Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 698 Victory
With the assistance of Jia Changsheng, the Sui army quickly became familiar with the situation around the grassland. They worked closely with the soldiers of Bingzhou to develop a detailed battle plan. First, they sent elite scouts deep into the grassland to spy on the intelligence of various tribes and understand their troop deployment, camp location and action patterns.

"Scouts must be careful and cautious, and find out the enemy's details." The marshal instructed the scouts, "This is related to the success or failure of our battle."

The scouts followed the order and went deep into the grassland. After a hard investigation, they brought back valuable intelligence. According to the intelligence, the Sui army and Bingzhou soldiers divided into several groups and marched deep into the grassland.

Along the way, they encountered resistance from many foreign tribes, but the Sui army was well-trained and well-equipped, and under the command of the marshal, they defeated the enemy's attacks time and time again.

"Kill!" On the battlefield, the Sui soldiers shouted, waving their weapons and fighting bravely.

After months of hard fighting, the Sui army finally penetrated into the core area of ​​the grassland and surrounded the main forces of the foreign race. In a decisive battle, the Sui army fought a desperate battle with the foreign race.

"For the Sui Dynasty and for the peace of the grassland, charge!" The marshal waved his long sword, led the soldiers and rushed towards the enemy.

After a whole day of fierce fighting, the foreign army finally could not hold out and was defeated. The Sui army pursued the victory and completely destroyed the resistance of the foreign army.

"We won!" The soldiers cheered and celebrated this hard-earned victory.

With the destruction of the foreign forces, the Sui army successfully occupied the grassland. Jia Changsheng and the Sui Marshal began to establish a ruling order on the grassland. They set up counties and sent officials to manage them. At the same time, they encouraged people to migrate to the grassland and develop animal husbandry and agriculture.

Under the rule of the Sui Dynasty, the grassland gradually regained its vitality, and the people who had suffered from wars also ushered in peace and tranquility. In this war, Jia Changsheng also made great contributions to Bingzhou and the Sui Dynasty.

The Sui army successfully occupied the grasslands, eliminated the threat of foreign races to Bingzhou, and created a stable external environment for Jia Changsheng to govern Bingzhou. Jia Changsheng knew that there was still a long and difficult road to go before Bingzhou could completely get rid of poverty and war and move towards prosperity. Standing on the wall of Bingzhou City, looking at the scenes inside and outside the city, he outlined a grand blueprint for development in his mind.

After the war, Bingzhou was in ruins. Farmland was barren, houses were dilapidated, population was sharply reduced, and business was declining. Jia Changsheng first turned his attention to agriculture. He knew that agriculture was the foundation of the country, and only when the people's food and clothing problems were solved could other developments be discussed. He ordered the conscription of refugees and the reclamation of wasteland. In order to encourage the people to actively participate, Jia Changsheng formulated a series of preferential policies, promising that the reclaimed land would belong to the people and be exempted from taxes for three years.

"Fellow villagers, as long as you work together and reclaim the wasteland, this land will be yours in the future, and you will no longer have to live a life of displacement!" Jia Changsheng personally went to the places where the refugees gathered to publicize the policy to the people.

After hearing this, the people were filled with hope. They picked up their farm tools and rushed to the fields. For a time, the fields of Bingzhou were full of busy figures. In order to improve agricultural production efficiency, Jia Changsheng also introduced advanced farm tools and planting techniques from the Sui Dynasty. He sent people to hold agricultural technology training courses in various places, inviting experienced farmers and agricultural experts from the Sui Dynasty to teach the people knowledge about seed selection, fertilization, irrigation, etc.

"Look, this new plow saves more labor than the one we used before, and the land it plows is also smoother." The agricultural expert demonstrated it in person in the field, and the people gathered around and learned carefully.

Thanks to Jia Changsheng's efforts, Bingzhou's agriculture gradually recovered. Grain production increased year by year, and the people's lives were basically guaranteed. After solving the problem of food and clothing, Jia Changsheng began to restore and develop commerce. He ordered the repair of Bingzhou's roads and bridges to improve traffic conditions. At the same time, a special commercial area was set up in Bingzhou City to attract merchants from all over the country to come to trade.

"As long as you come to Bingzhou to do business, we will provide security guarantees and give you certain tax incentives." Jia Changsheng extended an invitation to businessmen from all over the country.

