Chapter 68

Cao Cao's brothers forced Xu to take on a difficult task, leaving him with no choice but to temporarily agree. Afterward, he sought advice from Xun Yu.

Xu had been in Juancheng for more than two months and had become familiar with most of Cao Cao's subordinates. At this time, the most trusted advisors of Cao Cao were mainly Chen Gong, Xun Yu, and Xi Xian. Among them, Chen Gong held the highest status, almost like Cao Cao's chief strategist.

This was a natural outcome. First, Chen Gong had been with Cao Cao for a relatively long time—although the story of him privately releasing Cao Cao in Zhongmu County and then going to Lu Bo's house together is a fictional account. When Cao Cao first arrived in Yanzhou and became the Governor of Dong Commandery, the first official he recruited was Chen Gong, while Xun Yu had to wait. Second, Cao Cao's ability to take control of Yanzhou was largely due to Chen Gong's strategy and planning. Chen Gong's persuasive skills were crucial in convincing the subordinates of the original Yanzhou Inspector, Liu Dai, such as Xu Si and Wang Kai, to accept Cao Cao (although Zhang Miao and Bao Xin also secretly assisted). Third, Chen Gong was truly capable, able to manage the military and govern the people, so Cao Cao almost always followed his advice without hesitation.

However, considering that in the original history, Chen Gong later betrayed Cao Cao and welcomed Lü Bu to take control of Yanzhou, Xu tried to keep his distance from him—after all, who knew if the historical trajectory would change because of him? Even if the historical trajectory changed and Chen Gong did not betray Cao Cao this time, he might still cause trouble in the future. If Xu were to be implicated by him, it would be a huge loss.

As for Xi Xian, based on Xu's observations, he was indeed a "strategist" who was skilled at small tricks, but his overall perspective and practical abilities were only average, not making him a particularly outstanding talent. In other words, without the advantage of knowing the historical outcomes, Xu and Xi Xian were essentially the same type of person, but Xu was slightly inferior in all aspects. Xu sometimes patted his chest to encourage himself, believing that with hard work, he could become another Xi Xian in ten years.

Therefore, the two had a lot in common and often interacted closely, but Xu did not think he could learn much from Xi Xian.

The person Xu most admired and secretly regarded as his teacher in Cao Cao's camp was Xun Yu. In terms of administrative affairs, Xun Yu was almost unmatched in the world. If his ability in this area were rated as S, others would be at most A. It would take several decades of practice to surpass him—yet Xun Yu was only thirty years old, and there was no other reason to explain why he was so strong. Besides administration, Xun Yu also had unique insights in military affairs and strategy, especially in his broad perspective. In the entire Cao camp, except for Xu, who had the advantage of knowing the historical outcomes, Xun Yu would be the second best.

Moreover, Xu could not always rely on his knowledge of history, as his deeper involvement would inevitably change the historical trajectory. If he analyzed situations based on the original history and made mistakes, it could leave a bad impression on Cao Cao. "A thousand words are not as good as a moment of silence," so after joining Cao Cao's camp, Xu tried to listen more and speak less about military and political matters.

Given this, when he was forced into this task by Cao Cao's brothers, the first person he thought of for advice was Xun Yu. However, although Xun Yu had a good relationship with him, he was extremely busy and had no time to teach. Therefore, Xun Yu said, "I will introduce you to someone who is very familiar with local administration and happens to be in Juancheng for a report. He will certainly be able to teach you." Xu asked who it was, and Xun Yu curved two fingers and said a name— "Cheng Li, also known as Cheng Zhongde."

Few people knew Cheng Li's name, just as few people knew about Shi Yi. However, after changing his name to Shi Yi, he became a well-known figure in history with many admirers. Cheng Li later changed his name to Cheng Yu, who became even more famous and had countless followers in later generations.

The origin of the name change was a dream Cheng Li had as a child, where he climbed to the top of Mount Tai and watched the sunrise. He raised his hands, and a red sun emerged between his palms. Later, he casually told this dream to Xun Yu. When he achieved great success, Xun Yu recounted the dream to Cao Cao, who was delighted. He thought it was a good omen—Cheng Li was now his subordinate, and his act of holding up the sun symbolized that with his assistance, he could rise like the morning sun. Thus, Cao Cao added the character "日" (sun) to Cheng Li's name, changing it to Cheng Yu.

