Chapter 49: The Longest Path I Have Ever Walked Was Your Trap
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Cao Bao’s change of heart was, in truth, the result of exploiting the psychological effect of both the stick and the carrot.
“I owe you a tremendous debt for recommending me, sir. I am deeply grateful!”
Cao Bao clasped his hands and bowed. He knew all too well how much weight the post of Chancellor of Xiapi carried.
Though both his own office of General of the Household and the Chancellorship of Xiapi ranked among the highest officials, with a salary grade of two thousand bushels, there was a crucial difference.
Strictly speaking, only the central government had the authority to appoint a General of the Household.
Lu Zhi had been granted that title after suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
As for Cao Bao’s title, Tao Qian had bestowed it on him for his own amusement.
It was much the same as granting Liu Bei the title of Inspector of Yuzhou: aside from the impressive name and the boost to one’s prestige, it carried little actual authority.
The Chancellorship of Xiapi, however, was a genuinely powerful office.
“The General need not thank me just yet. As for those four thousand troops…”
“I’ll give them to you!”
Now that Cao Bao had gained something in return, he naturally felt much more at ease.
“If this is the Governor’s command, I have no reason to refuse.”
“I shall order Xu Dan to personally select four thousand elite soldiers from Danyang and send them to the Governor at once!”
Remaining caught between two sides was uncomfortable enough. He might as well follow Li Yi’s advice and deliberately “show weakness” to protect himself.
By surrendering half his Danyang troops, he could demonstrate his loyalty while ensuring that he would not become a completely helpless lamb awaiting slaughter.
In truth, even if Cao Bao had surrendered all his military authority, Liu Bei would not have harmed him.
From a political standpoint, Cao Bao was one of Tao Qian’s old retainers. If Liu Bei killed an old retainer immediately after taking power, unrest would surely spread throughout Xu Province.
Everyone would grow suspicious of one another, and trust would evaporate.
Moreover, Cao Bao wielded considerable influence among the Danyang faction. Removing him would inevitably disturb the army’s morale to some extent.
Thus, Cao Bao’s voluntary surrender of half his military authority was beneficial to both sides.
“Excellent!”
Li Yi clapped his hands and stepped forward, throwing an arm around Cao Bao’s shoulders like an old friend.
“The General is a pillar of Xu Province, as well as the Governor’s right-hand man.”
“His Excellency still has one important matter left unfinished and requires the General’s assistance.”
Cao Bao answered without hesitation. “Say the word, sir. If it is within my power, I will certainly see it done.”
“Excellent!” Li Yi declared solemnly. “Does the General understand the strategic importance of Xu Province?”
The strategic importance of Xu Province?
Cao Bao’s expression tightened. He suddenly felt as though his employer were quizzing him, and he was terrified of giving the wrong answer.
“Xu Province has a wise lord above and loyal ministers and courageous generals below. What danger could there be?”
Li Yi burst out laughing. Cao Bao truly was an old hand at officialdom, smooth and slippery as they came.
“The General’s answer is admirably roundabout, but it is not what I wanted to hear.”
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“In that case, allow me to answer on the General’s behalf.”
“Of the five commanderies of Xu Province, only Langya refuses to obey the Governor’s orders. If Langya can be recovered and Xu Province unified, the foundation for becoming one of the Five Hegemons may be laid.”
Cao Bao drew a sharp breath.
“The Governor intends to move against Zang Ba?”
“Precisely.”
Li Yi nodded, his expression remarkably calm.
Cao Bao, however, was anything but calm.
“In the past, Zang Ba led several hundred strong men to join Lord Tao. Because of his bravery in battle and his record of victory in every engagement, Lord Tao memorialized the court to appoint him Cavalry Commandant, assigned Kaiyang as his boundary, and ordered him to station troops there.”
“His subordinates Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and Yin Li are all seasoned warriors, each commanding a thousand elite soldiers.”
“Several years ago, he already had three or four thousand men under his command. After developing his position for all these years, he must now have no fewer than ten thousand.”
“Besides, he has the entire Mount Tai region behind him. The soldiers of Mount Tai are all fierce and battle-hardened men. They will certainly not be easy to defeat!”
Li Yi smiled.
“It is precisely because Zang Ba will be difficult to take that I have come to discuss this matter with the General.”
The implication was clear: without you, we cannot handle Zang Ba. See how important you are to us?
