According to the official statement, there were 217 households with a total of 936 people. In Cao Youxue's time, this was nothing. But in the time when Cao Peng lived, there were 217 households.
This small town can already be considered a big town.
It is backed by Zhongyang Mountain and is under the jurisdiction of Wuyin County.
But because it is far away from the county seat, it does not receive much attention.
Hanshui flows out from Zhongyang Mountain, passes through Wufang County (now Suiping County, Zhumadian City), and then flows into Rushui River.
"Dad, is Liu Jingzhou Liu Biao?"
Cao Youxue, who had changed his name to Cao Peng, looked curious and asked Cao Ji for advice.
After lying in bed for more than ten days, his bones were numb from lying on it. He really didn't want to continue lying there, so he started to walk around regardless of Zhang's objection.
Cao Peng's body was very weak. It is said that when Zhang was pregnant with him, there was a war and bandits.
Once, the bandits even reached the outside of Zhongyang Town and almost entered the town. Zhang was frightened and Cao Peng became a premature baby.
Ms. Zhang even stopped breastfeeding because she was frightened.
This also makes Cao Peng not have breast milk since he was a child, and he grew up on porridge and water, so his physical condition is much worse than that of his peers...
Cao Youxue obtained sporadic memories of Cao Peng, but they were of little use.
A thirteen-year-old child who has never stepped out of Zhongyang Town naturally cannot leave much useful information to Cao Youxue. He only knows that Cao Ji is a blacksmith, and his skills are not too exquisite. Help
It's okay to repair farm tools and build some small objects, but when it comes to big objects, it's beyond your capabilities... In troubled times, what is the most valuable thing? The answer is simple, that is weapons.
Most of the craftsmen with good skills were conquered by local princes.
Of course, a craftsman with two swords like Cao Ji is not so valued.
But no matter how good it is, if they don't get involved in those bloody events, Cao Ji's family is still safe and sound. The small Zhongyang Town is very peaceful and very closed. Although Cao Youxue vaguely guessed the era he lived in, but
He couldn't be sure. He heard Cao Ji mention Liu Jingzhou last night, so early the next morning, he couldn't wait to go down to the ground, sit on the threshold, and asked casually, seemingly unintentionally.
"Shh!"
Cao Ji was startled, quickly put down the hammer, ran to Cao Peng, and signaled him not to talk nonsense.
"How can Liu Jingzhou's name be mentioned casually by people like us?"
"If it's just a name, why should dad be so nervous?"
Cao Peng couldn't help but feel a little dissatisfied, but at the same time he immediately understood: As I guessed, it was indeed the Three Kingdoms!
In later generations, a Romance of the Three Kingdoms became popular among women and children. People often say that young people don’t read Water Margin, and old people don’t read Three Kingdoms... Of course it is impossible for Cao Peng not to know this famous work handed down from generation to generation, and he read through various versions of Three Kingdoms works more than once.
.Men always yearn for the hot-blooded era of iron horses and golden warfare. According to Cao Peng's understanding, the only person known as Liu Jingzhou in history seems to be Liu Biao.
But who is General Xiao Zhang?
Cao Ji said angrily: "You kid, how can you be so ignorant?
Liu Jingzhou is a famous person in the world and a clan member of the Han Dynasty. How can we, the common people, call him by his first name? If others hear him, you will be charged with disrespect...Peng'er, you have to be careful what you say in the future.
One thing, people’s hearts are unpredictable these days and it’s impossible to figure it out!”
Cao Peng was still a little unhappy, but seeing his father's fearful look, he thought about it and nodded, saying that he would pay attention in the future.
Is this the so-called difference between common people and wealthy people?
Cao Peng thought and subconsciously glanced at Cao Ji who was repairing the hoe.
Although it is said that princes, generals, and ministers are all in love, how has this gap in family status ever really disappeared? Is the death of one privileged class not the birth of another privileged class? There can never be true equality between people.
, whether it is now or in the future, it will be the same.
Thinking of this, Cao Peng couldn't help but feel unmotivated.
He sat blankly on the threshold, watching Cao Ji sweating profusely, but his mind had already gone to the sky.
"Old Cao!"
A loud voice woke Cao Peng out of his deep thoughts.
I saw a burly man walking in from outside the hospital. He looked about in his early thirties, with a dark face, thick eyebrows and big eyes. He looked very powerful. Beside the big man, there was a young man, very strong and strong.
It looks like a little tiger.
There are impressions of these two people in Cao Peng's memory.
The strong man is called Wang Meng, a hunter from Zhongyang Town; the young man is called Wang Mai, and he is very familiar with Cao Peng.
As a hunter, Wang Meng naturally has to deal with Cao Ji, a blacksmith. Cao Ji's craftsmanship is not very good, but he is good at tinkering. The most important thing is that this tinkering does not require too much skill.
, and it doesn’t cost much, so it’s quite cost-effective.
Seeing Wang Meng, Cao Ji immediately put down his hammer and stepped forward to greet him.
"Old Wang, where have you been recently? But you haven't been here for a few days."
"Where can I go?"
Wang Meng said, taking out two animal traps from his pocket, "I went to Wuyin for a walk a few days ago... By the way, I came here today to ask you to help me repair these two traps."
"Okay, I'll clean it up for you right now!"
Cao Ji took the two clips and squatted in the yard with Wang Meng, muttering.
The young man Wang Mai quickly ran to Cao Peng and said, "Ah Fu, I heard you are sick?"
Wang Mai is one of the few friends of Cao Peng in Zhongyang Town. Firstly, the age difference between the two is not big, and secondly, Cao Peng is weak and weak, but Wang Mai is very strong. Every time the children in the town bully Cao Peng,
Wang Mai will definitely stand up for him and take care of Cao Peng like an elder brother.
