Chapter 64: Overthinking

  The flowers bloom in several clusters, each representing a branch. Deputy Director Tao set up a clever plan to cut off Liu Xuan's (Liu Bei) magical hand that had reached into Xuzhou, borrowing a knife to kill someone and forcing Liu Xuan to behead Xu Zhou's great traitor Mi Fang. After falling into the trap, our Liu Xuan didn't become disheartened and quickly set up another trap, preparing to pull in the infamous Lu Wen Hou who was known for his repeated betrayals, stirring up trouble in Xuzhou, similarly planning to use Lu Wen Hou's knife against Tao Ying, creating an opportunity for himself to annex Xuzhou's five counties.

  Tao Deputy Director and Liu Huangshu were engaged in a fierce struggle for power in Xuzhou, but neither of them expected that thousands of miles north of Xuzhou, there was another cunning hero watching their every move. Tao Deputy Director's plan to force Liu Huangshu to kill Mi Fang had not escaped the attention of this hero's eyes and ears in Xuzhou. The news was written down on the same day and sent through a special channel at top speed to Yanzhou, where it reached the hands of Cao Cao, also known as Cao Mengde.

  This is also the sorrow of this chaotic world. In this small piece of land in central Shandong, four major forces have squeezed in: Cao Taigong, Liu Xianggong, Lü Wenhou and Tao Deputy Director. Among these four big bosses, three are extremely cunning and treacherous, while the remaining one may not be as cunning as the other three, but is unparalleled in terms of ruthlessness and martial bravery. As a result, there are naturally some complicated and unresolvable grudges and grievances between them.

  Let's cut to the chase. After reading the news of Liu Bei being forced to kill Mi Fang, Cao Cao burst out laughing and immediately convened his vast advisory team to discuss military affairs. Once everyone arrived, Cao Cao first showed them the intelligence report, then turned to Guo Jia with a big smile: "Fengxiao, it seems that your clever plan in Xuzhou has finally paid off. Although Liu Bei hasn't immediately turned against Tao Qian and his son, trying to get them to work together again will be harder than climbing the sky."

  "Thank you, sir, for your praise. I really don't dare to accept it." The consumptive ghost Guo Jia humbly said, coughing: "Not to mention that I really don't dare to accept your praise, sir. You didn't blame me for misjudging people and instead of restraining Liu Bei, I raised another fierce tiger. I'm already grateful beyond words."

  "Hey, what does this have to do with filial piety?" Cao Cao waved his hand generously and laughed: "If we say that someone was blind, then who didn't miss the mark on that day in the great tent? Including myself, no one expected that Tao Qian's young son would not only be well-versed in poetry and literature, but also have a deep understanding of human nature. He was able to endure until this moment before taking revenge, and even used someone else's hand to kill, thus avenging his old grudge against the traitor without leaving any blame behind. Moreover, he made it impossible for poor Liu Bei to find an excuse to take action, and didn't dare to attack Xuzhou."

  After finishing speaking, Cao Cao laughed loudly again. Guo Jia coughed and smiled apologetically. Xun Yu, who was known as the "Zi Fang of the Cao army", smiled and said: "My lord, I'm afraid you didn't expect that Tao Qian's young son is not only extremely cunning but also skilled in using troops? In the Battle of Guangling, he defeated Lu Feng's 10,000 men with just 800 cavalrymen. He also defeated Sun Ce with a weaker force and forced this famous general from Huainan to his death. Such achievements are even more beyond your expectations, aren't they?"

  "Not bad." Cao Taigong nodded calmly and smiled: "To be honest with Mr. Wen Ruo, Cao is now regretful. In order to restrain Liu Bei, this fierce tiger, he actually raised another fierce tiger. It's a lifelong trouble."

  "This fierce tiger may be more dangerous than Liu Bei." The strategist Xun Yu interjected, "Both are dragons among men, but Liu Bei has never had the opportunity to flourish, only a dragon trapped in shallow waters. Tao Ying is just the opposite, although the five counties of Xuzhou have been severely damaged, they have not shaken to their foundations, and the population and grain supplies are still sufficient to support Tao Ying's great ambitions. Given time, this child will surely become a major threat to our lord!"

