Chapter 868

Yuan Shu was certainly not Cao Cao's opponent, especially since Cao Cao only lost territory, but his troop strength was still there. Fighting Liu Bei didn't lose too much, mainly stalemate and tug-of-war. Plus the troops he left to defend Yuzhou and the troops that escaped from Yanzhou, he still had over two hundred thousand.

With Old Cao's military literacy, and occupying the advantage in troop numbers, this time Old Cao beat Yuan Shu completely to the south of the Yangtze River and controlled most of Yuzhou. Only part of Pei County was occupied by Liu Bei, and because he wanted to connect with Liu Bei, he didn't take action.

Yuan Shao did release Cao Song and others to Yuzhou, still wanting some face and reputation. Jizhou and Yanzhou were places where the population was concentrated, and many families were there. Their family children were all working for different princes, betting separately to ensure family inheritance. If Yuan Shao killed Cao Cao's family, then could he kill other people's families? This is obviously a practice that loses hearts.

This matter only Dong Zhuo could do, and even the Rebel Wang wouldn't do such a thing. Of course, the Rebel Wang should still be killed. After all, the powerful clans in Youzhou were all killed, but his killing was a clear political foundation, not because these families had children outside who caused him any trouble, thereby implementing retaliatory behavior...

After returning Cao Song, Yuan Shao didn't wait for Cao Cao to attack him, so he let Zhang Yang provoke and attack him. He also contacted Liu Biao, not fighting Yuan Shu first, but turning to fight Cao Cao. He also wrote to Yuan Shu, putting down prejudices, and fighting Cao Cao first. He also wrote to Liu Bei, trying to win over Liu Bei.

Tao Qian had passed away, and Liu Bei was the fake Xuzhou Shepherd. Tao Qian submitted a memorial before he died, and Yuan Shao also submitted a memorial. Li Jue and others in Chang'an did not block it, and very simply agreed to Liu Bei serving as Xuzhou Shepherd, and also sent an envoy to announce the decree, sending Liu Bei's seal, and Liu Bei also became a real Xuzhou Shepherd.

But Liu Bei did not accept Yuan Shao's win-over and was still with Cao Cao. Now everyone is fighting Cao Cao, and Cao Cao himself is not weak, but Liu Bei is very weak. If he forms an alliance with Yuan Shao and others to attack Cao Cao, then if Cao Cao is beaten, whether it is Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu, they will definitely want to fight him. This is not a multiple-choice question. As long as the brain is a little clear, everyone knows to be with Cao Cao.

So Cao Cao was guarding against Liu Biao and Yuan Shu on the other side, and fought Zhang Yang fiercely. Yuan Shao didn't lose face and directly sent troops to attack Yuzhou, so Cao Cao didn't break it, didn't take the initiative to attack Yanzhou, and cleaned up Zhang Yang first.

This is because Yuan Shao taking charge of Yanzhou was actively welcomed by Yanzhou powerful clans and officials, not because Yuan Shao took advantage of Cao Cao's expedition to send troops to sneak attack and take it down. These are two different things. The former still kept the surface face, and the latter was the real start of crossing swords.

And at this time, the Li Jue, Guo Si, Ma Teng, and Han Sui stationed in Jincheng in Chang'an, and even Liu Yan in Yizhou were involved. There was also a war over there, a mess.

This time is the real chaos in the world, and there is no stable place, and there are wars everywhere. Even Wang Yan here is fighting. He is cleaning up the Xianbei, Xiongnu, and other tribes in the grasslands, and must drive them out of the grasslands. Whether they run to Mobei or the Western Regions, they just can't stay in the grasslands.

Wang Yan certainly hasn't been idle for more than a year. In addition to the military actions against the grasslands every winter, he is also actively expanding. The four counties of Yunzhong, Wuyuan, Taiyuan, and Xihe in Bingzhou have been brought under control. Most of Bingzhou has been occupied, counting the newly born, the population has increased by over seven hundred thousand, approaching four million.

And the population of Bingzhou is basically this much, all ran to his rule. The remaining large tracts of land basically don't have many people. This is because of the influence of war, and the grain production in the past two years has been worse than the year before, the population has plummeted, and there are reasons for Dong Zhuo, Ding Yuan, Lu Bu, etc. before, so the population of Bingzhou was not much.

