12dz Chapter 119 No one was willing to support Cao Cao; Tao Qian's true intention!
Chapter 119 No one was willing to support Cao Cao; Tao Qian's true intention!
Seeing Mi Zhu, Chen Gui, and Cao Bao jumping out so eagerly, Man Chong sneered inwardly.
Would Tao Qian simply hand over Xuzhou to Cao Cao?
If Man Chong hadn't listened to Su Yu's analysis beforehand, he might have really been hoping for a windfall and that Tao Qian would cede Xuzhou.
But reason told Man Chong.
Even if Tao Qian were to give Xuzhou to Cao Cao, he would be leaving behind a mess that would require a great deal of trouble to clean up for anyone who came!
Tao Qian would never give up Xuzhou, which was still intact.
The reason for this is quite simple.
At this stage, Cao Cao is not yet able to completely incorporate Tao Qian's former troops.
For example, if Cao Bao had surrendered to Cao Cao, could he still have become a general in Xuzhou?
Keeping the name is naturally not a problem.
But power will certainly need to be reduced.
Otherwise, will the soldiers of Xuzhou listen to Cao Cao or to you, Cao Bao?
Don't say it's a matter of perspective.
To talk about the big picture without considering the facts is the most idiotic thing to do, bar none.
Cao Cao's territory currently consists of only Yan Province.
After taking over Xuzhou, they will definitely have to extend their reach there.
Otherwise, what would he need Xuzhou for?
He was only nominally the leader, but in reality, he allowed Cao Bao, Mi Zhu, and Chen Gui to govern Xuzhou.
That wouldn't significantly increase the overall strength of Cao Cao's camp.
Furthermore, the loyalty of Cao Bao, Mi Zhu, and Chen Gui was not guaranteed at all.
Because nothing can bind them except so-called morality.
What if they were in a bad mood and surrendered to Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, or other warlords? Wouldn't Cao Cao have nowhere to turn to complain?
After all, the entire Xu Province listens to those three, and no one pays any attention to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao and Su Yu's goal was to gain actual control of Xuzhou and integrate it into their quest for supremacy.
Instead of being the nominal leader who is actually useless.
This was a clash of power that caused conflict between Cao Cao, Su Yu, Cao Bao, Mi Zhu, and Chen Gui.
There is a way to break the deadlock.
For example, in the original history, when Cao Cao destroyed Lü Bu, Chen Gui and his son Chen Deng directly acted as his traitors!
Why were the Chen father and son so enthusiastic about investing back then?
Because Mi Zhu bet on Liu Bei, he lost everything and was eliminated early.
Cao Bao followed Lü Bu and went down a dark path.
If Lü Bu wins, Cao Bao will make a huge profit; if Lü Bu loses, Cao Bao will be eliminated.
The Chen family's decision to follow Cao Cao at this time was also a gamble.
He had no choice among the surrounding warlords except for Cao Cao.
This means that originally, Cao Bao, Mi Zhu, and Chen Gui shared power in Xuzhou, each holding one-third of the authority.
Later, the three men each chose a new lord to support, and after winning, they shared fifty percent of the power with the new lord.
In terms of percentage, it has increased.
This bet is definitely a win-win situation for the Chen family.
Therefore, the Chen family chose to pledge allegiance to Cao Cao at that time.
Furthermore, by the end of 195, Cao Cao had already won over Emperor Liu Xie, thus possessing a legitimate claim to power, which allowed him to grant the Chen family father and son higher official positions and titles.
Taking all factors into account, Cao Cao became the best choice in the eyes of the Chen family father and son.
But things are completely different now!
Cao Cao was merely the governor of Yanzhou.
Even if they were to defect to Cao Cao, considering their respective power distribution, Mi Zhu, Chen Gui, and Cao Bao would not all defect to Cao Cao together.
Two tigers cannot share one mountain, let alone the internal conflicts among Mi Zhu, Chen Gui, and Cao Bao.
(This part is quite important, so I've spent a bit more time explaining it clearly. Please don't accuse the author of padding; otherwise, some people will say they don't understand.)
