Volume 2: The Cao Family's Swindling Group Chapter 1: The Young Master of Qiao Country

  Time: The late Eastern Han Dynasty, the eunuchs held power, politics were corrupt, and natural disasters continued. In the first year of Zhongping in the reign of Emperor Ling of Han (AD 184), the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, marking the beginning of nearly a century of war!

  In AD 184, the leaders of the Taiping Taoist sect, Zhang Jue and his brothers Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, led their followers in a rebellion known as the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which quickly gained millions of followers and sparked a nationwide war. Emperor Ling of Han sent Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun to lead the central army to suppress the rebels, while also ordering local governments and powerful landowners to recruit troops to assist.

  As bandits and rebels emerged in various places, the central army of the Han Dynasty was exhausted. In 188 AD, Emperor Ling of Han adopted Liu Yan's suggestion to grant the governors responsible for supervising each prefecture concurrent military and administrative powers to strengthen control over each prefecture. Some governors were also promoted to state shepherds, who were held by members of the imperial clan or high-ranking officials with the surname Liu.

  This measure made the province officially become a first-level administrative region, although it was beneficial to suppress local rebellions, but after the imperial court had internal strife, the provincial governors and prefects who controlled local power successively became independent and no longer obeyed the imperial court.

  For example, Liu Yan, the governor of Yi Province, in order to occupy Ba and Shu, borrowed from Zhang Lu, the leader of the Five Grains Tao, occupying Hanzhong, cutting off relations with the court in Guanzhong. The provincial system established by the Eastern Han Dynasty to solve the Yellow Turban Rebellion, under the continuous weakening of the court, actually opened up a situation where heroes occupied various regions.

  Location: Yuzhou Qiao State Qiao County (now Bozhou City, Anhui Province)

  "Xǔ Chu! You've made another mistake! Be careful, Master will punish you! And... hurry up to class!", "Haha...", the people in the county town teased him. Since Xu Chu defended here after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he has been quite esteemed by the people;

  A tall and strong man who could play basketball slapped his forehead, exclaimed "Oh no!", and then ran away quickly!

  Chinese name: Xu Chu; courtesy name: Zhongkang; Nationality: Great Wei; Ethnicity: Han; Birthplace: Qiao State, Qiao

  Occupation: General of the Imperial Guard; Main achievements: Saved Cao Cao at Wei River, intimidated Ma Chao; Honors: Marquis of Guannei, Marquis of Wansui Pavilion, Marquis of Mouxiang.

  Posthumous title: Zhuang Hou; Nickname: Hu Chi, Hu Hou; Appearance: Over eight feet tall, waist circumference over ten, majestic and heroic appearance.

  Xu Chu, a famous figure from Qiao County in Pei State, was not known for anything else. This young man had extraordinary martial skills. Two years ago, when fighting against the remnants of the Yellow Turbans (Ge Bei bandits), he used stones to attack the enemy after running out of arrows. Later, when food was scarce, he pretended to make peace with the bandits and exchanged a cow for grain. However, when the cow suddenly ran wildly in the opposite direction, Xu Chu held onto it and walked over 100 steps in that direction. From then on, people in the Huai and Ru regions would tremble with fear at the mention of Xu Chu's name.

  At this time, Xu Chu was still young, in his early twenties, but he was exceptionally brave and had a quick temper. He was notorious for causing trouble even within the Xu family clan. As a result, Xu's father and old master invited a tutor to teach him, while Xu himself muttered that with his wooden brain, he could learn nothing!

  That gentleman fled here three years ago due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, bringing his elderly mother with him. He taught children and young people of the Xu clan, including the older child Xu Zhu. The normally bold and reckless Xu Zhu would behave like a mouse seeing a cat whenever he saw him.

  Everyone knows the name of Xu Zhongkang's bravery, but they don't know that it was this teacher who led them to defeat the enemy with difficulty. He had a hundred plans and could do anything! First, he advised the Xushi clan to abandon their hometown and occupy the county seat of Yuzhou, which the county magistrate had fled from, and then relied on the strong walls of the town and the bravery of the Xushi clan's warriors to defeat the enemy who outnumbered them several times.

