Chapter 48

Different timelines, multiple parallel worlds, and similar hypotheses were only proposed in the latter half of the twentieth century. Therefore, after the popularity of穿越 novels, countless benevolent and valiant people traveled back to ancient times, acting recklessly and completely altering the face of their target eras. However, before this, the vast majority of science fiction literature involving time travel had to be wary of the "grandmother paradox," thus raising the issue of historical inertia. This means that no matter how much influence you exert on the original history, the overall direction of history will still revert to its original course, like a train in motion that cannot be redirected by just one or two people; it will continue to move in its original direction due to inertia.

What Si Xun did not expect was that he would also encounter this inexplicable "inertia" issue. Although his sudden appearance—or more modestly, his sudden intervention—had led to a situation in Xuzhou that was vastly different from the original history, with the Cao and Mi families possibly forming an alliance to control the state affairs, and Tao Qian planning to negotiate with Cao Cao, or rather, implementing a peace plan earlier than in the original history. In the past, whether he summoned Taishi Ci to rescue Douchang or persuaded Guan Hai and his daughter to withdraw their troops, he had not actually changed the course of history. He did not want to change anything, and he was even a bit afraid that if history were altered, he would lose his ability to foresee future developments. But now, he truly wanted to change history, to prevent the tragedy of Cao Cao's massacre of the five counties (if it indeed happened). But could it be that due to historical inertia, Cao Song and his son would still be murdered in Xuzhou, and even earlier, by half a year or a year?

Staring at the distant flames, he felt his entire body stiffen, a chill involuntarily coursing through his limbs, making his blood and muscles feel as if they were freezing. He heard Sun Fan exclaim in shock, "It's the Cao family... Sir, what should we do?"

Si Xun suddenly snapped back to his senses and shouted, "What should we do? We need to save Lord Cao! If anything happens to Lord Cao, war will break out between Xuzhou and Yanzhou, and there will be mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. You... I..."

He couldn't finish his sentence because Sun Fan had already led the soldiers away. Si Xun was left with only the two soldiers he had brought from Tancheng and a stable boy. Si Xun, his head hot with urgency, disregarding his own safety, leaped off the carriage, mounted his horse, and drew his sword, ready to rush in to help. One of the soldiers grabbed his reins, saying, "Sir, be careful, don't take unnecessary risks!" The other handed him a spear, saying, "This is better than the sword."

The two soldiers, each giving their own advice, had completely different ideas and glared at each other. Si Xun pushed away the hand of the first soldier who was holding the reins and didn't take the spear from the second, but instead stretched out his hand and asked, "Where are my bow and arrows?"

The bow and arrows that Taishi Ci had given him, which he had used before the age of ten, had long been taken by the Yellow Turbans on Fuzheng Mountain. Later, when he sought Taishi Ci's help to rescue Kong Rong, he had shamelessly asked for another set, which was slightly stiffer than the previous one. Si Xun always carried it for self-defense, and it was now on the carriage. One of the soldiers quickly fetched it and handed it to him. Clutching the rough bow with his left hand, Si Xun calmed down a bit. He instructed the driver to wait here and told the two soldiers, "Follow me to see what's happening, but don't get too close. Shoot the enemies from a distance. If anything goes wrong... you must protect me and help me escape."

The two soldiers agreed, each holding their weapons, and guarded him. He quickly rode to the gate of the Cao family's compound, where the gate was wide open, and the sounds of battle came from inside. He hadn't yet seen who was attacking the Cao family, but he saw two soldiers from Langya guarding the gate. They reported to Si Xun, "Captain Sun has already led the brothers inside. There are fewer than a hundred enemies, so it shouldn't be hard to win."

Si Xun thought to himself that what he needed was not just a win, but for the Cao family to survive. He immediately rode into the compound and saw, in the firelight, groups of soldiers fighting everywhere. He couldn't tell which were his men and which were the enemies. Some bodies lay on the ground, most of them servants or guards from the compound. Scanning the area, he couldn't find Sun Fan or the Cao family. Just as he was getting anxious, he heard someone shout, "By the order of Governor Tao, we have come to capture and kill the Cao family. Who are you, and why do you dare to obstruct us?"

Si Xun was both shocked and angry, his hair almost standing on end.

Has Cao Hong changed his mind? But I'm your nephew-in-law, couldn't you at least give me a heads-up? Or has Tao Qian really decided to kill them, or...

He was first shocked, then increasingly angry. He immediately raised his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at the man who had spoken. The man was only about thirty paces away, and at this distance, he was quite confident in hitting a large target. He heard a scream as the arrow hit the man's buttock, and he stumbled. Two soldiers from Langya rushed forward, each delivering a fatal blow.

Under the protection of the two soldiers from Tancheng, Si Xun avoided several battle groups and headed straight for the deeper part of the compound. Both sides were infantry, and with his tall horse, no one dared to block his path. Not far away, he saw Sun Fan and over a dozen soldiers from Langya forming a circle, defending against some scattered enemies. In the center of the circle, like a mountain of flesh, was the old Cao Song.

