Chapter Eleven: The Matter is Like a Spirit

  Why not want to marry Cao Jiao's daughter? Is it because the girl is not pretty? Definitely not. Although Cao's daughter can't be said to have a heavenly beauty, she can't compare with the second lady of the Shi family, but she must be qualified. If you add her elegant demeanor and charming expression (although only seen once), she would be much better than Shi's girlfriend in this life. Since we have to follow our parents' orders to get married, having such a wife should be quite satisfying.

  The main reason is that this Cao family is not that Cao family, and there's no future in it. Xun thinks he's still young (theoretically about to turn 20, but actually only 17), so he should have more opportunities to choose from, therefore he doesn't want to make a decision so quickly.

  Of course, this reason he couldn't say out loud. After all, Cao Hong and Cao Jie were both trusted advisors of Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, and were slightly higher in status than him. How could he dare to look down on them? He did look up to Zhao Yun, but at that time, Zhao Yun was just a small cavalry commander. If they had met, his family would have looked down on the Zhao family. He also looked up to Cao Cao, but in terms of family background, Cao Cao's father had been a Grand Marshal, and he himself was now the governor of Dongjun and General Who Brings Martial Might, which made him far superior to him by tens of thousands of miles.

  So for a moment he couldn't think of any reason, so he had to perfunctorily tell Chen Deng that this was not the place to talk, and that he would visit his home later, when they could discuss it in detail.

  Chen Deng didn't actually have a home in the city of Tancheng, because he had been summoned by the government, so Tao Qian allocated a small courtyard next to the government office for him. On this day after lunch, Xun You came to visit, and the house was still not tidy. Chen Deng asked his servant to move out a bed and a stool from the house and place them in the courtyard, facing the cold wind. He himself got onto the bed and let Xun You sit on the stool to chat.

  At this time, Xun had already prepared his speech. He came up and asked Chen Deng: "What does Yuan Long think? If Tao Qian is old and about to die, who can be the master of Xuzhou? What will happen to Xuzhou in the future?"

  Chen Deng replied without hesitation: "I see what you mean, sir. You want to pass on the position to one of your sons - either Tao Shang or Tao Ying. Unfortunately, neither of them is capable, and when the time comes, it will be difficult to avoid chaos in the state. Unless you can really bring the Cao and Mi families together..."

  You're quite perceptive, even if you can't see through everything. You've already grasped what's happening right in front of us and have even preempted the explanation I had planned to give. Alright, let's skip this part and move on... "Even with Cao and Mi joining forces, they'll only be able to quell internal strife at best, but won't be able to resist external enemies. I reckon Xu State will eventually fall into someone else's hands."

  Chen Deng nodded: "If what Hong Fu said is true, Yuan Shu's arrogance won't last long. Yuan Shao and Gongsun are both far away, so the one who can get Xuzhou is probably only 'Guandong Erde'."

  "Are you going to take away all the things I want to say?... Alright, let's skip this part: 'The three families of Cao, Liu and Ma are united in marriage, joining forces, and no one in the state can match them. But if outsiders were to seize Xuzhou, or rely on our three families as a stronghold, or necessarily eliminate us first, so as not to monopolize the state government... So, do Cao Cao and Liu Bei have such magnanimity? Before confirming this point, I really dare not agree to the marriage, lest it bring great disaster... Although the orders of elders cannot be disobeyed, I always think that being able to delay for one more day is a good thing.'"

  Chen Deng smiled and said, "What you say is not accurate. At that time, it may be the four families of Cao, Mi, Shi, and Chen who will take charge of the government in Xu State. If the four families can really unite as one, no matter who comes to govern Xu State, they cannot be suppressed or eliminated. I'm afraid that when the time comes, they will divide and rule, and there will inevitably be another uprising. As I have a position now, I cannot leave hastily. Why don't you go to see Cao Cao and Liu Bei with me, to observe their ambitions and character?"

  Xu Shu said to Liu Bei, "I've met him before, and it's not difficult to meet him again. But Tao Qian and Cao Cao are currently in a hostile relationship. What opportunity is there for me to run to Dongjun to see him without bringing trouble to my family?"