……
Tao Qian closed his eyes slightly, listening quietly to the chatter of Mi Zhu, Chen Gui, and Cao Bao beside him.
Suddenly, Man Chong spoke up:
"Does Master Tao intend to make a fool of me?"
"Looking around Xuzhou, it seems that there is no respect for our lord."
Chen Gui gave a cold snort.
He had secretly given gifts to Su Yu before, but unexpectedly Su Yu used several issues of the Yanzhou Daily to praise him as a well-known loyal minister of Xuzhou.
It would have been better if he hadn't praised him at all; this praise only heightened Tao Qian's suspicions about Chen Gui to the extreme!
This wasn't Su Yu deliberately setting Chen Gui up.
However, it was Chen Gui, being "not a member of Cao Cao's camp," who only sent gifts to Su Yu but not to Cao Cao, which was a major taboo.
Regardless of whether Cao Cao cared about this or not, Su Yu hated being ambushed.
Therefore, he used the same tactics against Chen Gui, flattering him to death and bestowing upon him the title of "loyal minister".
Mi Zhu's expression was equally unpleasant.
He liked making money and being an official, but he disliked the style of Cao Cao's camp.
Why do you say that?
Because Cao Cao's camp was full of martial spirit, if Xuzhou fell into Cao Cao's hands, there would definitely be constant warfare.
For someone like Mi Zhu, who was both a high-ranking official and a wealthy merchant, war was not good news.
Moreover, Cao Cao had a strong personality.
Mi Zhu did not want to serve under such a person.
Cao Bao also had little affection for Cao Cao and Man Chong, who represented Cao Cao's camp.
But compared to Mi Zhu and Chen Gui, Cao Bao seemed much more "pure".
He desperately hoped that Tao Shang or Tao Ying would succeed him.
In this way, Tao Shang and Tao Ying would become his puppets.
And he, Cao Bao, will be the true ruler of Xuzhou!
He's about to become the boss of Xuzhou, so why should he be Cao Cao's subordinate?
As Man Chong finished speaking...
Tao Qian slowly opened his slightly closed eyes.
He said apologetically:
"Please excuse my poor performance, Berning."
"Pretend I never mentioned what happened today."
Man Chong turned and left.
He wasn't angry, of course, but as an envoy from Cao Cao's camp, he couldn't lose face.
Tao Qian quickly sent his two sons to appease Man Chong.
Man Chong smiled knowingly.
Sure enough, the main character has arrived!
……
Prefectural Governor's Office
Tao Shang and Tao Ying led Man Chong to the guest room.
After the door was closed, Tao Shang suddenly pulled Tao Ying to kneel down and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Man Chong, saying:
"Please deliver this letter to Governor Cao, Your Excellency!"
After saying this, Tao Shang took the letter out of his pocket.
Man Chong was overjoyed.
In fact, when he heard that Tao Shang Tao Ying was in charge of receiving him, he already understood the purpose of Tao Qian deliberately putting on that show in front of him.
Yes, Tao Qian wanted Man Chong to see for himself what the attitudes of the three forces, represented by Cao Bao, Mi Zhu, and Chen Gui, were towards Cao Cao's control of Xu Province.
Clearly, none of the three wanted Cao Cao to take over Xuzhou.
But Tao Qian is different from them.
Tao Qian knew that his two sons would not become the rulers of Xuzhou.
The personalities of the two sons were also ill-suited to the chaotic times.
As he nears his death, all he wants is to make proper arrangements for his two sons' future!
Clearly, looking at the warlords surrounding Tao Qian, apart from Yuan Shu, who had a very low moral character, there were none.
Only Cao Cao could be considered a major warlord and also protect Tao Shang and Tao Ying.
But Cao Cao was not a philanthropist.
It is neither possible nor desirable for Tao Qian to protect Tao Shang and Tao Ying without any reason.
If I'm not mistaken, the letter that Tao Shang gave to Man Chong should contain Tao Qian's true thoughts and plans!
Man Chong accepted the letter and that evening pretended to leave Pengcheng because he felt slighted.
at the same time.
In Mi Zhu's study
His friend Sun Qian found him.
……