kingnovel Chapter 1209 Hidden Thoughts and Undercurrents
Chapter 1209 Hidden Thoughts and Undercurrents
Cao Ang pretended not to notice the fleeting look of surprise and doubt in Xu You's eyes, and continued, "That Lü Bu deserved it! He tricked my father in Wei Commandery, making it difficult for him to defend himself. Yet he led his troops to besiege Hulao Pass, only to be defeated by the King of Liang. His troops were all wiped out, and he himself was seriously injured. In the end, he fled to Xuchang in disgrace. I heard that he is currently staying at home, probably licking his wounds in secret!"
Xu You's fingers tightened suddenly, gripping the celadon cup so tightly it creaked. Lü Bu had been defeated at Hulao Pass? Such crucial military intelligence, and Tian Feng and Ju Shou hadn't sent a single word back to Ye City? As a strategist under Yuan Shao, he abhorred delays in receiving information, especially such critical intelligence concerning the course of the war.
He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, put on his usual smile, and asked with a hint of concern, "Oh? Is that so? What about the war in Wei Commandery now..."
"What else can we do? It's a stalemate." Cao Ang curled his lips, picked up a candied fruit from the table and put it in his mouth. "My father has to keep an eye on Tian Feng and Ju Shou on one side, and he also has to guard against Yuan Tan on the other side. This makes my father unable to be in two places at once and he is caught in a dilemma."
As he spoke, he suddenly leaned closer to Xu You, his eyes sparkling with the earnestness unique to a young man: "Uncle Xu, you are a favorite of Lord Yuan, and your words carry the most weight. In the current situation, continuing the fight will only result in mutual destruction. If you could put in a good word for us with Lord Yuan and get the Yuan family and my Cao family to temporarily cease hostilities, we could free up our energy to deal with that scoundrel Lü Bu first..."
Xu You's eyelids twitched, and he feigned hesitation: "This is no small matter. Lord Yuan has always been decisive, I'm afraid..."
"Uncle, rest assured!" Cao Ang quickly interrupted him, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone solemn, "As long as you are willing to intervene, my father said there will be a generous reward! Leaving aside everything else, just the gold and silver alone will be provided in twenty cartloads, not to mention silk and land! And if in the future..."
"Twenty cartloads?" Xu You's heart skipped a beat, and his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. He had served under Yuan Shao for many years and, though considered highly regarded, had never received such a generous gift. Greed practically overflowed from his eyes, but his face remained tense, his brows furrowed deeply: "This… it's difficult to explain to Lord Yuan…"
Seeing that he had relented, Cao Ang quickly pressed his advantage: "It is precisely because it is difficult that it shows your ability, Uncle! Think about it, if you can resolve even such a stalemate, Lord Yuan will rely on you even more. My Cao family will never forget your kindness, Uncle. In the future, no matter what, if you need anything, Uncle, just say the word!"
Xu You stroked his beard, his mind racing with calculations. Twenty cartloads of gold and silver was no small sum, not to mention it would earn him Cao Cao a favor. If things really changed in the future… He rolled his eyes, then sighed reluctantly, “Fine, your father and I are old acquaintances. I’ll try to mention this to Lord Yuan, but I can’t guarantee it will work.”
"Thank you very much, Uncle!" Cao Ang was overjoyed and quickly stood up to bow. "Uncle, rest assured, you will definitely not be shortchanged in your benefits!"
Xu You smiled and helped him up, but the surprise in his eyes was gone, replaced by endless greed.
The banquet ended in the dead of night. The lanterns of the Liang Prince's residence swayed in the cold wind, illuminating the mess on the ground—overturned wine jars, scattered cups, and several unconscious Xiliang generals being half-supported, half-carried back to their camp by their guards. The envoys, reeking of alcohol and burdened with their own thoughts, returned to their embassies under the moonlight, the sound of their boots crunching through the snow particularly clear in the still night.
Feng Ji and Xu You rode together in the same carriage back to the guesthouse of Yuan Shao's envoys. As soon as they arrived at the gate, a man who looked like the steward leaned close to Xu You's ear and whispered a few words. Out of the corner of Feng Ji's eye, he saw a carriage parked in the backyard. The carriage was bulging, and he could vaguely see the outline of the trunks and boxes. He knew what was going on.
