Cao Cao's tactics were very tough. In the blink of an eye, the rampant smuggling operations stopped instantly. Maybe it couldn't be completely stopped, but at least most of the smuggling operations were stopped. This not only saved countless commercial tax rates for the Wei Dynasty, but also avoided the invasion of northern goods. Restrictions on imports make it more difficult for northern goods to enter the north. In addition to daily necessities, Cao Cao has limited imports of other non-necessities. Therefore, no matter how large the output is in the north, it is still a big problem for others not to import. The only ones who can smuggle now, apart from Cao Cao, are the two smuggling teams jointly run by Cao Hong and Cao Pi. Cao Cao is not a ruthless person. One is his own clan brother and the other is his second son. They are both his own people and cannot be treated badly. In fact, Cao Cao We also know that Cao Hong's army now includes members of the Xiahou family and the Cao Ren family. So, forget it, as long as the amount is not too big, let them do it. Besides, if the big family needs too little, they themselves will have objections, and the stability of Cao Cao's territory is currently very low. You still need to rely on the aristocratic family for help. Cao Hong's greed for money may also be called a wise way to protect himself. Chinese civilization has a long history of cunning rabbits dying and being cooked by lackeys. It is understandable that Cao Hong learns from Han Xin and commits suicide, but he himself is not stupid. He knows Cao Cao's Where is the bottom line? Seeing that it is almost a one-man business, he lowered the import quota and announced that he was reluctant to sell the inventory before import restrictions. Not to mention that the profit increased a lot. "Well, dear friends, now our crisis has finally been solved, at least in stages, but I don't think our good neighbor will wait for us to solve the remaining problems. The current problem here is also very serious. We need to resettle people from Yanzhou and Yuzhou to adapt to the new living environment. We even have to exempt them from taxes for three years. This means that during these three years, We only have inputs but no output. Our economy mainly relies on commercial taxes, agricultural taxes, business in the Western Regions, and maritime exploration. Everyone knows that agricultural taxes cannot bear much. Nowadays, commercial taxes To be honest, I I really don¡¯t have high expectations, but I hope everyone will pay attention to the trade in the Western Region and the exploration of navigation, and do a good job seriously,¡± Cao Cao said solemnly to everyone. Everyone can hear that Cao Cao is very worried about these two main sources of profit and income. The environment of the Southern Silk Road is harsh, and a caravan may lose 20% of its manpower traveling back and forth. At this stage, this road is still open It is in a semi-developed state, so it will take a period of accumulation and improvement to really become a main road for trade. In terms of external exploration, the secrets of compasses and longitudes and latitudes have been obtained to some extent, but how to operate and how to find routes, honestly speaking, no one has much experience. Otherwise, Cao Cao wants to develop the Indochina Peninsula. If we have enough resources, we can explore the outside world and go to Southeast Asia. "Our navy has been crippled. If Liu Ming sends people to surround our maritime expedition force, we will have no choice but to return home" Zhou Yu, as the new navy director, can only lament that it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without straw. "The Han's fleet mainly explores to the south and southeast. As long as we avoid this channel and explore specifically to the west and southwest, we may be able to avoid the opponent's fleet. Moreover, Liu Ming's rule is very Most of the tax revenue comes from shipbuilding, so they have no reason not to accept our order." Xun Chen put forward a different opinion. It is pitiful to say that it has been so long since sea-going ships have been put into use, and the Wei Dynasty still has no way to build sea-going ships by itself. Even if it can be built, the speed of the ship is far from Liu Ming's standard. In naval battles that race against time, and are very particular about In terms of speed of shipping, if the ship speed cannot be increased, then there is no need to talk about it. So much so that at this stage, the Wei Dynasty¡¯s shipping ships still have to be ordered in the north, and one can imagine the frustration. "Unfortunately, I have to tell you some bad news. Since we set up customs and restricted import and export, the other party decisively stopped our order for thirty ships and refunded us double the money as agreed. "They would rather give up money than let us get a sea ship," Zhou Yu said in great pain. "How many sea-going ships do we still have available?" Cao Cao also felt a headache. "There are still more than fifty ships, but twenty of them are a bit old and not suitable for ocean exploration." Zhou Yu reported truthfully. "Let's make do with it now. Let our shipwrights work hard to