"I believe that both my lord and Yuan Shao will benefit from cooperation, and both will lose from fighting!" Xun Yu said, secretly observing Cao Cao's reaction. Seeing his expressionless face, he continued, "These days, my subordinates have successively
I went to Xiangyang, Jiangxia and Yingchuan and noticed a situation: new recruitment offices have been set up in many places."
Cao Cao nodded and encouraged: "Well, keep talking!"
Xun Yu continued: "This shows one thing. After Liu Xin defeated Dong Zhuo, his vitality must have been severely damaged! If the lord can take this opportunity to join forces with Yuan Shao, he will definitely defeat Liu Xin and avenge his previous humiliation."
Cao Cao glanced at Xun Yu, his number one counselor, and said thoughtfully: "Is Wen Ruo worried that Cao will not be able to defeat Yuan Shao within two years?"
Xun Yu shook his head and said: "No. On the contrary, my subordinates are very confident that my lord can defeat Yuan Shao within two years. But what will happen in two years, my lord, have you ever thought about it?"
Cao Cao himself was also good at strategy. After thinking about it for a while, he quickly understood what Xun Yu meant and couldn't help but said: "What Wen Ruo said makes sense. I'm afraid Yuan Shao won't agree to cooperate with Cao."
Xun Yu raised his hands and said, "My lord, I would like to go to Yecheng in person to convince Yuan Shao. I believe that he still understands the meaning of lips dying and teeth falling cold."
Cao Cao waved his hand and said: "Yuan Shao is a narrow-minded man. If you abandoned him back then, he would not believe you. However, this matter is still worth a try. It is just the choice of Yuan Shao as envoy..."
While he was hesitating, a soldier came to report that Liu Ye wanted to see him. Cao Cao was overjoyed and said: "We have a candidate!"
While he was talking, Liu Ye had already hurried in and said excitedly: "Congratulations, lord, the Thunderbolt car has been trial-produced!"
Cao Cao asked in surprise: "Zi Yang, what are you talking about?"
Liu Ye took a breath and said, "My lord, do you still remember that when Liu Xin conquered Yique Pass, he used a siege equipment that could throw huge rocks?"
Cao Cao also remembered it and said: "Yes, there was a horse scout reporting the news at that time. Cao also asked everyone, but no one knew what it was. Could it be the thunderous chariot you mentioned?"
Liu Ye smiled and said: "Liu Xin attaches great importance to this thing. My subordinates sent people to inquire about it but could not get the picture, so I don't know what he called this thing. However, I checked a lot of ancient books.
I really found something, I just tried it twice in the suburbs, the effect is good, but every time I operate it, it makes a deafening noise, so I named it Thunderbolt Car."
In fact, the trebuchet that Liu Ye trial-produced was not exactly the same as the one used by Liu Xin's army. The trebuchet he invented required hundreds of people to operate at the same time, but the one used by Liu Xin's army was much more sophisticated than his, requiring only twelve people to operate it.
It is easy to operate, and the range and accuracy are much higher than the trebuchet made by Liu Ye. However, for Cao Cao, being able to make such a sharp siege equipment is indeed a big improvement.
"Thunderbolt chariot, thunderbolt chariot!" Cao Cao recited it silently twice, in a good mood, and exclaimed, "Okay, this is a good name! Ziyang, you have made a great contribution this time. Cao has something else to ask for.
Please work hard."
Liu Ye bowed and said: "Please tell me, my lord, I will do my best!"
Cao Cao smiled and said: "Zi Yang, Cao and Wen Ruo discussed it just now, and it is better not to meet Yuan Shao with swords and soldiers as much as possible. Yuan Shao appointed Liu Biao, and his ambition was obvious, but on the surface he was still more concerned about the Han clan clan.
The only thing that respects me is to ask you to come forward, and maybe he will be able to listen to what you say."
Liu Ye was also a smart man. He nodded and said, "I understand, my lord wants to concentrate his strength and deal with Liu Xin first."
Cao Cao glanced at Xun Yu, laughed loudly and said, "The one who knows me is Zi Yang!"
As expected, as Cao Cao expected, Yuan Shao, in order to show his respect for the clan members of the Han Dynasty, learned that Liu Ye was coming, and personally went out to Yecheng ten miles away to greet him. He even held Liu Ye's hand and drove back with him in the car, appearing to be close to each other.
In the car, when Liu Ye explained his purpose, Yuan Shao suddenly darkened his face and sneered: "Cao Ah Man has a good idea. If Liu Xin is defeated, will it be of any benefit to Yuan? At that time, no matter Jingzhou, Sili or
Yuzhou is not all in Cao Cao’s pocket, so how can Yuan get even a cent of it? Let’s not even mention this matter!”
Liu Ye cupped his hands and said, "I don't know what conditions are required before Mr. Yuan is willing to cooperate with my lord to fight against Liu Xin."
Yuan Shao said without hesitation: "If you want me to cooperate with Ah Man, it's okay. You go back and tell him to send the puppet emperor Liu Xie to Yecheng. Both families will serve Liu Jingsheng as the master!"
When Liu Ye heard that Yuan Shao proposed this condition, he couldn't help but sigh, knowing that the two families could not come to an agreement after all about forming an alliance to fight against Liu Xin. In fact, this is no wonder Yuan Shao, his territory is far different from Liu Xin.
Liu Xin cannot threaten him yet. Therefore, Yuan Shao has not paid attention to how powerful Liu Xin is. He thinks that with his strength, he can first eat Cao Cao, and then gather the soldiers of the six states to threaten him.
With the power of new victory, why take Liu Xin again?
