Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 910 Prepare for a rainy day
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "You haven't seen what they are going to do in the next thousands of years, otherwise you would have the same idea as me."

Cai Zhaoji asked curiously: "What happened?"

Yuan Xi said: "Then let me tell you a story."

The snow outside the window fell, and in the severe cold winter of the fourth year of Jian'an, it fell on the earth.

Every family has its own joys and sorrows, and everyone has its own sufferings. However, for the several states and counties under Yuan Xi's rule, the people have been able to live reasonably well in recent years.

After all, although Yuan Xi's army fought many battles, Yuan Xi tried his best to keep the war outside his own territory in order to keep the enemy away from the country. Therefore, the war did not do much harm to the people under his rule. At most, it was only a temporary increase in labor. and food.

The reaction of the people of Youzhou was extremely dull. For them, who were always facing the crisis of foreign aggression, they knew that the strength of their own army was closely related to their lives, so when they heard about the war, they tried their best to support them. logistics.

But the situation in Xuzhou is relatively more complicated.

Because Xuzhou was originally a prosperous place, before Yuan Xi acquired Xuzhou, Xuzhou was quite developed in both commerce and agriculture, so it had always been coveted by Cao Cao.

It was precisely because Cao Cao fought too hard and massacred Xuzhou that Xuzhou continued to rely on its power to fight against Cao Cao. In the end, Yuan Xi captured this territory and persisted until now.

In particular, the war between Qingzhou and Jianghuai levied a considerable amount of grain and labor from Xuzhou. Some Xuzhou nobles complained about this, thinking that using Xuzhou's grain to relieve other states and counties increased the burden on Xuzhou.

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "Yes, that's what they think."

But these nobles in Xuzhou only looked at the benefits and felt that they were at a disadvantage in regulating food. They did not see that other states had also mobilized each other to tide over the difficulties before.

"The several battles in Xuzhou cost a lot of people's lives. Speaking of which, I recruited the fewest soldiers in Xuzhou, but just like that, when I led Xuzhou soldiers last year, they were also the most difficult to train."

"This is normal. After all, his family was not poor before. Unlike in the North, if you don't serve as a soldier, you won't have enough to eat. Who wants to be a soldier if you have the skills to support yourself?"

Yuan Xi received Chen Deng's letter on the first day of the new year. After he saw it, his joy on New Year's Eve suddenly disappeared a lot, and he slapped the bamboo slips on the table.

Yuan Xi shook his head and said: "You have never seen those people, so you don't know how hateful they are."

Not to mention Jianghuai, Jiujiang County where Shouchun is located was completely wiped out by Yuan Shu, but when they heard that there was going to be a war, they all honestly contributed money and food because they knew that whether it was Cao Cao in the north or Jiangdong in the south, If they come here, they will only become worse.

During this period, both Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce and Sun Quan all tried to conquer Xuzhou, but failed one after another. Xuzhou also returned to prosperity under Chen Deng's governance.

But as life became more stable, some nobles in Xuzhou, like Jiang Dong, began to feel war-weary. They felt that some of the battles could be avoided at all.

Thinking that when Liu Bei took Xuzhou from Tao Qian, he treated the Xuzhou nobles very well, but in the end the Xuzhou nobles still rebelled, Yuan Xi felt even more unhappy. The Xuzhou people had such a big appetite that Liu Bei couldn't even feed them. How much better can he be than Liu Bei?
If this continues, I'm afraid this group of nobles in Xuzhou will get into trouble sooner or later!
Seeing that Yuan Xi was angry, Zhen Mi picked up her watch and looked at it, then she smiled and said: "My husband is responsible for the lives of thousands of people, why do you need to get so angry because of these people?"

Moreover, when Xuzhou first fell into Yuan Xi's hands, didn't they rely on food transfers from Youzhou? Now that the Xuzhou gentry have managed to survive, they want to forget their roots?

"When they don't understand, how can they protect the property in their hometown without force?"

Zhen Mi spoke up: "Maybe they think that with more money, soldiers from other states can fill this vacancy?"

But here in Xuzhou, they just had a few good years, and they started to think carefully?

Especially when Qingzhou suffered from war a few years ago, it was necessary to transfer Xuzhou's food for emergency relief. It met with treacherous resistance from some noble families. Many families hid the food. Chen Deng also spent a lot of effort. After preliminary investigation, he wrote a letter. He explained the situation in Xuzhou and asked Yuan Xi how to deal with it.

He now governs four states, and the burden on Xuzhou is actually very light. That is to say, Qingzhou was drained by Yuan Tan before, which resulted in the need to mobilize nearby grain for the two cultivations that year. The nearest Xuzhou is naturally the most suitable.

"But they don't understand that once this extravagant hope of placing their destiny on others is destroyed, the situation they face will be devastating."

"This will only allow the rich to hide their wealth, unable to collect taxes, and the northern soldiers' hometowns will be destroyed. They will become poorer and poorer and cannot afford military pay. One day, if the situation collapses and foreign enemies move south, what will happen to Xuzhou? The right thing is to massacre the city, and it will be too late for them to regret it by then. "

"This incident is also a wake-up call for me. After all, my current territory spans more than 2,000 miles from north to south. The conditions and customs in each place are different, and the ideas are also different. If I don't find a way to integrate it and communicate to the outside world, it will just be a piece of scattered sand." Yuan Xi What worries me is that although I have long-term plans for Youzhou, in the final analysis, it still depends on climate change. If the environment during the Little Ice Age is harsh, the development of Youzhou will stagnate for a long time, and it will also face the pressure of foreign invasion. It will also be bigger.

