Chapter 62: The Night Banquet (Part 1)

  Cao Cao is very good at dealing with people.

  Although Cao Cao is not handsome, his speech and behavior give people a very comfortable feeling, which is different from the sense of security that Lü Bu brings. Cao Cao's words are clever and easy to get along with, when talking to you, it seems like you are the only protagonist in Cao Cao's eyes, the feeling of being valued will often make people want to get close to him.

  Cao Cao's welcome banquet for Lü Bu was extremely grand, as if he were entertaining an old friend of many years. Not only did all the officers and men of Cao's army attend, but even Cao Cao's concubine, Lady Bian, personally performed a dance. This had already exceeded the standard of ordinary hospitality. Although women at the end of the Han dynasty were not as restricted as they would be in later dynasties, such as the Ming and Qing, they still did not easily meet with men. Usually, only when two people's feelings had reached a certain level would they be introduced to each other's families, and the wife and concubines would meet, which was considered a sign of a close relationship.

  Although Cao Cao and Lü Bu had no grudges against each other after Dong Zhuo's death, Cao Cao had almost lost his life to Lü Bu several times. Just by looking at the attitude of Cao's civil and military officials towards Lü Bu, one could tell that they hated him deeply. They wanted to devour him whole, but Cao Cao treated Lü Bu as if he didn't exist, drinking with him and pretending to be friendly. This really made Qin Xu admire Cao's broad-mindedness.

  "Xu Wu's martial prowess is unmatched in the world, and we warriors can't help but admire him. Cao Cao took over Yan Province's military and civil affairs, and we all respected Xu Wu. Gentlemen, let's drink!" Cao Cao's words were elegant, and Lü Bu listened with pleasure, his face filled with pride, making the faces of Cao Cao's subordinates even colder.

  "Lü Bu is not a fool, seeing Cao Cao's flattering words instantly made his civil and military officials resentful. How could he not understand Cao Cao's tactic of using Lü Bu's prestige to boost his own cohesion? Although he didn't have much objection to Cao Cao's move, being stared at by so many people with strange eyes made him uncomfortable in his heart. At this time, the words spoken on the scene were also very elegant."

  Cao Cao glanced at the civil and military officials under his command with a fine eye, his face expressionless, his mouth slightly hooked, and when he saw Zhang Liao behind Lü Bu, his eyes suddenly lit up.

  It must be said that Cao Cao was able to achieve great things, and in terms of interpersonal relationships, he had no equals. His ability to win people over by giving them a gentle push was also unparalleled. The special feelings that Guan Yu had for Cao Cao in history began with the special care that Cao Cao showed him during the campaign against Dong Zhuo, and ultimately even saved Cao Cao's life.

  "Who is the one who was established after my death?" Cao Cao pretended to be drunk and half leaned on the table, pointing at Zhang Liao and said: "In my opinion, he is indeed a great general!"

  "This man is the leader of the Flying Cavalry under Bu's command, Zhang Liao, Zhang Wenyuan, Wenyuan, pay your respects to General Cao!" Lu Bu said, not knowing whether he was really drunk or not.

  "Yes!" Zhang Liao remained calm and composed, unaffected by the atmosphere at the banquet. He gave Cao Cao a standard military salute and stood up again behind him.

  Cao Cao's eyes flashed with a hint of cleverness, and he smiled: "General Wen Yuan, aren't you the same as Lü Bu's Zhang Fei? Are you daring enough to drink heavily like General Wu?"

  "Many thanks, General Cao! I, Zhang Liao, will not drink as long as I wear my armor!"

  Cao Cao hadn't said anything, but a burly man sitting below him suddenly stood up and angrily shouted: "What kind of person is our lord? He bestowed food and wine on you as a mark of respect, yet you behave so rudely. Don't you know how to appreciate the honor, instead wanting to drink the penalty wine?"

  "Yuan Rang! You're drunk! Warmly welcome, haha!" Before Lü Bu could speak, Cao Cao hastily mediated, feigning anger and scolding the handsome young man Xiahou Dun with a pair of piercing eyes.

  But in Qin Xu's view, Cao Cao's sincerity is indeed questionable.

  "Let him be, and let's have a drink! Don't spoil General Cao's festive mood!" Lü Bu said to Cao Cao, his face calm with a hint of a smile, as he instructed Zhang Liao.

  "Good!" Zhang Liao didn't say another word, and poured himself a drink, downing it in one gulp. Cao Cao's face showed a hint of embarrassment.

  "Who is the one sitting behind you with such a good appearance?" Cao Cao shifted the topic, putting the target on Qin Xu's body.

  "This is our army's chief clerk, Qin Xu!" Lü Bu replied nonchalantly.

  At the banquet, only Lü Bu and Qin Xu were seated. When Cao Cao asked, Qin Xu stood up straight and saluted Cao Cao and his military officers in a proper manner.

  Cao Jun saw Qin Xu's face was tender and he looked like a 16 or 17-year-old. Except for Cao Jun, the head of the civil officials, whose expression didn't change, all the others, whether they were scholars or warriors, showed a look of disdain.

  Especially the martial generals, including Cao Ren who already knew Qin Xu's identity in Lü Bu's army, were no exception. Even a fool could see that these people, because of Qin Xu's age, also looked down on Lü Bu, which made Qin Xu feel quite amused. It was estimated that these people would never think that the "murderer" they had been searching for, who had killed Cao Hong, was now sitting in front of them, bearing their contempt.

  "It turned out to be Qin Zhubu, Cao Cao was rude." Cao Cao did not put emphasis on Qin Xu's age like his usual civil and military officials, but instead nodded slightly as a courtesy, without any condescension. He lived up to being called a treacherous hero by later generations, although at this time Old Cao still wanted to be a loyal minister of the Han dynasty, otherwise he would not have "willingly" let Lü Bu borrow his way to Qingzhou.

