Three Kingdoms: I switched to Liu Bei, why are you crying, Cao Cao?

Chapter 34: Chen's plan, the melancholy old Cao
"Deng'er, you said Liu Xuande has someone helping him?"

After hearing Chen Deng's conclusion, Chen Gui frowned and said:

"But he only has a small county now, how can he get help from an expert?"

"I don't know it myself!"

Chen Deng shook his head and said:
"But there are so many talented and ambitious people in the world today. Maybe one or two of them will admire Lord Xuande's virtue and go to him for help!"

"Lord Xuande has the strategy of a king and a tyrant. If he can get a rare man to help him, he may be able to achieve great things!"

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, recalling the scene of assisting Liu Bei that day.

If Liu Bei had listened more to my advice, I don't know if he would have ended up like this!
However, Chen Gui obviously did not have the same regret as Chen Deng. Seeing Chen Deng's analysis, he said:
"Then can you guess what this person is planning?"

He didn't want to know whether Liu Bei had anyone to assist him now. He just wanted to know what Liu Bei's plans were and whether they would affect their next plans.

But when Chen Deng heard this, he shook his head again and said:

"I can't figure out what this person is planning!"

"Perhaps it is really as stated in the letter, and they are plotting to seize Pei State!"

"But what is the use of his letter? I really can't figure it out!"

This is also what puzzles him the most. What purpose does the person who gave advice to Liu Bei want to achieve with this letter?
He had a feeling that the other party was fishing!
This letter is just the bait, and Lu Bu is the fish!
As for how Lu Bu would take the bait and how he would be dealt with, he couldn't imagine.

This at least shows one thing, that the person who planned for Liu Bei was of a much higher level than him!
Thinking of this, he said to Chen Gui:

"Father, now that Envoy Liu has this kind of person behind him, should we put off doing what we were planning?"

What they expected was very simple, which was to offer Xuzhou to Cao Cao!
Because Liu Bei was unable to seize Xuzhou before, and Cao Cao welcomed the emperor back to the east, and seeing that Lu Bu was making the situation in Xuzhou more and more chaotic, the father and son decided to join forces with Cao Cao to get rid of Lu Bu!
This is also the reason why Chen Gui hurriedly dissuaded Lu Bu when he heard that he wanted to form an alliance with Yuan Shu.

But now, he suddenly discovered that Liu Bei seemed to be trying to regain his spirits, and a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart.

To be honest, compared to Cao Cao, Chen Deng still hopes that Liu Bei will take control of Xuzhou!
If Liu Bei didn't live up to his expectations, he would have nothing to say.

But if Liu Bei wanted to live up to his expectations, it would be better to give Xuzhou to his former master rather than to a former enemy!
It’s a pity that although he has strategies, family affairs still need to be decided by his old father.

To whom Xuzhou will be presented depends on Chen Gui’s attitude!

In his sight, he saw Chen Gui stroking his beard and frowning:

"I know my son is thinking of Liu Xuande, but I also think highly of him!"

"If this man can become the ruler of Xuzhou, it will be a blessing for the people."

"But now Liu Bei only occupies a small county, even if he takes Pei State, it will be difficult for him to recapture Xuzhou."

"On the contrary, Lord Cao, who is in Yanzhou, can accomplish great things!"

"Although Liu Bei is close, he does not have the power of Cao Gong. Even if we welcome Liu Bei, he may not be able to hold Xuzhou firmly!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Deng hurriedly advised:
"Father, there is nothing to behold on the surface. If Lord Xuande really has a good assistant, he may be able to compete with Lord Cao in the future!"

"Today? Three years, or five years?"

Chen Gui looked at Chen Deng and said seriously:
"If we wait three to five years, Liu Bei might rise, but Cao Gong would have probably already captured Xuzhou!"

"By that time, Lord Cao will already have this place. How can we offer it to him?"

"Yuanlong must know that Cao Gong is now supporting the imperial court. We have been enjoying the Han Dynasty salary for generations, so we should put the imperial court first!"

"How can we ruin the affairs of our country because of our personal wishes?"

Seeing this, Chen Deng could only sigh:

"Father, please calm down. It is my fault. You should put state affairs first!"

