Chapter 447: White Clouds Come and Go Without Precedent (Thanks to the Great White-Silver Alliance Leader Jiangnan)

Xu Shu's stratagem was simple and direct, much like how most people suffering from a cold only use Great Qing root boiled in water — if it works after drinking, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't.

"Offer Xuzhou to the two lords Cao and Liu, and then together go serve the General of the Guard?" Chen Deng, the water stains still wet on his clothes, was momentarily stunned.

"Or we could offer Xuzhou to the General of the Guard, and then go serve the two lords Cao and Liu..." Xu Shu answered calmly. "Under the greater situation, you and I actually have very few superfluous moves we can make. We can only take advantage of our neutral stance to settle Xuzhou's allegiance to one side, demonstrate our ability, render great service, and then depart elsewhere with a clear conscience. Only, under the current circumstances, if we wish to offer Xuzhou to the General of the Guard, the key lies solely with Zang Xuan'gao of Langya — we are in truth powerless to affect it. Moreover, once the General of the Guard moves south and Xuzhou falls into his hands, the Central Plains will be an open road, and a great war will be unavoidable... Though a great war is already unavoidable, how could insignificant men like us start such a conflict for our own selfish ends?"

Chen Deng remained silent.

"I know what Yuanlong is thinking," Xu Shu sighed. "You are the foremost talent of the Chen clan's generation, your roots are all in Xuzhou — to leave abruptly means losing everything... But if I may say so, Brother Yuanlong, as long as you do not walk out of Xuzhou one day, you will only ever be a man who relies on his family's local power to bully others, never a true hero... Besides, Brother Yuanlong, no matter who Xuzhou belongs to in the future, there will truly be no place for your talents here anymore!"

"But if I leave Xuzhou and go serve the General of the Guard, will there be a place for my talents? Will I become a true hero?" After a long pause, Chen Yuanlong still found it hard to accept.

"Of course not necessarily." Xu Yuanzhi's tone suddenly slowed. "I don't know about you, but for myself, I truly wish to find an opportunity, one day, to go and ask the General of the Guard face to face... Is it not good to be the Duke of Zhou? Why must he surely overturn the Han and establish himself?"

"Those words..." Chen Deng burst out laughing uncontrollably. "I could answer on behalf of the General of the Guard — 'I can replace him,' what's so hard to say? The General of the Guard's achievements are there for all to see, his power is there for all to see. Having reached this point, isn't it only natural to have such thoughts? And don't look at how Cao Fenwu and Liu Yuzhou shout about restoring the House of Han every day now — Yuanzhi, if one day they defeat the General of the Guard and become the strongest under Heaven, would they truly not harbor such intentions?"

"If that is so," Xu Shu pursed his lips slightly for a moment before asking in return, "then what is your Chen clan so conflicted about?"

Chen Deng was instantly speechless.

"In truth, the human heart is always like this," Xu Shu lamented. "When one wishes to follow their ambition, they are always hindered by various realities; when one wishes to follow reality, they cannot help but harbor lofty aspirations. Now that the General of the Guard's intentions are clear, what else can be done but to place the so-called 'restoration of the House of Han' upon the two lords Cao and Liu? In truth, I feel the same about the General of the Guard — if I did not respect and revere him, how could I hope he would become a sage like the Duke of Zhou?"

"But..."

"But if he truly speaks those words, 'I can replace him,' I would have nothing to say either. Since I have received his kindness, after settling my heartfelt wishes here in Xuzhou this time, I will simply use this lifetime to repay the grace he showed in helping me escape hardship when he was young."

Chen Deng remained silent for a long time, then rose and left.

To this, Xu Yuanzhi paid no mind; he knew Chen Deng's difficulty — if this foremost scion of Xuzhou could not resolve to leave Xuzhou, then this so-called stratagem was utterly meaningless to him.

Yet, a short while later, Chen Deng actually returned after leaving.

"Is Brother Yuanlong prepared to follow me to Hebei?" Xu Shu's spirits lifted.

"Still hard to decide." Chen Yuanlong, drenched once more, sat down proudly across from Xu Shu. "But I have thought it over... setting aside whether I leave or not, and speaking only of whether this matter is done or not, our Chen clan is in truth already destined to be seen as ingrates by the General of the Guard. And as you said, if the General of the Guard enters Xuzhou now, a great war will surely erupt here. Born and raised here, how can I sit by and do nothing? Furthermore, with the current situation before us, how can a true man, harboring grand ambitions in vain, sit by and do nothing?"

