Chapter Fifty-Seven: Borrowing Flowers to Offer to Buddha

  Cao Jue's understanding of his fellow villager Tao Qian was indeed not covered, and something big had happened in the governor's mansion of Tao Qian. As soon as Tao Ying returned to his own home, he quickly discovered that the atmosphere in the governor's mansion at this time was unusual, especially tense. Rushing into the main hall, Tao Ying saw at a glance that Jian Yong, Liu Bei's special envoy at this stage, was standing in the hall, with Cao Hong, Lu Su, and Chen Gui and his son by his side. However, the brothers Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, who were usually Liu Bei's military spokesmen, were not in the hall, as if they had already deliberately restrained their stance.

  Tao Qian was coughing, Tao Shang was patting his back, both father and son had helpless expressions on their faces, Tao Shang also looked worried, seeing Tao Ying rush in, Tao Shang immediately looked like he saw a lifesaver, hurriedly beckoning him to come over, saying: "Younger brother, quick, quick, the messenger sent by Lord Xuan De has arrived to discuss important matters with father, but father is seriously ill and cannot make decisions, younger brother please come quickly to help father deliberate."

  Tao Ying didn't rush to ask what the big deal was, first politely greeting his father and brother, then even more politely greeting Jian Yun. Jian Yun returned the courtesy, smiling: "Young Master Tao, we meet again! The first time we met, you were just an ordinary son of a governor's mansion, but this time, you're already famous throughout the land! What's your secret to success? Can you teach me a thing or two? Let me also make a name for myself and let the world know the name Jian Xianhe."

  "Sir, you're overpraising me, I don't dare to accept it." Tao Ying smiled faintly and didn't respond to Jian Yong's joke. He politely cupped his hands and asked: "Sir has come from afar, surely you have brought an important matter with the order of Lord Xuan De, may I ask what is it?"

  "This young Master Tao's demeanor is even more mature and refined than before." Jian Yun secretly praised him, then smiled and said: "I've come this time to disappoint you, it's not a good thing. My master, Lord Xuan De, has sent me on a secret mission to scout out Cao Mengde in Yanzhou, but he has already made peace with Lü Bu and stopped fighting. The five counties of Xuzhou are likely to face another great disaster."

  "Cao Cao and Lü Bu have made peace?" Tao Ying had already forgotten this not-so-important piece of history, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. However, his face remained expressionless as he calmly asked: "May I ask, sir, why did Lord Mengde (Cao Cao) want to make peace with Marquis Lü Bu? What is the current situation in Yan Province?"

  "The reason for Cao Mengde and Lü Wenhao's ceasefire is simple, just two words - locust plague! Sima Yi, who was used to being carefree and casual, didn't like Tao Ying's calm tone, which was as cold as a thousand-year-old ice. He yawned and said lazily: 'This year, Yan Province was originally not in season, with drought and little rain. At the beginning of autumn, locusts emerged in Yan Province, eating up all the crops. The eight counties of Yan Province were almost completely barren, with a bushel of grain worth 50,000 coins. People were selling their children for food. Cao Mengde and Lü Wenhao both ran out of food and couldn't fight anymore. Cao Mengde had to retreat back to Juancheng, while Lü Wenhao retreated back to Shanyang to eat. For now, they've stopped fighting.'"

  "If this news is true, Xuzhou will be in danger again." Tao's heart skipped a beat as he knew that whether it was Cao or Lü, if they were driven to desperation by the grain shortage, they might not hesitate to attack Xuzhou - fortunately, Xuzhou had a relatively good harvest this year and had stored some autumn grains, which would likely attract the attention of the two hungry wolves, Cao and Lü.

  Tao Ying remained silent, so Jian Yun continued: "In view of these circumstances, I, Zhongmou Gong, have determined that Cao Cao's army may return. To prevent this and protect the people of Xuzhou's five counties, I have sent someone to bring a letter to Xuzhou to meet with Lord Tao and discuss preparations for battle in person, to guard against Cao's army returning to Xuzhou and also to prevent Lv Wenhou from taking advantage of the situation."

  "He's making excuses, probably here to beg for food again." Tao Ying muttered to himself, then cupped his hands and asked: "May I ask, sir, how does Lord Xuande plan to prepare for battle?"

