Chapter 2021 Exploration and detection, open chess and dark chess


    Middle of April.


    Cao Cao held the withered and emaciated Zhuanghe, and remained silent.


    Outside of Yecheng, large tracts of fields have been replanted with new wheat, but they have been planted. However, there is no rain to moisten them. As a result, the fields in many places have already experienced drought, and some places have even cracked. The wheat seedlings that went down looked like the hair of a senior IT man. It seemed to be there, but it couldn''t be covered.


    Because of this situation, Cao Cao logically did not send troops.


    Those who play politics are dirty, not because other people are so clean, but those other people, even if they are dirty, mostly only affect some people around them, while those who can play politics will affect a large number of people.


    Is Cao Cao really going to raise troops to fight Feiqian?


    Even if he wants to fight, the target is not Feiqian...


    Swearing to the teacher, firstly, it can boost morale and unite people''s hearts, secondly, it can gather some food and grass again, and make some reserves. Thirdly, when Cao Cao made an offensive posture in Yecheng, no one was guarding against Cao Cao''s other actions...


    In addition, you can also arrest some guys who hooked up with General Hussars to identify which of the gentry in Jizhou have crooked asses.


    『Where is Zhou Zifeng? ’ Cao Cao asked, leaving Zhuang He behind.


    A group of local officials who were serving quickly gave instructions, and after Cao Cao and his party bypassed a small hill and a forest, they saw in the distance that Zhou Zhang was leading some people to investigate the water conservancy situation.


    『Meet Minggong...』 Seeing Cao Cao coming, Zhou Zhang hurriedly stepped forward to salute.


    I have to say that Cao Cao is still very friendly to talents, especially when he is very useful to him, just like seeing Xu You when he was facing Yuan Shao, and accepting Cai Mao before the Battle of Chibi...


    『Exemption from etiquette …』 Cao Cao stepped forward to help Zhou Zhang up with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the dirt on Zhou Zhang’s hands and body, 『Zifeng, how about Nongsang here? 』


    Zhou Zhang was originally a garrison officer in Yuzhou, with the name of a school lieutenant, but he was not actually in charge of the soldiers, and the army Sima under him controlled the garrison soldiers, and Zhou Zhang was mainly responsible for some technical matters, basically He is a technical officer.


    Now that Cao Cao is focusing on Jizhou, he swapped the original Jizhou garrison officer with Yuzhou, and let Zhou Zhang come to Jizhou, mainly to deal with the agricultural and mulberry problems near Yecheng first.


    Of course, the most important thing is the immediate drought.


    『Report to Duke Ming...』Zhou Zhang sighed slightly, frowned, and said in a low voice, "There is no rain for many days now, the land is dry, and the river bottoms out...I''m afraid...the time of severe drought is not far away..."


    Cao Cao still smiled, but there seemed to be something jumping in his small eyes, and he said slowly after a while, "So, what can Zifeng do?" 』If there is a way and it can be used, it is naturally a talent. If it is useless and spreads its hands all day long and says there is no way, can it be called a talent?


    Zhou Zhang stretched out a hand, stretched his fingers and said, "One is that the water level of the river has dropped, and these waterwheels need to be redone, otherwise they will not be able to draw water, and they are just for decoration...Second, choose a low-lying and humid place. Try digging deep wells and fetching water for irrigation...Third, if you replant now, you can never grow wheat anymore, you can only replant some beans for emergency...Fourth, gather manpower and save the semi-dry fields first, so as not to disperse the water power, otherwise it will be impossible Live... Fifth, compile this method of drought relief into a document, distribute it in the local area, and treat it as soon as possible, without further delay...Zhang Bucai, now I can only think of some corresponding methods...』


    『Good! Cao Cao laughed loudly and said loudly, "There are plenty of sons here, so don''t worry about not having enough grains!" Just what Yi Zifeng said! If there is a good harvest this year, then Zifeng will contribute to the country and save the people from fire and water! And be damned! 』


    As Cao Cao said, he straightened his crown, then arched his hands, and fell to the ground towards Zhou Zhangchang!


    Zhou Zhang hurriedly knelt down to return the salute, and then was helped up by Cao Cao. Cao Cao was another string of hard words, and said that he would send someone special to take care of Zhou Zhang''s diet and daily life, so that he could concentrate on drought control. If there is any need for drought control, it is not necessary to report it, and it will be approved...


    Zhou Zhang is naturally grateful.


    Before leaving, Cao Cao glanced at Song Hang and beckoned.


