Chapter 4 Delivering Messages

  Liu Bei and Jian Yong received the news that Tao Ying had indeed gone out of the city to deliver a letter to Cao Cao. In order not to be blocked by the generals of Xuzhou, Tao Ying first arranged for a messenger, and when the garrison opened the gate, Tao Ying pushed away the messenger and rode alone to the Cao camp to deliver the letter. When Cao Pi and Cao Hong, the leaders of Xuzhou, rushed to intercept him after hearing the news, Tao Ying had already gone far away.

  "I am the son of Xu Zhi, and in the past, every stitch of clothing and every grain of rice I had came from the people of Xu Zhou. Now that Xu Zhou is in trouble, I should stand up and do something for the people of my hometown. Please tell my father not to worry about my life or death, if I don't come back, please kowtow to him on my behalf and say that I was unable to fulfill my filial duties."

  These were the words left by Tao Ying when he departed, moving the Xuzhou officers on the city wall to tears and thoroughly changing their impression of him.

  I ask you, under the vast sky, is there anyone among the nobles and aristocrats who can stand up at a critical moment of life and death to do something for the people and the children? As for whether there will be in the future or not, I don't know, but as of today, Tao Er Gongzi should be the first one.

  Tao Ying did not go crazy, nor did he think of going to Cao's camp to throw himself into the net. Tao Ying had no choice but to do so. When Cao Cao came, it was to take the lives of Tao Ying's whole family. When Liu Bei came, it was to seize the territory of the Tao family. The enemy was stronger than one another, while the strength of the Tao family was pitifully weak. Tao Ying's personal power was even more negligible. Unless Tao Ying chose to follow Liu Bei, he would have no hope of survival.

  Liu Bei is not a good leader, which Tao Qian can see. Tao Qian's intention in urging Liu Bei to fight against Cao Cao was just to test him and did not intend to force Liu Bei into battle. If Liu Bei had really agreed to lead the army out to fight, Tao Qian would have strongly opposed it.

  The morale of the Xuzhou garrison had already reached an all-time low, and the two armies led by Kong Rong and Tian Kai did not even dare to approach Xuzhou. Only Liu Bei led his troops in a fierce charge, breaking through Cao Cao's defenses and entering Xuzhou, greatly boosting the morale of the city's soldiers and civilians. If Liu Bei were to be defeated again by Cao Cao, the morale of the Xuzhou garrison would likely collapse completely, and the reinforcement armies led by Kong Rong and Tian Kai might also choose to retreat. Therefore, Tao would not let Liu Bei engage in battle outside the city, but instead would choose to assist him in defending Xuzhou to the death.

  But Liu Bei was cleverly seen through by Tao Qian, who understood the sarcastic tone in Liu Bei's letter to Cao Cao. Tao Qian also grasped Liu Bei's true intention: he didn't have the courage to engage Cao Cao's main force in a field battle. The so-called "diplomacy before war" was merely a ploy to provoke Cao Cao into attacking the city, allowing Liu Bei to join forces with the Xu State army and defend the city, using Xu State's resources and lives to wear down Cao Cao.

  Hao won, Liu Bei's prestige in Xuzhou soared, and the hope of annexing Xuzhou also increased. Even if Hao lost, it didn't matter, as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, three mighty warriors, couldn't defeat Cao Cao's battle-hardened army. As long as they could protect Liu Bei from being killed in the siege, that was all that mattered. As for how Cao's soldiers would take revenge on the Tao family and the people of Xuzhou after breaching the city, it had nothing to do with Liu Bei.

  Besides, Tao Ying also knew that even if Tao Qian really gave Xuzhou to Liu Bei, Liu Bei would not be able to hold it. The surrounding Cao Cao, Lü Bu and Yuan Shu were all eyeing Xuzhou covetously. At that time, no matter whose hands Xuzhou fell into, Tao Ying would not have a good ending. If he was lucky, he might become a soy sauce maker, barely surviving in the chaotic world of the Three Kingdoms. If he was unlucky, he would die without even a burial place.