  Zhen Rong smiled, just about to speak, but Tao Qian, who was massaging his back, suddenly shouted in grief and anger, "Second brother, Xuande is planning to expand the army by half, and wants father to provide him with an additional 200,000 dan of military rations and a thousand war horses!"

  "What a huge appetite!" Even Tao Qian, the deputy director, couldn't help but take a deep breath at this moment. Let's not mention the thousand war horses, just the 200,000 dan of military rations alone is enough to feed nearly 10,000 troops for a year, and it accounts for more than half of the total military rations stored in Xuzhou excluding Guangling County. If we give all this to Liu Bei, what will the troops in Xuzhou eat? Moreover, Zhang Fei's army has just returned to Xuzhou, which makes the burden on Xuzhou's military even heavier. If we give these 200,000 dan of military rations to Liu Bei, how long can the remaining rations last?

  At the same time, a name suddenly jumped into Tao Ying's mind, "Liu Zhang! Because he didn't satisfy Liu Xuan's insatiable appetite, gave Liu Xuan an excuse to start a war, and had his territory and beautiful daughter-in-law snatched away by Liu Xuan, the unlucky Liu Zhang!"

  "Gentlemen, please don't misunderstand, my lord Liu Xuande is also being forced into this. " Jian Yun changed to a warm and friendly smile, explaining: "Cao Cao's army is extremely powerful, you have witnessed it with your own eyes, Lord Lü Bu is not someone to be trifled with either, his subordinates are as numerous as the clouds, and his strategist Chen Gong's plans are as deep as the sea. They are absolutely not people to be messed with. If they were to invade Xuzhou and seize our grain and land, my lord Liu Xuande would be the first to bear the brunt of it. And yet, my lord has only 5,000 soldiers under his command, how could he possibly withstand their tens of thousands of fierce warriors? Therefore, there is no other choice, for the sake of Xuzhou's five counties and its people, my lord Liu Xuande can only prepare to expand his army and ready himself for battle. This is entirely for the consideration of Xuzhou's five counties and the Tao family. I hope you will understand, gentlemen."

  When Tao Ying's honest big brother, Tao Shang, heard Jian Yong's threatening and tempting words, he was so aggrieved that he almost shed tears. Cao Hong's face turned red with anger, while Lu Su and Chen Gui father and son remained calm and waited patiently for Tao Ying's reaction. What made Lu Su and Chen Gui father and son feel relieved and secretly admire was that their Deputy Director Tao could still maintain his usual calm demeanor, without showing any sign of anger, and only bowed to Jian Yong, saying: "Understood, this matter is important, sir, please rest at the inn for now, and after I discuss it with my father, I will give you and Lord Xuande an accurate answer."

  "That's all for now, I'll take my leave first." Jian Yun also didn't decline and bid farewell to Tao Kui and Chen Gui one by one, then turned to Tao Ying and bowed with a smile: "Young Master, my lord is also considering Xuzhou, please understand my lord's kind intentions, don't misunderstand."

  "Sir, rest assured that Xuande has worked hard to defend Xuzhou against the strong enemy. It will be clear later." Tao Ying answered with a smile and ordered the guards to invite Jian Yun down from the main hall and welcome him to the mansion for good hospitality. In fact, Jian Yun, who had been nervous all along, also secretly let out a sigh of relief and bid farewell honestly.

  After Jian Yong left, the main hall of the governor's mansion fell into silence. Except for Tao Qian's occasional coughing and gasping, there was no other sound. Everyone, including Tao Ying, furrowed their brows in tense contemplation, calculating and analyzing Liu Bei's true intentions, considering countermeasures. At the same time, Cao Bao and Zang Ba, the two most important generals in Xuzhou, rushed to the governor's mansion upon hearing the news, inquiring about the purpose of Liu Bei's envoy. Then, Chen Deng stepped forward and quietly briefed Cao Bao and Zang Ba on Jian Yong's intentions and Liu Bei's unreasonable demands. As a result, Cao Bao and Zang Ba immediately became enraged.

