Sure enough, it was them, this thought flashed through everyone's mind.

There are only two forces left in the world, who else could it be if it wasn't Liu Beifang.

"There's no need to talk about this." Cao Cao interrupted Cheng Yu with a stiff tone, "What can you do to deal with this?"

What Wang Xuan did this time had a great impact on Cao Cao, and it was simply a devastating blow.

Everyone was silent. It is difficult for a wise woman to make a meal without rice.

The grain harvested this time was either diverted by unruly people or burned by fire. Even if Cao Cao wanted to send troops to rescue, it would be impossible.

It is too scattered and spread over every inch of land under its control. How to save it?

There were not that many troops at all, so the major families thought of ways to send large groups of people to grab food. When they arrived, the village was empty, and not a single grain of food could be seen. It was either burned or buried.

Even if you want to dig three feet into the ground to find it, you still have to have a target. The old farmers have been preparing for it for two months, and they can find it wherever they want.

Scattering the troops would be even worse. They would be attacked and harassed along the way, and they would be dispersed one after another before they reached the location. Even the most loyal slaves could not bear 20% of the casualties. What's more, even the slaves knew about big things.

Something bad happened.

The owner’s house is about to collapse. As the owner’s dog, don’t we need to consider a way out!?

Not only that, but the grain depots of local aristocratic families were burned down in large numbers, making this thing impossible to guard against.

As Wang Xuan said before, as long as the money is available, the guards will naturally help you set it ablaze.

"Our army still has food reserves, enough for the entire army to last for three years!" Xun Yu said in a dry tone.

These grain reserves were all left over from before. After driving away three million people, there were naturally countless grains left. It was no exaggeration to say that it was enough to feed the troops for three years. After all, the troops only numbered over 400,000.

Ha, Cao Cao sneered. He didn't know who he was targeting, but he looked at everyone with eyes full of mockery.

No one looked at him at this moment.

…

One month later, outside Suiyang City.

One is the renovated Suiyang City. A total of 100,000 troops are stationed in the city, and Cao Jun's military flag is flying on the top of the city.

On one side is a series of camps in a Bagua structure, with 80,000 of the most elite troops gathered in the camp, with Liu Beijun's golden dragon flag flying high.

Cao Cao stood quietly at the top of the city. He looked extremely old as he was nearly fifty years old, especially this year, he had aged a lot.

The discussion that day ended in nothing, without any conclusion. Everyone knew that they were finished, completely defeated, and there was no room for maneuver.

The vast Central Plains, with a total population of only 20 million, is actually quite empty.

In fact, there is no need to make a fuss. As long as those old farmers collect the grain and scatter and hide, the entire Cao Cao camp will collapse.

If things go well during peacetime, the wealthy families will still have the opportunity to mobilize their forces to quell the chaos and recapture the tenants who cannot hide themselves and let them all be bled one by one. But when is this time?

Their strength has been closely watched by Liu Bei's army for a long time. At such a critical node, everyone ran away. This is not nonsense.

The prosperous power of Cao Cao suddenly collapsed, and after the news spread, large-scale desertions and surrenders occurred in the army. Now the only ones who can concentrate on defense in the city are the core forces controlled by the family, the clan members of the family branch.

In fact, even this group of people is not completely determined, and they will fly away when the disaster comes, not to mention that they are just some tribesmen. They are just afraid that Liu Bei will settle the score after the fall and will not let them go.

Speaking of which, I really don't blame Liu Bei for this, but Wang Xuan's name was too cruel, at least that's how it was spread among the aristocratic families.

"I don't know if these guys will regret it later." Cao Cao smiled mockingly, remembering that when Wang Xuan came up with the recruitment order, he thought of following suit, but all the ministers under his command did not agree, so the matter was ignored, and Wang Xuan later

He also engaged in book promotion and wanted to follow suit, but was once again stopped by his subordinates.

