Chapter 45

The fragmented and incomplete historical records, with their concise texts and divergent accounts, have finally been pieced together. It turns out that Tao Qian did indeed send troops to escort Cao Song. Cao Song's eventual murder was neither Tao Qian's intention nor a mere accident. It was Zhang Kai or some other soldier who, coveting Cao Song's wealth, acted out of greed. Behind this was a hidden black hand, none other than Cao Hong, described in history as a "treacherous and wicked man"!

But why did Cao Hong want to kill Cao Song? Was it to prevent the peace talks between Xuzhou and Yanzhou? If so, why hadn't Chen Deng mentioned Cao Hong's opposition to his plan? It seemed that Cao Hong was actually a supporter of Cao Cao. What were the hidden evils in his heart?

Shixun was stunned, unable to speak for a long time. After Cao Hong's shocking words, his expression became calm. He picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and waited quietly for his future son-in-law's reaction.

Shixun was speechless for a while, his mind racing. Finally, he gathered his thoughts and asked, "Where in Pei County did your ancestors live?" Cao Hong replied, "In Qiao County." Shixun asked again, "D-did you have the same lineage as Cao Cao of Yanzhou?"

"Ha ha ha ha," Cao Hong laughed heartily. "You are indeed a smart one. If I can have such a capable son-in-law, I can rest in peace." He put down his cup and said solemnly, "Yes, we are all descendants of Chancellor Cao, and the former Grand Commandant Cao Song is my elder brother."

The "Chancellor Cao" referred to Cao Can, the second chancellor of the Western Han Dynasty, who was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Pingyang. According to Cao Hong, and with some deduction by Shixun, the Cao family had grown into a large and prosperous clan with many branches. Cao Hong and Cao Bao belonged to the main branch, while Cao Song was from a minor branch. Before Cao Song, his adoptive grandfather Cao Jie, though the main branch of the Cao family was wealthy and influential in Qiao County, had only enough to live on.

Worse still, during a major epidemic in Guandong, Cao Jie and his three eldest sons died, leaving only his two youngest sons, Cao Teng and Cao Ding. Cao Teng, at the age of seven, was unable to receive adequate support from the clan and had to go to Luoyang with his uncle, who then castrated him and sent him to the palace. It's understandable that a wealthy and influential family would never force their heir to become a eunuch.

Cao Teng, having served the crown prince from a young age, was heavily favored by Emperor Shun of Han after he ascended the throne. He was eventually appointed as the Grand Commandant and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Fei. After rising to power, Cao Teng harbored resentment towards his clan for not supporting him, so he chose a foster son from outside the clan (his brother Cao Ding had no children) and picked a child from the Xiahou family, who had a long-standing marriage alliance with the Cao family and had once helped him. He adopted a child named Xiahou Song and renamed him Cao Song—Cao Cao's biological father.

Cao Song, relying on his adoptive father's influence, entered the bureaucracy and rose steadily, eventually becoming the Inspector of the Capital, the Grand Farmer, and the Grand Minister of Rites. He even bought the position of Grand Commandant, amassing great wealth and power. However, despite sharing the surname "Cao," due to the resentment passed down from Cao Teng, he never cared for his clan and never helped them. This led to a deep-seated enmity between the main branch, led by Cao Hong, and the minor branch, led by Cao Song.

In the sixth year of the Zhongping era, when Dong Zhuo entered the capital, Cao Cao fled, and the Dong Zhuo-controlled court issued a warrant for his arrest. When the news reached Qiao County in Pei, the Cao family immediately fled, each taking their own path. Because of the previous conflicts, Cao Hong and Cao Song did not flee together. Cao Hong and his brothers fled to Donghai and joined the commandery governor Ba Zhi, gradually establishing a foothold in Xuzhou. Cao Song, on the other hand, fled to Langya and found a quiet place by the sea to live in seclusion. Although they fled separately, they occasionally communicated through mutual friends. When Tao Qian planned to make peace with Cao Cao, Cao Hong secretly wrote to Cao Cao to gauge his intentions, but Cao Cao ignored him. When Cao Hong tried to get closer to Cao Song, Cao Song said, "We are family, so what's the big deal? Let's put the past behind us. But there's one thing—I can't control my ungrateful son. If you want to make peace with him, you'll have to talk to him yourself."

After recounting the family history, Cao Hong said, "If it were just a matter of making peace with Mengde, it would be fine. However, from what I can tell from Chen Yu and you, Tao Qian's two sons are not capable of leading. Do you intend to hand Xuzhou over to Mengde? Anyone can join Mengde, but not my brothers!"

Shixun thought to himself that Cao Hong truly lived up to his reputation as a "treacherous and wicked man." It's not easy to be such a person; without political acumen, one can only be a clown, not a villain. This man thought far ahead and had a deep understanding of Chen Yu's intentions. Shixun asked, "Are you afraid that Cao Cao will not treat your family well due to past grievances, so you want to kill the former Grand Commandant Cao Song to prevent the alliance between Xuzhou and Yanzhou? But if you do that, the two states will become bitter enemies. What will you do if Yanzhou's army invades?"

