Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 147 Guo Jia's entry replacement task completed!

Cao Yan selected elite soldiers from various armies and, together with the more than one hundred captured soldiers of the Trapped Camp, gathered a total of eight hundred to prepare for the reconstruction of the Trapped Camp.

After everything was settled, Cao Yan went to Juancheng to prepare for the third condition to be met in the task of replacing Guo Jia's entry.

The third task of Guo Jia's mission is to guide him to realize that true wisdom is not only about winning on the battlefield, but also about protecting the people and promoting social development as the ultimate goal, so that he understands the principle that "the well-being of the people is more important than temporary victory or defeat".

Upon arriving in Juancheng, Cao Yan went straight to the Map Bureau.

At this moment, Guo Jia was organizing intelligence in the Cartography Department.

Cao Yan gazed at Guo Jia's increasingly gaunt figure and sighed inwardly: Ever since the Battle of Yanzhou, Guo Jia had become increasingly obsessed with power struggles and scheming, as if he were entangled in an invisible net, unable to break free.

"Fengxiao, it's time to go out for a walk." Cao Yan stepped forward and snatched the wolf-hair brush from Guo Jia's hand.

Guo Jia raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by exhaustion.

"Zi'an, what brings you here?" Guo Jia forced a tired smile and asked.

Cao Yan replied, "I came to see you. Come on, let's go for a walk."

"Zi'an, although we have defeated Tao Qian and Lü Bu, we still have Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Yuan Shu, and Liu Bei... The situation is still far from optimistic," Guo Jia said.

But as they were talking, Cao Yan had already pulled Guo Jia from the government office onto the street.

Recently, Guo Jia has become too engrossed in political intrigue, and he seems to have become gloomy.

The sunlight outside shone on Guo Jia, making him feel somewhat blinded and scorched.

"Fengxiao, how long has it been since you last went out?" Cao Yan asked.

"It wasn't long ago, I only went out for a stroll in April," Guo Jia replied.

It's already the end of June, and he hasn't been out for over two months. How can you say it hasn't been long? Cao Yan thought to himself.

"How about we go for a walk in the fields?" Cao Yan asked, seemingly asking, but he didn't let go of Guo Jia's hand.

Guo Jia said helplessly, "Do you think I can refuse?"

"No!" Cao Yan replied crisply.

"..."

The two did not ride horses, but walked along the country path.

The summer sun shone on the fields, and the shouts of farmers working in the distance could be heard from time to time, which relaxed Guo Jia's slightly anxious mood.

The official road was bustling with carriages and pedestrians. The apathy and lethargy of the refugees of the past were gone, replaced by hopeful smiles and the joy of traveling or visiting relatives and friends.

Guo Jia casually picked a foxtail grass, put it in his mouth, crossed his arms, and lazily followed Cao Yan for a walk.

At this moment, Cao Yan suddenly asked Guo Jia, "Fengxiao, what do you think is the reason why we have been able to achieve successive great victories?"

Guo Jia replied matter-of-factly, "It was due to proper planning and the army's valiant efforts."

Cao Yan said, "But I think it's more because of the will of the people!"

"What the people want?"

"From the moment we entered Dongjun in Yanzhou, everything we've done has been to build the trust and support of the people," Cao Yan explained. "Why are we always able to get intelligence in a timely manner? Besides spies, the main source is the people!"

Cao Yan and Guo Jia had already walked more than ten miles along the country path.

At this moment, at the edge of the field ahead, an old man was bending over tending to his crops, with a boy who looked about seven or eight years old following behind him, also carefully clearing weeds with a small hoe.

"Old man, how's the harvest this year?" Cao Yan took the initiative to greet him.

The old man straightened up and wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve: "Thanks to General Cao, the rainfall has been even this year, and we can harvest half a bushel more millet per mu!"

Cao Yan squatted down and asked the boy, "You're so young and you already know how to farm. What do you want to be when you grow up?"

The boy tilted his head and thought for a moment: "I want to study, learn martial arts, and become a county magistrate when I grow up to protect everyone!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Guo Jia's eyes.

"That's ambitious!" Cao Yan patted the child's head, then stood up and said to the old man, "Old man, can you still afford the taxes these days?"

The old man grinned, revealing a half-missing front tooth, and said, "Ever since General Cao changed the poll tax to a land tax, our lives have become much more comfortable."

Last winter, my family pickled two jars of vegetables, ensuring we had meat every month. This was something we would never have dared to dream of before!

