Chapter 8: Planning for the Future (1/2)

  This is the first time Cao Ze has uploaded since its debut, hoping for a good start.

  The old and new are prepared, waiting with bated breath. A brand new week, every day at dawn and noon, maintaining stability.

  Some things lose their interest once they're said out loud.

  In short, Lao Ni will work hard to write this book well and won't let everyone down.

  I believe this is an excellent work. But excellent works also need everyone's support. Recommendations, collections, clicks... Every new book starts with repetitive content. Old and new, I beg for your support!

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  The thoughts of ancient people were actually much simpler than those of later generations.

  Of course, simplicity does not necessarily mean foolishness. This involves a dialectical issue. In fact, Cao Peng never figured out what this dialectics is all about until his death. Sometimes it feels that using dialectics to muddy the waters and confuse right and wrong is quite effective.

  Wang Meng and Cao Ji were both very simple people.

  Even if Wang Meng had been a canal commander, his thinking was not complicated by nature.

  Cao Ju doesn't even need to be mentioned, having lived for over thirty years, he has almost never left Zhongyang Mountain. In Cao Ju's eyes, Cao Peng is naturally filial; in Wang Meng's eyes, he is bold and meticulous. A thirteen-year-old child can sneak into someone else's mansion unnoticed, take a life, and then quietly leave... This calmness, this meticulous mind, is absolutely not something that ordinary people can compare to.

  It is such people who can accomplish great things!

  After daybreak, the two families had left the bounds of Zhongyang Mountain.

  Originally from Zhongyang Town to Jiyang, just head west, and you can arrive in less than five days.

  Ke Cao Peng, however, thought that heading west would make it too easy for them to be caught. Moreover, the two families with five people in total were traveling on foot; but if the Yu Yin County government was pursuing them, they would definitely ride horses to chase after them. Two legs can't compare to four legs. Since this is the case, they must make arrangements ahead of time.

  So Cao Peng suggested going south first, and in about a day's time, they would be able to enter the jurisdiction of Biyang County.

  Nanyang County was already under Liu Biao's jurisdiction.

  Even if the officials of Yuexi County discovered their whereabouts, they had to be careful.

  Then head west from Bijiang County, and it will take about five or six days to reach Jiyang County... In terms of time, it seems that two or three more days will be spent, but in terms of safety factor, it is undoubtedly much safer than going directly to Jiyang County.

  "Dad, Mom, Uncle..."

  While resting along the way, Cao Peng explained: "Actually, walking from Yang to Jiuyang County won't necessarily take up time."

  Wang Meng was very interested in Cao Peng and couldn't help but ask: "Ah Fu, what do you mean by this? If we take the route through Yang, the journey will be at least one-third longer. How can it not waste time?"

  Bi Yang is under Liu Jingzhou's jurisdiction, and it has been said that these years have been relatively calm.

  "After we enter Bijiang, let's find a way to buy an ox cart... then ride on the cart and hurry along the road. It will be much more convenient than walking with our two legs."

  "Buy cattle cart?"

  Cao Quan heard this and immediately shouted out loud.

  "You're really out of your mind... Do you know how much a cow cart costs? We don't have a lot of money on us, and after we get to your sister's place, we'll need to spend some more. Are you going to let your sister pay for the cow cart when we get to Jiangyang?"

  After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, oxen became scarce.

  The cost of this cow cart is not low, and Cao Jing naturally cannot bear to spend such a large sum of money.

  "Cao Peng sighed and said, 'Dad, buying a cattle cart is not just for convenience on the road, it's also a matter of face.'"

  Wang Meng waved his hand to signal Cao Qu to stop talking and curiously asked: "Ah Fu, tell Uncle carefully, what are the benefits of buying a cow cart?"

  "Dad, Uncle... We've lost our way to find sister now, but it's not a refugee escape."

  My brother-in-law is a man of some standing in the village. If we were to go there in a shabby state, even if he wouldn't mind, it's hard to guarantee that the Deng family members won't mind either. But if we were to arrive in a cattle cart, at least on the surface, we'll look somewhat dignified. My brother-in-law will save some face and the Deng family members, even if they're not satisfied, won't be too embarrassed.

  Dad, it's just like when you go to a relative's house. Even if the relationship is good, going empty-handed and arriving in a luxurious car will definitely result in different treatment. Moreover, even if we don't want it later, we can sell the ox cart in Jishan County.

