"Deng'er, you said Liu Xuande had a great talent assisting him?"
Hearing Chen Deng's conclusion, Chen Gui furrowed his brow.
"But he only has a small county now. How could he have a great talent assisting him?"
"Your son doesn't know either!"
Chen Deng shook his head.
"Still, there are so many capable and ambitious people in the world today. Perhaps one or two admire Lord Xuande's virtue and have gone to join him. It's not impossible!"
"Lord Xuande has the strategy of a king and a hegemon. With an extraordinary talent at his side, he might yet accomplish great things!"
As he spoke, he couldn't help sighing, remembering the days when he had assisted Liu Bei.
If only Liu Bei had listened to his advice more often, who knew where he might have gotten by now!
Chen Gui, however, clearly didn't share Chen Deng's regret. Seeing how Chen Deng had analyzed the matter, he asked:
"Then can my son guess what this person is planning?"
He didn't care whether Liu Bei had someone assisting him. He only wanted to know what Liu Bei might be planning, and whether it could affect their next steps.
But hearing this, Chen Deng shook his head again.
"Your son can't figure out what this person is planning either!"
"Perhaps, just as the letter says, he really is trying to seize Pei Commandery!"
"But what purpose does this letter serve? Your son truly can't understand!"
That was what puzzled him most. What was the person advising Liu Bei trying to accomplish with this letter?
He had a feeling the other party was fishing!
The letter was just bait, and Lu Bu was the fish!
As for how Lu Bu would take the bait, or what would happen to him afterward, Chen Deng couldn't begin to imagine.
At the very least, it showed that the person advising Liu Bei was far more formidable than he was!
Thinking this, he said to Chen Gui:
"Father, now that Liu Shijun has someone like this plotting behind him, should we put our plans on hold?"
Their plan was simple: offer Xuzhou to Cao Cao!
Since Liu Bei had previously been unable to take Xuzhou, and Cao Cao had welcomed the emperor back east, the two had watched Lu Bu plunge Xuzhou into ever greater chaos. After discussing it, they had decided to join forces with Cao Cao to eliminate Lu Bu!
That was also why Chen Gui had hurried to dissuade Lu Bu as soon as he heard that Lu Bu intended to ally with Yuan Shu.
But now, he had suddenly realized that Liu Bei seemed ready to rise again, and a spark of hope had kindled in his heart.
To be honest, compared to Cao Cao, Chen Deng would rather see Liu Bei take charge of Xuzhou!
If Liu Bei proved useless, he would have nothing to say.
But if Liu Bei proved worthy, then rather than offer Xuzhou to a former enemy, they might as well offer it to their former lord!
Unfortunately, though he had strategic ability, matters concerning the family still had to be decided by his father.
Who they offered Xuzhou to depended on Chen Gui's stance!
In his view, Chen Gui stroked his beard and furrowed his brow.
"I know my son still thinks fondly of Liu Xuande. Truth be told, I also think highly of him!"
"If he could become the ruler of Xuzhou, it would be a blessing for the people."
"But Liu Bei is only settled in a small county now. Even if he takes Pei Commandery, it will still be difficult for him to retake Xuzhou."
"Cao Cao, on the other hand, sits like a tiger in Yanzhou and can accomplish great things!"
"Liu Bei is closer, but he lacks Cao Cao's strength. Even if we welcome Liu Bei, he may not be able to hold on to Xuzhou!"
Chen Deng hurried to persuade him.
"Father, we mustn't judge by appearances alone. If Lord Xuande truly has a worthy adviser, he may yet be able to contend with Cao Cao in the future!"
"The future? In three years, or five?"
Chen Gui looked at Chen Deng gravely.
"If we wait three or five years, Liu Bei may well rise. But by then, Cao Cao will probably have already taken Xuzhou!"
"Once Cao Cao has this land, how will we offer it to anyone?"
"Yuanlong, remember: Cao Cao now supports the court, and our family has served the Han Dynasty for generations. We must put the court first!"
"How can we let personal wishes ruin matters of state?"
Chen Deng could only sigh softly.
"Father, please don't be angry. Your son was wrong. We should put matters of state first!"
In this era, a family's interests often outweighed an individual's gains and losses. What could he do?
