We agreed that you, a weak strategist, would fight against three heroes by yourself?

In short, no matter what you do, you need to think twice.

"Hey, this thing is really annoying. What do those soldiers and ruffians think? They want to cause a scene at this time, which will only increase the trouble."

Cao Ren put his head in his hands and squatted on the ground helplessly.

Surrounded by his own family, he was too lazy to pay attention to anything.

After all, this is not the first time that everyone has gotten along, not to mention, although Cao Pi is the lord now, he has never put on airs in front of the two of them.

Therefore, the speaking habits of these people have never changed.

"Who says it's not the case? Fifty thousand people, at least one million gold, are worth it. Where can we find so much money?"

This sudden severance pay of millions is no small matter for Xuchang.

"One million gold... Alas, Zhicai has already counted it, and it's only a little less, but even so, we have to bite the bullet and come up with it!"

That's what he said, but looking at Cao Ren who was so decadent that he sat on the ground, you could tell that this was quite difficult.

More importantly, even if they can pay millions in severance pay, it will not be a preferential treatment for the 50,000-strong army. After all, these Qingzhou soldiers have made great contributions to the army.

After a while, inside the camp.

The soldiers stood crookedly one by one, all listless, with drooped eyebrows.

Since they took off their armor, they no longer regard themselves as qualified warriors, so they all have nothing to fear.

Anyway, in recent years, military and civilian farming has been implemented. Even if there is no war, everyone still has to work in the fields. Now that the shackles of being a soldier are gone, there is no problem at all in returning home and farming.

Listening to Cao Pi's long speech on the high platform, saying thank you, gratitude, and remembering you all in this life, everyone just felt irritated.

"Is it over yet? Don't you just want some severance pay? If you can give it, what's the use of saying so much?"

"That is to say, now that the master is dead, what's the use of saying so much? Everyone should disperse. If you go back early, you can help your family cultivate some land and grow some food."

Several soldiers leaned together and muttered softly. The language is quite disrespectful.

"Hey, how much longer do you think he can keep talking? I guess we may not be able to leave this camp until the autumn harvest!"

Another soldier who joined the chat smiled teasingly, holding a pebble at his feet from time to time.

As soon as these words came out, they caused laughter and shouting in a small area.

After all, it’s just the beginning of summer, and there are still several months before the autumn harvest.

With such a commotion, the guards standing around became increasingly unhappy.

Especially those led by Cao Hong showed signs of violence on their unwilling faces, and their hands holding spears creaked even more.

These Qingzhou soldiers are really brave. They usually rely on their military exploits and no one takes them seriously.

Nowadays, there are even groups looking for trouble. The way he asked for money was like locusts crossing the border, it was really unreasonable!

But... they can only be rampant for a while.

After they were sent away with money, there were no more Qingzhou soldiers staying in the camp.

After a while, Cao Pi fought with the increasingly fierce looks from both sides, and finally came to the most critical point and the most important point - severance pay.

"Thinking of your past contributions, the great Han Dynasty has given the 50,000-strong army one million gold as severance pay today. This is also my heartfelt wish for you all. I will also invite you all to go to the military supply office later -"

"What? A million gold? If you calculate this, each person only has twenty taels of gold. Is this considered a wish?"

"Yes, we have followed the Han in all these years and have made great contributions. How can you just spend twenty taels of gold?"

"Where is the intention in this? This is simply a joke!"

"······"

Before Cao Pi could finish speaking, the Qingzhou soldiers below let out bursts of dissatisfaction.

"It's really the most ridiculous thing in the world! If I had known what happened today, I shouldn't have come to Dahan in the first place! Who should I fight with?"

"That's right, it's just twenty taels of gold. It's really hard to find. Why are you treating us like beggars? If you had known that you only had twenty taels of gold, who would still be here to listen to you talk so much?"

"Who says it isn't? Bai has been basking in the sun for so long and is gone."

"······"

As they talked, some angry people waved their hands and left, and then more and more people strode towards the gate of the camp.

However, before leaving, they all forgot to go to the military supply office to get money.

The mighty 50,000-strong army walked out of the military camp carrying their luggage after leaving the military supplies office.

The lively scene actually startled the people in Xuchang City, who thought that a large army was setting off and a war was about to begin.

After learning the true situation, within half a day, the news that 50,000 Qingzhou soldiers had disarmed and returned to their fields spread throughout Xuchang City.

Immediately afterwards, Cao Pi also learned the news and became sulky.

He didn't think about the meal, and even lost his temper inexplicably in the middle of the night, which scared all the servants in the house and didn't dare to breathe.

"Tell me, what am I doing all this for? Hey, the severance pay that I finally got is given to them every penny. Yes, I also know that this money is not much, but we have to fight every year. It cost more money, and I think I’m worthy of them.”

"But what about them? They knew that there would be another war soon, but they wanted to go home regardless. I agreed despite the pressure, but what about them? Not only were they inconsiderate, but they also ruined my reputation outside. If this continues, I'm afraid Everyone in the world will say I stinged it!”