"Well said!" Xu Shu was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"As things stand now, what stratagem does Yuanzhi have?" Chen Deng asked earnestly. "And between Cao and Liu, whom should we choose?"

"No need to choose; let them come themselves," Xu Shu answered calmly. "As for the stratagem, as I said before, it is almost nonexistent... Now that the General of the Guard is far away in Yecheng, and General Who Guards the East, Guan Yunchang, is also in Qingzhou, if they truly wish to take Xuzhou, their only hope is to plan this matter slowly... Ideally, they would calmly buy over Zang Ba, and then send an envoy to persuade Tao of Xuzhou himself to publicly utter words pledging Xuzhou to Hebei. But if the bribery fails and Tao of Xuzhou does not consent, then they can only resort to force — but by then, it would generally be too late, because the two lords Cao and Liu would not sit idly by either. What we need to do is simply to make the situation tense, so that the General of the Guard cannot act in time, and to force the two lords Cao and Liu to make an early decision!"

"Yuanzhi... you don't mean to say that Tao of Xuzhou...?"

"How could we do such a thing?" Xu Shu dismissed it. "In truth, two forged letters would suffice... even forged letters are unnecessary. All you need to do is visit Lu Zike tonight and hint that Zang Xuan'gao has in fact already gone over to the General of the Guard. This evening, after I accompany Master Yuanhua to the General Who Pacifies the East's residence, I will privately meet Lady Gan behind the main hall and simply say that Tao of Xuzhou's body may lose the power of speech or become paralyzed at any moment. If the two lords Cao and Liu are truly heroic figures, they will naturally take action. As for which one, Cao or Liu, let Tao of Xuzhou choose for himself."

"That works..." Chen Deng responded with sudden realization. "This move is called adding fuel to the fire — the Thirty-Six Stratagems can become thirty-seven now."

Xu Shu seemed about to speak but stopped, and ultimately ignored the remark, continuing instead: "Moreover, such an action has another advantage — it can spare Xiapi City a bout of chaos!"

"This I know," Chen Deng nodded immediately. "Xu Dan and Ze Rong are both fellow townsmen of Tao of Xuzhou. One has troops but is foolish; the other has armaments and provisions but is greedy and base to the extreme. Once Tao of Xuzhou dies, no one will be able to control them. No matter who comes to take over, chaos will inevitably erupt then. It is better to act while Tao of Xuzhou is still here and still holds some prestige over the Danyang troops."

At this point, Chen Deng paused briefly, then added: "In truth, the reason the various factions in Xuzhou were unwilling to move before was precisely the fear of chaos. But thinking carefully, it might be better to make a decision first, which could actually reduce the chaos..."

"You weren't afraid of chaos," Xu Shu suddenly sneered. "It's that you all knew perfectly well in your hearts — once Tao of Xuzhou is gone, no matter which of the three outside lords gains Xuzhou, given their strength, none of your families could possibly continue to truly hold real power in Xuzhou... So you were like a hen burying its head under its own wing, merely deceiving yourselves. Brother Yuanlong, I give you a heartfelt word today!"

Chen Deng immediately composed his expression: "Yuanzhi, please speak."

"If the moment truly comes when a decision must be made, you might as well help the one who is willing to speak plainly about clearing out Xuzhou after taking it — because such a person is open and aboveboard, worthy of trust and reliance... At the very least, they won't stoop to deceiving you!"

Chen Deng was all the more speechless, but nodded heavily.

Thereupon, these two men, fearless of heaven and earth, with the heroic spirit of lake and sea, simply acted according to plan and directly broke the deadlock in Xuzhou.

It must be said, the balance in Xuzhou was already extremely fragile. And once Chen Deng, himself a heavyweight figure and one pole of Xuzhou, along with Xu Shu, who represented medical authority through Hua Tuo, suddenly personally entered the fray to sow chaos, the effect was surprisingly potent... In fact, when Chen Deng and Xu Shu told others, their words were still quite conservative. But within just a day or two, rumors were already rampant within Xiapi City: Tao Qian had gone from possibly going into shock and losing speech to being on the verge of death at any moment, with the added drama of Lady Gan stealing the seal of the General Who Pacifies the East; Zang Ba had gone from possibly holding private talks with the General of the Guard to Langya already belonging to Hebei, with Guan Yu's tens of thousands of troops already stationed at the border of Donghai Commandery, ready to strike at any moment, and when they did, they would massacre the city!

