Chapter 10: Letting Go of Xuzhou

  Cao Cao's reputation was still good, he said to retreat and really retreated. After withdrawing from Xuchang City, he immediately broke camp and marched towards Yanzhou. He left in a hurry, and by that night, he had already withdrawn into the territory of Lü County. The city of Pengcheng, which was once in danger, finally turned crisis into safety. After repeatedly confirming this news, Tao Qian, who was overjoyed, sent someone to deliver a letter overnight, inviting Kong Rong, the governor of Beihai, and Tian Kai, the governor of Qingzhou, to move their troops into the city and celebrate together the lifting of the siege of Xuchang.

  The next day at noon, Kong Rong and Tian Kai led the two supporting armies to arrive outside Xuzhou City. Kong and Tian ordered their troops to camp outside the city, bringing only a dozen or so followers into the city. Tao Qian personally led his two sons and one nephew out of the city to welcome them, inviting Tian Kai and Kong Rong to his home for a banquet. Liu Bei's brothers and all the civil and military officials of Xuzhou entered the hall together. During the banquet, Kong Rong and Tian Kai, who had already heard about Tao Qian's heroic deeds, couldn't help but praise him repeatedly, congratulating him on having such a good son who was both brave and responsible, which made others envy him.

  "Two gentlemen, you've said too much, too much." Tao Qian's illness improved a lot overnight, and he repeatedly expressed his humility. His old eyes were almost closed in laughter as he stroked his completely white goat beard and said: "This unfilial son, yesterday secretly left the city to send a message, almost scaring the three souls and six spirits out of me. If it weren't for the two gentlemen and Xuande Gong's blessing, I would definitely not have seen this unfilial son again."

  "Governor Tao is too modest." Kong Rong, the 20th generation of Confucius, burst out laughing and said from his heart: "If your son is also an unfilial son, then I really hope that my several sons are such unfilial sons. Governor Tao has such a heroic son, which is not only a blessing for the governor but also a blessing for Xuzhou. The governor has someone to inherit his legacy, and Xuzhou has someone to inherit its legacy!"

  "Kong Beihai is overpraising, overpraising. My son is mediocre, how dare he be worthy of Kong Beihai's praise?"

  Tao Qian humbly smiled again, taking the opportunity to steal a glance at everyone's reaction. He saw that his eldest son, Tao Shang, who was most qualified to inherit the position of Governor of Xuzhou, had a foolish smile on his face, seemingly not minding at all that Kong Rong was praising his brother, and even looked very pleased. Tao Qian nodded slightly and stole another glance at Liu Bei, seeing that he also had a smile on his face, as if he too approved of Kong Rong's opinion. Finally, Tao Qian quietly took another look at his second son, Tao Ying, but saw that he was holding hands with his cousin, Tao Ji, drinking and chatting, just like he hadn't heard Kong Rong's words at all. Tao Qian couldn't help but wonder in his heart, "Is my foolish son really not listening? Or is he pretending not to listen?"

  "Is Tao Ying really not listening to Kong Rong's words, or is he pretending not to hear?" Liu Bei was also suspicious in his heart and quietly paid attention to Tao Ying. Our Deputy Director Tao, however, only chatted with Tao Ji about hunting and archery games, completely ignoring Kong Rong's previous words. When Liu Bei saw this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of vigilance: "This child is either born foolish or extremely cunning! Far surpassing Cao Cao!"

  Pay attention to Tao Ying's reaction, it's not just Tao Ying and Liu Bei. After hearing Kong Rong's sensitive words, Chen Gui father and son, as well as Mi Zhu brothers, were also intentionally or unintentionally observing Tao Ying. There were also Cao Bao and Cao Hong, one was the chief general of Xuzhou army, and the other was Tao Qian's top confidant. Naturally, they cared more about the issue of Tao Qian's successor than anyone else. However, Tao Ying's reaction made most of them feel both disappointed and puzzled, unable to figure out whether Tao Ying was really foolish, pretending to be foolish, or simply hadn't heard Kong Rong's words. But there were also two people who secretly rejoiced...

  "Indeed he's a fool, Guan Yu and the elder brother are really too worried, a lucky coincidence saved Xuzhou's fool, what is there to fear?" thought Zang Ba.

  "Good, the second young master is indeed a useless piece of wood. I'm relieved now." Cao Jiao thought to himself, "As long as I maintain a good relationship with the second young master, once he inherits the governor's position from his father, Xuzhou will be under my control."

