People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 409 Confidence
“Inform all prefectures and counties that all important roads bordering Xuanxia must be blocked from now on, and all civilian traffic must be cut off. There must be no more escape to the north.

From now on, within the State of Wei, there shall be no more discussion of Xuanxia, ​​and all materials such as the Natural Classic and the Xuanxia Monthly Report shall be prohibited."

As dozens of people including the old man were beheaded, Cao Cao issued several orders with a cold face, aiming to completely stop the trend of fleeing to the north and to ban the spread of all news related to Xuanxia. Even the monthly report that was not banned before was no longer allowed to appear.

Of course, it is still questionable whether this ban can be fully implemented, but with a legal ban, it will ultimately have considerable deterrent effect.

However, after this, when the prefectures and counties of Wei State controlled and blocked the important roads in various places, it was not so easy for the people to escape to the north. After all, transportation was inconvenient in those days. As long as a small number of troops were deployed to block the roads, the passage of vehicles and horses could be prohibited.

In this way, even if people can choose to bypass the main road and cross mountains and ridges, the difficulty will increase countless times.

It can be said that this simple measure is enough to stop the trend of fleeing to the north. If we continue to let it go, I am afraid that the people of Wei will really run away little by little. If there are no people left, then everything will be over.

However, after giving the order, Cao Cao did not relax. Instead, he stared in a daze at the bodies of the executed people in front of him.

In fact, how could he not understand that these people had done nothing wrong in this matter? It was just a matter of stance. As long as they had the intention to defect, they would be actual enemies, and there would be no room for mercy.

Killing was no big deal. Cao Cao didn't care much about it, and he wouldn't feel guilty about it. He could kill people because he was drunk, or in his sleep. A mere few dozen people were not worth him even blinking an eye.

He was just feeling heavy-hearted because of the trend of fleeing north.

The scary thing is that although he always says that Xuan Xia in the north is bewitching people, so the people are tempted to flee north without knowing why, but no one knows better than him that it is not bewitching, but the fact.

As long as the people run to the north, they will really be given land, they will really be exempted from miscellaneous taxes, and they will really not be required to perform corvee labor!
The misleading statements are used to fool the people because they are afraid that the people will know the true situation of Xuan Xia, but isn't this a kind of spiritual comfort to oneself?

Cao Cao hoped all the time that this was really something Xuan Xia did to deceive people, but every piece of information he got from Xuan Xia told him clearly that it was all true.

When the soldiers in the rear dispersed in the county to rest, Cao Cao also dismounted and sat down on a chair in the street.

This place was quiet and deserted, and Cao Cao finally stopped trying to look confident and couldn't help but sigh.

Not long after, Guo Jia was seen carrying a pot of wine, walking slowly towards here. When he arrived beside Cao Cao and saw Cao Cao's frown, Guo Jia shook his head and said nothing more, and silently poured wine for Cao Cao.

The king and his subject trusted each other and got along quite easily.

Cao Cao made a show of leading Guo Jia to the other side of the table, and after he sat down, he picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. Stimulated by the wine, his frown finally relaxed a little, and the dull pain in his head also eased a little.

After shaking his head and smiling bitterly, Cao Cao said quietly: "I don't need to pretend in front of Feng Xiao. Although I showed my confidence today, it was just forced. Confidence that cannot be seen in reality is just a castle in the air. It only takes a few setbacks to pierce this false confidence in one fell swoop."

Guo Jia also raised his cup and drank. After taking a few gulps, his face turned red.

After wiping his mouth, he spoke again: "Your Majesty, why do you underestimate yourself? The enemy is indeed powerful, but everything depends on human efforts. If you don't even have confidence, then everything is over."

Cao Cao stood up with his hands behind his back, and saw that every household had their doors closed. He felt helpless: "Look at the reality, the people's hearts are all in the north. I do have great ambitions, but I don't know where to focus them." Fengxiao poured more wine and took a few gulps, but this time he fell silent.

What Cao Cao said is the most crucial point, and also the most helpless and desperate point, that is, the people's hearts in the world are more likely to be irreversible, and this is the fundamental factor that determines victory or defeat.

During the time of Mencius, there was a saying that the people are more important than the emperor. People like Cao Cao and Guo Jia could usually regard the people as resources and tools, but they actually understood that the people's hearts are the foundation of the world.

This kind of public opinion is not just about the reputation and love of the people, but about who can provide the people with a stable and prosperous life.

But now looking around the world, the people's hearts are all turning to the north. This is actually a very terrifying thing. If they lose at this fundamental point, neither Cao Cao nor Guo Jia will know how to fight Xuan Xia.

Cao Cao looked up at the sky and said to himself in distress: "It's a pity that I can't learn Xu Chen's method!"

Guo Jia stood up and said, "Even if you can learn, Your Majesty should not learn. You can never surpass others by following their path. Your Majesty should integrate the enemy's strengths for your own use. In other words, you should take yourself as the basis and use others as the tool."

Cao Cao thought it made sense, so he nodded and said, "How to take it as the basis and how to use it?"

Guo Jia said: "Wei State has to rely on the power of the gentry, so it cannot do the purge like Xuan Xia did. This is the foundation of their country, but it is a self-destructive act for us. Although we cannot learn from them, we can learn from them. When the time is right, Wei State should also suppress the gentry and crack down on the powerful. Only in this way can we have the confidence to fight Xuan Xia for a long time."

Hearing this, Cao Cao understood, but shook his head disapprovingly: "If that's all, why do we need to learn from Xuan Xia? This happened as early as the old Han Dynasty. Didn't the Party Imprisonment and the disputes among the officials all originate from the Han Emperor's suppression of the gentry?"

Guo Jia shook his head and said, "They are very different. The old Han suppressed the nobles in order to concentrate power. In the future, our Wei will crack down on the powerful and should adhere to the principle of giving benefits to the people. If Wei does not follow this state policy, one day the people will lose their hearts and the country will be in danger."

At this point, Cao Cao finally understood what was said. In this way, these were indeed two different things.

With Xuanxia's example, if the world situation falls into a protracted confrontation in the future, other countries will be forced to follow suit and make concessions to the people to consolidate people's hearts. This is a trend that they will be forced to change because of Xuanxia.

If Xu Chen were in front of him at this moment, Cao Cao really wanted to curse him.

"Isn't it good for everyone to maintain the status quo? Only you are a maverick. I would accept you even if you become an emperor and abuse your power. Because you are so good to the people, everyone will be forced to please the people in the future."

Of course, Cao Cao also understood that even if he had to cater to the trend and change the state strategy, that would be a matter for the future.

At least for now, Wei State must continue to exploit. If it can't even hold on in this battle, everything will be in vain.

Cao Cao said in a deep voice: "We have to finish this battle first. This time our army is conducting a surprise attack. Feng Xiao, give me an honest answer. What are our chances of winning?"

Guo Jia paused, his expression becoming somewhat serious: "I think the outcome of this battle is fifty-fifty."

Cao Cao's eyes fixed, and he snorted coldly: "Fifty percent chance of winning, enough to take a gamble, the rise and fall of our Wei Kingdom depends on this!"

(End of this chapter)