Chapter 12: The Slanderous and Crafty Little Man

  Xun thought it strange, and Chen Deng felt even stranger: "I'm not a demon who can predict the future, how could I have anticipated that Yuan Shao would defeat Gongsun and Cao Cao would enter Yanzhou?"

  Xun furrowed his brow and asked: "Months ago, Yuan Long said he could get me into Yanzhou to see Cao Mengde. Isn't that the plan you presented today? How can you predict today's situation, and why would Tao send someone to negotiate with Cao Cao?"

  Chen Deng smiled: "Huang Fu, you are thinking wrongly. Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan each occupy a state, and there will be conflicts between them, which cannot be resolved in one or two years. Even if Gongsun Zan loses this time at the border of Jizhou, Yuan Shao does not have the ability to sweep through Youzhou instantly. It's just that Tao Qian only sees the distant future but not the near future. If it is as you said, Cao Cao and Liu Bei are both outstanding people of the current era, then they will not be under Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan for long. They are in Linzhou, and their power is expanding, which will inevitably threaten my Xu territory. The governor of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, and the governor of Qingzhou, Jiao He, are both mediocre and incompetent. I reckon that Cao Cao and Liu Bei will take over the two states, and the situation will change within a few months. By then, we can persuade Tao Qian to send Huang Fu as an envoy to Cao Mengde."

  Xun Wen spoke, and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. It turned out that Chen Deng had analyzed the surrounding situation on one hand, and also had the intention to persuade Tao Qian to abandon his alliance with Gongsun Zan on the other, so he dared to guarantee it and let himself go see Cao Cao. I thought you were also from a different time, so you would be clear about what would happen in the future, but instead, you scared me half to death...

  He bowed his head and pondered again, it seemed that history had indeed changed slightly due to the flapping of this small butterfly - in real history, as far as I can remember, Tao Qian sent troops to attack Hua and Fei, and entered Rencheng State, should be after Cao Cao absorbed the 1 million Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, which directly led to the confrontation between Cao and Tao, perhaps also the main reason why Tao Qian sent someone to kill Cao Shuang.

  However, it now appears that not only did Tao Qian's surrender to Huá, Fei and Rencheng happen earlier than expected, but more importantly... I seem to have overestimated this ancestor of the Táo family. As soon as he heard that Gongsun Zan had suffered a defeat at Jieqiao, he immediately began thinking about switching sides - did Chen Deng's persuasion really exist in history? Did Tao Qian really want to surrender to Cao Cao at this time or not long after?

  It turns out that many of my previous judgments have to be thoroughly overturned. If Tao Qian really wanted to turn against Yuan and Cao, then he would not have sent someone to kill Cao Shuang, and it is very likely that he actually sent someone to escort Cao Shuang to find his son...

  Chen Deng saw that Xun was lowering his head for half a day without speaking, and felt it was quite strange. He asked: "Xun Yu, what are you thinking about? Is it because I advised Tao Qian to take Huaiyin, Fei and Rencheng first, that you're afraid of offending Cao Mengde, so you don't dare go?"

  Xun Wen spoke hastily, waving his hand: "What's there to be afraid of? I just thought of something..." He sat on the couch and pondered for a while before explaining: "I occasionally heard that Cao Gong, the former Taishou, left Pei Guo and took refuge in Xuzhou. Now that things are not peaceful everywhere, if Cao Gong makes any mistakes under Tao Shijun's rule, I'm afraid it will be difficult to make peace with Cao Cao again."

  Chen Deng was shocked: "Is this really the case? I should report to Lord Tao and ask him to send soldiers to escort, it's best to take Cao Gong to Dongwuyang..."

  "It's absolutely impossible!" Xun Yu said, if Cao Song was not killed by Tao Qian on his own initiative, then the record of being killed by Zhang Kai or other Xu state soldiers would be correct. If you don't send troops to escort him to Tan city, nothing will probably happen, but this escorting has brought about disaster!

  He doesn't care if Cao Song died unjustly, nor does he care if Cao Cao considers Tao Qian an enemy. But if history unfolds as it should, Cao Cao will raise the banner of revenge and launch a massive campaign against Xu State. He is currently in Xu State, where his family, the foundation of his career, resides. It's said that Cao Cao slaughtered his way here, leaving rivers of blood in his wake. Who knows whether he'll eventually come after him? Besides, he has always admired Cao Cao, and the latter's greatest shame is the massacre of Xu State; he doesn't want such a thing to happen.

  But this reason cannot be told to Chen Deng, so Xun had to make an excuse and said: "Just find Cao Gong and protect him well. When the time comes, ask Cao Gong to write a letter and let me take it to Yanzhou, then the matter of joining forces will definitely be successful." Chen Deng heard this and couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Does Zhongyu want to use someone else's father as a hostage? I didn't expect you to have such a wicked mind!"

  Now that it's settled, we just have to wait for Zang Ba and Cao Jiao's military actions to succeed. Then, I'll follow Tao Qian's orders and go to Yanzhou as an envoy - as for Cao Shuang, let's talk about it after he's found. Chen Deng said he planned to rush back to Tan County that night, so the next morning he could report back to Tao Qian. The Shi brothers couldn't persuade him to stay, so they had no choice but to send him off at the gate. He got into his carriage and just started out when I suddenly remembered something and chased after him, shouting: "Slow down, Yuan Long!"

  Chen Deng asked if he had any other questions. Xi Zong leaned in and asked, "What does this plan of yours have to do with the engagement between my family and the Cao family?" Chen Deng looked around cautiously, seeing that they were still standing at the entrance of the villa and hadn't been followed. He lowered his voice and said to Xi Zong, "If we can really form an alliance with Cao Mengde, then Xu and Yan will be united, and even Yuan Shao won't dare look down on us. At that time, Hong Fu will have made great contributions and will surely gain the trust of Emperor Xian. But if we don't first secure a marriage alliance with the Cao family, then our families will become in-laws through the Mi family, and how can the Cao brothers be at peace? I'm afraid it will lead to more conflict."