And this time, part of the population added by Wang Yan is the Black Mountain Army in the Taihang Mountains. They were beaten together by Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Zhang Yang, and their lives were quite difficult. So many small bandit groups simply killed their leaders and brought their heads out of the mountains to surrender.

The added population, except for part sent to the Northeast and part sent to the grasslands, the rest remained in Bingzhou to re-divide the land, and large-scale construction is being carried out. It is mainly water conservancy construction, which is the most important factor for farming. Bingzhou's land is not enough, and grain production is relatively small. But fortunately, there is a lot of coal here, which can be adjusted through circulation within the territory to help development.

Simply put, it is selling coal to the commoners in Youzhou and Liaodong, and then exchanging money for grain. Then through the labor of the commoners in Bingzhou, money is issued, and the commoners use money to buy grain. Through constant transactions, the regulation of materials is completed.

In order to facilitate transportation and facilitate the mobilization and turnover of materials, corresponding wide roads must be built, and small roads must be built in the countryside. In order to increase speed faster, craftsmen finally remembered to build tracks and build special carriages to drive directly on the tracks. But there are various problems, such as snow in winter, such as slopes being difficult to walk, etc. Currently, there is only one experimental track road, from Jixian to Linyu.

This can also be considered a horse-drawn train, but it represents advancement and creation.

Science is not an instance, but a method, a theoretical system of discovery, summary, research, development, and iteration. Great General Wang is using political power to determine and policy support to carry out various researches, all of which are developing and progressing.

This will promote the transformation of social forms, and the transformation of social forms will catalyze corresponding culture. A group of sprayers in the Wenchang Pavilion are exhausted every day, responding to and adapting to social changes, promoting the rise of thoughts under Great General Wang, making culture unprecedentedly prosperous.

And as the place where the most literati gather today, the Wenchang Newspaper, which is constantly passed out by caravans, also has a huge influence on literati in other places.

It's just that the influence on the princes is relatively limited. They don't care about how culture is, but care about Wang Yan's ten-tax-one, no miscellaneous taxes, no forced labor of commoners, but instead hiring with money, and how he maintains the operation of his rule. At the same time, they are also paying attention to their own rule, absolutely not allowing anyone to promote how good Wang Yan is.

In such an era, their blockade is certainly efficient. Many people have never left the county in their lives. As long as there is suppression, it is difficult for news to spread. Powerful clans will not make a name for Wang Yan even more. After all, Wang Yan is their deadly enemy. If there is really no way, and there is no leader, they also want to kill Wang Yan first. After all, if Wang Yan really gets the world, these people will surely die.

So their actions are still successful. Although it spread a few years ago, Wang Yan has been starting a business for ten years, and it is no longer a hot spot, and people have long forgotten it. Perhaps later, when they are hungry and dizzy, and wandering in the world, they will imagine the prosperous age they once heard about but dared not imagine...

Whether it is Youzhou or Liaodong, the summer is very hot, and the rivers are full of children, and a few drown every year, no matter what you say, they don't listen. This is uncontrollable. Children are greedy for play, the ignorant are fearless, one jumps into the river, then a group of children jumps. At this time, there are no children playing by themselves, they are all in groups. Parents do a lot of work, and every household has a pile of children, and they can't manage them at all.

Although there are police patrols, they can't always stare at the river, and there are always times of negligence, so tragic things happen every year.

Other than that, there is nothing major. To say how good the scenery is, that is an exaggeration, and there is really nothing exquisite, it is just nature. At first, it looked okay, after all, there is a huge gap of two thousand years, and the air is different. But seeing more, you should understand how bitter the commoners behind this are, so thinking about it again, it seems that no matter how good the scenery is, it doesn't mean much.

However, Jixian is different. There is also a scene here, which is liveliness and prosperity.

Since the General's Mansion moved to Jixian, the political and economic center moved accordingly, and after three years of construction, larger-scale Wenchang Pavilion and medical schools were built outside Jixian city, leaving a part of the backbone force in Tuhe to continue development, and others moved to Jixian.

Plus commercial trade, there are goods from the north and south here, and there is no curfew policy. Jixian has preliminary nightlife. Cultural people in the Wenchang Pavilion and officials are the main force of consumption. Their treatment is good, they have spare money, and naturally, they consume more.