  "Blackmail! This is shameless blackmail!" As the leader of the Dan Yang army and a fellow townsman of Tao Qian, Cao Bao had always looked down on Liu Bei. Now he was furious, his face iron-green with rage, stamping his foot and shouting wildly: "My lord, we can't take it anymore! Since that scoundrel Liu Bei arrived in Xuzhou, he's already swindled us out of tens of millions of coins' worth of grain and supplies. Now he's opening his mouth to demand twenty million pecks of grain and a thousand warhorses - does he think our money and horses are falling from the sky?! We can't take it anymore, let's fight that scoundrel Liu Bei!"

  "My lord, Liu Bei is a treacherous and greedy villain, who advances inch by inch. Is this to be tolerated? What cannot be tolerated?! Zhang Bao also roared in anger: "Please order the main general, I am willing to lead my 7,000 troops to fight a decisive battle with Liu Bei's villain! If we can't cut off his head, we must drive him out of Xuzhou!"

  "General Zang, I'll go with you!" Cao Jiao loudly echoed: "Please order, my lord, to allow me to go with General Zang to Xiaopei, behead the treacherous Liu Bei and bring his head back to offer to you!"

  Cao Cao's face turned gloomy and he didn't speak, only coughing painfully repeatedly. Chen Gui, another old fox beside him, stood out to stop him: "General Cao, General Zhang, please calm down your anger. If you can't hold back your temper and fight with Liu Bei, it will fall into his trap. Our Xu State army will not only be known for repaying kindness with enmity, but also Liu Bei can occupy the moral high ground and take advantage of this to engage in a fierce battle with our army, using force to seize control of Xu State."

  "When swords are crossed, we'll cross them again. What's there to fear from that treacherous Liu Bei?" Zang Ba said with arrogance: "Please be assured, my lord and the two young masters, there is no need to mobilize Cao's Dan Yang army or the two young masters' Junzi army. My Langya army alone will be enough to make that treacherous Liu Bei unable to escape!"

  "General Zang, what if Liu Bei lures Cao Cao's large army onto the battlefield?" Lu Su suddenly spoke up, leaving Zang Ba in a predicament.

  "Pull Cao Cao's army into the battlefield?" Cao Jiao asked in surprise: "How is that possible? Last time Liu Bei fought against Cao Cao to rescue Xuzhou, and killed some of Cao Cao's soldiers, so they already have a vendetta. How can we pull Cao Cao into the battlefield?"

  "How can it be impossible?" Lu Su retorted, and sneered: "Last time Liu Bei rescued Xuzhou, he took the moral high ground. This time we repay kindness with enmity by attacking Liu Bei, and Liu Bei is also taking the moral high ground of being forced to counterattack. He can certainly go to Cao Cao for help, and Cao Cao is currently troubled by grain shortages and has a just cause for avenging his father's death. With Liu Bei seeking help, how could he not immediately send troops south?"

  "There's also Lü Bu!"

  Under the command of Tao Qian, what is lacking now are not thick-skinned and treacherous strategists. Chen Deng also stood up and said coldly: "Lv Bu's repeated changes and self-interest have long been known throughout the world. Let's not talk about our army fighting against Liu Bei, Liu Bei will definitely ask Lv Bu for help. Even if Liu Bei doesn't ask for help, Lv Bu, who is struggling with food shortages, will not miss this opportunity to take advantage of the fire! At that time, our army will have three opponents, among which the two armies of Lv Bu and Cao Cao are far stronger than ours!"

  Cao Jiao and Zang Ba both fell silent. After Zang Ba's army returned, although the Xuzhou army had surpassed Liu Bei's army in overall strength, they were still inferior to Cao Cao and Lü Bu. They found it extremely difficult to deal with either of them separately, and if the two joined forces, the Xuzhou army could only consider fleeing south.

  "This move of Lord Guan, is indeed a high-level play." Old fox Chen Gui sighed: "Under the pretext of preventing Cao Cao from making a comeback and preventing Lv Wenhou from taking advantage of the fire to loot, demanding grain and expanding the army is justified. If the lord does not agree, he will immediately fall into a moral disadvantage. By agreeing, Lord Guan has openly declared war and given himself the opportunity to set a tiger loose in his home and borrow a knife to kill someone, forcing the lord to accept."

