dognovel Chapter 48 Chen Gong: Don't be intimidated by Cao Cao! He's a cunning and ruthless villain
Chapter 48 Chen Gong: Don't be intimidated by Cao Cao! He's a cunning and ruthless villain
Yanzhou
Shanyang County
Liu Dai, then the governor of Yanzhou, opened the letter in front of him with a look of delight.
The person who wrote this letter was none other than Cao Cao.
After reading the letter, Liu Dai's smile widened.
"Mengde is indeed an honest and kind man."
"How could mere mortals like Zhang Miao and Bao Xin possibly be as legitimate as this governor, a member of the Han imperial family?"
"Helping this governor is the wisest course of action."
Cao Cao praised Liu Dai highly in his letter.
At the same time, it also subtly revealed that they would side with Liu Dai.
If he could win over Cao Cao, it would mean that Yuan Shao would most likely support him as well.
This was a godsend for Liu Dai!
In an instant, Liu Dai's confidence increased exponentially.
But while Liu Dai was happy, Bao Xin and Zhang Miao were not.
All three of them set out to return to Yanzhou immediately after the Allied Forces disbanded.
Therefore, they have all returned to their respective territories by now.
……
Chenliu
Taishou Mansion
Zhang Miao, who was nearly forty years old and had a broad build, had his eyebrows almost furrowed into a "川" (river) shape.
He paced back and forth, unsure of what to do.
After much deliberation, Zhang Miao instructed his personal guards:
"Someone! Go and fetch Mr. Chen!"
The guards received the order and left.
A short while later, Chen Gong appeared in the council hall.
Upon seeing Chen Gong, Zhang Miao hurried forward, his expression anxious, and said:
"According to my spies in Shanyang, Liu Dai was in high spirits after receiving Cao Cao's letter."
"So, does that mean Cao Cao is going to side with Liu Dai?"
"If that's the case, Gongtai, what should I do?"
Zhang Miao was truly anxious.
It is common knowledge that Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had a close relationship.
Furthermore, Cao Cao also received assistance from Xu Rong's troops, making his military strength equally formidable.
If Cao Cao decides to help Liu Dai, Zhang Miao and Bao Xin will have very little chance of winning.
Unexpectedly, Chen Gong smiled and reassured him:
"Meng Zhuo (Zhang Miao's courtesy name was Meng Zhuo), do you know what it means to worry about something that is like the man of Qi who feared the sky falling?"
Is your impression of Cao Cao the kind of person who does thankless work?
"Liu Dai was nothing more than a mediocre person."
"How could Cao Cao be controlled by such a person?"
"Given Cao Cao's cunning and ruthless nature, he might have sold Liu Dai out, and Liu Dai would still be counting money for him!"
Chen Gong astutely pointed out that Cao Cao was a "treacherous hero".
As for other people, they may not know much about Cao Cao.
But Chen Gong was someone who had worked with Cao Cao.
Whether or not Lü Boshe's family intended to capture Cao Cao and hand him over to Dong Zhuo is irrelevant.
Importantly, Cao Cao struck first and wiped out Lü Boshe's entire family.
Such a ruthless person has a very different philosophy from Chen Gong's.
therefore.
Chen Gong preferred to join the mediocre Zhang Miao rather than continue to work with Cao Cao.
Despite Zhang Miao's somewhat simple-minded appearance, Chen Gong knew that Zhang Miao was kind-hearted.
At the same time, Zhang Miao was also a childhood friend of Chen Gong.
The relationship between the two was similar to that between Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.
Under Zhang Miao's command, Chen Gong enjoyed a high degree of freedom.
nowadays.
The battle for Yanzhou is imminent.
Others may not know what kind of person Cao Cao was, but how could Chen Gong not know?
Help Liu Dai?
Cao Cao was merely using Liu Dai!
After listening to Chen Gong's analysis, Zhang Miao felt as if he had found a pillar of support, and his tense mood eased considerably.
But before Zhang Miao could fully calm down, Chen Gong uttered a startling statement:
"If I am not mistaken, Cao Cao will soon secretly send an envoy to meet with you, Meng Zhuo."