  At this time, the banquet was near its end. Tao Qian ordered his two sons and one nephew to come forward, pointing at Kong Rong, Tian Kai and Liu Bei who were sitting in the upper seat, and commanded them: "You kneel down, this time Xu Zhou suffered a disaster, thanks to these three elders sending troops to rescue, which lifted the siege of Xu Zhou and saved your lives. You still don't hurry up to kowtow to the three uncles to thank them?"

  "Little nephew and others thank the three uncles for their great kindness in sparing our lives." Eldest brother Tao Shang, being the most honest, knelt down and kowtowed to Kong Rong, Tian Kai, and Liu Bei, who was only a few years older than him.

  "Xuzhou is relieved, my second brother should be the first to take credit." Tao Ji was somewhat dissatisfied, but his father had passed away early, and he owed his upbringing to his uncle Tao Qian, so he respected him greatly. Therefore, no matter how dissatisfied Tao Ji was, he could only kneel down obediently and thank Kong Rong, Tian Kai, and Liu Bei. In fact, Tao Ying was faster than his two brothers in paying respects, but he didn't speak up before his elder brother, only echoing his younger cousin Tao Ji's words.

  "Three noble nephews, please get up quickly." Kong Rong, Tian Kai and Liu Bei got up together, came to support the three brothers of the Tao family. Liu Bei took a step forward to support Tao Ying, smiled and said: "Noble nephew, don't be polite. This time Xu Zhou was lifted, thanks to the noble nephew's single ride into Cao's camp, persuading Cao Gong to retreat. The first merit should be remembered, Liu Bei has no merit, how dare he receive the noble nephew's great gift?"

  After finishing speaking, Liu Bei paid close attention to Tao Ying's reaction. He saw that Tao Ying was smiling foolishly and didn't say a word, as if he was extremely embarrassed by the praise, yet also extremely pleased with himself. Neither did he show any hypocritical or oily courtesy, nor did he behave like a petty person who had achieved his goal and was now showing off. Liu Bei observed carefully but couldn't find any flaws, and in his heart, he couldn't help but feel some doubt: "Could it be that he's really just a foolish young man? Like a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse?"

  "You ignorant child, what are you smiling about? Do you think it's all your credit that Cao Cao retreated from Xuzhou?" Tao Qian suddenly appeared beside Tao Ying and Liu Bei, scolding his son: "Do you think that Cao Cao's retreat from Xuzhou is all due to the efforts of a mere yellow-haired child like you? If it weren't for Governor Kong, Governor Tian, and Lord Xuande leading their troops into Xuzhou, if it weren't for Lord Xuande charging into Xuzhou, would Cao Cao have retreated so easily?"

  "The child dare not." Tao Ying hastily bowed his head in apology, and Liu Bei also hastened to show humility.

  "Gentlemen, please be quiet for a moment." Tao Qian suddenly bowed to the crowd, as if he had something to say. The military and civilian officials of various armies who were drinking and chatting stopped their voices and turned their eyes to Tao Qian.

  "Gentlemen, please do not speak for the moment and listen to my sincere words." Tao Qian bowed his head again and said loudly: "Gentlemen, I am old and frail, my two sons are incompetent and cannot bear the weight of national responsibility. Lord Liu is a member of the imperial family, with great virtue and high talent, capable of leading Xuzhou. Therefore, I am willing to yield the position of Governor of Xuzhou to Lord Liu, and beg to retire and nurse my illness. From today on, the Governor of Xuzhou will no longer be me, but Lord Liu!"

  "What?!" Many people cried out in surprise, with expressions of extreme astonishment. Tao Qian's confidants, Cao Hong and Cao Zhen, were so shocked that they jumped up, thinking to themselves that their lord had gone mad - why would he repeatedly offer Xuzhou to Liu Bei?

  "Does Tao Qian still plan to give Xuzhou to me?" Liu Bei was also shocked, and hadn't thought that Tao Qian would bring up giving Xuzhou to him again! But after a moment's thought, Liu Bei suddenly realized that this Tao Qian wasn't as honest and simple as he had been made out to be. Previously, he had already offered to give Xuzhou to me, but now that the Cao army had retreated, if he were to pretend not to know anything and keep quiet about it, people would inevitably criticize him for being ungrateful and disloyal. By bringing this up in public, he was both silencing the gossip of the world and making it impossible for me to accept!

