Taiheiki

Chapter 158 Intertwined
"My lord, it's not that I don't want to protect those who come to seek refuge, but the situation in the Jianghuai region has changed. The main battlefield between the government forces and the bandits will gradually shift south of the Yangtze River. Chaisang is located in a strategic position and will inevitably become the center of the battle between the two armies. If we continue to stay in Chaisang, we will only become bait for both sides. Therefore, I plan to lead my clan and followers south ahead of time to seek refuge with my adoptive father. He has already taken five counties in Jiaozhou, which is enough to settle us. You can come south with me or find another way. It's all up to you, and I will not force you!"

"I see!" Wang Wen nodded. "This matter is of great importance. Please allow me to go back and think about it for a day or two before I report back!"

“Of course!” Nie Sheng nodded. “I need to prepare for the journey south for a while. If you want to come with me, please reply within three days. Also, since we need ships to go south, I have already sent people to blockade the docks and impound all the ships. We will distribute them in a unified manner later.”

"Yes!" the people in the hall responded in unison, and then went back to discuss and prepare. Zhou Jin also hurriedly returned to the back room and reported the news of Nie Sheng's banquet to Zhou Shi: "Sister, things have been settled with Asheng. What should we do? Should we go south to Jiaozhou with him, or make other plans?"

“Of course we went south with him!” Zhou sighed. “He made it very clear that there will be a war in Chaisang, and Wei Cong has already taken Jiaozhou. If we don’t go south with Asheng to seek refuge, where else can we go in this chaos? Go back to our hometown in Lujiang?”

“Sister is right. If I’m not mistaken, most of those people in the hall today are going to Jiaozhou!” Zhou Jin said.

"That's for sure. Soldiers follow their generals, and grass follows the wind. In chaotic times, if you don't follow the strong, you'll die. In my opinion, all of this was arranged by Wei Cong. He's very thoughtful. Asheng is his adopted son. We won't suffer if we follow him!"

"Then I'll go there later and let my sister know what she means!"

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Xiangyang, Cai Mansion.

Cao Cao and Cai Mao sat in a side hall near the garden. Maids served them pickled fish, eggs, baked cakes, roasted meat, and millet porridge. "Aman, there's no other way. These are extraordinary times. Many people have no food to eat. I think we can only simplify everything!" Cai Mao sighed.

"You seem to be eating quite well!" Cao Cao casually picked up an egg, cracked the shell, and peeled it while laughing. "I think we should eat as much as we can while we can. Even if we don't have anything to eat tomorrow, at least I've had enough to eat today. Tell me, how's the situation here in Jingzhou?"

“How should I put it?” Cai Mao touched his cheek. “This is the first time I’ve realized that those poor bastards can cause so much trouble. Individually, they’re easy to deal with, but if there are too many of them, then they’re useless. Do you understand what I mean?”

"Are you saying that General Feng is still outmatched?" Cao Cao took a bite of the egg. "If I remember correctly, he has requested reinforcements from the court several times!"

“That’s not it!” Cai Mao shook his head: “Chancellor Feng has won several battles, killing so many Eren bandits that their corpses are strewn across the fields. Really, Cao Cao, you will only understand the meaning of ‘corpses strewn across the fields’ when you see the corpses covering the land in front of you! So many people have been killed, and the rest are surrounded in the city, preferring death to surrender. We are still a long way from winning!”

"I don't quite understand!" Cao Cao shook his head: "As far as I know, since General Feng has won battle after battle, leaving the Emei bandits dead all over the battlefield, why is he still asking the court for reinforcements? To be honest, many people in Luoyang have already expressed their dissatisfaction with him, feeling that he is deliberately raising bandits to enhance his own power!"

“What’s so hard to understand?” Cai Mao laughed. “The bandits’ ring-pommel swords and spears are also capable of killing. Even if you win a battle and kill 10,000 enemies, you’ll also lose several thousand of your own men, right? The bandits have hundreds of thousands of men, while the government army only has a few. Isn’t it normal to need reinforcements while winning battles?”

"A spear? A ring-pommel sword?" Cao Cao laughed, "A Mao, I've heard that the Moth Bandits are a rabble, they only have hoes and bamboo spears, and they're lucky if they even have a sickle!"

"That's all outdated information. Things are different now! Cao Cao, wait a moment!" Cai Mao got up and went outside. He returned a moment later with a ring-pommel sword in his hand and handed it to Cao Cao: "Cao Cao, what do you think of this sword?"

Cao Cao took the sword, drew it from its sheath, and examined it in the lamplight. He was surprised to see that the blade was gleaming and had veins like those on silk fabric: "This is the sword of the Moth Bandit?"

