Yuan Xi held the porridge bowl, tapped the table with his fingers, and said loudly: "I followed Liu Jingsheng's example and established a free school to teach soldiers how to read and write, but I suffered from a shortage of manpower, especially women."
"The hundreds of captive women will work in the city for a month, such as weaving, harvesting, washing, etc."
"If they want to leave in the future, I won't stop them. Those who are willing to stay can make their own living."
"Those with decent looks among them, I will let them learn to read and play musical instruments. If they have the opportunity to return to Yecheng, I will find them a more comfortable place to live."
"I would like to ask Madam to teach them."
Yuan Xi spoke very cryptically, but Wu Zhao understood it instantly.
"General, are you asking them to follow Situ Wang Yun's example and send Diao Chan to Marquis Lu Wen?"
When she mentioned Wang Yun's name, although he was already dead, there was still a hint of hatred in her heart.
Yuan Xi raised his head in surprise: "Yes, Madam is very thoughtful."
After hearing this, Wu Zhao looked sad and said in a complicated tone, "Will they really be willing?"
Yuan Xi sneered after hearing this: "Madam, you are too naive!"
"Do you really think those women would want to leave?"
"Do you really think that my soldiers fought with their lives and many people died in that valley just because of the illusory saying that those who invade the Han will be killed no matter how far away they are?"
"If you don't give them enough to eat and don't give them a family, why should they fight?"
"Cao Cao of Yanzhou even assigned women to his soldiers!"
Wu Zhao recalled the life-and-death fight between Yuan Xi and Liu Bao in the mud that day. He bit his lip and said, "I thought the young master was a model scholar..."
Yuan Xi shook his head: "You think highly of me."
"I'm just an ordinary person, I just reincarnated."
"Do you know that when we rescued them that day, they heard that I was the son of Yuan Benchu, the shepherd of Jizhou, and how many people wanted to rush into this mansion?"
"In troubled times, having food to eat and a safe place to live is simply a luxury."
"Especially in the face of hunger, there is no dignity at all."
Wu Zhao said softly: "Yes, during the months when I was driven by the Huns to walk, I was so hungry that I felt dizzy every day. I could only eat moldy food. I was tortured by hunger to the point of collapse."
Yuan Xi nodded and said: "It is indeed not easy for you to persevere."
"When I first came here, I didn't know how to lead troops to fight. I could only huddle and defend the city. This Beixin City was besieged several times and had no food supplies."
"I was going crazy with hunger, and also with great fear."
Wu Zhao spoke out: "No one is afraid of death."
"That's half right," Yuan Xi pointed to the people coming and going outside the house and said, "I'm afraid of death, and I'm also afraid that if I die, the city will be destroyed, and everyone in the city behind me may be killed."
Wu Zhao was stunned.
She suddenly felt that many of her previous opinions seemed to have been shaken by Yuan Xi.
The two of them just sat facing each other, and the porridge in the bowl in front of them was slowly getting cold.
Yuan Xi shook his head, thinking that he had somehow talked too much. Maybe it was because he had no one to talk to in the past few years?
He waved his hand and said, "I'm tired, please take the porridge away."
After hearing this, Wu Zhao bowed his head, bowed, and went out with the wooden tray.
When she went out, she saw a young man squatting at the door with a piece of thatch in his mouth and looking at her with an unhappy expression.
Wu Zhao indeed recognized this young man and remembered that he was Yuan Xi's personal soldier named Sun Li.
When Wu Zhao passed by, Sun Li snorted coldly: "Ugly people tend to do mischief..."
Wu Zhao lowered his head and said nothing. At this time, Dong Zhao came over and slapped Sun Li on the head: "Go, go, you kid is wandering around all day, instead of doing business, go and learn more moves from General Qu!"
Sun Li did not dare to talk back, so he covered his head and left angrily. Before leaving, he muttered: "Old man Dong is really cruel. I will trip you up next time I find an opportunity..."
Wu Zhao returned to the kitchen with the porridge, only to see Dong Zhao follow him in and even close the door.
She started to panic. This Dong Zhao seemed to be Yuan Xi's counselor. Was he trying to take advantage of her?
The key point is that since I am so ugly now, can this person still be interested?
She picked up a kitchen knife and said in a trembling voice: "What are you going to do?"
