Zhang Yan said with a solemn face: "Tao Envoy Jun, this time Cao Cao was frustrated in Xuzhou one after another, Lao Tzu and his son died in Xuzhou, and our Xuzhou can be regarded as having a deep hatred with Cao Cao." Although Cao Cao led his army to retreat, this was only temporary, and once Cao Cao recovered, he was bound to raise troops again to conquer Xuzhou. At that time, if there is no strong resistance in Xuzhou, I am afraid that the end will be even worse than now. ”

When Tao Qian heard this, his brows couldn't help frowning, and the joy of yesterday's victory was suddenly gone, in exchange for endless sorrow.

Tao Qian knows the situation in Xuzhou better than anyone else, the soldiers are good and the food is sufficient, but there is only a lack of generals who can take charge alone. As the saying goes, snakes don't go without heads, and if there is no general with these elite soldiers, they are like a plate of loose sand, vulnerable.

"That's what the government is worried about...... Mingda, you are young, and you can see things that others can't see, which is enough to prove your excellence. Since you took the initiative to come to this government and raised the potential crisis in Xuzhou, then you must have a countermeasure, you might as well talk about it? ”

Although Tao Qian is old, he is not confused, and he has been in the officialdom for many years, if he can't see Zhang Yan's careful thinking, then how can he be in charge of Xuzhou for so many years?

Zhang Yan saw that Tao Qian saw his thoughts, and he didn't beat around the bush, and said straight to the point: "Qi Tao envoy, if you want to resist Cao Cao, there is no other way, only to form a strong force that can compete with Cao Cao's army." In addition, it is necessary to build a fortress, even if you can't win in the wilderness, retreat to the fortress, and hold it for a long time. ”

Tao Qian said: "Building a fortress and forming a strong army, these suggestions are very good, but all of this requires a general who can take charge alone...... Mingda, in this battle with Cao Jun, your performance is outstanding, this government wants to use you as a general, so build a fortress in Pengcheng and form a strong army, I don't know what you think? ”

Zhang Yan hugged his fists and said: "Thank you Tao for your love, and you will never give up!" ”

"Good! Then the matter of building a fortress and forming a strong army will be left to you. ”

"In addition, the last general has another request, the last general can train soldiers and form a strong army, but if you want to build a fortress, the last general is afraid that he will not be able to do it, and he needs a resourceful person to assist......"

Tao Qian thought for a moment, and immediately said: "Chen Yuanlong, the captain of the Diannong School, is very resourceful, and has built countless canals and embankments in Xuzhou for many years, he is proficient in this way, so he can stay and assist you in completing the construction of the fortress." ”

"If Lord Chen helps, Mingda will naturally get twice the result with half the effort, and he will definitely be able to complete the important task entrusted by you!"

"The money needed to build a fortress and form a strong army, I will have people bring it from Tancheng as soon as possible. Alright, you go back first. ”

"The last general will retire first!"

After Zhang Yan came out of the Taishou Mansion, he was in a good mood, but he didn't expect Tao Qian to be so simple, not only let him build a fortress in Pengcheng and form a strong army, but also took the initiative to transfer Chen Deng to his side to assist, and he also became the prime minister of Pengcheng.

He didn't immediately go to Chen Deng to share this joy, because it wouldn't be long before Chen Deng would learn of the result, and now what he had to do was to bury the bodies of the fallen soldiers as soon as possible.

Zhang Yan rode a war horse and went straight to the west of the city, where the Danyang soldiers had already gathered, quietly waiting for Zhang Yan's arrival.

"See your lord!" After these Danyang soldiers saw Zhang Yan, they all knelt down on one knee.

The Danyang soldiers were brought by Tao Qian from his hometown Danyang, all of them were brave and good at fighting, which was the foundation of Tao Qian's foothold in Xuzhou, and also the elite of the entire Xuzhou, so the Danyang soldiers were not convinced by anyone except Tao Qian.

After they became Zhang Yan's subordinates, they were a little unconvinced at first. But in the battle, Zhang Yan always took the lead, charged into battle, and was even braver than them, and gradually, the Danyang soldiers had recognized Zhang Yan.

It happened that Zhang Yan distributed the rewards he received to everyone last night, which moved the Danyang soldiers even more, so after some discussion, these Danyang soldiers were convinced by Zhang Yan and were willing to follow him.

Zhang Yan saw more than 2,000 Danyang soldiers kneeling down on one knee in front of him, and he knew in his heart that he had been recognized by these Danyang soldiers and had become their leader through and through. And all this is exactly what he wants.

"We are all brothers in birth and death, and you don't have to. Get up, as long as I Zhang Yan has a bite to eat in the future, I will definitely not starve you, from now on, we will be blessed and enjoy hardships together. Zhang Yanlang said.

More than 2,000 Danyang soldiers stood up from the ground one after another, and after Zhang Yan's order, they began to bury the corpses, and before noon, the corpses in the area that Zhang Yan was responsible for were buried.

At this time, Chen Deng brought someone to send a stone tablet, which was engraved with dense words, all of which were the names of the dead in battle.

Zhang Yan asked his subordinates to erect the stele in the center of this cemetery, and then led more than 2,000 Danyang soldiers to commemorate these fallen soldiers.

