Chapter 290 Cao Cao: Tao Qian dares to return to Xuzhou? Cut him off!
After Cheng Yu finished his report, Xun Chen and Xun Yan arrived.

"Greetings, my lord."

The behavior of Xun Chen and Xun Yan seemed to be copies of Xun Yu. Apart from their different personalities, the "Three Ruos" each had their own merits.

Xun Chen can be a strategist, while Xun Yan is more versatile, a low-profile version of Xun Yu.

"Haha!" Cao Cao stood up happily, opened his arms and said, "You Ruo and Xiuruo are here."

In the early days when there was only Guo Jia, Cao Cao was indeed a little hungry and had no choice but to eat.

Later, as Xun Chen and Xun Yan continued to demonstrate their respective values, Cao Cao's vision became higher and he was no longer so tolerant of Guo Jia's poor behavior.

It's just that it wasn't shown on the surface.

"Sit down." Cao Cao warmly welcomed him, "Sit down first."

Xun Chen and Xun Yan are not radicals like Guo Jia. Similar to Xun Yu, they will take the initiative to speak up when faced with major issues and will generally obey the arrangements of others.

After the two of them sat down, Cao Cao talked about a lot of family matters, and then got back to the topic.

"The world is in turmoil, and the people are living in misery."

“The early rice harvest is not as good as we thought.”

Cao Cao stopped smiling, stood up, put his hands behind his back with a compassionate look, and stared at the sky outside the door.

"Cheng Zhongde told me that it was because of the seeds."

At this point, Erxun roughly guessed what Cao Cao meant.

really.

"I want to develop military farms, but I don't have the right seeds. I have to ask General Zhennan to buy them."

Cao Cao turned around and looked at the two of them and said, "This is such a precious item, it must be worth a lot of money. If it were me, I would definitely not give it away easily."

"Therefore, I would like to trouble you two to go to Jingzhou on my behalf."

"I hope General Zhennan will help me out of consideration for the suffering of the people of the world."

"I, Cao Cao, will be eternally grateful!"

Xun Chen was in no hurry to speak, so the older Xun Yan stood up, bowed, and asked, "My lord, what price are you willing to pay for the rice seeds?"

Cao Cao said calmly: "Didn't I say it? It's for the people of the world."

Xun Yan bowed again and then left.

This is a disguised rejection.

Cao Cao looked at Xun Chen.

In terms of age, Xun Chen is younger than Xun Yu, and also more radical, of course, relative to Xun Yu, not Guo Jia.

Xun Chen stood up, bowed, looked Cao Cao straight in the eye, and asked, "My lord, are you willing to sacrifice my brother's life in exchange for the rice seeds?"

"How is that possible!" Cao Cao shook his sleeves and said, "What do you think I am?"

"How could I be that kind of person!"

Xun Chen insisted, "Then why did you ask for rice seeds?"

He began to analyze them one by one: "General Zhennan is not a saint, he also has seven emotions and six desires. How can he take the world as his responsibility and cultivate a future enemy for the sake of the illusory people?"

"What did you say?" Cao Cao turned around suddenly and asked angrily, "General Zhennan and I served in the same court. How could we be enemies?"

Seeing that Cao Cao refused to admit it, Xun Chen finally realized that it was useless to say more, so he bowed like Xun Yan, then left and stopped talking.

"Hey hey hey."

Cao Cao saw this and said, "You just can't stand a joke."

"Is not fun!"

“It’s not fun at all!”

After that, Cao Cao returned to his seat like a rogue and said, "Then please go to Jingzhou. Whether it will succeed or not depends on God's will."

There was no other way. How could Cao Cao dare to say in public that he had to pay a price? That would give Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu an advantage.

He could only use this almost rogue method to hint to Xun Chen and Xun Yan that they didn't have to achieve anything on this trip, as long as they could get in touch with them, it would be a success.

"I wrote this letter to express my apology." Cao Cao said casually, as if he didn't mean to say anything. "I hope General Zhennan is a kind-hearted person."

After saying this, Cao Cao began to write rapidly on the bamboo slips.

After a while, a handwritten letter was completed.

Cao Cao took out the bamboo tube and sealing wax that he had prepared long ago and packed them carefully.

He stood up again and walked in front of Xun Chen and Xun Yan.

Only after Xun Chen and Xun Yan stood up did Cao Cao solemnly hand the bamboo tube to Xun Chen.

"You Ruo, Xiu Ruo." Cao Cao took the hands of the two men and placed them on the bamboo tube, saying, "I believe that after General Zhen'an has seen this, he will agree to lend me the rice seeds."

Xun Chen had some guesses in his mind, but he was not sure. Xun Yan was the first to react. He pulled out his hand and bowed, saying, "My lord, don't worry. If this letter is damaged halfway, I will destroy it!"

Cao Cao excitedly grabbed Xun Yan's hands and said, "Then I'll leave it to Xu Ruo!"

