Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3702 Millet and Rice
Of course, there is no such thing as easy or pleasant work.

Moreover, the farming process in the Heluo region was not always harmonious and without conflict...

Several surrendered soldiers from the neighboring settlement felt that the land they were allocated was close to the riverbank and had a lot of sand and gravel, making it less fertile than other people's land. They gathered together and protested, blocking the agricultural scholar's side to demand an explanation.

The agricultural expert remained calm. He pulled out a map book, pointing to the contour lines and soil markings, explaining the reason for each division. He added that rent had already been reduced in the first year, and the harvest depended entirely on the farmer's efforts; diligent people could fertilize the poor land. Finally, he declared, "Feeling it's unfair? Go ahead and appeal to the land reclamation office! Don't know where to go? I'll show you! If you're going to waste your energy making a fuss here and delaying your own farming, you'll be unable to pay rent, and the land will be taken back!"

The troublemakers were silenced and eventually dispersed in frustration.

No one was arrested, and there were no charges of causing trouble or creating disturbances. It was resolved just like that...

Wang Laonian watched from the back of the crowd, his heart pounding. He felt that these "managers" of the cavalry had an inexplicable "rule" in their speech and actions, which was very different from the clerks in his hometown of Shandong who would beat and scold people at the drop of a hat and arbitrarily impose taxes.

That evening, as Wang Laonian finished work, he was squatting by the edge of the field, washing his hands in the murky ditch water, when a somewhat familiar but deliberately hushed voice sounded behind him, "Brother Laonian!"

Wang Laonian was startled and turned around to see Zhao Silang, his old fellow villager from when he worked under Xiahou Yuan!

Zhao Silang was dressed in a coarse cloth shirt and trousers, his face smeared with mud and ash, and his eyes were shifty, like a rat in a sewer.

"You... what are you doing here?" Old Wang was both surprised and suspicious, and subconsciously looked around with Zhao Silang.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Zhao Silang leaned closer, a strong, musty smell of sweat filling his nostrils. "I'm here on secret orders! Old Nian, are you suffering here? Look at how sun-baked you are! It must be very tough!"

Zhao Silang sized up Wang Laonian's dark, rough face and the coarse cloth short jacket he wore, a typical cavalry uniform. "The higher-ups said, out of consideration for our past relationship, as long as you're willing to help, find out the locations of the military camps and granaries around here, you'll be highly rewarded when the army returns! You'll be rewarded with money, silk, and land; you can even go back to your hometown in Shandong and live a wealthy life!"

Zhao Silang made his promise eagerly, his spittle almost landing on Wang Laonian's face.

Wang Laonian's heart skipped a beat.

Rewards of money, land, and a return to one's hometown...

These words scratched at him like hooks.

Wang Laonian remained silent, his cloudy eyes fixed on the field ridges beneath his feet, which had just been cleared and were now revealing the damp earth.

With the initial settlement of the Heluo region, the land was vast and sparsely populated, and many villages were abandoned. It was not uncommon for a few people like Zhao Silang to be hiding there. Moreover, to be honest, Zhao Silang did not have any "secret orders from above." He was just one of the "spy" left behind by Cao Cao's army when they retreated.

All the "promises" were actually promises that Cao Jun's military academy had made to Zhao Silang, and he simply copied them onto Wang Laonian...

In the evening breeze, the seedlings of the crops swayed gently.

Zhao Si'er, thinking Wang Laonian was tempted, urged him eagerly, "Brother Laonian, don't miss this opportunity! This land belonging to the General of the Cavalry, do you think it'll really be yours? Dream on! They'll take it back sooner or later!"

Yes, there was also a system of military settlements in Shandong. At the beginning, the promises were very good, but before long, those promised fields turned into a deadly curse...

what?
The "promise" from back then?
Whoever made that promise, go find them!

Anyway, the 'policy' has changed now!
Why the change? It's all for everyone's benefit! What? You're not doing well? How can you be so selfish? Everyone's well-being is what truly matters!

One moment they're making empty promises, the next they're using all sorts of taxes to squeeze every last drop out of you, and in the end they'll take back even the promises they made!
Draw one again!
Wang Laonian seemed to hear again the cursing of the clerk kicking down the door, and saw the figure of someone being beaten until he was hunched over and vomiting blood.

Old Wang slowly raised his head, his wrinkled face showing no excitement, only an almost stubborn calm. He looked at Zhao Silang's calculating face, then down at his bare feet covered in fresh mud and the thriving rice seedlings beside him, and finally repeated forcefully, word by word: "No... I... I won't do it..."