  Liu Bei hastily waved his hand and said more sincerely: "Tao Gong, absolutely not! Kong Wenju ordered me to come and rescue Xuzhou for justice. Now if I occupy it without reason, the world will consider me an unrighteous person. Although I am not talented, I do not want to bear the name of being unrighteous! Moreover, this time Cao's army retreated, the one who should be credited with the first achievement is the young master of your household, Tao Gong. What face would I have to sit and take over Xuzhou?"

  "Brother Tao is too modest." What surprised everyone again was that Tao Ying also stood behind Tao Qian, bowed to Liu Bei and said: "Uncle's kindness spreads throughout the world, the military and civilians of Xuzhou, no one does not know Uncle's great name, looking forward to Uncle like a withered seedling looking forward to sweet rain, an infant looking forward to parents. My father sincerely yields, I hope Uncle will not decline, disappointing the sincere expectations of the people of Xu Zhou for Uncle."

  The banquet hall was completely silent, almost everyone looked at Tao Ying like an alien, and they all had a feeling of being puzzled - to know that after Tao Ying sacrificed himself by jumping into the oil pot in exchange for Cao Cao's retreat yesterday, Tao Ying's reputation in Xuzhou City could only be described as "like the sun in the sky". When he returned to the city, almost the whole city of Xuzhou came out to welcome him, with military and civilians lining up to cheer, shouting "Tao Ying Gongzi" in unison, and countless people paying their respects. In the hearts of the military and civilians of Xuzhou, it can be said that he was the iron-clad successor to the throne of Xuzhou!

  In this case, Tao Ying actually echoed Tao Qian's intention to let Xuzhou go to Liu Bei. There are only two explanations for this: one is that Tao Ying has self-awareness and knows he can't hold the position of Governor of Xuzhou, so he sincerely wants to give it up; another explanation is - Tao Ying is an incorrigible fool!

  "Good nephew, don't follow him in his foolishness." The one who broke the silence was Liu Bei's sworn brother Zhang Fei, also known as Zhang Yide. He shouted loudly: "This time Cao's retreat is because of you, my elder brother at most just lent a helping hand. What right does he have to take over your family's Xuzhou? No need for courtesy now, Xuzhou currently belongs to Tao Qian, and in the future it will be yours! I, Zhang Fei, have decided that you are this nephew!"

  "What the third brother said is extremely right, we brothers really cannot accept Xuzhou, please ask Lord Tao to withdraw his order." Guan Yu also stood up to help - although Guan Yu very much hoped that his sworn elder brother could have a foothold, but yesterday's tragic scene of Tao Ying sacrificing himself to save Xuzhou was witnessed by Guan Yu with his own eyes.

  Zhao Yun is still a guest general of Liu Bei's army and it is not convenient for him to express his opinion, but the expression on his face also highly agrees with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's opinions. He does not agree with Liu Bei taking over Xuzhou and snatching Tao Qian's foundation. However, Liu Bei is extremely depressed and reluctantly said: "Tao Gongjun, two gentlemen, Liu Bei has taken your good intentions to heart, but this matter will never be obeyed."

  "Lord Guan." Zou Xuan became somewhat anxious, and couldn't help but stand up to say: "The Han dynasty is in decline, the world is turned upside down, establishing achievements and founding a legacy is at this moment. Xuzhou is rich and populous, with a population of one million households, Lord Guan leading it is unavoidable." As he spoke, Zou Xuan secretly gave Liu Bei a signal with his eyes, thinking to himself: "Lord Guan, you must quickly accept this! Tao Qian's reputation is rising greatly among the people, if you don't seize this opportunity, I fear there won't be another chance in the future."

  When Tao Qian heard this, Tao Kui, Cao Hong and Cao Zhen, among others, showed anger on their faces. Tao Qian, Mi Zhu and Chen Gui remained calm and expressionless. The honest and simple-minded Tao Shang was at a loss, not wanting to see his father give Xuzhou to Liu Bei, but also not daring to speak out against it. The two important guests, Kong Rong and Tian Kai, exchanged a glance with each other, but said nothing - Kong Rong did not want to get involved in the matter and offend anyone, while Tian Kai, as a subordinate of Gongsun Zan, hoped that Liu Bei would take over Xuzhou and become a strong ally for Qingzhou, but it was inconvenient for him to speak out in agreement.

  "Uncle, your words are reasonable." Tao Ying said unexpectedly again: "Uncle is the hero of the world, and should take charge of Xuzhou to show his skills. My father will give Xuzhou to Uncle, which is much better than giving it to my younger brother!"