Some things cannot be said explicitly, so it is best to leave them to smart people.

After Xun Chen and Xun Yan left, Cao Cao called Cheng Yu forward and whispered, "Please look after the families of my good friends Ruo and Xiu Ruo for me!"

Cheng Yu raised his head, met Cao Cao's sharp eyes, then lowered his head and said, "Understood."

Cao Cao raised his hand and wanted to pat Cheng Yu on the shoulder, but because of the huge height difference, he patted his waist instead, then laughed and walked out.

This made Cheng Yu feel uneasy. Could it be that Boss Cao had taken a fancy to this old man?

"Impossible!" Cheng Yu threw the inappropriate thoughts out of his mind. As everyone knows, Cao Cao likes young women, so how could he also like Long Yang?

Absolutely impossible!
the other side.

After Cao Cao left the house, he rode his son Cao Ang to the military camp on horseback.

Even if they earned 200,000 tons of grain in the first half of the year, Cao Cao's 100,000 troops could only have two thin meals a day and had to work in the fields.

Only during training can the soldiers eat as much dry food as they want, and not everyone has the opportunity.

Boss Cao copied the homework and learned the essence of the Yangzhou Army's training. During training, only qualified soldiers could eat dry rice to their fill, while others could only be given a bowl of thick porridge at most.

In this way, not only will the soldiers' enthusiasm for training be improved, but a large amount of food will be saved, and they can also grow food and become self-sufficient.

Simply a genius idea.

To be honest, this army is more like farmers who have taken up arms, or a farming army.

Correspondingly, the soldiers' combat effectiveness is definitely not comparable to that of the Yangzhou army.

But as long as the army is stronger than that of the surrounding princes, it will be enough.

After the eighteen princes fought against Dong Zhuo, the only two people who had recruited the earliest elite troops were left, Jin Mao and Yuan Shao.

Even Dong Zhuo lost all his elite troops and his great general Xu Rong.

Therefore, Cao Cao only needed to have a stronger army than Yuan Shu and others.

Yuan Shao was originally an ally, so Jin Mao would try not to provoke him if possible.

For this reason, Cao Cao deliberately sent Guo Jia away, hoping to clear himself of the matter.

In the military camp.

Yu Jin, who was training his soldiers, heard that Cao Cao and his son had arrived, so he handed over the matter in his hands to his deputy general Li Tong and prepared to go to the central military tent to report.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao went straight to the training ground, followed by generals such as Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Le Jin.

Obviously, these people got the news much faster than Yu Jin.

"Wen Ze, there's no need to stop, keep practicing!"

Cao Cao rode Jueying to the command platform and watched the drill of 20,000 people with satisfaction.

These were the elite troops carefully selected from the 100,000 troops. Cao Cao intended to build a force that imitated the main camp of the Yangzhou Army.

Cao Cao also wanted to train another cavalry on this basis.

Unfortunately, war horses have always been a scarce strategic force, even Cao Cao lacked war horses. Only the three states of Liang, Bing and You in the northwest were rich in war horses.

"Wen Ze is really a good material for training soldiers!"

Cao Cao praised him generously, "You have the talent to train a strong army for me in just half a year!"

Le Jin deeply agreed with this, but Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan disagreed.

They have all seen what the Yangzhou army is like, and when compared, the gap between the two is huge.

Moreover, so much time has passed, it is difficult to say what the Yangzhou Army has evolved into now.

After all, war is the best way to train soldiers. After a war, the ones who survive are the veterans.

After two or three major battles, they either became experienced soldiers or elite soldiers.

But how many major battles has the Yangzhou army experienced?
It is no exaggeration to say that they are the elite among the elite.

"Zixiao (Cao Ren)." Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and looked at the constantly changing formations in front of him, and asked: "How many elite troops of the Yangzhou Army do you think my 20,000 troops can defeat?"

Cao Ren urged his horse to take two steps forward, clasped his fists and said, "My lord, if we fight two by two, I think we can defeat more than five thousand of them."

"But war is not won by numbers or strength of troops, but by planning."

"I think that if the plan is well planned, even if all the elite troops of Yangzhou Army are killed, it is possible to succeed."

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Zixiao is right!"

"If the strategy is right, let alone 20,000 elite troops, even if the entire Yangzhou Army comes out, it can be destroyed in one day!"

"But we can't underestimate the people of the world."

Cao Cao suppressed his smile and said, "Are we the only ones who can use strategies?"

"impossible!"

"Therefore, when the fight really starts, we should take our opponents seriously!"

Cao Ren flattered him and said, "My lord is wise!"

Cao Cao was very satisfied. He raised his whip in his right hand and pointed it forward, saying, "When this army is trained, Zixiao and Zilian will each lead 5,000 men."

"Yuan Rang and Miao Cai also received 5,000 each."

"General Zhennan has five camps: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Then we will set up four camps: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise!"