Merchants had a keen sense of smell. They saw the business opportunities in Bingzhou and came with goods. For a time, the commercial district of Bingzhou City was bustling with a wide variety of goods. In order to regulate the business order, Jia Changsheng also set up a market management agency, formulated business regulations, and cracked down on fraud, price gouging and other behaviors.

"For business to flourish, there must be a fair and just environment," Jia Changsheng told his officials. "We must allow merchants to operate with confidence and allow the people to buy affordable goods."

In addition to agriculture and commerce, Jia Changsheng also attached great importance to the development of education and culture. He built schools all over Bingzhou, hired learned people as teachers, and provided free education for the children of the people.

"Education is the foundation of a country. Only by cultivating talents can Bingzhou have a future." Jia Changsheng personally visited the school and encouraged students to study hard.

In terms of culture, Jia Changsheng actively collected and sorted out local cultural heritage, protected and passed on Bingzhou's traditional culture. He also invited literati from all over the country to come to Bingzhou, held cultural exchange activities, and promoted cultural prosperity.

With the development of agriculture, commerce and culture, the population of Bingzhou gradually increased. In order to better manage and serve the people, Jia Changsheng reformed the administrative institutions of Bingzhou. He streamlined the institutions and selected talented and responsible officials to serve at all levels. At the same time, he established a complete assessment system to regularly assess the performance of officials, reward the outstanding ones and punish the dereliction of duty.

"Officials serve the people. Anyone who is incompetent should forget about staying in this position," Jia Changsheng said seriously to officials at all levels.

In terms of military affairs, Jia Changsheng did not relax his vigilance because of the destruction of the foreign tribes on the grassland. He knew that peace needed strong force to maintain. He formed an elite army in Bingzhou, strengthened military training, and improved the combat effectiveness of soldiers. At the same time, he built strong fortifications and set up beacon towers in the border areas to strengthen patrols and vigilance on the border.

"We must always remain vigilant and prevent any potential threats," Jia Changsheng said to his generals. "Only when we are strong can the people live and work in peace."

Thanks to Jia Changsheng's efforts, Bingzhou gradually regained new vitality. The once dilapidated city became prosperous, the barren fields were covered with lush crops, and the faces of the people were filled with happy smiles. Jia Changsheng also won the heartfelt support and love of the people of Bingzhou. His name was praised throughout Bingzhou and he became a hero and hope in the hearts of the people.

While Jia Changsheng was committed to the development of Bingzhou and revitalizing this land, the disputes among the eighteen princes in other areas of the Central Plains intensified. Relying on the strong foundation of Jizhou, Yuan Shao continued to expand his power to the surrounding areas, and the confrontation with Gongsun Zan in the north continued to be stalemate; Yuan Shu, in the Huainan area, relied on the remaining prestige of his family and some military forces, trying to dominate one side, but because of his narrow-mindedness and recklessness, he caused dissatisfaction from all parties; and other princes, either in order to compete for territory or to expand their power, attacked each other, and the war was raging, and the people were miserable. At this time, Cao Cao was at a critical turning point in his life. Although he was temporarily attached to Yuan Shao, he never gave up his ambition to develop independently and achieve hegemony. In the intervals between the princes' melee, Cao Cao paid close attention to the changes in the situation and looked for his own opportunities. And this opportunity soon came.

Qingzhou, a relatively peaceful region, fell into chaos due to the influx of millions of Yellow Turbans. Most of these Yellow Turbans were desperate civilians who gathered together to plunder in order to survive. Although Qingzhou Governor Tian Kai wanted to resist, he was unable to resist the offensive of the Yellow Turbans due to insufficient troops and lack of food and grass.

After Cao Cao heard the news, he secretly thought about it. He knew that although the million-strong Yellow Turban Army seemed to be a motley crowd, as long as they were reorganized and trained, they would be a force that could not be underestimated. So Cao Cao took the initiative to ask Yuan Shao for permission to go to Qingzhou to quell the rebellion.

"My lord, Cao Cao volunteered to go to Qingzhou. I'm afraid he has other plans." Advisor Guo Tu advised Yuan Shao, "If he recruits the Yellow Turban Army, his strength will increase greatly, and I'm afraid he will be difficult to control in the future."

Yuan Shao frowned, and had some concerns in his heart. But he also thought that the situation in Qingzhou was chaotic, and if he did not send people to pacify it, it might affect his sphere of influence. Moreover, Cao Cao was still under his command, so he would not dare to act rashly.

"Let him go," Yuan Shao finally said, "but keep a close eye on his movements. If there is any unusual movement, report it to me immediately."