The words clearly pleased Cao Bao. He genuinely began to consider how they might proceed.
“Zang Ba enjoys great prestige in Mount Tai. He is a man who values loyalty and personal bonds. In my view, he seeks only to establish an independent foothold; he has no ambition to become the dominant power.”
“His Excellency has only just taken charge of Xu Province. Why rush into a major war?”
Cao Bao had served alongside Zang Ba for some time. He knew that Zang Ba was merely waiting to see which way the wind blew. So long as Liu Bei could stabilize Xu Province, Zang Ba would surely come over to his side.
After all, Zang Ba was a man of the martial world, not a scholar steeped in the ways of the gentry. He possessed no great ambition.
He merely wanted to lead his Mount Tai brothers to a comfortable life.
That Cao Bao could say such things at least proved that he was now sincerely thinking on Liu Bei’s behalf.
Xu Province had endured two years of warfare and a change of regime. It was precisely the sort of time when people’s hearts wavered and mutual suspicion flourished.
This was indeed no time for a major military campaign.
Li Yi gave a slight nod and said solemnly, “I understand your meaning, General.”
“However, Zang Ba has entrenched himself in Langya, a place of vital strategic importance. A position of such significance must never be entrusted to someone we cannot rely upon.”
The implication was that Langya had to be placed in the hands of someone Liu Bei could command.
Otherwise, it would remain a powder keg liable to explode at any moment.
“Has the General forgotten that when Cao Cao invaded Xu Province for the second time, he entered through Langya, ravaged Donghai, and then swept westward?”
Li Yi reminded Cao Bao of the matter.
Zang Ba was nominally a vassal of Xu Province, yet he had failed to provide any real protection.
Cao Cao’s power had been overwhelming. Zang Ba had simply allowed him to enter and watched coldly from the sidelines. In the end, old Tao Qian had been the one to suffer.
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Now that Old Liu had taken over Xu Province, did anyone really think he would entrust Langya to a man who might let an enemy army through at any moment?
Cao Bao’s brow furrowed deeply.
“When Cao Cao ravaged Xu Province last year, he entered through Langya, and Zang Ba took advantage of the opportunity to sweep through the commanderies of Xu Province.”
“Most of Langya’s counties have already fallen into his hands. With the Mount Tai soldiers so fierce in battle, I fear it will not be easy for us to take the region by force.”
Zang Ba had originally stationed his troops only at Kaiyang. But while Cao Cao and Tao Qian were locked in battle, he had seized the opportunity to expand his influence into Langya and even the two commanderies of Donghai.
Chang Xi had at one point even captured Pengcheng, driving its prince, Liu He, all the way into Yan Province.
What did it mean to be a true warlord? Zang Ba was a classic example.
When two powerful men fought, the fisherman profited.
“Put your mind at ease, General. Do you think I am unaware that Xu Province is unstable and that this is no time for a major war?”
“Therefore, after His Excellency and the rest of us discussed the matter, we intend to employ the stratagem of borrowing a road to destroy a neighboring state and strip Zang Ba of his military authority.”
“As the great strategist Sun Tzu said, ‘To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest form of excellence.’ If we can recover Langya without spending a single soldier’s life, would that not be ideal?”
“We merely need the General to accompany our army in order to lend weight to the operation.”
After all, even if one intended to host a banquet like the one at Hongmen, one still needed soldiers at hand—enough to intimidate the guests.
Cao Bao nodded. If they could avoid a battle, then everyone would be delighted.
But what if…
“If Zang Ba refuses, sir, what will you do?”
“Then…” Li Yi gave a dry chuckle. “We will have no choice but to fight.”
Good heavens!
So they still intended to fight after all?
Cao Bao had suffered heavy losses in the great battle at Pengcheng. Now Li Yi had taken half of his remaining troops. He truly had no desire to plunge into another major conflict.
“Oh, that reminds me. I forgot to mention one thing to the General.”
Li Yi pretended to remember something and continued, “This appointment as Chancellor of Xiapi can only be given to you after Langya has been recovered.”
Damn it!
Cao Bao’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
“Sir, that seems rather different from what we agreed just now!”
“General, do not be anxious.”
Li Yi laid a hand against Cao Bao’s chest and soothed him in a gentle voice.
“His Excellency naturally has his reasons for doing this.”
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