What's so good about Xuzhou?! Fortunately, there is trade from the sea. Reorganizing the trade order is what Xuzhou has been doing, and it is also mobilizing what merchants are doing, so it can support such a large expenditure. Although it is still

We are struggling, but given time, Xuzhou will definitely become rich, and will be no less prosperous than Jiangdong.

Therefore, in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Lu State was so small and very rich, and it was always able to bully other small countries. Not to mention the Qi State, even the Chu State could not compare with it when it was rich.

Just because of this location, there is abundant rainfall. If the weather is smooth and the people live in peace, how can the tax revenue be reduced?!

The monsoon from the ocean is enough to produce two or three seasons of food.

Such a favorable geographical location cannot be compared to Xiliang.

So Ma Chao was really worried. It was difficult to farm in Xiliang's bird land. He could only graze cattle, and there was actually very little agriculture.

In addition, the people are desolate, the land is desolate, and there are wars. It is easy for the people to get into trouble there. They may be robbed, or their property may be stolen, or people may be killed. Therefore, Xiliang’s military strength is really strong, but if it can develop greatly,

It is impossible to build a foundation. If the world is at peace, the Xiliang guards can actually be very rich. As long as the merchants passing through the Western Regions pay tolls, they cannot be poor! But now, let alone the caravans, there are only a few people.

The life safety of the caravan is not guaranteed, so it will not run this route desperately.

Can you only rely on others?!

"I know that Meng Qi thinks that I have selfish motives, and I do. But if you only think about the future of Xiliang, please let Meng Qi know my sincerity." Pang Tong said: "If there were no kings and princes, Xiliang would be in the eighteenth century

Among the princes on the road, there can be peace and no danger. If the powerful forces come together, they will invade each other. Xiliang must have allies and a way out..."

"If there is a king in Bashu, it will be rich and prosperous, but it is limited. No matter how rich it is, there is no place like the east of the Yangtze River. However, being rich does not mean having a strong army. Sun Ce still can't lead an army across the river. Why?! But there are so many powerful people in the north.

Yes, if there are Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, one of them will be destroyed, and Meng Qi will never join. Only Xuzhou is left..." Pang Tong said: "With strong soldiers and rich people, over time, they will become stronger than the princes. Lu Bu

This person is just like Peng Yue. They say that Lv Bu is comparable to Xiang Yu and they all praise him highly. Without the female prince, Xuzhou would not be what it is today if it were just based on Lv Bu.

You should think about it! And the most valuable thing is that Meng Qi and the young master are of the same age. They are heroes and cherish each other. Their youthful friendship is incomparable... If Meng Qi, think about it. With Meng Qi's talent, what will he do in the future?

Under Han Xin?! Lu Xian is not Empress Lu, nor is her father, a person who does not respect the old friendship. The Han Dynasty has always had the tradition of granting vassals. If the Ma family has great achievements in the future, the worst is to be granted the title of a prince!

With this youthful friendship, maybe the Ma family can even get the title of Lu. Going one step further, he can truly become a confidant."

You said so much, why don’t you ask me to marry her?!

Ma Chao cursed in his heart, but did not mention it with his mouth. He lowered his head, and he had this thought in his heart. But this matter is different now.

Looking at Lu Xian, there must be someone with a royal career. It is impossible to marry such a person.

If he wanted to marry her, it would be impossible.

If there is really a marriage, Ma Chao will be attached to the Lu family and Lu Xian, and seek the benefits of the marriage from the Ma family.

This is too cheap!

Ma Chao can't afford to lose his face even if he is killed. A man can be reused only if he is a commodity, but if his nature has changed and he is selling his body, wouldn't he be sacrificed and given to Lu Xian for profit?!<

/p>

He doesn’t need the face of the Ma family, but how can he save the face of his Ma Chao?! Nepotism, relying on his wife’s family to prosper, he...

He is not a lucky minister!

Just thinking about it makes me resentful. In the past, I would have thought about it and thought that if I married her, it would be fine and swallowed up the Lu family too. Now he has no such intention because he can't swallow her up.

Pang Tong made it clear that the strength of Xuzhou is only in its infancy, while the strength of Xiliang will only be like this if it develops further! It is destined to be inferior to others.

Since they can't be swallowed up, then the marriage can only be submissive, so they might as well be brothers.

There is absolutely no benefit and no gain, and the result is a loss of face.

Therefore, Ma Chao will never mention marriage again.

He's not stupid either. It's certainly a good thing to marry a woman you like. But if it damages a man's dignity, forget it! No matter how good he is, it won't do.

If a man loses his dignity, can he still be called a man?!

After losing this thought, Ma's relationship with Xuzhou and his future relationship with Lu Xian will be very delicate.

Without binding, there will definitely be discord and rebellious thoughts will arise in the future.

And Pang Tong was persuading him to act based on the situation and bow to Lu Xian in the future. What does bowing mean?!

It’s surrender.

This surrender is not the surrender of a man to a woman, but the surrender of a subject to the king and the master. It has nothing to do with whether he is a man or a woman. The king and his subjects are the order of heaven and earth. He does not care about bowing to a female master, and the subject bows to the king.

It is necessary.

But if the husband bows his head to his wife, and the wife is the master of her husband, then that will be a big deal! Anyway, this is definitely not possible. He can lower his head as a minister, but he must not lower his head as a husband. He is in an environment like Xiliang

When you grow up, to be honest, you are not as open-minded as Zhongyuan.

Therefore, as a bad guy, he has given up on that idea.

It is impossible for Ma Chao to regard this little friend as a woman.

At present, Ma Chao is wandering between surrender and alliance, and between rebellion and attack, because this is his nature. Xiliang people are very focused on short- and medium-term interests.