Without the two of them needing to further muddy the waters, nor needing to manufacture a panicked situation, the entirety of Xuzhou entered a full state of war readiness... Under these circumstances, even Chen Gui, Zhao Yu, Cao Hong, Cao Bao, Mi Zhu, and Mi Fang, who could see Tao Qian in person, were unable to control the situation.

Because once the balance was broken, once chaos and confrontation were provoked, the situation was beyond human control... These people were never of one mind to begin with.

For example, on the evening of the second day, when Xiapi Chancellor Ze Rong heard the rumors, his first reaction was to scale the wall in the rain and flee Xiapi City. He then issued orders from outside the city, immediately gathering tens of thousands of Buddhist followers and several thousand commandery troops, and encamped at Mount Geyi, west of Xiapi City across the Sishui River — the place where he, as Xiapi Chancellor, had stored provisions and armaments for years.

There was no helping it; unlike in history, Xuzhou was now surrounded on three sides by powerful lords, and Ze Rong had nowhere to go. He could only seek some sense of security in this manner.

What else? He couldn't very well set sail and flee to sea, could he?

So once he believed Tao Qian had died, he truly felt as if the sky had collapsed. And he was also one of the very few within Xuzhou City who genuinely hoped Tao Gongzu could pull through. His earlier stern demand in the hall for Hua Tuo to provide treatment had been utterly sincere.

And when he received a summons from Tao Shang, and gained the protection of his fellow townsman Xu Dan and his Danyang troops, he re-entered the city to see Tao Qian. Discovering that the latter had not yet reached that point, he knew it was a rumor, yet he still refused to disband his forces, and even refused to return to his official residence in the city... There was no helping it — this time it was false, but what if next time it was real? Would he just let himself be slaughtered like a fish on a board?

And since Ze Rong refused, the uncle and nephew Cao Hong and Cao Bao had ample reason to continue maintaining martial law in Xiapi City itself. Then Xu Dan also had reason to move his several thousand Danyang troops to the south bank of the Sishui River to coordinate with Ze Rong. And since the area around Xiapi City was already bristling with armed confrontation like this, Zhao Yu, Mi Fang, and Chen Gui had no reason not to dispatch trusted aides, ordering the commandery troops within their respective jurisdictions to gather at various strategic points, ready to defend to the death or provide support.

When matters reached this stage, Tao Gongzu, who was already short on heroic spirit, now felt utterly disheartened. He did not even have the heart to question Zang Ba's eldest son, Zang Ai. He simply dispatched his eldest son, Tao Shang, as an envoy to Chang'an to pay respects to the Son of Heaven and return the seals of General Who Pacifies the East and Governor of Xuzhou; and ordered his second son, Tao Ying, to pack up their belongings and prepare to return to their ancestral home in Danyang to await death.

But by this time, for reasons both public and private, Chen Gui, Mi Zhu, Cao Hong, Zhao Yu, and even Ze Rong would not agree to Tao Qian's willfulness. The crowd knelt one after another, performing the rites of subjects, pleading and reasoning, and in the end, they had Tao Ying return home to tidy up the old residence, but kept Tao Shang there to hold the seals in his father's stead... Truly, there was no other way. If Tao Shang also left, there would not even be a reliable messenger between the various factions, and an armed clash would likely occur immediately.

The situation remained deadlocked for another four or five days. As the situation deteriorated day by day, for some unknown reason, the borders, which should have received the news, remained utterly silent. Whether it was Cao and Liu or Langya to the north, all turned a deaf ear. And on this morning, just the sixth day since Ze Rong had fled the city, Tao Shang suddenly went out of the city in person again to invite Xu Dan and Ze Rong, and summoned the three families within the city — the Chen, Mi, and Cao clans — plus Zhao Yu and Zang Ai, to gather at the residence of the General Who Pacifies the East.

Tao Qian was, after all, still alive, and it was the Tao clan's eldest young master who came specially to invite them; there was no reason for anyone not to go... though making extra preparations was probably unavoidable.

"What is the matter?" Chen Deng, as a power-holder commanding Xuzhou's military agricultural troops, entered the hall together with his father, but upon meeting Xu Shu standing outside under the corridor, could not help but step forward to ask.

"I don't know," Xu Shu also shook his head with a solemn expression. "Only, Tao of Xuzhou hastily summoned Master Yuanhua here early this morning. First, he was given acupuncture, and then a stimulant decoction was brewed. It clearly seems he intends to force his body to hold up and give some instructions... We must be especially cautious."

