Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 172 Small Silver Coins Enter the Nest of Old Silver Coins
By the time they arrived in Luoyang, it was already getting dark.

Cao Cao immediately ordered his troops to set up camp outside the city and sent his soldiers to bury the remains of those who had died unjustly in Luoyang.

Tens of thousands of Cao Cao's soldiers dug several large pits outside the city before they could bury the remains inside.

This shows how tragic the situation was at the time, and demonstrates the brutality of Dong Zhuo's relocation of the capital!
Inside the camp, Cao Cao specially prepared a banquet with wine and meat.

Emperor Liu Xie and his officials were finally able to have a decent meal.

During the banquet, many ministers ate while shedding tears, lamenting that they hadn't tasted such delicious food and wine for many years.

After the banquet, Cao Cao kept Cao Yan and Xun Yu behind to discuss how to deal with things in the future.

In the past year or two, they have accumulated some wealth by selling new paper, building infrastructure, and developing commerce.

With the addition of the million refugees and settlers gathered from Hebei, Qinghai, Xuzhou, Henan and other prefectures, if resources are concentrated, the expansion of Xuchang County can begin immediately, and there is no need to worry that this will slow down the overall development speed.

Cao Cao sighed, "I really pity this emperor. Since Dong Zhuo made him emperor, he has never been free. He has always been a puppet in the hands of others."

Xun Yu sighed, "This is not only a misfortune for the emperor, but also a misfortune for the Han Dynasty."

Cao Yan said, "The Han Dynasty is sick, critically ill... It is not only the emperor who is pitiful, but also all the people of the Han Dynasty."

After a moment of silence, the three men sighed and then Cao Cao said, "Zixiao has sent word."

He and Wen Ze captured two key locations, Luyang and Ye County, and stationed 10,000 troops in each city, completely cutting off Liu Biao's route north.

In Yan County, south of Xu County, there is Wenqian's garrison of 7,000 troops.

Chenliu County still has more than 30,000 troops, so it is likely that neither Liu Biao of Jingzhou nor Yuan Shu of Runan would dare to make any rash moves.

Next spring, hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland will be established in Xuxia, and roads and post stations will be repaired to improve the entire Yingchuan area. Yingchuan will soon be revitalized.

Xu County is bordered by Mount Song to the northwest, Mount Funiu to the west, and Mount Dabie to the south, forming natural barriers on three sides. Only the east side is a plain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, it is far from powerful enemies such as Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, leaving sufficient buffer space.

The Ying River flows through Xu County, making transportation convenient and the land fertile, making it a good place to settle for a long time.

Cao Cao laid out his plans around Xuchang, deploying at least 60,000 troops in the surrounding area.

Moreover, among these 60,000 troops were elite forces under Cao Yan's command, including the Flying Dragon Cavalry, Qingzhou Army, Mandarin Duck Army, and Trapped Camp.

These were the reasons why Cao Cao was able to stabilize the court and reassure the emperor and officials.

The current situation seems very favorable, but we must not let our guard down.

In the imperial court, a great battle without gunpowder is about to slowly unfold.

The emperor is a double-edged sword; a slight misstep can easily become a target of gossip.

Yuan Shao was wary of the drawbacks that the emperor would bring, and therefore he was unwilling to flatter him.

But Cao Cao was confident that, through his own efforts, he could maximize the benefits brought by the emperor.

Cao Yan continued, "Elder brother, although we now have elite troops and strong generals, we must not overstep our bounds in the slightest, lest we be condemned by the public."

Cao Cao agreed wholeheartedly with this.

He truly had no intention of usurping the throne, and naturally would not overstep the bounds of imperial authority.

“What Zian says is absolutely right,” Cao Cao said with a smile. “Now that we have successfully welcomed back the Emperor, we are in a legitimate position. If we work together in the future, we may very well be able to realize the peaceful and prosperous world that Zian has described.”

When Cao Yan mentioned the grand promises he had made, Cao Cao, Cao Yan, and Xun Yu couldn't help but exchange a knowing smile.