Seeing Cao Song with his wide, panicked eyes, still breathing and even moving with Sun Fan and the others, Si Xun finally felt a great weight lifted from his heart. He rode over to help, and Cao Song, seeing him, shouted in horror, "Don't kill me, don't kill me... the wicked Tao Qian, do you want to seize my wealth?!"

Si Xun was both amused and exasperated. He saluted from his horse and reported, "Lord Cao, don't be alarmed. They are bandits, falsely claiming to act on Governor Tao's orders. Governor Tao has no intention of harming you."

At this point, he suddenly looked around and became worried again. "Where is your son?" Damn, I hope Cao De hasn't been harmed. Even if the father is alive but the younger brother is dead, Cao Cao will have an excuse to attack Xuzhou!

Suddenly, a weak voice came from beside the horse, "Sir, I'm here..." Si Xun turned his head and saw Cao De leaning against a short wall, covered in blood, greeting him. Si Xun was both surprised and worried. Surprised that this guy was so inconspicuous, wearing a "stone hat," and even in a bright red outfit, he hadn't noticed him. Worried that Cao De was seriously injured and might be on the verge of death.

Seeing that the situation was clearly in their favor, with fewer and fewer enemy soldiers daring to attack Sun Fan and the others, Si Xun dismounted and squatted beside Cao De, asking, "Qu Ji, are you injured?" Cao De extended his left arm, showing a two-inch-long gash on his upper arm, the flesh and blood mangled. "Just a minor injury. Most of the blood isn't mine."

As he spoke, he suddenly stared intently into Si Xun's eyes, his gaze filled with an unprecedented coldness. He asked, word by word, "Who... is... it?"

Si Xun was at a loss. "I don't know." He turned to Sun Fan and ordered, "Make sure to capture some of them alive for questioning!"

He truly didn't know who wanted to kill Cao Song. Cao De's few words were like a thunderclap in his mind, instantly clearing his thoughts. He had never considered a crucial point: the claim that Tao Qian was the mastermind behind the murder of Cao Song was fundamentally illogical. It was just a pretext in historical records for Cao Cao to blame Tao Qian and justify his attack on Xuzhou.

Why? Because killing Cao Song would bring no benefit to Tao Qian. If it was to deal with Cao Cao, then holding Cao Song as a hostage would be more valuable, so capturing him was possible, but killing him was not. Moreover, although the warlords in Guandong were in conflict, they were still nominally under the Han dynasty. Based on Tao Qian's later efforts to pay tribute to Emperor Xian, he either valued traditional order or his own reputation. Cao Song was not an ordinary scholar; he was a former Grand Commandant, one of the Three Excellencies. Killing him would severely damage Tao Qian's reputation and make him despised by scholars far and wide.

In other words, if Tao Qian were truly the mastermind behind the murder of Cao Song, neither Gongsun Zan nor Tian Kai would have any face to send troops to save him, and at this time, Liu Bei, who valued his reputation even more than Tao Qian, would never come to his aid.

Therefore, whether or not Tao Qian really wanted to kill Cao Song, he would have to make it look like an accident, not an active attack as recorded in some historical records. If Si Xun were protecting Cao Song on the road, and Zhang Kai or Zhang Kai suddenly pulled out a knife, it would be reasonable. But openly attacking under Tao Qian's banner would never be Tao Qian's intention, nor even Cao Hong's.

No matter what, if his lord were to bear the stigma of killing a retired Three Excellency, making him a target for everyone, would it be a good thing for Cao Hong, a subordinate of Tao Qian, in terms of his reputation and future prospects?

"By the order of Governor Tao, we have come to capture and kill the Cao family"—he should have realized this point immediately when he heard those words. But it was Cao De, with his four words "Who... is... it," that instantly cleared Si Xun's mind and made him look at him with newfound respect.

Before long, Sun Fan and the soldiers from Langya won the battle. Nearly half of the nearly a hundred enemy soldiers were killed, and about sixty were captured. After extinguishing the fire in the compound and escorting the Cao family back to their rooms, Sun Fan came to report with a cold face, "We have investigated. They are all subordinates of Captain Yin."

Si Xun was shocked. "Yin Li? Did he send them personally?" Yin Li was a subordinate of Zang Ba, known alongside Sun Guan and Wu Dun.

Sun Fan shook his head. "They are subordinates of Captain Sun, but they are usually stationed in Juxian. They claimed to be acting on orders, but no one knows who gave the orders."

Si Xun asked, "Who was the leader?" Sun Fan pointed. "A captain, but he can no longer speak." Si Xun followed his finger and saw a body lying on the steps, with several wounds and an arrow in the buttock. The arrow looked very familiar...

"Since they came from Juxian, the magistrate of Juxian is likely the one who gave the order." A voice suddenly came from behind him, and Si Xun almost jumped in surprise. "Cao Qu Ji, when did you come over?"

"Take good care of and protect Lord Cao," Si Xun ordered with a frown. "I will ride to Juxian to investigate the matter!"

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