  "This kid, is he speaking from his heart or trying to fool me?" Liu Bei wondered in his mind, and quietly looked at Tao Ying again. Seeing Tao Ying's sincere face and honest eyes, not pretending at all, Liu Bei was slightly moved for a moment, thinking: "Tao Qian's father and son are so sincere, why not agree? At most, after I stabilize Xuzhou, I will treat Tao Qian's two sons well."

  Although Liu Bei's heart was moved, he still had extremely strong self-control and was not blinded by greed - Liu Bei was very clear that this time Cao Cao retreated, the people of Xuzhou were most grateful to Tao Qian, and if he took over the position of Governor of Xuzhou like this, he would not only be accused of annexation, but also the hearts of the people of Xuzhou would absolutely not be won over by him! So Liu Bei just hesitated for a moment, then firmly shook his head and said: "It's impossible, Liu Bei swore to die rather than do an unjust thing! Please ask Lord Tao to choose another wise man to give it to!"

  "Ah..." Miao Fang wanted to hold on, but was quietly pulled by Miao Zhu, forcing him to shut his raven mouth.

  "If Lord Guan Yu abandons me and leaves, I will die with my eyes open!" Tao Qian cried out loud, repeatedly asking Liu Bei to accept Xuzhou. However, Liu Bei firmly refused. In the end, Tao Qian had no choice but to change his words, saying: "Since Lord Guan Yu is determined not to accept it, then Tao Qian has another idea. There is a nearby town called Xiaopei, which can accommodate an army. Would you please temporarily station your troops in this town?"

  "Old fox, so you've been waiting for me here!" Liu Bei finally woke up and thought to himself: "No wonder Tao Qian kept yielding Xuzhou and squeezing me out. It's all because he wanted me to be his watchdog! Xiao Pei, that is the first line of defense against Cao Cao's southern invasion! If Cao Cao comes back, I'll immediately become a human shield for Xuzhou!"

  "Uncle, Xuzhou cannot do without you!" Tao Ying suddenly knelt down again, embracing Liu Bei's legs and wailing loudly: "Today, the world is in great chaos, white bones are exposed in the wilderness, for a thousand miles there is no crowing of chickens, the people of Xuzhou have suffered greatly from the flames of war, my father is old and ill, Tao Ying and his brothers are mediocre and unable to protect Xuzhou. We can only rely on your mighty uncle's protection to safeguard the lives of our million citizens in Xuzhou!"

  "Lord Guan, please stay." Chen Gui and his son Chen Deng, who had been silent until now, also stood up and jointly persuaded Liu Bei to stay - there was no other way. The Xu state army was severely damaged in the Battle of Shiyang, and Zhang Fei's independent troops in Kaiyang were not listening to orders at critical moments, so they could not be relied upon. In this chaotic world where heroes rose and fell, Chen Gui and his son also needed a qualified watchdog for their family interests in Xu state.

  "Lord Xuan De, our lord is kind enough to invite you to stay, please don't decline." Xu Zhou's richest man, Mi Zhu, also spoke up to persuade Liu Bei, and secretly gave him a signal with his eyes, urging him to seize the opportunity to accept quickly. Kong Rong and Tian Kai on the side also opened their mouths to advise, strongly advising Liu Bei to accept Tao Qian's invitation and station troops in Xiao Pei.

  "Should I accept or not?" Liu Bei thought to himself, "Leaving a garrison in Xiaopei is like being a watchdog for that old fox Tao Qian. If Cao's army doesn't come, it's fine, but if Cao Zhen returns, I'll be pushed to the front lines by that old fox Tao and end up fighting Cao's army for nothing. But if I don't leave a garrison, all my previous efforts..."

  "Never mind, stay behind, staying behind still has opportunities, leaving might mean never having the chance again!" Liu Bei gritted his teeth and stomped his foot to make up his mind. He bowed to Tao Qian and said: "Your Excellency has invited me in this way, if I decline again it would be hypocritical. I agree then! Tomorrow I will lead my troops out of the city and move to Xiaopei!"

  "Thank you, Lord Xuan De. With your help, I can rest easy now." Tao Qian was overjoyed and hastily bowed to thank him. He then secretly glanced at Tao Ying's expression, but saw that his youngest son had a joyful face with a sincere smile. Tao Qian couldn't help but feel even more suspicious in his heart, "Is my son really foolish or just pretending to be? Hmm, it's time for me to have a good talk with this foolish son."