Just as we were about to leave, my second brother suddenly burst out laughing, as if remembering something. I quickly asked what was wrong, and Guan Yu said with unbridled joy, "If the Battle of Red Cliffs isn't fought, there's one person who'll definitely be depressed to death."
"Who is it?" Zhou Cang and I asked in unison.
"Huang Gai, huh? He was planning to take that beating for nothing."
Zhou Cang and I exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. My second brother can be a bit mean sometimes…
The small boat drifted on the river for a while, gradually approaching Cao Cao's naval camp. At this moment, Cao Cao's entire army was stationed around Wulin, and the closer they got, the more magnificent the scene became. From the high watchtower, a Cao soldier shouted, "Who goes there?"
Zhou Cang waved his arm and shouted, "I am Zhou Cang, a subordinate of General Guan Yu, and I have important military matters to report to Prime Minister Cao."
As soon as our ship approached, soldiers used long hooks to pull us ashore, and dozens of fully armed Cao soldiers surrounded us. The officer in charge shouted sternly, "My Prime Minister has ordered that any envoys who try to persuade us be executed on the spot!"
Zhou Cang angrily retorted, "Nonsense! When my general beheaded Yan Liang and Wen Chou and even relinquished his seal and gold, Cao Mengde did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. How dare you look down on me?" I truly admired the people of the Three Kingdoms period, because Zhou Cang's words actually denied that he was a persuader, which could be interpreted as him surrendering, yet he could still speak with such righteous indignation.
The officer, cornered by Zhou Cang, was genuinely intimidated and stammered, unsure of what to say. I stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "Please tell him that General Guan Yu has sent someone to request an audience with the Prime Minister for his decision."
The officer hesitated for a moment before jogging away, while Zhou Cang muttered behind his back, "What an idiot!"
Although my second brother lacked the feat of slaying Hua Xiong while the wine was still warm, his reputation had already spread far and wide. Cao Cao's soldiers didn't dare mistreat us; they simply surrounded us. Before long, we heard someone loudly announce, "The Prime Minister has arrived!" It was clear my second brother was still wise; if it weren't for his reputation, they probably would have killed me on the spot. Thinking about this, I suddenly realized that there was something ambiguous between Cao Cao and my second brother. He certainly had no shortage of outstanding generals under his command, so why was he so devoted to Guan Yu?
As they spoke, Cao Cao made a dazzling entrance, dressed in a black robe, followed by a large entourage of scholars and generals, all shuffling along as if they might be lost at any moment. This only served to accentuate the charismatic and cunning nature of this great traitorous minister. Cao Cao had originally headed for Zhou Cang, but upon seeing me, he paused for a moment, then suddenly pointed at me and a fair-skinned general beside him, saying, "Wen Yuan, do you know this man?"
The general cupped his hands and said, "I don't know."
Cao Cao smiled and said, "Back when the eighteen warlords attacked Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu was defeated by one of his junior generals with three blows at Hulao Pass. His words, 'I still have courage to spare,' left a deep impression on me."
Cao Cao then said loudly, "General Xiao Qiang, how have you been?"
His words caused a stir among the crowd. I only half understood what he meant, but it seemed like he was praising me, so I quickly smiled and said, "Prime Minister, how have you been?" I really didn't expect him to remember me. The young general he mentioned must be Li Yuanba. It seems that Cao Xiaoxiang's father's thirst for talent was not an exaggeration.
Cao Cao came over, took my hand, and said, "General Xiao Qiang is still as dashing as ever, congratulations!"
I chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe, hehe." Still as charming as ever? I can't recall ever having any charm before.
The fair-skinned general beside Cao Cao stared at me intently, a mixture of curiosity and apparent resentment. Cao Cao smiled and said to him, "Wen Yuan, let me introduce you. This is Xiao Qiang, whom I often mention to you. His stunning appearance at Hulao Pass has kept me thinking about him ever since." He then introduced me further, "Xiao Qiang, this is Zhang Wen Yuan..."
Before he could finish speaking, I clasped my hands in a fist and said, "General Zhang Liao." How could I not know Zhang Wenyuan? It took me a lot of effort to get past him in the computer game back then.
Zhang Liao was quite surprised that I knew him, and gave me a slight, much friendlier smile.
Cao Cao glanced behind me and asked, "Didn't your fierce generals come with you?"
"Uh, no... Also, they're not my subordinates." This could easily cause misunderstandings if Li Shimin heard it, so I quickly clarified.
Cao Cao didn't ask any more questions. He pulled me around the shore, gestured with his hand to show the magnificent water fortress, and squinted at me, saying, "Xiao Qiang, isn't my water fortress impressive?"
Here we go. People from the Three Kingdoms period are all like this. If you ask them this question, they might be up to something bad. Governor Zhou asked Jiang Gan the same question, and Cao Cao still suspected that I was there as a persuader. He was trying to shut me up first.
I looked around and said, "It's alright."
"Uh..." Cao Cao must have been quite annoyed at the time. Putting aside the fact that his water fortress was like the Titanic, even if it were just a matter of routine, I should have said "good" cautiously, even if it was just a perfunctory attitude. But the comment "not bad" doesn't seem to apply to this situation.
