. Come, take Jun Gu away."

"I was so scared at the time that I didn't dare to call out, so I just hid away. Am I very evil-hearted?"

Lu Lingqi comforted: "Even if you shouted at that time, it would be of no use. It would be the same for anyone else at that time."

"And this woman is very bad. If she hadn't been teasing her all day long, could Yuan Shang have targeted her husband like this in the first place?"

"If you want to rob her, it's best to let those Cao Jun soldiers take her back and give birth to ten or eight children. Let's see how she can show off her face to others!"

Yuan Xi glared at Lu Lingqi, and then Lu Lingqi pursed her lips and stopped talking.

Yuan Xi was silent for a long time, and then said to Hong: "You go to the carriage behind to rest first, and let General Tian come over by the way."

The carriage stopped and Hong got out of the car. After a while Tian Yu came over and Yuan Xi said, "I still have one thing that I'm worried about."

"When we attacked Qingzhou, we used harassment guerrilla tactics. I remember there were thousands of people in Qingzhou, right?"

"I am planning to try equalizing the fields and producing equal yields in Qingzhou. If the effect is good, I will try to promote it."

"Not to mention Commander Yang."

"When the time comes, you can settle your family in Jicheng first."

After hearing this, Tian Yu felt relieved. Before leaving, he hesitated and said, "I have one more thing to do."

Yuan Xi said: "Although Yuan Tan is dead, some forces in Qingzhou may not be so determined. There are still some twists and turns. These people are in the rear of Qingzhou. Since there is no fighting, they should not be of much use if they are dispersed."

"Why have I ever distrusted you?"

After Tian Yu left, Lu Lingqi helped the weak Yuan Xi lie down and said, "I still understand a little bit of what you said earlier. Why do I always feel that General Tian and General Zhang's marriage is not that simple?"

"Now you are the only one who knows the key points best. You are the best person to preside over this matter. I don't trust anyone else."

"After boarding the boat from the Yellow River, you get off the boat when you arrive in Qingzhou, gather those people together, and rearrange whether to start from the North Sea or the plains."

Tian Yu nodded and said: "Yes, we are divided into hundreds of teams, but we have always been in contact."

"A few days ago, General Wenyuan also said that all his family members were killed in Huaicheng. He came to me and said the same thing, you guys?"

"Now I am sending Zhang He to quell the remaining rebellion in Qingzhou, but he may not be familiar with this method, and things will inevitably go wrong. Only you can explain it to him."

He then thought thoughtfully, "What do you really think?"

Yuan Xi laughed dumbly, "Do you not believe in the personal guards you trained?"

"You are overqualified to stay by my side. Besides, the waterways along the way have been calmed down. You can attack, retreat or defend in Haixi. I have experienced so many things, so there is no need to worry."

"I want to find an opportunity to start a family, and I hope you can make it happen."

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "This is your business. What do you ask me for?"

"I have had this idea for a long time. Apart from Military Advisor Zhuge, you are the one who knows the most about this matter."

Tian Yu accepted the order and said: "Let you rest assured, Yu knows what's going on."

Tian Yu clasped his fists and said nothing. Yuan Xi thought for a while and sighed: "Since you insist, I will help you as a matchmaker if you choose any girl."

He immediately said: "But this way, there will be no one around you, if you encounter danger."

Yuan Xi sighed: "Of course it's not that simple. They are proving their innocence and showing their loyalty to me at the same time."

Lu Lingqi was confused, "What does marriage have to do with cousin loyalty?"

Yuan Xi explained: "Do you know that according to Cao Cao's farming method, soldiers and their families are all in one place and they are strictly guarded?"

Lu Lingqi nodded and said, "I know that if a soldier disappears for no reason after the war, Cao Cao will punish his family by remarrying his wife and daughter. If he commits serious surrender to the enemy, the whole family may be killed."

"Relying on this method, the morale of Cao's soldiers is actually not low, because they have no way out."

Yuan Xi nodded and said: "Yes, this is true not only for soldiers, but also for generals."

"Cao Cao put all the generals' families in the rear base camps such as Puyang in Xu County. This method can effectively prevent the generals from rebelling."

"Especially those who have male heirs are more likely to be threatened. On the contrary, those who are not married or have no male heirs will be on guard because they have nothing to worry about, so if they surrender to the enemy, they have no worries."

"Cao Cao mostly appointed generals from the Cao family and the Xiahou family. Part of the reason is that their families were entrusted to Cao Cao. Generals with foreign surnames must do the same if they want to gain trust."

Lu Lingqi was startled, "Is that so?"

"Then the two generals Tian and Zhang want to get married, so...?"

Yuan Xi nodded and said: "Yes, it is also a way for subordinates to show their loyalty by leaving their heirs for the care of the lord."

"It is said that the ruler and his ministers are not in doubt, but very few have done this in history. At present, this method is already quite gentle."

This method is indeed useful. It is not groundless, but it has many lessons.

Later Xu Shu also had to leave Liu Bei and defect to Cao Cao because his mother was kidnapped by Cao Cao. The Han Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety.

Before Zhong Hui led his army to attack Shu, many ministers in the Cao and Wei dynasties had opponents. One of the important reasons was that "Hui was single and had no important responsibilities", that is, he had no wife and family, not to mention male heirs. As expected, Zhong Hui rebelled later, which was also related to the fact that he had no reason to be blackmailed.

