Even With Empty Coffers... Let's Just Do It
The sunlight was warm and gentle that day.
“Please return safely. I wish you good fortune.”
“Mmm~”
On my way out, I received Cai Yan’s farewell, gave her a warm embrace, and stepped outside with a refreshed heart.
“Young Master Cao.”
“Ah, Lord Dian!”
For some reason, Dian Wei was waiting for me today.
“Let’s go together.”
“Sounds good.”
I walked alongside Dian Wei toward Cao Cao’s military camp. I had been wondering why he had been out of sight lately, but it turned out he had been quite busy in his own way.
“The wandering heroes who helped us at the Yellow River last time were generously rewarded before being sent on their way.”
“They performed a great service, so a proper reward was only right.”
“Our lord truly has a generous hand. In this chaotic time, those heroes demanded food as their reward, so he opened the camp’s granary and distributed a huge amount of salt and rice.”
Yes, impulsive as Cao Cao was, he certainly didn’t skimp when it came to rewards. Still, their contributions had been undeniable, so there was no reason to begrudge it.
“By the way, why aren’t the other generals here today?”
“Ah, our lord sent General Xiahou to leave Luoyang on an errand.”
“Um… Lord Dian. You shouldn’t casually use the title ‘General.’ It’s an official post, especially in a place where His Majesty resides…”
“Ah, ah! Is that so? Then should I keep calling him Commandant?”
Xiahou Dun would eventually rise to Grand General, but that wasn’t the case yet. In any event, it seemed Xiahou Dun had been sent off on an errand.
Cao Ang was continuing to serve as Assistant to the Grand Tutor alongside his grandfather Cao Song, which meant the only ones left were essentially me, Uncle Cao Ren, and the strategists.
When I entered Cao Cao’s military camp, everyone happened to be gathered already.
“Ziye, you’ve arrived?”
“My apologies for being late.”
“Mmm~ Mmm~ Late? We haven’t even started yet. Come, sit down.”
Cao Cao offered me a cushion and told me to sit beside him. Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Xun You, and the other strategists accepted this as perfectly natural. It was no longer simply because I was family; they were treating me with the respect due to a core advisor who had earned real accomplishments.
“Right, then shall we begin?”
The moment Cao Cao clapped his hands to signal the start of the meeting, Cheng Yu was the first to raise his hand.
“My lord, your servant Cheng Yu speaks. The current state of Luoyang is little more than a ruin where people have barely secured shelter to survive. We cannot keep the Son of Heaven here indefinitely. Therefore, I believe we should consider relocating the capital.”
As expected, the topic of moving the capital had come up. Cao Cao nodded and drew a circle in the air with his finger.
“How could I not know that? But isn’t this the problem? This right here!”
“My lord, I believe that at this moment, ensuring the Son of Heaven’s safety takes precedence over such considerations. Our own defenses are still inadequate. We would be exposing ourselves to the enemy’s spears and blades completely defenseless.”
Following Cheng Yu’s words, Xun You stepped forward.
“My lord, if we are to remain in Luoyang, we should instead undertake reconstruction projects within the city. We can request His Majesty’s permission to conscript laborers and use them to rebuild while simultaneously raising new troops. Since the Luoyang region has been reduced to scorched earth, it is overflowing with beggars and discharged soldiers. We should conduct a proper household survey and begin reconstruction in the surrounding areas.”
“We must eventually rebuild Luoyang. However, that is not something that can be done overnight. It will take at least twenty years.”
No matter what proposal was made, Cao Cao continued to find fault with them. It might have been genuine hesitation, but considering his decisive nature in actual history, this was clearly intentional. Everything they said was correct, yet he still hadn’t scratched the itch he truly wanted scratched.
“Xun Yu, what are your thoughts?”
“I believe both Master Zhongde and Master Gongda are correct. However, to carry out any of these plans, a solid foundation is required.”
“Ziye, what about you?”
“I was simply listening to what the three of you were saying, but…”
“But?”
“I understand that the ‘foundation’ Master Wenruo just mentioned refers to military funds and supplies.”
“Haha, hahaha!!”
Cao Cao burst into loud laughter at my words, and the strategists nodded as if I had hit the mark. It was at that moment.
“What good will come from debating all night like this? No one is stepping forward to actually put a bell on the cat’s neck!!”
A thunderous voice rang out from outside. Looking closely, I could see a shadow beyond the door.
“My lord, who is that fellow outside?”
“Haha, I told that friend to stay quiet and listen, but it seems he got restless and burst out.”
When Cheng Yu asked in surprise, Cao Cao casually raised his hand and spoke.
“Instead of grumbling out there, come inside and speak directly.”