I have my reasons for saying this. It's one thing to be subservient all the time, but what did I do to deserve this? I'm here to deliver his son, and I've also added his 150,000 people to his "Xiaoqiang List" (a list of names for people with disabilities). Besides the Goddess of Mercy and Schindler, is there anyone in history greater than me? If he really pisses me off, I'll just walk away. Like my second brother said, at least I wouldn't have gotten that beating from Huang Gai for nothing…
Chapter 197 Father and Son
But Cao Cao is Cao Cao after all. After a while, his mood was not affected much. He asked me with the same passion as before: "Xiao Qiang, are you willing to help me to destroy Eastern Wu?"
This time, I'm speechless. I never imagined the old man, even as a prime minister, would still be so shameless. I already said "it's alright," so the meaning was quite clear. For example, if you're selling popsicles and want to find a partner, you first show them your popsicle cart and then ask for their feedback. If they say, "It's great, it has great potential," then it's easy to work out. But if they say, "I think this place is definitely going to lose money," then it's just too awful to keep pestering them to join.
Cao Cao wants to get me to do this business, but I'm not going. It would be better if it were really an ice cream cart—it's all wood, and if it catches fire, there's nowhere to run. If I listened to Cao Xiaoxiang and brought Ni Siyu along, I might consider it.
I walked up to Cao Cao and whispered, "Prime Minister, may I speak to you in private?"
Cao Cao, whose power was still at its peak, led me around for a while before we finally reached land. When we arrived at the reception hall, someone served tea. Cao Cao dismissed his attendants, glanced at me, and said, "Speak, what brings you here? I knew you weren't planning on helping me."
He still suspected my motives, so he got straight to the point. These kinds of ruthless warlords are characterized by two fundamental traits: treating talent with respect and turning on people without hesitation. Those they can recruit will be given important responsibilities; those they can't, the more capable they are, the more they'll want to eliminate. With a major battle imminent, Cao Cao seems to have limited patience. Fortunately, he still considers me a talent—his famous line at Hulao Pass, "I still have some courage to offer," was quite fitting.
But I came here to give him cupping therapy, even though it was for his own good. He looks like he has burns and scars now—asking him to withdraw his troops now would be more likely to get him killed than Hua Tuo asking him to have brain surgery. So I changed the subject and asked, "How many sons does the Prime Minister have?"
Cao Cao was taken aback: "Why are you asking this?"
I said, "I'm going to be a dad soon too."
Perhaps it was the conversation about trivial matters amidst the hustle and bustle of war that made Cao Cao feel more relaxed, for he smiled slightly and said, "Then congratulations, you have quite a few sons to tell me about."
I asked, "Which one do you like the most?"
This topic is actually quite sensitive. If one of his advisors had asked, Cao Cao would have definitely lost his temper. The issue of succession has always been a major taboo for people like him, especially in public. They would never show any particular favoritism towards any one son. This is partly for the safety of the heir, and partly for their own authority. After all, two tigers cannot share one mountain, and kinship is unreliable when it comes to the throne. From Qin Shi Huang to Li Shimin, and then to Zhao Kuangyin and Genghis Khan, every powerful monarch was inevitably followed by a bloody battle for succession. Cao Cao was no exception. His second son forced his third son to write the "Seven Steps Poem," the last two lines of which are particularly famous, almost becoming a classic line some people use to mock others when eating braised pork trotters…
However, Cao Cao hadn't thought that far ahead yet, and since I was the one he was talking to, he spoke frankly: "Speaking of the various philosophers, I greatly admire both Zihuan (Zhao Zihuan) for his experience and composure, and Zijian (Zhao Zijian) for his quick wit. It's a pity that the former is too adept at political maneuvering, while the latter is inevitably superficial and unrealistic. Alas, no one can be perfect..."
I said, "The Prime Minister has another son named Cao Chong, right? I heard that this child is clever and quick-witted, and invented the substitution method at a young age."
Unexpectedly, Cao Cao's face darkened, and he fell silent. Even this cunning and ruthless ruler had moments when his sore spots were touched. I concealed my phone in my sleeve and used my mind-reading ability on him. Cao Cao was filled with dejection. He thought: "Chong'er is far superior to his two older brothers. If he hadn't died young, I wouldn't have to worry about choosing an heir..."
Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, then forced himself to remain calm and casually picked up his teacup, saying, "You still haven't told me what you've come here for."
This conversation was very delicate. Now, if I were to mention the war, Cao Cao would kill me without hesitation. I could only change the subject again, saying, "That little fellow Cao Chong must be quite adorable, right?"
Cao Cao said, as if he were sulking, "Of course!"
"I heard that the Prime Minister often personally teaches him to compose poems and practice swordsmanship?"
"Huh?" Cao Cao looked up in surprise, then couldn't help but smile. "The little guy is exceptionally clever. Sometimes, it's us adults who benefit the most from teaching him." As he spoke, he buried his face in the steam from the teacup, pretending to have his eyes wet, and wiped them off. His voice also became unnatural.
I tentatively said, "That little fellow Cao Chong is smart enough, but he might not be suitable to be an emperor."