  "With your brother-in-law here, are you still worried that we'll suffer a loss?"

  It is often said that when you are poor in a bustling city, no one pays attention to you, but when you are rich in a remote mountain, you have distant relatives.

  This car was like a chariot in ancient times, just like cars in later generations. Even if you drive a Passat, it can make people feel a little bit of respect.

  Wang Meng nodded repeatedly and praised: "Younger brother, Ah Fu thought of it more thoroughly than us. In my opinion, let's just buy a cow cart."

  Zhang was even more heartbroken for her son!

  After a night of rushing on the road, Cao Peng's small face was waxen yellow and looked extremely tired.

  Moreover, having received five guan of money from Cheng Ji, she had some confidence in her heart. Therefore, after Wang Meng expressed his attitude, Zhang Shi also agreed immediately.

  "You just listen to Pong Er's idea."

  Your friend is an educated person who can read and write, so he must have thought things through more thoroughly than you.

  What he said is right, although we are fleeing to Ah Nan, it's not to escape. Not to mention other things, just for the sake of Ah Nan's face, we must keep our integrity and can't let her be looked down upon in the clan."

  Cao Ju is not a very decisive person, if it were just Cao Peng, he might have agreed.

  Since even Wang Meng said so, Cao Jing couldn't help but consider it seriously. He had always respected and admired Wang Meng, thinking that he was insightful and capable. This time, because of his own family being involved, Wang Meng's opinion became especially important... Ah yes, he couldn't let Ah Nan be underestimated by others!

  "Alright then, it's settled."

  Cao Peng ran off to rest after finishing his idea.

  With his current status, he can only make plans. As for whether they will be adopted or not? He believes that with Wang Meng's insight, he can see through it.

  He and Wang each took a piece of bread and started eating it in big mouthfuls.

  "A Fu, what do you plan to do from now on?"

  "What's next?"

  Wang swallowed the pancake, wiped his hand on his clothes, looked at the adults discussing things next to him, and said in a low voice: "I'm saying that after I settle down with Sister Nan, what do you want to do?"

  "How about you?"

  Wang hesitated for a moment, biting his lip, then said: "I want to join the army."

  "Join the army?"

  "Yes, a great man should wield the sword of murder, and establish achievements that will last for ages. Now that Lord Cao is serving the Emperor, and has established his capital at Xuchang, this is precisely the time for people like us to repay our debt to the country."

  Cao Peng put down his pancake and stared at Wang Mai for a long time.

  "He let out a light sigh, 'Tiger Head Brother, are you willing to listen to one sentence of advice from me?'"

  "You said!"

  "I know your abilities are strong, and I also know your intentions."

  But now is not the time for you and me to join the army... I think that at present, we should focus on learning our skills well and making ourselves stronger.

  Learned in literature and martial arts, goods sold to imperial households.

  But if your goods are no good, you can't sell them for a good price.

  Look at the heroes of this world, which one is not highly skilled? Don't mention distant ones, just talk about this Daxing County... A small county magistrate can force us to leave our homes. Do you know what the reason is? Our skills are not good enough, our reputation is not big enough, otherwise, a small achievement would not be so arrogant. Moreover, even if we go to join the army now, without someone introducing us, we can only start from being a small soldier. Fighting in the front line, but also earning little merit. If this continues, before you achieve success and fame, you will become a wandering soul.

  Brother Tiger, listen to me. Let's learn some more skills for a few years. Once we've honed our skills and gained fame, who knows, maybe Cao Gong will personally come to invite us to work for him. Think about it, is it better to have an unknown past or be invited by others?

  Wang Mai's eyes sparkled with excitement.

  "Ah Fu, will Lord Cao really come and invite us?"

  "As long as we have real skills, Lord Cao will definitely come to invite us."

  Wang couldn't help but burst out laughing and nodded repeatedly.

  Cao Peng closed his eyes and was conserving his energy... He seemed very calm.

  But in fact, Cao Peng's mind was surging with thoughts.

  As for who will have the most promising future, it's still Cao Cao. However, wanting to gain a foothold in Cao's camp is not an easy task...

  Even if Cao Cao later introduced the "Holding Virtue Order", without real ability, how could he possibly stand firm?

  It's really not a good opportunity to go and surrender to Cao Cao now.

  Historically, Cao Cao's life was not easy at this stage.