  Cao Cao nodded heavily, acknowledging Xun Yu's words were not in vain. He smiled and said: "I invited all of you gentlemen here for this very matter. Liu Bei and Tao Qian are both fierce tigers, and if we keep them for long, they will inevitably harm us. I want to take advantage of the conflict between these two tigers to attack Xuzhou again. What do you gentlemen think?"

  "Sir, you want to attack Xuzhou again?" Xun Yu was somewhat surprised.

  "It is indeed so." Cao laughed and said: "As Mr. said, Tao Ying has occupied the five counties of Xuzhou with a small child. If we don't eliminate him early, he will become a problem after a long time. I want to take advantage of the opportunity for Tao Ying and Liu Bei to fight each other, use the strategy of Bian Zhuang's tiger-killing, take advantage of the situation to send troops, and eliminate these two tigers at once, avenging my father's death, and also solve the grain shortage problem. What do you gentlemen think?"

  Taking advantage of Tao Qian and Liu Bei's conflict, Cao Cao suggested to take the opportunity to solve the current most pressing problem of food shortage. As soon as Cao Cao spoke, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, and Xun You among others present all applauded, but only Xun Yu smiled without saying a word. It wasn't until someone else finished speaking that Xun Yu stepped forward with his fists clasped together and said: "My lord, in my humble opinion, this is absolutely impermissible!"

  "What is Mr. Wen opposed to?" asked Cao Laodao in surprise.

  Xun Yu cupped his hands and replied: "In the past, Emperor Gaozu protected Guanzhong, and Emperor Guangwu occupied Henan. Both deeply rooted themselves to control the world. They advanced enough to defeat their enemies and retreated enough to defend firmly. Therefore, even if they encountered difficulties, they ultimately achieved great success. Your Excellency originally took charge of Yan Province, and the Yellow River and Ji River are crucial locations in the world. This is also like Guanzhong and Henan in the past. Now, if you take Xuzhou, leaving many troops will not be enough to use, while leaving few troops will allow Lü Bu to take advantage of the emptiness and attack it, which means losing Yan Province. If Xuzhou cannot be obtained, where can Your Excellency return to?"

  At this point, the strategic master Xun Yu paused for a moment and smiled: "Although the two families of Tao and Liu are secretly fighting, they have not torn their faces apart. If you lead your army southward, it's not to say that Liu Bei will definitely join forces with you. Even if Liu Bei abandons his hypocritical face and joins forces with you to attack Tao Qian, the five counties of Xuzhou are still difficult to conquer immediately. Moreover, Zhang Yi has led the Kaiyang army back to Tao Qian, and the city of Xuzhou is full of soldiers and grain, isn't it even more difficult to attack?"

  Xun Yu's words were actually similar to those of Lu Su when he opposed Tao Qian's plan to cross the river and seize Liu Yao's territory. Both were against launching a large-scale external military campaign while internal stability was uncertain, prioritizing minor gains over major ones, and seeking trivial benefits at the expense of fundamental interests. Cao Cao, who had almost killed Vice-Director Tao, found Xun Yu's words reasonable and immediately abandoned his plan to launch a risky military campaign. However, unlike Vice-Director Tao, Cao Cao was still facing difficulties due to a grain shortage, so he hesitated and said: "Mr. Wen Ruo's words are reasonable, but with the current grain shortage, our soldiers will be stuck here, which is not a good strategy."

  "What's so difficult?" Xun Yu smiled and said: "I have three plans that can help you get through the food shortage."

  "Sir Wenruo, what clever plan do you have? Please speak quickly." Cao asked with great joy.

  "The first plan is to seek help from Yuan Shao." Xun Yu smiled and said, "When Lü Bu was a guest under Yuan Shao's command, he often offended Yuan Shao, who deeply resented him. Your Excellency has formed an alliance with Yuan Shao to resist Yuan Tú and Gongsun Zan, so you only need to send an envoy to explain the situation to Yuan Shao, and he will certainly agree to support you with grain."

  "The second plan is to first briefly occupy the land, and divide the troops to forage in Yuzhou and Yingchuan. The remaining Yellow Turbans, He Yi and Huang Chao, are entrenched in Yu and Ying, plundering the states and counties, with much gold, silk, grain and food. These bandits are easy to defeat, and Your Excellency does not need to mobilize too many troops to easily capture them. Seizing their grain to feed the three armies will delight the court and please the people, and will be in harmony with heaven and humanity."

