Tiger Owl

Chapter 23 Zheng Bao's Old Case
Guo Jia stroked his beard and said slowly, "The ancients said that one should not doubt those one employs. Liu Xun remembered this ancient saying and appointed Liu Ye as his strategist, Zheng Bao as his deputy, and Chen Lan and Lei Bo as key personnel. However, he forgot the other half of the saying, 'If you doubt someone, do not employ them.'"

Zheng Bao is constantly plotting rebellion, Liu Ye is wholeheartedly loyal to the court, and Chen Lan and Lei Bo are secretly writing letters to the lord—these are all suspicious individuals! Yet Liu Xun, completely unsuspecting, appoints them to important positions. Can someone so easily trusting stand against Sun Ce? If the lord uses them to restrain Sun Ce, won't they ruin the lord's grand plans?

Cao Cao nodded, his gaze drifting out the window as memories of the past decades flooded his mind.

“When I was young, I was classmates with Liu Xun and we were quite close. I know he was mediocre and easily trusts others. He always said he would change, but he never did. This became his lifelong weakness. You are right, Liu Xun is indeed unreliable.”

Although Cao Cao had a good relationship with Liu Xun, this relationship became worthless in the face of Sun Ce's threat.

Cao Cao sighed, then smiled at Guo Jia and said, "Sir, are you referring to Huang Zu when you say 'external containment'?"

Guo Jia smiled faintly, "Has my lord forgotten Gan Ning?"

Cao Cao was stunned for a moment before saying, "I had really forgotten about this person. How is he now?"

"He appointed Lu Su as his military advisor, seized Chaisang from Huang Zu, and destroyed Zhang Ying and Zuo Rong. In just two months, he grew his army from three hundred to five thousand, and had plenty of money and supplies. He had already established a firm foothold in Chaisang."

Cao Cao hesitated and said, "Only five thousand troops? That's too few. How can they possibly hold Sun Ce back?"

Guo Jia smiled slightly and said, "When Sun Ce raised his army, he had only three thousand men. In just two months, his army grew to over ten thousand. In one year, he swept through Wu Commandery, Kuaiji Commandery, Danyang Commandery, and Jiujiang Commandery, expanding his army to fifty thousand. I observe that Gan Ning is both brave and resourceful, and he is also good at seizing opportunities. If I am not mistaken, he will definitely seize the opportunity to destroy Zheng Bao."

"And then?" Cao Cao asked again.

Guo Jia calmly said, "There are not many opportunities left in Jiangdong. For someone of Gan Ning's rank, the only opportunities he can seize are Zheng Bao and Liu Xun. If Your Highness can lend Gan Ning a hand, he will surely repay the favor and help the lord restrain Sun Ce."

Cao Cao took two steps and said, "I want Yuan Shu's family, but Liu Xun's demands are too high. He even wants to be the governor of Yu Province. I can't agree to that. I will write a letter to Gan Ning. If he can help me take Yuan Shu's family, I can lend him a hand. As for whether he can annex Liu Xun, that depends on his own fate."

After a pause, Cao Cao continued, "I have long heard of Liu Ye's exceptional talent and ability to bring peace and stability to the country. I want him; I cannot allow him to be recruited by Jiangdong!"

Guo Jia said in a low voice, "This humble servant recommends Jia Xu to go to Lujiang County. He has some connections with Gan Ning and will certainly live up to the lord's expectations!"

Cao Cao nodded and immediately ordered, "Summon Jia Xu to see me immediately!"

Cao Cao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at Pengze County on the map, a barely perceptible sneer flashing in his narrowed, triangular eyes.

…………

Early that morning, Lu Su found Gan Ning on the training ground.

"I received a letter from my good friend Liu Ye today."

Lu Su asked with a puzzled look, "Has there ever been any deep-seated hatred between you and Zheng Bao, my lord?"

Gan Ning suddenly realized that he had almost forgotten about Zheng Bao.

"Well... it's a bit complicated. Why would the Chief Secretary ask this question?"

"This is not the place to talk. Let's go back to the official residence and discuss this further!"

Inside the official's room, Lu Su took out a letter, placed it on the table, and pushed it to Gan Ning opposite him.

"My lord, see for yourself!"

Gan Ning took out the letter, read it, and frowned, saying, "Zheng Bao surrendered to Liu Xun?"

Lu Su nodded. "Liu Xun thought Zheng Bao had stolen the imperial seal, so he led an army of 20,000 to attack him. Liu Ye then persuaded Zheng Bao to surrender."

Gan Ning was still puzzled and asked, "How did Zheng Bao know I killed his son?" "Because I was with you!"

