When Sun Ce entered the city, he checked Xiao Huang's city defense as soon as possible.

Guo Jia was with him, and the two of them exchanged the situation for the past two days while walking. Before that, Sun Ce had sent someone to inform him, but Guo Jia was used to knowing more, and the simple result could not satisfy his interest, so he prefers to ask in person.

When Guo Jia learned that Sun Ce had failed to attack Yuan Tan, he felt that Sun Ce's move was not only risky, but also unnecessary. Killing Yuan Tan had no other benefits than angering Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao would also send others to occupy Yanzhou, but others would not be willing to cooperate with Sun Ce like Yuan Tan. On the other hand, Sun Ce had no plan to kill Yuan Tan, but Yuan Tan might want to kill Sun Ce at all times. If he had the chance, he would never let Sun Ce go. The reason for cooperating with Sun Ce was because he had no certainty to win.

Sun Ce thought about it carefully and felt that Guo Jia’s words were reasonable. It was actually meaningless to attack Yuan Tan, but it was very dangerous. Even if it succeeded, it would only attract Yuan Shao’s revenge. He was forced to decide with Yuan Shao without being prepared, and the planned strategy was wasted.

"The result is the best now." Guo Jia smiled again: "The reason is to attract but not trigger it is enough to make Yuan Tan feel timid. He dare not do his best when facing the general. He is very dependent on each other. Once he does not dare to take risks and is restricted, he will be in no way possible. With only the regular soldiers, even the Yuan family is not sure of winning, and the general has three more chances."

Sun Ce laughed silently. "So, it's still a mistake."

"How can everything be done when marching and fighting? Unexpected things are inevitable. You must plan big things, and you can only adapt to small things and not stick to rules. It is up to people to plan things, but you can achieve things in heaven, and it is difficult to achieve them. It is good to have a mistake in the face of mistakes, but if you suffer setbacks, you can only endure them for a while. Generals, those who can tolerate are worthy of respect, whether they are enemies or friends."

Guo Jia said, looked back and raised his eyelids inadvertently.

Sun Ce turned his head to see him, and saw Guan Yu leaning on crutches and talking to Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. The three of them didn't know what they were saying, but they looked very excited. He smiled and walked forward. Guo Jia chased after him. "General..."

"I know who Liu Bei is." Sun Ce said: "I will be on guard against him."

"Then I'll feel relieved." Guo Jia was stunned for a moment, and then thought of something. "He also occupied a place in the general's dream?"

"A very important seat."

Guo Jia smiled. "Then I'm really relieved."

——

Guan Yu glanced at Zhang Fei. "Is this time a fun fight?"

"Excited." Zhang Fei said with a smile: "Brother Yun, it's not me that you're really losing this time. It's really satisfying to follow Sun to fight against the enemy. If you were here, the great achievements of killing generals would not be taken away by Chen Dao. Xuande is not just a commander, but maybe he is a lieutenant."

"Look at you, if I'm here, you won't be able to enjoy it." Guan Yu said half-jokingly: "Come in and tell me how you fight. Look at you like this, this time it's not very satisfying."

Liu Bei's eyes flashed and he said, "Yun Chang, Yide is right. Sun Qi Ni is superb in his use of troops, and is indeed not comparable to ordinary people. I thought on the way that I must discuss with you after I come back and try to learn more from it."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and his eyes moved. Zhang Fei said that Sun Ce fought well, and he just used a joke. Liu Bei also said that Sun Ce fought well, and he used such a superb comment, but he could not take it lightly. Last time he was fooled by Sun Ce in Xiao County, more than a thousand miscellaneous Hu cavalry lost all the money. He always wanted to fight another fight with Sun Ce to regain his face. Although he didn't say it, he was actually paying attention to things related to Sun Ce. This time he failed to visit the battlefield in person. He naturally had to listen to Liu Bei and Zhang Fei talked carefully.

Seeing that Guan Yu didn't speak, Liu Bei was secretly happy. Zhang Fei was rude and abused his soldiers, and refused to change his teachings. Using Sun Ce as an example, he had already restrained himself in the past two days. Guan Yu was proud, if Sun Ce could also use Sun Ce as a reference, he would let him put away his pride and be more humble, this might be a good thing.

Besides, he really felt that he had gained a lot this time and wanted to share it with Guan Yu.

After not seeing each other for two days, they seemed to have experienced a separation from life and death, and there were endless things to say. Jian Yong stood aside with his hands, somewhat embarrassed. He felt a little distant. He had felt this before, but this time it was particularly obvious.

——

Xiao Huang is a county town with a granary and a newly collected autumn grain. Although it is a small county with only 10,000 households, the grain is enough for Sun Ce to eat for a while. However, after Sun Ce left, Zhang Miao had to allocate grain from other counties to fill the gap, otherwise the salary of the county magistrate and officials at all levels would not be paid.

The salary of the Eastern Han Dynasty was half a month and half a grain. For a period of time, it had even been settled by money. However, famines have occurred frequently in recent decades, and grain prices have risen again and again. Officials are more willing to receive real salary. During Dong Zhuo's administration, he collected money in large quantities, resulting in a shortage of money. He had to pay small money indiscriminately, making it difficult to use lightness and price inflation further. No one is willing to accept the salary of money. Food is the hard currency.

So Sun Ce ate not only grain, but also the salaries of the officials of Xiaohuang County, so naturally no one welcomed them. But Sun Ce had a knife in his hand, and those who dared not speak out, could only write down all the accounts, and then report to Yuan Tan and Zhang Miao and ask for subsidies. War is like burning money. Sun Ce sent surprise troops to attack Liu Bei. It was not only Liu Bei, but also the people nearby. This was the case in Xiaohuang City, and the same was true for the town pavilion outside the city. He lost a lot of money inexplicably and was in vain for half a year.

Although Xiao Huang was not his territory, Sun Ce still consciously restrained his subordinates and forbidden them from disturbing the people, let alone plundering. This is not only out of humanitarianism, but also realistic considerations. Units with poor military discipline cannot have real combat power, and the Xiliang soldiers are typical. For Xiao Huang's people, this is a blessing in disgrace. Otherwise, Xiao Huang's county town will become a ruin in less than a few days. The soldiers at the end of the Han Dynasty were complicated, and many people were originally unemployed refugees. Joining the army just to make money. Looting the people was also their way to make money. Generals usually turn a blind eye, and some even deliberately indulge in it and distribute dividends from it.

After a few days, although sporadic disturbances still occurred frequently, large-scale robberies did not occur. The people of Xiaohuang County were grateful, and their attitude towards Sun Ce was much better. However, more people were willing to attribute this kindness to King Chen. King Chen was a wise king, and many people were protected by him during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Guo Thorn was able to successfully capture Xiaohuang County, and King Chen's face played a great role.

King Chen was very embarrassed about this and felt the beauty of plundering people. He mentioned it several times in front of Sun Ce. However, Sun Ce did not take it seriously and comforted King Chen: "Being able to join a virtuous king like the king means that I am not a bad person. As for whom the people are grateful for, what does it have to do with?"
Chapter completed!