The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 303: Seventy percent is mine, and the remaining thirty percent is yours to share!
Xichuan, Hanzhong.

After Cao Cao accepted Zhang Lu's surrender, he began to focus all his efforts on conquering the Hanzhong region.

Cao Cao attached great importance to the development of Hanzhong. He not only transferred Zao Zhi, the master of land reclamation, from Yingchuan to Hanzhong.

He even generously allocated 50 million coins.

He ordered Zhao Yan, Lü Qian, and others to devote all their efforts to restoring productivity in Hanzhong.

Why is Hanzhong so important?

In terms of its own economic strength, Hanzhong has a population of several hundred thousand.

This is why Zhang Lu was able to suppress Liu Zhang's entire province with only one commandery in history.

Of course, Zhang Lu not only occupied Hanzhong, but also the area north of Ba Commandery.

This means that Zhang Lu basically controlled all the most populous areas in Yizhou, except for Shu Commandery.

This enabled Zhang Lu to conquer an entire prefecture from a single commandery.

Strategically, Hanzhong is the gateway to Yizhou.

With Hanzhong secured, the gateway to Yizhou would be wide open.

Conversely, if the Shu ruler obtains the Hanzhong region, it will be very difficult for others to invade normally.

Even when Liu Bei entered Shu in history, he started his campaign directly from within Shu territory.

It would be extremely difficult for Liu Bei to break in from the outside.

Therefore, after experiencing the ups and downs of half his life, Cao Cao made a wise decision at this moment.

That is to abandon the struggle with Liu Bei for the Central Plains and instead compete with Liu Zhang for Western Sichuan.

At this time, Xichuan was not yet unified, and the most important Hanzhong region was not in Liu Zhang's hands.

Cao Cao could have easily divided and defeated them, first conquering Zhang Lu and then annexing Liu Zhang.

The plan is now half complete, and Cao Cao's energy is now fully focused on the remaining half.

How to conquer Xichuan?

One day, the civil and military officials gathered in Nanzheng to discuss strategies for conquering Xichuan.

Cao Cao glanced at his ministers.

Most of them were officials of the Cao and Xiahou clans.

If previously the Wei state group was divided 60/40 between members of the royal family and officials from other clans, now it's 70/30.

There is nothing we can do about it.

He was constantly on the move and could only rely on the imperial family.

"Now that Hanzhong has been captured, the gateway to Shu is wide open."

"Liu Zhang is weak and incompetent. I intend to take him before Liu Bei unifies the Central Plains. What do you all think?"

Strategist Cheng Yu advised:
"Although Liu Zhang occupies Yizhou, he is outwardly strong but inwardly weak, and his policies are inconsistent."

"Many heroes in Sichuan are not convinced."

"If my lord wishes to take it, there is no need to attack hastily; we can devise a plan first."

Cao Cao asked, "What plan do you have?"

Cheng Yu stroked his long beard and analyzed:
"The brothers Zhang Su and Zhang Song from Shu have long been at odds with Liu Zhang, and they have been secretly colluding with our side."

"We can first send a secret envoy to befriend the two men and have them spread rumors in Chengdu."

"They claimed that our army had no intention of attacking Shu, in order to underestimate Liu Zhang's intentions."

"At the same time, my lord can send trusted generals to infiltrate the Baishui area."

"Spread kindness and trust widely, and befriend the powerful figures in Sichuan."

"Once the people's hearts are won over, our army can first occupy Baishui and cut off its throat."

"Then we will march straight to Chengdu, and the great matter will be settled!"

Cao Cao was overjoyed and clapped his hands in approval.

Therefore, following Cheng Yu's advice, he first sent envoys to secretly make connections with Zhang Su and Zhang Song.

They were instructed to say a few good words about themselves to Liu Zhang, in order to lull Liu Zhang into a false sense of security.

……

Meanwhile, Liu Zhang, in Chengdu, heard that Cao Cao had already captured Hanzhong and his army was advancing directly towards Western Sichuan.

My heart is filled with anxiety and fear, for I fear that I may have driven away one wolf only to have gained a tiger instead.

Therefore, he hastily convened a meeting of officials to discuss the matter.