After chatting with the old man for a couple more minutes, Cao Yan and Guo Jia got up to say goodbye.

Then Cao Yan asked Guo Jia, "Fengxiao, can you see anything different?"

Guo Jia pondered for a moment and said, "I seem to see the saying 'He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world' in my mind."

“That’s right!” Cao Yan nodded and said, “The root cause of the great chaos in the Han Dynasty lies in the loss of morale. Why did morale fall into such a state? Simply because people couldn’t bear to live anymore.”

We implemented the military-agricultural colony system to provide land for displaced people; we promoted the curved-shaft plow to improve production efficiency; and we reduced taxes to allow people to recuperate and thrive.

These things may seem unrelated to war, but they are actually the foundation of long-term stability and a means of achieving victory.

Look at Xuzhou, I'm afraid over a hundred thousand people have already entered my Yanzhou!

Guo Jia remained silent, lost in thought.

"Conquering the world is easy, ruling it is difficult!" Cao Yan stopped and looked at the village with smoke rising from its chimneys in the distance. He said, "What we seek has never been to win more battles on the battlefield, nor to seize more territory. What we seek is for the people of the Han Dynasty to live a good life!"
At this point, Cao Yan stared into Guo Jia's eyes and solemnly said, "The well-being of the people far outweighs any temporary victory or defeat!"

Guo Jia nodded slightly, but still did not speak.

The two continued on their way and, after walking for a while, arrived at a settlement area.

Dozens of farmers were working in the fields, while several soldiers patrolled nearby.

A military officer approached and said politely, "This is a military settlement area. If you two are just strolling around, please move to another place."

Cao Yan took out his official seal from his pocket and handed it over.

Sima took the seal and glanced at it. He immediately knelt on one knee and said, "Greetings, Lord Cao! I was blind and have no idea what I was doing. Please forgive me."

Cao Yan helped Sima up and said with a smile, "No need to be nervous, we're just taking a casual stroll."

Cao Yan then asked, "How is the land reclamation going recently?"

The military commander of the agricultural settlements replied, "Your Excellency, the harvest from the agricultural settlements this year is quite good, and we expect to harvest an additional 200,000 bushels of grain."

Guo Jia suddenly asked, "How should this grain be distributed?"

"Fifty percent shall be handed over, and the other half shall be left to the farmers who cultivate the land," said the military commander. "Those who use government-owned oxen shall hand over an additional ten percent."

"Good, keep up the good work." Cao Yan patted the military commander on the shoulder, then turned and left with Guo Jia.

The military commander of the agricultural settlement stood still, watching Cao Yan and Guo Jia leave.

As the soldiers from the garrison approached, they noticed that Sima's body was trembling slightly, and he kept muttering to himself, "Lord Cao patted my shoulder...Lord Cao patted my shoulder..."

……

After leaving the settlement, Guo Jia remained lost in thought.

Cao Yan did not disturb him, but simply walked quietly with him.

“Zi’an, I understand.” Guo Jia stopped by a river, looked at the shimmering water, and said, “Strategy and war are just means. The ultimate goal of everything we do is to bring peace to the world and let the people live in peace and contentment.”

Cao Yan smiled: "Fengxiao is indeed wise. Only by ensuring that the people live in peace and prosperity can our foundation be secure. Otherwise, even if we win temporarily, it will be difficult to last."

Guo Jia turned to look at Cao Yan, the weariness in his eyes fading considerably: "Don't worry, I won't be like this again."

The system notification sounded on time.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! Guo Jia has grasped the principle that 'the well-being of the people is more important than temporary victory or defeat.' Mission condition 3 is complete!]

[Congratulations, host! You have met all the requirements for the Guo Jia entry replacement task. The task is successfully completed!]

The phrase "Heaven is jealous of talent" has been removed from Guo Jia's entry. You can now bind a new entry to Guo Jia.

[Obtained purple-level entries: Protect the territory and ensure the safety of the people (purple) *1, and "Earthen Kiln Coking Method" *1]

"Nice!" Cao Yan felt a surge of secret pleasure.

Now that the negative term "[Heaven is jealous of talent (gray)]" has been removed, Cao Yan is not in a hurry to bind it to the new term.

He doesn't have any entries related to extending lifespan or enhancing physical fitness yet. It's not too late to bind them after they're integrated someday.

Then Cao Yan put his arm around Guo Jia's shoulder and said, "This is the Guo Fengxiao I know! Come on, to Zuixianju, I'll treat you to some wine!"

(End of this chapter)