  "Wen Ruo's plan is indeed wonderful, I have long had the intention of borrowing grain from Yuan Shao." Cao Taigong humbly accepted the advice and nodded repeatedly, then asked: "May I ask, sir, what is the third plan?"

  "As for the third plan..." Xun Yu paused for a moment, then bowed his head to Cao Cao and said: "Please don't be surprised, my lord. My third plan is to ask you to make peace with Tao Qian, form an alliance, borrow grain from him to get through the famine, and join forces to defeat Lü Bu."

  Cao Cao did not fly into a rage, but smiled faintly and said: "Mr. Wen Ruo, in my opinion, the third plan is enough. I have a vendetta with Tao Qian's father and son, how can I make peace with them? Why should we form an alliance with his father and son to defeat Lü Bu together?"

  "My lord, Mr. Wen Ruo's third plan is brilliant, my lord please think thrice." Guo Jia coughed and opened his mouth, smiling and saying: "My lord, haven't you seen that Mr. Wen Ruo's third plan is actually a stone to kill two birds? Such a wonderful plan not being used would be a pity?"

  "Oh, what a wonderful shot!" Cao exclaimed in surprise.

  "My lord, if our army takes the initiative to seek peace with Tao Qian and his son, form an alliance to attack Lü Bu, and there is a big tail in Xuzhou that cannot be shaken off, Liu Bei will definitely agree. The reason is that Tao Qian and his son are focused on cleaning up the internal chaos in Xuzhou, and they will certainly agree." Guo Jia bowed his head and replied: "After Tao Qian and his son agree, they will certainly promise to lend us grain to help our army cross the desert, this is the first move. Lü Bu will definitely be furious when he hears about it, and he will also send troops to Xuzhou to rob food and cross the desert, Lü Bu will divide his troops in Xuzhou, my lord can then take advantage of the situation to attack Chen land, and eat Yu Rong's food, this is the second move. When Lü Bu attacks Xuzhou, Liu Bei will certainly take advantage of the opportunity to take action, Tao Qian will be forced to fight back, the three families will restrain each other, and weaken each other, this is the third move."

  "It was these three birds after all." Cao Cao laughed, and after a moment's consideration, he suddenly asked: "Mr. Wen Ruo, what if Tao Qian and his son refuse to agree to a truce?"

  "What loss would my lord suffer if Tao Qian and his son refused to accept the offer of peace and alliance?" Guo Jia smiled and said, "My lord has put aside past grievances and taken the initiative to form an alliance, but Tao Qian and his son are unwilling to accept my lord's good intentions. In the future, when my lord again raises troops to punish Tao Qian and his son, will it not be another justifiable reason for taking action?"

  "Besides, even if Tāo Qiān and his son refuse, Lǚ Bù will still take notice of Xúzhōu." Xún Yōu supplemented Guō Jiǎ's words: "Lǚ Bù is a wolf, currently troubled by grain shortages. Seeing our army divide to eat at Yúyǐng, and also hearing that our lord is forming an alliance with Tāo Qiān to borrow grain, how could he not think of taking food from Xúzhōu? At that time, whether Lǚ Bù takes it cleverly or by force, it will be a hundred benefits and one harm for our lord."

  Cao laughed loudly and said: "Good, all three plans can be carried out quickly."

  ………

  Time slightly turned back, returned to Xuzhou territory, after staying in Xuzhou city for a day, confirmed the strategy of maintaining the status quo unchanged, our great and righteous Liu Xuan's uncle then bid farewell to Tao Qian father and son, led Guan Yu and Zhang Fei back to Xiaopei to continue defending the city.

  After seeing off Liu Bei, the special agents under Cao Hong's command immediately sprang into action, keeping a close watch on every move in Xucheng day and night. They were particularly interested in Jian Yong, Liu Bei's trusted envoy at this stage. As expected, on the second day after Liu Bei returned to Xucheng, Jian Yong set off northwards under escort by a group of soldiers, carrying large gifts and openly heading for Shanyang. The benevolent and righteous Liu Bei did not need to conceal his actions; as a guest general in Xucheng, he was not subject to the command or control of Tao Qian's father and son. He had every right to send envoys to establish friendly relations with whomever he pleased, and Tao Qian's father and son had no authority to interfere.

