In the second year of Jian 'an of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao led more than tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry into Shouchun City, leaving more than half of his army and horses stationed at the four gates of Shouchun City as a horn. In Shouchun City, a yellow and white horse named Zhua Huang Fei Dian stood with its head raised and neighed. On the horse, there was a man with a kind and mighty face. He wore a battle robe made of Sichuan brocade, a pair of cloud-headed boots, and a golden crown on his head. In his red sword pouch hung the famous Heavenly Sword. It was Cao Cao.
The Tiger Guards were already standing on the streets of Shouchun City. The commoners stood on both sides of the street. The sound of horns could be heard as the Cao army began to slowly enter the city. The leader was the Great Sikong of the court, Cao Cao, Cao Mengde. Behind him, the generals and officers followed in order. In the name of the Han Dynasty, they patrolled the city and appeased the soldiers and civilians.
The sky was clear and the sun was warm. Such good weather seemed to have brought a festive atmosphere to Shouchun City, which had been suppressed for a long time. After all, the 400-year-old Han Dynasty was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Yuan Shu's usurpation of the throne was extremely unlucky.
However, danger always accompanied people when they were at their most joyous moments. It was unknown whether it was because of the crowd or because he had lost his footing, but a figure suddenly crashed out of the crowd and fell to the ground. Coincidentally, he fell in front of Cao Cao's horse.
Cao Cao was only distracted for a moment, and in that instant, the person who had fallen suddenly leaped up and pulled out a short sword from his bosom. With a flash of cold light, the short sword flew like a bolt of lightning towards Cao Cao, who was standing still on his horse.
After a moment of shock, Cao Cao calmed himself down and stared coldly at the sharp blade that was flying towards him. His eyes were filled with disdain. Before the short sword could reach the horse, a huge hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the assassin who was already jumping in mid-air.
The giant hand exerted a little force, and the crisp sound of bones breaking rang out in the ears of the people beside it. Following that, the assassin wailed in pain. The giant hand loosened slightly, and the assassin fell to the ground. He rolled on the ground, whimpering and screaming. It was obvious that the pain was piercing into his heart and tearing his liver and intestines.
Cao Cao gently turned his head and saw that the owner of the giant hand was dressed in military attire, wearing a yellow helmet and armor. He held a ten-foot-long iron blade, and the white horse under him was very handsome, giving off a divine aura. The brass helmet covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of bright eyes that coldly scanned the surrounding crowd.
"Zhongkang, it's all thanks to you again.”The giant man was the other commander of the Tiger Guards other than Dian Wei, Tiger Maniac Xu Chu. Xu Chu only shook his head lightly when he heard that and said in a silly voice,"My lord, the thieves in the city have not been eliminated. My lord should not stay in the noisy city for long.”
Cao Cao lightly nodded." Yuan Shu has occupied Shouchun for many years. It is normal that he has not killed all his trusted men in the city. With you and Dian Wei taking turns to protect me, I can go anywhere in the world."”Then, he laughed loudly and continued to ride his horse. Xu Chu did not say anything. He only gave a look to the Tiger Warrior behind him and led the assassin away. Then, he continued to ride his horse and follow Cao Cao closely.
After patrolling the city in the afternoon, Cao Cao immediately gathered all the civil and military officials and the temporary residence of Shouchun to discuss the matters after stabilizing Huaibei. Huaibei was rich in resources and densely populated. Cao Cao was naturally very happy to have such a large granary.
"Wenda, the land of Shouchun is near Xuzhou in the east and Lu Huai in the south. I've thought it over and over again. It's most suitable for you to guard it. You have to defend yourself carefully and don't let me down.”The person Cao Cao entrusted to him was his general, Li Tong. His strategy and strategy were top-notch, and he was someone who could be entrusted with an important task.
"Don't worry, my lord. Li Tong will not disappoint you.”Cao Cao nodded his head and said worriedly,""Shouchun is a city with high walls and deep trenches. The Jianghuai River was rich in water and grass, and there were many uncultivated land. The land of Yanzhou was gradually decreasing. Now, people could be sent to Huaibei to cultivate as a long-term plan.”
"Master Ming is right." Guo Jia hurriedly smiled and said," As the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses move, the grain and fodder should go first. Huaibei is an important place for our army to store grain in the future. As for the heavy responsibility of sending people to reclaim the land, in my opinion, it must be Xun Gongda!”
