Chapter Thirty: Zang Ba

  (PS: Two updates today, the first one is here.)

  Tao Ying unexpectedly won the heart of Mei Zhen and even got to experience her favor, so he became somewhat infatuated and abandoned his plan to return to Wu County immediately to practice military skills. He decided to stay in Xuzhou for a few more days until he solved a major problem before returning to Wu County. Tao Qian also hoped that his son could accompany him for a few more days, so he didn't blame him and let Tao Ying stay and cause trouble.

  Tao Ying did not immediately return to the Wu County military, of course, was about the marriage issue with Mei Zhen's sister. Mei Zhen's sister could let Deputy Director Tao take advantage of it, thinking that Mei Zhen thought Mei Zhu was preparing to marry herself to Deputy Director Tao, and willingly let Tao Ying this 'fiancé' take action. But in fact, from various signs analysis, Mei Zhu actually planned to marry Mei Zhen to Liu Bei Liu Huangshu, but all kinds of misunderstandings added together, making Mei Zhen mistakenly think that Mei Zhu was preparing to marry her to Tao Ying...

  Since it was just a misunderstanding, the truth would naturally be revealed to the world sooner or later. In order not to let the gentle and lovely糜贞 sister be heartbroken, and also for陶副主任's cherished **great cause**, 陶应 certainly had to think of ways to turn this misunderstanding into reality. However, because 糜竺 and 糜芳, two good-for-nothings, had already made up their minds to follow 刘皇叔, no matter how clever or knowledgeable 陶应 was, he couldn't think of a good solution for the time being.

  Thus delayed for five or six days, Tao Ying was still at a loss and had no choice but to worry that Tao Ji would slack off and delay the training of the Junzi Army. He was even more worried that his hot-headed younger brother would see the Junzi Army's initial results and hastily show off, revealing military secrets. So he decided to bid farewell to Tao Qian and Tao Shang and return to Wuyue County. Unexpectedly, however, Tao Qian had already sent someone to summon Tao Ying for an audience, so Tao Ying hastened to hurry to the rear chamber where Tao Qian was residing to pay his respects.

  After entering the back room, there was only Tao Qian sitting beside the desk handling official business. Seeing Tao Ying come forward to pay his respects, Tao Qian said straightforwardly: "My son, there's trouble. Three keys were given out, two of which have already been bestowed upon Cao Jue and Chen Gui by your father. Both of them accepted, but the third key has run into unexpected difficulties."

  "Zang Ba refuses to accept the honor given by his father?" Tao Ying was stunned, thinking that Zang Ba's attitude was too arrogant. His own cheap old dad Tao Qian was at least the governor of Xuzhou, and he handed over one of the three keys for keeping the imperial edict to Zang Ba, which meant that he wanted to treat Zang Ba as a trusted minister of Xuzhou. Anyone else would have been delighted and eager to accept, but how could Zang Ba possibly refuse? Was Zang Ba also planning to become sworn brothers with Liu Xuan like Mi Zhu and his brother?

  "Refused." Tao Qian sighed and said helplessly: "His father sent an envoy to ride a fast horse to Kaiyang, summoning Zang Ba to come to Pengcheng for an audience. He also explained his intention to entrust the orphan in the letter, but Zang Ba refused to come on the grounds of illness. In his return letter, he said that he was from a humble background, had shallow virtue and dared not accept the heavy responsibility entrusted by his father, asking him to choose another wise person to take it."

  "Has Zang Baolong completely defected to the Big Ears Bandit?" Tao Ying's first reaction was that Zang Ba might have become sworn brothers with Liu Xiong, but thinking again, he felt it didn't quite add up. If Zang Ba had thoroughly defected to Liu Bei, then he should be the one to take on the responsibility of protecting the orphan and help Liu Bei seize control of Xu Zhou.

  As expected, Tao Qian immediately shook his head and denied it: "It's unlikely. From the information Cao Hong has gathered, although Liu Xuande has repeatedly tried to win over Zhang Shao and Zhang Cheng with small favors, but Zhang Shao is not very grateful and has always kept a certain distance from Liu Xuande, refusing several times Liu Xuande's invitation to meet in Xiaopei."

  Here is the translation:

  "Speaking of which, Tao Qian paused for a moment and added: "However, Cao Hong also found out that Zang Ba's deputy Sun Guan Sun Zhongtai was very close to Liu Xuande and had advised Zang Xuan Gao twice to meet with Liu Xuande. Therefore, I think there are two possibilities why Zang Xuan Gao refused my entrustment of the heavy responsibility of guardianship: one is that Zang Xuan Gao is waiting for the situation in Xuzhou to settle before deciding what to do; the other is that Zang Xuan Gao does not want to get involved in the struggle for power and profit, but only wants to occupy a region and become his own emperor."