  Upon receiving this message, Tao Ying spent more than half a day pacing back and forth in the main hall of the governor's mansion. He had already calculated Liu Xuan's plan: Liu would first befriend Lü Bu and then manipulate him into forming an alliance with Xu State, taking advantage of Lü Bu's greed and the current grain shortage in Yan State. Even if someone opposed it, they would likely agree to Liu's suggestion. Moreover, including Chen Gong, Lü Bu's chief advisor, no one was likely to oppose this plan that could alleviate their grain shortage. The reasons for Lü Bu's alliance were also sufficient: they had a common enemy in Cao Cao, and Lü Bu had indirectly saved Xu State, earning him the gratitude of both Xu State and Tao Ying himself.

  At that time, Lü Bu's envoy arrived in Xuzhou. Tao Ying's worries grew bigger. If he agreed, it would be like plotting with a tiger to take its skin, while raising Liu Xuanzi, the hungry wolf, and also having to support Lü Bu, an even bigger and more ferocious hungry wolf. He was exhausted from fending off both sides and had to guard against Lü Bu's counterattack day and night. If Tao Ying refused, his worries would only grow bigger. Not to mention that Liu Xuanzi would definitely take the opportunity to stir up trouble, with Lü Bu's wolf-like personality, it was reasonable to expect him to take advantage of Xuzhou's wealth and weakness! Once Lü Bu sent troops southward, Liu Xuanzi would take advantage of the chaos, and Tao Ying dared not imagine the consequences.

  It's useless to guess Liu Bei's mind, as his plan is fundamentally unbreakable unless the Xuzhou army becomes so powerful that Lü Bu doesn't dare to look at it directly. Otherwise, even if Chen Gong helps Lü Bu see through the plot of "borrowing a knife to kill someone", he will still persuade Lü Bu to intentionally fall into the trap and take advantage of Liu Bei's guidance to come to Xuzhou to plunder grain, land, and beauties. Unfortunately, the current situation of the Xuzhou army is at most ranked third among the four great villains in Xu and Yan, only better than Liu Bei who has only one city of Xiaopei, and it's not a match for Lü Bu and Cao Cao in an all-out war. The powerful Lü Bu will not take action against Xuzhou unless he is foolish.

  It was also at this time that Vice Director Tao finally understood why his father, Tao Qian, in history did not pass on Xuzhou to his son but instead passed it on to Liu Bei. The position of the old master of Xuzhou, which was both rich and weak, was simply not a human seat. As long as one could not survive the initial stage of accumulating strength, it would be a place where one would die without a burial ground.

  "Master, you've dazzled our eyes, take a break." Lu Su chimed in, advising: "Whether it's good fortune or bad, if it's bad luck, there's no escaping it. No matter how many circles we turn, Master should still take a rest and think of a countermeasure."

  "I'm just thinking of a countermeasure." Tao Ying stopped in his tracks and sighed, "I've almost exhausted my brain, but I still can't think of a way to deal with Lu Wenhou."

  "Gentlemen, why not take the initiative to form an alliance with Lü Bu?" Another strategist, Chen Deng, suggested: "At worst, we'll just have to spend some grain. As long as we can temporarily stabilize Lü Bu, by next spring when the war between Cao and Lü resumes, we won't need to worry about Lü Bu's attitude."

  "I've also thought of this plan, but I'm afraid that Lord Lü Wen will open his mouth too wide and we won't be able to afford it." Tao Ying said with a helpless bitter smile: "If it's just twenty or thirty thousand dan of grain, I can consider agreeing. After all, Lord Lü Wen has indirectly saved us before, so repaying him is only right. But what if he opens his mouth and asks for one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand dan? It'll be like haggling over the price of vegetables at a market!"

  Chen Deng smiled and cupped his hands, saying: "Young master, actually haggling over the price isn't a bad idea either. As long as you don't provoke Lv Wenhou and let him see that he can get a large amount of grain from our army, temporarily stabilizing him until the war between Cao and Lv resumes, young master won't have to worry about his face anymore."