  "Otherwise, we'll give it to him." Tao Gong's character was weak and after listening to Chen Gui, father and son, and Lu Su's analysis, he immediately felt a bit guilty and couldn't help but say: "Let's just consider it a loss of wealth to avoid disaster. We'll endure hardship ourselves and send the grain, horses, and military supplies that Xuande wants, let him expand his army and prepare for war, and use him as a shield against Cao Cao and Lü Bu."

  "We can't give it!" The spendthrift son Ruo Su suddenly became stingy and shouted: "Giving such a large amount of money to Liu Bei is no different from adding fuel to the fire, endless troubles will follow!"

  "Cannot be given!" Chen Deng also shook his head and said coldly: "Since Liu Bei entered Xuzhou, he has been lavishing favors and winning over the people's hearts. His intention is to annex the five counties of Xuzhou! If we give him such a large amount of grain again, it would be equivalent to raising a tiger and leaving a disaster for ourselves. At that time, not only will Liu Bei's military strength become stronger, but our army will also face a food shortage crisis. In just a few months, our soldiers will have no grain to rely on. What can we do?"

  "What can be done if giving is not allowed and not giving is also not allowed?" Tao Shang asked with difficulty.

  Lu Su and Chen Gui, father and son, were all speechless, for the time being they were all at a loss, while Tao Qian, who had been coughing and panting all along, suddenly spoke up, painfully coughing and sighing: "Invite wolves into one's home, raise tigers to leave troubles behind, regret not doing so earlier, regret not doing so earlier."

  Tao Ying never said a word, and at this time, Tao Ying also vaguely understood Liu Bei's mind. His own victory in Guangling had definitely scared Liu Bei, making him understand that Xuzhou could no longer be given to him for the third time. The only way to annex Xuzhou was to use force, but now his Junzi army had already shown initial success, and Zang Ba had led the Langya army back to Tao Qian's command. Liu Bei had almost no chance of winning if he acted alone against Xuzhou. However, the luck of Liu Xianggong, the master of preserving life on the battlefield, was not to be underestimated. Coincidentally, Cao Cao and Lü Bu were both facing grain shortages and had suspended their fighting, and they urgently needed supplies. They might attack Xuzhou at any time, so Liu Bei took advantage of the situation and came up with this poisonous plan to find an opportunity to annex Xuzhou for himself.

  The conversation turned back, although Deputy Director Tao had guessed Liu's thoughts to be about 80 or 90% correct, he couldn't think of a way to counter Liu's move for the time being. This was because Liu's move was too vicious and had blocked all of Tao's retreat routes. No matter what strategy Tao adopted, it would only benefit Liu and put Tao in a difficult situation. If he didn't give in, it would give Liu an opportunity to turn against him and invite disaster. If he did give in, it would be like adding fuel to the fire and nurturing a tiger that would eventually bring harm. Even good-natured and honest Tao couldn't think of a good solution in a short period of time.

  "Sir, what's on your mind?" Chen Deng's question to Tao Ying drew everyone's attention to him and also brought Tao Ying back from his reverie.

  Facing the expectant gaze of the crowd, Tao Ying smiled slightly and was about to tell the truth, saying that he didn't have any countermeasures for the time being. But as the words reached his lips, Tao Ying suddenly had another thought, and on his still somewhat handsome face, a warm and gentle smile also appeared habitually. He nodded and replied: "In my opinion, it should be given."

  "Should give?" Everyone including Lu Su exclaimed, Cao Jiao couldn't help but add another sentence, "Young master, you're not joking, are you?"

  "I'm not joking." Tao Ying shook his head, and in an instant, he perfected the poisonous plan he had calculated for himself. He turned to Tao Qian, cupped his hands, and said loudly: "Father, in my opinion, we should give Lord Xun the 200,000 dan of military grain and 1,000 war horses that he wants! More than half a year ago, if it weren't for Lord Xun leading his army south to rescue us, Xuzhou would have fallen into Cao Cao's hands. In this more than half a year, Lord Xun has also blocked Cao Cao and Lü Bu for us, winning precious time for Xuzhou to rest and recover, and also giving me precious time to train my troops. He has done great favors for Xuzhou and for Father and son. Now, Lord Xun is expanding his army and preparing for war in order to bring peace to the five counties of Xuzhou, he is thinking of us - if we don't give it to him, it's unreasonable both emotionally and logically!"

