Chapter 17: Liu Ziyang of Huainan

  Everyone at the banquet was listening to Guo Jia's analysis, and Cao Zhi, who was sitting at the end, was no exception. He tilted his head and looked at the crowd with their eyes wide with surprise, but Cao Zhi just pursed his lips and thought to himself: "What's there to be surprised about? The reputation of Guo Fengxiao wasn't blown out of thin air."

  Not being surprised in his heart does not mean that Cao Zhi is not respectful of Guo Jia. This genius actually saw the irreconcilable contradictions between Buddhism and Taoism at the end of the Han Dynasty, and his vision cannot be said to be far-reaching. It's worth noting that this Buddhist-Taoist controversy lasted for hundreds of years in history, especially after Confucianism joined the struggle, it became even more intense. It wasn't until the Southern Song Dynasty that Zhu Xi integrated the three teachings into one body, developing into Neo-Confucianism. However, this was already a thousand years later, which shows that the disputes between Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism almost spanned the early to mid-period of Chinese history. In fact, it is true that only the Song Dynasty had an open cultural atmosphere that could make the three teachings return to Confucianism, and it would not have been possible in other dynasties.

  Cao Cao nodded his head in approval after listening to Guo Jia's lengthy argument, saying: "Well done, Guo Fengxiao! With this extraordinary strategy to capture the heart, taking Xuzhou will be as easy as turning over one's hand!"

  As soon as Cao Cao finished speaking, a young scholar sitting below Guo Jia suddenly spoke up: "My lord, although the plan to capture Xu Zhou has been successful, it is unlikely that Tao Qian will give up so easily. The soldiers of Dan Yang are known for their bravery throughout the land, my lord should be cautious and prepare for battle with all his might, striving to win a decisive victory in one battle!"

  This man had not spoken all along, but suddenly opened his mouth and made Cao Zhi pay attention to him. Looking at his face, he was indeed a few years younger than Guo Jia, but there was no childishness in his eyebrows, on the contrary, he had an intelligent and confident appearance. Although Cao Zhi was not very good at observing people, this young man looked simple, but he should not be an unknown person.

  As expected, someone soon spoke out the identity of this person. Mao Jie raised an eyebrow and asked: "There are many wise men in Xuzhou, such as Chen Hanyu and Chen Yuanlong, father and son from Guangling, who are both great talents. Now that our lord has the upper hand, would they let Tao Kan's ancestor easily send troops to fight us head-on? If it is said that Tao Kan has a sinister plot against our lord, Jie still believes it, but it is unlikely that Tao Kan will dispatch troops to engage in a frontal battle with our army. Has Zi Yang made a mistake?"

  "Zi Yang? It was him, Liu Yi! The man who had the opportunity to end the Three Kingdoms chaos early twice in history. I didn't expect that he would now be serving under my father's command." Cao Zhi still knew a lot about Liu Yi, as he was a true descendant of the Han royal family, which made him feel neglected after Cao Cao rose to power. Later generations called him the number one talented but unfortunate person of the late Han and Three Kingdoms period.

  When he heard Mao Jie's somewhat provocative words, Cao Zhi looked at Liu Ye with great interest, wanting to know what unique insights this so-called number one talent of the late Han and Three Kingdoms had.

  Liu Ye smiled confidently and said, "What Xiaoxian said makes some sense. Given the Chen family's father-son talent, to protect their family, they will definitely offer a conspiracy to Tao Gongzu to deal with our lord. However, I think Tao Gongzu will not adopt it, on the contrary, he will send troops to fight against us!"

  Mao Jie picked up his whiskers and asked, "Subordinate Yang, why do you think Tao Gongzu won't adopt it? In those years, he even dared to humiliate Zhang (Wen) Si Kong in the face. The suppression of the Yellow Turbans in Xuzhou was also notorious for its cruelty. Using a poisonous plan against his lord is not impossible."