Zhao Silang was stunned, hardly believing his ears. "What?! Old Nian, are you confused? You won't do it? Haven't you heard? Those cavalrymen... they eat human hearts and livers! They can't sleep without eating three a day! You, if you stay here, you're going to die sooner or later!"

"No, I won't eat..." Old Wang shook his head, "Anyway, I didn't see it..."

"You old codger! You think you can see me eating people?" Zhao Silang sneered. "In this world, no cannibal would openly admit to wanting to eat people!"

Old Wang shook his head again, "No, it's different..."

"Okay, okay, then tell me, what's different?" Zhao Silang asked.

Old Wang hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the ground, "This ground, this ground is different."

"What's so different about this land?! Isn't it all just clods of dirt for growing crops?" Zhao Silang was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

Old Wang opened his mouth, but he couldn't express the complex feelings he was experiencing.

The peace and quiet without petty officials constantly kicking down the door...

The foreman was fierce, but he didn't pull down the whip...

If you just break off ten fingers, you can truly possess your own desires...

And then there's the tangible feeling of the irrigation water flowing into one's own field...

It was like a tangled mess stuck in his throat.

His face turned red from holding it in, and in the end, he could only shake his head more vigorously. He was uneducated and couldn't utter words like "land rights" or "perpetual land."

All he knew was that the land under Cao Sikong's rule in Shandong belonged to the government and was used for military settlements.

These soldiers were treated like livestock, driven to cultivate the land, with most of the harvest taken away, leaving them barely enough to survive.

If you do a good job, that's expected; if you don't, you'll be whipped.

Shandong is a cold and indifferent place, and it has no connection with Wang Laonian whatsoever.

And this piece of land in front of us...

Wang Laonian looked up. The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the newly turned furrows in a warm golden light.

The wooden tablet with his name on it and embossed on it was carefully wrapped in oilcloth and hidden under the straw mat.

This was the only place he could think of to hide the things.

It also makes it convenient for him to touch it before going to sleep every day...

This place seems to be...

is alive?
What we can hope for is that it can be passed down...

"It's just...different! I can't quite put my finger on it...but anyway, it's different! You...you go away! I'll pretend I never saw you!"

Wang Laonian stopped looking at Zhao Silang, suddenly turned around, picked up an iron shovel, and almost violently pounded the soil on the ridges of the field. It seemed that only this repetitive and heavy labor could suppress the fear of the nightmares of the past in his heart, and the clumsy but stubborn protection of this "different" land in front of him.

Zhao Silang stared at Wang Laonian's hunched but unusually determined back, spat out a mouthful of phlegm, and disappeared into the twilight while cursing.

Wang Laonian didn't turn around, but instead swung his shovel even harder, making the furrows smoother and more solid.

Sweat mixed with dirt streamed down his dark back, leaving deep furrows and stains on the ground beneath his feet.

He didn't understand the general trend of the world or the new policies of the General Cavalry. He only knew that this land, which bore his name and required his sweat and toil, was completely "different" from the land in Shandong that only brought whipping and hunger.

This land, where you don't have to constantly worry about petty officials kicking down your door, or fierce officials scolding you but not hitting you, and where you might actually own it in ten years, is "different" from that bloodsucking, "drawn" land in Shandong!

For this "difference," he would rather hold onto this clumsy, inexplicable sense of security than return to that nightmarish past.

Ordinary people don't understand grand principles or can't articulate their reasons, but they instinctively make choices and vote with their hands and feet.

Cao Cao's army originally thought that they could easily incite, provoke, or even persuade the people of Shandong left behind by Wang Laonian and others to return to the banner of "loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness" with just a few words, and then dedicate themselves and sacrifice themselves again for the Han emperor...

Obviously it is no longer possible.

……

……

Let's turn our attention back to Cao Cao.

With the arrival of the subtropical high pressure, the muggy heat is like a transparent pot lid tightly closed, pressing down on the air.

During the day it's scorching, at night it's simmering.

Fortunately, the Han Dynasty had more natural vegetation than later dynasties, and some forests near human settlements were not as bare as those of the Han Dynasty, and the ground temperature was not high enough to fry an egg. But unfortunately, because of the abundant forest vegetation, there were also many mosquitoes. After the rain stopped, although the muddy roads gradually hardened again, the number of sick people in Cao Cao's camp did not decrease over time, but rather increased.

