A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Since the island's inhabitants were conquered by the sea more than 300 years ago, they have worked diligently for the Han Dynasty, making great contributions to the Han's prosperity and strength.

It can be said that the vast territory that the Han Dynasty has today is inseparable from the blood and bones of the indigenous people on this island for generations.

Half of the military funds for the Great Han Dynasty each year come from this island.

Even now, even if Cao Cao intercepts the money, he wouldn't dare pocket it all.

Most of it will also be sent to various war zones to support the troops stationed on the borders.

If he dares to withhold this money, someone will immediately come after him.

However, it was this remaining portion that Cao Cao used to support the entire remnant of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which shows how large their numbers were.

"What a disgrace!"

"What a humiliating disgrace!"

Cao Cao swept everything off the table. "These natives, these barbarians! I feed them, I let them live, and they dare to rebel against me!"

"They've turned against me!"

"During the reign of Emperor Jing, the second Marquis of Wu'an slaughtered countless people here, turning it into a mine for the Han Dynasty."

"They dared not rebel, dared not move, and instead took pride in being the dogs of the Han, even offering up their wives and daughters in order to improve their genes."

"During the reign of Emperor Huangdi, he was licentious and extravagant. In order to have more money to squander, he demanded that the Japanese islands offer more gold and silver, which caused the deaths of batches of mining slaves."

"They didn't rebel, and they didn't complain even if their whole family worked themselves to death."

"Now I've discovered that the dog that bites doesn't bark."

"Back then, the Han Dynasty was still powerful, and they dared not rebel. But now that they feel the Han Dynasty is in disarray, they have their chance!"

"I want to tell them that no matter what, a miner will always be a miner!"

"We need to use enough blood to make them realize this!"

Cao Cao was not a good person to begin with, and in the understanding of the Han Dynasty at that time, barbarians were not considered human, let alone a race that existed specifically to mine minerals in the sea.

Cao Cao looked at Gan Ning, a general who had come to him because of the recruitment order. Gan Ning was originally the Prefect of Shu Commandery, but later became a river pirate out of boredom. He roamed the Yangtze River with impunity and was known as the Brocade Sail Pirate. He was extremely skilled in naval warfare.

Because the proclamation seeking talent recognized Cao Cao as a rare hero, he led his group of brothers to join him and was assigned to the navy by Cao Cao.

"Xingba, the troops on Wanu Island still need to guard the gold and silver, so there aren't many manpower available."

"This time, the entire island is in rebellion. I'll give you 2 men. I want everyone here to tremble with fear whenever they hear the name of Cao Cao."

"I will make these people the most obedient slaves, generation after generation, endlessly, etching fear into their very bones!"

Cao Cao said coldly that this was the first time in his life he had ever wanted to go on a killing spree.

If it weren't for the need to use this ethnic group for mining, he would have wanted Gan Ning to wipe out all the natives on the island.

"Yes, Xingba obeys!"

Gan Ning was somewhat excited. He had been sailing freely on the Yangtze River, but after arriving in Donglai and seeing what a naval ship was like, he realized that the waves of the Yangtze River were nothing compared to that.

Compared to the ocean, it's nothing.

Only a ship like this is worthy of Gan Xingba!

Compared to this ocean-going vessel, his warships on the Yangtze River were like a small boat compared to a large ship.

They don't even need to collide head-on; just passing by, the ripples they create are enough to capsize his original boat.

He had been learning to sail the boat all this time, and he was eager to finally have the opportunity to sail the boat himself and conquer the sea.

As for the mission, he didn't take the indigenous people of the Japanese islands seriously at all. It was laughable; any one of the Han army could easily wipe them out.

Forget about iron armor, you can hardly find any leather armor on this island. Those "soldiers" don't even have cloth clothes; they're all carrying pickaxes. Besides that, you can't find any iron weapons.

That's it? You call that rebellion?

How utterly brainless can someone be!

"Mengde, don't be so angry. Listen to some good news."

Wei Xue walked over with a man who was over eight feet tall, with a beautiful beard and a majestic appearance. He was dressed in a scholar's robe, but Cao Cao found it a bit strange; under this robe, he always felt that the man looked like a military general.

However, this person's temperament is indeed that of a well-read person; only those with exceptional talent and learning can exude such an aura.

Even among those around him, there were only a few: Wei Xue, Kong Rong, Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jia, and Xi Zhicai.

Perhaps he misread it.

Just from this temperament, one could tell that he was a great talent. Moreover, when the two looked at each other, Cao Cao felt that this person was very compatible with him.

Even among his many strategists, probably only Guo Jia, that prodigal son, could rival him.

Cao Cao quickly stepped forward and took their hands, his steps faltering slightly.

The feel of his hands seems no different from when he was holding the hands of his brothers. How come he has so many calluses from martial arts training?

Calluses from holding a pen definitely don't look like this!

Cao Cao was certain that these were the hands of someone who had practiced martial arts!

He was a little numb from holding his hands, so he led the two to their seats and looked at Wei Xue, wanting Wei Xue to quickly make an introduction.

"Zhongde, this is Cao Cao, the Governor of Qingzhou."

"Mengde, this is Cheng Yu, also known as Cheng Zhongde, from Dong'e. His wisdom is no less than mine; he is definitely a scholar of strategic mind. He was also attracted here by the edict seeking talented individuals."

"What's even more remarkable is that Zhongde is an all-around talent. Whether it's literary talent or military strategy, governance or military tactics, he is among the best in the world. Even his martial prowess has passed the three tests of the recruitment order for generals, second only to the famous generals of the time."

Sure enough, Cao Cao said he had no mistaken feeling.

This guy is definitely a trained fighter!

I just didn't expect him to be so strong and so versatile!

The reason this outfit looks so mismatched is probably because of his muscular physique, which is completely different from the average scholar's build. It would be strange if the clothes fit him.

"I am still short of a chief clerk. I wonder if Zhongde would be willing to take the position?"

This clerk is different from Lü Bu's clerk. This clerk is the clerk of the governor's office, in charge of the governor's documents and seals. He is equivalent to the chief secretary of a province and is a trusted minister of the governor, whose power is second only to the deputy governor and the chief administrator.

"Cheng Yu greets his lord."

Cheng Yu already had a favorable impression of Cao Cao, and seeing how much Cao Cao was willing to invest, he felt that Cao Cao was a wise ruler sent to him by heaven, so he bowed down and worshipped.