"Cao Cao is entrenched in Hanzhong, eyeing our Yizhou. What can we do?"

Before the words were finished, Zhang Su, an official, stepped forward and reported:
"My lord, do not worry! Although Cao Cao has obtained Hanzhong, his ambition is to rest and recuperate the people. He may not have any intention of attacking Shu."

"Moreover, the roads to Shu are treacherous, and even with a million men, it would be difficult to cross them by air."

"My lord, please rest assured and do not trouble yourself."

Zhang Su was the closest friend of Cao Cao, since Cao Cao was a person who valued appearances, and Zhang Su was handsome.

Historically, Cao Cao greatly admired Zhang Su, regarding him as his own "Zhang Song".

He hoped to use him as an inside man to help him take over the land of Xichuan.

Liu Zhang was an indecisive person, and hearing Zhang Su's words made him feel somewhat at ease.

He then asked the officials of Shu:

"What do you think, sir?"

The civil and military officials looked at each other, but no one answered.

It turns out that the officials in Shu each harbored different intentions.

Some may be afraid of Cao Cao and dare not speak lightly of war.

Some may have been in secret dealings with Cao Cao and were unwilling to offer advice.

Some are taking a wait-and-see approach, wanting to wait for the situation to change before making any plans.

There's a joke that goes like this: Why was Liu Zhang able to become the governor of Yizhou?

A: Because he wrote an essay called "My Governor Father, Liu Yan".

But jokes aside, the governorship was not hereditary.

When the old governor dies, the imperial court will send a new governor to take over.

How can a son succeed to the throne?
After Liu Yan's death, the Chang'an court dispatched Hu Mao to Yizhou to take up his post.

To this end, Liu Biao even helped persuade his general Gan Ning to defect so that they could work together to overthrow Liu Zhang.

Unexpectedly, they were defeated.

This also reflects how strong the Yizhou soldiers were at defending their home base.

Therefore, many people at the time criticized Liu Zhang for not obtaining the throne legitimately.

But does this mean that Liu Zhang was very capable?
A: No.

The powerful faction was the Dongzhou faction, not Liu Zhang.

In fact, Liu Zhang was able to succeed to the throne because of the Dongzhou faction.

Because after Liu Yan's death, he specifically named his third son, Liu Mao, as his successor.

As a result, the Dongzhou faction at the time felt that Liu Mao was more capable, while Liu Zhang was gentle and lacked authority, making him easier to control.

With the support of important officials such as Zhao Wei, Liu Zhang was established as the new ruler of Xichuan.

In other words, Liu Zhang was able to succeed to the throne simply because he was "weak"!
Zhao Wei was a veteran who followed Liu Yan into Shu and was also a "founding hero" who was highly trusted by Liu Yan.

I just never expected that raising a wolf as a guard dog would end up being so difficult.

"Hey! My lord, you must not let your guard down against Cao Cao."

Wang Lei immediately stood up to refute Zhang Su's point of view.

"Currently, Cao Cao has lost the Hebei region in his struggle against Liu Bei."

"Liu Bei's next goal is to unify all of Henan."

"Cao Cao's Yan Province has been attacked from both the north and south by Liu Bei, and it cannot be defended."

"Therefore, Cao Cao relocated people to the Guanzhong region."

"However, even with Guanzhong as its stronghold, it would be difficult to withstand Liu Bei's offensive."

"So he definitely wants the land of Xichuan to protect the Cao family's foundation."

"This is why Cao Cao seized Hanzhong and then guarded Guanzhong!"

Even in a town of ten households, there will surely be loyal and trustworthy people.

Wang Lei saw that the officials in the court had their own agendas and strongly advised Liu Zhang to be wary of Cao Cao.

"That's ridiculous."

Xu Jing, the then Prefect of Shu Commandery, stepped forward at this moment.

"It is still uncertain whether Cao Cao is an enemy or a friend. If we send troops to repel him..."

"Instead, it angered a powerful enemy."

"We should first send an envoy to Cao Cao to find out his intentions, and then make a decision."

Xu Jing is equivalent to the mayor of the capital, so his words naturally carry a lot of weight.