As soon as Dong Zhao saw him, he knew that Wu Zhao had misunderstood. Seeing no one outside, he quickly bowed and said: "Ten years ago, I met Mr. Bo Zhe (Cai Yong) several times to perform the disciple ceremony."
"I am really ashamed to hear that my husband unfortunately passed away. There is nothing I can do."
Wu Zhao heard this and said blankly: "Are you...?"
Dong Zhao hurriedly said: "Ji Yin Dong Gongren."
When Wu Zhao thought about it, he suddenly said: "I remember that my husband came to my home at that time."
She looked in disbelief, "I was only ten years old at the time. How can my husband still recognize me after so many years?"
Dong Zhao smiled and said: "A girl is naturally beautiful. Even if her face is painted, how can it cover up her facial features?"
Only then did Wu Zhao realize that since he was rescued, he had relaxed his mind and often forgot to act ugly, but Dong Zhao saw it.
She was a little uneasy. If Dong Zhao took refuge with Yuan Shao's son, would his identity be revealed?
Dong Zhao seemed to see her worry and said hurriedly: "Don't worry, I am your disciple, how could I do anything detrimental to your daughter!"
"If the girl doesn't want to stay here, my words in front of the young master still have some weight. How about I ask the young master to help the girl return home?"
Wu Zhao heard this and sighed: "Where can I still have a home?"
"My father was killed, and I became a widow. I was driven back by my parents' family. My home in Luoyang was looted by the Huns, and it was already a white land."
"I am an ominous person, the world is so big, where can I go?"
Wu Zhao thought to himself, would it be better if someone like him died?
Dong Zhao was silent for a while and said: "It doesn't matter, it's not a bad thing for the girl to be with Mr. Yuan."
Wu Zhao became curious, "Sir, it seems that he has a high opinion of General Yuan?"
Dong Zhao stroked his beard, thought for a while, and then said: "Master Yuan is decisive in doing things and very accurate in judging people. He is very different from his father."
Wu Zhao heard this and became curious: "How did you know, sir?"
Dong Zhao hesitated for a moment and said: "Girl, please don't talk to others. This man once told me in private that Cao Cao will become a great leader in the future, but many people will die because of him."
"This coincides with my thoughts."
Wu Zhao was stunned: "Cao Mengde?"
"Isn't that also my father's disciple?"
Dong Zhao nodded with a solemn expression: "Exactly."
Wu Zhao became confused. She didn't know much about Ji Yan. She saw that Dong Zhao spoke unclearly, as if he was playing a riddle, as if he was worried about something.
If Yuan Xi were here, he could guess Dong Zhao's ambivalence.
In later generations, Dong Zhao was a hero of the Wei Dynasty and was known as "the most talented and strategist in the world."
The capital was established in Xu County, and the fifth rank was established. The titles of Duke of Wei and King of Wei were probably given by Dong Zhao.
But in fact, Dong Zhao and his younger brother Dong Fang have always been very jealous.
Dong Zhao surrendered to Cao Cao in the first year of Jian'an (196), but he did not officially enter the Sikong Shogunate until the twelfth year of Jian'an (207). There was a marginal period of more than ten years in the middle.
Dong Zhao's strategies were too flattering and seemed more like self-protection.
Dong Zhao in history did not rely on Cao Cao from the beginning, but in the end he had no choice but to find that Cao Cao was the best choice.
This involves a public case in later generations.
Yanzhou Rebellion.
"The Biography of Lu Bu" records that Zhang Miao and Cao Cao were life and death friends, but Yuan Shao later had a rift with Miao and repeatedly asked Cao Cao to kill Miao.
Zhang Miao was afraid that Cao Cao would obey Yuan Shao's orders to deal with him, and he felt uneasy. Also, when Cao Cao killed Bian Rang, a famous scholar in Yanzhou, he finally colluded with Lu Bu in the first year of Xingping (194), and Chen Gong launched a massive rebellion.
This rebellion almost caused Cao Cao to lose all his territory.
Dong Zhao was in Yuan Shao's army, and his younger brother Dong Fang was in Zhang Miao's army, both of whom stood opposite Cao Cao.
Although the Yanzhou Rebellion had not yet occurred in this world, Lu Bu had already fallen out with Yuan Shao. Dong Zhao was jealous of Yuan Shao, so he had no choice but to go to Hanoi to be the governor of Hanoi, and then surrendered to the Han Emperor.
The reason for this choice is that the loyal minister most trusted by the Han Emperor is not Yuan Shao, but...