Chapter Twelve: Father and Son

  When he came out of Cao Jiao's house, it was already past the second watch at night. Seeing that the sky was late and exhausted, and having had a few drinks, Tao Ying gave up his plan to go to the city wall to assist Tao Ji in inspecting the city defense. He led several attendants who still couldn't be called by their full names, yawning, back to his own home.

  As soon as he entered the gate, Tao Ying was suddenly stopped by a man. Upon closer inspection, Tao Ying saw that this person was around 40 years old, with a clear and thin face, and was none other than his father's trusted confidant and fellow townsman from Danyang, Cao Hong. Just as Tao Ying was about to bow in greeting, Cao Hong stopped him and said in a low voice: "Young master, no need for formalities. The master has ordered me to wait for you here. After you return to the manor, go immediately to the back hall to see him."

  "Hasn't Father rested yet? He's just recovered from his illness, so why didn't General Ping advise him to rest earlier?" Tao Ying asked in surprise.

  "I've tried to persuade him, but he won't listen. He says he must wait for your return, young master." Cao Hong replied in a low voice, and then urged: "Young master, you should go see the lord as soon as possible. It's almost three watches already."

  Tao Ying guessed that Tao Qian was still waiting for him, and it must be something big, so he didn't say much either. He followed Cao Hong directly into the back hall and all the way to Tao Qian's bedroom.

  The bedroom of Tao Qian was filled with the smell of medicine, and only a single oil lamp was lit. Tao Qian sat cross-legged on the bed, with only two maidservants attending to him. Tao Shang, who usually accompanied Tao Qian, was nowhere to be seen, apparently having retired to his own quarters to rest. When Tao Ying came in to pay his respects, Tao Qian, who had been waiting for some time, revealed a hint of a smile and did not allow the kneeling Tao Ying to rise. He instructed the two maidservants and Cao Hong: "You all go out first, I want to have a private conversation with my son. Then Ping, you guard the door and do not let anyone approach."

  Cao Hong and the maid nodded, bowed their heads and backed out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind them. Tao Qian coughed twice, then ordered Tao Ying: "Mingwu, get up, come over here and massage your father's back."

  Tao Ying answered, got up and sat down beside Tao Qian, carefully massaging his back while saying apologetically: "Father, please forgive me, I really didn't know you were still waiting for me, otherwise I would have come back earlier. And also, it's so late now, Father is weak and sickly, why not rest early?"

  "It doesn't matter, the Cao army has retreated, and my illness is almost cured." Tao Qian coughed and shook his head, then smiled and asked: "Why did Cao Pi invite our son to dinner at his home?"

  "There's nothing much, just chatted about the recent events in Xuzhou." Tao replied truthfully: "Also, General Cao Jiao wants to marry his daughter to our son, but our son declined."

  "Cao Jiao wants to marry his daughter to you? That's really his character." Tao Qian was speechless and lost his smile, and suddenly understood Cao Jiao's intention. Then Tao Qian smiled again and asked: "Since Cao Jiao has the intention of marrying his beloved daughter to my son, why did my son refuse? I have seen Cao Jiao's daughter once, she is not bad, and she is worthy of my son."

  "Is Cao Jiao's daughter not good enough? Is the aesthetic view of the Three Kingdoms era based on dinosaurs being beautiful?" Tao Ying's body hair stood upright, and he hastily said: "Father, don't blame me, I think General Cao Jiao has a special identity. If I were to marry him at this time, I'm afraid it would cause misunderstandings among those with ulterior motives, so I had no choice but to decline."

  Tao Qian glanced at Tao Ying with a slanted gaze, and Tao Ying felt somewhat guilty, lowering his head and not daring to meet Tao Qian's eyes. He was even more afraid that Tao Qian would suddenly go crazy and insist on marrying the Cao family's dragon for him. But after gazing at Tao Ying for a moment, Tao Qian suddenly smiled slightly and said: "My son has made progress, thinking very far ahead. It's not bad that you're considering marrying into the Cao family at this time. Who knows, someone might even whisper that I'm speaking out of both sides of my mouth, saying one thing about giving up Xuzhou but secretly paving the way for my son."

  Tao Ying's face turned red with a smile, and he lowered his head, but in his heart, he muttered to himself, "Everyone says I'm a kind and honest old man, warm and pure, but I don't think so."

  "Mingwu, tell your father the truth. If I really give Xuzhou to Liu Bei, are you willing?" Tao Qian asked again.