In this era, family interests often outweigh personal gains and losses. What else can he do!
But Chen Gui looked at Chen Deng's frustrated expression and realized that he had said something too harsh, so he patted Chen Deng on the shoulder and said:
"As a father, I am not blaming you. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame Liu Xuande for not seizing the opportunity."

"The current situation is beyond our control!"

"But if Liu Bei can really rise, we will offer Xuzhou to him!"

"The most important thing now is to contact Cao Gong first. As for Liu Bei, we will have to wait and see what happens next!"

"Yuanlong, remember to think about your country and family, and don't act on impulse!"

Chen Deng heard this and knew that this was the reality, so he could only bow and say:
"Don't worry, father. I will always put my country first!"

"My son is like this, and I am very happy as a father!"

Chen Gui nodded with satisfaction and said:
"Go down and prepare. Lü Bu has issued an order for you to go to Xudu as an envoy. You can set off today!"

"Children take orders!"

Chen Deng suppressed the impulse in his heart and retreated out of the hall.

That night, Lu Bu sent troops to retrieve Yuan Shu's envoys, beheaded all of them, and only imprisoned Han Yin.

The next morning, Lu Bu sent Chen Deng as an envoy in the name of expressing his gratitude, and escorted Han Yin back to Xu Du along with the court envoys.

After traveling for more than a month, they finally arrived in Xuchang.

At the same time, in Xuchang, in Sikong Mansion, Lao Cao was sitting on the couch, eating while listening to Xun Yu and Guo Jia reporting on everything.

Although Cao Cao had many talented people under him, he also had a lot of things to deal with every day.

Fortunately, he had the Shangshu Ling Xun Yu to help him deal with various major matters. All Cao had to do was listen to Xun Yu and then point out the general direction.

Xun Yu was standing beside the bed, looking at the silk book in his hand and saying:
"My lord, since our army started farming, we have had more money and food in the past two years. Although we lost a lot of soldiers and horses in this attack on Wancheng, we have already recruited new ones. In just a few months, our army will be able to fight again!"

Cao Cao ate the millet rice, nodded and said nothing.

Seeing this, Xun Yu continued:
"Besides, there is also the matter of Guanzhong. Ever since our army welcomed back the emperor, Li Jue and his men have been fighting non-stop. They have tried to invade our Luoyang several times, but were blocked by General Xiahou every time!"

"If the current situation continues, our army will be able to conquer the Guanzhong area and wipe out Li Jue and others by next year at the latest."

When Cao Cao heard this, he stopped using his chopsticks and asked in confusion:
"How can Luoyang conquer Guanzhong with so few soldiers and horses?"

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu smiled and said:

"My lord, have you forgotten that when our army welcomed back the emperor last year, Military Advisor, no, Zixuan, advised us to use the refugees as military settlements. Our troops in Luoyang are half soldiers and half farmers. With the assistance they received last year, they can be self-sufficient this year."

"As long as we wait until the autumn harvest this year, we will be able to advance next year without the help of our main force."

He said this with a smile, but he couldn't continue speaking because Lao Cao had already put down his chopsticks and looked bored.

Xun Yu saw this and could only sigh:

"My lord is missing Zixuan again!"

Cao Cao heard this and did not hide his feelings. He looked at the food on the table and sighed:

"How can I not think about it? Even though Zixuan is gone, he is still helping me!"

"Just this one task of cultivating the land and managing the people, I don't know how much effort we can save!"

"If it weren't for Zixuan's military and political leadership, how could our army continue to fight?"

He didn't know the general trend of history, but he knew that if it weren't for Qin Zhen, his current situation would be very bad, and he would not have the mood to eat here!
Thinking of this, Lao Cao looked at Guo Jia and asked:

"Fengxiao, I wonder if you have found Zixuan's whereabouts?"

Facing Lao Cao's question, Guo Jia shook his head and said:

"I have not found Zixuan's whereabouts. Please forgive me, my lord!"

Cao Cao heard this and sighed again:

"What crime has Feng Xiao committed? You have only been in office for a few months, and the results you have achieved are already good enough. If there are any mistakes, they are mine!"

Some people you only realize how important they are until you lose them.

Apart from anything else, Qin Zhen's influence has penetrated into every corner of their army.