When people talk about the top-tier advisors in Cao Cao's camp, they usually think of five people: Xun Yu (Xun Wenruo), Xun You (Xun Gongda), Jia Xu (Jia Wenhe), Guo Jia (Guo Fengxiao), and Cheng Yu (Cheng Zhongde). At this time, Cheng Yu was still known by his original name, Cheng Li, and his wisdom was not yet apparent, and he held only the position of County Magistrate of Shouzhang.

When Xu heard Xun Yu mention Cheng Li's name, he was overjoyed and said, "Please write me a letter of introduction quickly, and I will go to visit Cheng Li."

Cheng Li was temporarily staying in a guesthouse in Juancheng. Xu, holding Xun Yu's letter of introduction, went to visit him. Cheng Li welcomed him at the door. Xu looked up and saw that the historical description was accurate—Cheng Li was indeed a tall man, probably over 1.9 meters, and Xu had never seen such a tall ancient person in his life.

Not only was Cheng Li tall, but he also had a large frame, long arms, long legs, a long face, and a long beard, making him look imposing and more like a seasoned general than a scholar. Xu, who was not yet 1.7 meters tall (and estimated to grow only another 5-6 centimeters), had to tilt his head back to converse with him.

After exchanging pleasantries, Cheng Li invited Xu into the room. Xu got straight to the point, saying that the Governor of Jiyin, Cao De, wanted to appoint him as a supervisor to help with county inspections, but he had no experience in civil administration and was seeking advice. Cheng Li's face remained expressionless, and he glanced at Xu and asked, "The Emperor Wu initially established the position of Inspector and set the 'Six Points of Inquiry.' Do you know them?"

Xu shook his head and said, "I would like to hear more." Cheng Li then began to recite the points on his fingers: "First, powerful clans and wealthy families who exceed land limits, bully the weak, and oppress the few. Second, officials who do not follow imperial edicts, violate laws, favor personal interests, and exploit the people. Third, officials who do not care about unresolved cases, use harsh punishments, and reward arbitrarily, causing distress to the people. Fourth, officials who make unfair appointments, favoring those they like and neglecting the capable. Fifth, officials' children who abuse their family's influence and seek favors. Sixth, officials who collude with powerful families, accept bribes, and undermine the law."

"Crack," Xu felt as if he had been hit by a thousand mathematical theorems, making his head spin. He quickly clasped his hands and said, "Please speak more slowly, Cheng Magistrate. I can't understand such a long passage."

Cheng Li lightly curled his lips, showing a look of disdain. If it weren't for Xun Wenruo's letter of introduction, he might have kicked Xu out on the spot. He then patiently and briefly explained, "The court uses Inspectors to supervise officials, and officials use supervisors to inspect counties. The principle is the same. The 'Six Points of Inquiry' are essentially about investigating officials' dereliction of duty, law violations, harm to the public, and the overreach of powerful families."

Xu thought, "You're going to the other extreme, making it too simple. The goal of a supervisor's inspection is to target county officials and powerful families, investigating various illegal and corrupt behaviors. Do I need you to tell me this? I can guess it myself." Cheng Li was suppressing his anger, and Xu's own frustration was starting to rise. However, since he was there to seek advice, he couldn't afford to be disrespectful. He bowed repeatedly and asked Cheng Li to explain in more detail.

Cheng Li thought for a moment, then suddenly held up two fingers and asked Xu, "There are two methods for county inspections. Which one do you prefer?" Xu asked which two methods. Cheng Li said, "The first method is to travel in a carriage with an umbrella and a retinue, stopping at every station and staying in guesthouses, waiting for the county officials to bring gifts and pay respects. Those who offer more gifts receive higher evaluations, and those who offer less receive lower evaluations. That's all."

Xu thought, "Isn't that just a way to bluff and take bribes? That's not hard, but if I really wanted to do that, why would I need to ask you?" He quickly asked, "What about the second method?"

Cheng Li said, "The second method is to travel lightly, in plain clothes, without staying in guesthouses, and to conduct private investigations among the common people to observe the county's administration. When you enter the county, do so unexpectedly, like a thunderbolt, sealing and inspecting the treasury and records to supervise the county's finances."

Xu nodded in agreement but then