Chen Deng stood beside Zhang Yan and said in a low voice: "Tao Envoy Jun has already issued an order, let me stay here to assist you in building a fortress and forming a strong army, within three days, Tao Envoy Jun will inevitably leave Pengcheng, and then Pengcheng will be you alone, do you have any plans?" ”

Zhang Yan said: "Brother Yuanlong has been in Pengcheng for a long time, and he is very familiar with everything here, what to do, and please ask Brother Yuanlong to give advice." ”

"It is imperative that the city be repaired while recruiting displaced people. But ......"

"But what?"

"But Pengcheng has become dilapidated, and the city is certainly not as strong as it used to be. The city is even more in ruins, even if the city wall is repaired and improved, the construction of the city must be re-planned, so it seems cumbersome, it is better to re-select the site and build a new city. ”

Zhang Yan said with some worry: "Build a new city? Wouldn't that cost a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources? Tao Envoy ...... Would you agree? ”

"You don't have to worry about Tao Yuanjun, I'll handle everything. At this time, you should visit a person first, and if you can get the help of that person, let alone build a new city, even ten or a hundred, it will not be a problem. ”

When Zhang Yan heard Chen Deng say this, he immediately became interested and asked, "Who is this person, who has such great ability?" ”

Chen Deng pretended to be mysterious and said: "Actually, you have also seen this person......"

"I've seen it too?" Zhang Yan was confused.

"This person's surname is Mi, his name is Zhu, and his name is Zhong, and he is a person from Qu County, Donghai County. His ancestors have been in business for generations, passed on to his generation, and his assets have accumulated over time, and he has become rich enough to rival the country, and his family has nearly 10,000 servants and diners, and he is the richest man in Xuzhou. ”

"It turned out to be him. I have only had a one-sided relationship with Mi Zhu, how can he help me? Zhang Yan asked.

Chen Deng said: "Mi Zhu is graceful and elegant, loyal and honest, not treacherous or abducted, and does business by virtue of benevolence and righteousness. Moreover, he is a great benevolent person, as long as those who ask do not do evil, they will receive his support. What's more, we built a new city and formed a strong army to resist foreign invaders and think about Xuzhou. As long as you make it clear what is at stake, I think that as a person, he should not refuse. ”

Zhang Yan said: "Since this is the case, then I will go to see Mi Zhu in person!" ”

"If you want to go, it's best to go as soon as possible, because Mi Zhu's task of transporting grain and grass has been completed, and he may leave Pengcheng tonight......"

"Then I'll go to him now." Without waiting for Chen Deng to finish speaking, Zhang Yan turned around and was about to leave.

"When I came, Mi Zhu was distributing food to refugees in the east of the city, you can go there to find him!" Chen Deng hurriedly reminded.

"I see."

Zhang Yan summoned people to bring his war horses and let his subordinates go back to the camp to rest and wait for his orders, while he himself rode his war horses and galloped towards the east of the city.

He ran all the way and soon came to the east gate of Pengcheng, but saw thousands of refugees at the east gate of Pengcheng lined up in a neat line, one by one to the city gate to receive food, and Mi Zhu, the richest man in Xuzhou, was distributing food to the refugees with a kind face.

Zhang Yan rode his horse to the gate of the city, and after reining in the horse, he jumped off the horse, walked in front of Mi Zhu, and said: "Lord Mi personally distributes food to the refugees here, which really makes Zhang admire!" ”

Mi Zhu was distributing food to the refugees, looked up and saw Zhang Yan standing in front of him, and said with a little surprise: "It turned out to be Captain Zhang, I didn't expect to meet here, what a coincidence." ”

Zhang Yan said truthfully: "Actually, I made a special trip to find Mi Daren......"

Mi Zhu was stunned for a moment and asked, "Oh? Coming to me? So what's going on? ”

Zhang Yan looked around for a week, and saw that there were too many people here, so he said: "Lord Mi, it's not convenient to talk here, can you take a step to speak?" ”

Mi Zhu handed over the things in his hand to the slave beside him, pointed to a corner in the distance and said to Zhang Yan: "Captain Zhang, let's go over there and talk!" ”

Seeing that there was no one there, Zhang Yan nodded, and walked over with Mi Zhu one after another.

Mi Zhu took Zhang Yan to the corner of the wall and took the lead in speaking: "Captain Zhang, there are only two of us here, what do you have to say, can you say it now?" ”

Zhang Yan saw that there was no one around, so he said to Mi Zhu straight to the point: "Don't hide it, Zhang came to find Mi Da Mi to ask Mi for help." ”

"Help? Captain Zhang, tell me, what do you want me to help you? As long as it is not for evil, murder and arson, and things that deviate from benevolence, righteousness and morality, I can help. ”

Zhang Yan said with a sad face: "That's the case, this morning Tao Envoy Jun called me over and gave me two important tasks, one is to build a fortress in Pengcheng, and the other is to form a strong army, the purpose is to defend against Cao Cao's ......."

"This is a good thing, Tao Yuanjun values Captain Zhang so much, Captain Zhang should be happy, how can you look at you but have a distressed face?"