Go, Give That Wang Fellow a Chance

Things were different now. In the past, what position one could obtain depended on the struggles at court. But now, with Dong Zhuo having usurped power and the court's prestige greatly diminished, anyone with enough strength and fame could simply submit a memorial requesting an appointment. More extreme still, one could appoint oneself. In the end, it all came down to hard power.

The position of Inspector of Yanzhou was certainly highly coveted. Zhang Miao had always harbored ambitions of advancing further. At the very least, he felt that, as one of the Eight Chefs and a renowned scholar of the realm, he had both the qualifications and the ability to occupy that position.

Indeed, he eventually did so. With Chen Gong's help, he joined forces with Lu Bu and ruthlessly betrayed his childhood friend Cao Cao—the Cao Cao who, before setting out on campaign, had entrusted his entire family to Zhang Miao; the Cao Cao who trusted Zhang Miao the most.

Zhang Miao and Cao Cao had been exceptionally close. After Cao Cao was defeated by Xu Rong while pursuing Dong Zhuo, Zhang Miao handed over all the troops under his command to Cao Cao, giving him a chance to rise again. When Yuan Shao wanted to kill Zhang Miao, Cao Cao had refused to yield even at the cost of his life and protected him. When Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, he had specifically left word for his family: "If I do not return, go to Meng Zhuo."

Their relationship was clear from this. Yet despite all that, Chen Gong had merely egged Zhang Miao on, and Zhang Miao had dealt Cao Cao a vicious blow, nearly getting Old Cao killed outright. There might well have been an element of Zhang Miao's betrayal behind Cao Cao's later descent into