uan Xi held the bowl of porridge and tapped his finger on the table, saying, "I have followed Liu Jing's example and established a free school to teach the children of soldiers and officers to read, but I am suffering from a shortage of manpower, especially women."
"Those hundreds of captured women will work in the city for a month, doing things like spinning, harvesting, and washing."
"After that, if they want to leave, I won't stop them. Those who are willing to stay can find their own way."
"Among them, those who are decent-looking, I will have them learn to read and play musical instruments. If there is a chance to return to Ye City, I will find them a more comfortable place to live."
"I would like to ask Madam to teach them."
Yuan Xi spoke very vaguely, but Wu Zhao understood instantly.
"Is the General trying to have them emulate Situ Wang Yun, sending Diao Chan to Marquis Lü Wen?"
When she mentioned Wang Yun's name, although the other party was already dead, she still felt a faint sense of hatred in her heart.
Yuan Xi raised his head in surprise: "That's right, Madam is indeed insightful."
Wu Zhao heard this, her expression dimmed, and her tone was complicated, "Will they really be willing?"
Yuan Xi sneered upon hearing this: "Madam is too naive!"
"Do you really think that those women want to leave?"
"Do you really think that the soldiers under my command risk their lives in battle, and many people die in that valley, simply for that illusory phrase, 'Those who offend Han, though far away, must be exterminated?'"
"If I don't give them enough to eat and don't let them start families, why should they fight?"
"Cao Cao of Yanzhou even distributes women to his soldiers!"
Wu Zhao remembered the day when Yuan Xi and Liu Leopard fought to the death in the mud, and bit her lip, saying, "I thought you were a model of a scholar..."
Yuan Xi shook his head: "You think too highly of me."
"I'm just an ordinary person, just born into a good family."
"Do you know that when they were rescued that day, when they heard that I was the son of Yuan Benchu, the Governor of Ji Province, how many people were scrambling to enter this mansion?"
"In this chaotic world, being able to have food and a place to live is simply a luxury."
"Especially in the face of hunger, there is no dignity to speak of."
Wu Zhao said softly, "That's right. During the months when I was driven by the Xiongnu, I was dizzy with hunger every day and could only eat moldy food. Hunger tormented me to the point of collapse."
Yuan Xi nodded: "It's really not easy for you to have persevered."
"When I first came, I didn't know how to lead troops in battle, I only knew how to huddle up and defend the city. This Beixin City has been besieged several times and has also run out of food."
"I was so hungry that I was going crazy, and I was also accompanied by great fear."
Wu Zhao said, "Everyone is afraid of death."
"Half right," Yuan Xi said, pointing to the people coming and going outside, "I am afraid of death, and I am also afraid that after I die, the city will be broken, and the people in this city behind me may all be killed."
Wu Zhao was stunned.
She suddenly felt that many of her previous views seemed to have been shaken by Yuan Xi.
The two of them sat facing each other like this, and the porridge in the bowl in front of them was slowly getting cold.
Yuan Xi shook his head, thinking that he had inexplicably said too much. Perhaps it was because he had no one to confide in these past few years?
He waved his hand and said, "I'm tired, take the porridge away."
Wu Zhao heard this, bowed her head in salute, and went out with the wooden tray.
When she went out, she saw a young man squatting at the door, with a blade of grass in his mouth, looking at her with a disgruntled expression.
Wu Zhao did recognize this young man, remembering that he was Yuan Xi's personal guard, named Sun Li.
As Wu Zhao passed by, Sun Li snorted coldly, "Ugly people are so troublesome..."
Wu Zhao lowered her head and said nothing. At this time, Dong Zhao walked over and slapped Sun Li on the head: "Go, go, you little brat, you're always wandering around, not doing serious business. Go and learn a few more tricks from General Qu!"
Sun Li didn't dare to argue, covered his head and walked away indignantly, muttering as he left: "Old Dong is really ruthless, I'll find a chance to trip you next time..."
Wu Zhao returned to the kitchen with the porridge, only to see Dong Zhao following in, and even closing the door.
She panicked. This Dong Zhao seemed to be Yuan Xi's strategist. Was he going to become lustful upon seeing her?
The key is that she is so ugly now, would this person still be interested?
She picked up a kitchen knife and said in a trembling voice, "What are you going to do?"
As soon as Dong Zhao saw this, he knew that Wu Zhao had misunderstood. Seeing that there was no one outside, he quickly bowed and said, "Ten years ago, I had seen Mr. Bojie (Cai Yong) several times and treated him with the respect of a disciple."
