Tiger Owl

Chapter 309 Imminent
After the negotiations ended, Lu Su immediately went to report to Gan Ning.

A faint smile appeared on Gan Ning's stern face. "Thirty-six thousand refugees, you've done a great job!"

Gan Ning affirmed Lu Su's decisiveness; what he needed was this kind of tangible benefit. What was initially a perfunctory negotiation gradually became clearer.

He hadn't expected Cao Cao to offer any real benefits, but now he had the benefit of population, which was comparable to real money. Population was the most valuable and needed resource in the south, and there was no benefit more important than population.

"Just food—"

Lu Su whispered, "They probably can't give as much as 500,000 shi, and Qiupu County is also taking a hard line."

Gan Ning had already planned ahead and said with a faint smile, "Qiupu County can be dealt with in a compromise way. We will station troops here, but the county magistrate will be appointed by them. We only need the docks and warehouses, and we can give up the county town."

Lu Su nodded; this was indeed a good idea. "What about the grain?"

"The amount of grain should not be less than 500,000 shi, but it can be divided into two parts: 300,000 shi for the ceasefire compensation and the other 200,000 shi for the court's expenditure on resettling disaster victims."

Previously, Gan Ning wanted both substance and face, but now he can compromise and only want substance; he can give face to Cao Cao.

"In addition, this agreement is called the 'Temporary Ceasefire Agreement' and is valid for one year."

"I understand. Chen Qun hasn't left yet. I'll go tell him now."

"Go for it!"

Lu Su bowed and left in a hurry. Gan Ning pondered for a moment. He did need time. With a year of preparation, he was more confident in taking over Jiangdong and Nanjun.

Lu Su found Chen Qun, who was about to leave, at the dock. The two had a brief conversation at the inn at the dock, where Lu Su relayed the latest attitude of the Marquis of Chu regarding Qiupu County, grain, and disaster victims.

"We hope to ensure the safety of the disaster victims. We will build a temporary refugee camp in the southern part of Runan County. Officials and two thousand soldiers will be involved in managing the refugees. This is our most urgent demand. If Prime Minister Cao is truly sincere in reaching a ceasefire negotiation, then please make concessions on the protection of refugees."

Chen Qun nodded. "Your people and officials can go to Yiyang Three Passes to wait. Once the Prime Minister gives his approval, you can go to provide relief to the disaster victims at any time."

Both sides reached a consensus. As a typical scholar-official, Chen Qun also had compassion for the suffering of the people and recognized that the people are the foundation of the country. He also hoped that the refugees could survive and have a good home.

Chen Qun boarded a fast boat and headed towards Hefei at top speed. Although there was also communication between Chaisang and Hefei via carrier pigeon, many details were crucial in such important matters as political negotiations. Carrier pigeons were too short to explain everything clearly, so he had to report to the Prime Minister in person.

On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, three days before the New Year, Chen Qun arrived in Hefei.

Cao Cao immediately received him. Cao Cao was quite anxious. He had just received news that Liu Bei's strategist Zhuge Liang had led 30,000 troops on a surprise attack on Hanzhong, and with the help of both inside and outside forces, they had captured Nanzheng County. Zhang Lu, the governor of Hanzhong, had been defeated and retreated to Xicheng.

This was yet another successful surprise attack from afar, and Cao Cao's heart tightened. He knew his old rival Liu Bei all too well: patient, resilient, and indomitable, Liu Bei had endured twenty years of hardship and displacement before suddenly rising to prominence in his later years. Cao Cao knew Liu Bei was a dragon; given the right opportunity, he could soar to the heavens and roam freely. Now, Liu Bei had captured Nanzheng County, a crucial stronghold in Hanzhong, and was beginning his meteoric rise. Cao Cao was anxious. In fact, he had long known of the alliance between Gan Ning and Liu Bei, and had vaguely guessed that Gan Ning was keeping him bogged down in the Jianghuai region, creating an opportunity for Liu Bei to attack Hanzhong. But these were just guesses, and Cao Cao hadn't taken them seriously. It wasn't until the news of Liu Bei's capture of Nanzheng arrived that Cao Cao suddenly realized this wasn't a guess, but a real event.

The alliance between Gan Ning and Liu Bei was not a rash decision. Their only common ground was their shared enemy. With the north and south interacting, Gan Ning prolonged the war in the Jianghuai region while Liu Bei attacked Hanzhong, opening up a passage out of Sichuan.

The urgency of withdrawing troops had never been so urgent, so when Cao Cao heard that Chen Qun had returned, he immediately summoned Chen Qun, even though it was already evening.

Although he was anxious, Cao Cao was not confused. He was a competent politician who would never let emotions affect his strategic decisions, nor would he abandon his principles of self-interest because of urgency.

At this moment, Cheng Yu and Xun Yu also rushed over. The two were about to go to sleep when they suddenly received an urgent summons from the Prime Minister. They also heard that Chen Qun had returned. The two understood that some things had to be decided tonight.

"Changwen, please explain the negotiations to the two strategists in detail again!"

Chen Qun once again recounted the details of the second negotiation and the content of the temporary consultation at the dock to the two strategists in detail.

This time, Cheng Yu didn't hesitate much and said directly to Cao Cao, "The refugee issue can be agreed to. Their officials and troops are allowed to go north, but the troops cannot exceed two thousand people, and they cannot carry long weapons or crossbows, nor can they wear armor."

Cheng Yu had just returned from Runan Commandery, where he had inspected the refugee situation on behalf of Cao Cao. Cheng Yu knew very well that if the refugee problem was not resolved soon, more than half of the refugees would not survive the cold winter.

Cao Cao then saw Xun Yu, who nodded in agreement with Cheng Yu's plan. Without further hesitation, Cao Cao resolutely said, "I agree to their demands. Military Advisor Cheng, draft a few conditions and send them to Chaisang by pigeon first thing tomorrow morning."

Now we get to the main topic: the fate of Qiupu County and the issue of food.

"Prime Minister, I have decided that their proposal is acceptable!"

Xun Yu spoke, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. “In essence, Qiupu County was taken from Jiangdong by them, and legally it has nothing to do with us. If they insist on not giving in, there’s nothing we can do. But they are willing to give us the county magistrate and the county town, keeping only the docks and dock warehouses. Personally, I think we actually won Qiupu County, taking it from them out of thin air.”

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and said, "What I care about is not the county town, but their garrison in Qiupu County."

"Prime Minister, this is reality. We must acknowledge it. Where does the enemy's powerful navy manifest itself? It lies in their oppression along the river. If they wanted to, they could easily seize not only the small Qiupu County, but all the riverside counties. If they weren't so powerful, would we need to negotiate a ceasefire with them?"

Cheng Yu's words always hit the nail on the head. Yes! If Gan Ning didn't have a powerful navy, what would be the point of their negotiations?
Cao Cao sighed, "Let Qiupu County go. Since they seized it from Jiangdong, there's no need for me to fight them for it; it would only make me seem narrow-minded."

Cao Cao wasn't magnanimous; he simply looked down on Qiupu County, which was a trivial matter.

"Let's talk about the food issue again!" Cao Cao finally turned his attention to this most contentious issue.

(End of this chapter)