  "The child thinks the first possibility is not great." Tao Ying hesitated and said: "If Zang Xuan Gao wants to observe the situation, wait for the outcome before making a heavy bet, then he should not have refused the important task entrusted by his father. As long as he has a key representing the heavy responsibility of entrusting an orphan in his hand, it is equivalent to confirming his important position as one of the three major officials in Xuzhou. In the future, whether he leans towards our Tao family or towards Xuande Gong, he can benefit greatly from it. Missing this opportunity is really a pity. Therefore, the child thinks that Zang Xuan Gao does not want to get involved in the dirty vortex of Xuzhou's political struggle and only wants to be the emperor of Kaiyang, which is the most likely possibility."

  Taoyu looked at his son with a nod of approval and said, "What you see is indeed true. After listening to your high-minded words, I feel that I have misunderstood Zang Xuan Gao. If he has made up his mind to wait and observe the situation, then he should not refuse my good intentions. Not wanting to get involved in the power struggle in Xuzhou and being willing to be a neutral party should be his true intention. In that case, do you have a countermeasure?"

  Tao Ying closed his eyes and calculated for a moment, then turned to Tao Qian with a fist and cupped hands, saying: "Father, please allow your child to go to Kaiyang and personally persuade Zang Ba to accept Father's important task."

  "My son is confident that he can persuade Zang Xuan Gao?" Tao Qian replied doubtfully.

  "There isn't." Tao Hua replied frankly, and cupped his hands to say: "But as long as there is a glimmer of hope, the child will make every effort. Besides, the child has long wanted to go to Kaiyang and meet Zang Ba to understand his basic situation, know himself and others, and be invincible in battle."

  Tao Qian did not immediately respond, but after a moment's consideration, he nodded and said: "My son can go, but be careful. Although Zang Xuan Gao has no reason to harm you, we cannot take it lightly. We must not act rashly or impulsively. Whether or not you can persuade Zang Xuan Gao is not important; what matters most is that you return safely."

  "The child understands." Tao Ying replied respectfully, and asked Tao Qian to hand over the key to himself, so that he could take it to Yang personally and hand it over to Zang Ba for safekeeping, as a demonstration of his sincerity. Tao Qian did not suspect his son either, and with a smile, took out the third key and carefully placed it in Tao Ying's hands, repeatedly instructing him to be careful on his errand.

  ………

  Now let's get a basic understanding of Zang Ba, the general Tao Ying is going to meet. Zang Ba, also known as Xuan Gao, is from Huaxian County in Taishan Prefecture and is currently 28 years old. He comes from a family of prison officers. Ten years ago, when Zang Ba was 18 years old, he angered the governor of Taishan Prefecture while trying to rescue his father who had been arrested for a crime, and was forced to flee to Donghai County in Xuzhou where he became a bandit. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Zang Ba surrendered to Tao Qian and followed him in suppressing the Yellow Turbans, earning many military achievements and rising to become the cavalry commander of Xuzhou, once becoming Tao Qian's right-hand man in military affairs.

  The honeymoon period between Tao Qian and Zang Ba was short-lived. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion was put down, Zang Ba left with his troops to Langya Commandery due to disagreements with most of the officials under Tao Qian. He stationed his troops in Kaiyang, Langya Commandery, and successively recruited and subdued several groups of mountain bandits, including those led by Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li, and Chang Yi, rapidly expanding his forces and forming a separate power base that rivaled the official government forces in Xu Province. When Cao Cao's army invaded Xu Province, Zang Ba did not betray Tao Qian like Chen Gong did, but he also refused to follow Tao Qian's orders to join forces with the provincial troops to resist Cao Cao's invasion. Instead, he chose to fight alone and managed to hold off Cao Cao's army at Kaiyang, saving the city and its people from destruction.

  So whether it was Tao Qian or Tao Ying, their feelings towards Zang Ba were actually very complicated. On the one hand, they secretly resented Zang Ba for not listening to orders and trying to carve out his own territory. On the other hand, they secretly admired and appreciated Zang Ba's neutral stance, without colluding with Cao Da or Liu Xiang. At that time, if Zang Ba had defected to Cao Da, or now if he defected to Liu Xiang, the old Tao family, which was already severely wounded, would have been completely destroyed. It was precisely for this reason that not only did Tao Qian never give up on his plan to win over and subdue Zang Ba, but Tao Ying also decided to personally go to Kaiyang to try to persuade Zang Ba with his own silver tongue, in an attempt to bring back the old traitor who had helped his father in the past, as a powerful ally for himself.

  Of course, as an excellent civil servant in the 21st century, Deputy Director Tao would not take his own life lightly, so although Tao felt that Zang Ba had no reason to poison him, he still did not rush to meet with Zang Ba in Kaiyang. Instead, he first returned to the Junzi Army's large camp in Wuzhou to make various arrangements and preparations before leading a team of over 10 riders north to meet with Zang Ba in Kaiyang.

  By the way, after hearing that Tao Ying was going to Beiyang to meet with Zang Ba, his young and vigorous younger brother Tao Ji not only did not object, but also jumped for joy, saying that he wanted to take the newly formed 800-strong Junzi Army to accompany Tao Ying to Beiyang, to let Zang Ba see the terror of the Junzi Army. However, Tao Ying firmly opposed it and told Tao Ji that first, the current Junzi Army should not be over-exposed; second, if the Junzi Army were to go north in full force, it would inevitably make people like Zang Ba vigilant, which would lead to unnecessary trouble. After much persuasion, he finally convinced his younger brother to stay in Wuyue County and continue training troops.

