Chapter 98

Over the years, news suddenly came that Liu Bei had been defeated by Yuan Tan and, with no way to return to Youzhou, was forced to lead his remaining troops south to Langya, intending to seek refuge with Tao Qian. The generals in Cao Cao's camp didn't consider this a big deal—Tao Qian was now an ally, and the stronger the ally, the more secure their flank would be. Only Shi Xun felt a chill in his liver...

"Damn Liu Bei!" I thought. I had barely managed to persuade Cao Cao not to attack Xuzhou, thus preventing Liu Bei from seizing power there. Who knew that the inertia of history was so strong that it would still lead him to Xuzhou. Seeing that Tao Qian wouldn't live much longer, I could then openly hand Xuzhou over to Cao Cao with the help of Chen Deng and Cao Hong. Once Cao Cao controlled Yanzhou and Xuzhou, dealing with Yuan Shu would be a piece of cake. After securing all of Yuzhou and Huabei, he could advance north to challenge Yuan Shao—ideally before Yuan Shao completely defeated Gongsun Zan—would there even be a Guandu? Yuan Shao might not be able to hold out either.

But what if Liu Bei reaches Xuzhou, and if Tao Qian dies, he takes over like he did in history? The historical records are vague, either saying Tao Qian voluntarily gave Xuzhou to Liu Bei (who would believe that), or glossing over it by saying Mi Zhu and others handed the governor's seal to Liu Bei—there must be a lot of dark dealings and private transactions behind this. Who can guarantee that Mi Zhu, now related to my family and promised to be on good terms with the Cao brothers, won't have a change of heart and defect to Liu Bei?

No, I can't let that happen. I relied on offering Xuzhou to Cao Cao to gain his favor. If Xuzhou is lost, it would be like a slap in the face. That would be too embarrassing!

So Shi Xun quickly reminded Cao Cao, "Liu Bei is a cunning hero. If he enters Xuzhou, the situation there may change. My lord should send someone to investigate and closely monitor the matter." It wasn't that he had a deep grudge against Liu Bei; on the contrary, he quite liked Liu Bei at this time. However, heroes cannot coexist—since he had decided to support Cao Cao, Liu Bei naturally became a major threat that had to be eliminated.

Because among the heroes of the world, anyone could be brought into Cao Cao's camp—look at Taishi Ci, who was originally supposed to go to Jiangdong, but I managed to bring him to Cao Cao's side—only Liu Bei was different. He was a man with lofty ambitions, unwilling to be subordinate to anyone, and in history, no matter how well Cao Cao treated him, he would run away and stab him in the back.

At this time, Cao Cao still didn't fully understand Liu Bei's true nature. After all, Liu Bei had always been a subordinate of Gongsun Zan, and his largest jurisdiction was only the state of Pingyuan, without causing much trouble. However, when Cao Cao was in Dongjun, he had fought against Liu Bei and knew that Liu Bei was skilled in training troops and using generals. If not for his somewhat crude tactics, he could have become a pillar of Gongsun's in Qingzhou. So Cao Cao misunderstood Shi Xun's intention, thinking that Shi Xun was probably afraid that Liu Bei still had loyalty to Gongsun and might pull Tao Qian back into the Yuan Shu-Gongsun Zan camp once he reached Xuzhou. This was indeed a concern.

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and then suddenly remembered, asking Shi Xun, "Your late father passed away, I vaguely recall, at the end of the first year of Chuping. Three years have passed... should you be able to remove your mourning and marry now?"

Shi Xun, hearing this, felt a cold shower pour over him. He thought, "Damn, Cao Cao is going to use my marriage as an excuse to send me to Xuzhou! If I had known, I wouldn't have told him that I couldn't marry because of my 'father's' death... Wait, when did I mention when my 'father' died? How did he find out? Or did Cao Hong write to him..."

He didn't want to return to Xuzhou. Marrying wasn't urgent, and with his 'father's' mourning period over, he should first take Xiao Luoli Guan Si. In a year or two, when Tao Qian dies and he can hand Xuzhou over to Cao Cao, he wouldn't have to worry about any 'treason' plots being exposed. Then he could return to Xuzhou to marry. Ah, Liu Bei is dangerous, but if I had known, I would have quietly mentioned it to Xun Yu or Guo Jia, letting them advise Cao Cao. Now I'm just walking into a trap myself!

But there was no way to take back what he had said. He didn't dare lie to Cao Cao, saying his 'father's' mourning period wasn't over. How did history evaluate Cao Cao? "Hard to deceive with falsehoods," meaning it was difficult to fool him with pretense. He hadn't heard when Shi Yi died, but now that he had, if Shi Xun lied, the risk would be too great. After all, he was now working under Cao Cao, and the boss's trust was crucial. A small lie or a minor suspicion could destroy that trust, ruining his future.

Well, well, it's not certain that returning to Xuzhou would expose his plot. He would go quickly, marry, and return quickly. He would also remind Cao Zhonghui and Chen Yuanlong to keep a close eye on Liu Bei, thus fulfilling Cao Cao's mission.