Chen Deng could only nod... After all, if Tao Qian had made a decision, whatever ideas he and Xu Shu had would all be in vain.

Thus, Chen Yuanlong eventually hurried into the hall with his father, while Xu Shu took the opportunity to stand openly outside the hall, leaning on his sword.

However, not long after Chen Gui and Chen Deng; Mi Zhu and Mi Fang; Cao Hong and Cao Bao; Zhao Yu and Zang Ai; Ze Rong and Xu Dan had all entered, before Tao Qian had even appeared, the subordinate officials of the General Who Pacifies the East's office, the upper and lower clerks of Xuzhou Province, the various majors and company commanders of the Danyang troops outside the city and the local military agricultural troops, and even the prominent families of Xiapi City, all came pouring in... In the end, the hall could not hold everyone, and many had to wait outside under the corridors. As it happened, it was still the tail end of the plum rain season, and the weather was beginning to turn gloomy again.

Such a scene made the earlier major figures all the more uneasy.

This was not the end. By noon, when it began to rain outside, in the stifling and humid weather, Cao Cao's envoy, Lu Qian, styled Zike, a retainer under the General Who Displays Valor, also arrived alone. And what stunned everyone even more was that Chen Yu, the elder clan cousin of Chen Gui, former Inspector of Yang Province, Grand Administrator of Wu Commandery, and eldest son of the late Grand Commandant Chen Qiu, also came to the main hall of the General Who Pacifies the East's residence... Following behind him was none other than the once-acknowledged talent and famous scholar of Xuzhou, the Xuzhou Maocai recommended by Tao Qian, the former Provincial Attendant Clerk Wang Lang, styled Jingxing!

Of course, behind Wang Jingxing there was also a young sword-wearing scholar of twenty-five or twenty-six years accompanying him, but only Xu Shu and Chen Deng took notice of him.

But regardless, everyone knew that Wang Lang was now a Deputy Director of the Imperial Secretariat, often bearing a staff of authority and stationed in Yecheng.

In other words, today, not only had all the key figures of Xuzhou, high and low, arrived, but Cao Cao's envoy and Gongsun Xun's envoy had also both come. It was clear that some matters could no longer be avoided.

Shortly after Wang Lang entered, before he could exchange pleasantries with his old acquaintances from Xuzhou, a fit of coughing was heard from behind the hall. Then they saw the once so stubborn Tao Gongzu, his face now sallow, coughing incessantly, barely able to walk out with the support of his eldest son and a young lady with skin like snow... He was, as they say, showing all the signs of old age!

The people in the hall first fell silent with awe, but then could not help ignoring Tao Shang and Hua Tuo, who followed carrying a medicine jar, and cast their gazes upon that young lady... As everyone knew, this could only be Lady Gan. One could only say, today, with Gongsun, Cao, and Liu, all three houses were now fully represented here.

It must be said, perhaps because of her excessive beauty and unusually fair complexion, there had always been some rumors about this Lady Gan, who was like white jade. It was said that she was not a close relative of Tao Qian's wife's clan; some even said she was merely a local of Xuzhou. Only because she was born beautiful and happened to have the surname Gan was she taken in and raised by Tao Qian as an external niece. Originally, she was meant to win over the leaders of the Danyang troops under his command, but later, by a twist of fate, she was betrothed to Liu Bei.

But these matters were now of no consequence, because that marriage had been arranged through the intermediary of Cao Cao's own father, the former Grand Commandant Cao Song, and had long become an important symbol of the Central Plains alliance. Never mind that the stories about Lady Gan were just rumors — even if there were evidence, it would be meaningless now... The wife of Liu Yuzhou was the external niece of Tao of Xuzhou. Who would dare say otherwise?!

However, Lady Gan's appearance this time, aside from its political significance, if one only looked at her person — though her expression was sorrowful, it could not hide her skin like snow and flower-like beauty, forming a stark contrast with her uncle Tao Gongzu's dull, age-spotted complexion beside her — it made one sigh with particular emotion.

"Your former subordinate is ashamed!" Tao Qian had just taken his seat at the head of the room and had not yet spoken when someone, moved by the scene, could not hold back tears streaming down his face and even bowed low to beg forgiveness. "Returning to Xuzhou these past days, I thought only that there would be a time to meet, yet I could not come pay my respects to you, General, and instead made you summon me…"

Tao Qian raised his eyes and saw it was Wang Lang. He could not help shaking his head with a smile. "Jingxing, why go to such lengths? Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the common lot of men. And with Hebei and the Central Plain in stalemate, it was difficult for you to come see me in person — can you be blamed for that? Besides, though Tao Qian is old today, I have not yet reached the hour of death. Even if your heart is heavy, you need not mourn so grievously today… I still wish to live a few more days!"