  Chen Deng stroked his beard: "There is still a chance, but the premise is...". He pointed at Shi Xuan and said: "First, you have to agree to marry Cao's daughter."

  This remark, after a roundabout turn, came back to the starting point. Xun Xu smiled wryly and said, "What do I have to agree or disagree with? Isn't it all up to our elders?" Chen Deng said, "Let's wait for the auspicious day to be chosen by divination, and then I'll come up with a plan that will make Hong Fu feel at ease and boldly go to Dongjun to meet Cao Mengde."

  After six or seven days, the Wang family of Linyi sent someone over, namely Wang Dian, the younger brother of Wang Rong, to represent the Cao family in proposing a marriage. Kuan He and Xun were present to accompany him on this trip, and both Cao Hong and Cao Jiao were also there.

  There is no introduction to Cao Jiao's moral character and abilities in the historical books, but it mentions Cao Hong, saying he is a "slanderous and evil person". However, this might just be Xun Yu's observation. This man could possibly be his future brother-in-law, looking as dignified as his brother Cao Jiao, and being quite amiable and gentle. It's hard to see where the "evil" is. Thinking about it, the meaning of "" is that the evil is deeply hidden, how can people see it at a glance?

  Cao Hong asked Xun several questions, and Xun answered with great respect. Cao Hong turned to Cao Biao and said, "This young man is indeed intelligent, congratulations on getting such a good son-in-law!" Cao Biao was somewhat disheartened and said, "Unfortunately, she's still in mourning, they can't get married until two years later." Cao Hong comforted him saying, "According to ancient customs, men marry at thirty and women at twenty. Your daughter is still young, what's the hurry?"

  When Wang Dian and Cao's Miss saw each other, they exchanged pleasantries and bid farewell. Shi Xun couldn't help but ask Wang Dian, "Have you found out how old Miss Cao is?" Wang Dian replied, "She should be a person born in the sixth year of Xi Ping." Shi Xun calculated with his fingers, "I'm only 15 years old this year, how can she already be 1.7 meters tall? She looks even taller than me by several inches!"

  After the engagement, it was time to ask for the name and divination, then to receive the auspicious day and send out the betrothal gifts. This was also the process of the union between the two families, which was almost simultaneously carried out. In the end, both families prepared two betrothal gifts, each worth 50,000 yuan, a huge sum of money. By early February, Chen Deng's marriage to the second young lady had also been settled, but the Chen family was relatively poor and only gave 20,000 yuan as betrothal gift. The accountant was scratching his head while calculating the accounts, sighing repeatedly: "We've lost 80,000 yuan... We still have to leave some for Eighth Brother's future use..."

  After the engagement, they decided on a wedding date. They planned to have Shi Kuan and Miss Mi get married in April of that summer. Actually, Wang Lang and Miss Wang should have gotten married earlier too, but because of the Yellow Turbans' uprising in Qingzhou, their wedding was delayed. Taking advantage of this opportunity, they decided to hold the weddings together with his third brother. Chen Deng's marriage to Second Miss Shi would have to be postponed until July of autumn, while Shi Xuan and Miss Cao would have to wait another year and a half. They agreed that in the spring of the first year of Ping (if there was going to be a Ping year), they would hold the wedding.

  The marriage was settled, and he hurried to find Chen Deng, saying "This time you're satisfied, think of a way to let me go to Dongjun to see Cao Cao." Chen Deng comforted him, saying: "There's no need to be so anxious, within one or two months, I'll definitely make it possible for you to achieve your goal."

  Then in the fourth month of summer, everyone waited for Xizhi to take leave and come to Langya County to preside over the wedding ceremony of Si Kuang and Si Wei. At the same time, Xizhi brought news that Gongsun Zan had been defeated at Jieqiao Bridge and Cao Cao had taken control of Yan Province. When Tao Qian heard this, he immediately panicked and hastily convened a meeting with his civil and military officials to discuss the matter. Chen Deng took advantage of the situation to say: "As for 'distant allies but nearby enemies', our lord allied himself with Gongsun Zan to defend against Ji Province, but now that Gongsun's power is dwindling and Cao Cao has taken Yan Province, I wonder if our lord can withstand the armies of Yan Province?"