When they first met in Dongwuyang, they talked about this topic for a long time, and they talked about it many times afterward. Now, looking back on it, it feels almost unreal.

Finally, Cao Yan, still feeling uneasy, spoke up to remind him: "There are always cunning people around the emperor. We must be wary of others. So, we should still place the Eagle Guard spies in the same way we always have."

Xun Yu recalled the emperor's seemingly weak and helpless appearance, but in reality, he was extremely shrewd and could not help but nod and say, "Although His Majesty tried his best to appear innocent, naive, and helpless in front of me, I could still see that he was very deep in thought."

It was fortunate that Xun Yu had been repeatedly instilled with the concept of not being blindly loyal to the emperor beforehand; otherwise, the emperor might have actually fooled Xun Yu.

Of the three, it was Cao Cao who was least willing to treat the emperor in this way.

His sighs and pitiful expression made Cao Yan want to punch him a couple of times.

……

In September of that year, the emperor's carriage finally entered Chenliu County in Yanzhou.

Not only the emperor and his officials, but even Cao Cao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "Finally, we're safe."

Upon entering Chenliu territory, Liu Xie and his officials watched in astonishment as the common people and villagers harvested their grain.

The golden grains were so dazzling that they could hardly open their eyes.

The endless stream of caravans on the official road, with their rosy complexions and neatly dressed people, made it seem as if one had stepped into a prosperous and flourishing era.

"Is this truly the Han Dynasty in the midst of chaos?" Grand Commandant Yang Biao finally couldn't help but ask.

"When I first arrived, I shared the same sentiments as you, Grand Commandant..." Zhao Qi said with a smile.

“I originally thought you were trying to trick us, you old scoundrel,” Zhao Wen sighed, then cupped his hands and said, “I sincerely apologize to you.”

Zhao Qi grinned, waved his hand, and said, "It's alright. Any normal person would think I'm crazy. But if it can bring peace and prosperity to the world, even if I'm crazy, it'll be worth it!"

Having grown up in the inner palace, Liu Xie had never seen such a scene before.

He lifted the carriage curtain and curiously looked around, occasionally asking Cao Yan, who was guarding the carriage on horseback, questions.

"General, why are those people in such neat rows like a military formation when they are farming? Do they practice military strategy during the off-season?" The young emperor's eyes were full of curiosity, and his tone revealed the innocence of someone "unfamiliar with the ways of the world."

Cao Yan rode his horse closer to the carriage, cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, this is the military settlement system. When the people plant in the spring, they are organized into households of ten or five. After the autumn harvest, they practice martial arts in the fields, which neither delays the farming season nor hinders the training of local militia.”

When Emperor Xiaowu expanded into the Western Regions, he relied on this integrated approach of agriculture and warfare to stabilize the border regions.

When answering, Cao Yan deliberately emphasized the four characters "Emperor Xiaowu" to indicate that this was a method that had been used since their ancestors and was nothing new.

Liu Xie nodded, and then saw three caravans loaded with cloth coming from the front, with the four characters "Yanzhou Chamber of Commerce" written on the shafts of the carts.

Liu Xie pointed to the four large characters "Yanzhou Chamber of Commerce" on the carriage shafts of the caravan and asked, "I have heard that trade routes in the Guandong prefectures have been cut off for a long time. How is it that Chenliu has such a caravan, with such a prosperous atmosphere?"

Cao Yan replied again: "I have invented new paper, soap and perfume in Yanzhou. Both scholars and common people love these things, so they sell very well."

At the same time, government and private enterprises throughout Yanzhou provided numerous job opportunities, from which the people could earn substantial wages, thus making Yanzhou increasingly prosperous.

"So that's how it is! Minister Cao is truly a capable minister in times of peace!" Liu Xie still looked curious and amazed.

Cao Yan muttered to himself, "Just as Wenruo said, the emperor has a deep mind."

However, that's all there is to it. No matter how deep his thoughts are, he's still just a big kid with little life experience.

"Compared to those old foxes like Cao Cao, Guo Jia, and Xi Zhicai, Liu Xie is really no match for them..."

(End of this chapter)