"You can try it first!" Cai Mao said noncommittally.

Cao Cao stood up, casually slashed down with his sword, cutting off a corner of the table. He then examined the blade and found it undamaged: "This sword is excellent! Is it truly the sword of the Moth Bandit?"

“Hmm!” Cai Mao nodded: “This was used by a bandit leader when we were defending Xiangyang a few months ago. I thought it was useful, so I kept it! So you know, the government troops might have an advantage in armor and crossbows, but the bandits might be better at swords and spears!”

"How could this be?"

“That’s not surprising!” Cai Mao laughed. “Have you forgotten who the earliest participants in the Moth Bandits were? Miners. There are many ironworks in the area, so it’s not surprising that they had relatively good weaponry. But there’s another rumor!”

"What rumor!"

"There's someone behind the Moth Thieves! A large portion of their weapons were supplied by that person!"

"Is that so?" Cao Cao's expression turned serious. "Who is this person? Is there any evidence?"

“Then that’s it!” Cai Mao spread his hands. “It’s all just rumors! But I don’t think it’s very likely. How much refined iron would it take to provide so many weapons? And the number of people who would make them would be astonishing! If that person had so much refined iron and so many craftsmen, why didn’t he take the opportunity to start his own rebellion? Why would he just give it to the bandits? Wouldn’t that be redundant?”

Cao Cao fell silent for a long while before nodding: "You're right. Even if there really is such a person, now is not the time to thoroughly investigate this matter. Only after the Moth Rebels are pacified can we free up our resources to investigate these subsequent matters!"

“Hmm, Aman, what you said is just like what my father said!” Cai Mao smiled slightly. “By the way, the new emperor has just ascended the throne, and the Grand General is in charge of the government. It is the perfect time for a young hero like you to make great achievements. Why did you leave Luoyang and come here? Could it be that you have offended some noble lady again and fled Luoyang to avoid trouble?” At this point, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

"You could say you're trying to avoid trouble, but not for the sake of the young lady! Have your maid leave, and we can talk!" Cao Cao said.

"You may all leave!" Cai Mao commanded, and the maidservants hurriedly retreated: "What confidential matter is there in Luoyang now—"

"Yuan Shao has summoned his peers, intending to force the Grand General to exterminate all the eunuchs!" Cao Cao said expressionlessly. "They had already agreed on a time when I left. If all goes well, you should hear the news by tomorrow or the day after!" "What?" Cai Mao was startled. "Force the Grand General to exterminate all the eunuchs? What do you mean by that?"

"That's exactly what I mean!" Cao Cao suppressed his smugness and spoke as calmly as possible: "Yuan Shao has summoned brave warriors from all over the country to the capital, agreeing to first kill the eunuchs and their families outside the palace. In this way, General, you will have no choice but to act immediately!"

"I still don't understand. What do you mean by 'the Grand General has no choice but to act immediately'?" Cai Mao still looked puzzled. "The current Grand General is the leader of the partisans. Isn't it common knowledge that he wants to kill the eunuchs? Why does he need Yuan Shao and the others to force him?"

"Oh, Ah Mao, you're really stupid!" Cao Cao said with a look of exasperation. "The reason the Grand General is the Grand General is because his daughter is the Empress Dowager. The Grand General is the leader of the partisans, but the Empress Dowager is not. She lives deep in the palace and is very close to the eunuchs. Women are soft-hearted, and when those eunuchs grovel on the ground and beg, the Empress Dowager can't bring herself to do it. Without the Empress Dowager's approval, even the Grand General can't do anything to the eunuchs!"

"That's true!" Cai Mao finally understood. "If Yuan Shao kills all the eunuchs and their families outside the palace first, then the General will have no choice but to take action. This is a good method. But why aren't you in Luoyang for such an important matter? Why did you come here to me?" At this point, Cai Mao looked at his old friend with a suspicious gaze, almost saying, "You didn't desert your post, did you?"

"Stop thinking nonsense!" Cao Cao sneered. "I've come to Xiangyang on another mission!"

"An assignment? Yuan Shao and his men are doing great things in Luoyang, yet you've come to Xiangyang. It's probably because you were cowardly in the face of battle that Yuan Shao sent you to Xiangyang. It's a pity I wasn't in Luoyang at that time, and I missed this opportunity to make a name for myself. I truly regret it for the rest of my life!"

"Shut up!" Cao Cao was furious at Cai Mao's sarcastic remarks and cursed, "What do you know? The real big thing is what you did in Xiangyang. Without my hard work and effort, even if Yuan Shao and his men had managed to kill the eunuchs, they wouldn't have had a good ending!"

What do you mean by that?

