Chapter 50

Whether Cao Song lived or died was actually not important—as long as he didn’t die in Xuzhou. However, now Xun increasingly didn’t want Cao De to die as well, because he felt that this guy was too smart, too knowledgeable, and too interesting. If he could survive, who knew what kind of impact he might have, how much he could alter history. If he were to die like this, it would be a real pity.

Since coming to this world, Xun had only met three scholars who could be said to possess considerable "political wisdom." The first was Chen Deng, the second was Cao Hong, and the third was this Cao De, also known as Cao Qujì. Chen Deng’s historical status was already set, Cao Hong had a reputation as a "treacherous villain," and it was likely that he had died in the continuous turmoil in Xuzhou in the original history, though no one knew exactly how. But Xun knew very clearly how Cao De had died. If he could ensure that Cao Qujì lived a peaceful life, what would happen?

For the Cao camp, having many strategists and brave generals, the presence or absence of one Cao De wasn’t particularly significant. In his current state, Cao De couldn’t possibly threaten Cao Cao’s or later Cao Pi’s leadership. However, if Cao De could live until Cao Cao’s death, or even until Cao Pi and Cao Rui’s deaths, it wasn’t impossible. If that were the case, with such an uncle-grandfather around, what would happen to Cao Shuang or Sima Yi? The Cao family’s rule would definitely not fall into the hands of outsiders!

Although Xun didn’t care about the Cao family’s rule, and at present, there was no shadow of the Cao family’s rule, he found the fictional possibilities of future developments very interesting, and the thought of it was exhilarating.

In this era, due to the backward communication methods, there were very few people who could have a comprehensive view of the whole situation. As a穿越者 (穿越者 means "time traveler" or "穿越者" in this context) from two thousand years later, Xun had studied the history of the late Han and Three Kingdoms period, giving him a significant advantage in this regard. For example, at this time, who else besides him knew that Sun Ce was a remarkable figure, that there was a military genius named Zhou Yu in Lujiang, and that among the large Sima family in Henei, only the second son, Sima Yi, was the most cunning? Who else besides him could think of "supporting the emperor to command the disobedient" before Emperor Xian fled from Chang'an? Who else besides him could foresee the decline of Guanxi and the control of Central China by the conqueror of Hebei?

Therefore, Xun had a certain pride in this aspect. When history had not deviated too much from its course, at least within the two provinces of Qing and Xuzhou, he couldn’t think of anyone who could surpass him in analyzing the situation. But at that moment, he began to feel uneasy because he realized that Cao De’s true strength was more than twice his own.

Cao De quickly identified the mastermind from a few clues. He explained to Xun, "Although Xuzhou is large, the number of people who know where my father is hiding is very few, isn’t it?"

Xun nodded, counting on his fingers, "Cao Zhonghui and his brothers, Chen Yuanlong, Governor Tao, and... myself."

"Cao Zhonghui and his brothers wouldn’t wait until today to kill my father and me," Cao De continued, "I also temporarily believe that you and Chen Yuanlong have no such ill intentions. So, it’s left to Governor Tao, or perhaps some of his confidants—however, directly shouting out Governor Tao’s name to attack our manor would not only provoke a conflict between Xuzhou and Yanzhou but also damage Governor Tao’s reputation, right?"

"Exactly."

"Then, the mastermind wouldn’t be from Xuzhou—Xuzhou being attacked would be detrimental to the people of Xuzhou, and Governor Tao’s damaged reputation would also be detrimental to his subordinates," Cao De sighed lightly, "If it didn’t involve close relatives, I would almost suspect this was my brother’s sinister plan..."

"Indeed," Xun was startled, "Cao Yanzhou could use this as an excuse to attack Xuzhou, and with Governor Tao’s reputation damaged, his attack on Xuzhou would be justified, and the resistance from scholars would be greatly reduced, and some might even abandon Governor Tao and welcome him directly..."

Cao De waved his hand to stop Xun from continuing, "My brother is not that heartless, and if this plan were exposed, he would be despised by the world and his reputation would be ruined. This risk is not worth taking. The mastermind must be outside Xuzhou, so who would not want Xuzhou to fall to my brother or even to Yuan Jizhou, and yet not care about Governor Tao’s reputation, or even the instability of his rule in Xuzhou, which would give them an opportunity to take over?"

Xun suddenly understood, "If Xuzhou falls into internal strife and resists Yanzhou, then Governor Tao would only be able to send envoys to seek help..." He almost said Liu Bei, but then he thought, Liu Bei didn’t have the strength to take over Xuzhou. In fact, Liu Bei’s eventual control of Xuzhou was the result of many coincidences—most importantly, Cao Cao was forced to retreat due to Lü Bu’s attack on Yanzhou. Otherwise, with Liu Bei’s few thousand troops, he couldn’t resist Cao Cao. Without Liu Bei, the only one who could benefit would be...