Cao Cao laughed and said, "We will not decide which camp will be the Green Dragon Camp today. Next year, whichever camp achieves the most merits will be the Green Dragon Camp!"

Now, the relationship between Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan was no longer harmonious, and it was full of tension.

In fact, Jinmao did not set up any five elements main camp. This was an exclusive gift from Cao Cao.

And each family calls it differently.

In short, the Yangzhou Army has already made a name for itself, and no one wants to provoke it easily again.

Whether in terms of eliteness or logistical support, they are all at a level that far surpasses any current princes.

When it was time for lunch, the soldiers, under the arrangement of the generals, cooked their meals in an orderly manner.

A banquet had already been prepared in the central military tent, and Cao Cao only needed to take his generals there to have a hot meal.

Due to the large amount of rice harvested this year, today's staple food has become rough and inedible rice.

Compared with corn and pasta, early rice tastes very bad and is barely edible.

For the common people, there is no difference, but for someone like Cao Cao who lives in luxury, it is a great punishment.

The way they eat can tell the difference in their family backgrounds when they were young.

Cao Ren and Cao Hong were just like Cao Cao, they only drank wine and ate meat, and they didn't even look at the rough rice.

Xiahou Dun, Yu Jin and Li Dian would occasionally take a few bites and then stop eating.

The only two people who were not affected, Xiahou Yuan and Le Jin, were not affected at all and continued to spin vigorously.

It’s not that Xiahou Yuan’s family is poor, but that this guy can endure hardship.

Le Jin was really poor. When he was wandering around in his early years, what kind of food did he not eat?
Full of wine and food.

Cao Cao talked about Yuan Shu: "There is a group of fierce bandits in Yuzhou, which has worried the governor of Yuzhou."

"Look, he sent me another letter, urging me to send troops."

"But where can I get the troops to support Yuzhou Mu?"

Xiahou Yuan stepped out of line at an inopportune moment, clasped his fists and said, "My lord, give me a thousand cavalrymen, and we will surely be able to get rid of this gang of bandits!"

Cao Cao was halfway back in a tactical move when he cursed, "Nonsense!"

"How can I afford you a thousand cavalrymen to squander?"

"How much more than a thousand miles is it from here to Yingchuan in Yuzhou?"

"Can you use your brain? Who will give you supplies?"

Xiahou Yuan said as a matter of course: "Of course it is the governor of Yuzhou who provides the food and grass."

"Haha." Cao Cao laughed strangely: "Hehe!"

"What a talent." Cao Cao said in frustration, "Why didn't I realize you were so reckless before?"

"They say that past experience is a lesson for the future. Why don't you learn from it?"

Cao Cao stood up, put his hands on his hips and said, "Remember when the 18 princes went to fight against Dong Zhuo, Sun Jian was led by Yuan Shu and was unstoppable all the way."

"What's the result?"

Cao Cao leaned forward and said, "Yuan Shu listened to the slander of the villain and cut off Sun Jian's food supply, giving Dong Zhuo a chance to catch his breath."

"You all know what happened next."

"If I were not the governor of Yangzhou, I am afraid Dong Zhuo would have already come to Guandong. What would I have to wait for?"

Cao Cao looked around and asked, "Do you think the governor of Yuzhou will provide food and fodder?"

"dream!"

"Forget it, Miaocai."

Xiahou Yuan pushed on in confusion, not knowing what Cao Cao was trying to say. Wasn't the purpose of raising a problem to be solved?

Xiahou Yuan didn't understand, but Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren had some guesses but were not sure.

Cao Cao's mind was changeable and no one knew what he was really thinking.

"Then again," Cao Cao said, "Yuzhou Mu is not focusing on dealing with this group of bandits, but is targeting me instead."

"Just last month, the governor of Yuzhou sent that damn Tao Qian to occupy Pei State."

"If it weren't for the impending grain harvest, I would have killed this old thing long ago!"

Cao Cao was filled with righteous indignation and said: "Xuzhou is thriving under my rule. What right does Tao Qian have to take it back?"

Cao Ren immediately stepped out and flattered the emperor, saying, "My lord, you are right!"

"I am willing to lead 5,000 men and horses to kill Tao Qian!"

At this time, everyone realized that this was Cao Cao's purpose, and they all vied to fight.

When it was Xiahou Yuan's turn, this guy got anxious and yelled, "My lord! If you give me a thousand cavalry, I will fight for Tao Qian's head within two days!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at Xiahou Yuan.

Everyone agreed to ask for 5,000 troops to fight, so how come a fool showed up and said that 1,000 cavalrymen could kill Tao Qian?

Do you think you are the champion and can travel thousands of miles in a month?

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao actually believed Xiahou Yuan's lies: "There is no joking in the army!"

Xiahou Yuan clasped his fists and said, "You can issue a military order!"

"Great!" Cao Cao said happily, "I'm waiting for the day when Miaocai returns triumphantly!"

(End of this chapter)