    Song Hang hurriedly stepped forward to meet him. Song Hang was originally in the Forbidden Army. Cao Cao saw that he was talented, so he transferred him to be the Shuzuo of the Tuntian, and later he was promoted to the Sima of the Tuntian, who was in charge of the military in the Tuntian.


    Cao Cao nodded, smiled, and said very seriously: "It''s good to help Zifeng!" If there is a difference, you are the only one to ask! 』


    Song Hang naturally responded loudly.


    Cao Cao stretched out his hand and patted Song Hang on the shoulder, then put on a smile again, said goodbye to Zhou Zhang, and then left for Yecheng. Although Cao Cao seemed to be confident and smiling on the surface, but in fact, after he entered the mansion, his face sank...


    The drought was more serious than Cao Cao originally imagined.


    Jizhou and Yuzhou are a populous state. Even though they have been at war for the past few years, the foundation is still there. Similarly, it is also a large agricultural state. In addition, it is basically in a plain area, so naturally there are many acres of fields. However, now, these advantages are in the Signs of a sharp turn into a disadvantage.


    There are many acres of fields, which means that once the agriculture and mulberry industry suffers a large-scale disaster, the overall economy will suffer greater damage. A large population also means that if the control is not good, there will be a large number of disaster victims and refugees!


    『Come on! After Cao Cao sat down, he was silent for a while, "Send someone to watch Song Zijing, if there is anything wrong, report it immediately!" 』Zhou Zhang is the person who is supposed to cure the drought, and Song Hang is Cao Cao''s deputy who arranged to "assist" Zhou Zhang, but Cao Cao is still worried, and still wants to send his own Cao family to watch Song Hang.


    The matter of farming and mulberry is the authority of the country, how can it be easily delegated to others?


    Whether these are learned from the so-called stealing from Guanzhong, or returning home, or those who have a bachelor''s degree in agriculture and engineering, the farming and mulberry techniques in their hands are all handed down from the Feiqian school. How can this make Cao Cao feel at ease?


    But the frustrating thing is that Cao Cao has to use these people again. No matter what it is, the result is the most obvious and the best reason. These people can improve efficiency and increase production, so even if Cao Cao has many concerns in his heart, he still has to use it.


    Command troops to fight, forward logistics, Cao family and Xiahou family can all be used.


    There are intrigues, the courts are fighting, and the Cao family and Xiahou family are not bad.


    But the problem is the fields...


    Cao Cao did not resist, and tried to imitate it with his own craftsmen, but the result...


    Most of the other gentry in Jizhou and Yuzhou are similar, and they are even influenced by those bachelors of agriculture and engineering. At least most of the measuring instruments used now have become a unified format, because only in this way, from Hussars General Fei Qian. Only the various technologies that come out can be used easily. Otherwise, things that are far away from each other by a thousand miles are not only found in cutting-edge technology, but are also easy to encounter in farming and mulberry fields.


    When Cao Pi came to Dingxing in the morning and evening, he saw Cao Cao staring at the table in a daze.


    On the table, there are only two thin, long and flat objects, like two rulers.


    『Father is well...』 Cao Pi bowed down.


    Cao Cao recovered from his trance, pointed to the seat next to him, "Sit. 』


    It has to be said that the Han Dynasty advocated filial piety, which was indeed very good in some aspects. At least children should care about their parents every day. Morning and evening, regardless of whether they were officials or small, they would do it both in office and in the field. "Money" is the most common word that parents say when they call their children, but the most common word that parents say when they call their children is "go home for dinner?" 』


    『Father, what worries do you have? 』Although Cao Pi felt that it might be troublesome if he asked, he couldn''t pretend that he didn''t see anything, so he had to bite the bullet and ask.


    Cao Cao pointed to the two rulers on the table.


    Cao Pi stepped forward, took two rulers and looked at them. In fact, there is not much difference, except that the length is slightly different.


    『One is originally used by Yingchuan, and the other is... 』Cao Cao raised his head, straightened his waist, and looked straight ahead, 『The other one is Huang''s ruler...』


    Cao Pi raised his eyebrows.


    『Someone thought...』 Cao Cao said a few words, then paused, looked at Cao Pi, and said, 『Zhou Zhang, Zhou Zifeng, do you know him? 』


    Cao Pi rolled his eyes a few times and said, "But Captain Tuntian? 』


    Cao Cao nodded, and said: "This Huang''s ruler was used by the former master of Yecheng''s farm... Humph, Zhou Zhang and Zhou Zifeng also used the Huang''s ruler to measure..."