After getting Yuan Shao's permission, Cao Cao led his army and quickly rushed to Qingzhou. Along the way, Cao Cao discussed with his advisers the plan to incorporate the Yellow Turban Army.

"These one million Yellow Turbans have a complex composition. If we want to recruit them, we must use both kindness and force." Advisor Xun Yu said, "First, we must show our strength and let them know that resistance is useless; then, we must give them a way out and promise to protect their lives, so that they will willingly submit."

Cao Cao nodded in agreement: "Wen Ruo is right. We should select the best from among them, incorporate them into our army, train them, and improve their combat effectiveness."

After arriving in Qingzhou, Cao Cao did not rush to attack, but first sent people to the Yellow Turban Army to understand their situation and demands. It turned out that most of these Yellow Turban Army were forced to revolt in order to escape war and famine, and what they most desired was to have a stable life.

After Cao Cao learned of this, he had a plan in mind. He personally came to the Yellow Turban Army's camp and shouted, "I am Cao Cao. I came here today not to be your enemy, but to give you a way out!"

When the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army heard Cao Cao's call, they walked out of their tents and looked at him vigilantly.

"You are all the people who have been forced into troubled times. I, Cao Cao, know your sufferings very well." Cao Cao continued, "As long as you lay down your weapons, I promise to give you land and food, and let you live a stable life. Those who are willing to join the army will be incorporated into my army and rewarded according to their merits; those who do not want to join the army can also live and work in peace in the local area."

The leaders of the Yellow Turban Army began to waver after hearing what Cao Cao said. They were fighting for survival, and now Cao Cao offered such an offer, which was hard to refuse.

"How can we trust you?" asked one of the leaders.

"I, Cao Cao, guarantee it with my personal integrity. I will never go back on my word!" Cao Cao said firmly.

After some discussion, the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army finally decided to accept Cao Cao's conditions. In this way, Cao Cao recruited a million Yellow Turban Army without bloodshed. He selected 300,000 elite soldiers from them and formed a new army, named "Qingzhou Army".

"From today on, you are my Qingzhou soldiers!" Cao Cao stood on the reviewing platform and said loudly to the Qingzhou soldiers, "We must fight together for peace in the world and for the tranquility of the people!"

The Qingzhou soldiers shouted in unison, and their morale was high. Cao Cao had trained the Qingzhou soldiers strictly and established strict military discipline. Under Cao Cao's leadership, the Qingzhou soldiers' combat effectiveness increased rapidly, becoming a trump card in Cao Cao's hand.

After Cao Cao incorporated the Qingzhou soldiers, his strength increased greatly. He knew that he had the capital to break away from Yuan Shao and develop independently. Therefore, Cao Cao refused to obey Yuan Shao's orders on the grounds that the situation in Qingzhou was unstable and he needed to keep troops stationed.

When Yuan Shao learned of this, he flew into a rage: "How dare Cao Cao, this traitor, disobey my orders! I will make him know how powerful I am!"

But Cao Cao was no longer the same as before. Relying on the powerful strength of the Qingzhou soldiers, he gained a firm foothold in Qingzhou and began to compete with Yuan Shao. The action of incorporating the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army also became a key step in Cao Cao's rise, laying a solid foundation for his future unification of the north.

Yuan Shao refused to surrender after learning that Cao Cao had incorporated the Yellow Turban Army of Qingzhou. He flew into a rage in Jizhou Mansion and smashed the teacup in his hand to the ground. The sound of the porcelain breaking was particularly harsh in the empty hall. "How dare Cao Cao, this bastard, be so bold! If I hadn't taken him in, he wouldn't be where he is today!" Yuan Shao's face was full of anger, his cheeks puffed up with anger, and he paced back and forth in the hall, making the floor thump with every step.

"My lord, calm down," the counselor Guo Tu saw this and hurried forward to persuade, "Cao Cao's move is indeed abominable, but we must not act impulsively."

"Hmph, not impulsive? Now he has his own army and is openly disobeying my orders. If I don't teach him a lesson, how will other princes take me seriously in the future!" Yuan Shao stopped and stared at Guo Tu with anger in his eyes.

At this time, the two generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou strode into the hall and knelt on one knee. "My lord, I heard that Cao Cao had betrayed me. I am willing to lead the army to flatten Qingzhou and capture Cao Cao alive!" Yan Liang had a fierce look on his face, clasped his hands together, and the armor on his body made a slight clanging sound as he moved.

(End of this chapter)