Old Cao Won't Listen to Reason, So I'm Leaving?

The second year of the Jian'an Era, also known as 197 AD, the first month.

At that time, the world was in great chaos, and the Han Dynasty had fallen into a war between various warlords.

In the north, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan were locked in a fierce struggle.

In the south, Jing Province had just been pacified, while Sun Ce had broken away from Yuan Shu, sweeping across Jiangdong and carving out a territory in Jiangnan.

In the east, Lu Bu occupied Xuzhou, eyeing every direction like a tiger.

Cao Cao was situated in the Central Plains; although he had welcomed the Han Emperor, he was surrounded by powerful enemies, so he raised a large army to march south and campaign against Zhang Xiu.

Zhang Xiu led his forces to surrender, which pleased Cao Cao greatly. He stationed his troops at the Yu River, rewarded Zhang Xiu's generals, and took Lady Zou, the widow of Zhang Ji, as his own, enjoying a moment of unparalleled prestige.

At this time, on the banks of the Yu River, at the Cao army's main camp.

A scholar stood outside the main tent, his hands clasped behind his back.

He was nearly eight feet tall, his hair tied up, with sword-like brows and bright eyes, a face as if carved by a blade, and a cold, stern expression.

Standing before him was Dian Wei, the guard outside Cao Cao's camp. He was nine feet tall and exceptionally burly, standing in direct opposition to the scholar.

Seeing that the scholar would not leave, Dian Wei could not help but frown and say:

"Military Advisor, you might as well return to your quarters to rest. The Lord is already angry; if you do not leave now, I fear the Lord will punish you!"

Hearing this, the scholar simply stepped past Dian Wei and shouted toward the inside of the tent:

"The affairs of the state are paramount. Lord Cao has just welcomed the Emperor, yet he is so arrogant and obsessed with wine and women. Have you forgotten the fate of Dong Zhongying in the past?"

After this shout, there was no sound from within the tent.

Watching this scene, Dian Wei sighed slightly and said:

"If Zixuan would listen to a word from me, please withdraw quickly!"

"The Lord has been quite dissatisfied with your behavior these past few days. If you continue like this today, I fear he will hold you accountable!"

Zixuan was the courtesy name of the young man, whose real name was Qin Tian, and he served as a Military Advisor and Colonel of the Household under Cao Cao.

Facing Dian Wei's persuasion, Qin Tian frowned and said:

"The current situation is of the utmost urgency. If Lord Cao will not see me, what is to be done?"

Dian Wei could only suggest:

"The Military Advisor always says it is of the utmost urgency, yet refuses to speak in detail."

"Lord Cao is naturally suspicious; how could he believe your words?"

"Why not tell me the details, and I will relay them to the Lord? If the Lord is willing to see you, I will send word to you then, how about that?"

Qin Tian shook his head upon hearing this:

"This cannot be spoken of now; it must be opened by Lord Cao himself! Otherwise, a great disaster will befall us!"

"But if the Lord will not see you, what can be done?"

Dian Wei grew somewhat impatient:

"Sir, you had better go back. Given the current situation, the Lord will certainly not see you!"

Seeing Dian Wei's expression, Qin Tian sighed again, took a piece of cloth from his bosom, and said:

"Very well. Since he will not see me, you must help me deliver this letter into the tent."

"If Lord Cao reads it and still refuses to see me, then I, Tian, will have no face to come here again!"

With that, he handed the cloth to Dian Wei and walked away, looking somewhat dazed.

Watching Qin Tian's dejected figure, Dian Wei shook his head and sighed.

But just then, a voice of great authority rang out:

"Qin Zixuan, did you just say that I am Dong Zhuo?"

Qin Tian heard this, turned around, and saw a middle-aged man of medium height walking out of the tent barefoot.

He wore only a single layer of clothing, with a square face and a wide mouth, long, narrow eyebrows, and a long beard reaching his chest. It was none other than Cao Cao, Cao Mengde.

In the cold wind, he stood tall and straight, exuding great authority.

Seeing Cao Cao emerge, Qin Tian was not afraid in the slightest and turned back to say:

"Lord Cao, that is incorrect. Dong Zhuo was a traitor to the state!"

"Lord Cao is working to restore the Han Dynasty, so you should not be compared to a traitor, but your current actions are far worse."

"Although Dong Zhuo was chaotic, he still listened to the words of Li Ru. Now, Lord Cao takes another man's wife and daughter, knowing only of lewd pleasure all day long while casting state affairs to the back of his mind. How is this any different from Dong Zhuo in Meiwu?"

Hearing this, a cold light flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, and he said in a deep voice:

"Qin Zixuan, if anyone else dared to say such things to disrupt my army's morale, I would certainly eliminate them!"

"But considering your many years of meritorious service, I will not kill you!"

"Return to your camp immediately, or I will certainly not spare you today!"

Seeing the cold glint in Cao Cao's eyes, Qin Tian felt a wave of disappointment. He had served Cao Cao for seven years since the coalition of the lords.

Yet now, Cao Cao treated him with such cold indifference.

Was it because he was from a humble background? Or because he was not of the Cao clan?

