newbobooks Chapter 104 Taishi Ci Seeks Help for Kong Rong! What exactly is Tao Qian up to?
Chapter 104 Taishi Ci Seeks Help for Kong Rong! What exactly is Tao Qian up to?
The butler was somewhat confused.
It is unclear why Tao Qian first satirized Kong Rong, then suddenly thanked Kong Rong for making him "suddenly realize the truth," and even wanted to quickly summon Kong Rong's messenger.
But the butler knew the truth in his heart.
Everyone else says Tao Qian is old, but only he knows that although Tao Qian is old, he is still the same person who would stop at nothing to gain profit!
When facing Man Chong, Tao Qian's humble demeanor was mostly an act.
Whether or not to form a military alliance with Cao Cao is not important.
Importantly, superficial relationships must be maintained.
Soon, the steward brought in Kong Rong's envoy.
This man was over eight feet tall, with two halberds on his back, and his expression was extremely composed.
Tao Qian was a discerning person and immediately recognized that this envoy was extraordinary.
"Brave warrior, are you one of Kong Beihai's men?"
The envoy replied neither humbly nor arrogantly:
“Reporting to Governor Tao, my name is Taishi Ci, and I am from Donglai in Qingzhou.”
"Kong Beihai was kind to my mother, and I have come here to deliver this message on his behalf in order to repay that kindness."
After saying that, Taishi Ci took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
Under the moonlight, Tao Qian carefully examined Taishi Ci.
The armor Taishi Ci was wearing was already stained red with blood.
However, judging from Taishi Ci's movements, he was not sluggish, indicating that he had not been seriously injured.
It is clear that most of these bloodstains came from the enemy!
Come to think of it, Taishi Ci needed to first break into Linzi and retrieve the letter from Kong Rong.
After taking it, they would have to fight their way out of the city again.
The number of battles they encountered on this trip was countless.
It was a miracle that Taishi Ci survived!
But Tao Qian was also a seasoned veteran; miracles are ultimately only for those with ability.
If it weren't for Taishi Ci's superb martial arts skills, he would probably have died eight hundred times over!
Kong Rong's letter seeking help was not interesting at all.
The general meaning is:
Governor Tao, please lead your troops to save me! I don't want to die!
Honestly, Kong Rong was the Chancellor of Beihai, yet he was beaten so badly by Guan Hai's remnants. He was really pathetic.
But there is a good saying.
Even if you don't look at the monk's face, you should look at the Buddha's face.
Since the suppression of all other schools of thought and the exclusive veneration of Confucianism, Confucianism has become the dominant school of thought in the Han Dynasty.
Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, has become known as "Sage Confucius" among many students.
As the 20th generation descendant of Confucius, Kong Rong undoubtedly held a transcendent position in the literary world.
If Kong Rong hadn't sent anyone to ask for help, he would have died, and it wouldn't have mattered.
But since he had already sent an envoy, both Tao Qian and Gongsun Zan had to symbolically send some soldiers to rescue him.
Kong Rong had precisely anticipated this, which is why he initially sought reinforcements only from Gongsun Zan and not from Tao Qian.
But he didn't expect that Gongsun Zan was busy dealing with Liu Yu and didn't have time to pay attention to him. He only sent Liu Bei with three thousand men to Beihai for rescue.
Kong Rong, who was trapped in Linzi, the main city of Beihai, was furious when he learned that Gongsun Zan had only sent three thousand men. He jumped up and down and cursed loudly.
Only after this did the matter of sending Taishi Ci to Pengcheng to ask Tao Qian for reinforcements came about.
The events unfolded in much the same way as Tao Qian had guessed.
After much thought, Tao Qian said to Taishi Ci:
“You must be tired from your long journey, please go down and rest for a while.”
"I agree to the rescue of Beihai."
"But the specific number of troops to be deployed still needs to be discussed with the civil and military officials under my command."
Taishi Ci nodded, thanked Tao Qian, and then left with Tao Qian's steward.
It was already quite remarkable that Tao Qian agreed to rescue Kong Rong on the spot.
As for the specific number of troops to be deployed, Taishi Ci had no say in Tao Qian's decision; it was entirely up to Tao Qian himself.
After the steward had arranged for Taishi Ci to sleep, Tao Qian instructed the steward:
"Go and fetch Cao Bao for me."
"I have an important task to entrust to him."
The steward accepted the order and left.
A moment later, Cao Bao, whose head was bound like a mummy, strode in from outside.
"Ah Bao, sit down quickly."