  Tao Qian, Cao Hong, Cao Jiao, Zang Ba, Lu Su and Chen Gui's father and son all widened their eyes in surprise, almost suspecting that Deputy Director Tao had turned back into the bookworm he used to be, which is why he would say such absurd and foolish words. Only Tao Xiang's older brother, Tao Shang, nodded his head, thinking that his younger brother made some sense, so Tao Shang quickly asked: "Second Brother, although you make a good point, if we give 200,000 dan of military rations to Lord Xuande, what will our army in Xuzhou eat? In the past half year, in order to support Lord Xuande's troops, our grain supplies were already barely enough, and it was already very difficult for us to hold on until next autumn when the new harvest comes. Now that we've given away more than half of our grain supplies to Lord Xuande, what will our soldiers eat?"

  "Of course we can't use our military grain reserves." Tao Ying shook his head, "These 200,000 dan of grain, we can only think of other ways to gather them."

  "Gentlemen, what can we do? The grain shortage in the north is so severe, where can we go to think of a solution?" Cao Jiao asked doubtfully.

  "There's no way out, we have to try our best to find a solution." Tao Ying said lightly: "Voluntary donation, I am willing to donate all my personal property to buy grain and collect it."

  "Father, elder brother, you must also contribute some blood and do your best to donate; Zi Jing, you are a notorious prodigal son, it's okay to be more extravagant this time? Xuan Gao brother, Cao Shu father, Cao Hong general, can you donate a year's worth of salary without any problem? And Han Yu public, Yuan Long brother, among the people present, your two families have the most land in Xuzhou, so you must donate more, three thousand dan of grain should not be difficult, right?"

  Apart from Big Brother Tao Shang and the spendthrift Ruzi, everyone else was so angry that they couldn't speak. The spendthrift Ruzi smiled wryly and said: "Young Master, if you let me donate all my property, it's absolutely no problem, but the problem is that these are just a drop in the bucket, far from enough!"

  "It's not enough." Tao Yongwen smiled warmly and said, "Those who have received great kindness from Lord Xuan De are not just us few. The insufficient grain and the expenses for buying war horses will be borne by the people of Xuzhou. We'll tell the people of Xuzhou about Lord Xuan De's requirements and call on them to contribute generously like us. If it's still not enough, we'll distribute these funds among the people and forcibly collect them from the people for Lord Xuan De!"

  As soon as the words fell, Tao Kui was no longer in pain and coughing, Chen Gui and his son, as well as Lu Su, suddenly realized and together made a fist and bowed their hands to Tao Ying, saying in unison: "Young master is great, we are inferior!"

  "Ying'er!" Tao Qian coughed again, but this time the cough was no longer so painful. He pointed at Tao Ying and scolded with a smile, "Ying'er, you ungrateful son! When did you become so cunning? How could you come up with such a clever trick of pulling up the ladder after ascending to the roof? Lord Xuande is going to be ruined by you this time!"

  "Father misunderstood." Tao Ying smiled and replied: "The child was also forced to be helpless, for the sake of Xuande's war preparations, he had no choice but to do so."

  The words had not been spoken yet, but Tao Rong could no longer hold back his laughter. Tao Qian was coughing and slapping the table with laughter, while Chen Gui and his son, as well as Lu Su, were all laughing loudly with their heads thrown back. Meanwhile, Tao Shang, Cao Hong, Cao Jiao, and Zang Ba were all bewildered, unable to hold back their questions: "Your Excellencies, Han Yu Gong, Military Strategist, Yuan Long Xian Sheng, what are you laughing at? Why did the young master pull up the ladder after climbing up? And how did he swindle Xuande Gong?"

  "Gentlemen, princes, don't you understand?" Chen Deng laughed and said: "The second prince is using the same method to govern him, isn't Lord Xuan De fond of buying people's hearts and spreading kindness? The second prince made his unreasonable demands public, took the lead in donating all his personal property, monopolized the righteousness of knowing gratitude and repaying it, and then threatened the people of Xuzhou, wanting to distribute this huge sum of money and grain to the people of the five counties of Xuzhou, forcing them to collect it from the people. What do you think the people of Xuzhou will think of Lord Xuan De?"