Upon entering the inner room, where the charcoal fire was burning brightly, Feng Ji warmed his hands with hot tea and got straight to the point: "Ziyuan, I just heard from the servants that Cao Ang sent you a cartload of gold and silver?"
Xu You, who was lost in thought while gazing at the candlelight, snapped out of his reverie upon hearing this, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. He had been pondering how to speak on behalf of the Cao family to Yuan Shao in a way that would both gain benefits and appear unintentional, but Feng Ji's question sparked a flash of inspiration, giving him an idea.
"Hey, it's no big deal." Xu You waved his hand, his tone nonchalant. "Cao Cao and I are old acquaintances. We used to drink together often when we were in Luoyang. Now that his son has made something of himself, it's only natural for him to show some respect to his elders. A gentleman should be generous with his money, what's there to say about that?"
He changed the subject, leaning forward slightly: "That's not the point."
Feng Ji raised an eyebrow: "Oh? So what's the key point?"
"I managed to get some unusual information out of that kid Cao Ang," Xu You said in a low voice, his eyes gleaming.
Feng Ji instantly perked up, putting down his teacup: "What intelligence?"
Xu You then recounted in detail what Cao Ang had said about the war in Yanzhou, Yuan Tan's harassment of Xuzhou, and Ju Shou and Tian Feng's military campaign in Chenliu. Finally, he tapped the table: "That lad may be young, but the details he described are accurate. Especially Ju Shou and Tian Feng's actions in Chenliu, and the eldest son's military campaign in Xuzhou..."
"Is this true?" Feng Ji abruptly stood up, his brows furrowing instantly. He had already placed his bets on the Third Prince, Yuan Shang, and was most wary of Tian Feng and Ju Shou, two powerful veterans under Yuan Shao. He also harbored deep resentment towards the Eldest Prince, Yuan Tan's, ambitions. Now, hearing Xu You's words, that Tian Feng and Ju Shou had secretly colluded with Yuan Tan and even dared to mobilize troops without authorization, was blatant disregard for their lord's orders!
“When we were in Ye City, we didn’t hear a single word.” Feng Ji paced back and forth in the tent, his boots scraping against the ground. “Why didn’t they report to our lord? They’re clearly acting behind his back!”
He abruptly stopped, turned to look at Xu You, his eyes sharp as knives: "Ziyuan, this matter must not be tolerated! You and I should immediately write a joint letter and send it to Yecheng by fast horse! Ju Shou and Tian Feng are important officials, yet they secretly colluded with the eldest son and sent troops without authorization. How is this any different from deceiving the emperor? If the lord finds out, he will surely be furious!"
Xu You held his teacup, smiling as he watched him—sure enough, without him having to say much, Feng Ji's competitive spirit had been stirred up. This was exactly the effect he wanted; with someone taking the initiative, he could remain calm and collected.
But he didn't show it on his face at all, and slowly added, "There's one more thing. Cao Ang said that a few days ago, Lü Bu was defeated by the King of Liang at Hulao Pass, suffering heavy losses, and is now hiding in Xuchang licking his wounds. It seems that Ye City hasn't received any news about this military situation yet?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Ji's face darkened further: "They even kept such a major event as Lü Bu's defeat a secret? It seems they want to firmly grasp military power in Hebei, even keeping our lord in the dark!" He grabbed a brush, dipped it in the inkstone, and said, "Ziyuan, bring the brush and ink! Today we'll let them know that the Hebei court is not a place they can control!"
The candlelight flickered, illuminating the figures of the two men hunched over their desks, writing furiously. The wind still howled outside the window, and this secret letter, soon to be sent to Ye City, had already quietly planted a seed of chaos that could destabilize the situation in Hebei. Xu You gazed at the densely packed words on the paper, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips—Cao Ang's twenty cartloads of gold and silver were well spent.
In the western courtyard of the embassy, the candlelight flickered dimly. Wang Lei and Zhang Song sat facing each other, the candlelight illuminating their faces, each lost in their own thoughts.