Hearing these words, Wang Lang grew even more sorrowful, yet could only forcibly hold back his words, rise, and return to his place.

"Zizhong, is everyone present today?" Seeing Wang Lang rise, Tao Qian turned his head and asked his Biejià, Mi Zhu. "Report it to me."

Mi Zhu dared not be remiss and hurriedly stepped forward to recite the names of all those present today as thoroughly as he could.

"That is good." Only after Tao Qian had listened carefully to the roster did he slowly and solemnly speak. "That Zang Xuangao could not make it in time is one thing. As for the rest of the men of the province who could come, it seems they have all made every effort to do so. Not only that, but Lu Congshi, serving under Cao Fenwu, and Guo Sima, here on behalf of the Guard General, have also come. The court envoy, Jingxing, bearing the imperial tally, is here as well. Then there are certain matters that can be laid out openly…"

For a moment, the hall fell utterly silent, not even a crow or sparrow making a sound.

"The reason I have called everyone here today is, in truth, to introduce to you all a junior kinsman of mine. Hearing that I was gravely ill, he rode at full speed yesterday to Xiapi and last night slept in the side courtyard of my residence, so there was no time for him to meet with you all." Tao Qian continued slowly. "And in my view, since he could come here in person, I have nothing more to say… You must all meet him!"

The crowd listened in bewilderment, looking at one another. But soon, following Tao Qian's words, two men suddenly walked out slowly from behind the hall.

The one in front was seven chi tall, his long arms extending past his knees, with a sparse beard and fair face, wearing a pheasant-tailed helmet and brocade robes, striding out proudly with his hand on his sword. The one behind was of extremely imposing physique, fair-skinned with a lush, flourishing beard, also striding out proudly with his hand on his sword.

Among those in the hall, not a few recognized these two and were already stupefied, while not a few did not recognize them and were naturally filled with growing doubt.

Chen Deng did not recognize them either and could not help but nudge his own father in the ribs with his elbow. Chen Gui, staring wide-eyed and speechless, ignored his son completely after being nudged several times. Instead, after a moment, like many others, he hurriedly stepped out of line, bowed low, and hailed them as Liu Yuzhou and General Zhang!

As it turned out, these two were none other than Liu Xuande and his brother Zhang Yide!

After Zhang Yide stood to the side of the hall with his hand on his sword, Liu Bei walked slowly to the center of the hall, his expression unchanged, and calmly returned the salute: "Bei heard that my uncle-by-marriage was unwell and dared not be remiss. I rode lightly and arrived here yesterday, never expecting that today I would be able to see so many old friends. Though many years have passed since we last met, your bearing remains as splendid as ever!"

At these words, the rest of the people in the hall could no longer restrain themselves and one after another followed suit, bowing low in salute. Even outside the hall, many people swarmed in, vying to be first.

The summer rain fell urgently, and for a moment thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. Amid the confusion, Chen Deng inside the hall and Xu Shu outside were both left speechless… Only today did they understand what it meant to measure the heroes of the realm with mere lake-and-river bravado!

For a moment, only Guo Fengxiao, who had remained silent the entire time, could not help but part his lips slightly in a smile.

—————I am the dividing line with very white teeth—————

"In Xuzhou there was a scholar named Cao Hong, who served as Prefect of Xiapi and was always known as a slanderer and schemer. When the Governor of Xuzhou, Tao Qian, fell gravely ill, the assembly debated to whom Xuzhou should go. Some said it should go to the Grand Progenitor, some said to Cao Cao, some said to Liu Bei… Hong debated with the crowd and sighed: 'Who is this Bei, that all mouths praise him so? How can he compare to the might of the Guard General or the virtue of Cao Fenwu?' The next day, Qian convened a great assembly of all his officials. Bei emerged alone, and the crowd was stirred, vying to bow before him — and Hong was at the very front of them!" — New Book of Yan, Scroll 27, Hereditary Houses, Third

Small PS: Every time things are at their hardest, a White Silver Alliance appears… making me too embarrassed to play the misery card. I know this big spender is a major player, but to me it is still an extraordinary recognition and encouragement — ten thousand thanks!

Also, this month's VIP updates reached 151k — my conscience toward heaven and earth is clear.

(End of Chapter)