    Cao Pi was stunned for a moment: "Father''s intention... these two... I''m afraid they have something to do with each other?" 』


    Cao Cao lowered his gaze, "Someone once ordered him to use the Yingchuan ruler...he refused it on the grounds that "the instrument for measuring and weighing is connected to each other, and it is inconvenient to change only one item"..."


    Cao Pi frowned, "Could it be an excuse? 』


    Cao Cao shook his head and said, "No. 』


    "what? 』Cao Pi''s eyes widened.


    Cao Cao snorted, "The hussars will arrive for a few months, or half a year, or use a caravan, or send some letters to deliver some agricultural and mulberry planting, and the key points of animal husbandry. It’s really not easy to move your whole body with one blow…”


    Cao Pi rolled his eyes, "Is there any spying... or guests..."


    Cao Cao glanced sideways at Cao Pi and said, "Think carefully before you speak!" 』


    Cao Pi suddenly got stuck.


    This only proves that these people are indeed connected to Hussars, but then what? Isn''t it a good thing to get the latest technology from hussars? Could it be possible to ask these people to refuse? Even if Cao Cao is willing, are other big noble families willing? So just saying that these people have received this information and saying that these people have spies is not feasible, the most direct evidence must be captured, but in the era when there were marriages everywhere in the Three Kingdoms, and relatives walked everywhere, chatting and saying a few words What, can it be regarded as something?


    It’s like in history Liu Bei married the Sun family, and Zhang Fei married the Xiahou family. If there are relatives or something on weekdays, is it possible to arrest them all?


    『Understood…』 Cao Pi looked at Cao Cao’s expression and said cautiously, 『Father is not worried about him leaking the news, but worried about what these people will do to take advantage of the natural disaster…』


    Cao Cao nodded and sighed. It is precisely because of this that Cao Cao sent people to closely monitor.


    『Since that’s the case…』 Cao Pi said, 「Why not replace it…」


    Cao Cao threw another eye knife when he heard the words.


    Cao Pi was stunned, and suddenly smacked his mouth twice in embarrassment.


    Cao Pi could want someone to replace him, but couldn''t Cao Cao think of it? In fact, Cao Cao had already sent some people to Chang''an, pretending to be students from poor families, to study in the Agricultural Society and the Engineering Society, but the problem is that this study does not mean that you enter the gate of the Agricultural Society and Engineering Society today, and you will go to the Agricultural Society and Engineering Society tomorrow. Those who can learn and come back, and Cao Cao learned that in fact, many more important technologies are not in the Agricultural Society and the Engineering Society, but in the Huang''s workshop...


    It is not completely impossible to sneak into the Huang''s workshop, and the Huang''s workshop also recruits some craftsmen from outside. Starting from the workshop in the outer ring, you can go further in about five or six years, and you can get in touch with some things in about ten years.


    This time is too long, much longer than Bachelor of Agriculture and Bachelor of Engineering...


    Among the Cao family and the Xiahou family, it is easy to find someone to dress up as a poor family, but it is not so easy to find a master craftsman who is proficient in craftsmanship.


    Even if they are found, these great craftsmen are not surnamed Cao. After all, it will take at least ten years to enter the key position, and in more than ten years, normally, the next generation will come out. Stomping, abandoning the wife and children here, wouldn''t it be...


    So I can only use people from the Cao family and Xiahou family, change their names and surnames, and try to find a way secretly, but such people almost start from scratch, and the degree of difficulty is more than a little bit? Therefore, before these people really mastered some skills, Cao Cao didn''t dare to touch people like Zhou Zhang and Wang Ming easily. Maybe he messed up here, and the Hussars will retaliate?


    Just like Cao Cao knew that some people were the eyes and ears of the hussars, as long as they did not go too far, Cao Cao would not say that they must be wiped out. General Fei Qian of the hussars must also know that there are many people in Chang''an who are Sent from other regions...


    It is like the embassies of later generations.


    Really think that the main job of each embassy is to wipe the buttocks of chartered planes for bear children? It was just done by the way, and it turned out that there were some bad kids and their bad parents who thought it was something the embassy had to do.


    Cao Cao sighed slightly again.


    Cao Cao used to think that Fei Qian walked fast, it was just one step faster, so as long as he quickened his pace, he could catch up, but now he found that when he took a step, Fei Qian also took a step, and when he ran a step, Fei Qian also followed Take a step, even walk more than yourself, run farther...


    This was a very heavy blow to Cao Cao, who was extremely energetic.