Even things like improving the status of craftsmen are some compromises made out of necessity. Now that things have reached this stage, every one of these aristocratic families in the Central Plains will be exterminated.

It's just...Cao Cao clenched his fists tightly and veins popped out in his hands. He was really unwilling to give in. Why wasn't Wang Xuan the first to help me?

He didn't mind what Wang Xuan did at all.

At this moment, Cao Cao suddenly saw a few figures walking in the distance. After a while, a man carrying a flag came to the city and shouted loudly: "My king and the state counselor invite King Wei to come to the city to talk."

"Lord, no!" Xiahou Dun and others all looked at Cao Cao and said, "Wang Xuan's military power is unknown, but he is definitely a master, and he is cunning and cunning. Who knows what despicable things he will do."

"Hahaha, brothers, you don't have to be like this." Cao Cao looked relaxed at this moment, as if he had put down something, and treated Xiahou Dun and others like brothers again, "Now that the matter has come to this, there is nothing to be afraid of.

The reporter said, Liu Bei and Wang Xuan are outstanding people in the world, but I, Cao Cao, am not inferior to others, and they will never do such things."

"Well...then I'll go with my eldest brother!" Xiahou Dun looked at Cao Cao blankly and then smiled, and did not address his lord again.

"It doesn't have to be like this. It makes me angry." After saying that, Cao Cao waved his hand and walked down the road, "Open the city gate."

Riding a horse, he came closer. At this moment, there was a table on the ground. Wang Xuan and Liu Bei were standing up from the futon, waving to Cao Cao and saying with a smile, "Haha, Brother Meng De is here as expected. Hurry, come and sit down."

Cao Cao turned over and dismounted. Even though he was nearly fifty years old, he was still agile. He cupped his hands and clasped his fists at Liu Bei and Wang Xuan with some excitement, "I have seen my brother Xuande and my brother Zai Zhi."

He knelt down in front of the futon and looked at Liu Bei and... Cao Cao, who looked a little older. The corner of his mouth twitched. Why did Wang Xuan still look like he did before? "After more than ten years of separation, Brother Xuande has also grown old.

, but it’s still as good as before.”

"Hey, I'm different from you two. I don't have the ambition to dominate the world and become the emperor." Wang Xuan smiled and picked up the teapot and gave Cao Cao a cup.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei looked at each other, shook their heads and smiled bitterly. Wang Xuan was so free and easy, and they were really envious of him.

"Why don't you see brother Xiahou Dun coming with you?" Wang Xuan asked curiously.

"Uh..." Cao Cao was stunned and didn't know how to answer. He was stunned for a moment.

"When I was drinking in Suanzao, I never missed these two guys."

When Wang Xuan said this, Cao Cao shook his head and smiled bitterly. He immediately understood what Wang Xuan meant. It was true that he was too careless before.

It's like a class reunion more than ten years later. As an unsatisfied person, I am afraid of losing face, but I pay special attention to some details for fear of being looked down upon.

"In that case, please call brothers Yun Chang, Yide, and Eilai over." After saying that, he turned around and shouted twice towards the city.

The Xiahou brothers were obviously paying attention to the situation here. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Cao Cao sitting there. They were a little confused when they heard Cao Cao's shouts, but they quickly jumped over from the top of the city.

On the other side, Wang Xuan also waved behind him, and Guan Yu and three others came on horseback.

Seeing Guan Yu and the others coming over, the Xiahou brothers immediately became vigilant and their muscles tensed up. If they hadn't seen Cao Cao sitting there peacefully sipping tea, they might have released their Gang Qi.

Falling behind Cao Cao, the two brothers immediately locked their eyes on the three men of Guan Yu who were walking over.

"What are you looking at!" Dian Wei, who had a bad temper, retorted directly. Speaking of which, he was the one who fought against the Xiahou brothers the most. The two brothers were so slippery that they tried to kill several times without success.

