Three Kingdoms: Zhang Fei was sent flying by a single spear thrust, leaving Liu Bei stunned.

"150,000 able-bodied men..." Xiahou Dun gasped.

What does this mean? From the time Cao Cao raised his army until now, all the troops he had painstakingly accumulated amounted to only a little over 30,000 men. And in this battle, the number of able-bodied men captured alone was five times his current strength!

This is no longer just a simple victory; it's practically a windfall!

However, immense wealth also brings immense troubles.

"Zhongde, Zhicai, how long can our army's current food supplies sustain these hundreds of thousands of mouths?" Cao Cao's gaze returned from the surrendered soldiers in the distance, and his expression became solemn.

This is the most pressing issue right now.

We have people, but where will we get food?

These 400,000-plus people require an astronomical amount of food, drink, and sanitation every day. With Cao Cao's current resources, they simply cannot last more than a few days. Once their food supplies run out, these Yellow Turbans who have just surrendered could easily mutini again, and then this great achievement would turn into a great disaster.

Xi Zhicai's face was also somewhat pale. He shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "My lord, to be honest, our army's provisions were only enough for 30,000 troops for a month. Now, with the sudden increase of hundreds of thousands of people, even if we are very frugal, I'm afraid we won't last more than three days."

"Three days..." Cao Cao's brows furrowed into a knot.

This sweet dilemma is just too hot to handle.

"Moreover, these people are all from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, wild and untamed, and many of them are cunning and treacherous," Cheng Yu added. "The key is how to subdue them and make them truly serve our army, rather than turning them into a powder keg that could explode at any moment."

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat heavy.

The generals, who had just been basking in the joy of a great victory, now calmed down and realized the seriousness of the problem.

Just when everyone was at a loss, a discordant voice lazily rang out.

"Boss, what are you worried about?"

Zhang Ziqian yawned and leaned closer. He had been spacing out the whole time, pondering whether his new weapon should be called "Overlord Reborn Halberd" or "Even Lu Bu Would Want a Halberd," and hadn't been listening to what the others were talking about.

"Ziqian, you've come at the right time." Cao Cao saw him, a thought struck him, and he asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"

Although he didn't expect Zhang Ziqian to come up with any brilliant political strategies, sometimes the young man's ingenious ideas could bring unexpected surprises.

"A solution? What solution?" Zhang Ziqian looked bewildered.

Cheng Yu had no choice but to patiently explain the current predicament to him in a simple way.

"Oh, I thought it was something important." Zhang Ziqian listened, then suddenly realized what was going on, and waved his hand dismissively, "It's simple!"

Everyone perked up and turned to look at him.

Zhang Ziqian said confidently, "If anyone disobeys, just beat them up. If they don't listen after one beating, then beat them up twice. If they still dare to cause trouble, just chop them up. That way, we can save some food."

"..."

The entire room fell into a deathly silence.

Xi Zhicai and Cheng Yu's lips twitched simultaneously.

Simple, blunt, direct... very much in line with his style.

If this were a game, this would indeed be the simplest and most efficient solution. But this is reality; what they want is to win people's hearts and minds, to turn these people into their own power, not simply to slaughter them.

Cao Cao shook his head with a wry smile; he knew it would turn out this way.

"Ziqian, this matter cannot be resolved by fighting and killing alone," he explained patiently.

"What should we do then? We can't just let them eat for free, can we?" Zhang Ziqian pouted.

"That's right! We can't let them eat for free!" Cao Cao's eyes flashed when he heard this, as if he had grasped some inspiration.

He slapped his thigh suddenly, and everything became clear!

"I see!"

He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Xi Zhicai and Cheng Yu, and said rapidly, "Ziqian is right, we can't let them eat for free! We can't just treat them as a burden; we must turn them into our strength!"

"I intend to select the 100,000 most elite and courageous men from these 150,000 able-bodied men to form a new army! They will be named the 'Qingzhou Soldiers'! I will personally command them! Their families will be the families of my soldiers, enjoying the same treatment as all my soldiers!"

"As for the remaining elderly and weak, and those unwilling to serve in the army, we will follow the ancient practice and implement the 'military agricultural system'! We will distribute unclaimed land to them for cultivation, allowing them to be self-sufficient! A portion of the harvest will be handed over to the state as military rations. In this way, we will solve their livelihood problems and also replenish our granaries! A win-win situation!"

"Qingzhou soldiers! Military colony system!"

Xi Zhicai and Cheng Yu silently repeated these two words in their hearts, their eyes growing brighter and brighter.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

The former transformed the greatest threat into the strongest force. The latter, on the other hand, fundamentally solved the army's logistical problems.

Either of these policies would have been sufficient to stabilize the country. Yet Cao Cao was able to combine them in such a short time, forming a perfect closed loop. This boldness and foresight earned the sincere admiration of both of his top strategists.

"Our lord is wise!" The two bowed in unison, completely convinced of his superiority.

Cao Cao was in high spirits, all the gloom in his heart gone. He knew that from this day forward, the foundation for his conquest of the world was truly solid.

He turned around, looked at Zhang Ziqian who was completely bewildered, and patted him on the shoulder gratefully.

"Ziqian, you've done me a huge favor again!"

Although Zhang Ziqian said it casually, it did indeed enlighten him.

Zhang Ziqian scratched his head, still not quite understanding why he had helped.

"Boss, what's for dinner? Do you still have beggar's chicken?" This was still his biggest concern.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao burst into laughter again.

"Yes! Of course! Pass on my order: a grand banquet for the entire army tonight! To celebrate General Ziqian's victory! Beggar's chicken, all you can eat!"