"This is really...unreasonable!"

The more Cao Pi talked, the angrier he became. Seeing this, his wife hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him.

However, this lady is just a daughter of an ordinary clan. She is neither gentle nor smart, and her words of advice are all useless.

Cao Pi was even more stunned as he listened to the other party's non-nutritious topics.

The next day, Cao Pi was so angry that he couldn't sleep at night, his head was buzzing, and he was still gnashing his teeth at the Qingzhou soldiers.

If you want to take control, you can’t be too strict, and it won’t make sense if you don’t care. If you give too much money, you’ll feel uncomfortable, and it’ll be difficult to do it. If you give less money, you’ll still be criticized and ridiculed.

This one is not good, maybe no soldiers will follow him wholeheartedly in the future.

When Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun came to the study to prepare for the discussion, Cao Pi was still angry.

At this time, half of his body was shaking unconsciously, his teeth were chattering constantly, and his face, which had not slept all night, had deep bags and eye circles, and he looked quite sick.

Speaking of which, Cao Pi had a miserable life for more than a month.

Because of his father's death, he had to kneel in front of Cao Cao's mourning hall and cry for a while every day. Even today, he has not found a memory that can shed tears, so he can only howl.

There had been several times before that, in the middle of crying, he suddenly remembered those uncontrollable Qingzhou soldiers, and immediately stopped crying.

Even more so recently.

When he thought of the disrespect in the words of those Qingzhou soldiers and the disdainful look on their faces when they left Xuchang in a swagger, he couldn't help but feel angry.

"Zi Heng, what's wrong with you? The departure of the Qingzhou soldiers is a good thing for us. As for the one million severance pay, you can just treat it as a reward to the three armies."

Xiahou Dun persuaded softly.

"Yes, those people are not obeying discipline at all. In the past, we could still intimidate the three armies by killing a few people. But now, there are 50,000 people, which we can't just kill. If they die, I'm afraid the entire city of Xuchang will also die." It’s a mess.”

"That's right, if Xuchang City is in chaos, then our life will probably be even more difficult. The soldiers outside will probably be in panic all day long and will no longer dare to sacrifice their lives for us."

"Now that they are gone, we can recruit troops again, expand the military camp, and create an army that is completely under our control. We will step up training in the future to train these people and then disperse them to other armies."

"Well, if that's the case, our military might be even stronger next year!"

"······"

With the words of comfort from Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun, the anger in Cao Pi's heart gradually subsided.

What followed was a burning ambition.

After weighing the pros and cons, he gradually figured it out without his anger.

As far as the current situation is concerned, although a large amount of money has been spent and it has not yet gained a good reputation, the scope of the impact is not large.

Furthermore, apart from the 50,000 Qingzhou soldiers, there are still tens of thousands of soldiers in the army, and their opinion of themselves is the most important thing.

From now on, as long as I learn to be frugal like the old master Cao Song, and at the same time make the Cao family members more frugal, I will be able to save a lot of money.

I can use the saved money to reward meritorious officials.

Have no arrogance or extravagance towards yourself, be diligent and frugal at home, be courteous and generous to others, and be generous to others...

As long as he can persist for a year and follow the example, Cao Pi fully believes that his reputation, which was slandered by the 50,000 Qingzhou soldiers, can be completely reversed!

By that time, the common people will not only know his reputation as a breeze, but also think of his great deeds of spending millions of dollars as severance pay for meritorious ministers.

In this way, not to mention that the people will not have other ideas, even one's own prestige may be improved to a higher level.

Maybe he will even get the reputation of being a wise king!

"Actually, we just need to get through the most difficult year right now. Apart from internal frugality, we can also use the continuous income from various parts of the country to expand the national treasury..."

Sima Yi also gave Cao Pi a lot of ideas at this time from a humanistic perspective and based on the current situation.

"Next year, when your prestige increases, it will be the time for you to be crowned King of Wei and add Nine Tins!"

"At that time, you will have all the soldiers and horses in the world at your fingertips. Then you can go north to conquer Xiliang and Ma Teng. When your reputation rises again, Xiyu Xiao'er will no longer be your opponent!"

Sima Yi's words won Cao Pi's heart.

He and Cao Pi were both teachers and friends, and they had a similar mind. In addition, the two of them had been getting along for several years, and they were inseparable most of the time.

Therefore, the person who understands Cao Pi best is him.

When he finished speaking, the little fire in Cao Pi's heart was extinguished.

All subsequent matters have been properly arranged, and it's time to go to my father's mourning hall and cry seriously again.

Of course, this is what he should do.

Although his father was not very kind to him, he was still a hero of his generation. If he hadn't eliminated the traitors and helped the Han Dynasty, where would he be today?

Therefore, whether it was for gratitude or for his own prestige and ambition, he should go to Cao Cao's mourning hall for a while.

When your mood is smooth, everything will be solved naturally.

However, in just a few days, the people in Xuchang City became less prejudiced against Cao Pi.

However, just when everyone thought that life could calm down like this day by day, a sudden news made Cao Pi angry again.

