Flags are all over the sky, and wolf smoke is billowing. The 40,000-strong army that was not chaotic came in a hurry, which immediately brought a trace of panic and panic to the county seat of Shanyang.

The people of Shanyang County, who had just been captured by Cao's army, looked at the big banner with the word 'Cao' written in the distance with frightened eyes from the bottom of their hearts, and retreated one after another. Many people were even more sad and cried, as if what was coming in front of them was not a military brigade, but a group of devils who had just woken up from hell.

"They're here again!" A villager shouted, and hurried home to collect his salute, as if one step later would immediately turn into a corpse.

"Let's hide!" Another villager shouted urgently, and the frightened impression of Xiahou Yuan's tiger and leopard riding before made the villagers feel an indescribable fear of the soldier wearing the vermilion robe.

However, at this time, Cao Jun had already sent out a scout, rushed to the villagers and shouted: "Lord Sikong has a will, I want to visit a private house, I don't know which elder greets him?" ”

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other in panic, and they all felt a trace of disbelief. Although this request was very sympathetic to the people's feelings, everyone did not dare to contact a figure like Cao Cao who held the power of life and death. For fear that if you are not careful, you will say the wrong thing and affect everyone.

And the scout waited for a while, and found that everyone was silent, and he couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and shouted again: "If no one greets you, Lord Sikong will blame you, and Hugh will not be able to protect you!" ”

At this time, an old man stepped forward, bowed down and said, "Let's come to the little old man's house." The little old man has no children and no daughters, and he has no worries........ If you can trust the little old man, let the little old man greet Lord Sikong on behalf of the high neighbors. ”

When everyone heard this, they thanked the old man for coming forward. And the scout got the letter, and without saying a word, he rode back to his life.

When Cao Cao entered the house, his brows furrowed, not for other reasons, but the old man's house was too shabby and miserable: the old man lived in a low thatched house, and after entering, the light was so dim that no one could be seen on the other side. The wind was so strong that the whole house seemed to shake, and the grass clippings and dust fell in a flurry. The old man was in his fifties, and in addition to his six sons and daughters, he survived five sons. But three died in the robbery of bandits, and they were abducted by someone for an hour, and there was only one left, but they were captured by Que Xuan thieves. At this time, I don't even know whether I am dead or alive.

A few years ago, his wife died prematurely due to grief. Leaving the old man alone, barely surviving with the help of the villagers and a few acres of thin fields, he didn't even have a complete piece of clothing.

The old man lit a fire at this time, borrowed some adjacent corn, boiled a pot of porridge and brought it to Cao Cao, and said, "Lord Sikong, please don't mind, there are no good things in the countryside........"

Cao Cao looked at the bowl in front of him that was missing a few openings, and then saw that the corn in it had not even been peeled off the chaff, and there were still a lot of weeds and tree roots........ This kind of food is better than what the war horses in the army eat! As a result, Cao Cao's brows couldn't help frowning even tighter. However, after he saw the old man's trembling appearance, he relaxed his tone and said: "The old man doesn't need to panic, Cao is just tired from the march and resting here." ”

When the old man heard this, he relaxed slightly. But looking at the two burly and fierce generals beside Cao Cao, the powerful and fierce posture, he couldn't help but take two steps back. Seeing this, Cao Cao turned around and said, "Xu Chu, Dian Wei, you two step down!" ”

The two were waiting to obey the order, but at this moment, a strong wind hit. The beams on the old man's low thatched hut were already overwhelmed by decay. After two squeaks, it broke apart! The wooden thorn at the broken place was smashing head-on at Cao Cao's location!

"My lord, be careful! ......." Seeing this, the other guards shouted one after another.

But Cao Cao was unmoved. With Xu Chu and Dian Wei on his side, he knew that he was not in danger of his life. Sure enough, after a flurry of thatch and dirt fell, Cao Cao was only a little embarrassed, and there was no trace of scarring. And the broken beam on his head is being grabbed by a large hand. Dian Wei's majestic body was bent over Cao Cao, so that Cao Cao was not injured in the slightest. And Xu Chu was even more knowledgeable, he rushed to the side of the earthen wall at the headwind for the first time, and smashed the adobe wall with his body, so that the earthen wall did not fall to Cao Cao's side along the wind direction at all.