  At least Cao Peng knew that Cao Cao would soon face a disastrous defeat...

  A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, but it was just a flash and disappeared immediately! Now is not the time to consider these things, let's settle down in Jinyang first and make plans later. At the same time, Cao Peng also had a strong curiosity about his own sister and brother-in-law who he had never met before.

  Ji Yang, Deng's?

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  After a brief rest, the two families set off again.

  More than a decade has passed since the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the first year of Zhongping, but the scars left by the war can still be faintly seen.

  Walking along the main road, sometimes walking for an hour without seeing any signs of human life. In the desolate land, one can occasionally see white bones scattered about... The weather is getting colder and colder, I heard that in northern places like Guanzhong, there have been several heavy snowfalls, even Luoyang has welcomed its first snow.

  Cold weather, desolate wilderness, and those shocking scenes of devastation...

  Cao Peng lay on his father's back, feeling endless desolation in his heart.

  In his past life, he lived in a 'prosperous era' and had not experienced the baptism of war. Although he saw some on TV and in movies, it was not very real. Now, however, he has truly seen the trauma of war and can't help but let out a soft sigh.

  This is perhaps desolate!

  But Cao Peng knew that the future would be even more miserable than it is now...

  The Three Kingdoms were at odds with each other, and it was indeed a hot-blooded era, but it also brought endless disasters.

  I remember reading a book in my past life, which recorded some data from the Three Kingdoms period. Before the Three Kingdoms formed an alliance, the north had a population of about 4 million people and nearly 800,000 households; after Cao Wei was destroyed, the north only had 580,000 households and over 2 million people left. Ba-Shu also had a population of around 3-4 million during this period, but when Shu was destroyed, there were only 280,000 households and 960,000 people left. The situation in Jiangdong was relatively better, with about 2 million people before the Three Kingdoms formed an alliance; after Eastern Wu was destroyed, there were still 520,000 households left.

  It sounds like Soochow is the best!

  In fact, if it were not for the Eastern Wu regime's years of conquest and plundering of the mountainous regions of Yue, its population base may not have been stronger than that of Shu.

  And after the Three Kingdoms, it was the Five Barbarians' invasion of China...

  That was also the darkest period in Han history, with only one in ten northern Hans surviving, and they were even treated as food by those alien Hu people, called "two-legged sheep".

  Cao Peng suddenly shivered and subconsciously grabbed Cao Jin's collar.

  "Hey buddy, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

  Although Cao Ju often blamed Cao Peng, in private, his concern for Cao Peng was even stronger than Zhang Shi's.

  "Dad, I'm fine!"

  Cao Peng woke up from his thoughts and hastily forced a smile, answering in a low voice.

  "If you're uncomfortable, be sure to tell Dad... Don't try to bear it yourself."

  Some slightly awkward words of concern made Cao Peng feel warm in his heart.

  Subconsciously, he stuck his face against Cao Ju's back, closed his eyes and whispered: "Dad, I'm really fine! Really, don't worry."

  "It's all right as long as nothing happens, it's all right as long as nothing happens!"

  Cao Ju smiled and supported Cao Peng with his hand for a moment.

  "Ah Fu, tired already!"

  Wang Meng suddenly spoke up, then said to Cao Quan: "Younger brother, I've walked this road before. I remember that after crossing the creek ahead, there's a horse relay station. I don't know if it's still open... but even if it's been abandoned, we can use it as a place to rest for a while, what do you think?"

  After walking for almost a whole day, it was getting dark.

  Even someone as robust as Cao Qu and Wang Meng felt somewhat fatigued, let alone Zhangshi, a gentlewoman.

  "Alright, take a break."

  "Wuyin County will probably be unable to catch up, so we don't have to worry... Come on, mother of the child, add a bit more strength and we can rest soon."

  King Meng led the way in front, Cao Quan carried Cao Peng on his back, and Wang Mai supported Zhang Shi, proceeding with deep and shallow steps.

  When the sunset fell, the evening glow dyed the sky red, and beside a withered maple forest, a post house appeared in Cao Peng's line of sight.

  At the entrance of the post station, a five-meter-long high pole was erected.

  A lone, tattered lantern swayed in the wind, standing out so vividly against a backdrop of evening glow.

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  Thanks to book friends Tao Shi, Axuan Allen, and Plum Blossom Crab for their rewards.

  The second update will be available at noon.