Xun You couldn't help but glare at Guo Jia when he heard that. This prodigal son was really cunning. He actually pushed this troublesome matter onto someone else! How infuriating. Although Xun You had his own thoughts, he still bowed to Cao Cao and said,""Xun You is willing to share my lord's worries."
Cao Cao smiled and nodded. He then turned to look at Cao Ang, only to see that the latter's eyes were unfocused. Cao Cao was stunned for a moment before he shouted,"Zixiu!"
At this moment, Cao Ang was thinking about what to eat at Shouchun's market when he had nothing to do. When he heard Cao Cao calling him, he subconsciously said,"What? Who called me? Class is over?"
As soon as he said that, Cao Ang regretted it because he was not looking at the beady eyes of the form teacher in his previous life. Instead, he was looking at Cao Cao's cold and stern eagle eyes. Cao Ang's face turned red and he hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to look at him again.
"Where's the swordsman? Guo Jia was amused."I didn't expect the Eldest Young Master to like this. He even said it in court. Interesting, interesting."”Cao Ang glared at Guo Jia angrily and cursed in his heart,""Interesting your head!"
"Humph, a swordsman? What a child." Cao Cao glared at Cao Ang in dissatisfaction and said in a deep voice,"You have made great contributions in defeating the traitor Yuan Shu and killing Ji Ling. Yesterday, I submitted a memorial to the Emperor, requesting that you take over the position of the traitor Yuan Shu's General and be conferred the title of Marquis. When you return to the capital to meet the Emperor, you will be given a seal and a fief.”
"Thank you, Father." Cao Ang hurriedly bowed and thanked him. Cao Cao looked at Cao Ang indifferently and continued,"Looking at your absent-minded appearance just now, it's useless to stay here. There's nothing for you to do here for the time being. If there's anything, I'll send someone to call you.”
Cao Ang was stunned when he heard this. He raised his head and looked at Cao Cao, who still had a dark expression on his face. This was obviously a fake. It seemed that his father was quite satisfied with his performance. After thinking about it, Cao Ang immediately thanked him,"Thank you, father. I will take my leave for now.”
"Ming Gong…Duke Huan. this... Guo Jia seemed to be of no use here.”Guo Jia saw that Cao Ang was lying and quickly lowered his head to express his stance. Cao Cao glanced at him indifferently and slowly said,"These few days…There are still many things I need you for."
Guo Jia's expression couldn't help but wither when he heard this. He glared at Cao Ang with a face full of jealousy and bitterness. Cao Ang winked at Guo Langzi without anyone noticing, then turned around and left the residence. Guo Jia's face turned green with anger, as if it was filled with splendor.
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"Tofu, tofu, eat tofu." Cao Ang hummed a tune as he walked on the streets of Shouchun City. In his previous life, when he was watching Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the TV series said that tofu was made by Liu Bang's grandson, Liu An, the King of Huainan. Regardless of whether this was true or not, he should at least try the local specialty in Shouchun.
After a series of inquiries, Cao Ang finally learned that under Bagong Mountain, which was five miles north of Shouchun, the villages and towns with a radius of tens of miles were known as the home of tofu. Hearing the name of Bagong Mountain, Cao Ang was instantly homesick, and he couldn't wait to fly to the place where the Battle of Fei River took place, where everyone was scared of the soldiers under Bagong Mountain.
After some detailed inquiries, Cao Ang immediately led Shi Huan to Bagong Mountain on horseback. When he saw Bagong Mountain from afar, Cao Ang couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He saw a torrent flowing from the peaks of the green mountains. The sharp stones between the cliffs were like blades, causing the torrent to fall apart. The impact made a rumbling sound, and the momentum was extremely oppressive.
The two of them arrived at a small market town at the foot of Bagong Mountain. However, this place was blessed by the heavens and was surrounded by mountains and rivers. The villagers cultivated the land and ate the mountains, which gradually formed a scale.
Cao Ang and Shi Huan came to a shop to rest and ordered a few tofu snacks. Huainan's tofu was hand-brewed. Although it was not as smooth and delicious as the later generations, it had the taste of countryside grass and dew. After savoring it carefully, Cao Ang pursed his lips and sighed."Not bad, not bad. It's been a long time since I've eaten tofu. It's a pity that they don't know how to make Mapo Tofu. Otherwise, this trip would be perfect.”