  Tao Qian looked at Cao Pi, and Cao Pi patted his chest: "Yanzhou is still dealing with the remnants of the Yellow Turbans, how can they have the spare energy to invade our state? Even if they dare to come, I will join forces with Zang Xuan and we will definitely not let them set foot in our territory!"

  Chen Deng smiled slightly: "The rebels in the province are the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou. I think that with Cao's ability, it won't be difficult to defeat them. If the Yellow Turbans are defeated, they will surely flee eastward. Suppose the army of Yan Province deliberately drives them into our territory and then follows closely behind, how many chances do you think Uncle Yuan has of winning?"

  Cao Jue was silent for a moment. Tao Qian hastily asked Chen Deng: "Since Yuan Long has said so, I suppose he has some plan to deal with the situation?"

  Chen Deng raised two fingers and presented a plan: "First, please order Zang Xuan to take the counties of Hua and Fei in Tai Shan, and have Cao Shu Yuan's army advance to Ren Cheng to defend against the enemy outside the provincial border. Second, send an eloquent envoy to meet with Cao in Yan Province, and make a pact of mutual alliance - as the struggle for victory in Hebei is still uncertain, it would be best to prioritize defending the province's borders."

  Cao Hong didn't understand and asked Chen Deng: "If you want to make peace with Cao Cao, but also take Taishan and Rencheng, isn't that contradictory?"

  Chen Deng shook his head and smiled: "Taking these two places, the original intention was to defend against the Yellow Turbans, not to plot against Yan Province's land. It can be negotiated with Cao of Yan Province, and after the Yellow Turbans retreat, the two places will be returned."

  Cao Hong understood after hearing this, it turned out that Chen Deng planned to take down these two pieces of land first as a bargaining chip - firstly, I took this place to block the Yellow Turbans, not to deal with you Cao Cao, and it will be returned sooner or later, which is justified; secondly, if you agree to form an alliance, I will return your land immediately, but if you don't agree, I will occupy the strategic points on the border, and you won't find it easy to attack. He nodded at once: "What Yuanlong said is true, please ask the lord to adopt it."

  Tao Qian immediately gave the order, calling Cao Jiao to prepare the troops and horses, and head to Rencheng. At the same time, he ordered the clerk to write down the instructions, requiring Zang Ba and Zang Yan in Kaiyang to make preparations for the expedition to Huaxian and Feixian. Then he asked: "But who should be sent to persuade Cao Mengde?"

  Chen Deng immediately replied, "I recommend one person. Last year, he was in the city of Douchang, and with just a few words, he retreated the hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou. Now, if we send him to see Cao in Yanzhou, he will surely not disappoint your trust."

  Cao Hong and Tao Qian were both bewildered, asking who that was. Chen Deng said, "You're just focusing on your own province, not caring about what's happening outside?" He replied, "It's Cao Shu, the younger brother of Cao Yun, Cao Xiu is his assistant."

  That night, Chen Deng followed Tao Qian's orders and rode to the Shi family's estate in the south of the city to request an audience with Shi Huan. After meeting him, he presented his proposal, but Shi Huan was stunned and remained silent for a long time. Chen Deng beckoned to him: "Huang Fu, wake up." Shi Huan shivered with cold sweat and suddenly pointed at Chen Deng, questioning him: "Who are you? Could you have predicted months ago that Yuan Shao would defeat Gongsun Zan and Cao Cao would enter Yanzhou? Where did you come from?"

  I am the dividing line of pleading

  Yesterday, I checked various rankings and found that "Han Wei Wen Kui" occasionally breaks into the top 10 in the "New Author Signed New Book Rankings", and is generally ranked in the top three in the historical category. This result is still acceptable, I think. However, when searching on the overall rankings including all types of works, the click-through rate is over a hundred, but after flipping through to page two hundred, it's still hard to find... which means that the collection and recommendation are still insufficient. So, I'm asking everyone for help to support me again! Please spread the word and find some new book friends to collect (you see people advertising on my behalf, but I don't have the leisure time to go around posting ads everywhere - with this free time, it's better to write a few hundred more words for everyone). And if old book friends have spare recommendation tickets, please give me more rewards! Thank you thank you!