It goes without saying how important food was in the troubled times of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
I don’t know how many times Boss Cao has been beaten since his debut, but the reason why he gets stronger with more beatings is because food is always available.
Henan was originally a fertile land, and Ren Jun, Han Hao, Zao Zhi and others continued to farm. This resulted in Boss Cao being able to survive even if he often fought and even challenged three states with one state.
Now if we add another length to Boss Cao's already long board, then Boss Cao can really be said to be fearless.
In particular, the food issue has never represented just one long board.
If there is more food, first of all, the population will increase.
As the population increases, there will naturally be more soldiers.
Boss Cao's biggest shortcoming before was his population, so he was pushed to the ground by Yuan Shao and beaten violently.
Now that this problem is solved, the real offensive and defensive momentum will change instantly!
Everyone present is Cao Cao's top think tank. Even if some of them are not familiar with agriculture, they still know what it means to increase the output of one stone of grain per acre of land on average!
Guo Jiadu asked He Yan in disbelief: "Is it really applicable to all fields?"
"What? Could it be that the things pulled out by people from Guanzhong and those from Central Plains can be different?"
He Yan also helped everyone expand their thinking: "It's not just about increasing grain production. I also told Ren Jiangjun before that with manure, we don't have to worry about losing too much field power, and we can completely rotate crops."
"Especially with soybean rotation, the beans produced can be used as rations for livestock."
He Yan silently made a calculation in his mind: "In this way, we can feed more than 100,000 cattle every year, and the remaining scraps can also feed dolphins, chickens and other livestock."
"Within a few years, the barren fields in the Central Plains will be replanted and there will be no more famines in the Central Plains!"
Increased food production will increase more than just the population.
And the quality of life of the people.
If the people have food in their own hands, they will raise cattle and livestock without the need for supervision from the government.
When the people's stomachs are full, they will naturally have other pursuits, such as... new learning?
If it is just like "weakening the people, ignorant of the people, tired of the people, humiliating the people, poor people, and mistreating the people" as in "Shang Jun Shu", allowing the people to always live on the line of food and clothing and depriving them of the right to pursue happiness, then such a way to control the people
...It’s okay not to!
Cao Cao and others still don't know what He Yan is thinking. They are still immersed in the grand blueprint of "no more famine in the Central Plains".
Since the Yellow Turban Uprising, how many people dare to say that they have never been hungry?
Even Xia Houyuan's own young son could starve to death, let alone others.
If the Central Plains can really be restored to the level of "no more famine", it will definitely be a blessing to Cao Cao and the people.
"good!"
Cao Cao no longer hesitated: "I will immediately go to the emperor and order the Dian Nong Xiaowei from all over the country to implement the manure method!"
Making manure is not difficult.
The hard part is collecting the feces.
At He Yan's suggestion, Cao Cao also decided to order county magistrates and county guards to build dry toilets in the areas they governed, and ordered the people to go to the toilets.
It is easy to say a policy, but it is not easy to implement it.
Unless...this policy is a genuine policy that can bring benefits to everyone.
The production of manure is undoubtedly a policy that can bring benefits to everyone.
If nothing unexpected happens, the grain output in the Central Plains next year will exceed everyone's imagination, allowing Boss Cao to completely get rid of all the constraints that restrict development.
"This method is more important than Lujiang County! And it is much more important!"
Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed in front of the ministers: "I told you a long time ago that I am happy to have a Qilin son, so happy! Happy!"
Given the importance of manure, it is no exaggeration to say that even if He Yan died now, he would still be among the top three contributors under Boss Cao.
But now Boss Cao is beginning to have a headache about rewarding He Yan.
Become a military attache... Even if Cao Cao was willing, He Yan was not willing. After all, since Cao Cao put the label of "Yao Lieutenant" on He Yan, He Yan's next step must be "Hussars General". Otherwise, any other military position would be
An insult to He Yan.
The title of nobility... Don't be ridiculous, Marquis Shen is already a county marquis, and he is also a top-level Marquis of Wanhu. If you go up to the next level, you can only become a public servant.
Feng Wenguan...
Cao Cao struggled for a while, but finally made his decision: "He Yan, the Marquis of Shen, is good at civil affairs and an honest official. He is specially designated as the Order of Xuchang."
He Yan:???
It's good to be good at civil affairs, but how did Boss Cao know that he was an honest official?
And Xuchang Ling?
He Yan said that Boss Cao really didn’t know how to feel sorry for him...