So in Jixian city, there are people everywhere. There are men in short clothes, little broken children with bare shoulders, literati dressed in style, officials in green shirts, and merchants in brocade clothes. Men, women, old and young, rich and poor, you can see everyone.

On this day, Wang Yan was fishing by the river boredly. Now the fish in the river are very hard to catch. Two years ago, many were netted, and children can't just jump into the water, they also catch fish, anyway, they don't let go of anything they can eat. Now the materials are still not abundant, and the commoners are still not full.

However, because of large-scale ice making and large-scale netting of fish, they can also eat sea fish in summer, which is not as cheap as in winter, after all, it increases transportation costs. In addition, in Jixian, there are fish ponds, but the output is relatively limited, and there is no way to supply the huge market, and because it is fresh, the price is higher.

There are many problems to solve, but it is not a matter of one day, and it must be developed slowly...

"Great General." The personal guard approached carefully, fearing that he would disturb the Great General's fish.

"What's the matter?"

"Cao Cao sent an envoy to enter Jixian with the caravan, this is Cao Cao's handwritten letter."

Wang Yan raised his eyebrows. Just as he was about to take the letter, he felt the movement from the fishing rod, and with a "pa," he lifted the fishing rod. A fish of about two or three jin came out of the water with splashes, swinging wildly.

The personal guard on the side came over sensibly, took off the hook, and threw it into the wooden bucket that had already contained many fish.

The Great General then took the letter and unfolded it to read.

Actually, there is nothing important, just boasting about Wang Yan's achievements in hitting the grasslands, the ambition to make the commoners full, and the spirit of sailing out to sea to explore the unknown and find good seeds to return to China. Then he analyzed the current situation of the world, and then denounced Yuan Shao for being shameless, first kidnapping his father, and then taking his Yanzhou. Finally, he stated his purpose, hoping that Great General Wang could go south to attack Jizhou, so that the two sides could attack together, which would be beneficial to both sides. One side occupies Jizhou, and one side restores Yanzhou.

In addition, he also sent two twenty-year-old young women...

This is because he heard that he had large-scale intermarriage with powerful clans, and was raising more than twenty wives, all of whom had to be married after eighteen, thinking that he was a fellow traveler in lust, so he came to cater to his preferences.

It must be said, Wang Yan felt quite complicated. Looking back at the past, he had once thought that he might have to fight Old Cao. Old Wang has a bit of Old Cao's spirit in him.

Now he is not only fighting Old Cao, but Old Cao even sent him two beauties.

Regarding this point, Wang Yan wanted to say that Old Cao really wronged him. He is a proper gentleman, how could he be on the same path as Old Cao?

Thinking carefully for a while, Wang Yan put away the letter and ordered: "Set off tomorrow, go to Gaoyang."

"Yes, Great General."

"Where are the beauties gifted by Cao Cao?"

"Temporarily staying in the post station, General, should I send them into the mansion?"

Wang Yan shook his head: "No need, let someone marry these two women to good men."

He is not short of women, and these two women have no name. If it were Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, he would have accepted them without a word. The main thing is that they are famous people, he just wants to feel it, there is no other meaning. Now he just sent two women over, maybe they are indeed beautiful, indeed have style, but his twenty-odd wives are more beautiful than the other, and he is really not short of these two. Furthermore, his energy is placed there, he is really well-informed, and he is no longer the teenager he was before.

After arranging, Wang Yan didn't see any envoy. After one night, he set off early the next morning with one hundred personal guards to Gaoyang, which was the front line of the battle with Yuan Shao. He transferred Taishi Ci to guard and transferred Huang Zhong back to guard Xu Shui.

Taishi Ci is also over thirty this year and has followed Wang Yan for more than eight years, a proper old team. He can fight, has brains, and is young. Otherwise, Wang Yan wouldn't have let Taishi Ci take the lead a few years ago and lead a team alone to take Yanmen Pass.

However, this kid is relatively idle. Everything has been handled by the Military Sima, and he has no interest in staying. After changing defense, he led a hundred-man team to find someone to fight alone, beating the enemy general until he fled in embarrassment, and never came out to fight alone again. It was also at that time that Wang Yan knew the defending general on the other side was Zhang He.

After four days of travel, on the fifth day, Wang Yan took Taishi Ci to challenge.

