Xu Shu spent several months traveling to parts of the three states of Bing, You and Ji.
From these places, he saw a vitality that had never been seen under the rule of other princes.
Only ghosts are willing to rebel if they can have enough food and clothing. After life has improved, the number of bandits and thieves has quickly decreased, and the public security in various places has become unprecedentedly good.
Both systems and policies are considering the survival and well-being of the people; both people and officials are using their best efforts to make life better.
When Xu Shu had not fully digested what he had seen and heard in Hebei, he came to Dongjun and found that the prosperity here was a different kind of scene.
There were relatively more aristocratic families in Dongjun under Cao Cao's rule than in other places.
When Lu Bu was defeated and retreated to Yanzhou, some aristocratic families withdrew to Dongjun but were dissuaded by the Tian family and finally stayed. Later, Chen Deng took command of Dongjun. Because of the Chen family's reputation and appeal, some aristocratic families moved to Dongjun.
; In addition, when Cao Cao attacked Yuan Shao, some aristocratic families fled, resulting in a situation where aristocratic families are everywhere in Dongjun, and there are as many wealthy families as dogs.
But although there are many wealthy families in Dongjun, the people here are not as unattainable as those from the previous families.
As the various monopolies of the aristocratic family were broken, their advantages became smaller and smaller. In addition, Cao Cao and Lu Yan had always kept a close eye on the wealthy aristocratic families, so they gradually changed their positioning and mentality.
During the period when Xu Shu was in Dongjun, many people from aristocratic families often took the initiative to invite Xu Shu to give lectures to their descendants after learning about Xu Shu's identity.
Xu Shu didn't want to just take a rest in Dongjun and then return to Chenliu to tell Lu Yan that he was ready to become an official. However, because of the kindness of these aristocratic families, Xu Shu's plan was broken and the rest of his trip was delayed.
After finally getting rid of these unusually hospitable aristocratic families, before Xu Shu could leave Dongjun, a handsome young general with a heroic temperament approached him first.
In the small courtyard provided by Chen Deng for Xu Shu to live temporarily, Ma Chao knocked on the door and asked Xu Shu: "Are you Mr. Xu Shu, Mr. Xu Yuanzhi?"
Xu Shu looked Ma Chao up and down, and after confirming that he didn't recognize him, he asked, "It's me. How did the general know about me?"
Although Ma Chao was not wearing armor, Xu Shu guessed his identity immediately due to the momentum and the smell of blood from years of battlefield killings.
Ma Chao took out Lu Yan's autographed letter from his pocket and said, "This is the letter Lu Qiaoqi asked me to forward to you. Please read it."
"Lu Qiaoqi?!" Xu Shu's eyes flashed with light. After receiving the letter, he read it carefully.
After carefully reading Lu Yan's letter, Xu Shuwei said to himself, "That's it!"
After sighing, Xu Shu raised his hands to Ma Chao and said, "It turns out he is the son of General Ma Teng... The people in the mountains and fields do not understand etiquette, so please forgive me, General."
Ma Chao quickly returned the greeting and then asked: "Since Mr. Yuan Zhi has learned the inside story, would you like to follow me to Xiliang?"
This is a good opportunity to make great achievements. How many people can encounter such a good thing when they first start their career?
Xu Shu is not stupid. Of course he will not miss this opportunity. "Since it is Lu Qiaoqi's arrangement, I will naturally obey his orders."
"Great! Then you will be my military advisor from now on." Ma Chao was overjoyed, and then asked: "May I ask my military advisor, what should we do next?"
"Although General Ma has the help of Zhang Lu, I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist Han Sui's army for a long time." Xu Shu took two steps and then said: "General Meng Qi, we will set off for Chenliu now. After Lu Qiaoqi promises you,
After 10,000 elite cavalry are ready, you will rush back to Xiliang as quickly as possible to help General Ma defend Hanyang County."
"What about you?"
