Upon hearing this, Cao Zheng did not dare delay. He hurried down from the city wall, climbed into an ox cart, and headed straight for Sun Yuantai's residence.
Speaking of which, Sun Yuantai had hosted quite a few banquets during this period, though that was only standard procedure.
If the soldiers arriving had all been Sun Yuantai's own men, there naturally would have been no need for such frequent feasts. But the current situation was no different from the coalition of feudal lords several years ago. Without frequent banquets, many matters simply could not be handled properly.
To say nothing else, when troops from all sorts of places gathered together, friction and conflicts of every kind inevitably arose. If such matters were raised in a formal setting, neither side could save face. Only at a banquet, with wine and meat before them and song and dance in their eyes, could someone casually mention it; both sides would first exchange a few veiled blows, then someone would mediate, and the matter would pass.
If a general still clung to such a trivial matter and continued making a fuss, he would undoubtedly be looked down upon as narrow-minded and petty.
Many things had entirely different effects when discussed over a wine table rather than in a formal setting.
Thus, throughout the ages, whether mediating conflicts or discussing affairs, one side would often invite the other to wine and dinner.
Over this period, Cao Zheng had also witnessed the prowess of Sun Yuantai, this old minister who had served three dynasties. He truly attended to every detail and kept everything in perfect order. Yuan Chu had possessed some skill in the past, but compared with Sun Yuantai, he fell far short.
Originally, although the armies of the various feudal lords had all arrived