Look at how you kept these words in their throats and they didn't dare to shout them out. It's very difficult for Dian Wei, not to mention Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

"Okay." Wang Xuan waved and threw out five futons, "Come and sit."

Brother Xiahou got up a step and sat down on his knees with a cold snort.

Guan Yu knelt down beside Liu Bei without saying a word, while Zhang Fei and Dian Wei sat down cross-legged without any appearance.

I have been sitting on a chair all these years, and I really can’t get used to sitting on my knees.

A group of warriors came over, and it was obviously inappropriate to drink tea. Wang Xuan flicked his sleeves and the tea cup on the table disappeared. Then he flicked his sleeves, and the wine pot, side dishes, etc. suddenly appeared on the table.

Sure enough, brothers Cao Cao and Xia Hou looked at each other. Legend has it that Wang Xuan was not a practitioner of the civil and military system, but had another inheritance. This was indeed the case when they met today.

In the interactions between men, cigarettes can open mouths, wine can move people's hearts, and abalone can make everyone become like-minded people. Ahem, don't worry about the last sentence. After a few glasses of wine, any estrangement will be eliminated in no time.

It was cleared away and everyone started chatting freely.

Looking back on the past, at the time of the jujube period, there were more than a dozen princes gathered under Hulao Pass who would stir up troubles in the future. After many years, the situation changed, and only the two parties here were left.

Among the many princes at that time, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were indeed the closest to each other, and they had the most similar interests. They were indispensable for each other every time they drank. Even the Xiahou brothers would always drink with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei and others at that time.

Zhang Fei, in particular, stole the alcohol distilled by Wang Xuan to disinfect the soldiers. If these guys weren't in very human shape, they would have perforated their stomachs long ago.

Everyone chatted freely, and the conversation lasted until now. Cao Cao finally asked, "Zai Zhi, why did you choose Xuande instead of me in the first place? Was I, Cao Cao, inferior to Xuande at that time?"

"Oh, you were much stronger than Brother Xuande back then."

"Then why are you?" Cao Cao asked, and the three Liu Bei brothers also looked at Wang Xuan curiously. To be honest, they were also curious about why Wang Xuan chose Liu Bei.

"It is precisely because Xuande had nothing but two brothers, Yun Chang and Yide, that I chose Xuande." Wang Xuan spread his hands and looked at Cao Cao with some amusement, "If I choose you, will you be willing to abandon already already

Those wealthy families gathered around you!?"

"This..." Cao Cao frowned and sighed for a moment. Yes, it is impossible for him to give up the wealthy families gathered around him!

"Isn't it over now? I've seen through you a long time ago." Wang Xuan laughed loudly as he said this.

"Do you think so little of the noble family?" Cao Cao looked at Guan Yu and asked the others.

"I have never looked down on aristocratic families. As time goes by, everyone will have their own aristocratic families in the future. Aristocratic families must exist. They are an indispensable part of society."

"Then if you continue to do this, how will it end in the future?" Cao Cao was very puzzled by this.

"What's the matter? Equalizing land, exempting land rent, etc. are just for now. As long as childbirth is encouraged, the current situation will be completely broken in less than ten years. Sooner or later, some farmers will be driven out of the land. By then,

Everything will get back on track. I didn't want it at first. Who made those aristocratic families so heartbroken?"

"Encourage childbirth?" Cao Cao frowned, "If so, wouldn't the world be in chaos again within fifty years?"

He didn't believe that Wang Xuan didn't understand this, but why did he do this?

"The world is so big. Don't tell me you don't know how vast it is outside the Han Dynasty. We only occupy a small amount of land."

"It's just a barbaric land, how can it compare to the Central Plains." Cao Cao curled his lips.

"That's not what I said. Thousands of years ago, most of today's places were still barbaric. The Eastern Rong, Western Barbarians, Southern Barbarians and Northern Barbarians are not all the habitats of my Han people now. To put it bluntly, future generations have lost the ability to open up the land.
To be continued...