  "Class is in session!", a stern voice came from outside the lecture hall of the Xu family clan, the class monitor led: "Attention!", the students chorused: "Good morning, teacher!!!"

  A man walked out of the gate, seven feet eight inches tall, with a unique and elegant demeanor. Those who saw him sighed and said: " Refreshing and clear, dignified and upright." He was as calm as the wind under the pine trees, tall and slow-paced. Outstanding like a wild crane among chickens.

  He stands out from the crowd. He is seven feet eight inches tall, with a beautiful appearance and elegant demeanor, but his rustic and unadorned manner makes people think he has the bearing of a dragon or phoenix, naturally endowed by heaven; he is seven feet eight inches tall, with a majestic appearance, rustic and unadorned, yet having the bearing of a dragon or phoenix, naturally endowed by heaven. As soon as he appears in a group, he knows he is an extraordinary person; when among people, he stands out like a solitary pine tree; when drunk, he sways precariously like Jade Mountain on the verge of collapse.

  Li Yu, also known as Huai De; Nationality: People's Republic of China; Ethnicity: Han Chinese; Age: 24 years old, Birthplace: Originally from Jilin, now a resident of Qiao County; Occupation: Formerly a dimension traveler, currently a teacher at the Xu family clan school.

  "Now roll call starts! Xu Zhi... Xu Chu! Xu Chu!", a series of "present" ended, but Xu Chu didn't respond. Li Yu looked around and indeed couldn't find him, suddenly his heart was on fire! He let out an angry roar: "Xu Chu!——"

  The Xus are best at producing men who are over eight feet tall and have waists of over four feet, with robust physiques. The little guys sitting in the classroom below, although only ten or twenty years old, were more than a head taller than Li Yu, blocking his line of sight, so he didn't see the students he used to like to tease the most.

  Everyone shrank their necks and began to mourn for Xu Chu in their hearts. Although this teacher, who was only a few years older than them and looked very handsome, was smaller in stature than them, they were extremely afraid of him. One reason was his gale-force reprimands during political classes; another was his slapping of the blackboard! Under these two magical moves, even Xu Chu, the eldest of the younger generation of the Xu family, was defeated and surrendered meekly.

  As a young and promising post-80s teacher, after inexplicably arriving in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, he felt a great sense of pressure! The problems of food, drink, and housing were all greatly troubling him. For this reason, Comrade Li Yu, who was determined to change his circumstances, decided to return to his old profession for himself and also for his elderly mother who had been working hard for years.

  The Xu family, although not large, with only over a thousand people, is nothing compared to those big families with tens of thousands of people. However, in this generation of Qiao State and Qiao County, it is extremely famous for being difficult to get along with. This family is full of good fighters, so when Old Man Xu posted the "Recruitment Notice", no one dared to apply. Brave Li Yucheng became the first person to dare to take on the challenge, and he even managed to conquer them thoroughly!

  "Old... teacher... I'm here!", panted Xu Chu, clinging to the door panel, his face flushed with exhaustion, and said in a breathless tone. The famous general Xu Chu was still young and vigorous!

  "Hmph, hmph, hmph...", a snorting sound echoed softly, followed by a loud shout that reverberated throughout the school: "Xu Chu! You dare to drink wine! And you still dare to be late! I'll punish you!"

  "Smack! Smack! Smack! Speak! Dare you not to anymore!", Li Yu's face filled with anger, completely disregarding the future infamous General Xu Zhu's dignity, his three-foot-long ruler continuously striking Xu Zhu's palm!

  "I won't dare! Teacher, I swear to change next time!", Xǔ Chu, with his thick skin and flesh, didn't mind the pain in his hand at all. In fact, it wasn't even that painful, but he still pretended to be in a lot of pain. What could you do? If you dared to pretend that it didn't hurt, you'd be out of luck! This teacher with many evil ideas would find ways to torture you!

  Looking at Xuchu's serious face, Li Yu was even more furious: "You've said this sentence so many times! Can't you change it?! You're really getting on my nerves! Face the wall for a day! Copy books for 1,000 words!" "Ah??" Xuchu looked embarrassed, if he were to fight or get into a brawl, that would be no problem, but if he had to write, with his hands as clumsy as wooden sticks, it was really not his thing.

