Peek at my diary, Cao Cao dominates the Three Kingdoms

The Wuhuan envoy narrowly escaped death, and immediately crawled back, kowtowed and thanked Yuan Shao, "Thank you, General, for not killing me! Thank you, General, for not killing me!"

"Go back and tell your master that if the general wants to give up the hatred of Youzhou, he must bow his head to me and send troops to help me resist Cao Cao!"

The envoy looked perplexed and said, "This matter is so trivial that I can't decide, so please allow me to go back and report to Shan Yu."

"I'll give you one month. If there is no reply, next spring will be the time when my army will crush Wuhuan, the three counties!" Yuan Shao was bragging, but his words were not without deterrent force.

The envoy bowed and retreated, and brought Yuan Shao's words to Ta Dun.

After some testing in Youzhou, Tadun knew that Yuan Shao still had strong strength.Once Yuan Shao calmed down, although he would not be crushed, he would definitely not be able to please him in the future.

After some discussions with the tribe, Ta Dun decided to send another envoy, expressing his willingness to bow down to Yuan Shao and form an alliance with him. At the same time, he also proposed marriage for the real Chanyu Louban of Wuhuan in the three counties, intending to strengthen the alliance through marriage.

The attitude of the Wuhuan people was very low, and Yuan Shao lost face, so in the name of the imperial court, he gave Tadun, Nanlou, Su Puyan, Wuyan and others Shanyu titles and seals.

He also agreed to the marriage with Wuhuan, and married his clan's daughter to Louban as his wife, and thus reached the final alliance with Wuhuan of the three counties.

Chapter 263 This winter is a bit cold

Yuan Shao's alliance with the Wuhuan people is undoubtedly a huge controversy.

Some people scolded Yuan Shao for losing the face of the Han people, begging for everything and exchanging women for the support of the Wuhuan people; some people thought that Yuan Shao was able to bend and stretch for his own great cause and dream, and he surrendered the soldiers without fighting.

But in any case, it is an indisputable fact that Yuan Shao received the strong support from Wuhuan, which is not good news for Cao Cao and Lu Bu.

But Cao Cao didn't panic at all.

Now Chenliu and Xuchang have become the commercial center of Dahan, and the daily business tax alone is countless.

Coupled with the improvement of various livelihood tools in some workshops, the productivity of the people has been greatly improved. In just one or two years, the overall strength under Cao Cao's rule will definitely surpass that of Yuan Shao.

Therefore, Cao Cao is not afraid of fighting for development.

And there is another more important reason, that is, Cao Cao knew that Yuan Shao was likely to die in the near future, and Lu Yan's "prophecy" had almost never failed, so Cao Cao naturally didn't panic at all.

Chen Liu, in the mansion of General Hussars.

"Sir, it's time to get up..."

Early in the morning, Lu Lingqi's voice sounded outside Lu Yan's door. Lu Yan slowly opened his eyes and asked, "Lingqi, what time is it?"

"It's already time, you still have to go to inspect the prison today!"

"Ah! Oops! I forgot about it!"

Lu Yan said inwardly, "Oops," then suddenly turned over and sat up, and quickly began to put clothes on himself.

Lu Lingqi heard the commotion in the room, guessed that Lu Yan had got dressed, so she pushed open the door and walked in.

"Sir, when can we attack Yuan Shao?" Seeing that Lu Yan was still arranging his clothes, Lu Lingqi walked behind Lu Yan and helped him tidy up.

Lu Yan turned his head slightly, and replied with a smile: "Cao Gong and the others will make up their minds, we just need to wait in peace."

"I never expected that Yuan Shao would form an alliance with Wuhuan of the Three Counties..."

"No matter how hard Yuan Shao struggles, he won't be able to walk for long."

There was a deep meaning in Lu Yan's words that Lu Lingqi couldn't understand, but these were not important.

"That's right!" Lu Lingqi smiled sweetly and said, "We have enough soldiers and food, but Yuan Shao is like a terminally ill man...Sir, if Yuan Shao is attacked in the north, I also want to go to the battlefield."

"Yes, but you must have enough self-protection ability." Lu Yan nodded slightly, and then suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Lingqi's little hand on his shoulder.

Due to years of continuous martial arts practice, Lu Lingqi has many calluses on her palms.

Suddenly being attacked by Lu Yan, Lu Lingqi subconsciously wanted to struggle, but was held tightly by Lu Yan and could not break free...

"I know... Let go, there are people outside!"

"After this winter, I will propose marriage to Marquis Wen."

"Ah..." Lu Lingqi wanted to continue trying to withdraw her hand, but Lu Yan's words made her lose her mind, and she gave up struggling, and replied in a voice like a mosquito: "Let the master decide."

After Lu Lingqi finished speaking, she gently pressed her face against Lu Yan's back.

Feeling the warmth from Lu Yan's body, Lu Lingqi felt a sense of stability and happiness that she had never felt before.