But he also had another identity: a scholar from Dongzhou.

The scholars of Dongzhou were part of the Dongzhou faction.

What is the Dongzhou School?
Historical records state that "tens of thousands of families from Nanyang and Sanfu migrated to Yizhou and were recruited as soldiers, known as the Dongzhou soldiers."

In short,
They were people from Nanyang and the Sanfu region who came to Shu; they were from the Dongzhou faction.

We know that the Shu Han dynasty in history was mainly divided into four factions.

—Yizhou School, Dongzhou School, Jingzhou School, Yuancong School.

However, this viewpoint has been questioned by many people.

They believe that there are no factions, and that it is just a far-fetched interpretation by later generations.

Take Li Yan, for example.

People say Li Yan is the big boss of the Dongzhou faction, but he is clearly from Jingzhou. Why not classify him as the Jingzhou faction?

For example, the powerful minister Zhao Wei mentioned above, he was from Ba County, so why wasn't he assigned to the Yi Province faction?

In fact, the so-called factions were created by later generations to make it easier for everyone to understand power struggles.

There is indeed no explicit division in historical records.

However, this does not mean that this classification is wrong.

Take the Dongzhou faction for example.
In a narrow sense, the Dongzhou School can be simply understood as people from the Nanyang and Sanfu regions.

In a broad sense, anyone who followed Liu Yan and Liu Zhang to Shu can be considered a scholar from Dongzhou.

In other words, anyone who came from outside the area during the time of Liu Yan and his son could be considered a member of the Dongzhou faction.

Although Liu Zhang was weak and incompetent, he had the support of the Dongzhou army.

Because the Dongzhou soldiers frequently harassed the people, and Liu Zhang was weak-willed and unable to control them.

They allowed the Dongzhou soldiers to act recklessly.

Zhao Wei wanted to replace Liu Zhang.

He called himself the Little Liu Bei of Xichuan.

He not only won the hearts of the people in Sichuan, but also possessed political acumen.

He also quelled the rebellion of Gan Ning and others, and continued to command troops to defend against Liu Biao.

As Zhao Wei's power increased, he became increasingly arrogant and complacent.

In 200 AD, Zhao Wei launched a coup, attempting to replace Liu Zhang.

This move received the support of local scholars in Yizhou.

Although Zhao Wei was an outsider, he was actually from Shu.

In contrast, Liu Yan and his son Liu Zhang were the outsiders.

As an outsider, it's one thing to not try to please the locals, but you also condone your subordinates' bullying of them.

If the locals don't oppose you, who will they oppose?
but,

The soldiers of Dongzhou had always oppressed the people. They feared that if Zhao Wei came to power, their good days would be over and they would be purged.

So everyone went to help Liu Zhang; the bad guys banded together, united as one, and fought with all their might.

In the end, Zhao Wei's army was defeated and he was killed.

Zhao Wei's death dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the anti-Dongzhou army.

From then on, the Dongzhou soldiers became even more rampant.

Liu Zhang was helpless and allowed the Dongzhou soldiers to harass the people.

Therefore, the current situation in the Shu region is very chaotic.

Zhang Song and Zhang Su were local powerful families, but they wanted to package Yizhou and list it on the stock market to get a good price.

This is also a good opportunity to increase one's own value and expand one's family.

Wang Lei and Huang Quan, who were also local scholars, were conservatives.

They wanted to stick to their own little corner of the world. The Dongzhou faction was already giving them a huge headache, and they didn't want any outsiders to further encroach on their territory.

Therefore, the local factions in Yizhou were inherently disharmonious.

On the other hand, what about the Dongzhou faction?

The same is true.

The scholars and soldiers of Dongzhou did not get along well.

For example, people like Fa Zheng and Xu Jing.

They were idealistic and ambitious, and felt that Liu Zhang was weak and incompetent, unworthy of their talents.

To put it bluntly, as long as it's a normal person.

Who can accept their monarch allowing his soldiers to oppress the common people every day?

That would be pure warlordism, with no political ambition whatsoever.

Fazheng and his group hoped to properly develop the Shu region.

