I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 228 I want them all!

When Yuan Tan, Pang Ji, and others left, Cao Cao also sent over the craftsmen that had been agreed upon earlier.

More than three thousand people.

Including his family members, the number barely exceeded 10,000.

"mean!"

Guo Jia, who had come to see people off, was somewhat embarrassed after hearing Liu Miao's unabashed complaint: "Really, there aren't any left! Not a single one!"

"Many of these people were once craftsmen who worked for high-ranking officials in Luoyang City. Three thousand people is really not a small number!"

Seeing that Guo Jia was clearly feeling guilty, Liu Miao didn't bother to argue with him too much.

Whom should Mengde send to garrison Nanyang?

"He is Cao Hong, the younger cousin of the Minister of Works."

"Cao Hong?"

Liu Miao suddenly became very interested in him: "I heard that Cao Hong's family is extremely wealthy?"

"Zilian's family is slightly wealthier than ordinary families..."

Guo Jia suddenly sensed a hint of danger for Cao Hong.

Liu Miao laughed and said, "Great! Money is good! I like rich people!"

Seeing Liu Miao's smile, someone who didn't know better might think that Liu Miao had pocketed all the money from these people!

Actually, it wasn't just Cao Hong.

Envoys from Shi Xie, Liu Zhang, and Zhang Lu have all visited Liu Miao in recent days, presenting him with gifts and expressing their goodwill.

None of these feudal lords were poor!
Jiaozhou has been known for its rare treasures since ancient times. Items such as pearls from the South China Sea, ivory, and spices were all best-sellers in the Central Plains!

Yizhou, the Land of Abundance! The money and grain in the warehouses are probably piled up to rot and no one cares! There's also Shu brocade, copper, iron, and salt, all major commodities related to people's livelihood.

Although Hanzhong is small in size, it can be used to connect to the road to Longyou, and the profits from this are quite considerable!
Now that another Cao Hong, whose wealth rivals that of a nation, has appeared in Nanyang... it would be difficult for Jingzhou not to become wealthy in the future!

Seeing Liu Miao's expression, Guo Jia became even more suspicious.

This doesn't seem like receiving three thousand craftsmen at all; even receiving three thousand beauties wouldn't make him this happy.
Guo Jia, undeterred, continued to probe indirectly: "Zhongshan, what exactly do you want these craftsmen for?"

"You're just here for pleasure! By the way, Fengxiao, are you free? Why are you wandering around in front of me all day?"

Guo Jia clutched his chest and dramatically fell backward.

When there's something going on, they'll treat you to drinks and meat; but when there's nothing going on, do they even find it annoying to see you?
Unfortunately, Liu Miao completely ignored him.

"By the way, I'd like to tell you that Yuan Tan has already been brought back to Hebei by Yuan Shao."

Liu Miao didn't mind providing Guo Jia with some intelligence as a favor.

"This shows that Gongsun Zan is probably really on the verge of collapse, which is why Yuan Shao has time to deal with Yuan Tan's affairs. If you are caught off guard, the last shred of face of the Han Dynasty will obviously be lost."

Guo Jia's expression was solemn.

He then learned that Pang Ji had actually met Liu Miao, which made Guo Jia extremely uneasy.

Yuan Shao's territory did not border Liu Miao's, yet his envoy was able to bypass Cao Cao and meet Liu Miao without anyone noticing, which in itself speaks volumes!

"It seems that many officials in Yan and Yu provinces have secretly pledged allegiance to Yuan Shao, allowing someone like Pang Ji to leisurely reach Xiangyang and then casually bring Yuan Tan back from there..."

Guo Jia's handsome face was clouded with gloom, while Liu Miao instigated from the side, "That's right! Look how wicked these people are! Let's kill them!"

"..."

Guo Jia stared at Liu Miao speechlessly.

While those scholars who have now defected to Yuan Shao are certainly in danger, if Cao Cao were to truly break ties with them, it wouldn't just be dangerous, it would be fatal!
Guo Jia knew exactly what Liu Miao was planning: he wanted the Central Plains to fall into chaos so that Cao Cao could take the emperor to the south.
“Zhongshan, you can actually be quite…”

Guo Jia hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not utter the words "inhuman".

However, Guo Jia also said seriously, "Zhongshan, I would also like to discuss this matter with you formally."

"Yuan Shao and we will eventually have a battle!"

"stop!"

Liu Miao stopped Guo Jia: "Who are we? Who are we? Don't you know I'm the son-in-law of the Yuan family? In terms of kinship, Yuan Shao and I are actually on the same side!"

Guo Jia said helplessly, "Even if Zhongshan says so, I'm telling you, Sikong really has nothing more to offer."

"Ok."

Liu Miao immediately changed his tune—

"We must discuss carefully how to deal with that traitor Yuan Shao!"

"..."

Guo Jia coughed to calm his already fragile heart before saying to Liu Miao, "If Yuan Shao really attacks, I hope Zhongshan can send troops to help."

What was thought to be a perfectly ordinary request was immediately rejected by Liu Miao.

"Send troops? How many troops? And who will command them? Besides, even if our allied forces were to join, our strength would probably be far inferior to Yuan Shao's!"

Guo Jia was not alarmed. Upon hearing Liu Miao's words, he immediately realized that Liu Miao probably already had a plan for dealing with Yuan Shao, and his eyes lit up.