There are high-ranking officials and nobles all over Xuchang, and serving as the Xuchang order is almost an offense.
Except for Man Chong, no one can secure Xu Changling's position. Now Boss Cao has made it clear that He Yan should sit in this position to suppress some people who are becoming increasingly lawless.
But in this case, the person he offended will probably have to move from Xuchang to Hebei...
"What? You don't have confidence, Yulang?"
"Yes! Of course!"
He Yan immediately cheered up.
Wouldn’t it just offend a few people?
This is Xuchang Ling!
He was immediately offered the position of mayor of the imperial capital. Only a fool would refuse!
And as Xu Changling, can I justifiably bully Cao Pi?
"That's good."
After Cao Cao rewarded He Yan with some money and silk, which he had already despised, he left He Yan by his side and began the next discussion.
As soon as this move came out, He Yan knew the real purpose of Boss Cao calling him here.
Rewards are fake, but integration into the inner circle is real.
Meetings of this level can only be attended by the core figures of the Cao Cao Group. Now that He Yan is allowed to stay, it is obviously intended to completely allow He Yan to join Cao Wei's decision-making level.
The first thing after food is provided is to send troops.
In addition to Yuan Shao's only stronghold in Henan, Cangting, there were also rebels in Lu and Donghai.
There were still 10,000 Yuan troops in Cangting. Cao Cao, Guo Jia and others were afraid that Yuan Shao would send troops to reinforce and the war would become a see-saw again, so they decided to personally lead the troops to quell the chaos.
The area around the State of Lu was the counties that had surrendered to Yuan Shao before. Most of these people were people who acted according to the wind and were vulnerable to attack. All the staff agreed to let Zhang Liao lead the troops to pacify.
The situation in Donghai County is a bit complicated.
Donghai County, also known as Tan County, belongs to Xuzhou and is an important passage from Xuzhou to Qingzhou from the east.
This place was originally occupied by Taishan thief Chang Xi. Later, Lu Bu was defeated by Boss Cao. After Zang Ba, Sun Guan and others surrendered to Cao Cao, Chang Xi also surrendered to Cao Cao and was appointed as the governor of Donghai County by Cao Cao.
It's just that Chang Xi and Zang Ba are different.
After Zang Ba surrendered to Cao Cao, although he was not completely surrendered, he still obeyed Cao Cao's command in the military aspect. During the Battle of Guandu, Zang Ba personally led troops to garrison Qing and Xu areas to resist Yuan Shaodong's attack, which was considered an act of integrity.
Cheese.
Chang Xi is a young boy who doesn’t know what he is thinking...
When Liu Bei went to Xuzhou last year, Chang Xi surrendered to Liu Bei and was later conquered by Cao Cao himself.
I thought he would be able to settle down for a few years, but I didn't expect that now that the Battle of Guandu had just ended, this guy would rebel again.
Cao Cao was too busy confronting Yuan Shao before to pay attention to him, but now he naturally decided to take action against him.
"You can send General Xia Houyuan to attack him."
Xun You, the mastermind, gave his opinion: "First order General Xiahou Yuan to encircle it. After Zhang Liao pacifies Lu, he can go directly to Donghai County and join forces with General Xiahou Yuan to encircle and suppress it."
Xiahou Yuan had gone to Xuzhou to collect grain before, and he had a good relationship with Zang Ba who was guarding Xuzhou. By letting Xiahou Yuan go, at least Zang Ba would not be suspicious.
After hearing Xun You's suggestion, Cao Cao nodded: "Yes."
But as soon as Cao Cao finished nodding, he noticed that He Yan was hesitant to speak, and he couldn't help but asked curiously: "Yulang, do you disagree with Gongda's plan?"
For a moment, everyone turned their attention to He Yan, who was attending the meeting for the first time, wanting to see what he had to say.
"No, Xun Shangshu (Cao Cao recruited Xun You as Shangshu, Xun Yu was Shangshu Ling, and Xun Lingjun) has a good plan. Uncle Miaocai and Zhang Wenyuan will definitely be able to capture Changxi in one fell swoop if they send troops at the same time."
He Yan acted like a good gentleman and did not express his opinions easily.
When Boss Cao saw He Yan like this, he didn't ask any more questions and started discussing other matters instead.
This kind of meeting is exactly like the emperor going to court. All kinds of government and military affairs have to be resolved here, so the meeting is quite long. Not only will tea be served in the middle, but even meals will be taken care of.