Since you, Liu Zhang, can't control the Dongzhou troops, then we'll have to find someone else to manage them for you.

As for the Dongzhou soldiers, they were absolutely loyal to Liu Zhang.

After all, once Liu Zhang is captured, their good days will be over, and they are destined to be purged.

Therefore, Yizhou is currently facing a situation of internal and external troubles.

Externally, Cao Cao was eyeing them covetously; internally, factions each harbored their own agendas.

Despite the formidable natural defenses of the Shu Road, this regime was destined to be short-lived.

Just when Liu Zhang was at a loss, not knowing how to deal with Cao Cao's problem.

At this moment, Zhang Song, the Prefect, stepped forward and analyzed the situation for Liu Zhang:
"Your Excellency is wise; we should carefully examine the current situation."

"Now Qi is strong and Wei is weak. If Qi gets Jingzhou, our southeastern gateway will be wide open and we will be in danger at any moment."

"Therefore, with Cao Cao in the north and Liu Bei in the south, this is truly a critical moment of survival."

"Suppose that both Cao Cao and Liu Bei want to conquer Shu, then who is more eager? It must be Cao Cao!"

"As my elder brother analyzed, after Cao Cao lost Hebei, he was eager to acquire Shu to secure his own position."

"Liu Bei's ambition lies in the Central Plains, and Sichuan is not his urgent concern."

"From this perspective, the danger to Jingzhou is not yet imminent, but the danger to Hanzhong is already imminent."

Liu Zhang had always trusted and respected Zhang Song, and after listening to his analysis, he found it to be very reasonable.

Then he asked:
"According to your advice, how should I defend against Cao Cao?"

Zhang Songnai then analyzed:

"The military might of Cao Cao was so great that only Liu Bei could withstand it in that era."

"Does Your Excellency assess whether you can withstand their onslaught?"

Liu Zhang pondered for a long time, then shook his head and replied, "No."

"If we cannot stop them, then we can only choose Cao Cao or Liu Bei."

"As I have analyzed, Wei is weak and Qi is strong. If we submit to the Cao family, we will surely be treated well."

"Since Liu Bei has already occupied half of the country, entrusting the country to him would only ensure that the leader becomes a wealthy man."

"If we surrender territory to Cao, we can be ranked among the Nine Ministers. Why not do it?"

Zhang Song spoke with absolute certainty about "betraying his master for personal gain."

But you can't say he's completely wrong.

After all, Cao Cao was eager to obtain the land of Xichuan, and he certainly did not want to fight to the death here and waste too many resources.

If Liu Zhang were to voluntarily surrender territory, Cao Cao would certainly treat him well.

This is basic common sense for a politician.

In contrast, consider Liu Bei.

They have a bunch of trump cards up their sleeve, why would they need to fawn over you?

You're not going to surrender, are you?

My generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Li Yi, Zhuge Liang, and others—which one of them can't deal with you?

Which of the newcomers who have grown up below doesn't want to conquer Xichuan and achieve great things?

If the Xichuan issue can be resolved peacefully, it might even provoke discontent among some people within the Qi state.

"This this……"

Liu Zhang was caught in a dilemma: "Should I just hand over the foundation my father worked so hard to build to Cao Cao?"

As the foolish son of a landlord, Liu Zhang was not so foolish as to hand over his family business.

Being a slave to others is never as good as being a free king.

"It is not about handing over land to Cao, but about working together to achieve a great cause."

Zhang Song said solemnly:

"If we welcome Cao Cao into Shu now, will we then be controlled by him?"

"If Cao breaks the agreement and mistreats the people of Shu, we would rather be like fish in a dried-up pond and unite with Qi to resist Cao."

"With Cao Cao's wisdom and martial prowess, he will surely be able to assess the advantages and disadvantages involved."

"Since they dare not coerce each other, then a three-way co-governance would be the best course of action, wouldn't it?"

Zhang Song, as expected of a master orator, once again offered Liu Zhang a generous condition that he could not refuse.

That means they didn't surrender to Cao Cao, but rather cooperated with him for mutual benefit, and the two companies merged!