But Shi Xun made a request: "I will go back to marry, but you must give me an official envoy status to negotiate with Tao Qian." He thought, "In a conflict between two countries, messengers are not killed." As an official envoy from Yanzhou, even if his plot was exposed, Tao Qian wouldn't dare kill him. This protection was essential.

Cao Cao agreed, "Of course, you will go on my behalf to reaffirm our alliance." Xun Yu, hearing this, suddenly raised his hand, "Wait a moment."

Xun Yu said, "Yanzhou is not yet stable, and Lü Bu is nearby. Although my lord will soon launch a large army to sweep away the remnants, we fear that the scholars of Xuzhou may not understand the situation, and Tao Gongzu may be misled by villains, causing a rift in our alliance. In my view, when Hongfu goes, he should convey three points to Tao Mu..."

Shi Xun bowed and asked for guidance. Xun Yu counted on his fingers and explained, "First, in gratitude for Tao Mu's assistance against Yuan Shu, we will send ten thousand hu of grain and ten thousand coins as a reward. Second, with spring plowing approaching, we still have many idle fields in Yanzhou, so we request that the oxen be lent for another year. Third, to prevent Yuan Shu from invading Xuzhou, we request that my lord send a force to garrison Xiao County in Pei to support Tao Mu."

Cao Cao was delighted, "Wenruo is truly my Zifang!" Shi Xun, less experienced in politics, took a moment to understand but then nodded, thinking, "This is the first strategist of the Cao camp, truly unmatched in skill!"

Xun Yu was afraid that Tao Qian might think Yanzhou was severely weakened and consider returning to the Yuan Shu-Gongsun Zan camp. So his first point, sending grain and money to Xuzhou, was not to flatter Tao Qian but to show that they were still wealthy and strong, not afraid of war. The second point, extending the loan of oxen, was to ensure another bountiful harvest and to show Tao Qian that they valued the friendship with Xuzhou and had many uses for it, promising not to abandon him. The third point, garrisoning troops in Xiao County, was both to help Tao Qian and to warn him: don't play tricks, if you break the alliance and join Yuan Shu, we will swallow your Pengcheng before Yuan Shu's reinforcements arrive and advance to Tancheng!

Thus, it was decided. Shi Xun would not only be sent to Xuzhou as an envoy but also to escort the ten thousand hu of grain and ten thousand coins. Cao Cao sent five hundred men to escort him, led by a young general. Cao Cao introduced him, "This is Li Ziyang's (Li Qian) nephew and Li Xiucheng's (Li Zheng) cousin." The young man bowed, "I am Li Dian, styled Mancheng."

It was Li Dian, Li Mancheng, a famous general in the Cao camp, known alongside Yue Jin. Shi Xun, not daring to be disrespectful, bowed respectfully and then discussed with Li Dian that he would return to his estate to pack and arrange his affairs, and they would set off eastward.

The last time he returned to Juancheng, he presented the poem "In Praise of the Poor Scholar" to Cao Cao and complained about his poverty. Cao Cao, being generous, immediately granted him several thousand coins, dozens of bolts of silk, and hundreds of stones of grain. Of course, Cao Cao, being Cao Mengde, wouldn't let this go without a favor. While rewarding him, he inquired about the "firecrackers," and in return, the Daoist Xie Zheng was confiscated.

With this money and grain, plus his monthly salary, supporting his large household of servants was very tight. Fortunately, many of his servants were former Yellow Turbans, used to hardship, and were content with a place to live and a master who didn't mistreat them. However, his plans for private fire weapon production were put on hold, and as for papermaking... even if he could find a skilled craftsman, he had no financial means to conduct experiments.

On the way back to his estate, he couldn't help but think that he was about to go to Xuzhou to marry. Should he take advantage of the situation and consummate his relationship with Xiao Luoli Guan Si before his main wife arrived? Guan Si had been well-nourished lately, developing a more mature figure, with her chest growing from the initial small bumps to a C-cup. However, her height remained around 1.5 meters, unlikely to grow taller. Despite her small stature, she was proportionate and not like a dwarf or a hobbit...

So, although she still looked like a child (though his parents in the poor village might not have been taller than her), her chest and hips were already "ripe peaches." As the saying goes, "When the flower is in bloom, it should be picked; don't wait until there are no flowers left to pick the branches." Should he really wait until she was old enough to graduate from university? Guan Hai would be furious!

But thinking of Guan Hai, his enthusiasm instantly cooled. His father was still bedridden, unable to get up. Discussing consummation at this time would be inhumane.

Hmm, consummation... even before consummation, it seemed that his relationship with Guan Si was only a verbal agreement, without any formal ceremony. This was something that needed to be done immediately, before marrying his main wife, to establish Guan Si's status as a concubine. Otherwise, if his wife refused to accept Guan Si, what would he do? In matters of love, it was better to act first and explain later!

So, upon returning to his estate, he went to Guan Hai's bedside to discuss this. To his surprise, Guan Hai was confused and said, "We commoners never have concubines, and we don't need any formalities. Isn't it enough that we agreed?"

Shi Xun thought, "You're a confused father. Never mind, I'll consult someone else." He turned to Wu Zhi, who, though young, had been a minor official and was well-versed in laws and regulations. But to his surprise, Wu Zhi shrugged, "Why do you need formalities for a concubine?"