While they were eating, Guo Jia pulled He Yan to his side and asked quietly: "Marquis Shen, just now did you have any objections to the old boy Xun You's plan?"
"It's not like I have an opinion."
When He Yan saw Guo Jia asking about it, he also responded in a low voice: "I'm just thinking about how to deal with Chang Xi."
Guo Jia:……
"Everyone is thinking about how we can take down Changxi, but you have actually started thinking about how to deal with Changxi?"
This was Guo Jia's plan, and he felt that He Yan's "high ambitions" were a bit outrageous.
He Yan disagreed: "Uncle Miao Cai and Zhang Wenyuan are both famous generals in the world, and now there is no pressure from Yuan Shao. Isn't it easy to get Chang Xi?"
"Why are you so confident?"
Guo Jia told He Yan about Chang Xi's achievements: "Last year, Sikong sent Liu Dai and Wang Zhong to lead troops to attack Chang Xi, but they were defeated by Chang Xi, so Sikong had no choice but to lead the troops himself. How could such a person do it?
Can you be underestimated easily?"
He Yan also argued with reason: "It's not that I underestimate Chang Xi, but Fengxiao underestimates Zhang Wenyuan."
"Furthermore, as you said just now, Feng Xiao, Chang Xi rebelled last year and rebelled again this year... If we don't deal with this person properly, Donghai County should not think about living in peace in the future."
If He Yan remembers correctly, after Zhang Liao forced Chang Xi to surrender, Chang Xi rebelled again a few years later...
This is why Zhuge Liang wrote in "Later's Discipline" that "Cao Cao could not attack Changxi five times, and he could not cross Chaohu four times."
It's not Cao Cao's food, simply because Chang Xi is so disgusting.
Guo Jia did not continue to ask He Yan whether Zhang Liao could defeat Chang Xi, but turned around to help He Yan analyze how to deal with Chang Xi.
"Changxi? Interesting..."
Guo Jia suddenly realized that this seemed to be an extremely difficult matter.
"If we kill him... Chang Xi was a Taishan bandit in the past, and he has some friendship with Zang Ba and others. If we kill him, it will inevitably make Zang Ba feel sad about the death of a rabbit and a fox, thus alienating the relationship between Sikong and Zang Ba."
"If we let him go... then it's true as Marquis Shen said, this Donghai County may not be able to live in peace in the future!"
Donghai County Unicom Qingxu, putting a jumping chess piece like Chang Xi in such an important position is undoubtedly asking for trouble.
"Does Marquis Shen have any good ideas?"
He Yan scratched his head: "If I knew what I said just now!"
Guo Jia thought carefully and then suddenly slapped his thigh: "How about letting Zang Ba and General Xiahou Yuan send troops together? And then promise Zang Ba to hand over Donghai County to him after he defeats Changxi?"
Anyway, except for Guangling County, Xuzhou is basically in the hands of Xuzhou scholars. Who is in charge of Donghai County is not that important to Cao Cao.
Putting Donghai County under Zang Ba's management would naturally eliminate the barriers to killing Chang Xi and even make Zang Ba more loyal to Cao Cao.
"This is a good plan."
He Yan was not very familiar with Xuzhou, so he felt relieved after hearing Guo Jia's suggestion.
A Chang Xi may be considered big or small, but if he is left to cause trouble to the people in Xuzhou, it will always feel uncomfortable.
After finishing the meal, everyone took care of the remaining government affairs before leaving one by one.
Only He Yan was left in Sikong Mansion by Cao Cao, which made He Yan a little surprised.
"What? I can't even let you have a meal?"
Cao Cao saw that the look in He Yan's eyes became a little dissatisfied: "As you get older, don't you want to stay home? I haven't seen you stay in Sikong Mansion for a few days after I've been back for so long!"
He Yan became embarrassed.
It's not that he doesn't want to stay.
He was afraid that Cao Pi and Cao Jie would really fight him this time...
"My child, you will stay for dinner tonight! Definitely!"
Seeing that He Yan was quite well-behaved, Cao Cao snorted arrogantly: "This time I want to eat fried food!"
"The child will make it for his father himself!"
"This is so true!"
Seeing that he had appeased Cao Cao, He Yan was about to resign when he was pulled back by Cao Cao: "What? You don't even want to stay with your father for a while?"
He Yan:???
Didn’t you ask me to cook???
Seeing He Yan's helpless look, Cao Cao smiled happily: "Come here!"