"Zhongshan said, what should we do?"

Liu Miao said, “I am not good at military affairs, but I do know the ever-changing nature of the battlefield. If you and I were to join forces, who knows how many disputes would arise, which would actually weaken our fighting strength.” “Moreover, the south is short of horses. If we were to gamble everything on the plains, we would definitely be the ones to lose in the end.”

The so-called "coalition" sounds impressive, but its actual effectiveness was utterly disastrous!
Unless one side willingly submits to the other and relinquishes all command of its army, the combined forces would actually weaken their fighting strength.

Neither Liu Miao nor Cao Cao could possibly fully trust each other and hand over all their military forces to one another.

Let's not even talk about Cao Cao. He was a cunning and treacherous warlord in a chaotic era. If we could get him to hand over his military power, it would be better to just kill him.

Liu Miao goes without saying.

As a staunch believer in the adage "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun," Liu Miao would never relinquish his military power to Cao Cao, allowing him to command the entire operation.

Therefore, if the two were to unite, it would be impossible for them to achieve the effect of "one plus one equals two or even greater than two". The most likely outcome would be that they would hinder each other and then be cooked together by Yuan Shao.

"Instead of uniting the forces in one place, it would be better to divide the battlefield and have each side take charge of one area."

This was the method Liu Miao came up with, enabling the two of them to concentrate their forces against Yuan Shao.

In short, the Central Plains are yours! The East is ours!

Liu Miao and Guo Jia made an agreement first.

"If Yuan Shao really launches a massive attack, I will also send a large force to Qing and Xu to disperse some of Yuan Shao's troops and relieve Mengde of the pressure."

If Yuan Shao were to attack from the north, there would only be three routes.

The first option is to attack Guanzhong from Bingzhou via Hedong. However, since Guanzhong is already in ruins, Yuan Shao would not send a large force to seize it without any purpose.

The second option is to cross the Yellow River directly from Ji Province to attack the Central Plains. This will inevitably be the direction of Yuan Shao's main force and the most important battlefield in the future.

The third option is to send troops from Qing and Xu regions to open a breach in the Central Plains from the side and deliver a powerful blow to Cao Cao's ribs.

What Liu Miao could guarantee was that Yuan Shao would not be able to threaten Cao Cao from the Qing and Xu regions, while at the same time he tried to harass Yuan Shao's Pingyuan and Bohai regions from Qingzhou.

Guo Jia was slightly disappointed to hear that Liu Miao was unwilling to unite with Cao Cao.

However, Guo Jia also realized that Liu Miao really had no obligation to risk his entire foundation to protect Cao Cao.

At least for now, Liu Miao is willing to help Cao Cao defend the eastern front, so that Cao Cao is not attacked from both sides, which is already more than enough.

Liu Miao added, "I was talking about Yuan Shao! If Lü Bu attacks, then disregard what I said."

The slight gratitude that had just risen in Guo Jia's heart vanished instantly, and his gaze toward Liu Miao turned resentful once more.

However, Guo Jia was quite relaxed.

"Lu Bu, let the Minister of Works personally take action to eliminate him!"

"Mengde is so domineering!"

Liu Miao verbally encouraged Cao Cao, but afterwards he took absolutely no concrete action...

Guo Jia had indeed intended to invite Liu Miao to join him in attacking Lü Bu, but seeing Liu Miao's attitude, he knew it was probably hopeless...

Guo Jia bid farewell to Liu Miao.

Before leaving, Guo Jia said, "Zhongshan, I hope you will remember one thing."

"If Cao Cao wins, your oath to the elders of Jingzhou might be fulfilled."

"But if Yuan Shao wins, there will be no chance of your oath being fulfilled!"

Liu Miao laughed and said, "Fengxiao, do you think that if Mengde wins, he will take action against the aristocratic families?"

Guo Jia said with certainty, "Lord Cao, like Zhongshan, has the great ambition to revive the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Miao smiled but remained silent.

"I hope so."

Guo Jia assured Liu Miao, "Begging for help now is merely a temporary measure!"

"If we can eliminate Yuan Shao, this great enemy, in the future, Cao Cao will naturally follow his heart!"

"Zhongshan, don't forget! The first five-colored staff in Luoyang City was forged by Cao Cao!"

……

After seeing Guo Jia off, Liu Miao shook his head and headed towards the group of craftsmen.

These artisans, whom Cao Cao had recruited from all over the Central Plains, were new to the area and harbored a sense of unknown fear towards both Jingzhou and Liu Miao.

Fortunately, after Liu Miao dealt with a large number of powerful clans in Jingzhou, he lacked everything else except money and food!

Equal distribution of land, money, and housing...

If he encountered any widowers or widowers, Liu Miao would send minor officials to help them settle down as soon as possible.

If people have their own property, then their hearts will be at ease.

With Liu Miao's extravagant style, these craftsmen finally stopped fearing him and instead took the initiative to ask him for work.

"We are all uncouth people and have never been treated like this before. Now we live in sturdy houses, carry full grain jugs, and wear warm clothes, which is something we never dared to imagine before. Now our only worry is how to repay General Liu!"

"May I ask, General Liu, would you prefer fine fabrics or exquisite pottery? Would you prefer a precious jade pendant or elegant lacquerware?"

Liu Miao told the other party his answer without hesitation.

"I want them all!"

(End of this chapter)