newbobooks Chapter 120 The Transitional Lord of Xuzhou, and the Actual Lord of Xuzhou!
Chapter 120 The Transitional Lord of Xuzhou, and the Actual Lord of Xuzhou!
“Gongyou, it has been almost a year since we last saw each other after you went to Qingzhou for your travels.”
Mi Zhu was clearly very happy to see his old friend Sun Qian.
Sun Qian was the same.
But the expression between his brows clearly showed that he had something on his mind.
Mi Zhu and Sun Qian had known each other for many years, so how could they not be surprised when they saw this?
Mi Zhu poured Sun Qian a cup of tea and asked:
"Gongyou, you must have come here for something else besides to see me, right?"
Sun Qian cupped his hands and said:
"Indeed, nothing can be hidden from Zizhong."
"Does Zizhong still remember who my teacher was?"
Mi Zhu immediately replied:
"Gongyou, are you perhaps trying to show off your sect in front of me?"
"Who doesn't know that you, Gongyou, are a disciple of the Confucian classics master Ma Rong!"
Who is Ma Rong?
It's not Baoqiang's ex-wife, but a literary giant from the late Han Dynasty who was on par with Cai Yong, Lu Zhi, Zheng Xuan, and others.
It is worth mentioning that Ma Rong and Lu Zhi were also fellow disciples.
Ma Rong was the senior student, and Lu Zhi was the junior student.
Sun Qianzheng was a disciple of Ma Rong.
Although Liu Bei was only Lu Zhi's nominal disciple, he was still considered a disciple.
Through this connection, Liu Bei met Sun Qian in Qingzhou and quickly became friends with him.
When fellow villagers meet, their eyes often well up with tears.
Besides, the two can be considered to be from the same school of thought.
Liu Bei, as those who know him understand, most enjoys discussing ideals and ambitions with talented individuals.
The key point is that whenever Liu Bei talks about this thing, he easily laments the injustice of fate.
It is said that Liu Bei spent several years intending to make a difference, but he could only waste his time with a useless body.
Sun Qian had never seen anything like this before.
They were instantly captivated by Liu Bei, who seemed to possess an innate succubus-like charm!
He analyzed to Liu Bei that the most urgent task should be to break away from Gongsun Zan's power and find a place to settle down.
Qingzhou, located in the power struggle between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, was not a place to stay for long.
Liu Bei, in a dramatic mood, immediately asked, "Where in the world is there any place for Liu Xuande to hide?"
If Sun Qian hadn't been from Xuzhou and hadn't served as an official there for a period of time, he certainly wouldn't have been able to provide an answer.
But just as expected, Sun Qian was the person who knew the most about the situation in Xuzhou, besides Mi Zhu and others!
He immediately recommended Xuzhou to Liu Bei.
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei could no longer contain his excitement.
This is not just a county or prefecture, but an entire prefecture!
High-end game!
This is definitely a high-level game!
This was a position of governor or prefect that Liu Bei had never held before!
Sun Qian wasn't just randomly making connections; he knew Tao Qian was nearing his end.
His good friend Mi Zhu had always longed for a "benevolent ruler" to arrive in Xuzhou.
How do we define a benevolent ruler?
Is this a benevolent act towards the people?
No, no, no, that's too idealistic.
The benevolent ruler that Mi Zhu defined was someone who could listen to him and enable his Mi family to rise to prominence!
Although Liu Bei was not penniless, his lack of political foundation made him exactly the "lamb" in Sun Qian's eyes.
Bringing someone like Liu Bei, who needs to rely on local forces to establish himself, to Xuzhou would definitely be in Mi Zhu's interest!
Therefore, Sun Qian decided to return to Pengcheng to act as a matchmaker between Mi Zhu and Liu Bei.
At this moment, Sun Qian told Mi Zhu the whole story.
After listening, a look of anticipation indeed appeared on Mi Zhu's face.
"So, this Lord Xuande is quite capable, but lacks political connections and is eager to find a place to settle down and make a living?"
Sun Qian nodded and said:
"exactly!"
Mi Zhu could not hide his excitement.
