Besides reading Sun Tzu's Art of War and Thirty-Six Stratagems, she also had to read Lao Tzu, Zhuangzi, Mencius, and Han Feizi, as well as the Records of the Grand Historian, the Records of Plants and Animals, and the Records of Ironwork, City Building, and Shipbuilding.
As the saying goes, it's easier to conquer a country than to govern it.
Even Sun Ce himself keenly realized that the conflict between them had long since shifted from conquering the country to defending it.
As I've said before, due to geographical reasons, it's almost impossible to march from Jiangdong to Cao Cao's territory in the north.
We were already incredibly lucky to have captured Jingzhou.
So what she needs to do now is, no matter how Sun Ce expands his territory, she must firmly stick to her clear goal:
Govern Jiangdong well, ensure its people are well-fed and clothed, and maintain peace and stability, making it the most enviable and desirable paradise in this chaotic world.
The promises Lu Xun made to her in his drunken ramblings.
They agreed without prior consultation.
Sun Ce was pretending to be drunk when he wasn't, and he wasn't asleep either, so he had no choice but to pretend to be asleep now.
Lu Xun's rambling remarks just now left Sun Ce both annoyed and amused.
He wanted to open his eyes and talk to Qiao Jingjing.
But what else could it be?
Lu Xun was a scholar, adorably honest, and possessed a strong sense of patriotism. If he weren't a rival in love, Sun Ce would have truly become his friend.
Sun Ce was afraid that if he spoke the truth, it would embarrass Qiao Jingjing and make things awkward for both of them, so he decided to continue pretending to be asleep.
That year, Qiao Jingjing made a groundbreaking achievement in the Jiangnan region.
Rice can be harvested twice a year.
The Jiangnan region has been a land of fish and rice that countless poets have longed for since ancient times. Its abundant produce and diverse varieties are unparalleled in the world, and its ample water resources ensure irrigation conditions for farmland.
In addition, the subtropical geography, with its abundant rainfall and sunshine, allowed Qiao Jingjing's agricultural business to reach its peak.
In the Jiaozhou area, roughly located in present-day Guangxi and Guangdong, the climate was even hotter and more humid. In addition to rice cultivation, Qiao Jingjing also guided the locals in planting cash crops such as sugarcane, summer oranges, and pomelos.
Cao Cao had already defeated Yuan Shao in the Battle of Guandu, killing more than 70,000 of Yuan Shao's men.
Yuan Shao abandoned his troops and fled back north of the Yellow River.
Later, Yuan Shao died of illness. His two sons, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, had a conflict and fought each other. Cao Cao was waiting to reap the benefits.
There was simply no time to develop production.
Thanks to the combined efforts of Sun Ce, Qiao Jingjing, and Sun Quan, the Jiangdong region became a stable and prosperous world.
Jiangdong was not only able to defend itself and feed itself, but also produced a lot of grain and products, in addition to the products that Sun Ce paid to Emperor Xian of Han every year.
There are many more.
Cao Cao had already heard about it!
Jiangnan, a land of fish and rice, has so many fish and shrimp that you can't eat them all, and sugarcane, sweet lotus root, summer oranges, longans, and lychees—just thinking about them makes my mouth water.
Cao Cao had many wives.
His first wife and second wife bore him many sons and daughters.
My son is fine, but my daughter and wives are always clamoring for delicious food.
It was only then that Cao Cao realized just how impoverished Xuchang truly was.
Compared to the six counties of Jiangdong under Sun Ce, it was extremely barren.
So Cao Cao stared at his second son Cao Pi, his third son Cao Zhi, and his fourth son Cao Zhang.
These unlucky fellows!
That year, Qiao Xuan's daughter, Da Qiao, was such an outstanding girl, but they didn't even look at her!
Well, that's how it turned out. Da Qiao turned around and went back to Lujiang City, where she married Sun Ce.
Together with Sun Ce, they made Jiangdong prosperous and incredibly wealthy.
The sons didn't understand why their father was looking at them like that.
Is Father still worried about Yuan Shao's good-for-nothing sons?
“Father, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang are nothing to fear. With Yuan Shao dead, they are like tiger cubs without a tiger! The two brothers fight amongst themselves every few days. If we send a large army to attack and protect them, they will be scared out of their wits.”
The brothers Cao Pi and Cao Zhi had just fought fiercely over Zhen Mi, yet they surprisingly agreed on the remnants of Yuan Shao's family.
Cao Cao rolled his eyes.
You know nothing!
Those few punks, they don't know anything.
They're still here foolishly fighting a war, while the people in Jiangdong have already developed their economy and satisfied their people.
Is this a rank?
The lion cub is too difficult to compete with; it's probably time to replace him. The saying goes, "A son should be like Sun Ce, a son should be like Sun Zhongmou!"
Cao Cao may have been envious, but his jealousy was genuine and carried out with real weapons.
But his army still needs to eat.
Fortunately, he and his brothers Sun Ce maintained a good relationship on the surface.
Although he politely invited Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Sun Yi, and Sun Ce's wife Da Qiao to come to Xuchang to take up an official post, none of them came.
It's okay.
He is Lao Cao, a man of broad-mindedness and magnanimity.
This did not prevent him from continuing to communicate with these younger people surnamed Sun.
Cao Cao sent envoys to Jiangdong to negotiate with Sun Ce and Sun Quan, offering to sell them any surplus grain, tea, and wine they had in Jiangdong.
It was only then that Cao Cao understood why Da Qiao was unwilling to stay in Juancheng.
Da Qiao didn't stay in Juancheng not because Cao Cao's offer wasn't good enough, but because Juancheng wasn't suitable for her.
She is better suited to the Jiangnan region.
Da Qiao was so young then, yet she was so clear-headed about her own life path.
It was a real pity for Cao Cao, as he had missed out on such a talented person, the most capable assistant, someone that Guo Jia and Xun Yu could not compare to.
There's nothing we can do now.
Fortunately, Cao Cao had just defeated Yuan Shao, so he was rich and could still use the emperor to command the other warlords.
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