At this thought, he closed his eyes in despair.

"Does Lord Cao truly refuse to hear my words?"

Cao Cao looked at the expression on his face and felt a pang of reluctance, but his face remained cold as he spoke.

"If you have sound advice, I shall listen, but if you offend me again, I will not show mercy!"

Hearing this, Qin Tian opened his eyes.

"If I speak now, Lord Cao may not listen. Very well, since Lord Cao does not wish to see me, I shall take my leave!"

"However, I have one thing to tell you: Zhang Xiu will surely rebel tonight. Lord Cao, take care of yourself!"

With that, he turned and walked toward his own tent.

Hearing this, Cao Cao's face twisted with hatred, and he roared in anger.

"Qin Zixuan, you repeatedly disrupt the morale of my army! That I do not kill you today is a testament to my own virtue!"

"Do not rely on your talent to be arrogant. Do you truly think Cao Mengde cannot function without you?"

But no matter how he shouted, Qin Tian did not look back.

Seeing this, Dian Wei stepped forward to mediate.

"My Lord, Zixuan's words have never once been wrong. If he says Zhang Xiu will rebel, he must have his reasons!"

"Even you speak for him?"

Cao Cao glared at Dian Wei with his tiger-like eyes.

"Zhang Xiu has already surrendered, and his troops are all under my command. How could he rebel?"

"To say such things now—Zhang Xiu is a surrendered general, how could he not be afraid? If he were to rebel, it would only be because he was forced into a corner!"

As he spoke, he looked toward Qin Tian's retreating back.

"This boy is merely a man of humble origins. Had I not taken him in, he would have died in the chaos of war long ago!"

"At first, because of his humility, I treated him with kindness, rewarding him with beautiful wives and constant gifts."

"But now he is arrogant and relies on his talent to repeatedly offend me. If I tolerate him for a few more years, I fear I shall have no place left to stand!"

"Do not concern yourself with him; I know what I am doing!"

With that, Cao Cao flicked his sleeves and strode into his tent.

Dian Wei sighed inwardly. Cao Cao's words seemed directed at him, but were they not also an attempt to convince himself?

As his personal guard, he understood Cao Cao too well.

Cao Cao was a man of such temperament; he usually valued the virtuous and did not care for empty formalities.

But once it involved the struggle for power, he became suspicious by nature.

The reason he refused to listen to Qin Tian was not merely because he disliked being offended, but because he feared that Qin Tian's achievements overshadowed his own!

Yet, it was understandable. Since the campaign against Dong Zhuo, every word Qin Tian spoke had proven true; the world called him a talent of the Qilin.

But for Cao Cao, this was difficult to bear.

Qin Tian's strategic brilliance was terrifying. He had said Cao Cao would be defeated if he pursued, and Cao Cao had nearly failed to return.

He said Liu Dai would die, and Liu Dai had indeed fallen in battle!

He said the Yellow Turbans would surrender, and he had truly brought a million of them to heel!

When Lu Bu launched a sneak attack on Yanzhou, it was Qin Tian who single-handedly held the home base for Cao Cao.

For seven full years, whenever the two disagreed, the result was always that Qin Tian was right and Cao Cao was wrong.

If another lord lacked military strategy, it might be tolerable.

But Cao Cao was also a man of great wisdom and grand ambition.

He could not possibly be inferior to his own subordinate.

Qin Tian was a freak of nature, his abilities terrifyingly high; whether in governing the army or the people, he was a master.

His prestige among the soldiers and the people was immense!

Previously, there had at least been Xi Zhicai to share the spotlight, which gave Cao Cao some comfort.

But following Xi Zhicai's death last year, Cao Cao grew increasingly wary of Qin Tian.

Qin Tian's past actions also fueled Cao Cao's suspicions. Take the Battle of Xuzhou, for instance: when the Cao army wanted to slaughter the city, Qin Tian had pleaded desperately, saving countless lives.

In the eyes of the people, Cao Cao became the villain, and Qin Tian the hero.

The question then arose: what was a strategist doing, gathering so much popular support?

Likewise, Qin Tian governed the army with extreme strictness; even Cao Hong had nearly been imprisoned by him for corruption. Because of this, all the generals both respected and feared him, saying the strategist possessed the air of an ancient commander.

As a strategist, what are you trying to achieve by holding such high prestige among the generals?

All of these things filled Cao Cao with fear.

It could be said that it was not that Cao Cao did not trust Qin Tian, but that he could not and dared not trust him.

If his words were proven right once again, Old Cao would have to start doubting his own abilities.

Therefore, Dian Wei understood Cao Cao's state of mind very well.

However, he had seen everything that just transpired, including the disappointment in Qin Tian's eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he said:

"My Lord, the strategist just spoke of leaving. If he truly departs, how shall we handle it?"

After these words were spoken, the tent fell into silence. It was a long time before Cao Cao replied:

"If he wants to leave, let him go. I refuse to believe that without Qin Zixuan, I, Cao Cao, am destined to become a stray dog."

Following this petulant remark, the sound of Lady Zou's zither rose once more within the tent.

It was mournful and desolate, stirring an involuntary sense of sorrow in the heart.