Lu Yan patted Lu Lingqi's hand lightly and said: "Okay, let's go, if the ink goes down, Geng Liang and Ma Jun will have to wait impatiently..."

Lu Lingqi immediately stood up straight, with a slight blush on her face, and replied: "The horse is ready, let's set off now."

The two walked out of the room, looking at the snowflakes fluttering and falling in the courtyard outside, Lu Yan couldn't help sighing, "It's snowing!"

"Yeah...today's snow doesn't look too small..."

......

It had already started to snow in November, and the cold air moved down to the north one after another, as if it was going to cast a heavy and oppressive shadow over the whole big man.

After realizing that this winter might be colder than previous years, Lu Yan realized that the sudden cold would take the lives of many people.So Lu Yan was going to start from two directions to solve the heating problem for the people under his family this winter.

One was to find and mine coal, and the other was to turn cotton into cotton clothes and quilts.

When it comes to coal mines, everyone's first reaction must be Shanxi Province.However, Shanxi Province now belongs to Youzhou and Jizhou, both of which are under Yuan Shao's control.

However, Lu Yan remembered that there was a coal mine in Kaifeng, Henan Province in later generations, and it was a super-large coal mine with billions of tons.

Kaifeng City, Henan Province, seemed to be near Chenliu in the late Han Dynasty. There may not be a complete correspondence, but the approximate location is almost the same.

Since there are coal mines, coal must be utilized.

Many apprentices began to go out to look for traces of coal mines, and craftsmen began to build a strangely shaped iron stove, with a long iron cylinder on top of the stove, which could extend to the outside of the house.

This kind of stove can not only keep warm, but also boil water and cook things, and the existence of the chimney can also discharge the smoke from the house, which can not only prevent the house from being polluted by smoke and dust, but also avoid carbon monoxide poisoning caused by insufficient coal combustion.

Not surprisingly, the coal mine was quickly found.

However, during this period, coal was called coal, which is just a matter of name, so don't make too much entanglement.

Geng Liang and Ma Jun greeted him outside Jiangzuo prison early.

When Lu Yan and Lu Lingqi arrived, they had been standing in the ice and snow for almost an hour.

"Da da! Da da!"

The sound of horseshoes sounded in the distance, and Lu Yan and Lu Lingqi finally arrived. Geng Liang and Ma immediately went up to meet them, bowed their hands and said, "Lu Hussar, madam, you are here!"

"See... see... Lu Pu... Hussar, see... husband... madam!"

Lu Yan and Lu Lingqi dismounted from their horses. Naturally, a handyman came to take the reins and lead the horses into the stable to take care of them.

"I'm really sorry, some things have been delayed and kept you waiting." Lu Yan said to Geng Liang and Ma Jun, clasping his hands.

"Lu Hussar has great responsibilities and is busy with official duties. It is very rare for us to take time out of his busy schedule to serve as prison... We should wait a little longer." Geng Liang said this from the bottom of his heart .

But to Lu Yan, it felt a little weird, and Lu Lingqi was snickering...

"Why do you feel that these words are poking your own spine?" Lu Yan slandered in his heart, but asked, "How is it, has the stove been built yet?"

Geng Liang is now mainly responsible for the deployment and management of personnel, while Ma Jun is mainly responsible for technology research and development and physical manufacturing.

Lu Yan should have asked Ma Jun this question, but because Ma Jun had a stuttering problem, Geng Liang finally replied for Ma Jun: "It's all simple work. With the current level of our craftsmen, we can build this There is hardly any difficulty in planting a stove."

Geng Liang said this with his head held high. After all, almost all the best craftsmen in Dahan were concentrated in the general prison. No wonder he was so confident.

You must know that the status of craftsmen is only higher than that of businessmen, and they are even regarded as lowly by many people.

But today's Han court, under the operation of Cao Cao and Lu Yan, not only classified the workshop as an official, but also improved the treatment of the craftsmen, and the craftsmen could even enter official careers as officials.

Such an attraction is simply fatal to the craftsmen of the big man.

Seeing that Ma Jun was also nodding repeatedly beside him, Lu Yan nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Very good!"

Chapter 264 It's Not Sad This Winter

After asking the first few questions, Lu Yan signaled everyone to enter the general prison before speaking.

The gate of Jiangzuo Prison seems to separate two worlds. Outside the gate is ice and snow, and the sky is freezing;

The enthusiasm of the big guys was not affected by the weather in the slightest, because there was news from the supervisor,

The stove was built smoothly, so Lu Yan continued to ask, "Where are the cotton-padded clothes and quilts?"

Geng Liang looked ashamed, and cupped his hands and said: "Back to Lu Huqi, we still have no idea about the process before making cotton-padded clothes and quilts..."

"You're talking about picking cotton?" Lu Yan immediately guessed their difficulty.

"Yes!"

Lu Lingqi was very curious. Cotton has always been used for ornamental purposes, but she never thought it could be used to make clothes and quilts.