And Pang Tong showed him the long-term interests.

"Xuzhou is located in the east of Jiuzhou. If you encounter a strong lord, you will definitely dominate. If you don't have a lord, it will be an easy-to-attack and difficult-to-defend place. Qi is as strong as before. Now that a strong lord has emerged, why worry about not being strong?!"

Pang Tong said: "But Xiliang and Xuzhou have formed an alliance, one in the east and the other in the west, crossing the east and west. They are stronger than the princes. No one in the world can compete with them. No matter how favorable the situation is, it can't be more than this."

Ma Chao didn't answer and continued to ride.

Pang Tong didn't say any more. In fact, Ma Chao doesn't look young. He has strong opinions and is not a brainless person. As long as he speaks clearly, he will figure it out!

No one dared to say this to him before. Without the friendship between Lu Xian and him, Ma Chao would not have been able to listen to anyone.

So the reason for the change was actually because Ma Chao had already examined himself in his heart.

In fact, the Qin Dynasty's annexation of the world was inseparable from its own strength and wealth. The Central Plains countries continued to fight for years, and gradually became extravagant and forgot their ambitions. However, the Qin State was different. Although it was located in a remote area, it had a powerful territory and was always trying to force reforms.

, so that after leaving the customs, it was able to unite the world. What about the Qi State? When it was powerful, it was far beyond the Qin State.

But what can I say about Qi? It is precisely because people are accustomed to being rich and powerful that they become inert, and they become more extravagant and greedy, making them vulnerable to a single blow later.

The land of Xuzhou is not favored by everyone in the world. In fact, Pang Tong believes that it depends on who wants to develop it.

Lu Xian is very clear about the internal governance and development of Xuzhou. Especially trade and agriculture, as well as salt mines, are encouraged to operate by merchants. On the one hand, they combat the plunder of the barbarians, but on the other hand, they also welcome

The barbarians came to trade.

The Yi people are not stupid either. The Central Plains have always been very strong. They can't grab anything. At most, they can grab something and run away before they can react. They will definitely not be able to defeat them.

And now that we have a stable princes, a stable trade relationship, and we can make money if we do business, who would want to continue doing the same business?!

Convert the stolen ships into merchant ships, and you can make a lot of money just by running merchants! Not only will they not rob them again, but they will also restrain their own thieves and ship dealers not to break the rules. Because at this time, the Central Plains has always been very strong.

, it’s not easy to find someone who can stabilize trade relations without recurrence, who is willing to be at odds with Xuzhou?!

Once this is laid out, the benefits from the sea will be extremely considerable. The specific figures have not been disclosed to the outside world, but it seems that Xuzhou has smoothed out internal governance in a short period of time, and in a short period of time, it can support

For such a large number of troops to travel long distances, you can think carefully about the things involved...

The development of agriculture, the collection of tax revenue, and even systematic transportation and other systems are all strong.

Ma Chao led his cavalry in pursuit for a while, and Lu Qing and Lady Guo also joined forces and fought for a while before resting.

It was already broad daylight. When Lu Qing took the opportunity to rest, he said to Lady Guo: "Zhuge has few soldiers, so there must be an ambush."

"If you continue to chase, don't be careless!" Although Madam Guo had a serious face, her eyes were concerned about Lu Qing. The corners of her mouth curved and she said, "Can we fight with Guan Yu?!"

"General Guan was injured by an arrow, but he is still capable of fighting against Ma Chao. This man is a fierce general in front of the battle. He is extremely strong. Qing Duo is not as good as him." Lu Qing said.

Lady Guo said: "When we are in front of the battle, you are not as good as him. Running thousands of miles to attack, the vanguard steals the camp, he is not as good as you."

Lu Qing smiled and nodded. He was very close to his master.

Just as he was talking, he saw Xiliang soldiers coming, and Lu Qing said: "It's Meng who has risen. I'll go and greet them."

After saying that, he got on his horse and went to meet Ma Chao, saying: "Meng Qi, thank you for saving my life!"

Ma Chao waved his hand, indicating that it was just a trivial matter. He dismounted and met with Madam Guo. He was stunned for a moment when he saw that she was leading the army to undergo plastic surgery, and there were also a few female women's soldiers.

When Madam Guo saw his expression, she was used to it. To be honest, it was not the first time she saw such an expression when the Women's Women's Army went out to fight. Including when she was in Xuzhou, except for the female princes who used female soldiers as the norm, other people

, including the lord, are a bit skeptical.

To rectify the name of the Women's Detachment of Women, we still need to rectify their reputation through merit and fame. It is useless to say too much that they are not weak.

Pang Tong said with a smile: "On the battlefield, the only question is victory or defeat, life and death. Where can we tell the difference between men and women?! General Guo's leadership is reassuring. Fortunately, you responded in time to intercept and encircle Liu Bei's army, otherwise it would be impossible to defeat Liu Bei's army here!"

Madam Guo said: "Guo will accept Military Advisor Pang's plan!"

After chatting for a while, we continued to decide whether to continue chasing.

Pang Tong said: "I know Kong Ming, he must have a plan to retreat."

Madam Guo also said: "Don't chase the poor enemy. If you leave Dangyang, no matter how hard you chase, it's useless."

Pang Tong nodded, so when you leave Dangyang, you can kill as long as you can. Once you really leave Dangyang, there is no need to pursue and fight.

Ma Chao was a little unwilling to do so, and said: "If I don't kill Liu Bei, I won't be willing to do it!"

"If you pursue and fight fiercely, you will definitely fall into the trap!" Pang Tong advised: "It is enough to weaken it to the extreme. If you don't know how to restrain yourself, you will be defeated."

Ma Chao rolled his eyes and said: "Cai Mao takes the lead, I will take the lead..."
To be continued...