"Don't you understand? Yuan Shao and the others are forcing the General to kill the eunuchs. This is completely different from the General killing the eunuchs on his own initiative. If the General kills the eunuchs on his own initiative, the credit and reputation will belong to the General. But if Yuan Shao and the others take the initiative to kill the eunuchs and their families in the capital, and the General then takes action, the reputation will all belong to us. The General will only be able to achieve his goal by relying on others. What do you think the General will think?"

"You mean the General will punish Yuan Shao and his men?" Cai Mao asked.

"It's unlikely now, after all, Yuan Shao and his men are regarded by the scholars of the land as heroes who dared to be the first to kill the eunuchs, and the Grand General wouldn't dare to offend the public. But who knows what the future holds!" Cao Cao sneered, "After all, the higher one's rank, the narrower one's mind becomes; everyone is the same in this regard! Unless—"

"Unless what?"

"Unless we have strong reinforcements outside!" Cao Cao laughed, "The General has something to consider, so naturally he wouldn't dare to make a move!"

"I understand!" Cai Mao laughed. "You came to Xiangyang this time to see General Feng, didn't you? That's right, General Feng has a large army, he is indeed a very good external ally!"

"You're wrong!" Cao Cao said coldly.

"If it wasn't Feng, then who could it be?" Cai Mao asked, puzzled.

"It's Wei Cong, Wei Mengde!"

"Wei Cong?" Cai Mao was stunned upon hearing this, his expression showing disbelief. "Him? You must be mistaken. Wasn't he on the run after killing an official? How could he possibly be your ally?"

"Your information is outdated!" Cao Cao sneered. "Just recently, he led his troops from Yuzhang County across the Five Ridges and into Jiaozhou, where he defeated Zhang Xu, the governor of Cangwu, and has already occupied the five counties of Nanhai, Cangwu, Yulin, Zhuya, and Hepu."

"What?" Cai Mao stared blankly for a few minutes before asking, "Really? Could it be someone with the same name?"

"There's no mistake!" Cao Cao took out a document from his sleeve and handed it to Cai Mao: "Take a look for yourself. This is news from Yangzhou. He's eight feet tall, has an extraordinary appearance, and is skilled in calligraphy. Who else could it be but him?"

"This, this is just too, too outrageous!" Cai Mao exclaimed after reading the letter. "How long has it been? He has already occupied five counties. But even so, what use is it to seek his help? Jiaozhou is so far from the Central Plains, and its population is small. The combined population of the five counties is less than that of Nanyang alone. What use is this kind of help?"

"So, Ah Mao, you have no vision! You couldn't even recognize Wei Cong's talent when he was right in front of you!" Cao Cao sneered. "You need to look at the current situation in the world. Why did Wei Cong dare to attack Jiaozhou? Wasn't it because of the E'zhai Rebellion, which cut off the transportation routes from the Central Plains to Jiaozhou? If he takes Jiaozhou and the court hasn't quelled the E'zhai Rebellion yet, do you think he won't raise an army and head north to take over Jingnan and Yuzhang? Do you think he'll still be useful as an external ally then?"

“If that’s the case, then he certainly deserves it!” Cai Mao nodded. “But then again, why should he become your outside helper? What benefits can you offer him? Just based on your past relationship? I don’t think he’s that kind of person!”

"Because he also needs someone to speak for him in court!" Cao Cao laughed. "Unless he really wants to declare himself king and separate himself from the Han Dynasty, in the end he still needs the official titles and ranks given to him by the court. Where else can he find a better path than us?"

“You’re really thinking ahead!” Cai Mao sighed. “However, the road from here to Jiaozhou is now blocked, and there are chaotic soldiers everywhere. If I were you, I certainly wouldn’t take this risk!”

"Of course I won't just go to Jiaozhou like that! But do you remember Zhao Yannian? He's doing pretty well under Feng Cheqi now, isn't he? I don't believe he hasn't kept a way to contact Wei Cong!"

"You still remember him?" Cai Mao laughed. "That fellow is different now!"

"Oh? What do you mean?" Cao Cao asked.

"After Wei Cong killed Wang Gui, the county magistrate of Baling, and fled, his troops came under the command of Zhao Yannian. Zhao Yannian was quite capable, and he led Wei Cong's remaining troops from Jingnan to Nanjun, from Nanjun to Xiangyang, and from Xiangyang to Jiangxia, fighting at least twenty or thirty battles, large and small, with few defeats. He rose step by step from a miscellaneous colonel to a lieutenant general. Feng Chariot Cavalry valued him highly and I heard that after the war, he would petition the court to grant him the title of Marquis within the Passes!"

(End of this chapter)