  Tao Yingshen fell silent for a moment before sighing, "I suppose this is also an unavoidable plan. If we really can't think of any other way, then we'll have to do it like this. It's just that I'm afraid we won't be able to drag things out for so long."

  "If the young master wants to delay for a long time, then I have a plan." Lu Su said to Tao Ying with a bow: "It only takes a small amount of money and grain to temporarily stabilize Lord Lü Wen, and it won't make Lord Lü Wen angry because of the delayed response."

  "General, what clever plan do you have? Please tell me quickly." Tao asked with great joy.

  Lu Su nodded and replied, "Now that our lord is seriously ill and cannot attend to matters, the important tasks of Xu State have all been entrusted to you, this is well known to everyone. In that case, why not make good arrangements for the defense of Xu State, then lead the army west to sweep through Pei Country, Ru Nan and Ying Chuan and other places? At present, these counties are mostly occupied by the remnants of the Yellow Turbans, He Yi, Huang Shao and other bandits, with a lot of gold, silk and grain hidden away. You don't need too many troops to attack and capture them, and take their grain, gold and silk to supply our army."

  "In this way, when the envoy of Lü Bu arrives, the civil and military officials of Xuzhou can respond that the young master is not present, no one is in charge, and they need to wait for news from the young master. Then, they will ask the young master to come out and send 10,000 bushels of grain to Lü Bu as a gift, proving that our army intends to make peace with Lü Bu, but since the young master is not present, it is impossible to form an alliance. This will first block Lü Bu's mouth. Then, the young master can write back to Lü Bu, saying that he is leading troops outside and cannot form an alliance, and wait until the war returns before dealing with Lü Bu again, which can stabilize Lü Bu for a long time."

  "Go and grab He Yi and Huang Shao's gang of fools?" Tao Ying laughed, and couldn't help but think of when the Junzi Army was first formed, they had to find this group of fools to practice with. Then Tao Ying shook his head and said: "Zi Jing, you're not joking, are you? Although it's possible to sweep away the remnants of Yuwen, my father is ill like this, Xuzhou has internal and external troubles, and wolves are lurking all around, how can I dare to leave Xuzhou?"

  "If you don't go to Xuzhou, can Master's illness be cured and the crisis in Xuzhou be resolved?" Lu Su smiled and said: "The plan designed by Lord Liu to lure Lv Wenhou into chaos is already unbreakable. What's the use of staying in Xuzhou? It's better to take the lead and attack He Yi and Huang Chao, who are weaker and more prosperous, avoiding Lord Liu's trap and plundering their money, food, and soldiers to strengthen our military power. Besides, it's not far from Ru Ying to Pengcheng, with the speed of a gentleman's army, we can return to Xuzhou within ten days, what's there to fear?"

  Tao closed his mouth and sat back beside the desk, deep in thought. Chen Deng also chimed in, "Young Master, in my humble opinion, Military Advisor's plan is feasible. The five counties of Xuzhou are vast and deep, we don't have to worry about Lv Wenhou launching a surprise attack. What we should be worried about is Lv Wenhou launching a full-scale invasion against our army. However, if Lv Wenhou wants to launch a full-scale invasion, he will need to make extensive preparations, which will give us enough time to prepare and inform you, Young Master. If you can bring back a large amount of money, grain, and soldiers from Xuzhou, it will greatly enhance the strength of our army. Otherwise, if things continue like this, I'm afraid our army won't be able to withstand external threats for who knows how many years."

  "This……" Tao Ying finally moved, thinking that indeed, relying solely on farming and developing in Xuzhou was too slow to expand the army. It would be better to emulate Cao Cao of history, who was in a state of constant war but still launched attacks everywhere, using battles to nurture more battles, growing stronger with each fight, and training a batch of elite soldiers and generals through bloody wars. So after careful consideration, Tao Ying said: "This matter is important, let me discuss it with my father first."

  ………

  To Tao Yi's surprise, when he told Tao Qian about Ruzi's suggestion and his own hesitation, Tao Qian, who had become as thin as a skeleton, thought for less than two minutes before responding: "Go! Why shouldn't you go? A man's ambition lies in the four directions. If you don't go out and broaden your horizons, staying idle in Xuzhou City every day is unreasonable."

  "The father's teachings are right, the child knows his fault." Tao Ying admitted his mistake and said, "However..."

