Chapter 5 An unexpected gain
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

As Ji Hao spoke, he opened the cotton pad in the treasure chest and took out a "glazed plate" from it, which was a transparent glass dish plate that was very common in later generations.

Placed it in front of Emperor Ling.

Immediately, Emperor Ling narrowed his eyes, asked the guards to bring a plate of beef and pour it on it, held it up and looked at it for a moment, nodded and said: "Tell me the name of the lieutenant you want to establish, and I will draft an edict for you!"

After saying that, he took out a stack of imperial edicts.

They were all template appointment letters for the rank of colonel, but the name was not written on them and the seal was not stamped on them.

"Choose a name yourself?" Ji Hao was stunned.

He wasn't very familiar with the official positions of that era, and for a moment he couldn't think of any good names.

He looked around and immediately saw Cao Cao's hairy face.

He immediately laughed and said, "Let's call him 'Mojin Xiaowei'!"

Well, after you buy a higher official position, you can pass the position to Cao Cao, there is nothing wrong with that.

"Mojin, hmm, a good name!" Emperor Lingdi said, and wrote the four big characters "Mojin Xiaowei" in his own handwriting, then took out the imperial seal, stamped it on, and completed the transaction.

This is a lieutenant who has no salary and is not part of the establishment.

Directly responsible to the emperor.

He commanded two thousand soldiers and was stationed at the "Mojin Xiaowei Suo" deep in the mountains, one hundred miles outside Luoyang City.

This is indicated in the imperial edict.

But in fact, Liu Hong did not give Ji Hao a single soldier, and the so-called "Mojin Xiaowei Office" did not exist at all - after all, it was a purchased official position, a nominal position, and did not even have a rank.

It can only be used to show your identity when you are outside.

However, if combined with the current policy of the imperial court that allows the recruitment of local militia on its own, this powerless nominal position can be turned into a real captain.

However, you have to recruit and support your own soldiers.

The school lieutenant’s office must also be built by himself.

"So, your first step is to buy an official position to build a barracks outside Luoyang City, and then gather the victims to form an army?" After leaving the West Garden, Cao Cao frowned and said, "The plan is feasible, but gathering the victims requires a lot of money and food, and building weapons and armor is another huge expense, plus buying horses..."

Having said that, he shook his head.

"With all due respect, this is too expensive and simply won't work!"

What are disaster victims?

Most of the people are elderly, weak, women and children, most of the people are injured and sick, and there are very few young and strong people!

Everyone knows that the disaster victims are in desperate situations. As long as we provide timely assistance, we can easily gather a loyal team. But why are there still disaster victims everywhere, and why don't the various princes try to recruit them?
Because of money!
Giving timely assistance is only useful if it gives warmth to others.

For example, there are six people in a family, two elderly parents, a young couple, and a pair of infant children. You have to give these six people a chance to survive in order to get the mainstay of their family, the young husband, a soldier.

In addition, if one has to make armor and weapons by themselves and purchase war horses by themselves, the cost of forming an army will increase several times.

The price/performance ratio is really too low!
"Who told you that disaster relief must cost money?" Ji Hao shook his head and said, "It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish! Their lives are their own, so of course they have to fight for them themselves. As for me, I can only give them some guidance and give them hope of survival!"

Use money and food directly for disaster relief?
Do not make jokes!
Ji Hao had no money at all. Even if he had a way to make money, it would take time and the victims couldn't wait.

"Teach a man to fish?" Cao Cao fell into deep thought.

"I still have some silver here. Let's go to the market and find someone to order some hemp ropes and ten extra-large chicken cages!" Ji Hao said, "Plus some coarse salt and some unwanted offal!"

This purchase puzzled Cao Cao, but he still followed Ji Hao's instructions and completed the purchase, which took him two full days.

The main reason is that the chicken cage Ji Hao wants is too big and must be strong enough.

The hemp rope required is too long and has to be specially customized.

On the third day, the two men drove an ox cart loaded with hemp ropes, chicken cages, coarse salt, and offal, and headed to a checkpoint a hundred miles outside the city, where there were refugees everywhere.

As soon as I went out, the victims surrounded me and begged for food.

Some people even went straight to overturn the ox cart.

However, when they opened it, they found only half a cart of hemp ropes, ten extra-large chicken cages stacked on top of each other, a bucket of coarse salt, and a bucket of sewage that had long since gone stinky.

The first three cannot be eaten.

No matter how smelly the food is, it is still meat, so people will rush to grab it immediately.

Ji Hao was not polite either. He drew his gun and stabbed the man who led the charge into the water to death on the spot. Then he shouted loudly: "This bucket of internal organs can only feed ten people at most and keep them alive for a few days. However, if you don't eat it, I can guarantee that a thousand or ten thousand people will be fed and will never go hungry again!"

That decisive move immediately stunned everyone.

But people were not impressed by his words.

Most of the victims left in disinterest and ran to other places to dig up grass roots, pick at tree bark, and dig up dead bodies... They did not believe what Ji Hao said.

But some of them stayed.

One of the sturdy men said, "My name is Zhou Cang. I saw you rescue several disaster victims with my own eyes a few days ago. I respect you as a man, so just tell me what to do!"

It was not until then that Ji Hao noticed that although the man in front of him was dressed in rags, he did not look listless.

They are just refugees, not disaster victims.

Not only that, he also gathered a dozen young men, who were obviously his younger brothers standing behind him. Combined with the name "Zhou Cang", it can be basically confirmed that he was the one who later carried the sword for Guan Yu.

"With your strength, you won't starve to death anywhere. Why did you come here?" Ji Hao asked.

Hearing this, Zhou Cang sighed and explained the reason: It turned out that at this time he had not yet made up his mind to join the Yellow Turban Army, and wanted to go to the capital to see if the court could give the people a way to survive.

However, I didn't expect that after arriving, I would be treated as a disaster victim and was not even allowed to enter the checkpoint.

He was extremely angry and had already decided to join the Yellow Turbans and overthrow the imperial court.

But before leaving, he saw with his own eyes Ji Hao wielding a spear to save a disaster victim who was rushing through the checkpoint, and he also said, "In a few days, someone will come to provide disaster relief."

It gave him hope again.

So he waited there for three days, and finally met Ji Hao again.

"I don't know how this bucket of organs can save thousands or tens of thousands of people, but I trust you! There's nothing else to do, but I have all my strength and the dozen brothers behind me. I'll leave it all to you!"

He has already developed the intention to follow.

But he did not follow him directly. Instead, he wanted to see first whether what Ji Hao said could be realized.

If not, he would leave and join the Yellow Turbans.

But if this can really be realized, as long as Ji Hao is alive, he will follow him. Even if Ji Hao dies, if his bloodline is left behind, he, Zhou Cang, will still follow him!
Just because he was convinced from the bottom of his heart!

"With you here, we can get started right away!" Ji Hao smiled, pointed to the mountain road leading to his camp, and said, "Follow me, take this mountain road, cross the valley, and head straight to the Yellow River!"

(End of this chapter)