  Wu County is about 500 miles away from Yang, which is quite far. Fortunately, there is an official road that can be passed through, and the terrain is flat, without any mountains or rivers blocking the way. Tao Ying's team was all cavalry, so even if they didn't rush, it only took them four days to arrive at the border of Langya County. They also politely sent a personal soldier ahead to inform Zang Ba about their itinerary and intentions, in order to avoid misunderstandings.

  Tao Ying's sudden visit was beyond the expectation of Zang Ba and Sun Guan, especially Sun Guan, who was very close to Liu Xiong. In front of Tao Ying's personal soldiers who came to deliver the message, he shouted recklessly: "What is this little Tao Ying doing here? Does he want to fight? How many troops did he bring with him?"

  "Zhong Tai, do not speak nonsense." Zang Ba scolded, and then picked up the letter sent by Tao Ying's personal soldier, shaking it as he said: "The second young master clearly stated in his letter that this time he came to visit on his father's orders, with important matters to discuss with us. Moreover, our scouts have also investigated thoroughly, and found that the second young master only brought ten personal soldiers, without any troops, and there are no hidden troops following behind him. From this, it can be seen that the second young master indeed came to visit for official business."

  "What can Tao Ying have to do with us?" Sun Guan coldly laughed loudly, "It's not that he wants to cheat us back to Xuzhou again, to be ridiculed by those Xuzhou scholars? And let us go back, to be bullied by those Danyang soldiers again?"

  In the face of Sun Guan's arrogant clamor, Tao Ying's personally trained soldiers remained silent and expressionless, truly embodying the demeanor of a gentleman. However, they were extremely dissatisfied in their hearts. Fortunately, Wu Dun, another of Zang Ba's attendants, stepped forward and said to Zang Ba: "Brother Xiang, regardless of Tao Ying's intentions, since he has sent an envoy with proper etiquette, we should receive him with courtesy. Moreover, when Cao's army besieged Xuchang, it was Tao Ying who single-handedly infiltrated Cao's camp to negotiate a truce and jumped into the cauldron to save the people of Xuchang from the flames. Such heroism deserves our respect."

  "Cao's retreat was because Lü Bu sent troops to attack Puyang, Cao had no choice but to retreat to rescue Puyang. What does this have to do with Tao Qian's young son?" Sun Guan loudly retorted.

  "Even if Cao Cao retreated because of Lü Bu, Tao Gongzi's heroic actions are still worthy of admiration." Wu Dun also refuted: "We stationed in Kaiyang because we couldn't stand the arrogance of those wealthy families in Xuzhou. We were dissatisfied with Tao Qian's partiality towards the wealthy families of Xuzhou and the soldiers from Danyang, but we had no grudge against Tao Ying Gongzi. Now that he has made a name for himself by sacrificing his life to save Xuzhou, if we treat him coldly or refuse to receive him, wouldn't it be ridiculed by people all over the world?"

  "Wu Dun's brother is right, even if we don't respect Tao Ying's noble status, we must respect his righteous actions." Zang Ba also agreed with Wu Dun's point of view and stood up to say to Tao Ying's personal soldiers: "Please trouble your honorable troops to report back to the young master. The young master's grand arrival is a great honor for General Zang Ba and all his men, tomorrow when the young master arrives, I will go out of the city ten miles to welcome him."

  Tao Ying's personal soldiers were overjoyed and hastily bid farewell to go and report the news to Tao Ying. But before they had even left, Zang Ba gave another order to the gathered generals: "Tomorrow, everyone will follow me, leading a thousand armored soldiers out of the city to welcome Young Master Tao Ying. Remember to raise your flags high, bring your weapons, and be fully armed when welcoming Second Master Tao!"

  "Yes!" A large group of rough-looking men all happily answered with a salute, except for Wu Dun who opposed again, saluting and saying: "Xuan Gao brother, leading one thousand armored soldiers to welcome Tao Ying's son, isn't that too intimidating? Will it not make Tao Ying's son misunderstand us as trying to coerce him with force?"

  "I'm going to intimidate him with force." Zang Ba sneered, "I'm very clear about Tao Ying's intentions. It's about the last time, wanting to use some kind of entrusted minister title to deceive and return to Xuzhou, continuing to suffer under Old Man Tao Yan's tyranny! Although I respect Tao Ying as a man, it doesn't mean I'll follow him. I want to let him witness the might of our Langya troops, and also tell Old Man Tao Yan that Zang Ba is not someone to be trifled with. If he offends me, his position as Governor of Xuzhou will be unstable too!"

  Wu Dunyi thought for a moment and immediately nodded in agreement, no longer objecting. Sun Guan on the side cheered and shouted loudly: "Zang Big Brother is right! We must give that Tao Ying Xiao Er a good scare, let him know the ferocity of our Langya Army! Tell the brothers who went out of the city to draw their swords, put the bows and crossbows on strings, and it's best to scare the urine out of Tao Ying Xiao Er!"