  "Qin Zhubu is young and talented, and has been favored by the emperor. In the future, he will surely become a pillar of our great Han dynasty! I look forward to seeing Qin Zhubu's achievements!" At this time, when all the civil and military officials of Cao's army were showing disdainful expressions, only the young scholar who had not shown any unusual emotions before stood up and spoke up for Qin Xu.

  "This man is my adjutant, Xun Yu, Xun Wenruo!" Cao Cao said with a smile on his face, slightly complacent.

  Xun Yu? Qin Xu looked at the young man in front of him, who was handsome and elegant in appearance, and refined in his manners. He felt that the descriptions in history books could hardly do justice to Xun Yu's demeanor. As they exchanged courtesies with each other, Qin Xu couldn't help but feel a sense of regret for this brilliant Xun Yu, who had laid the foundation for Cao Cao's dominance, only to ultimately die in despair due to his differing ideologies with Cao Cao.

  Qin Xu had thought about recruiting Xun Yu and other ultimate strategists who relied on Cao Cao for Lü Bu's use, but the Qin master from later generations knew even more clearly that it was absolutely impossible, at least before Lü Bu grasped absolute power.

  What Xun Yu represented was the royal family's aristocratic clan, and although Cao Cao had a bad reputation among the aristocratic clans, he still belonged to the scholar-official class and might have had room for cooperation. However, towards Lü Bu, a general from a humble background, they didn't give him any regard at all. So this idea only flashed through Qin Xu's mind for a moment, leaving behind only regret and disappointment.

  "Lord Meng! This time, I passed through Yanzhou and received such hospitality. I am truly ashamed. I have specially presented a gift of one cart, all of which are some gold, silver, pearls, and other mundane objects for the use of Lord Meng's army, to express my sincerity." The banquet had proceeded halfway when Lü Bu finally remembered that borrowing a road also required paying tolls. With a wave of his hand, he signaled the soldiers who were standing at attention outside the door to bring in a huge box. When it was opened, gold and jewels sparkled, shining brightly, probably worth tens of millions of dollars.

  "This good-for-nothing... My Lord!" Qin Xu almost cursed out loud, really wanting to open up Lü Bu's brain to see if his brain was truly as small as a walnut, like some game company designed. Doesn't he understand the principle of not revealing one's wealth? Haven't you seen that except for a few people under Cao Jun's command, the light in their eyes is almost bursting out?"

  Lü Bu seemed to have noticed Qin Xu's gaze, turned his head and glanced at Qin Xu, in the dazed eyes, that hint of teasing intention made Qin Xu suddenly understand.

  Who says Lü Bu is brainless? Who says Lü Bu is just a martial artist? Lü Bu's unparalleled martial arts skills are his best protection. This treasure trove of gold, jade, and precious gems instantly tramples the dignity of the literati and military officials under Cao's command that you had just defeated. Aren't you disdainful? We have money! Aren't you contemptuous? We have money!

  Money can't be shown in the open? That depends on who's showing it! Lü Bu's name is renowned, even if you've got ideas about it, you'd better weigh whether you have the guts to rob or steal, and whether you have a life to spare.

  Lü Boss and Cao Boss have a private confrontation between them, with one win and one loss each, ending in a tie!

  "It's said that General Lü's troops, under his command, plundered Yuan Benchu's Ye City. Is it true that what General Lü presented to Duke Cao were...?" A civil official sitting on the side of Cao's army, but clearly not part of Cao Cao's main faction, suddenly spoke up and asked.

  It's not just Lü Bu, even Cao Cao's face changed a lot after hearing this, the fact is one thing, but saying it out loud is another matter. Cao Cao glanced at Lü Bu with an unchanged expression and coldly snorted at Zhang Miao: "Meng Zhuo, as the governor of Chenliu, how can you have such an unreasonable person under your command? You insist on framing Lü General for the Black Mountain banditry case? Ben Chou has not yet made it clear, how do you know what's right and wrong, get out!"

  Although Cao Cao's words seemed to be excusing Lü Bu, in Qin Xu's opinion, no matter how he listened, it sounded like he was emphasizing that because Yuan Shao was afraid of spreading bad reputation, he forcibly attributed Lü Bu's "merits" to the Black Mountain bandits, putting Lü Bu and the Black Mountain bandits on an equal footing.

  "Do not be angry, General. This old man does not recognize heroes and you should not lower yourself to his level." The one who spoke was an official under Chenliu Governor Zhang Miao, making Zhang extremely embarrassed as he repeatedly explained to Lü Bu.

  "General Lü has conquered the world with his military prowess, but he is lacking in virtue and moral character. His actions are easily misunderstood by others. From now on, when governing Qingzhou, we must be cautious!" Just as Zhang's fire had just been extinguished, a robust man suddenly stood up from among Cao's civil officials. He was over eight feet tall, with a thick and dense beard. Although his words were not eloquent, they carried great authority.

  What's going on?

  A debate with Lü Bu?

  Lü Bu is a fierce warrior!

  The old Cao's generals are surprisingly quiet, how come it's all scholars who speak out and lecture like they're teaching children? Bullying Lü Bu for not having any strategists, huh?

  "This big brother is wrong!" Seeing Lü Bu's face turn iron-green, Cao Cao put on a helpless look and sat back to watch the tiger fight. Zhang Liao's fingers gripping the knife handle turned white. Qin Xu suddenly felt an impulse to speak out for Lü Bu and suddenly opened his mouth.

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