build our new type of ship as soon as possible. It doesn't matter even if the ship speed cannot be increased. Anyway, we are just traveling across the ocean to explore." Cao Cao could only compromise. A month has passed quickly, and a new round of month-end summary will naturally come.The meeting was held. Politically, because of their rich connections, the resettlement work was going very well, and a few troublemaking individuals and groups were immediately punished. Cao Cao may not like it, but he had to admit that ethnic minorities, namely the Yue people, were originally The barbarians have the same rights and treatment as the Han people, but the prerequisite is that they must learn Chinese. This request is not too much. After all, everyone lives under the rule of the Han Dynasty. Barbarians who can speak Chinese account for the vast majority of the ethnic group. There are even many ethnic groups who are proud of being able to speak Chinese. Since the local people were less noisy, Cao Cao felt that there would be a lot less things to worry about. However, he was wrong again, because Liu Ming made another move at this time. Just when everyone was doing the month-end summary, a ragged soldier walked in. From his appearance, you could tell that he was obviously a member of the Coast Guard. "What happened?" Cao Cao asked anxiously. "Reporting to your majesty, today when we were patrolling as usual, we encountered the Northern Fleet. Those guys from the Northern Fleet claimed that it was their territorial waters and demanded that we must go ashore or leave, otherwise they would launch an attack on us. But at that time, We were ten miles away from the coast, and we could even see the shadow of the mainland. We reasoned with them, but they firmly believed that this was their territorial waters, so they launched an attack on us," the coast guard soldier reported truthfully. "Bold Liu Ming, are you planning to provoke a provocation?" Cao Cao yelled. "Your Majesty, my subordinates have done some research on Liu Ming's navy. They may not have any intention of provoking. According to what the previous soldiers said, they are only defending their own sea territory Besides, even if we have to fight them at sea, When the war begins, how many men and ships do we have available for use?" Zhou Yu stood up depressed. "Damn it, is this it? We can't even leave the sea ten miles away." Cao Cao could only complain dissatisfied. As a result, before getting a reply, a new message came over. "Reporting to Your Majesty, a group of horse bandits appeared on our country's Southern Silk Road. The three caravans sent by our country were all attacked and killed by this group of horse bandits. If not for the cleverness of one person in the third group, he escaped quickly. , I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t know their existence yet.¡± Another soldier came forward to report. "Your Majesty, give me 10,000 men, and I will go and destroy them." Xiahou Dun jumped out immediately. Cao Cao read the battle report carefully. At first he was a little moved by Xiahou Dun's words, but after reading the battle report, he lost his mood. "According to the intelligence, the ones who attacked us were most likely the main force of Liu Ming's ace army. In other words, without 30,000 people, it would be difficult for us to gain an advantage. But the problem is, if we mobilize 30,000 people to suppress the bandits, our Do you want national defense?" Cao Cao said helplessly to everyone. "This" Xiahou Dun had nothing to say. "Forget it, let's disperse." Cao Cao knew that the matter was sudden, and he could only disperse the court at this stage, allowing everyone to have a good rest and let their minds work first, and then think of ways to deal with it. Returning to the study, he reviewed the memorial for a day and was only halfway through it. Cao Cao no longer had the energy. He was over fifty this year. Even if he practiced the exercises, he was still physically young. Mental fatigue was not caused by cultivation. Can keep up. "Your Majesty, would you like to try the elixir from the north? That elixir can refresh your mind, strengthen your yang and relieve fatigue. Many nobles are taking it now." Youhuangmen asked cautiously. "When did such a product come out in the north?" Cao Cao was rarely curious. "It is also a product that was only available not long ago. It is said to be the latest research results of the Yanhuang Sect. I heard that it has also begun to be provided to the military. What we in the south get are simplified versions." Huang Men said carefully. "Well, let's try one wait, it's not made from mercury and cinnabar." Cao Cao was already excited, but then he thought about the ingredients of the so-called elixir. "No, it's pure natural herbal medicine. It has been given to chickens and ducks. Your Majesty didn't know it. During the experiment that day, I heard that the chickens and ducks were so excited that they were noisy for three days and three nights, and finally collapsed." Huangmen smiled. "It's interesting, give it to me to try. This elixir has a famous name." Cao Cao said with a smile. "I heard it's called Fushou Dan." Huang Men said with a smile.