  Tao Ying lifted his head and replied with a very respectful expression: "If father really wants to give Xuzhou to Lord Xuande, I naturally won't be satisfied in my heart. This is human nature, I don't dare lie to father. But if father confirms that brother and I are not qualified to inherit Xuzhou, for the long-term stability of Xuzhou, life and death, and decides to give Xuzhou to Lord Xuande, I can only obey."

  Tao Qian nodded slightly, very satisfied with Tao Ying's answer. Then Tao Qian asked again: "If so, why did my son rush to propose giving Xuzhou to Liu Bei before me when Liu Bei entered the city?"

  "At that time, Father had already taken out the seal of Xuzhou Mu, and I guessed Father's intention, so I followed suit. Tao Ying answered with a straight face: 'It's just that I acted a bit too quickly, didn't expect to get ahead of Father.'"

  "Seeing the subtle and knowing the grand, Ah Er, you really made your father look at you with new eyes." Tao Qian smiled and asked again: "So Ah Er, can you guess why Father wants to give Xuzhou to Liu Bei?"

  "Father……." Taoying originally wanted to answer truthfully, but after thinking twice, he felt that if this honest child changed too quickly and greatly, it would only make Taoying suspicious. So Taoying immediately changed his words: "Father forgive me, I dare not guess your intention, so I don't know."

  "It doesn't matter, it's okay if you say something wrong, just go ahead and speak." Tao Qian encouraged.

  "Father forgive me," said the saint. "A child does not speak of his father's faults." Tao Ying cleverly replied, "That is why a son dare not speak."

  Tao Qian smiled and patted Tao Ying's shoulder, laughing: "My son has really made great progress, okay, you don't want to say it, I won't force you."

  Smiling, Tao Qian gazed at Tao Ying and asked: "Good child, what do you plan to do by going to Cao's camp to deliver the message? Your father understands, but what your father doesn't understand is that with your cleverness, Liu Bei's letter should not have escaped your notice, it contains provocative intentions towards Cao. Why did you still want to enter Cao's camp to deliver the message? Don't you fear that Cao Cao will harm you in his rage?"

  This time, Tao Ying thoroughly reappraised Tao Qian, because Tao Ying had already figured it out. Tao Qian not only guessed the intention of competing with Liu Bei for the hearts and minds of the people of Xuzhou but also guessed that he would definitely see through Liu Bei's sinister intentions. In secret amazement, Tao Ying said: "Father, I think this way, Liu Bei and Cao Cao are both treacherous heroes among men. Liu Bei's shallow and simple plot will certainly not deceive Cao Cao's eyes, and Cao Cao will also certainly not be deceived. Therefore, I, alone and in haste, rush to Cao's camp to deliver the message, which seems dangerous but is actually as stable as Mount Tai."

  "How was your identity exposed by Cao Zhen?" Tao Qian asked, "Also, why did Cao Zhen use the trick of setting up a fake oil pan to help my son win over the hearts of the people of Xuzhou?"

  "The child's identity was discovered by Cao Ze, please don't worry about it, I have my own way to deal with it, but now is not the time. Tao Ying rarely answered a sentence from her heart, then Tao Ying smiled and said: 'As for Cao Ze setting up a fake oil pot, maybe he thought that I should be easier to deal with than Dà ěr Zei.'"

  "What a big-eared thief! My son really knows how to scold people." Tao Qian burst out laughing, and not only was he not disgusted by his son's honeyed words and dagger-like heart, but he also exceptionally appreciated them - from this it can be seen that Tao Qian is indeed not a good father.

  After laughing, Tao Qian put on a serious face and scolded Tao Ying: "Mingwu, although you made me look at you with new eyes, you are still too impulsive and inconsiderate. With your identity deeply infiltrating Cao's camp, how could the petty thieves in Xuzhou city miss this opportunity to severely damage the Tao family of Danyang? You didn't consider this point and rashly left the city, it's simply foolish!"

  "The lesson from Father is remembered, and I will definitely make amends in the future." Tao Ying also discovered this small flaw in his plan after the fact, which would have been scolded by Tao Qian. Tao Ying secretly congratulated himself on his good fortune and could only honestly admit his mistake.

  "Remember, life is more important than anything else. As long as you're alive, there's always a chance to start anew." Tao Qian lectured, then smiled and said: "However, my son has good luck. I just received news that Lü Bu led his troops to attack Puyang, forcing Cao Cao to retreat. You were able to return safely to me thanks to the blessings of Lü Wenhou."

  "Lü Bu is sending troops to attack Yanzhou? No wonder Cao's bandit is in a hurry to retreat?" Tao Ying first showed a surprised and delighted expression, then patted his chest and exclaimed: "Luckily, I really have good luck. If Cao hadn't received this news just in time, I wouldn't have had the chance to serve my father."