  Liu Ye listened and laughed: "Xiao Xian himself said that it was the Tao Gongzu of that year, not the current Tao Gongzu. At that time, he was indeed unrestrained and would not hesitate or drag his feet when doing things. But now Tao Gongzu is different, and it has been rumored for a long time that Tao Gongzu is seriously ill and on the verge of death. A dying person naturally cherishes their reputation, and using strategy may have an unexpected effect, but they will not ruin their reputation at the most critical moment. On the contrary, if he sends troops to fight against the lord in a fair and square manner, even if he loses, he can still get a good name. Now that the lord has won over the hearts of the people of Xuzhou with benevolence and righteousness, Tao Gongzu, a dying man, only needs to preserve his reputation for the last period of time, and not let his years of hard work in Xuzhou be destroyed. After death, he can leave a good name among the people of Xuzhou, which should be his last wish. The lord only needs to make a benevolent move, and with a fair and square army, defeat the Xuzhou military, and there will be no more unstoppable force within Xuzhou. The only thing to worry about is that the various aristocratic families in Xuzhou will not surrender, but the lord only needs to send an eloquent envoy to persuade them separately. The entire prosperous city of Xuzhou can then be taken by the lord without bloodshed."

  Liu Ye analyzed it again, and from Tao Qian's own perspective, he detailed the plan to defeat the enemy one by one. It can be seen that Liu Ye was very familiar with the people of Xuzhou and the situation within the state.

  "Familiar with intelligence, insightful into human nature, offering strategies to defeat the enemy, Liu Ziyang is indeed a talent that assists the world!" After listening to Liu Ye's words, Cao Zhi secretly evaluated in his heart and then sighed: "Although my father is not the strongest among the current lords, he has both civil and military talents at his disposal, all of whom are great talents. As long as they are used well, a great undertaking can indeed be accomplished!"

  At the time when Cao Zhi was sighing in his heart, the first person among the crowd who agreed with Liu Ye's words was Guo Jia, who had a similar way of observing people. Without much ado, Guo Jia simply said, "What Zi Yang said is quite right." Then he picked up his chopsticks and continued to fight with the dishes on the table.

  Cao Cao's eyes glanced to the side again, seeing Xun Yu nodding slightly and Mao Jie showing a look of approval, bowing his head towards Cao Cao. The strategists all agreed unanimously, and Cao Cao didn't have much more to consider, turning back to shout coldly: "Xiahou Yuan!"

  "The end is near!"

  "Order Yuan Rang to lead his vanguard in a swift advance, targeting Xia Pi. Our main army will set out at dawn tomorrow, with Miao Cai and Wen Ze leading the front section to support Yuan Rang, while the rest of the generals follow me in the central army. All grain and fodder supplies are to be managed by Xiao Xian, who must not delay!"

  Xiahou Yuan was overjoyed and responded loudly: "Yes!" After he finished speaking, Yu Jin, Yue Jin and Mao Jie also stood up together, clasped their hands and responded: "Yes!"

  After the order was given, Cao Cao's gaze fell on Cao Zhi at the end of the seat, and he said seriously: "Zhi'er, the battlefield is treacherous and not to be trifled with. Don't think about running around randomly. From now on, you will follow the gentlemen by their side and are not allowed to walk around randomly."

  Cao Zhi had previously heard Cao Cao's order, his eyes were still rolling around, wanting to sneak into Xiahou Yuan's vanguard army to experience the real battlefield confrontation, but unexpectedly he was immediately seen through by Cao Cao and let Xun Yu and Guo Jia watch him.

  Looking at Guo Jia who was smiling wickedly at him, Cao Zhi lowered his head and whispered in a low voice: "Damn it, following Mr. Fengxiao this time is going to be big trouble."

  Just finished speaking, but heard Guo Jia's signature lazy voice ringing in his ear: "Fourth Master, following me is quite troublesome, isn't it?"

  He raised his head and saw Guo Jia's smiling face, Cao Zhi only felt that the smile seemed to contain a big conspiracy. After shivering, he smiled at Guo Jia: "Sir, you must have misheard, I'm glad to follow you and learn from you."

  Guo Jia smiled slyly and said, "In that case, I'll make sure to teach the Fourth Young Master well." Cao Zhi heard this and his face turned ashen, with only a bitter smile left on his face.

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