But seeing Chen Deng's crestfallen expression, Chen Gui realized he had spoken too harshly. He could only pat Chen Deng on the shoulder.
"Your father isn't reproaching you. If anyone is to blame, it's Liu Xuande for failing to seize the opportunity."
"The situation today is beyond our control!"
"But if Liu Bei truly manages to rise, it would be no harm to offer him Xuzhou!"
"The most important thing now is to establish contact with Cao Cao first. As for Liu Bei, we'll wait and see!"
"Yuanlong, keep the family and the state in mind. Don't let your feelings rule your actions!"
Hearing this, Chen Deng knew that reality left them little choice. He cupped his hands.
"Father, rest assured. Your son will put the family and the state first!"
"Good. Your father is greatly comforted by this!"
Chen Gui nodded in satisfaction.
"Go make your preparations. Lu Bu has ordered that you go as an envoy to Xudu. You can set out today!"
"Your son obeys!"
Chen Deng suppressed his impulse for the moment and backed out of the hall.
That night, Lu Bu sent soldiers to catch up with Yuan Shu's envoys. He had the whole group executed, sparing only Han Yin, who was thrown into prison.
Early the next morning, under the pretext of expressing his gratitude, Lu Bu dispatched Chen Deng as an envoy, sending him to escort Han Yin back to Xudu alongside the imperial court's envoys.
After more than a month on the road, they finally reached the borders of Xuchang.
Meanwhile, in Xuchang, at the Office of the Excellency of Works, Old Cao sat on a couch, eating as he listened to Xun Yu and Guo Jia report on various matters.
Though Old Cao had a wealth of talented subordinates, the affairs Cao Cao had to handle every day were still numerous.
Fortunately, Xun Yu, the Director of the Secretariat, helped him manage all the major affairs. Cao Cao only needed to listen to Xun Yu's reports and set the general direction.
Xun Yu stood by the couch, looking at the silk document in his hands.
"My lord, since our army began the tuntian system, our supplies of money and grain have become more abundant over the past two years. Though we lost many soldiers in the campaign against Wan City, we've already recruited replacements. In just a few months, our army will be ready to fight again!"
Cao Cao ate his millet rice and nodded without speaking.
Seeing this, Xun Yu continued:
"There's also the matter of Guanzhong. Ever since our army brought the emperor back, Li Jue and the others have been locked in endless conflict. They've tried several times to attack our forces in Luoyang, but General Xiahou has stopped them every time!"
"Given the current situation, by next year at the latest, our army should be able to recover the lands of Guanzhong and wipe out Li Jue and the others."
Hearing this, Cao Cao stopped his chopsticks and asked in confusion:
"How many troops does Luoyang even have? How can we possibly recover Guanzhong?"
At this, Xun Yu smiled.
"Has my lord forgotten? Last year, when our army brought the emperor back, the military adviser—no, Zixuan—urged us to resettle refugees as farming soldiers. The troops stationed in Luoyang are all half-soldier, half-farmer. After receiving aid last year, they can now provide for themselves."
"Once this year's autumn harvest is over, they'll be able to advance next year without needing help from our main force."
He had been smiling as he spoke, but halfway through, he trailed off.
Cao Cao had already set down his chopsticks, looking dispirited.
Seeing this, Xun Yu could only sigh.
"My lord is thinking of Zixuan again!"
Hearing this, Cao Cao didn't deny it. He looked at the food on the table and sighed.
"How could I not think of him? Even though Zixuan has left, he's still helping me!"
"Just this tuntian system and civil administration alone have saved me an immeasurable amount of trouble!"
"If Zixuan hadn't managed our military and government affairs, how could our army have kept campaigning?"
He didn't know the broad course of history, but he knew that without Qin Tian, his situation would be dire. He wouldn't be sitting here with the appetite to eat!
Thinking this, Old Cao looked at Guo Jia and asked:
"Fengxiao, have you found any trace of Zixuan?"
Facing Old Cao's question, Guo Jia shook his head.
"I haven't found any trace of Zixuan. Please forgive me, my lord!"
Hearing this, Cao Cao sighed again.
"What have you done wrong, Fengxiao? You've only taken over for a few months, and you've already achieved this much. Even if there were mistakes, they would be mine!"