  "Huh? You dare to haggle with me?", Li Yu scowled, looking as if he wanted to swallow Xu Chu whole, "Ahh! Haha! I don't dare, I don't dare!..."

  After dealing with Xu Zhu, Li Yu put on a smiling face: "Now we start this lesson, this lesson mainly talks about the Spring and Autumn period..."

  "In the year 188 AD! The chaotic era is about to begin! Heroes and talents will emerge, I wonder if I can leave a brilliant mark?

  After dinner, Li Yu lazily lay on the reclining chair outside his house, silently thinking in his heart; the reclining chair was made by someone he entrusted, and this thing quickly became popular throughout the Great Han Dynasty, which made Li Yu sigh, what a world without patents! Being infringed upon doesn't even have a say!"

  Fortunately, the far-sighted businessman, after making a lot of profit, had a conscience and sent Li Yu a large sum of money, which prevented a certain man who was envious, jealous and resentful from continuing to entangle himself in this matter.

  "Be careful, it's cold outside! Take care not to catch a chill!" A kind voice came from inside the house, followed by an elderly woman with a benevolent face. This was Li Yu's mother, Cao Shi. She was a selfless and hardworking mother who had raised Li Yu on her own. Three years ago, the soul of another person named Li Yu had transmigrated into his body.

  "Don't worry, Mother, everything is fine!" With a smile, Li Yu took the quilt from Cao's hands and helped her sit down. Ancient women, especially those who had suffered greatly, often aged very quickly. Cao was no exception; in her early forties, she looked like a woman over fifty. This filled Li Yu with compassion.

  Time is taking its toll on him, and he has the heart but not the strength to do more. He can only try his best to make life a little better for Cao's family. Now teaching in the Xushi clan school, with food and lodging provided, and a monthly allowance of one tael of silver, it's considered good treatment. Plus, his pirated invention of the rocking chair has also increased his income considerably. He can now consider himself as having fulfilled some filial duty to Cao's family without them having to work themselves.

  Li Yu never fantasized about being a big shot, recruiting soldiers and horses to compete for the world. That's completely brain-dead behavior. In the Han Dynasty era, no one with a good family background could even become an official; take the three biggest BOOS of the Three Kingdoms, for example!

  Liu Bei at least had the sign of a Han imperial relative, regardless of whether it was true or not, at least he had an orthodox identity; Cao Cao was originally a member of the Xiahou family, adopted by the Cao family, with two big clans supporting him, although his ancestors were criticized for being eunuchs; As for Sun Quan, didn't you see how his father and brothers struggled for three generations? That's a tragic history!

  It can be seen that the road to emperor for grassroots is impossible, and Li Yu also knows that he does not have that quality, and later he cannot avoid a tragic end. Depending on a big tree is a good way, as the saying goes: it's cool under a big tree!

  To make a move, you must also consider the three major BOOS, others are not allowed, because - history says so!

  Firstly, Liu Bei is not considered, although he succeeded in the end, but at the beginning, he was tragic and did not match Li Yu's current situation. Moreover, he still had to bring his elderly mother, and Liu Bei, who could abandon his wife and children, made people feel uneasy.

  Secondly, Sun Quan, now he is still a kid, then it's his father Sun Jian! The Jiangdong region is even more difficult to mix in, with many aristocratic families standing tall, and the common people have no foothold at all. Just like when Sun Ce was dying, he told Sun Quan: "For external matters, consult Zhou Yu; for internal matters, consult Zhang Zhao!" What does this mean? When war breaks out, having Zhou Yu is no problem, but when internal stability is threatened, find Zhang Zhao. It's not because Zhang Zhao has a lot of talent! But because the Zhang family he belongs to is the leader of the six counties in Jiangdong!

  So the final choice is Cao Cao, a figure with many controversies. Some people say he is treacherous, cruel, a villain and a rebel... But one thing that cannot be denied is that among all the lords, he is the only one who can appoint officials based on their talents rather than their family background!

  Li Yu had long made up his mind and was waiting for an opportunity, now! The time has come! The chance is here!