Even if Cao Cao enters Shu, he won't take advantage of the people of Yizhou. Otherwise, we should just fight to the death and join forces with Liu Bei to rebel against Cao Cao.

With Cao Cao's intelligence, he must have known the implications and dared not mistreat the people of Shu.

Therefore, by bringing Cao Cao in, we actually found a powerful "henchman".

He can protect your lord's legacy, though it is shared.

But if you cooperate with Liu Bei, will he share the kingdom of Qi with you?

Obviously not!

You should be able to figure this out clearly.

Upon seeing this, Wang Lei became enraged, drew his sword, and shouted:
"Zhang Su and Zhang Song's proposal is in fact a plot to betray the country!"

"How can my lord listen to the words of such a traitor? Cao Cao is a wolf by nature; how could he possibly agree to govern Western Sichuan with my lord?"

He then straightened his hat and addressed Liu Zhang, saying:

"I have two strategies to ensure the safety of Shu: to form an alliance with Sun Quan and Liu Bei as the two teeth, and to send Generals Yang Huai and Gao Pei to guard the strategic passes of Baishui and Jiameng."

"In this way, we can advance to conquer the Central Plains or retreat to preserve our foundation; this is the best strategy for long-term stability and security!"

"Only a wise judge can determine this!"

The Zhang brothers, Zhang Song and Zhang Su, exchanged a glance, both showing disdain.

It's as if to say, "Do you even believe what you're saying?"
Indeed, Wang Lei's suggestion is a good one.

The problem is, Liu Zhang is just reporting on his pig breeding venture—does he even deserve to be called a pig breeder?
You don't have the ability to know!

If Liu Zhang were a capable ruler, Zhang Song and Zhang Su would be happy to support him in building a powerful empire.

Unfortunately he is not.

“Wang’s words are what harm the master.”

"My lord, you must not trust him!"

Zhang Su immediately retorted.

And so the two of them started arguing.

The surrounding officials, each with their own thoughts, watched coldly from the sidelines.

Some people support the Zhang Song brothers, while others oppose them.

Those who agree are the ones who get the smallest slice of the cake.

Cao Cao's entry into Shu was destined to lead to a redistribution of interests in Yizhou.

If they were to welcome Cao Cao at this time, they would be doing a service to the emperor, making it worth the risk.

As for those who oppose it, they are, of course, the beneficiaries of the existing system.

Now that they were at the top of the pyramid, Cao Cao naturally had no way to "benefit" them and win their hearts.

Since the new leader can't show you any kindness, he can only resort to violence.

Faced with the argument, Liu Zhang felt agitated and repeatedly slammed his fist on the table, shouting:
"Gentlemen, please stop arguing! Stop arguing!"

Liu Zhang looked distressed and troubled, his voice trembling with worry:

"...Let me think about it for a bit before making a decision."

Now that Liu Zhang had spoken, the crowd stopped discussing it.

But Zhang Song and Zhang Su both had a slight upturn at the corners of their mouths, revealing a triumphant smile.

Because they had already invested in the Cao Group.

The Cao family's order to them was to temporarily appease Liu Zhang.

Liu Zhang is now hesitant and has not reacted promptly to Cao Cao's southward expansion.

The two brothers had already completed their mission.

……

While Cao Cao was in Hanzhong, a spy reported that Liu Zhang had not reinforced the Baishui and Jiameng passes.

He believed Zhang Su and Zhang Song's words and thought that the Wei army had no intention of attacking Shu.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed, saying:

"Liu Jiyu is utterly mediocre; he has indeed fallen into my trap!"

"The land of Shu should belong to me!"

He then ordered Cao Hong to lead 15,000 elite troops to take Baishui Pass.

He led an army of 20,000 men straight toward Jiameng Pass.

Yang Huai, the general guarding Jiameng Pass, heard that Cao Cao had personally led a large army to press on the border, so he hurriedly gathered his generals to discuss the matter.

The deputy general advised, "Cao Cao's army is very powerful, we must not underestimate them. We should hold the pass and wait for reinforcements."

Yang Huairan acknowledged his words and ordered his soldiers to strengthen their defenses.