    Since Fei Qian has the courage to accommodate spies from various families, Cao Cao can certainly accommodate Zhou Zhang and Wang Ming here. Among other things, at least Zhou Zhang and Wang Ming are serious about doing things and have no bad intentions. It will definitely be helpful to Cao Cao.


    Fortunately, according to the news from the eyes and ears in Chang''an, the Sanfu area of ??Chang''an was also severely affected by the disaster. Hussar General Fei Qian even sent soldiers to assist the people in disaster relief...


    This is good news. If it is true that God prefers that only Jizhou and Yuzhou have a catastrophic disaster, and Guanzhong, Sanfu and Beidi Pingyang are all fine, then my act of swearing to be a teacher will immediately turn from imaginary to real, and the boat will be destroyed. Make a last stand!


    And now that both sides have been affected by the disaster, it is still acceptable, and slowly figure it out...


    This is also bad news. Hussar General Fei Qian sent soldiers to assist the people in disaster relief, which will inevitably win the hearts of a large number of ordinary people in Guanzhong Sanfu. This is not a good thing for the future confrontation between the two sides, and for Cao Cao.


    After this disaster, Feiqian''s position in Guanzhong must have become more stable, but Cao Cao himself in Jizhou, has the distance from Feiqian been shortened, or has it been widened again?


    This is what Cao Cao really worries about, not just the two rulers on the table.


    Cao Pi was about to return the ruler, but was stopped by Cao Cao.


    Cao Cao looked at Cao Pi and said: "Hussars can measure the world with a few feet away, and their travels are measured in tens of thousands of acres of fields. What do you want and what do you want?" 』


    "what? 』Cao Pi suddenly felt a little startled, and had a strong, bad premonition.


    『You use this ruler to make an argument...』 Sure enough, Cao Cao never let Cao Pi down. go! 』


    Cao Pi didn''t dare to show a mournful face, and he couldn''t naturally show a look of joy. In the end, he could barely maintain a "calm" expression. After agreeing, he walked out with two rulers in his hand, but because of a slight Distracted, he almost collided with Dong Zhao who was rushing over.


    『Ah, I’ve met you son…』Dong Zhao saluted Cao Pi.


    『You don’t need to be polite when offering wine to Dong…』 Cao Pi returned the gift, knowing that Dong Zhao must be here for something, so he said, 『Father is in the hall…』


    Dong Zhao bowed his hands and left.


    Cao Pi did not leave immediately, staring at Dong Zhao''s hurried back, his small eyes wandered around for several times, he knew that Dong Zhao was in such a hurry, something must happen, but if he followed the past now... After thinking for a long time, Cao Pi finally held back Out of curiosity, he lowered his head and looked at the two rulers in his arms, really wishing to throw them away from afar, and finally sighed and staggered away.


    On the other side, Dong Zhao hurriedly paid a visit to Cao Cao.


    『Duke Ming! Great joy! Great joy! ’ Dong Zhao said repeatedly.


    『Where does joy come from? ’ Cao Cao asked.


    『Duke Ming, please read...』 Dong Zhao took out a letter from his arms and offered it with both hands.


    『The law of lending orders? 』Cao Cao stared at the soybean-sized eyes, looked up and down, and then looked again from the beginning, groaning.


    Dong Zhao cupped his hands, with a cold light in his eyes, and said: "If the hussars follow this law, there will be great chaos!" In the eyes of Dong Zhao and others, the flaws in the Law of Loan Orders are just like a little girl wearing only fishing nets. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t wear them, but she does, but there are holes everywhere.


    Cao Cao put down the letter and said, "Is this really true?" 』


    『It’s absolutely true! Dong Zhao nodded and said, "It is said that this order has been widely distributed to Sanfu, and it will be sent to all places in Hedong soon..."


    『Mmm…』Cao Cao couldn''t help being a little excited, but suppressed it forcibly, and began to think.


    This is Hussar General Fei Qian, who has gone too smoothly for a while, so he drifted away? Seizing people''s money is like killing their parents. If General Hussars really did this, how many people''s parents would this be equivalent to killing?


    or…


    『Grandfather, let’s talk about this matter...』 Cao Cao knocked on the letter on the desk, and said, "Scattered in Hebei secretly..."


    Dong Zhao was a little puzzled, "My lord means..."


    Cao Cao smiled, "Just do it, Gongren..."


    Dong Zhao rolled his eyes twice, and had no choice but to bow his hands in response, without mentioning it.


    Cao Cao looked at Dong Zhao''s back, and after a long time, he sighed slightly, "Ah... Fengxiao..."


    (end of this chapter)