In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed and winter has entered. Mi Zhu's family has also settled down in Xiangyang and gradually adapted to the life here. Although Liu Xin did not assign him a specific job, he assigned him a job according to the standards of the county governor.
Monthly salary payment.
The recruitment work in various places is progressing smoothly, and the positions of the seven legions have been replenished one after another. Mi Fang also joined the Han army and was temporarily appointed as a captain in the second legion. This was Liu Xin's special care. Ma Chao, who has outstanding martial arts skills,
, who has also achieved military exploits, is currently only serving as a school captain.
The transformation of local armies is also being gradually implemented. In some counties closest to the front line, the local armies have been completely reorganized in accordance with the requirements of regular legions, and all equipment has been replaced. As for some counties in the interior, the reorganization of local armies is slightly behind.
Some, however, according to Liu Xin's orders, will also be completed within the year.
In two days, it will be the day that Liu Xin personally chooses to hold weddings for Guo Jia, Tang Xian, Zhang Liao, and Mi Zhen. However, other people will take care of the wedding, so Liu Xin doesn't need to worry about it.
Civil servants and generals from various places returned to Xiangyang one after another in order to attend their wedding. Liu Xin took advantage of this opportunity to meet them one by one and learn about the situation in each place. What Liu Xin was most concerned about was the reconstruction of Guanzhong.
Xiang Lang unfolded a huge map in front of Liu Xin and said: "Please take a look, my lord, this is the planning map of Chang'an City. When completed, it will be twice the size of Luoyang and four times the size of Xiangyang."
Liu Xin stared at the map carefully for a long time, nodded with satisfaction and said, "Yes, it seems that Juda has put a lot of thought into this matter."
Hearing Liu Xin's praise, Xiang Lang hurriedly said: "My lord, you are so complimentary. This is what I should do as a subordinate."
Xiang Lang was originally just a small clerk, but because of Liu Xin's appreciation, he now became the Minister of the Ministry of Industry. Although the Minister of the Ministry of Industry was a newly created official position by Liu Xin, he was in charge of all the projects in the world and also served as a research institute.
Zheng, Shizheng and others have a second-grade salary. Compared with the three gongs and nine ministers who have lost their real power, these are the real important officials of the court. However, Xiang Lang knows that what he has today is hard-earned, and he does not dare to compromise because of his high position.
Feeling satisfied, on the contrary, he acted more cautiously than before.
Liu Xin knew what he was like, so she smiled and continued to ask: "How is the progress of the entire project?"
Xiang Lang was prepared and said: "Chang'an City has been abandoned for many years. Although Dong Zhuo has made some repairs, they are not systematic. Fortunately, the land around Chang'an City is owned by Dong Zhuo's party members, and it does not take much effort to expropriate it. Now the palace city
, construction has started one after another in the inner city. However, the first snow of this winter just fell not long ago, and the roads are blocked, making the transportation of masonry and wood somewhat difficult."
Liu Xin nodded and said: "Build the city first and build the roads first. Roads are the key. Not only the roads in Guanzhong, but also the roads in Xiliang must be repaired vigorously."
Xiang Lang cupped his hands and said: "I understand, my lord, please rest assured. After my subordinates return to Guanzhong, they will organize manpower to concentrate on repairing the road first."
Liu Xin waved her hand and said, "There's no rush. The winter in the north is very cold, and the quality of road construction cannot be guaranteed now. You can prepare enough materials now, and it won't be too late to wait until next spring when the weather gets warmer. Remember, all roads
, especially the roads in Xiliang, the construction standards must be high to ensure that they can flow smoothly no matter it is sunny, rainy, windy or snowy!"
Xiang Lang said in surprise: "My lord ordered the rebuilding of Chang'an City, obviously to make Guanzhong the center of the world. But Xiliang is located on the border, and as long as the roads are passable, why bother to spend so much effort?"
Liu Xin stood up, pointed at the map of the Han Dynasty territory behind him, and said: "Juda, come and see. Liangzhou is the only way to the Western Regions, and Liu has given orders to rebuild the Western Regions Protectorate. Liu
After consulting some ancient books, I found that when the Han Dynasty established the Protectorate in the Western Regions, it did not levy taxes on local grains. All supplies were allocated by the imperial court. If the roads were not smooth, the transportation of money and grain would be half the result with twice the effort.
The loss along the way would be a staggering figure.”
Seeing Xiang Lang nodding frequently, Liu Xin continued: "These roads are not only to ensure that the imperial court can smoothly transport money and grain to the Western Regions, but will also become an important commercial road in the future. Silk, white porcelain, Xiang paper produced in various places,
Tea will be continuously sold to the West from here, earning a lot of real money for the court and the people."
Due to the influence of Liu Hong, people at that time did not discriminate against doing business. Xiang Lang also opened several shops in his own home. After hearing what Liu Xin said, he roughly understood it, but he was still a little confused and said: "How dare you
I would like to ask my lord, the products you mentioned, Xiang paper and white porcelain are all official specialties and have always been in short supply. However, the amount of tea is very small, and only silk can be sold in large quantities to the West. Is it worth it?"
Liu Xin shook his head and said: "Juda, you also know that today's Han Dynasty is in troubled times, and the number of people who can afford these things is limited after all. There is no need to worry about the production of these goods, the key is to find ways
Expand sales.”
Liu Xin came from a later generation, and he knew the importance of international trade. When these goods were sold abroad, they could often earn several times or even dozens of times in profits. What's more, he was still the exclusive operator, and Xiliang was under his rule. Of course,
It is necessary to restart the "Silk Road" and ensure the absolute smoothness of this Silk Road.
While he was talking, there was a sudden noise outside the door, and a woman's voice shouted: "Let me in quickly! I want to see Liu Xin!"