  Xian suddenly realized and hastily bowed: "Yuan Long is indeed a great talent, I admire him with all my heart."

  A few days later, a grand wedding was held at the Zhongyuan Mansion, and Mei You and Wang Xiong escorted their sister over. It was only then that Zixu saw Mi Zhuang for the first time, who appeared to be in his early thirties with a horse face, short whiskers, and a flattering smile on his face, which made him look like a merchant. In terms of demeanor and bearing, he was far inferior to Cao Hong and Cao Bao brothers. Zixu comforted himself: "If Mei You looks like that, his sister can't be good-looking either. Later, Liu Bei's willingness to marry her must have been mainly for political reasons... Ah, I've made up my mind, Mi Miss is not as beautiful as Cao Miss, and this makes me feel a little more at ease."

  After the wedding, Cao Jiao was about to lead his troops to Rencheng, but unfortunately, an urgent report suddenly arrived, saying that a sorcerer named Que Xuan had gathered thousands of people in Xiapi to rebel and even dared to call himself the Son of Heaven. So Cao Jiao led his troops to attack Que Xuan first - he couldn't go to Rencheng, and Zang Ba wouldn't be able to attack Huaxian and Feixian either, as both armies had to launch a joint attack in order to have a strategic surprise value.

  In July, Kuai Xuanping was pacified, and Cao Jiao led his army back to Tan County. Coincidentally, it happened to be the time when Chen Deng and the second daughter of the Shi family were getting married, so Chen Gui, the governor of Pei State, came over to preside over the ceremony. Chen Deng did not have a spacious enough residence in Tan County, but Tao Qian spent money to buy him a large mansion - during this period of more than half a year, Chen Deng not only made many plans and strategies, but also served as the Colonel of Agriculture, personally inspecting the soil conditions of various counties in Donghai Prefecture, repairing water conservancy facilities. Under his leadership, it was clear that this year's harvest would be very good, so Tao Qian's trust in him grew day by day. Zixun often followed Chen Deng around, on the one hand, he felt that his best development in the future would be to become a governor or minister, so he had to have some understanding of agriculture; on the other hand, it was also convenient for him to stay in Tan County and avoid running into Shi Kuan, in case that kid wanted to discuss poetry again.

  At the end of July, Cao Jiao finally led his troops to Rencheng. At the same time, Zang Ba also set out from Kaiyang in Langya Commandery and headed straight for Huaxian and Feixian counties in Taishan Commandery. The good news arrived in Tancheng in mid-September, along with reports that Cao Cao had won several battles in a row, driving the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou to Jibei Commandery - if Zang Ba hadn't blocked their way in time, the Yellow Turbans might have slipped through Taishan and into Xuzhou territory.

  "It was a narrow escape indeed." So TAO QIAN summoned XI XUN and asked him to take the title of Guangling County Magistrate, and go to Yanzhou to meet CAO CAO. However, XI XUN refused, saying: "The matter has not been settled yet, it's not suitable to make a big noise, I'll just go as a commoner." In fact, he didn't want to serve under TAO QIAN at all, and from then on, he hung around in Xuzhou.

  He finished and asked Tao Qian if he had found Cao Song's whereabouts. Tao Qian shook his head and said, "Recently, many scholars have moved into this state, and the household registration is chaotic. How can we find him in a short time?" Zhi Yun also gave up - he really couldn't remember where Cao Song was hiding, but it seemed that there was no clear record in historical books? Or are there multiple versions of the story? Alas, details determine success or failure. In the past, I didn't pay attention to the details of history books...

  Just out of the provincial capital, he was about to return to the Zhuangyuan to pack his bags and set off with a few attendants. According to his plan, Xuzhou is still relatively peaceful at present, so he can go directly to Rencheng State, ask for a small team of soldiers and horses from his future father-in-law, and then go find Cao Cao. But just as the servant had led the horse over, a man suddenly ran out from the corner of the street, knelt down on one knee, and said: "The master of the house invites Mr. to visit the mansion for a chat."

  He thought it was Chen Deng who wanted to see him, and had some instructions before setting out, but unexpectedly, the master of this guy turned out to be Cao Hong - that "slanderous villain" what did he want from himself? Was he going to ask him to deliver a family letter to Cao Pi?

  Upon entering the Cao residence, Cao Hong stood at the front steps to greet him warmly. After entering the house and taking their seats as host and guest, Cao Hong asked: "Is it true that you are going to Yan Province to meet with Cao Mengde?" Shi Xie nodded. Cao Hong suddenly asked again: "Has Tao Gong recently been sending people to search for the former Imperial Chancellor Cao Gong? Do you know anything about this matter?" Shi Xie was taken aback upon hearing this, and replied casually: "I am aware of it. If we can obtain a letter from Cao Gong, it would not be difficult to make peace with Cao in Yan Province."

  Cao Hong lowered his head in contemplation for a while, then suddenly gritted his teeth and seemed to have made up his mind. He said in a low voice, "I know where Cao Gong is." Zixuan's spirit was lifted: "Please tell me where he is." Cao Hong smiled slightly coldly: "If I were to ask you to help me kill Cao Gong, what would you say?"

  "Bang!" A thunderbolt exploded on Zixun's head, and he was immediately stunned, suspecting that his ears had gone bad. "Kill Cao Gong, kill Cao Gong, kill Cao Gong..." Cao Hong's words kept echoing in his ears and heart, and suddenly he came to his senses - it was you!