But what the heck is popping cotton?

So, Lu Lingqi asked Lu Yan: "Sir, what is plucking cotton?"

Lu Lingqi asked Geng Liang and Ma Jun's doubts. Although they both knew they wanted to do this, Lu Yan hadn't told them why they did it before.

Lu Yan saw that they were all very curious, so he explained: "The cotton is scattered when it is first picked, and it needs to be fused through a process of flicking to form cotton wool that we can use to fill clothes and quilts. In fact, it can be used without playing, but the cotton that has been played is softer and has better warmth retention effect."

"So that's how it is..." Lu Lingqi and the others suddenly said.

But picking cotton is hard work, and it is also a technical job.

Not to mention the tiring work, the dust is still heavy. In later generations, only those who live in poverty will go out and work as cotton paddlers.

There is no such technique for picking cotton at present, so Lu Yan can only give a rough idea, and then wait for the apprentices to explore and figure it out by themselves.If this skill is mastered, a brand new profession will be derived in the future.

"Everyone, work hard and understand this process as soon as possible. This winter may be very cold. If the cotton clothes and quilts come out one day earlier, the common people will be able to save one day from the cold." Lu Yan said to Geng Liang and Ma Jun.

"Lu Hussar is thinking about the people, we will do our best to overcome the difficulties!" Geng Liang and Ma Jun suddenly stopped, and then solemnly saluted Lu Yan. It seemed that they were about to issue a military order.

Lu Yan waved his hands with a smile, and said in relief: "You don't have to work too hard, just arrange your working hours reasonably."

When the few people finished speaking, they had already arrived inside Jiangzuo Prison.

Along the way, Lu Yan saw several groups of people pushing carts to transport coal passing by one after another, so he asked, "By the way, how is the progress of coal mining? Can it guarantee the daily consumption of the people under our rule?"

"Back to Lu Hussars, our wages are high, and the common people are willing to participate.

And according to your instructions, we have laid railroad tracks and activated mine cars in the mining area, and the transportation capacity of coal has been greatly improved.With the current output, it should be enough for all the people under Duke Cao's rule. "

Lu Yan took the trouble to remind him: "While ensuring the mining efficiency, the mine should not be dug too deep, and people's safety must be ensured."

"Here!"

"I also thought of a new thing called briquette. Later, you will call two old craftsmen over, and I will explain to them the specific style and manufacturing process of this thing."

"Ha! Lu Hussar has a new idea, great!"

......

It was already noon when he left the general prison.

Lu Yan patted the snowflakes off Lu Lingqi's head, sighed and said, "I hope the people under our rule can get through this winter safely."

"Throughout the ages, how many people have been able to govern the people without freezing to death?" Lu Lingqi's smile seemed so warm in this icy and snowy world, "I'm afraid only Mr. can accomplish such an unprecedented event!"

"Hehe... I would like to borrow your auspicious words..." After Lu Yan replied, he fell into deep thought on his own.

Lu Yan vaguely remembered an article saying that in the past 5000 years, there have been four warm periods and four cold periods in China.

Especially in the cold period, they appear longer and more intense each time, and the temperature is lower each time.

The Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty happened to be in the second cold period.It can even be said that from the early AD to 600 AD, that is, the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms period and the Six Dynasties period, it has been in the second cold period.

Lower temperatures mean less food production and slower population growth.

The survival of the ethnic minorities in the northern grasslands was even more difficult, so they intensified and began to harass the big men.Although they are all for survival, Lu Yan can't feel sympathy for them unless they are willing to fully integrate and become a part of the Chinese nation...

In the past, the Southern Huns plundered the land of Sanfu, and the recent Wuhuan people suddenly went south to plunder Youzhou, all because of the climate.

But the climate is only the fuse. The main reason is the decline of the Han Dynasty. Seeing the opportunity, the foreign races went south to plunder from time to time.

.....

Although this winter is very cold, no matter whether it is Yanzhou, Xuzhou or Yuzhou, the people are no longer afraid of the cold.Even the poorest families are full of confidence in getting through this cold winter.

In previous years, when winter came, those who could afford charcoal were petty bourgeoisie. Ordinary people had no choice but to stuff straw and hemp stalks into the quilt to keep out the cold. Whether they could survive the cold winter could only depend on luck.

But this year is good, Chen Liu Yingchuan and Xuzhou Chamber of Commerce, jointly supervised and sold cheap charcoal to all the counties and counties under Cao Cao's rule.A hundred catties of charcoal cost less than ten Wen, which is really very cheap.

Nowadays, most of the common people will participate in the work provided by the government during the slack season, repairing canals, building roads, and even expanding towns, etc. After a day's work, the wages are at least [-] to [-] yuan.Coupled with the fact that there is a lot of surplus food, this winter is even easier than before.

If you have a looser hand, you can buy two more new items to increase the experience of yourself and your family.