He Yan immediately came to Boss Cao quickly and said: "Father, tell me."
"I'm about to go on an expedition again. There shouldn't be any big war this time. You should take good care of your mother and other people in the house at home! Don't keep thinking about running to Mrs. Wu Hou!"
He Yan's eyes widened: "How does father know?"
"Haha~~"
Although Cao Cao was a good wife, there was no need to argue with He Yan. He just told He Yan: "The Marquis of Wu has a special status. He also has Sun Ce's posthumous son with him. You can control it yourself."
"Father, don't worry! Children have no standards!"
"..."
After reminding He Yan, Cao Cao talked about business with He Yan.
"Do you know why I appointed you as Xu Changling?"
"Dad, there's someone you don't like and you want your child to kill him?"
"Almost, but I didn't let you kill anyone."
Cao Cao was very satisfied with He Yan's ability to get things done at a glance.
"Since the last spring plowing meeting, Kong Rong and others have been holding on to Yang Biao and Xin Xue. After all, you are responsible for this Xin Xue. Wipe your own butt and don't bother others."
In the past, Xin Xue became famous because of the solar eclipse, but at the same time, conservative scripture families like Kong Rong also completely became enemies with Xin Xue.
Fortunately, with Cao Cao suppressing Xuchang, Kong Rong and his gang could not overturn the situation.
But now that Cao Cao is going on an expedition, he naturally has to leave someone behind to help him keep an eye on Kong Rong.
The position of Xuchang Ling is very special, with low authority. Cao Cao can rest assured that He Yan is sitting in this position even if he leads his troops and leaves.
"Also..."
Cao Cao stroked his beard: "As a father, I also want to test the attitude of some people by giving you the title of Xu Changling."
He Yan, a general, was suddenly promoted to Xu Changling, which was actually against Han law.
Well, even though He Yan still has the official position of "Zhonglang", he is still a military general.
Even if He Yan is the Marquis of Shen, this still does not comply with Han law.
After all, He Yan did not come from the Chaju system, and did not have the status of "filial piety" or "maocai", so he could not be regarded as a "clear stream" of normal official career.
Promoting He Yan to "Xuchang Order" was actually Cao Cao's test of the aristocratic family.
An attempt to reform the talent promotion policy.
"My child understands!"
He Yan knew that Cao Cao had begun to dream of "Dream of Zhou Gong" again.
The so-called "Dream of Zhou Gong" is to change the current decadent rules and re-establish an order that is in line with the current world.
The problem is...Boss Cao seems to have gone in the wrong direction.
Before the people's wisdom was enlightened, trying to use the power of poor families to suppress the gentry was undoubtedly an attempt to kill the gentry with an egg.
He Yan just wants to ask why he wants to destroy hundreds of thousands of years of accumulation of other families with just one or two poor families?
The truly sure way is to use quantity to defeat quality, and then boil the frog in warm water. Either lower the distance between the gentry and the poor, or directly reduce the size of the gentry group to prevent them from occupying too many resources.
So He Yan suggested: "It's all a trial anyway, why not wait until the child takes office as Xuchang Order and build a few Xiangxu?"
Cao Cao became interested: "Yulang, please tell me carefully."
"The background of the aristocratic family is undoubtedly far better than that of the poor family. It is impossible for my father to support the poor family just to support the poor family."
At present, scholars from aristocratic families are overwhelming the children from poor families in almost all aspects.
Even if Cao Cao wanted to support the poor family, he couldn't use his wine bag and rice bag to support him, right? Not to mention that he was a crouching dragon and a phoenix chick when he debuted. At the very least, he was a talented person who could govern a county.
When there are enough "talented people from hundreds of miles away", and then implement the policy of "counties surround counties", "counties surround states", and "states surround the center", then the poor families can stand up.
After becoming independent, these poor families can unite to kill the old family and become a new family...
There is only one way to really change this situation, and that is to make material resources infinitely more abundant and personal morality infinitely higher.
So far, apart from Xinxue, He Yan has not been able to find a banner that can achieve this goal.
"educate."
He Yan finally just spit out these two words.
"Father must have enough time to provide a real education, so that the 'poor family' can completely defeat the 'aristocratic family'."
"Otherwise, no matter how high the 'Hanmen' goes, they will still be like waterless ducks and cannot achieve great things."
Cao Cao looked at He Yan strangely: "Why is Yulang different today?"
"Have it?"
He Yan touched his face: "Maybe the child has become handsome again?"