The Chen Clan's Scheme, Old Cao's Melancholy

"Deng'er, are you saying Liu Xuande has some expert assisting him?"

Hearing Chen Deng's conclusion, Chen Gui frowned for a moment and said:

"But he currently holds only a small county; how could he possibly have an expert at his side!"

"This child does not know either!"

Chen Deng shook his head and said:

"However, there are so many capable people and ambitious scholars in the world today. It is not impossible that one or two of them might admire Lord Liu's virtue and go to offer their service!"

"Lord Liu possesses the strategy of a king and hegemon; if he is assisted by a brilliant strategist, he may well achieve a great undertaking!"

Speaking of this, he could not help but sigh, recalling the days he spent assisting Liu Bei.

If only Liu Bei had listened to his counsel more often, who knows where he might be today!

However, Chen Gui clearly did not share this regret. Seeing Chen Deng's analysis, he asked:

"Then can my son deduce what this person is planning?"

He did not care whether Liu Bei had an advisor; he only wanted to know what Liu Bei's schemes were and whether they would affect their own upcoming plans.

But upon hearing this, Chen Deng shook his head once more:

"This child cannot fathom what this person is planning either!"

"Perhaps, just as the letter suggests, it is truly to seize Pei Commandery!"

"But what purpose this letter serves, this child truly cannot comprehend!"

This was the point that puzzled him most: what goal was the person advising Liu Bei trying to achieve with this letter?

He had a feeling that the other party was fishing!

The letter was merely the bait, and Lu Bu was the fish!

As for how Lu Bu would take the bait or how he would be dealt with, he could not imagine.

This at least proved one thing: the person planning for Liu Bei was on a much higher level than he was!

Thinking of this, he said to Chen Gui:

"Father, now that Lord Liu has such a person planning behind the scenes, should we postpone the matter we had envisioned?"

The matter they had envisioned was simple: to present Xuzhou to Cao Cao!

Because Liu Bei had previously been unable to seize Xuzhou, and Cao Cao had welcomed the Emperor back to the east, the father and son had decided to join forces with Cao Cao to eliminate Lu Bu, seeing how he was throwing the situation in Xuzhou into ever-greater chaos!

This was also the reason why Chen Gui had hurriedly tried to dissuade Lu Bu the moment he heard he intended to form an alliance with Yuan Shu.

But now, he suddenly discovered that Liu Bei seemed to have the intention of making a comeback, and a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart.

To be honest, compared to Cao Cao, Chen Deng still hoped for Liu Bei to become the master of Xuzhou!

If Liu Bei were incompetent, he would have nothing to say.

But if Liu Bei were capable, then rather than presenting Xuzhou to a former enemy, it would be better to present it to a former lord!

It was a pity that although he possessed strategy, family matters still required his old father's decision.

To whom Xuzhou would be presented still depended on Chen Gui's attitude!

Within his line of sight, he saw Chen Gui stroking his beard and frowning:

"I know my son's heart is set on Liu Xuande, and in truth, this old man also thinks highly of him!"

"If this man could become the master of Xuzhou, it would be a blessing for the people."

"However, Liu Bei currently occupies only a small county; even if he takes Pei Commandery, it will be difficult to retake Xuzhou."

"On the contrary, Lord Cao sits like a tiger in Yanzhou and can accomplish great things!"

"Though Liu Bei is closer, he lacks the strength of Lord Cao. Even if we welcome Liu Bei, he may not be able to hold Xuzhou securely!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Deng hurriedly advised:

"Father, one must not look only at the surface. If Lord Liu truly has a good advisor, he may well be able to contend with Lord Cao in the future!"

"In the future? In three years, or five?"

Chen Gui looked at Chen Deng and said sternly:

"If we wait three or five years, Liu Bei might rise, but Lord Cao will likely have already conquered Xuzhou!"

"By then, Lord Cao will already possess this land; how are we to present it to him?"

"Yuanlong, you must understand: Lord Cao now holds the imperial court. Our family has lived off the Han salary for generations; we must prioritize the court!"

"How can we ruin the great affairs of the state for the sake of personal wishes?"

Seeing this, Chen Deng could only sigh slightly and say:

"Father, please calm your anger. It is this child's fault; state affairs must indeed come first!"

In this era, family interests often far outweighed personal gains; what else could he do!