Cao Hong smiled and said, "If Hongfu were not my son-in-law, I would have sent someone to kill Cao Song. But now, the Shi, Chen, Mi, and Cao families are all related. If Cao Cao enters Xuzhou, I doubt he would dare to mistreat my brothers. This time, Hongfu will go on a mission to observe Cao Cao, to see if he has changed his mind or if Yanzhou's army is strong. If Cao Cao is stubborn or if Yanzhou's army is weak, then we will kill Cao Song to prevent the alliance!"

Everything became clear. Because of the enmity between the two Cao families, Cao Hong feared that Cao Cao would interfere in Xuzhou's affairs and harm him, so he planned to kill Cao Song to cut off Tao Qian's hopes. Perhaps in the real history, without Shixun, Chen Yu, Mi Heng, and Cao Hong, and with the envoy Tao Qian sent back with unfavorable reports about Yanzhou's army (did he see the newly recruited Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou? They didn't seem very capable), Cao Hong's plot was able to succeed...

Chen Yu is truly a genius! If it weren't for him arranging the marriage with the Cao family, history would have taken its old course. Yanzhou's army was not weak; Cao Cao's two invasions of Xuzhou forced Tao Qian to hide in Tancheng, and even with Liu Bei's reinforcements, they didn't make much of a difference. If not for Lü Bu's attack on Yanzhou, Cao Cao wouldn't have retreated; he would have taken Xuzhou!

No, he must ensure the peace between the two states. Shixun realized that he needed to focus on Cao Cao, not Liu Bei. Liu Bei only gained control of Xuzhou after Cao Cao's brutal campaigns. In the midst of war, if he were to die in those battles, what future would he have with Cao or Liu?

So he told Cao Hong, "The best strategy is for the four families to unite and protect Xuzhou. Making an enemy of Cao Cao is the worst of all strategies. I will do my best to mend the rift between you and Cao Cao and prevent Yanzhou from harming you."

Cao Hong nodded. "That's the best outcome. I trust you. Since Chen Yu mentioned the incident at Duchang, I have inquired about it. If you can persuade even ignorant bandits, I am confident that you can persuade Cao Cao. I will tell you where Cao Song is. Go and meet him first, then find Cao Cao."

They talked late into the night, and Shixun had to stay at the Cao residence. That night, as he lay down, he couldn't help but think of the charming face of Miss Cao... Unfortunately, after the engagement, Miss Cao had returned to a villa near Zhu County (where Shikuan had arranged for his brothers to stay), which was closer to her uncle's home. Since Cao Bao and Cao Cao were from the same family, marrying Miss Cao would suddenly elevate his status...

He suddenly realized that since Cao Hong called Cao Song his brother, Cao Hong and Cao Bao were a generation older than Cao Cao. As Cao Bao's son-in-law, he would be of the same generation as Cao Cao, who would call him brother-in-law. Suddenly, he felt much more prestigious...

The next morning, Shixun told Chen Yu that he had found out where Cao Song was. However, he hadn't decided whether to take Cao Song as a hostage or to escort him back to Cao Cao. No one knew better than he did that Cao Song in Xuzhou was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment—what if Cao Hong changed his mind? Or if Cao Song was killed by bandits or soldiers for his wealth? But if he sent Cao Song away, what if history's inertia (as many sci-fi stories suggest) meant that the general direction couldn't change, and Cao Song was still killed on the way? He couldn't risk being implicated and forced to die with Cao Song...

Well, he would see the old man first and decide from there.

So he told Chen Yu that he would act according to the situation, but requested a secret order from Tao Qian to have Zang Ba allocate troops under his command.

Since he had to meet Cao Song first, and Cao Song was in seclusion by the sea in Langya, he couldn't follow his original plan to travel south through his future father-in-law Cao Bao's territory. Instead, he had to travel north to Langya, then to Tai Shan, and through Zang Ba's territory to Yanzhou. To protect or escort Cao Song, he needed to meet Zang Ba first to request troops.

It was a good plan. Shixun was eager to meet Zang Ba, a famous historical figure, while meeting Cao Song was purely for practical reasons. Cao Cao was the leading figure of the era, but his father, Cao Song, was just an incompetent official. It's said that "a tiger father has no dog son," but why did a useless old dog have a tiger cub?

That morning, Shixun left Tancheng's north gate. Chen Yu, Shikuan, and Cao Hong all came to see him off, and Tao Qian sent a carriage and two soldiers to escort him, making quite a scene. Shixun, who was not used to riding in a carriage, had to do so this time to maintain the dignity of his mission. After the ritual offerings to the road god and the farewell drinks, he still didn't ride in the carriage but mounted his stirrup-equipped horse and set off.

The journey north took more than a day. He first arrived in Kaiyang, then turned west into Tai Shan. At the border between Tai Shan and Langya, there was a pavilion called Beng Ting, where Xuzhou's troops were stationed. The escort soldiers went ahead to show their credentials and Tao Qian's letter, and a junior officer led a dozen soldiers to greet him.

Shixun casually asked, "What is your name?" The junior officer respectfully replied, "I don't deserve the title 'sir.' My name is Zhang Kai. You can call me by my name."

Shixun shuddered and almost fell off his horse—so you are Zhang Kai!