After all, Jingzhou is close to Yunmeng Marsh...

In the wild, the more mosquitoes you get bitten, the higher your chances of contracting malaria.

While rulers like Cao Cao had access to insect-repelling herbs like mugwort to keep mosquitoes away, how could the ordinary soldiers at the lower ranks of Cao Cao's army possibly be equipped with such herbs?
The epidemic, like an invisible shadow, loomed over Cao Cao's army camp.

The coughing was no longer a sporadic accompaniment, but rather a depressing, heart-pounding background noise that emanated continuously from various patient camps.

The physician's hurried figure grew increasingly frantic, yet he could not conceal the despair in his eyes.

Herbs were nearly exhausted, and the number of sick soldiers continued to rise.

Moreover, the key issue is that several mixed symptoms were not effectively controlled at the beginning. When they spread, even a truly miraculous doctor would not be able to suppress them.

The camp was filled with a foul stench of sweat, filth, and strong medicinal liquid, which even suppressed the smoke that was originally used for cooking.

In this suffocating atmosphere, a travel-worn, sallow-faced spy was secretly brought into the central command tent.

The spies brought information about civilian affairs, not military matters.

It's just not the local customs of Shandong, but those of the Heluo region...

They finally made contact with the spies in Heluo, but the news they brought was not good.

"...Prime Minister, the Heluo region...the area around Luoyang..." The spy chief's voice was hoarse and low, filled with exhaustion and fear. "The spies have witnessed firsthand that in the vicinity of Yiluo and Hongnong, they are driving displaced people and surrendered soldiers, with officials and soldiers assisting them...in large-scale land reclamation and restoration!"

The flickering candlelight inside the tent illuminated Cao Cao's suddenly frozen expression.

Xun Yu suddenly looked up, a hint of disbelief and astonishment flashing deep in his usually calm eyes.

"Still in the Heluo region?! Resuming cultivation?!" Cao Cao's voice was terrifyingly low, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth. "At this time?! Here?!"

Finding out the movements of the Flying Cavalry was the news Cao Cao had been most eagerly awaiting, but this news…

This did not make Cao Cao feel at ease; instead, it made him feel even more pressured.

"Absolutely true, Prime Minister!"

The spy chief, thinking Cao Cao didn't believe his intelligence, lay prostrate, not daring to raise his head. "The devastated lands of the He-Luo region are now gradually being restored, with fields being cleared and irrigation canals being repaired. The officers of the Flying Cavalry are distributing farming tools and seeds, strictly ordering all units not to disturb the people… Furthermore… soldiers and officers have been dispatched to assist in construction and water conservancy repairs around the agricultural settlements…"

The spy paused, seemingly hesitating about something, then lowered his voice even further, "When I passed through Xinzheng... I heard rumors... that the General of the Cavalry has already implemented his 'New Land Administration' in the newly conquered territories of Hanoi. Although his land administration has not yet reached Ji Province, his actions to appease refugees and attract scholars and commoners back to their hometowns have already stirred people's hearts... I... I heard that many aristocratic youths... are discussing it privately..."

The spy didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear.

The plague and famine were huge burdens on Cao Cao's soldiers and laborers, and this intelligence from Heluo was like adding another huge burden.

The pressure is immense!
The political foundation of Shandong was quite interesting; it was not ordinary people, but rather powerful clans and gentry who controlled local resources and maintained the ruling order.

Xun Yu's face turned somewhat pale.

land!

According to the "New Field Administration" of the Flying Cavalry Army, these "ownerless" lands in the Heluo region have now been distributed to surrendered soldiers and refugees!

After ten years of farming and land reclamation, these surrendered soldiers and refugees from Heluo will become self-employed farmers!

The original landowners in the Heluo region did not register their land ownership during the period of the cavalry's proclamation, so even if they came to the authorities with their so-called land deeds after the war was over, it would be useless...

The local gentry and powerful families were not afraid of land lying fallow or population dispersal, because even if the land lay fallow, it would still be there; even if the population dispersed, the people were like weeds to them—a few would die this year, but more would grow back next year. Their only fear was losing the land they held!

Fei Qian's move, without attacking cities or seizing territory, directly targeted people's hearts.

He was not only restoring production for the long term, but also sending a clear signal to the gentry: by submitting to the General of the Cavalry, they could retain their land, restore order, and even potentially enjoy some continuation under the new policies.

If we don't submit...