  "I see!" Zhang Fei slapped his thigh and laughed loudly: "In that case, the people of Xuzhou will not only see through Liu Bei's true face as a traitor, but they will also hate him so much that they would want to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin! This traitor still dares to have designs on Xuzhou? First and foremost, the people of Xuzhou won't agree to it!"

  "Excellent!" Cao Jiao finally understood and applauded, laughing: "It should be done this way, making the people of Xuzhou hate Liu Bei's treachery, without giving him an excuse to start a war or invite disaster, we also don't need to use military rations, no need to worry about famine troubles!"

  "I'm sure Liu Bei wouldn't dare to accept this money and grain!" Chen Deng laughed again, "With Liu Bei's hypocritical personality, he would not dare to provoke the people of the five counties of Xuzhou and go against the will of heaven. Even if he had a hundred times more courage, he wouldn't do it! He can only obediently change his words, asking us not to force him to collect taxes again, and voluntarily requesting to reduce the amount of money and grain."

  Everyone burst into laughter again, and they all admired Tao's clever plan of "borrowing flowers to offer Buddha" and "pulling up the ladder after ascending". Tao's illness also seemed to have improved a lot. First, he waved his hand to stop everyone from laughing, then instructed Chen Guo and his son: "Han Yu Gong, Yuan Long, Zhang Biao, I'll leave it to you to spread the word among the people of Xu Zhou about the cause and effect of this matter, make sure every soldier and civilian knows that we were forced to collect taxes for the sake of Lord Xuan De!"

  "Don't worry, sir, we'll take care of this matter." Chen Gui and his son smiled and bowed together, answering in unison.

  "Han Yu Gong, Yuan Long brother." Tao Ying interjected: "Please make sure to clarify that we have all enthusiastically donated, and it's best if the amount of donations is also made known to the people."

  Such a good thing to win over the hearts of the people and expand their reputation, how could Chen Gui and his son not understand or be unable to do it? They immediately nodded together, smiling slyly in agreement. Tao Qian then pointed at Tao Ying and Lu Su, instructing them: "Ying'er, Mr. Zi Jing, the matter of negotiating with Liu Bei's envoy is now entrusted to you both. Remember, just say that I agree to pay as promised, only the amount is too large, and we need a little time to prepare. I trust that you will be able to persuade General Xuande's envoy to give me some time to prepare."

  Tao Ying and Lu Su smiled in agreement, their smiles particularly silly. Finally, Tao Qian pointed to Cao Jiao and Zang Ba, smiling and saying: "General Cao, General Zang, you should also make preparations, guard against any unexpected event, as for how to prepare, I believe there's no need for me to teach you, right?"

  "My lord, please be at ease. If Liu Bei's little ones dare to make a reckless move, I'll make sure they regret it!" Zang Ba and Cao Jiao shouted in unison, clenching their fists.

  Tao Qian burst out laughing again, and all the troubles in his heart were suddenly swept away. The people present dispersed to make preparations. Chen Gui and his son went to organize the civil officials to prepare the notice board, while Zang Ba and Cao Jiao hastily returned to the main camp to organize the troops and prepare for battle, guarding against Liu Bei's sudden attack. Tao Ying and Lu Su, two honest men, rushed together to the government office to negotiate with Jian Yong, telling him the good news that they had agreed to Liu Bei's request. The old and sickly Tao Qian returned to his bedroom with the support of Tao Shang and Cao Hong to take medicine and rest, without mentioning anything else.

  Things are not over yet, laughing and leading Lu Su to the inn, halfway through, Deputy Director Tao passed by a Chinese medicine shop on the side of the road. At first, he just glanced at it, but suddenly saw the medicinal materials in the store, Deputy Director Tao suddenly pulled hard on the reins of his warhorse, and his usually calm face also showed a tense expression, exclaiming: "Not good!"

  "Gongzi, what's wrong?" Lu Su asked in surprise.

  "It seems I've made a mistake." Tao Ying replied tensely after calculating carefully.

  "Did Gongzi miscalculate that move?" Lu Su asked again.

  "I forgot, if the mastermind behind that matter is indeed Lord Xuan De, he might be making two moves at once!" Tao Ying finally figured out the connection and quickly turned his horse around, shouting: "Zi Jing, hurry up, let's go back!"