Cao Peng had an instinctive affection for this dead ghost, Cao Peng's only friend during his lifetime.
Maybe this good impression comes more from Cao Peng's memory... But what's the difference? At least in the eyes of outsiders, Cao Peng is still Cao Peng.
"Well, I don't know what happened a few days ago, and I suddenly fainted.
I haven't been lying on the bed all this time, I just got off the ground today... It's nothing serious anymore, I'm just a little dizzy, and my legs and feet aren't very strong."
Wang Mai grinned and said, "Your body is really in bad shape. You need to eat more good food."
In two days, dad and I will go into the mountains to hunt you some delicious food... You will definitely be strong by then, haha, just like me."
What he said was very simple, and Cao Peng felt warm in his heart when he heard it.
"Wang Mai, have you and your father gone to the county seat?"
"Yeah, I went to the county town... but there's nothing interesting there. It's more lively than Zhongyang, but other than that, there's nothing else."
"Did you hear anything interesting?"
"Interesting things?"
Wang Mai thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I haven't heard anything interesting."
The most similar thing between him and Wang Meng and his son are his pair of thick eyebrows. Wang Meng's pair of horizontal eyebrows almost connect them together. The same is true for Wang Mai, especially when he frowns and thinks about something, those two eyebrows
Just twisting them together, it looks very interesting.
Cao Peng asked: "I heard that General Xiao Zhang has formed an alliance with Liu Jingzhou?"
"Oh, this matter...
We have formed an alliance a long time ago! It has been almost twenty days... I heard that General Zhang and Liu Jingzhou's envoy formed an alliance in Rangcheng.
Ah Fu, do you know where Rangcheng is?
Haha, if you start from Zhongyang, it will take several days to ride on horseback. I heard people say that General Xiao Zhang is very powerful. He can fight with generals on horseback without any three enemies... I heard that his marksmanship has reached the level of perfection. I just
It's a pity that I haven't seen it, so I don't know what it looks like."
"General Zhang, is this Zhang Xiu?"
Wang Mai glanced at Cao Peng in surprise, nodded and said, "Yes, General Zhang's name is Zhang Xiu!
Ah Fu, what happened to you today? When I told you these things before, you were never interested. Why did you take the initiative to ask today?"
Cao Peng was surprised and quickly laughed and said: "I heard my father and mother talking about them last night, so I asked about them."
"I'm just telling you, why are you suddenly asking these questions?"
Wang Mai is a sincere person, so naturally he will not doubt Cao Peng.
"However, I heard people say that there may be a war here."
"oh?"
"This time I went to Wuyin and heard from people there that Duke Cao's troops had occupied Yuzhou.
His old man served the Emperor as the capital of Xuchang, and he is the backbone of our Han Dynasty. I estimate that it won’t be long before Duke Cao will send troops to Nanyang.”
"Mr. Cao?"
"It was Duke Cao who welcomed the emperor to make his capital Xuchang at the beginning of the year...I think I mentioned this to you."
"Uh, I forgot!"
In the past, Cao Peng, because of his health, did not know much about the outside world. In other words, he was the kind of person who just muddle along and had no big ambitions. At least in the memories Cao Peng got, most of them were trivial things.
Not worth mentioning.
There was a trace of longing in Wang Mai's eyes.
He sighed and said softly: "If one day Duke Cao's army comes to Wuyin, I will definitely join the army."
"Join the army?"
"Yes, with my ability, I will be able to become a marquis and a general when the time comes! Ah Fu, when that time comes, I will ask you to be my military advisor."
Cao Peng couldn't help but smile, "Okay, I'll wait for you to invite me out."
Wang Mai is quite heroic and has lofty ideals.
As for Cao Peng, it seemed that he had read some books and knew some words. According to his memory, when Cao Peng was a child, a warlock once lived in Zhongyang Town. Cao Peng studied with the warlock for a few days. Later, due to physical reasons, he
I had to give up halfway. Not long after, the warlock also left, and there was no news from him again... In these turbulent years, he might have become a soul killed by others.
However, even in this situation, Cao Peng can be regarded as a literate person.
In Wang Mai's heart, literate people are people with great abilities...
"Wang Mai, go home!"
At this time, Wang Meng also finished talking to Cao Ji and stood up to greet Wang Mai.
"Afu, I'll go back first...I'll come see you tomorrow."
Cao Ji sat on the threshold, nodded with a smile, and watched Wang Meng and his son walk out of the small courtyard.
"Peng'er, you should go back to your house and rest for a while. The weather is not good. Don't catch a cold. Your mother will blame me then..."
"knew!"
Cao Ji nodded in agreement and stood up.
According to Wang Mai, Cao Cao welcomed the emperor at the beginning of the year and then made Xuchang his capital.
I remember that it was in this year that the Han Dynasty was changed to "Jian'an"... In the first year of Jian'an, I didn't expect that I would be reborn in the Three Kingdoms era 1,800 years ago!
Cao Peng returned to the house and did not lie down.
This simple adobe house is divided into two rooms: an inner room and an inner room. Because he was unconscious before, he lived in a small room in the inner room, while Cao Ji and his wife lived in the outer room so that they could take care of Cao Peng at any time. Generally speaking, Cao Ji's family did not
He is not rich, but he cannot be said to be living in poverty either.
Ordinary, a very ordinary family.
But Cao Peng knew that in these turbulent years, no one would be able to find peace.
Sooner or later, war will break out in Nanyang County, and when the time comes, Zhongyang Town will inevitably be affected by the war, and even all lives will be destroyed.
What can I do in such a troubled time?
Cao Peng stood inside the door of the hut, subconsciously clenching his fists and lost in thought...