  Liu Bei couldn't hold on to Xuzhou, so Tao Ying had no choice but to take over himself. The hot blood of rising through the ranks and getting rich was boiling in Deputy Director Tao's body, and his ambitious spirit that refused to be inferior also burned in his chest.

  Tao Qian's first priority was to seize the credit for persuading Cao Cao to retreat and defending Xuzhou from Liu Bei, in order to win over the hearts of the soldiers and civilians in Xuzhou, establish his own prestige, lay the foundation for his own ambitions, and gain time.

  Isn't Liu Bei fond of acting? Then let's have an acting competition. The students who graduated from the Public Servant School's Department of Performance, each and every one of them has mastered the essence of 3,000 years of performing arts, each and every one of them is a seasoned veteran, their acting skills rivaling those of Oscar winners.

  Deputy Director Tao, is still one of the best among them!

  With difficulty, he rode the warhorse without a stirrup, trotting along for less than three miles, when a small scouting party of Cao's army had already come to intercept him, holding up their swords and guns to block Tao's path. The leader, a sergeant, shouted loudly: "Halt! What are you doing?"

  "Returning General, I am a messenger." Tao Ying bowed his head on horseback, clasped his fists and saluted, saying with great respect: "This general, I am a messenger sent by the military and civilians of Xuzhou. I have a letter to present to General Cao Gong of Dongzheng. Please trouble the general to introduce me to him."

  Don't hit a smiling face, Tao Ying's tone was so respectful, one mouthful of "General" called intimately, that Cao Jun, who was still 108,000 miles away from the General position, also understood, and slowed down his tone: "Since you are a messenger, dismount and search your body."

  Tao Yingwen dismounted, pulling the reins and lifting his legs down from the horse. Without a stirrup or assistance from others, Tao Yingwen's movements were naturally clumsy and unfamiliar, as he had only recently started riding horses. However, this had another advantage - the experienced Cao army scouts could see at a glance that Tao Yingwen was not a military general, and his close combat skills were not impressive either. Therefore, the Cao army scouts did not make things difficult for Tao Yingwen, and after searching him, they took him to the Cao camp, still showing him some courtesy according to the rules of receiving envoys, demonstrating excellent military discipline.

  The legendary Cao army camp is getting closer and closer, feeling the soaring killing intent, Tao Ying's heart is beating faster and faster, and his body is trembling slightly, because Tao Ying is very clear that in the era of cold weapons in China, although there is an unwritten rule between the two countries that they do not kill envoys, but truly can achieve a army that does not kill an envoy, from ancient times to the present, there are really only a few. Whether Cao Cao follows this rule, Tao Ying does not know.

  Moreover, Tao Ying's identity as the second son of Tao Qian is still here. The traitors in the Xuzhou army had just killed Cao Cao's entire family not long ago. If Tao Ying's identity were to be exposed, it would be even more difficult for him to expect mercy from Cao Cao.

  Tao Ying was going to gamble, and the gamble was in Cao's camp. No one could recognize himself, as long as his identity was not exposed, he would smoothly deliver Liu Bei's letter into Cao's hands, and what followed, Tao Ying didn't need to worry about.

  It's okay, Cao Cao came to Xuzhou this time to avenge his father and did not accept the surrender of any civil or military officials in Xuzhou, so there is no need to worry about being betrayed by traitors. At the same time, Tao Ying, that honest child from before, was also under the protection of Tao Qian, living a simple life, reading books every day or practicing martial arts, and rarely appearing in public. Even if Cao's army had spies infiltrating Xuzhou, it is unlikely they would have seen Tao Ying, this unremarkable son of the governor of Xuzhou, so Tao Ying has a good chance of winning his gamble.