Some people only realized how important someone was after they had lost them.
There wasn't a corner of their army that hadn't been touched by Qin Tian's influence.
Take their conversation today: Qin Tian had been the first to propose tuntian.
Back when he had just defeated the Yellow Turbans, Qin Tian had already advised him to establish farms and recommended Ren Jun and Zao Zhi to oversee the matter.
Thanks to tuntian, he had the well-trained, well-supplied army he had today.
Qin Tian had also predicted the drought in Guanzhong ahead of time, enabling him to save a great many refugees and settle them in Luoyang.
That was how Luoyang had reached its current favorable position.
Even the intelligence network Guo Jia was now in charge of had been built by Qin Tian himself!
Though Guo Jia was brilliant, he couldn't make Qin Tian's intelligence network work in such a short time.
If he could, Cao Cao really wanted to forget Qin Tian. But he couldn't!
Whenever he thought of how he had treated Qin Tian before, he wanted to slap himself.
How had he gotten so full of himself?
How had he thought he could manage just fine without Qin Tian?
So what if he'd made a few more mistakes? He could have just admitted it!
Damn that pride!
Now Old Cao had only one thought: find Qin Tian first. If he wanted money, he'd give him money. If he wanted people, he'd give him people!
Qin Tian didn't even have a son yet. Cao Cao would gladly send his own daughter to him as a concubine, so long as Qin Tian would come back!
Thinking this, Cao Cao looked up at Guo Jia.
"Fengxiao, I know finding Zixuan is like searching for a needle in the ocean."
"But I still hope you'll put in all the effort you can."
"If you find any trace of him this time, don't alert him just yet. You must tell me first!"
"I owe Zixuan a great deal. I must go to him in person and apologize!"
Guo Jia quickly nodded in agreement.
"Rest assured, my lord. As soon as I hear anything about Zixuan, I'll tell you!"
Cao Cao wasn't the only one who wanted Qin Tian back. Guo Jia wanted him back too!
He had always been carefree by nature, and now that he had taken charge of this intelligence organization, he found it a tremendous headache.
If Qin Tian came back, Guo Jia would dump all this work right back on him!
Watching Cao Cao's expression, Xun Yu couldn't help hesitating.
He did know a little about Qin Tian's whereabouts.
After all, before Qin Tian left, Xu Shu had said he would go to Liu Bei. Qin Tian might have joined Liu Bei as well.
But the problem was that Liu Bei and Cao Cao had a good relationship, and both were devoted to restoring the Han Dynasty. Xun Yu didn't want this to sow discord between them.
Besides, Qin Tian had left so openly because he trusted Xun Yu's character.
If he told Cao Cao now, he would be betraying Qin Tian.
But if he kept silent and watched Old Cao like this, it pained him too.
And if Qin Tian had joined Liu Bei, that would hardly be good news for them either.
For a moment, Xun Yu found himself caught between two difficult choices.
But ultimately, affairs of state came first. After thinking it over for a while, Xun Yu stepped forward and was just about to cup his hands when a minor official hurried in.
"Lord Cao, Lu Bu's envoy, Chen Deng, has arrived!"
The interruption left Xun Yu silent, but Guo Jia spoke up cheerfully.
"My lord, Chen Yuanlong is a renowned scholar of Xuzhou with the talent to save the world. We mustn't slight him!"
Hearing this, Cao Cao nodded with a smile.
"I've long heard of Chen Yuanlong and have wished to meet him. Since he's here today, we ought to welcome him!"
With that, he happily climbed down from the couch, put on his shoes, and prepared to go out.
But just as he reached the doorway, he turned back.
"Wenruo, didn't you seem to have something to say?"
Seeing Cao Cao's smile, Xun Yu shook his head and smiled.
"Nothing important. Lord Cao should put talent first!"
"We should indeed put talent first!"
Cao Cao laughed and strode out.
Guo Jia hurried after him, calling to Xun Yu:
"Wenruo, hurry along!"
Watching the two of them walk away, Xun Yu couldn't help sighing.
"How many extraordinary talents are there in the world? And all we're missing is Qin Zixuan?"
Perhaps this situation was the best arrangement after all. Why insist on forcing things?
Thinking this, he too followed Cao Cao.
Before you continue