"I heard that Mr. died unfortunately, and I was powerless to help. I am really ashamed."
Wu Zhao heard this and said blankly, "You are...?"
Dong Zhao hurriedly said, "Dong Gongren from Jiyin."
Wu Zhao thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "I remember now, sir, you came to my house at that time."
She looked incredulous, "I was only ten years old at that time. So many years have passed, how can sir still recognize me?"
Dong Zhao smiled and said, "Miss is naturally beautiful. Even if you paint your face, how can you hide your facial features?"
Wu Zhao then realized that since she was rescued, she had relaxed and often forgot to make herself ugly, which allowed Dong Zhao to see through her.
She was a little uneasy. This Dong Zhao has now joined Yuan Shao's son. Will he reveal her identity?
Dong Zhao seemed to see her worries and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, I am a disciple of Mr. How could I do anything that would be detrimental to Mr.'s daughter!"
"If Miss doesn't want to stay here, I still have some weight when I speak to the Young Master. How about I ask the Young Master to help Miss return home?"
Wu Zhao heard this and sighed, "Where do I still have a home?"
"My father was killed, and I am a widow. I was driven back by my family. My family in Luoyang was looted by the Xiongnu and has long been reduced to a wasteland."
"I am an unlucky person. Where can I go in this big world?"
Wu Zhao thought that maybe it would be better for someone like her to die?
Dong Zhao was silent for a long time and said, "Well, it may not be a bad thing for Miss to be with Young Master Yuan."
Wu Zhao became curious, "Sir seems to think highly of General Yuan?"
Dong Zhao stroked his beard, thought for a while, and then said, "Young Master Yuan is decisive in his actions and very accurate in judging people, which is very different from his father."
Wu Zhao heard this and became curious: "How does sir know?"
Dong Zhao hesitated for a moment and said, "Miss, don't tell others. This son once said to me in private that Cao Cao will definitely become a force to be reckoned with in the future, but many people will die because of him."
"This coincides with my thoughts."
Wu Zhao was stunned: "Cao Mengde?"
"Isn't that also a disciple of my father?"
Dong Zhao nodded, his expression solemn: "That's right."
Wu Zhao became confused. She didn't know much about the affairs of Ji and Yan Provinces. Seeing that Dong Zhao was speaking vaguely, as if he was playing riddles, it seemed that he was worried about something.
If Yuan Xi were here, he would be able to guess Dong Zhao's contradictory psychology.
Dong Zhao was a meritorious official of the Wei Dynasty in later generations, and was praised as "a man of talent and strategy, a strange man of the world."
The establishment of the capital in Xu County, the establishment of the five ranks, and the titles of Duke Wei and King Wei all came from Dong Zhao's hands.
But in fact, Dong Zhao and his younger brother Dong Fang had always been suspected.
Dong Zhao joined Cao Cao in the first year of Jian'an (196), but did not officially enter the Sikong's office until the twelfth year of Jian'an (207), with an intermediate period of more than ten years on the periphery.
Dong Zhao's strategies were too flattering and more like self-preservation.
The historical Dong Zhao did not initially rely on Cao Cao, but in the end he helplessly discovered that Cao Cao was the best choice.
This involves a public case in later generations.
The Rebellion of Yanzhou.
The Biography of Lü Bu records that Zhang Miao and Cao Cao were once sworn brothers, but Yuan Shao later had a gap with Miao and repeatedly ordered Cao Cao to kill Miao.
Zhang Miao was afraid that Cao Cao would obey Yuan Shao's orders to deal with him, and felt uneasy. He also learned that Cao Cao had killed Bian Rang, a famous scholar in Yanzhou, so he finally colluded with Lü Bu and Chen Gong in the first year of Xingping (194) to launch a large-scale rebellion.
This rebellion almost caused Cao Cao to lose all his territory.
Dong Zhao was in Yuan Shao's army, and his younger brother Dong Fang was in Zhang Miao's army, both standing on the opposite side of Cao Cao.
Although the Rebellion of Yanzhou has not yet occurred in this world, Lü Bu has already fallen out with Yuan Shao. Dong Zhao is suspected by Yuan Shao and can only go to Zhang Yang, the Governor of Hanoi, and then surrender to the Han Emperor.
The reason for this choice is because the most trusted loyal minister of the Han Emperor now is not Yuan Shao, but...