Zhang Miao hesitated and said:
"If that's the case, how should I respond?"
Chen Gong laughed:
"Agree to whatever the messenger says."
"In fact, Meng Zhuo, you could show more goodwill to Cao Cao and make him lower his guard against you."
"Once the time is right, we should seize the opportunity to quickly eliminate Cao Cao."
"Otherwise, we will surely be swallowed up by Cao Cao!"
Zhang Miao was trembling with fear, drenched in cold sweat.
The amount of information conveyed in Chen Gong's words was truly overwhelming.
For a moment, Zhang Miao, with his limited brain capacity, found it hard to accept.
In short, Chen Gong's meaning was quite simple.
That is...
Kill Cao Cao!
Zhang Miao hesitated.
He and Cao Cao were not without a relationship; in fact, their relationship could be described as quite good.
They were ready to kill Cao Cao at the slightest provocation.
This action is inconsistent with Zhang Miao's code of conduct.
Seeing Zhang Miao hesitate, Chen Gong sighed.
This kind of magnanimous lord truly treats his subordinates very well.
However, their undeniable flaw is their womanly compassion and indecisiveness.
In Chen Gong's view, Cao Cao would become Zhang Miao's enemy sooner or later.
While Cao Cao's power has not yet grown too strong, we should eliminate him as soon as possible.
But in Zhang Miao's view, since everyone was a friend, couldn't they get along harmoniously?
Why do we have to fight and kill all the time?
In chaotic times, such benevolence is unnecessary.
Clearly, Zhang Miao's mindset was not yet sufficient to make him a qualified warlord in a chaotic era.
Seeing Zhang Miao's hesitation, Chen Gong knew that further persuasion would be futile.
The matter of assassinating Cao Cao can only be considered in the long run.
……
Just as Chen Gong had predicted.
Two days later, Cao Cao secretly sent an envoy to Chenliu to express goodwill to Zhang Miao.
Cao Cao did the same thing with Bao Xin in Jibei.
As a result, Bao Xin and Zhang Miao lowered their guard against Cao Cao.
of course.
Cao Cao did not intend to directly attack these two men.
The idea that when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits is in line with the plan Su Yu devised for Cao Cao.
……
a few days later
Cao Cao successfully returned to Dongjun.
The grain and fodder that Pan Feng traded with Cao Cao have been delivered in full.
In the short term, Cao Cao no longer needs to worry about supplies.
Xu Rong has also completely submitted to the cause, and he believes that Su Yu and Cao Cao did not deceive him.
Cao Cao, who commanded 20,000 troops, only controlled the Dongjun region.
But looking across the entire Yan Province, no one dared to make a move against Cao Cao.
In this situation.
Cao Cao decided to eliminate the mountain bandits within his territory and stabilize public order.
Zhao Yun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and Yue Jin divided their forces into four routes to sweep away all the mountain bandit strongholds within the territory of Dongjun.
As for the spoils of war, a considerable portion was distributed to the people of Dongjun.
In an instant, the morale of the people of Dongjun rose dramatically.
Even more extreme, some people refer to Cao Cao as "Cao Qingtian" (meaning "Cao the Upright Official").
Putting aside other places, Cao Cao has at least secured his position in Dongjun.
No one can shake the foundation of his rule.
Historically, when Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, Chen Gong conspired with Lü Bu to raid his base.
The fact that almost everyone in the counties of Yanzhou rebelled demonstrates just how unpopular Cao Cao was in the early days of his rule in Yanzhou.
But that is precisely the result of a vicious cycle.
Imagine if Cao Cao hadn't acquired enough food and troops.
If he wants to grow and expand, what channels can he use?
All they can do is expand externally and exploit the people within their own borders!
External expansion is going well.
Exploiting the people within one's borders is tantamount to playing a form of witchcraft.
In the short term, the people may not resist.
But if this pent-up resentment continues for too long, it will erupt and the entire Yanzhou will descend into chaos!
Su Yu didn't necessarily expect Cao Cao to be a benevolent ruler, but at least he wanted the people under his rule to be able to live and work in peace and prosperity, and for the country to develop healthily.
……