Isn't this the new ruler of Xuzhou he has always dreamed of?
"Gongyou, you should return to Linzi immediately and tell Lord Xuande to prepare for his entry into Pengcheng."
"In the next few days, I will mention Lord Xuande to Governor Tao."
Sun Qian and Mi Zhu exchanged a smile.
In Mi Zhu's view, this was a win-win situation for everyone.
of course.
They might not be friendly towards Cao Bao and Chen Gui.
But Mi Zhu already had a plan in mind on how to persuade Chen Gui.
That evening, Mi Zhu went to the Chen residence.
Two full hours passed before they finally left the Chen residence.
Only the two of them know the specifics of their conversation.
The next day, Mi Zhu and Chen Gui went to see Tao Qian and mentioned Liu Bei's name to him.
……
A few days later
东郡
Man Chong traveled day and night to bring back Tao Qian's secret letter.
When Man Chong handed the letter to Cao Cao, he could no longer resist his drowsiness and went to rest.
What was the first thing Cao Cao did after receiving the letter?
Instead of opening the letter, he immediately sent Dian Wei to fetch Su Yu!
Su Yu arrived shortly afterward.
The two opened the letter, and Tao Qian had written two pages of densely packed text.
The first page and a half is almost negligible; it's all sentimental nonsense.
On the last half-page, Tao Qian explained his plans and arrangements.
First, among the six counties of Xuzhou, the county of Dongguan, which is closest to Yanzhou, was prefected by Tao Ji, Tao Qian's cousin.
Tao Ji wasn't particularly capable; his greatest virtue was his integrity and unwavering loyalty to Tao Qian. He would follow Tao Qian's orders wherever he was told to.
Tao Qian meant that after his death, his cousin Tao Ji would secretly defect to Cao Cao.
Become Cao Cao's inside man in Xuzhou and open the western gate of Xuzhou!
Dongguan Commandery will become the first gift given to Cao Cao.
Then, Tao Qian planned to hand over the position of ruler of Xuzhou to either Kong Rong or Liu Bei.
Why should it be given to one of these two people?
Among the various surrounding forces, these two best met the expectations of the local Xuzhou aristocratic families, and were seen as "benevolent rulers" by them.
To put it bluntly, these two are the weakest, and the Xuzhou family is confident they can control them.
What?
You ask who Cao Bao supports?
Of course, he wanted to support the puppet Tao Shang and Tao Ying, which in reality meant supporting Cao Bao himself.
But it's clear that Tao Qian wouldn't and couldn't let his two sons get involved in this mess.
Therefore, the transitional "lord of Xuzhou" could only be either Kong Rong or Liu Bei.
Then, Cao Bao will definitely develop rebellious intentions and fight with Mi Zhu, Chen Gui and others.
Xuzhou's strength will further decline.
By this time, Cao Bao, Mi Zhu, Chen Gui, and others had all suffered heavy losses. Tao Qian's idea was that Cao Cao could "take Xuzhou for himself."
All Tao Qian could do was orchestrate a conflict among the three disobedient factions in Xuzhou, allowing Cao Cao to take over Xuzhou in a seemingly logical manner.
Note that it was Cao Cao who actually controlled Xuzhou, not that he handed Xuzhou over to those three guys to govern themselves.
Anyway, Tao Qian had already kicked the bucket, and he entrusted his two sons and cousin Tao Ji to Cao Cao.
After the disobedient forces were eliminated, Xuzhou was also given to Cao Cao. What harm would there be in having it?
As for Liu Bei or Kong Rong...
Tao Qian didn't care whether this fake "transitional governor" lived or died!
All he cares about now are his two sons and the future of the Tao family.
Only Cao Cao, and only Cao Cao, had the authority to protect Tao Shang and Tao Ying, preventing them from becoming victims of the infighting among the three disobedient forces in Xuzhou.
thus.
Dear Mi Zhu, Chen Gui, and Cao Bao.
Don't say I, Lao Tao, tricked you!
I gave you all a chance, but you all treated me, Lao Tao, like a fool!
In that case, the three of you will become sacrifices for Mengde's actual control of Xuzhou!
……