  Tao Qian smiled again, closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. Then he opened his mouth and asked: "Ying Er, what's the next step? Have you thought about how to proceed?"

  "The child wants to take over his father's military post and lead the troops." Tao replied truthfully.

  Tao Qian nodded slowly and asked Tao Ying again, "Since my son has the intention to command the army, why did Cao Pi take the initiative to propose marriage to my son, and my son wants to refuse outright? Without Cao Pi's support, it would be very difficult for my son to stand firm in the Xuzhou military."

  "If I agree, I'll have to suffer every night from now on." Tao thought to herself, but replied respectfully: "Father, it's still the same thing. If I were to marry Cao Jiao at this time, I'm afraid it would be like beating the grass and startling the snake, which wouldn't be good. Moreover, I don't want to serve under Cao Jiao either. I'll dare to ask Father to allocate a separate army for me, so that I can lead the troops alone."

  Tao Qian looked at Tao Ying with some dissatisfaction and said, "Ying'er, your father just praised you a few times, how did you become foolish again? In the Battle of Si Shui, the Xuzhou army was severely damaged, leaving only 6,000 to 7,000 people. How can your father allocate another army for you alone? Moreover, except for the troops led by Cao Hong, all the others are under Cao Jiao's command. You rejected Cao Jiao's proposal of marriage first, and then your father allocated Cao Jiao's troops to you, how do you think Cao Jiao would feel?"

  "It doesn't matter." Tao Ying's chest had a plan, and he replied: "The child does not want Cao Jiao's soldiers. The child only asks his father to allow the child to recruit soldiers and buy horses, and to form an army on their own. Moreover, the child does not need too many soldiers, 800 cavalry is enough."

  "Eight hundred cavalry?" Tao Qian doubted that the foolish son was being foolish again, and asked in surprise: "Eight hundred cavalry, what can they do?"

  "Soldiers are valuable for their quality, not their quantity." Tao replied calmly: "After the chaos caused by Cao's bandits in Xuzhou, both the government and the people have been severely damaged, with insufficient manpower and resources. If I were to suddenly recruit a large number of new soldiers, it would be impossible for my father's financial resources to support them, and it would also be difficult for the people of Xuzhou to provide that many soldiers. After careful calculation, I think recruiting 800 cavalrymen is sufficient."

  "But 800 cavalry is too few, isn't it?" Tao Qian also pitied his son and asked on his own initiative: "Why not recruit some more, how about 2,000 infantry and cavalry?"

  "The child temporarily does not want infantry, only wants to build a invincible elite cavalry for his father." Tao Ying smiled and said: "Besides, if the child recruits too many soldiers, someone may not be able to hold their breath."

  Tao Qian found himself completely unable to understand his son, saying that this son was foolish. In the past few days, every word and deed had not been half as foolish as a thousand-year-old fox! But if you say that this son is not foolish, why did he take the initiative to refuse to form an alliance with Cao Jie and seek the support of Xu Zhou's chief general? He even proposed to recruit only 800 cavalrymen as his main force. What use could 800 soldiers be?

  "Father, I have something to say first." Tao Ying added with a smile, "Although I only plan to recruit 800 cavalrymen, the cost of training and equipping these 800 cavalrymen may be more than equipping 3,000 or even 5,000 cavalrymen. Please don't worry about it, Father, and give me your full support."

  Tao Qian gazed at his son for a moment, then slowly nodded and said faintly: "Then let you try it out, I hope my son can bring me some surprises this time."

  "The child thanks his father." Tao Ying was overjoyed and thanked him.

  "What official position should I give you as your father?" Tao Qian hesitated for a moment, and soon said: "Let's make you a military governor, one level lower than Cao Jue and Zang Ba. You are my son, just entering the army, can't lift you too high."

  "Thanks, Father." Tao Ying replied nonchalantly: "I don't care about the size of the official position, I just want to be able to train troops independently and command this new army on my own, without outsiders interfering."

  "Then you will be directly under my command, and not subject to Cao Jie's orders." Tao Qian was naturally not afraid of his son rebelling, and he further instructed: "Your official position will be formally appointed in a few days. As for the expenses required for recruiting soldiers and setting up a new army, go discuss with Cao Hong, I will have him fully assist you."

  Ying Da was overjoyed and agreed, Tao Qian held his son's hand again, opened his mouth to say something, but then forced himself to hold back. After hesitating for a long time, Tao Qian finally said a meaningful sentence: "Ying Er, your elder brother is weak and loyal, it's hard for him to bear the great responsibility, as your father, I can only put all my hopes on you, don't let me down."

  Tao Ying suppressed her smile and Zheng nodded seriously.