Bows and crossbows were strung, and rolling logs and stones were piled up like mountains, just waiting for the Wei army to attack.

When Cao Cao's army arrived at the pass, instead of attacking it, he ordered his troops to set up camp.

Every day, he sent people to appease the nearby people, open the granaries to distribute grain, and provide relief to the poor.

He also ordered that soldiers must not disturb the people, and those who disobeyed would be beheaded.

The people of Shu had long suffered from the harassment of the Dongzhou troops and all complained about Liu Zhang's inaction.

Seeing that the Wei army had not committed any offenses, they were all filled with gratitude and spread the news to each other.

Yang Huai saw this from the pass and was puzzled, thinking to himself:
"Why did Cao Cao neither attack the passes nor show favor to the people, thus winning the hearts of the Shu people?"

"Could it be that they are truly determined to take over Shu?"

When the cannon is fired, there is a thousand taels of gold.

If Cao Cao really wanted to take Shu, he should have acted swiftly and decisively, instead of slowly consuming himself like this.

Moreover, Cao Cao's military might never threatened the safety of Jiameng Pass.

Even with patrol teams, they never entered the restricted area of ​​Jiameng Pass.

This move led many of the generals guarding Jiameng Pass to believe that Cao Cao had no intention of taking Shu.

Not long after, a spy came from Chengdu and secretly reported to Yang Huai:
"As Zhang Biejia said, Duke Wei's trip to Shu is only for trade and commerce, and he has no intention of annexing it."

"Our lord has not expressed any intention to send more troops, which shows that a decision has already been made in Chengdu."

Because Liu Zhang was indecisive, he did not send reinforcements to Jiameng Pass and Baishui Pass immediately.

In addition, the roads to Shu are treacherous, and the flow of information is slow.

Upon hearing this, Yang Huai assumed that Chengdu had confirmed that Cao Cao had no intention of attacking Shu.

After all, Liu Zhang did not send reinforcements.

Thus, their doubts were somewhat relieved, and they relaxed their guard.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Cao Cao sent an envoy with a letter to the pass, inviting Yang Huai to a banquet at his camp to discuss the peace and security of the border.

The deputy general advised:

"Cao Cao is cunning; General, you must not go rashly!"

Yang Huai laughed and said:

"If they wanted to attack, why would they need to resort to trickery? Now that they have invited me, they must have no ill intentions."

"If I can negotiate a clear demarcation of the border with Cao Cao, I will have made a contribution to Shu."

Therefore, he disregarded the deputy general's advice, took only a dozen or so close followers, and happily went out of the pass to attend the banquet.

Cao Cao personally led his troops to greet Yang Huai, took his hand, and laughed:
"I have long admired your illustrious name, General. It is my great honor to meet you today!"

Seeing that Cao Cao treated him with great courtesy, Yang Huai had no more doubts.

After several rounds of drinks, Cao Cao suddenly sighed and said:

"The Shu region is rich, but unfortunately Liu Zhang is weak and incompetent in governing it."

"If the general is willing to surrender, he will certainly not lose his title of marquis."

Upon hearing this, Yang Huai's expression changed drastically, and he stood up to ask:
What does Lord Wei mean by this?

Cao Cao's face darkened, he threw his cup to the ground, and shouted sternly:

"Where are the executioners?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers lying in ambush behind the tent emerged, brandishing swords and axes.

Yang Huai and his companions had no time to react before they were all hacked to pieces.

Cao Cao sneered:

"A fool who doesn't know the times deserves to die!"

He then ordered his elite troops to launch a night raid on the pass.

The Shu army at the pass was leaderless, and when the Wei army suddenly arrived, they were thrown into chaos.

Those who fought back to the death were all killed by the chaotic army.

Jiameng Pass was then breached.

At the same time, Cao Hong also launched an attack on Baishui Pass.

Instead of adopting Cao Cao's strategy of slowing down and wearing him down, Cao Hong opted for a direct and forceful attack.

Because of the treacherous terrain of Baishui Pass, located upstream of the Baishui River, transportation is very inconvenient.

This can easily lead to information asymmetry.

When Cao Hong arrived, he found that the pass was built against the mountain, with cliffs on both sides and only enough space for one vehicle to pass through in the middle.