The two armies were only five miles apart, and there were scouts everywhere. Taishi Ci didn't bother them either, because Wang Yan had long had instructions to let these soldiers see what their side was like. Otherwise, Taishi Ci would have done it long ago. After all, the scouts and cavalry on this side were the most fierce in combat effectiveness. Two or three people in a group dared to go deep for over a hundred miles to probe the enemy situation.

So as soon as Wang Yan had action, the other side gathered urgently and waited in full battle array. Zhang He was still relatively steady.

By the time they reached the enemy camp, an army of over a thousand had already moved forward one mile and was waiting.

Wang Yan didn't come to fight, he didn't wear armor today, and he was still in the same dress as always. Taishi Ci wore armor, acting as a bodyguard behind Wang Yan, and the two of them slowly rode their horses forward.

Taishi Ci shouted: "Great General Tianwu has arrived in person, Zhang He, come forward and speak."

As the voice fell, he saw that the other side was a bit messy, and they were all not letting Zhang He come out. This is the vigilance that should be there. After all, Wang Yan is really able to fight, and Taishi Ci and Zhang He can't beat him, and it's easy to be captured alive.

After a while, Zhang He brought two deputy generals forward.

"Zhang He has seen the Great General." He was very sensible, riding on his horse, cupping his hands and saluting Wang Yan properly, and then asked, "I don't know what the Great General is looking for me for?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, answering the question: "I don't know how Junyi sees me?"

For Wang Yan knowing his courtesy name, Zhang He was not surprised. Although he didn't know why Wang Yan asked this, it was just meeting moves with moves.

He said: "The General has the ambition to swallow the world, and even more the ability to govern the world. I have resisted here, and have seen the truth of the General's rule many times, and I deeply admire it."

"In your opinion, can I get the world?"

Zhang He was silent...

He didn't dare to say this. Although he also felt that as long as Wang Yan fought steadily, he could really get the world, but he couldn't say it. Otherwise, wouldn't he be labeled as Yuan Shao? Then how would he do it in the future?

Wang Yan didn't care, and continued: "In your opinion, can Yuan Shao get the world? You were born in poverty and should be on the same path as me. Yuan Shao's subordinates are mostly powerful people, how do they value you? Even if you make contributions in the future and are appointed as an official, you will become a powerful person yourself, but can the powerful people of today tolerate you? You are not one of them, they will definitely squeeze you out, it is difficult to take on great responsibilities, and it is difficult to be reused. If not, why use you to defend against me?

You were born in poverty, and your subordinates are all commoners and refugees, why do you have to die for Yuan Shao? My way is to seek welfare for people who are like us, my army protects the home and defends the country, guards the land and pacifies the people, and is a proper and upright teacher. Everyone says I am a rebel and a barbarian, but they kill us indiscriminately, how can they boast of being civilized and knowing etiquette? The Han lost the deer, and those with virtue will occupy it. Great virtue is with me, and the great trend is with me. Junyi must understand the situation, abandon darkness and turn to light, be with me, and chase the world together."

Zhang He was even more silent, which made him not know what to say. Yuan Shao's heart was not big. If someone revealed it, he was basically finished.

He let out a long breath and asked: "Great General came here, what exactly is it for?"

Wang Yan didn't care, and threw the brocade bag he had been holding to him: "This is Cao Cao's letter, wanting to form an alliance with me to attack Yuan Shao together. You hand this letter to Yuan Shao, and pass on my oral message. If you want me to stop the war, send fifty thousand commoners and retreat two hundred miles. If you don't follow, I will raise an army to attack. I will wait here, and if there is no reply within half a month, I will take Jizhou."

Zhang He was stunned for a moment. This is taking advantage of the fire. He cupped his hands: "Great General, don't worry, I will definitely bring it, I will leave now."

"What I said is not false, Junyi should think about it. Living in the world, the most important thing is self-knowledge. A mantis blocking a chariot is not a hero."

"Goodbye." Zhang He cupped his hands, turned his horse, and ran away. He couldn't listen anymore...

Taishi Ci asked: "General, if he doesn't surrender, when the swords and soldiers meet, what should I do?"

"No need to hold back, safety is the priority." Wang Yan glanced at him.

Taishi Ci understood the Great General's eyes, meaning "don't talk nonsense." He smiled and asked again: "If Yuan Shao doesn't follow, will you really take Jizhou?"

"Act according to the situation."

After speaking, Wang Yan turned his horse's head, rode his horse, and walked back slowly...