At this time, if those nobles in the territory close to the south still have the idea of ​​​​not caring about their own affairs, then the mistakes of the Five Husties and the Southern Song Dynasty and the Southern Ming Dynasty will come early.

Thinking of this, he said aloud: "We can't delay matters in the Northland. Even if we can't fight, we must start negotiations. It's a two-pronged approach."

"I will send envoys now to contact the various ministries in the Southern Xiongnu Hetao, and I will win over every one I can."

Zhen Mi looked at the snowy sky outside, "Today?"

Yuan Xi also reacted and laughed out loud, "That's right, I won't let you have a good New Year."

"let's talk tomorrow."

Zhen Mi also laughed. She thought to herself that her husband didn't know why, but he did things in such a hurry, as if he was afraid that the world would be destroyed tomorrow.

However, these people in Xuzhou are probably on the blacklist of husbands. They are vindictive. It is estimated that many of the favorable policies given to Xuzhou in the past will be taken back in the future.

She suddenly remembered that Mrs. Mi, who had just passed away, was from the Mi family in Xuzhou. She would not be affected, right?
Zhen Mi just wanted to warn her, but then she remembered that the dowry Mrs. Mi brought from the Mi family must be quite large. It should be the bet placed by the Mi family. The husband should have his own plans, and it would be useless to say more on his own.

After that, Yuan Xi issued an order to select envoys to Hetao from free schools and even officials. Of course, not everyone can go, and they must be selected in advance to select people who are familiar with the language and customs of the Southern Huns, as well as those who understand the policies. .

As soon as this order came out, many people felt that sending an envoy in the ice and snow was really risky, and they might even be in danger of their lives, so they stopped thinking, but some people became more alert.

As an envoy, his excellent performance will be very helpful for his future career. Not to mention that although sending an envoy to the Southern Huns seems dangerous, Yuan Xi is now powerful in the north. If the Southern Huns really kill the envoy, , will definitely face Yuan Xijun’s full revenge, so the benefits of this job should outweigh the risks!

So soon the first batch of envoys set off from Jicheng, went to Beixin City for transit, and then went north to enter Bingzhou. They were escorted by Yuan Xijun's scouts. Most of them had learned the art of finding paths from Tian Chou in Xu Wushan, and they could also guarantee the envoys. The chance of the group getting lost is greatly reduced.

At the same time, Yuan Xi sent another envoy south to Montenegro, and then went west from the central part to find high-ranking officials to discuss the next step with them.

Regarding the capture of Bingzhou, Yuan Xi was not prepared to reveal too much. Although the possibility of high-ranking officials turning to Cao Cao was not high, it did not mean that there were no spies around him. If it were leaked in advance, the die-hards among the Southern Huns could respond in advance. becomes much more troublesome.

At the same time, he also sent two other envoys to the Wuhuan and Gongsun families respectively to ensure that there would be no complications at this time. In a place like Youzhou where the forces are complicated, diplomacy has become the most effective method. After all, Yuan Xi cannot Everyone was wiped out, and any rebellion from any force would give Yuan Xi a huge headache.

As spring begins to warm up, news continues to arrive, both good and bad.

The Shanyu of Wuhuan did not seem to be enthusiastic about Yuan Xi's suggestion of moving south, and found many reasons to shirk it. Even if Yuan Xi got the news, in fact, the Wuhuan tribesmen in the three counties of Youzhou lost a lot this winter, and many livestock were It is quite difficult to survive if you freeze to death.

Yuan Xi thought to himself that although he had warned Shanyu about climate change, he was obviously just lucky, thinking that after a few years, the weather would get warmer. In the eyes of future generations, this was almost a delusion, but who would know now? Will this severe cold last for tens or hundreds of years?

I am afraid that after a few years, Wuhuan will have no hope of survival and will have no choice but to go south to survive. Whether it is a peaceful settlement or a violent fallout, it will be a big burden for Yuan Xi. However, Yuan Xi knows this and can only It's just that you can make some preparations in advance.

Thinking of this, Yuan Xi had a headache, but in the end he had to keep it to himself!
Another trouble is the Gongsundu family.

They fought with Goguryeo and suffered losses on each other. The Gongsundu family had strong cavalry, and Goguryeo had complex terrain and many infantry. Neither side could capture the other. Therefore, the Gongsundu family planned to jointly send troops with Yuan Xi, and agreed to cooperate with Yuan Xi after the incident was completed. Yuan Xi divided the territory equally.

Yuan Xi was naturally happy with this move, but the Gongsundu family also had a problem. According to history, the head of the family, Gongsundu, was about to die.

Normally, Gongsun Kang will be the next one to take over, but other possibilities cannot be ruled out. If Yuan Xi reaches an agreement with the Gongsundu family at this time, what if Yuan Xi turns his back and refuses to admit it later?
So Yuan Xi agreed to the Gongsundu family's proposal, but he was not prepared to fight with all his strength. After all, Liaodong was separated by the Gongsun family on both sides. If he wanted to make them turn against each other and blockade Liaodong, wouldn't he be beaten like a chicken?
So now Yuan Xi does not dare to put all his bets in one basket. He seems to be confused now, because after unifying the four states, he seems to have lost a clear goal. Anyone around him can fight, but after fighting, Preferably, the returns are not high.

Sometimes he wonders, should he start farming for two years?
But the two enemies, Cao Cao and Jiang Dong, would not wait for him, and the intelligence that came later confirmed this.

Cao Cao in Xudu seemed to be interested in Nanyang again.

(End of this chapter)