Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Cao Cao was overjoyed upon hearing this and asked, "Zhongde, what brilliant plan do you have to teach me?"

Cheng Yu stroked the few strands of his black beard, appearing to be a stern and upright gentleman, and said,

"Can the lord speak in the inner chamber?"

Cao Cao's expression shifted slightly, and he agreed, leading Cheng Yu to the inner chamber behind the council hall.

However, Dian Wei still followed, guarding them.

Cheng Yu also knew that his lord was naturally suspicious, and Dian Wei's constant presence was likely to prevent him from attempting an assassination like Jing Ke.

Cheng Yu didn't mind this and, facing Cao Cao's scrutinizing gaze, cupped his hands and said,

"My lord, Qingzhou is now devastated. Even if Xun Wenruo has the ability to govern the world, it will take enough time to govern Qingzhou. It will be beyond his ability to provide enough money and food for the lord before the spring expedition next year."

"Is Cheng Zhongde here to intercede with me on behalf of Xun Wenruo?" Cao Cao retorted.

"No, it's just that Yu knows that his talent is not as good as Xun Wenruo's. Yu is also powerless to alleviate the pressure on money and food with benevolence," Cheng Yu replied.

Cao Cao's eyes flashed…

Cheng Yu was so cautious, needing to speak in a secluded inner chamber, and repeatedly used Xun Wenruo to indicate that the plan he was offering was contrary to common sense, fearing that the plan was not a good one.

"Zhongde, feel free to speak. No matter what the plan is, Zhongde is offering it to share my worries, so you will be meritorious and without fault," Cao Cao promised.

What Cheng Yu was waiting for was nothing more than this promise.

Immediately, Cheng Yu stopped being mysterious and said,

"First, let's talk about money. The people of Qingzhou are fleeing severely, and the local aristocratic families have also been harmed a lot by the Yellow Turban bandits. I'm afraid there is not much money available on the surface."

Cao Cao initially felt that Cheng Yu was just talking nonsense, but then he gradually realized what he meant and asked,

"On the surface?"

"That's right!"

Cheng Yu nodded, a few strands of his black beard fluttering, and said in a deep voice,

"Qingzhou is the old land of the State of Qi in the pre-Qin period. It is unknown how many Qi state rulers and nobles are buried there. Now that the lord wants to revive the hegemony of the State of Qi in the land of Qi, why not ask the sages of Qi to bring out their treasures from the earth to help you?"

At this moment, even with Cao Cao's temperament, he almost couldn't hold back.

Tomb robbing is tomb robbing…

Saying it as inviting the sages of Qi to bring out their treasures from the earth to help him reduced Cao Cao's sense of guilt by an unknown amount, and also made Cao Cao instantly moved.

Countless rulers and nobles of the State of Qi throughout the ages were buried in Qingzhou, and the pre-Qin period was a time of great funerary customs, so the number of treasures buried underground was undoubtedly unimaginable.

It was rumored that Li Ji used the geographical advantage of Wu County to develop maritime trade and seek countless money from overseas for Liu Bei to squander.

Now, I, Cao, will adapt to local conditions. Since I have no power to develop overseas in Qingzhou for the time being, then excavating underground is also a good strategy.

However, although he was tempted, Cao Cao's mouth still subconsciously said,

"But this disturbs the rest of the sages, I'm afraid it's a bit inappropriate, right?"

"You are not a fish, how do you know the joy of fish?"

Cheng Yu retorted solemnly.

"Perhaps those strong Qi sages have long been unwilling to decay silently underground and want to be reborn to help the overlord achieve another great cause. The lord is just fulfilling the wishes of the sages."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao paced back and forth for several breaths, with a troubled expression on his face, and finally sighed and said,

"What Zhongde said also makes some sense. Since that's the case, I, Cao, will let Zhongde temporarily serve as the 'General Who Excavates Tombs' and select good hands from the army to be 'Grave Robbing Captains' to organize a group of people who are good at excavation, how about that?"

"Yes, my lord," Cheng Yu said with a happy expression and immediately agreed.

Although Cao Cao is now calling himself the "Governor of Qingzhou", and has not even been recognized by the imperial court, let alone being qualified to confer the title of General.

However, perhaps this General is not recognized by the Han Dynasty, but it represents his position within the Cao Cao Group. For Cheng Yu, a newly joined strategist, his position has almost achieved a leap.

"However, before Zhongde invites the sages to come out of the earth to help, you must offer three sacrificial animals and ask them if they are willing to come out of the earth. You must not force others to do what they don't want to do," Cao Cao said.

"Yes."

Cheng Yu agreed with a smile on his face, understanding that this was both to make it sound better when it was spread out and to win over the tomb-robbing soldiers.

After all, ordinary soldiers may not be willing to do this kind of thing that would be pointed at their spines, but… what are the three sacrificial animals?

It is said that they are offered to the sages, but in fact, they will eventually become the meat for the tomb-robbing soldiers to eat, right?

With meat in their bellies, the soldiers will no longer be afraid of being pointed at their spines.

As for not forcing others to do what they don't want to do, if the sages buried in the soil could really object, let alone continue digging, Cheng Yu would be the first to run away.

After solving the problem of money, Cao Cao continued to ask Cheng Yu,

"Zhongde, without food, it will be difficult to achieve great things. Where will this food come from?"

"Naturally, there is a way."

After this probing, Cheng Yu already knew that Cao Cao's bottom line was probably not much, so his tone was not as cautious as before.

"Zhongde, please speak," Cao Cao quickly asked.

"Isn't the food in the military settlements set up by the lord?" Cheng Yu replied.

Cao Cao frowned slightly and said,

"Is Zhongde deliberately making fun of me? Just now you still knew Wenruo's difficulties. Military settlements are a good strategy, but it will take time to grow food."

Cheng Yu lowered his voice slightly and said, "My lord, the food I am referring to is not the one planted in the fields, but the one walking in the fields."

"Walking in the fields? Field mice…"

Cao Cao subconsciously replied, then suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu didn't say a word, silently lowering his head.

Since the Han Dynasty gradually lost control of the local areas, once natural disasters or man-made disasters occurred in various places, there was no government disaster relief.

Cannibalism is not uncommon.

During Cao Cao's tenure as the Chancellor of Jinan, he had personally witnessed that tragic hell, which had a great impact on Cao Cao's character.

Since then, Cao Cao understood that living is more important than anything else. Only by living can one be qualified to talk about human relations, ambitions, and etiquette…

It was precisely because he had seen such a tragedy that Cao Cao reacted so quickly and realized that the military food Cheng Yu was talking about was probably not planted food, but the ones who plant the food.

This time, Cao Cao was silent for a long time, obviously caught in a great psychological struggle.

However, Cao Cao did not directly object, which made Cheng Yu clear that it was not that Cao Cao did not want to, but that the education he had received in the past had restrained him somewhat.

Immediately, Cheng Yu slowly said,

"Now Qingzhou is barren, with insufficient labor, and many elderly people will only hinder Qingzhou's recovery, so it is useless to keep them…"

"If the lord wants to achieve hegemony, he cannot have the benevolence of a woman. Why hesitate now? Liu Xuande has already dominated the lands of Jing and Yang, and Lu Bu will also leave Hulao Pass to the east soon. In the north, there are Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao fighting each other."

"Time waits for no lord. Does the lord want to wait until the world is divided by the heroes, and then hold on to Qingzhou to survive?"

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PS: One update at noon first, and the second chapter will be updated when I get home in the evening. Tomorrow, I can resume three updates.

Please forgive me, adoptive fathers. (≧ｗ≦) (End of this chapter)