"I will lead the remaining infantry as quickly as possible through the waterway. Before I arrive, you'd better not take the initiative to avoid being ambushed. Just hold the line of defense firmly!"
"waterway?"
"That's right, waterway!" Xu Shu said with a smile: "The naval division established by Lu Xiuqi is not just a decoration. Our infantry can just pass through the naval division and rush from the Yellow River to the land of Sanfu!"
"That's great. Starting from the waterway can save a lot of time!"
After Ma Chao and Xu Shu finished their discussion, they immediately rushed back to Chenliu together.
When they returned to Chenliu, the ten thousand fine cavalry were ready.
Lu Lingqi personally handed the tiger talisman of these ten thousand cavalry to Ma Chao and said: "These are our good brothers who have lived together through life and death. Meng Qi, you must cherish them."
Ma Chao solemnly took the tiger talisman, cupped his fists and said, "General, don't worry, they are also my brothers, Ma Chao, and I will not let them sacrifice at will."
Lu Lingqi nodded. To be honest, she quite liked this upright boy. "Go, Meng Qi, let them see that our soldiers from the Wolf Cavalry Camp are just a group of invincible hungry wolves!"
Ma Chao knelt down on one knee, straightened his waist, and said to Lu Lingqi: "General, don't worry, I will definitely not disgrace the reputation of the Wolf Cavalry Camp!"
Amidst the sound of farewell drums, Ma Chao led his army and galloped away.
Although Ma Chao left, Ma Yunlu stayed.
The two siblings thought that one of them still needed to stay as a hostage, so Ma Chao left and Ma Yunlu chose to stay.
Ma Yunlu is also a heroic figure among women, so naturally Lu Lingqi will not miss the opportunity to win over Ma Yunlu... Tsk tsk, unknowingly, the Ma family has fallen into another trap.
In addition to the 10,000 elite cavalry assigned to Ma Chao by the Wolf Cavalry Battalion, Cao Cao also dispatched 20,000 infantry to support Xiliang. Although this army is not the most elite, they are all veterans who have been on the battlefield and are well-equipped.
Xu Shu was appointed by Lu Yan as Military Advisor Zhonglang General. He will lead 20,000 infantry to assist Ma Chao against Han Sui. The navy will send them to the land of Sanfu, which will also be a good opportunity to test the navy's recent training results.
With the 30,000 troops sent by the imperial court from the Central Plains, and the certain support given by Zhong Yao of Chang'an, Ma Teng would not be able to turn defeat into victory immediately, but at least he could stabilize his position and then slowly reverse the situation.
...
[In the eighth year of Jian'an, it was sunny in early July.]
[I have been so busy these past few months that I have even canceled the trip I promised my wife to go out for an outing... Yesterday, I allocated 10,000 elite riders from her wolf cavalry camp. I really feel sorry for her...]
[Luoyang is being rebuilt, the navy has not yet been formed, and artillery and warships are still being built... Now is a critical stage of recuperation (burning money). In any case, Xiliang must not be dominated by one family.
Especially now, the one with the greatest hope of unifying Xiliang is Han Sui, the old silver coin.】
[But now that Ma Chao has returned, and with the help of Xu Shu, even if he cannot defeat Han Sui, it should not be a problem to drag him on for a year and a half. 】
[As long as we survive this difficult time, our overall strength will be greatly improved. Let alone Han Sui, even if all the princes join forces to attack, we will not be cowed at all!]
As he wrote, Lu Yan felt a little dazed.
There have been too many things going on recently, and he has been so busy that he can't tell the difference between east, west, and north.
At first, they built steel mills and made artillery; then they quickly built shipyards and established a navy; and finally a cement factory was built, and it was busy again...
Moreover, when these things first started, all of them were extremely money-hungry. Even Chen Liu, who was very wealthy, couldn't bear it anymore.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
I have been going back to my hometown on weekends recently, so there will be some fluctuations in updates on Friday and Saturday, but generally there will be no interruptions.