Previously, there were people from Shandong clamoring to destroy Fei Qian, but what about now?
When the cavalry arrived in a place, they would establish military farms and promote agricultural administration!
This is more demoralizing than a simple military threat...

What are they discussing?

Cao Cao's voice was icy, and his gaze swept over the spy leader like a blade before returning to Xun Yu.

The spy trembled, his head bowing even lower. "They're saying...they're saying...although the General of the Cavalry is implementing new laws, but...but if they can truly protect their land and prevent them from being displaced by war, then...then..."

The spy chief dared not utter any statements such as "Cao Cao's army is already showing signs of defeat" or "the world may be in turmoil," and could only vaguely gloss over the matter, saying, "...Under the current circumstances, it is not...an unacceptable choice...Moreover, regarding Yingchuan and Runan, if Cao Cao holds these places for too long, I fear...I fear they will inevitably follow in the footsteps of the Heluo region and become battlefields..."

"That's enough!"

Cao Cao slammed his hand on the table.

A deathly silence fell over the tent.

Only the occasional, seemingly incessant coughing outside the tent seemed to mock the struggles of those inside.

Xun Yu waved to the spy leader, who, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly retreated with his rear end sticking out.

Cao Cao took a deep sip of Runan beef soup.

He suddenly figured it out.

Fei Qian had no intention of immediately engaging him in a decisive battle at Mount Song, nor was he in a hurry to swallow the "bait" of Ji Province.

This General of the Cavalry, like a calm hunter, used Sima Yi, Liao Hua and other troops to entangle him on the southern front and wear down his elite forces. At the same time, behind him, on the ruins of Heluo that he had just lost, he sowed the seeds of "order" and "production", spreading the "plague" that would erode the fighting spirit of the Shandong gentry!
Just like the disease in Cao Cao's camp now, although it won't lead to immediate death, it is eroding the very foundation upon which he depends for survival every day!

This is even more terrifying than the overwhelming force of the cavalry!
This is a naked conspiracy!

This is a trick that the cavalry often used!

"What a fine Fei Ziyuan..."

Cao Cao spat out a few words through clenched teeth, his voice filled with a furious sense of being fooled, and a profound feeling of powerlessness. He had expended considerable effort, even using two fronts as bait—abandoning Wen County in the north and then mobilizing his main army to press south, hoping to achieve a decisive victory in one battle—only to find that the enemy's main force was leisurely lurking in the rear…

Are you farming?
This was like a resounding slap in the face, making Cao Cao's head and face swell and sting.

On their side, soldiers were groaning in pain from illness, and supplies were being wasted in the mud. Even the local gentry in Runan and Yuzhou, who should have been the most steadfast supporters, were beginning to waver, plotting how to preserve their landholdings in the face of possible changes!

And General Fei Qian, the Grand General of the Cavalry, actually had the leisure to clear wasteland and farm?!

"Wenruo," Cao Cao suddenly turned to Xun Yu, his gaze so sharp it almost pierced through him, "has there been any recent obstruction in the transport of grain and fodder in Yingchuan? Are the local gentry... still doing their utmost?"

He asked about the provisions, but his gaze was fixed on Xun Yu's eyes, as if trying to discern from Xun Yu's eyes whether the "private discussions" had affected his ability to take action.

Xun Yu was shocked.

He knew the situation in Yingchuan all too well.

A few days ago, a member of the clan wrote a letter that vaguely mentioned that the villagers were becoming increasingly hesitant and that it was more difficult than before to raise food supplies. The obstacle was not from the prefect, but from the owners of those manors and fortified villages. They began to use excuses such as "storing food for unforeseen circumstances" and "displaced people needing relief" to delay and make excuses.

He had intended to resolve the issue privately before reporting it, but now that the Prime Minister had pointed it out, he could only bitterly lower his head slightly: "Reporting to the Prime Minister... the Prefect of Yingchuan has indeed done his utmost, but in the countryside, the procurement and transportation are indeed somewhat slower than before... I fear this is due to the unrest among the people, each with their own concerns."

Everyone has their own thoughts…

Cao Cao nodded slightly, repeating those four words.

Fortunately, Xun Yu did not choose to conceal or avoid the matter, which reassured Cao Cao somewhat.

After a moment, Cao Cao looked at Xun Yu and said, "Why is it that this Fei Ziyuan... is able to gain the upper hand at every step... leaving us both hesitant and struggling to move forward?"

Xun Yu remained silent for a while, then gave an answer that he had never thought of before, or rather, an answer that he had thought of but was unwilling to admit...