  When he really walked to the front gate of Cao's camp, Tao Ying's heart stopped beating fiercely, and his tense mood gradually relaxed. Since he had come, he would be at ease. Anyway, he had already arrived here, and it was too late to turn back now. Cao Cao's army was right in front of him, and fleeing from the battlefield was courting death. He might as well calm down and follow his original plan. Even if he lost, he could still see with his own eyes the famous Cao Cao army in history, and this time-traveling wouldn't be in vain.

  The most difficult thing in the world is to die! With a determined mind of certain death, the thousands and tens of thousands of brave warriors in Cao's camp naturally became clay chickens and tile dogs in Tao Ying's eyes. Seizing this opportunity, he marched into the star-studded Cao army's large camp, presented Liu Bei's handwritten letter to an unknown Cao army officer, and then began to appreciate and learn from the Cao army's camp-building methods.

  Cao Cao was indeed one of the best commanders in the mid-to-late Three Kingdoms period. The main camp of the Cao army, which he personally oversaw, was truly extraordinary. Although the camp was not very large, it was arranged and laid out in an orderly manner, leaning against hills and rivers, with each unit and detachment placed in a staggered formation, their forces interlocking like rings, mutually covering each other, while also taking into account defense, water supply, grain transportation, and logistical support. The connections and coordination were seamless, strict yet meticulous.

  In comparison, the barracks of Xuzhou's troops, even with a city to rely on, can only be described in one word compared to Cao Cao's great camp - dogshit!

  As for Liu Bei, although Tao Ying had not gone to visit Liu Bei's camp, he still dared to make a bet. If Liu Bei's reinforcements did not choose to break through Yu Jin's defense zone but chose Cao Cao's personally commanded defense zone, then even if Liu Bei had the three great generals Zhang and Zhao as his vanguard, he would never be able to break through the Cao army's blockade and reach Xuchang City!

  At the time when Tao Qian was sighing under the strict surveillance of Cao's soldiers, Liu Bei's handwritten letter had already been sent into Cao's military headquarters and presented to Cao Cao, who was still fuming over Yu Jin's defeat at the hands of Liu Bei. As soon as he unfolded the letter, Cao burst into a rage: "A humble sandal-maker like him dares to write to me? And there's even sarcasm in his words?"

  Liu Bei's letter was indeed sincere and kind, the key points are as follows: "I have been away from home for a long time and have not had the chance to serve you. Previously, your esteemed father Cao Teng was actually killed by Zhang Kai due to his cruel nature, it was not the fault of Tao Qian. Now the remnants of the Yellow Turbans are causing trouble outside, while the remaining followers of Dong Zhuo are entrenched inside. I hope that you will prioritize the urgent matters of the imperial court and put aside personal grievances; withdraw your troops from Xuzhou to rescue the country from its difficulties: then Xuzhou will be fortunate, and the whole world will be fortunate!"

  At first glance, Liu Bei's letter is flawless and can be said to have been written with emotion and reason. However, upon closer analysis, the tone is off, and the most off-putting sentence is "The remnants of Dong Zhuo's party are still entrenched within!"

  Dong Zhuo's death left many accomplices, and the ones who can be called insiders are none other than Li Jue and Guo Si, the two new overlords who are currently controlling the emperor in Chang'an. Ironically, just a year ago, Cao Cao followed Li Jue and Guo Si's orders to lead troops to Qingzhou to suppress the Yellow Turbans there, and as a result, he obtained the title of General Who Conquers the East from Li Jue and Guo Si, making him nominally under their command.

  In this way, combined with the context of the letter, Liu Bei's sarcasm towards Cao Da accepting the title conferred by the remnants of Dong Zhuo and being a puppet for them is also exposed. Cao Da, who had established an anti-Dong alliance through a forged imperial edict in the past, naturally felt uncomfortable.

  "Come on!" Under the thunderous shout, Cao Cao slapped the table and shouted: "Push out the messenger sent by Liu Bei, behead him at the gate, and send his head to Xucheng City to show the crowd! The army will set out immediately and launch an attack on the city!"