But seeing Chen Deng's dejected appearance, Chen Gui knew he had spoken too harshly, so he patted Chen Deng on the shoulder and said:

"As your father, I am not being harsh with you; if you must blame someone, blame Liu Xuande for failing to seize the opportunity."

"The current situation is as it is; it is not something we can control!"

"However, if Liu Bei can truly rise to power, it would not be unacceptable for us to offer him Xuzhou!"

"The current priority is to establish contact with Lord Cao first. As for how Liu Bei fares, we shall wait and see."

"Yuanlong, remember to keep the state and family in mind; do not act on impulse!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Deng realized the reality of the situation and could only bow his hands, saying:

"Father, rest assured; your son will always prioritize the state and family!"

"To have a son such as you, this father is deeply gratified!"

Chen Gui nodded with satisfaction and said:

"Go and prepare yourself. Lu Bu has issued an order for you to serve as an envoy to Xuchang; you may depart this very day!"

"Your son obeys!"

Suppressing the impulse in his heart, Chen Deng retreated from the hall.

That night, Lu Bu dispatched troops to pursue the messengers of Yuan Shu, slaughtering the entire party and leaving only Han Yin to be cast into prison.

Early the next morning, under the guise of expressing gratitude, Lu Bu sent Chen Deng as an envoy to escort Han Yin back to Xuchang alongside the imperial messengers.

After traveling for over a month, they finally arrived at the borders of Xuchang.

Meanwhile, inside the Office of the Excellency of Works in Xuchang, Old Cao sat upon his couch, eating his meal while listening to reports from Xun Yu and Guo Jia.

Though Old Cao had a wealth of talent at his disposal, the matters he had to handle daily were quite numerous.

Fortunately, with Xun Yu, the Prefect of the Masters of Writing, to help him manage the major affairs, all Old Cao had to do was listen to Xun Yu's summary and then point out the general direction.

Xun Yu stood by the couch, looking at the silk scroll in his hand, and said:

"My Lord, since our army began the agricultural colonies, our funds and grain have become increasingly abundant over the past two years. Although we suffered significant losses in the campaign against Wan City, we have already recruited replacements. In just a few months, our army will be ready to fight again!"

Cao Cao ate his millet, nodded, and remained silent.

Seeing this, Xun Yu continued:

"Furthermore, there is the matter of Guanzhong. Ever since we welcomed the Emperor back, Li Jue and the others have been locked in constant infighting. They have attempted to invade our Luoyang several times, but have been blocked by General Xiahou each time!"

"If the current trend continues, we will be able to pacify the regions of Guanzhong and wipe out Li Jue and his ilk by next year at the latest."

Hearing this, Cao Cao paused with his chopsticks and asked in confusion:

"How many troops are even in Luoyang? How could they possibly pacify Guanzhong?"

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu smiled and said:

"Has my Lord forgotten? Last year, when we welcomed the Emperor, our military advisor—no, Zixuan—advised us to use refugees to implement the agricultural colonies. The troops stationed in Luoyang are all half-soldier, half-farmer. Thanks to the relief efforts last year, they are already self-sufficient this year."

"We only need to wait for this year's autumn harvest, and by next year, they will have the strength to advance without the need for our main force's assistance."

He had started this sentence with a smile, but halfway through, he could not continue.

For Old Cao had already set down his chopsticks, looking listless and dejected.

Seeing this, Xun Yu could only sigh:

"My Lord is thinking of Zixuan again!"

Cao Cao did not hide it; he looked at the food on the table and sighed:

"How could I not think of him? Though Zixuan has departed, he is still helping me!"

"This single policy of agricultural colonies and managing the people has saved us so much effort!"

"If not for Zixuan's military and political strategies, how could we have continued to wage war?"

He did not know the grand trends of history, but he knew that without Qin Tian, his current situation would be dire—he would hardly have the heart to eat a meal here!

Thinking this, Old Cao looked at Guo Jia and asked:

"Fengxiao, have you found any trace of Zixuan?"

Facing Old Cao's inquiry, Guo Jia shook his head:

"I have found no trace of Zixuan. I beg my Lord's forgiveness!"

Cao Cao sighed once more:

"What fault is there for you, Fengxiao? You have only been in your post for a few months; to have achieved such results is already enough. If there is any fault, it is mine alone!"

There are some people whose true importance is only realized once they are lost.