"Mapo Tofu?" Shi Huan was stunned for a moment before he smiled and said,"Daren's words are profound, and I really don't understand what you're saying.”Cao Ang patted his belly and explained with a smile,"The so-called Mapo Tofu is made with tofu, chili, and scallions in a pot."
"My lord, what do you mean by 'pulling my foot'?" Cao Ang was immediately speechless when he heard this. It's not my leg, it's the chili…" Speaking of this, Cao Ang vaguely remembered that chili peppers were a plant that was brought back to Europe from the American continent in the 15th century and spread to the world. After careful calculation, it should have been introduced to China in the Ming Dynasty. Thinking of this, Cao Ang could not help but sigh and wave his hand dejectedly."Forget it, we won't see each other again in this lifetime.”
Seeing that Shi Huan was still baffled, Cao Ang no longer looked at him. He only turned his head and carefully sized up the nearby village. He saw busy farmers walking back and forth, and chickens and dogs heard each other. It was somewhat a paradise.
Not far away from Cao Ang, several village women were sitting in a circle around a large loom, sewing cloth. They were obviously the servants of the big families in Shouchun City. Seeing these women joking and chatting while sewing and mending, Cao Ang couldn't help but think of something else. Once upon a time, when he was young, he had also seen the older generation pass time like this, enjoying their health. Unknowingly, a smile appeared on Cao Ang's lips.
"Auntie, a person with fifty meridians has fifty steps. Isn't it too tiring and troublesome?”At some point in time, a young man dressed like a scholar walked up behind the women. This scholar seemed to be younger than Cao Ang. When the women turned around and saw a pale-faced young man pointing at them, they couldn't help but laugh. One of them even smiled at the scholar and said,"Whose child are you? You're so young, yet you're already flirting with an innocent woman?”
The young man's face turned red and he scratched his head in embarrassment.""Everyone, please don't misunderstand. I only saw that this loom has 50 threads for 50 warp threads and 60 threads for 60 warp threads. It's really troublesome.”
The women laughed when they heard this, causing the young man's face to turn red again. After a while, the village girl who had just answered said,"What do you mean by fifty or twelve? How would we women know about this? Little brother, you should go ask elsewhere.”
The young man hurriedly cupped his hands and said,"Sorry to disturb you."”Then, he turned around and was about to leave when he heard a hearty laugh from afar."Where is that brother going?"
The young man couldn't help but look around when he heard this. He saw a young man who was about the same age as him waving at him in a restaurant not far away. Seeing him turn around, Cao Ang stood up and laughed,"Sir, I found your theory of weaving very interesting. If you don't mind, why don't you come over and have a few drinks with me?”
The young man could not help but hesitate slightly when he heard this. However, Cao Ang had already taken large strides forward and extended his hand to invite him,"Sir, please take a seat." The young man was born in poverty and was not good at talking. He rarely received such courtesy. He quickly lowered his head and said,"Please, please."
After taking a seat, Cao Ang immediately ordered a jar of wine and served the young man a cup. He smiled and said,"I heard from you that you want to change from fifty to twelve. I was curious, so I asked. May I ask why you changed the method?”
The young man hurriedly replied," I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. It's just that a loom with 50 warp threads requires 50 steps, which is a waste of manpower. Moreover, the speed is too slow. When I was in my hometown, I happened to have an idea and changed the loom to 12 steps. It can increase the speed of the loom without requiring too many people." I came here today just to ask casually, but I've made a fool of myself.”
Cao Ang's eyes flashed when he heard this. He then lightly played with the cup in his hand and said,"Oh? A twelve-tiptoed loom could take care of all the warp threads?”The young man hurriedly nodded.”Cao Ang laughed." I didn't expect you to have such a divine skill. I admire you." May I know your name?"
The young man hurriedly waved his hand and said," This is just some unorthodox tricks. It's difficult to reach the hall of elegance. I don't dare to be called a divine skill." My surname is Ma, my name is Jun, and my name is Deheng. I am from Fufeng County, Yongzhou.”
Cao Ang's face was still full of smiles, but a message flashed through his mind. Fufeng Ma Jun, Wei Dynasty to the matter, resourceful and resourceful, good at mechanical learning!
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