"Big, my lord......." When the old man saw this, he was so frightened that his soul was born. Hurriedly knelt in front of Cao Cao, kowtowed like garlic and begged: "My lord, spare my life, spare my life!" ”

"It's nothing, it's a little brighter. It's just that this thatched hut is in disrepair, so Cao Mou violated an ancient admonition! Cao Cao laughed, unfazed by the collapse of the hut. got up and helped the old man up, and continued to speak: "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, but the world is full of dangerous walls, where should the people of the world stand?!" ”

The old man didn't understand what Cao Cao meant, but he understood that he had escaped. And Cao Cao's far-sighted people only saw the situation of Xuzhou and even the world from the experience of the old man: although there is no war in Xuzhou, but the people in troubled times do not have a place of happiness. Since Tao Qian took office as the state pastor, he has experienced several years of governance, and although there has been improvement, his decadent thinking cannot solve some deep-seated contradictions, which are the gap between the rich and the poor and the uneven distribution. Haoqiang can sometimes occupy thousands of fertile land, but a poor family has no place to stand. This is a fact that no one can change in this era. But only I heard about the Ma family in Yongzhou........

Thinking of this, Cao Cao's face couldn't help but be a little ugly. But after thinking for a moment, he immediately returned to his eyes, turned back and said, "Come on, repair the old man's hut!" Tell the grain officer to leave some food for the old man. ”

"My lord, you still don't have to stay. If the little old man left the food, it might also attract bandits to loot, although the little old man didn't want to live for a long time, but he didn't want to affect the villagers........" The old man heard this, there was no surprise and emotion in his eyes, but he said numbly: "If the lord really has a heart, please also ask the general to build this thatched hut stronger, and it is also good to be a shelter for those homeless people in the future." ”

After Cao Cao heard the old man's words, he was obviously stunned. I want to applaud the old man for being alone and carefree, and I heard the helplessness and despair in the old man's words, and I don't know how to comfort him. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "Do you hear it, just follow what the old man said, and build this house stronger." After the repair is completed, after Cao's inspection, the army marches again! ”

Cao Cao gave an order, and his own sergeants cut down trees and mud, and Xu Chu and Dian Wei carried a newly cut beam and started repairing it. Cao Cao watched from the side and muttered: "Xuzhou is like the old man's house, although the appearance seems to be the master, but the interior is already full of holes and decay. Hmph, the gold and jade are ruined on the outside, but it is very in line with Tao Gongzu's people! ”

"Lord!" Cheng Yu stepped forward at this time, and saw that Cao Jun was actually doing these miscellaneous things, and couldn't help but say: "Since you have agreed to Cheng's poisonous plan, why are you doing such a useless thing at this time?" ”

"Cao saw the disaster in Xuzhou, and naturally agreed with your poisonous plan of 'slaughtering one city and lowering ten cities'. But Cao is also a person who thinks about the community, so naturally he can't ignore what happened to the old man! The two seem contradictory, but they can't be colleagues! Cao Cao said, his eyes couldn't help flashing a complicated light, as if the whole person was in a kind of contradiction and confusion.

And Cheng Yu looked at Cao Cao's firm face, and for a while, he was so impressed by Cao Cao's domineering that he had nothing to say. After stroking his long beard, he spoke: "Then Ming Gong has thought of how to fight Tao Qian's main force?" ”

"Tao Gongzu's whimsical person, he can lose a battle!" Cao Cao didn't put Tao Qian in his eyes at all, and after saying this, he said coldly: "After Tao Qian wins or loses the battle, you will open your dark righteousness." At that time, the people of Xuzhou were panicked, and they heard that Cao had slaughtered the city, and the entire Xuzhou would be included in Cao's pocket in just ten months! ”

After that, Cao Cao turned his head and added in a low voice: "Only at that time will Cao be qualified to fight with Yuan Shao and Ma Chao!" .........”