To say nothing else, the influence of Qin Tian had already permeated every corner of their army.

Take today's conversation: the agricultural colonies were first proposed by Qin Tian.

Long ago, when he had just defeated the Yellow Turbans, Qin Tian had suggested the colonies and recommended Ren Jun and Zao Zhi to oversee the matter.

It was because of these colonies that he had such well-equipped troops and ample grain today.

It was also Qin Tian who had predicted the drought in Guanzhong in advance, successfully saving a massive number of refugees to populate Luoyang.

This was the reason for the excellent situation he currently enjoyed in Luoyang.

Even the intelligence agency currently managed by Guo Jia had been established single-handedly by Qin Tian!

Even with Guo Jia's extraordinary talent, he could not master Qin Tian's intelligence system in such a short time.

If he could, he truly wanted to forget Qin Tian, but he simply could not!

Every time he thought of his previous attitude toward Qin Tian, he wanted to slap himself.

How could he have become so arrogant!

How could he have thought that he would be fine without Qin Tian!

It was just a few mistakes on his part; he should have just admitted them!

That damn pride of his!

Therefore, Old Cao had no other thoughts now; he just wanted to find Qin Tian first. If he wanted money, he would give money; if he wanted people, he would give people!

Since Qin Tian didn't have a son yet, he would even be willing to marry off his own daughter as a concubine, as long as Qin Tian could return!

Thinking this, Cao Cao looked up at Guo Jia and said:

"Fengxiao, although searching for Zixuan is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"I still hope you will put in the effort."

"However, if you find any traces this time, do not alert him; you must inform me first!"

"I owe Zixuan too much, and I must go to him personally to admit my faults!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia nodded quickly in agreement:

"Rest assured, my lord. Once this humble one learns of Zixuan's whereabouts, I will certainly inform you!"

It wasn't just Cao Cao who wanted Qin Tian back; he wanted him back too!

He was naturally carefree by nature, and now that he had taken over this intelligence organization, he found it incredibly headache-inducing.

If Qin Tian returned, he would definitely dump all this work back onto him!

Meanwhile, Xun Yu watched Cao Cao's expression, feeling somewhat hesitant in his heart.

In truth, he knew a thing or two about Qin Tian's whereabouts.

After all, before Qin Tian left, Xu Shu had mentioned wanting to join Liu Bei, so it was possible that Qin Tian had also joined Liu Bei's ranks.

But the problem now was that Liu Bei and Cao Cao had a good relationship, and both were figures dedicated to restoring the Han Dynasty; he did not want to cause resentment between the two.

Furthermore, Qin Tian had been so forthright before leaving precisely because he trusted Xun Yu's character.

If he told Cao Cao now, it would be an act of disloyalty toward Qin Tian.

Yet, keeping it bottled up while watching Old Cao like this made him feel uneasy as well.

Moreover, if Qin Tian had indeed defected to Liu Bei, it would not be good news for them either.

Thus, he found himself caught in a dilemma.

However, national affairs were ultimately paramount. After thinking for a moment, Xun Yu stepped forward, about to cup his hands in salute, when he saw a minor official walking over quickly:

"Lord Cao, Chen Deng, the envoy of Lu Bu, has arrived!"

With this interruption, Xun Yu did not speak, but Guo Jia said joyfully:

"My lord, Chen Yuanlong is a famous scholar of Xuzhou with the talent to save the world; we must not neglect him!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao nodded and smiled:

"I have long heard of Chen Yuanlong's name and have been eager to meet him. Since he has come today, we should welcome him!"

Having said that, he happily got off his bed, put on his shoes, and prepared to head out.

But just as he reached the door, he turned back and said:

"Wenruo, it seemed you had something to say just now?"

Seeing the smile on Cao Cao's face, Xun Yu shook his head and smiled:

"It is nothing of great importance. Lord Cao should prioritize talent!"

"Indeed, one must prioritize talent!"

Cao Cao laughed and stepped out.

Seeing this, Guo Jia hurriedly followed, saying to Xun Yu:

"Wenruo, come along quickly!"

Watching their retreating figures, Xun Yu could not help but sigh:

"How many extraordinary talents are there in the world? Is it really just Qin Zixuan who is missing?"

Perhaps the current situation was the best arrangement after all; why should he force it?

With that thought, he followed in Cao Cao's footsteps.