“Yongnian,” Wang Lei stroked his beard, his tone tinged with urgency, “Feng Ji and you whispered for a long time at the banquet just now. What exactly did they talk about? What are Yuan Shao’s plans for cooperation with Yizhou?”
Zhang Song picked up his teacup and took a sip. The warm tea couldn't soothe his weariness. Dealing with Feng Ji and Xu You during the day had been exhausting, and now, facing Wang Lei's questioning, he felt his eyelids grow heavy. He composed himself and mumbled, "It's nothing serious. Lord Yuan said that the main force of Xiliang is currently locked in a stalemate with our Yizhou forces at Yangping Pass. They plan to take advantage of this to send troops to Bingzhou, forcing the Liang King to send reinforcements."
He glanced at Wang Lei, and seeing that the other's brows relaxed slightly, he continued his fabrication: "As long as fighting breaks out in Bingzhou, the King of Liang will be unable to attend to both ends, and will naturally have to temporarily lift the siege of Yangping Pass. At that time, the pressure on Yizhou will be relieved."
This statement was half true and half false—Yuan Shao did indeed have designs on Bingzhou, but not to "help" Yizhou out of its predicament; he merely wanted to take advantage of the chaos and expand his own territory. However, Zhang Song knew that only by reassuring Wang Lei could he stop his incessant questioning.
Wang Lei breathed a sigh of relief and clapped his hands, saying, "That's excellent! If Yuan Shao really sends troops to Bingzhou, the stalemate at Yangping Pass might truly be resolved. However..." He wanted to say something more, but Zhang Song raised his hand to interrupt him.
"Brother Wang," Zhang Song rubbed his temples, his face showing signs of drunkenness, "I've really had too much to drink today, and I'm terribly dizzy. Let's discuss this tomorrow."
Seeing that Yongnian's face was flushed and his eyes were somewhat unfocused, Wang Lei could no longer insist that he stay. He could only get up and say, "Very well, Yongnian, get some rest." After saying that, he left the side courtyard with his entourage.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, the drunkenness on Zhang Song's face vanished instantly, leaving only clarity and solemnity in his eyes. He gave a wink to the old servant standing beside him, who understood and quietly pushed open the side door of the inner room, leading him through a narrow alley and deeper into the embassy.
After turning two corners, an inconspicuous woodshed came into view. The old servant pushed open the half-closed wooden door, and a faint scent of pine wafted out. In the dim light, Xu Shu stood with his back to the door.
“Mr. Yuanzhi,” Zhang Song said in a low voice.
Xu Shu turned around, his gaze sharp as an eagle's: "Yongnian, is there any unusual activity from Yuan Shao's side?"
Zhang Song walked to the table and recounted the important points of his conversation with Feng Ji and Xu You. He added at the end, "Although they didn't say it explicitly, they kept mentioning the battle at Yangping Pass. It seems they wanted to take the opportunity to win over Yizhou and have us tie down the main force of Xiliang in the south."
Xu Shu nodded: "It's not wrong, just as the King of Liang predicted. Yuan Shao is trying to reap the benefits without lifting a finger." He pointed heavily on the map with his fingertip, "However, it won't be so easy for them to take over Bingzhou."
Zhang Song stared at the map, his brow furrowed: "Should we send a message to Yangping Pass and tell them to prepare as soon as possible?"
“No need.” Xu Shu shook his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “The King of Liang has already planted spies in Bingzhou. If Yuan Shao dares to make a move, we have our own way of dealing with it. You just need to continue to keep them in check and make them believe that Yizhou will really join forces with them.”
Not long after Wang Lei returned to his room, he had just untied the jade belt from his waist and was about to instruct his servants to prepare some hangover soup when a servant knocked lightly on the door.
"My lord, a guest who claims to be your 'friend' requests an audience, saying he has important matters to discuss." The servant lowered his head, his tone hesitant.
Wang Lei paused, a flicker of wariness flashing in his eyes. Visiting at this hour, and addressing him as a "friend," was far too suspicious. He hesitated for a moment, then re-fastened his jade belt, straightened his clothes, and said calmly, "Let him in."