  "There's nothing to worry about." Tao Qian coughed, interrupting Tao Ying, and stretched out his bony old hand, grasping Tao Ying's hand, and smiled with difficulty: "Ying'er, do you know what your greatest advantage and disadvantage are in Father's eyes?"

  "The child doesn't know, please instruct me, Father." Tao Ying answered honestly.

  "In Father's opinion, your greatest advantage is being calculating, but your biggest disadvantage is also being overly calculating." Tao Qian forced back a cough and smiled as he said: "Just in terms of grasping people's hearts and analyzing situations, I'm not even close to you, Er. But after decades of foolishness, I can see that some of your calculations are completely unnecessary. You're too cautious, afraid to take risks, and only do things when you have a grasp on them. However, as the saying goes, 'Man's plans are not as good as Heaven's plans.' How many things in this world can be fully calculated beforehand? And how many things can be done with absolute certainty?"

  "For example, take the case of Lü Bu. Tao Qian coughed twice and said: "Lü Bu was troubled by famine and may have had the intention to attack Xuzhou, but among those warlords who were not troubled by famine, is there one who did not have the intention to attack Xuzhou? You are worried about Lü Bu's threat today, tomorrow you will be worried about Yuan Shu's invasion, and the day after tomorrow Cao Cao will come again. What's the use of worrying so much? If we must fight, let's just fight with real swords and guns. Why worry every day for a little possible danger, being timid and fearful? The enemy has not arrived yet, but you have already scared yourself half to death. Isn't that just unnecessary worry?"

  Tao Ying nodded silently, realizing that he had indeed been overly cautious and timid in the face of Lü Bu's danger, completely intimidated by Lü Xiao's formidable reputation, and had already lost the upper hand.

  "Moreover, we have the threat of Lü Bu and Liu Bei in Xuzhou. With them at our backs, there is no threat from Cao Cao?" Tao Qian coughed again and said: "Lü Bu took advantage of the emptiness to capture Yanzhou, Cao Cao hates him to the bone. If Lü Bu invades Xuzhou completely, will Cao Cao miss this opportunity to counterattack? And what about the threat of Lü Bu and Liu Bei joining forces? As you said, Lü Bu is treacherous and has the nature of a wolf. For us father and son to form an alliance with him is no different from plotting with a tiger for its skin. But if Liu Bei joins forces with him, isn't that also like plotting with a tiger for its skin? How much hope can there be for them to cooperate wholeheartedly? Why are you worried about this tiny possibility, Ying'er?"

  Tao Ying nodded, honestly admitting his guilt, "Father's teachings were right, I was indeed cowardly."

  "It's still the same, as your father can see, you're not timid, but you're overthinking things." Tao Qian sighed and continued: "In my opinion, Lu Su's proposal is quite good. You should go out and broaden your horizons, avoid Liu Xuande's trap, and try to stall for time with Lü Bu. Even if Lü Bu really sends troops to attack us, our main force staying in Xuzhou only needs to hold on to a few important cities. As long as we can withstand Lü Bu's first wave of attacks, he won't be able to last long without enough food. Without food, it will be difficult for Lü Bu to clash with Liu Xuande, who has some food in hand."

  "After listening to Father's words, the child is better than reading books for ten years." After hearing Tao Qian's words, Tao Ying, who had been worried and anxious for the past few days, indeed relaxed a lot. He secretly laughed at himself for being overly anxious, and then said with his hands clasped together: "Father, but I still have one last concern, that is your health."

  "Don't worry about this." Tao Qian smiled and said with a sigh, "For Ying'er, I will definitely persevere, persevere until the day Ying'er returns triumphantly."

  At this, Tao Qian smiled again and asked Tao Ying: "Even if your father can't hold on until that day, what is there for you to worry about? The documents of abdication are on the beam of the main hall of the governor's mansion. Cao Jue, Zang Ba, Chen Gui and his son, and Cao Hong have all regarded you as the successor to your father. Are you still afraid that they will collude with your elder brother to alter the documents of abdication? And what kind of person is your brother? Don't you understand?"

  Tao Ying stopped speaking, and with a heavy heart, he knelt down on both knees in front of Tao Qian, kowtowing heavily as he said loudly: "If that's the case, then this unfilial son will temporarily leave his father's side."