"This is a cup of Dukang wine that I specially prepared for you. See if it suits your taste."
Tao Qian personally poured Cao Bao a glass of wine.
Cao Bao looked grateful and drank it all in one gulp.
Although Cao Bao was extremely dissatisfied with Tao Qian's recent display of weakness.
However, this does not mean that Cao Bao was disloyal to Tao Qian.
Ultimately, Cao Bao and the Danyang faction were Tao Qian's true confidants.
Without Tao Qian, the Danyang faction will face a very bleak future.
On the other hand, scholars like Chen Gui and Mi Zhu from Xuzhou would still serve the governor of Xuzhou if the governor were changed!
A flowing dynasty, an iron-clad family.
That's exactly the point.
“Ah Bao, Kong Rong is besieged by the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou in Beihai. I intend to send you to lead troops to support Kong Rong.”
Upon hearing this, Cao Bao's face turned ugly.
"My lord, do you no longer want Ah Bao?"
"Kong Rong is nothing more than the Prefect of Beihai. How many Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou could possibly besiege him?"
"Besides, sending troops to support Beihai would be a thankless and arduous task for Xuzhou."
"Why not just send a deputy general with two or three thousand soldiers to make a show of it?"
Cao Bao was very sad.
Tao Qian reprimanded him, but now he's even trying to kick him out of Xuzhou's core decision-making circle.
A sense of grievance welled up in Cao Bao's heart instantly.
Tao Qian, however, was both amused and exasperated. He patted Cao Bao on the shoulder and explained:
"Ah Bao, this is what I mean..."
"Therefore, the scale must be huge!"
"Only you, Ah Bao, can complete the task I have assigned you!"
Cao Bao looked at Tao Qian with a face full of guilt.
Just now, he actually viewed his lord Tao Qian with a petty mind, which was really wrong of him!
A sly glint flashed in Tao Qian's eyes.
I'm sorry, Ah Bao, but I have to think about my two sons!
The commander who will support Kong Rong this time must be you, A Bao, and only you!
……
in a few days
On the eve of Cao Cao's expedition to Xiaopei
Li Dian's intelligence guards suddenly brought the latest intelligence from Pengcheng!
"What!?"
"Tao Qian ordered Cao Bao to lead 60,000 troops to support Kong Rong?"
As soon as the news came out, not to mention Cao Cao and Su Yu.
Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Xi Zhicai, Man Chong and others were all dumbfounded!
no……
Are you out of your mind, Tao Qian?
Guan Hai had only about 20,000 men left, while Kong Rong himself had eight or nine thousand troops under his command.
Kong Rong's side was fighting a defensive battle!
Although Kong Rong cried out urgently, saying that he would die if no reinforcements arrived!
However, given the fortification of Linzi and the poor siege capabilities of Guan Hai's troops, Kong Rong could easily hold out for several more months.
Why would General Cao Bao of Xuzhou personally lead 60,000 troops to fight in such a low-level game?
"wrong!"
"Is Tao Qian's move perhaps a case of Xiang Zhuang's sword dance?"
"It appears to be a rescue for Kong Rong, but in reality, it's a way to let Cao Bao and his 60,000 troops take over Qingzhou!"
Cheng Yu exclaimed in surprise.
Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai, Man Chong, and Cheng Yu all had similar ideas.
Although everyone says Tao Qian is getting old.
But that was in comparison to warlords like Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and Gongsun Zan, who were in their prime.
As luck would have it, almost all of these people were Tao Qian's neighbors...
But Qingzhou is different!
Currently, the strongest forces in Qingzhou are Kong Rong and Guan Hai.
Tao Qian's 60,000-strong army was a complete dimensional reduction attack!
Su Yu frowned slightly.
It seemed that Qingzhou was within easy reach.
Since Guan Hai and other Yellow Turban leaders were crippled, no major power has emerged in Qingzhou.
But... after Tao Qian took Qingzhou, he had to face Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan directly.
Is this really a good thing for Tao Qian, who is old and frail and whose future is uncertain?
It seems that the territory has expanded from one Xuzhou to the two prefectures of Qing and Xu.
But what if Tao Qian suddenly kicks the bucket and dies one day?
The foundation of the two states could not possibly be preserved intact under the attacks of these powerful neighbors!
In the end, they might even lose their stronghold, Xuzhou, and the Tao family would be destroyed as a result.
Starting a business late in life, with an incompetent successor, is a major taboo!
therefore.
In Su Yu's view, Tao Qian's goal was definitely not as simple as taking Qingzhou!
……