"Wei Gong······"

Hua Xin lingered outside the door for a long time, but still didn't know how to speak.

Looking at the generals and lords in the room, after hesitating for a long time, he finally took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Then, after getting the signal, step forward quickly.

Seeing him hesitating, everyone in the mourning hall looked at each other.

Especially the clan members.

Why is Hua Xin so panicked? Could it be that there are too many official documents that need approval these days?

No, even if there were too many official documents, he would not be so hesitant to speak.

"Hua Xin, what happened? Why are you so worried?"

"Just tell me what you have to say, why are you pretending to be mysterious?"

Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun looked at each other, and then said in unison: "Is it possible that something big happened in the army?"

"This...can be considered..."

Hua Xin smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Today, I got a piece of news that all the 50,000 Qingzhou soldiers who left a few days ago went to Xuzhou. It seems that they are planning to defect to Xiyu..."

"How can this be?"

"Damn, what a bunch of bastards!"

"I know these Qingzhou soldiers are a bunch of scoundrels! Ruffians!"

Before Hua Xin finished speaking, several generals present couldn't help but started to curse.

Everyone was so angry that they were vomiting, that is to say, the 50,000-strong army was not here at the moment, otherwise they would definitely have the idea of ​​eating their flesh and drinking their blood.

Cao Pi was stunned amidst the bursts of noisy insults, and an unspeakable grievance suddenly rose in his heart, which had only been calm for a few days.

In an instant, the grievance swept through his body like a tide, and his face turned livid at this moment.

Immediately, "Woo~~~" started.

Then, he turned around and knelt in front of Cao Cao's spiritual tablet, crying like rain.

The silence speaks.

Although Cao Pi didn't cry loudly, he still let everyone see his broken heart.

By the way, the last time I saw Cao Pi so sad was probably the day he saw his father die, right?

Oh no!

He didn't cry so heartbroken that day.

but······

Not to mention Cao Pi, the corners of Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun's mouths were twitching, and there were tears in their eyes.

Damn it, even a tall and strong man would have a hard time not crying when something like this happens!

Those stinky scoundrels, just leave on their own, they don't want to steal a million gold.

If that's all, that's it, but those bastards are so shameless, they really don't recognize anyone when they lift their pants.

He turned around and ran to Xuzhou, Xi Yu's territory.

It's such a long distance, if you really have the damn spare time, why don't you move the treasury to the enemy?

Is this something a human being can do?

······

Xiapi, Dayingkou.

When the Qingzhou soldiers met again after a long time, they were all so excited that their eyes were filled with tears.

"I'm going to fuck you bastards, you bastards, you guys just went to find someone else after Mr. Cao left."

"Haha, I've known for a long time that you guys are not good birds. It's true."

"Tell me, what are you rebels doing here?"

"······"

Inside the camp, the Qingzhou soldiers complained mercilessly, while the Qingzhou soldiers outside the camp refused to give in.

"Screw your uncle's rebels. Can they talk? Did you see that? I have taken off my armor and returned to the fields. Now I am an ordinary citizen. What's wrong? Ordinary people can't join the army?"

"That's right, you care about heaven and earth, but you still care about my shit and farts?"

"Hehe, that's a good thing to say. Let me tell you, I came here today with twenty taels of gold in severance pay. Please pay attention to what you say!"

"If you can't speak, shut up. We are the only ones who bring money to join the army these days, and I have the only riding skills, so you can just have fun!"

"······"

It can be seen that although the two groups of people spoke rudely and poked each other's lungs, they still had some feelings for each other.

Speaking of which, the idea of ​​these 50,000 Qingzhou soldiers coming from afar is quite simple.

I followed Cao Cao in the first place because he was not only courteous to his corporal, but also brave and resourceful in fighting. Of course, the most important thing was that he was also very valuable to them.

Elites are elites, not just some vanguard and death troops that everyone can be a part of.

But others don't think so.

In particular, the other generals in the Cao clan loved only the cronies and troops they had trained with their own money.

As for them, they are completely left in a free-range state, with no one paying attention and no one managing them.

This is the fundamental reason why they often cause trouble and make the soldiers of other armies so angry that they twitch all over.

Of course, in the final analysis, it was because Cao Cao valued them too much, which led to the current gap in treatment and life, which made everyone unhappy.

I think back then, when Cao Cao was here, the soldiers of Qingzhou could almost walk sideways in the army. They would always take advantage of the bad guys and not complain first, but they would always get relief and rewards from their lord.

On the contrary, the soldiers who were bullied by them could only break their teeth and swallow them.

But now, Cao Cao is gone, and their biggest backer has fallen. Let alone being as arrogant and domineering as before, I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to be honest and responsible people.

There is no way, who has bullied too many people.

Under such circumstances, no matter how sad the Qingzhou soldiers were about Cao Cao's death, they would never dare to stay in the Han camp.

Is this a proper courting of death?

Since the Han military camp was unreliable, everyone had to find another way out.

Under such circumstances, the only one they could regard as a life-saving straw was the equally precious Qingzhou soldier Xi Yu.