But on the other hand, the Wei soldiers and their families under his command were all under close supervision in Wei State. These people were naturally reluctant to follow Zhong Hui. After all, they had made great achievements and could be promoted and rich when they returned home. There was no need to follow Zhong Hui. Will you gamble?

So the Wei army rebelled, and Zhong Hui died in the rebellion.

The same was true when Guan Yu lost Jingzhou. All the soldiers and family members under his command in Jingzhou were captured by Lu Meng. Their morale collapsed and they fled one after another. Guan Yu could only cry out in vain and had no way to save himself.

Therefore, in this era, detaining the generals' family members is an extremely effective method, and it is also a way for the generals to prove their loyalty.

After Yuan Xi explained the cause and effect, he said: "These generals are good at martial arts and have very smart minds. After all, people with stupid brains cannot practice martial arts well."

"Just like as the commander of the Lord's bodyguard, it is impossible for a simple-minded fool to be able to detect something wrong and find the assassin in time."

"Cao Cao's former bodyguard Dian Wei, and now Xu Chu, are each more shrewd than the last, neither of them are reckless men who rely on brute force."

"To this day, Tian Yu still holds the position of commander of my bodyguards, and that's why."

"Sun Li is good at everything, but he doesn't like to use his brain. However, he is still young and has a bright future. He must take this step, otherwise he will not be able to become a general in his own right."

Lu Lingqi sighed: "There are still so many twists and turns. I am not very smart. It seems that I can only be an ordinary guard."

Yuan Xi laughed and said: "Come on, you are not stupid."

"You wooed Xiao Qiao and even the Feng family, and now you even dare to attack the Hong family. Do you really think I can't tell?"

"That means you didn't hide it from me, otherwise I would have to think about what you want to do."

Lu Lingqi's eyes widened innocently, "I have no intention of competing with Mrs. Zhen. She is the wife and I am the concubine. I am very honest."

Yuan Xi was speechless, "I know you are not willing to accept it, why did I ever treat you as my concubine?"

"You have always been unique in my heart."

Lu Lingqi felt sweet in her heart, then she reacted and couldn't help but said: "Did you say the same to other people?"

Yuan Xi sighed: "You have been following me these past few years, so you should understand what I mean."

Lu Lingqi said softly: "But I will always have children."

"After giving birth to a child, I will return to Jicheng to take care of the child. Like Mrs. Zhen, I will not see the envoy for a few days a year."

"I think Mrs. Zhen is very pitiful, so I am even more afraid of being like her, so I roped in Xiao Qiao and the others to be my replacement. Then I can feel more at ease."

Yuan Xi was moved and reached out to hold her hand and said: "Don't worry, I will bring peace to the world as soon as possible."

"When the time comes, I will accompany you all over the world and have a great time."

Lu Lingqi then became happy and stretched out her little finger to hook up with Yuan Xi, "Then I and my husband are committed to each other."

Yuan Xi said: "I don't know what you are thinking. It's just the Feng family, Xiao Qiao. Why did you bring the Hong family in?"

"He is my brother-in-law. She takes care of me. It will be very bad if word spreads. You have other ideas!"

Lu Lingqi said innocently: "My younger brother is dead, and it is normal for my elder brother to accept his younger brother's wife in Bingzhou."

Yuan Xi laughed angrily, "That's the custom of the Hu people. This is the Central Plains. I still have to take etiquette into consideration!"

Lu Lingqi's big eyes suddenly flashed, "If there were no etiquette, wouldn't my husband have already taken advantage of it?"

Yuan Xi was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He waved his hands and said, "I'm so angry talking to you, I won't say it anymore."

Lu Lingqi said: "Has your husband ever thought about how to arrange for her?"

"Let her remain a widow for the rest of her life, or remarry?"

"Who dares to marry her?"

Yuan Xi thought for a while, and it seemed that this was really the case. He said helplessly: "It has nothing to do with me anyway. I can't control who she wants to marry, so don't get involved."

Lu Lingqi said oh and thought she could marry anyone she wanted.

Yuan Xi didn't know what Lu Lingqi was planning. He was thinking about the upcoming land redistribution in Qingzhou, but he couldn't be there. He was really worried and thought that he still had to write another letter to Zhuge Liang.

After he finished writing the letter, he gave it to Lu Lingqi to seal and asked the messenger to deliver it to Zhuge Liang. Then he felt exhausted and finally fell asleep.

When he woke up again, it was already noon the next day. The convoy stopped for cooking. He reluctantly sat up and wanted to go down for a walk, but his legs and feet were weak, so he had to give up.

Through the window, he saw an earthen stove set up next to the carriage with an iron pot on it. Lu Lingqi was lighting a fire to cook. Her face was already blackened by plant ash, which made Yuan Xi almost burst out laughing.

On the side, Mrs. Hong grabbed a few handfuls of rice from the bag and threw it into the pot, and flames jumped up from the bottom of the pot.

Yuan Xi stared blankly, suddenly feeling a little sad. In just one year, Yuan Shao died, Yuan Tan died, and Yuan Shang also died.

A few years ago there was a lively family, but now I am the only one left. After many years, I will return to the oven of time sooner or later.

(End of this chapter)