Judging from today's conversation, it was Qin Zhen who first proposed the idea of ​​military farming.

Long before he defeated the Yellow Turbans, Qin Zhen suggested military farming and recommended Ren Jun and Zao Zhi to be in charge of it.

Thanks to farming, he has a well-trained army and sufficient food supplies today.

It was Qin Zhen who predicted the drought in Guanzhong in advance and successfully saved a large number of refugees to fill Luoyang.

This is how he has the current good situation in Luoyang.

Even the intelligence agency that Guo Jia is currently in charge of was established by Qin Zhen!
Even though Guo Jia was extremely talented, he would not be able to master Qin Zhen's intelligence system in a short period of time.

If possible, he really wanted to forget Qin Zhen, but he couldn't!
Whenever he thought of his previous attitude towards Qin Zhen, he wanted to slap himself.

Why did I become so arrogant?

Why do I feel like it's okay without Qin Zhen?

It’s just that you made a few more mistakes, so just admit it!

Damn your self-esteem!
Therefore, Lao Cao has no other idea now, that is to find Qin Zhen first, and give him money if he wants money, and give him people if he wants people!

It just so happens that Qin Zhen doesn’t have a son yet, so he can even send his daughter over as a concubine, as long as Qin Zhen can come back!

Thinking of this, Cao Cao looked up at Guo Jia and said:
"Fengxiao, although searching for Zixuan is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"But I hope Fengxiao will take more care of it."

"But if you find any trace this time, don't alarm us yet, you must let me know!"

"I owe Zixuan a lot, I must come and admit my fault in person!"

When Guo Jia heard this, he nodded and agreed:
"My lord, rest assured. Once I know any news about Zixuan, I will inform you!"

Not only Cao Cao wanted Qin Zhen to come back, he also wanted it!
He was a carefree person by nature, but now that he had taken over this intelligence organization, he felt a huge headache.

If Qin Zhen comes back, he will have to throw all these jobs back!

When Xun Yu looked at Cao Cao's expression, he couldn't help but feel a little hesitant.

In fact, he knew something about Qin Zhen's whereabouts.

After all, before Qin Zhen left, Xu Shu said that he wanted to join Liu Bei, so it is possible that Qin Zhen would join Liu Bei's army.

But the problem now is that Liu Bei and Cao Cao have a good relationship and are both dedicated to supporting the Han Dynasty, so he doesn't want to cause resentment between the two.

Furthermore, Qin Zhen was so frank before leaving because he believed in Xun Yu's character.

If he told Cao Cao now, it would be unfair to Qin Zhen.

But he just kept it to himself, and he felt uncomfortable seeing Lao Cao like this.

Moreover, if Qin Zhen surrendered to Liu Bei, it would not be good news for them.

Therefore, he was caught in a dilemma for a while.

But after all, state affairs were the most important. After thinking for a while, Xun Yu took a step forward and was about to bow, but he saw a minor official walking quickly towards him and said:
"Lord Cao, Chen Deng, the messenger from Lü Bu, has arrived!"

Xun Yu did not say anything after being interrupted, but Guo Jia said happily:
"My lord, Chen Yuanlong is a famous scholar in Xuzhou. He has the talent to help the world. We must not neglect him!"

When Cao Cao heard this, he nodded and smiled:

"I have heard of Chen Yuanlong's name for a long time and have been eager to meet him. Now that he is here today, we should welcome him!"

After saying that, he happily got out of bed, put on his shoes, and prepared to go out.

But when he reached the door, he turned back and said:
"Wen Ruo seemed to have something to say just now?"

Seeing Cao Cao's smile, Xun Yu shook his head and said with a smile:

"It's not a big deal. Lord Cao should focus on talents!"

“Talent is the most important thing!”

Cao Cao laughed and then took a step forward.

Seeing this, Guo Jia hurriedly followed and said to Xun Yu:

"Wen Ruo, please go ahead quickly!"

Looking at the two people leaving, Xun Yu couldn't help but sigh:
"There are so many geniuses in the world? Why is Qin Zixuan the only one missing?"

Perhaps the current situation is the best arrangement, so why should he force it?
Thinking of this, he followed Cao Cao's footsteps.

(End of this chapter)