It is truly a perilous place where "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand."

Cao Hong climbed to a high place and looked into the distance. He saw banners fluttering in the wind and arrow slits standing menacingly on the pass, and couldn't help but sigh:
"Such a natural fortress, a direct assault would inevitably result in heavy losses."

So they sent spies to investigate and learned that the Shu general guarding the pass was named Gao Pei.

Because Liu Zhang was incompetent and unclear about rewarding and punishing border soldiers, his soldiers harbored much resentment towards him.

Cao Hong was overjoyed upon hearing the news and said to his attendants:
"Baishui Pass is not difficult to conquer."

The next day, Cao Hong ordered Cao Zhen to lead three thousand elite troops in a feigned attack on the pass, while he himself led the main force to ambush on both sides of the mountain road.

When Gao Pei saw the Wei army attacking, he quickly ordered his men to fire arrows.

Cao Zhen feigned defeat and fled, but Gao Pei, unsuspecting, led two thousand garrison troops out of the pass in pursuit.

As they ventured deeper into the valley, they suddenly heard a barrage of cannon fire, and Cao Hong's ambush troops emerged, completely surrounding the Shu army.

Gao Pei realized he had fallen into a trap and hastily ordered a breakout.

At this moment, Cao Hong stood on high ground and shouted loudly:
"Soldiers of Shu, listen up! Liu Zhang is incompetent and mistreats the border regions."

"Now our Great Wei is raising a righteous army and does not wish to commit further bloodshed."

"If you are willing to submit, you will be richly rewarded!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the Shu army formation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cao Zhen charged into the enemy lines alone and headed straight for Gao Pei.

The two fought for less than ten rounds when Cao Zhen feigned an opening, luring Gao Pei to attack, and then with a backhand thrust, knocked him off his horse.

Upon seeing this, Vice General Yue Jin immediately led his cavalry in a charge.

He charged back and forth, shouting:
"Whoever surrenders will avoid death!"

Upon seeing their commander beheaded and hearing these words, the Shu soldiers abandoned their weapons and surrendered.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Cao Hong ordered the surrendered soldiers to call out to the pass.

When the garrison at the pass saw that the enemy was their own comrade-in-arms and heard that Gao Pei had been killed, their morale immediately collapsed.

Le Jin personally led his elite troops to climb the cliff, while Cao Zhen commanded archers to suppress the city walls.

Within half a day, the gates of Baishui Pass were flung open, and the Wei army swarmed in.

After entering the pass, Cao Hong immediately posted notices to reassure the people and gave a grand funeral to the soldiers who died in battle.

At the same time, he ordered Cao Zhen to quickly lead men to seal off the warehouse, and no one was allowed to touch the valuables inside without his order.

Cao Zhen was Cao Cao's cousin. He was adopted by Cao Cao after his father died in battle.

Then he was sent to Cao Hong's army for training.

Cao Zhen is currently a young man in his early twenties, full of youthful vigor.

He sealed up the warehouse as instructed by Cao Hong.

Then he personally went to inventory the treasury, making a list of money, grain, and military equipment, preparing to report the truth to Cao Cao.

Then he ordered his personal guards to keep a close watch on the place and not to take a single penny for himself.

While they were busy, they suddenly heard that Cao Hong had arrived inside the pass, and they hurriedly went out to greet him.

After Cao Hong entered the mansion and sat down, he first inquired about the battle situation and then about the state of the treasury.

Cao Zhen cupped his hands and reported:
"The treasury has been fully inventoried, and all money, grain, and military equipment are registered. We dare not touch a single piece of them."

Upon hearing this, Cao Hong frowned, waved his hand to dismiss those around him, and lowered his voice to say:

"Zidan, did you take the money from the warehouse?"

Cao Zhen was taken aback, then patted his chest and said solemnly:
"Not a penny has been taken!"

At that time, he was still a naive young man and had no idea how serious the situation was.

Cao Hong slammed his fist on the table and stood up, pointing at Cao Zhen's nose and cursing:
"If you don't take it, how can I take it?"

"If I don't take it, how will Duke Wei take it?"

