The old man said happily, "Then I'll leave this matter to you—Muli, hurry up, Xiaoqiang is our honored guest."
Haha, see? Cao Cao is still locked up in that room, but they still treat me like a distinguished guest.
From the moment Hua Muli sharpened the knife until the meat was almost cooked, the father and son Cao Cao finally came to an end. Cao Cao came out of the house, his eyes red and his emotions running high, constantly wiping his nose. When he saw me, he pinched my arm and said, "From now on, let Chong'er call you Dad. Although he is also your son, I, as his biological father, still want to thank you."
I said apologetically, "You're too kind, you're too kind."
Cao Chong was Cao Cao's most beloved son, a fact well-known in both historical fiction and official records. Had he not died young, neither Cao Pi nor Cao Zhi could have rivaled him. The fact that Cao Chong's death and Cao Cao's disastrous defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs occurred in the same year also carries significant intrigue. In short, although Cao Chong is rarely mentioned in history, he was the most important person to Cao Cao. Now, having essentially taken half a son from him and received a word of gratitude in return, I feel quite indebted to Cao Cao.
I stammered, "That...Prime Minister..." I didn't know what to call him anymore. Although I had called him Old Cao earlier, his status was there, so was it appropriate to call him that?
Cao Cao feigned anger and said, "You still call me Prime Minister? According to your custom, just call me Brother Cao."
"Uh... I'll just call you Brother Cao."
Cao Cao sighed and said, "Chong'er told me about the Battle of Red Cliffs. I never thought I would lose to a gust of wind. What do you want me to do?"
I said, "Withdraw the troops!"
Cao Cao said in surprise, "Withdraw the troops? I think it would be good to change the time of attack."
I broke out in a cold sweat. Why hadn't I thought of that beforehand? As the saying goes, everything is ready except for the east wind. Cao Cao indeed lost because of a sudden gust of wind. Knowing this, if he had changed the timing of the battle, the consequences would have been unpredictable…
I said nervously, "Brother Cao, actually losing this battle won't do you any harm. You are indeed inferior to Eastern Wu in naval warfare. If you insist on fighting, it's easy to truly unite the Sun and Liu families. Once the tripartite balance of power is broken, it may also anger the will of Heaven."
Cao Cao said, "So you insist that I withdraw my troops?"
I had no choice but to say, "I'm afraid that's the case."
Cao Cao turned around, looked at Cao Xiaoxiang inside the house, and asked me, "Chong'er... can I take him back?"
I shook my head: "Absolutely not, he can never go back to the Three Kingdoms in his life. But don't worry, I will create all the conditions for you and your son to meet in another dynasty during these three months."
Cao Cao said no more, and patted my shoulder, saying, "I will withdraw my troops as soon as I get back."
Just then, Mulan called out to us, "Dinner's ready!"
Cao Cao led Cao Xiaoxiang ahead, and Hua Mulan walked up to me and smiled, saying, "This old Cao, if he wasn't afraid that his son would be mistreated here, he might really continue to attack Eastern Wu."
I whispered, "It can't be that bad, can it?"
Hua Mulan asked, "Then why do you think he wanted to take the baby elephant back?"
I sighed: "I'll never deal with people from the Three Kingdoms period again."
Hua Mulan accompanied my father, sons, and me for dinner. After their great sorrow, Cao Cao and his sons were overjoyed. During the meal, Cao Cao was beaming with delight and tried his best to get close to me. When he heard that Hua Mulan was the deputy marshal of the Northern Wei Dynasty, he kept trying to persuade her to switch sides and work for him. Cao Xiaoxiang would occasionally tell his father about his experiences at Yucai School. It was a meal filled with family warmth.
After dinner, Cao Cao took my hand and said, "Xiao Qiang, let's sleep together tonight. I want to have a long talk with you."
I shook my head frantically: "No, no, I won't sleep with you!"
"What's wrong?" Cao Cao asked curiously.
"I even dream about killing people!"
Cao Cao blushed. I laughed and said to him, "Just kidding. You should spend more time with our son. You should be leaving tomorrow anyway; the Battle of Red Cliffs is just around the corner, isn't it?"
Cao Cao said, "By the way, it's easy for me to withdraw my troops, but what about those warships? There are several thousand of them. Should I just burn them all?"
"No, that would pollute the environment too much."
"In short, I don't want them to fall into the hands of Eastern Wu."
I said, "How about this, you've already seen the military manuals, haven't you? I'll help you make some connections and sell them all to Zhu Yuanzhang. His people will need them when they go to sea."
Cao Cao readily agreed, "All the money from the sale will be yours."
I laughed and said, "Give these 150,000 soldiers under your command some travel expenses; they need the money."
Cao Cao nodded and said, "You are their benefactor!"
The next day arrived, and so did the time for parting. Cao Xiaoxiang, tears welling in his eyes, followed us reluctantly. I waved goodbye and said, "Go back now. Tell your father to sell the boat, and then I'll come see you again."
Cao Cao watched Cao Xiaoxiang until he disappeared from sight before saying to me, "Xiaoqiang, I heard that you also have a business empire, and your sister-in-law is about to give birth. I know you have always loved Chong'er very much, but I still have something to say."
"Go ahead and say it." Something feels off to me.
Cao Cao said solemnly, "If your sister-in-law gives birth to a boy, I advise you to make him the crown prince as soon as possible. This will be good for you and for Chong'er as well. Chong'er is humble and will never compete with his brother for power..."
I couldn't hold back any longer and jumped up, shouting, "Old Cao, I have a problem with you!"
Cao Cao asked in surprise, "What's wrong with me?"
I yelled, "Can you stop overthinking things? What's with this 'crown prince' nonsense? I'm just a nobody who just escaped poverty, why would I want a crown prince?! I really don't want to associate with you people from the Three Kingdoms!"
Cao Cao was relieved to hear me say that, and apologized, saying, "I was overthinking it. I'll take my leave now."
I pointed at him and said, "Wait a minute."
"how?"
I slapped my forehead and said, "I remembered something I wanted to tell you yesterday—oh right, there's a doctor named Hua Tuo in your area. Even if you don't want to have the surgery, don't kill him anymore. Regardless of whether the surgery succeeds or not, drinking the anesthetic will at least reduce the pain."
Cao Cao exclaimed in surprise, "Xiao Qiang even knows medicine?"
I smiled slightly: "The more you know, the more colorful your life will be."
Chapter 199 The Secret Pouch