Lu Su sighed and said, "Ten days ago I received a letter from my brother. Zheng Bao burned down my mansion and arrested my steward, beating him to death. The steward knew I was in Chaisang."

Gan Ning was startled, "Is your brother alright?!"

“He’s fine. He’s at the manor. My mother is also at the manor. She likes living at the manor. They both escaped this disaster.”

Gan Ning said apologetically, "Let's bring them to Chaisang! It will be easier to take care of them."

"I've already written to them. If they don't want to come, I won't force them!"

Lu Su's thoughts returned to the present. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I still find it a bit strange that Zheng Bao wants to avenge his son at this critical juncture. Could it be that Sun Ben wants to use Liu Xun to get rid of you?"

"That's certainly possible, but it shouldn't be Sun Ben, but Lü Fan. I gave Zuo Rong to Sun Ben, and with that favor, he won't come after me for the time being. I could tell from his army's expedition to Luling. But I think Lü Fan has his eye on me."

Lu Su smiled slightly and said, "The person Lü Fan is really eyeing is probably not you, but Liu Xun. Sun Ce's next target is Lujiang County. If Liu Xun also wants to seize Yuzhang County, wouldn't he need to find a base? That would definitely be Chaisang, which is closest to Lujiang County. Moreover, Chaisang is not Sun Ce's territory, so he doesn't have to worry about offending Sun Ce."

Therefore, Lü Fan did everything he could to incite a struggle between Liu Xun and us, which is called "when the crane and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits!"

Gan Ning nodded slightly, "But Liu Xun isn't stupid either. He's also afraid Sun Ce will raid his base, so he doesn't dare leave his stronghold. He's using Zheng Bao to deal with me, but..."

Gan Ning stood up, staring intently out the window, clenching his fists as he slowly said, "Why wait for Zheng Baolai to attack me in Chaisang? Can't I take the initiative?"

Lu Su pondered for a moment and said, "It is not impossible for our lord to take the initiative, but the key is to know yourself and your enemy. Zheng Bao is not a concern. He is a salt merchant and has no experience in leading troops or fighting battles. He has never even been on the battlefield. I am not worried that our lord cannot defeat him. I am only worried that our lord will not encounter him if he takes the initiative."

There were several routes for Zheng Bao to set out for Chaisang. He could go through Zongyang County, or through Wan County to Xunyang County, or even through Shu County to Linhu County and then out to the Yangtze River.

If the lord doesn't know his route and exact location beforehand, the two sides might very well miss each other. Warfare isn't about coincidences; it's primarily about intelligence.

Gan Ning strongly agreed with Lu Su's theory on intelligence, and Gan Ning smiled and said, "It seems that the Chief Secretary knows Zheng Bao very well?"

Lu Su took out a thick letter and said with a smile, "Actually, I have another letter here, which Liu Ye wrote specifically for me. He described Zheng Bao's various habits in great detail, as if he were the person himself. I don't know what his intentions are. My lord can study it carefully. As for Zheng Bao's movements, you can send Xiao Man to investigate."

Lu Su gave the letter written by Liu Ye to Gan Ning. In fact, Liu Ye had also written a letter to Lu Su. Liu Ye hoped to use Gan Ning to get rid of Zheng Bao, so that he could wash away the stain of his life of serving the traitor.

At the same time, Liu Ye stated that if Zheng Bao could be eliminated, he would be willing to repay Gan Ning.

Although Liu Ye didn't say it explicitly, Lu Su could guess that the reward Liu Ye mentioned might be related to Liu Xun.

Lu Su just didn't want to bring this up for the time being, because he was afraid of distracting Gan Ning, who needed to focus on taking down Zheng Bao.

Zheng Bao is a threat, but also a rare opportunity. By swallowing Zheng Bao, their strength can rise to another level.

Gan Ning then dispatched Wang Xiaoman with a dozen scouts to Juchao County to investigate Zheng Bao's movements.

　Historical records about Liu Ye's defection to Zheng Bao are contradictory. On one hand, it is said that Liu Ye was not loyal to Zheng Bao at all, and that he directly killed Zheng Bao.

　　However, the "Biography of Lu Su" in the Records of the Three Kingdoms states that Liu Ye strongly recommended Lu Su to serve Zheng Bao, praising Zheng Bao to the skies, and Lu Su agreed. However, Zhou Yu persuaded him in time, and Lu Su turned his loyalty to Sun Quan instead.

　　The timing is also incorrect. Zheng Bao died at the beginning of Jian'an 4 (200 AD), while Sun Quan took over in May of Jian'an 5 (200 AD), a full year and a half later.

(End of this chapter)