"If we don't take them, how can we advance?"

The three questions left Cao Zhen completely bewildered.

It turns out that there was already a precedent in Cao Hong's army:

Each time a city is captured, the soldiers can share in the spoils of war.

Cao Hong himself would take the lion's share, with the remainder to be divided among the generals.

Although Cao Cao knew about this, he turned a blind eye to it because of Cao Cao's ability to fight and win battles, as long as it was not excessive.

This was an unspoken rule, because Cao Cao certainly couldn't extend it to the army.

Otherwise, if every officer behaves like this, morale will definitely be affected, and the army's combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

Seeing that Cao Zhen was so ignorant, Cao Hong, as his uncle, did not hesitate to give him words of advice.

If you don't take it, how can I take it?
If I don't take it, how will Cao Cao take it?
How can we improve if no one takes anything?

Everyone else is taking it, but you're not. Are you trying to find fault with all of us?
Cao Zhen, young and impetuous, retorted:

“Uncle, this is military supplies; how can it be divided privately? If Lord Wei finds out…”

Cao Hong interrupted with a cold laugh, "Lord Wei? You think Lord Wei doesn't know?"

As he spoke, he took out a letter from his pocket.

"This is a handwritten order from Lord Wei, instructing me to 'handle the matter as appropriate'."

Cao Hong even raised his voice for the last four words.

“Zidan, water that is too clear has no fish, and a person who is too discerning has no followers.”

"The Duke of Wei sent you to my army to help you grow."

"This is the first lesson I, Cao, will teach you."

Seeing that Cao Zhen still hesitated, Cao Hong softened his tone and patted him on the shoulder, saying:

"You are new to commanding troops and are unaware of the risks involved."

"What are the soldiers fighting so fiercely for?"

"If we don't even give them this small reward, who would be willing to die for us?"

Helpless, Cao Zhen asked:
"Then how should the profits be divided?"

Cao Hong immediately said:

“Take out a portion first and hand it over to Duke Wei.”

"The remaining assets will be split 30/70."

"...How come it's only 70%?"

"It's 70% mine!"

Cao Hong stamped his feet in frustration, "I'll take 70% first, and the remaining 30% is for you to divide."

Having said that, without further ado, he ordered his trusted men to open the treasury and take out ten boxes of treasures.

It was said to be "filial piety towards Duke Wei".

He then took a certain amount of money and silk and distributed it among the generals.

Only the remaining ones are registered.

Although Cao Zhen was unwilling, he had no choice but to comply.

At the victory banquet that night, all the generals praised Cao Hong for his consideration for his subordinates.

Just as the generals were enjoying their drinks, one of the subordinate generals, slightly tipsy, raised his cup and said:

“When I served under General Xiahou, I went hungry nine out of ten days.”

"Now I follow Cao Cao, and every meal is a feast of rich food."

The General Xiahou mentioned here refers to Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Yuan was an upright and dignified man who was not greedy for money, making him the opposite of Cao Hong.

Everyone burst into laughter, but Cao Zhen looked displeased and threw his cup to the ground, saying:
"General Xiahou's body is barely cold, yet you gentlemen treat a dead general as a joke?"

In an instant, the entire room fell silent.

Seeing this, Cao Hong feigned drunkenness and slammed his fist on the table:
"Why are you so disappointed, Zidan! When Miaocai was alive, we often joked with him too..."

Before the words were finished, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted outside the tent.

A sudden gust of wind blew up, extinguishing all the candlelight.

The generals were startled, and they vaguely saw a white shadow flitting about at the tent entrance, which looked like Xiahou Yuan in his golden armor.

Cao Hong dropped the wine cup in his hand with a clang, his face turning ashen.

From then on, no one in the army dared to mention the matter again, and the story of "the night terror at Baishui" gradually spread among the soldiers.

In later unofficial histories, it spread as a source of amusement.

It is:

Even an upright official finds it difficult to judge matters in the military; only in muddy waters can big fish thrive.

It wasn't that Cao Zhen was too upright; it was just the way the world was.

If you want to know what is going on, listen to the next breakdown.

……

(End of this chapter)