"Yuan Gonglu!"

Yuan Shu was currently in Nanyang, but his influence had already extended into Yuzhou, and he was about as far from Tancheng as Liu Bei was from Pingyuan. First, in the context of the conflict between the Yuan brothers, he couldn’t allow a quasi-ally like Tao Qian to fall to Yuan Shao or Cao Cao. He would certainly try to provoke a conflict between Xuzhou and Yanzhou. Once the two provinces really went to war, Tao Qian, who could seek help from Gongsun Zan, could also seek help from Yuan Gonglu. With Yuan Shu’s current strength and his closer proximity, he wouldn’t just send a few thousand troops to fulfill his duty; he might mobilize his entire army to flank the Yanzhou forces and protect the entire Xuzhou. At that time, he could wear the crown of "savior of Xuzhou" and replace Tao Qian, who was suspected of plotting to assassinate a high-ranking official and whose reputation was damaged!

In the original history, Yuan Shu was forced to attack Yanzhou due to Liu Biao cutting off his grain supply, and he was defeated by Cao Cao and fled to Shouchun—so when Xuzhou and Yanzhou were at war, Tao Qian could only seek help from Gongsun Zan. But this was something no one could predict at the time.

Xun thought for a moment. Although Cao De’s analysis was logical, in the original history, Cao Song’s death seemed to occur after Yuan Shu’s defeat, meaning the mastermind was unlikely to be Yuan Shu. Indeed, even with some details changed, this ancient mystery couldn’t be completely solved.

He remained silent for a while, and Cao De spoke again, "Yuan Gonglu’s plan is for the long term, but he is far in Nanyang. If he learned of our whereabouts from Governor Tao and sent someone to harm us, the time it would take for the round trip would be too long. Therefore, although he is the mastermind, the actual planner must be within Xuzhou, and I suspect it might be hidden among Tao Shang and Tao Ying’s entourage!"

Xun looked up, "You mean there’s someone in Tancheng who is secretly communicating with Yuan Shu!" Cao De nodded, "Exactly. Do you have any leads on who in Tancheng might be suspicious?" Xun shook his head gloomily—how could he provide a list of suspects when he hadn’t even fully entered the Xuzhou political scene and didn’t even know all of Tao Qian’s main advisors, let alone Tao Shang and Tao Ying?

Thinking about the original history, who had colluded with Yuan Shu under Tao Qian, Liu Bei, or Lü Bu? It seemed Chen Gong and Hao Meng had, but now one was with Cao Cao, and the other might be with Lü Bu, neither of whom were in Xuzhou.

Hearing Cao De sigh, "Indeed, Xuzhou is no place to stay..." Xun picked up his brush, ready to add these speculations to the end of his letter to Chen Deng, but Cao De stopped him, "Don’t write it, to prevent leaks. I believe Chen Yuanlong can figure it out."

"Qujì also knows Yuanlong?"

Cao De smiled faintly, "In Xuzhou, no one doesn’t know Yuanlong’s name. In time, I believe the whole world will know him." He suddenly winked and changed the subject, "Actually, if we don’t consider the lives of my father and me, then Yuan Gonglu taking control of Xuzhou might not be a bad thing for you..."

Xun couldn’t help but smirk—little guy, trying to test me? He quoted a line from a book, "Yuan Shu is just a dried-up bone in a grave, with only a false reputation. How can he pacify the region, let alone contend for supremacy in the world?"

"Then," Cao De stared intently at Xun’s eyes, "can my brother pacify Xuzhou and then contend for supremacy in the world?"

"Actually..." Xun licked his lips, weighing the pros and cons, and ultimately decided to tell the truth to this clever guy, while also boosting his own value, "The idea of offering Xuzhou was mine, and the two candidates were listed by me..."

"Two candidates? Who is the other one?"

"Governor of Pingyuan, Liu Bei, Liu Xuande."

"Liu Xuande..." Cao De’s face showed confusion, "His name is not prominent, how can he be mentioned alongside my brother?"

Xun smiled enigmatically, "Because I have met Liu Pingyuan, but I haven’t met Cao Yanzhou. That’s why Yuanlong persuaded Governor Tao to send me to meet your brother. Perhaps after meeting, I, along with the Cao family, the Mi family, and the Chen family, might decide to offer Xuzhou to Liu Pingyuan after Governor Tao’s death, who knows, hehehehe~"

Damn, all this offering back and forth, why does it feel like I’m like Zhang Song offering the map of Xichuan, but Zhang Song didn’t have a good end... A strange thought suddenly popped into Xun’s mind: Zhang Song was killed by Liu Zhang for colluding with foreigners, meaning it’s okay to betray your lord for gain, but you can’t return to your lord. Just leave the specific execution to people like Dang Fa Zheng and Li Yan, or you might risk your life...