Creak—
The moment he received Cao Cao’s order, the person who opened the door and entered was a clean-shaven young man of average height. Yet his eyes were incredibly sharp. He rolled his gaze across everyone inside, then let out a smirk.
“Just who are you? How dare you commit such rudeness?”
Cheng Yu shouted in anger, but the young man casually picked at his ear and looked for a place to sit.
“Me? I’m the one Master Wenruo summoned to meet the Inspector of Yan Province.”
Ah, I think I know who this bold fellow is. And Xun You, upon seeing him, immediately nodded in recognition.
“So it’s the famous information broker of Yu Province, Guo Jia. Or should I address you as Fengxiao?”
“I think I know who you are as well. Aren’t you the loyal Xun You who tried to assassinate the traitor Dong Zhuo out of a sense of justice? If Dong Zhuo hadn’t died at Lu Bu’s hands, you wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
“Haha, as expected of the information broker who supposedly knows everything happening under heaven from Yu Province!”
Even so, Xun You was no pushover. Despite Guo Jia’s rude entrance, he didn’t back down at all. And just as I had expected, the man was indeed Guo Jia.
But an information broker named Guo Jia? An information broker was essentially a merchant who traded in information rather than goods—someone who did the work of a spy or detective in modern terms.
So Guo Jia had always been this kind of person?
“Hey, make some room there.”
“Hmm?”
When he suddenly came over and asked me to move, Cao Cao laughed heartily, pulled out his own cushion, and offered it to Guo Jia, telling him to sit.
Thus, Guo Jia sat down right in the center, directly facing Cao Cao.
“I came because I heard there was a hero of the world who rescued the Son of Heaven from Chang’an and brought him to Luoyang. But the so-called strategists here all seem to have livers the size of beans.”
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
Cao Cao raised his hand to stop Cheng Yu.
“My lord, this man’s rudeness has gone too far. Keeping someone like him around will only cause discord.”
“Cheng Yu, I tend to give people I consider valuable one chance even if they cross the line. So let’s hear him out.”
“Then can I speak now?”
Guo Jia spoke to Cao Cao in the casual ~haeyo style without hesitation. And Cao Cao, with surprising generosity, encouraged him to continue.
“Honestly, I’ve been watching to see how long you would let the Son of Heaven stay in this ruin. But after all this time, is that all you’ve come up with? Military funds?”
“So, what method would you suggest to me?”
“Even if the Emperor has no money and no army, he can still bestow official posts, can’t he? How is it that the family which spent a hundred million coins to buy the position of Grand Assistant for your father hasn’t thought of that?”
Whoa, hold on! No matter what, wasn’t that a taboo subject?
It was a well-known fact that Cao Cao’s father, Cao Song, had bought the position of Grand Assistant for one hundred million coins through the sale of offices. And while the elder ministers bowed to Cao Song now, in their hearts they surely whispered that “a family from the Polluted Faction, the adopted son of a eunuch, bought his reputation with money.”
Yet Guo Jia had bluntly thrown that fact in Cao Cao’s face. Even Cao Cao, who had been laughing, momentarily furrowed his brows.
“So you’re saying that while we serve the Son of Heaven, we should sell official posts?”
“Whether it’s the Three Offices or the Three Excellencies, just charge those who want the positions the cost of relocating the capital and grant them titles. For example, General of the Right Yuan Benchu in Hebei.”
At the mention of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao’s brows twitched once more.
“From what I heard in Yu Province, General Yuan of Hebei has been sending gold and military provisions to the Inspector of Yan Province every season to help him raise an army. Did I receive incorrect information?”
Wow, Guo Jia really had no filter. He wasn’t using formal speech at all; he spoke in that casual ~haeyo tone, gently needling people while only saying things that were completely true. It was a real talent. Cao Cao frowned several times, yet he kept nodding as if acknowledging the truth of the words. The answer was already clear.
“No… there’s no point in hiding it. You’re right.”
The biggest factor in Cao Cao’s ability to build up the Yan Province army had indeed been Yuan Shao’s support. When my great-uncle Cao Song had his entire family fortune stolen in Xu Province and war broke out, during the ceasefire against the coalition of Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shu, and Tao Qian, Yuan Shao had sent gold by the cartload to help Cao Cao reorganize his forces. I knew that much.
Yuan Shao had done so believing Cao Cao was “his subordinate,” hoping he would act as a blade that would restrain Yuan Shu and Tao Qian’s forces in place of himself in Hebei. In the end, just as in history, Cao Cao had received Yuan Shao’s support, become that blade, and repelled both Yuan Shu and Tao Qian. Of course, that blade eventually turned toward Yuan Shao himself.
Then again, one could also say it was even. Thanks to Cao Cao, Yuan Shao had barely managed to fend off the threat to his own territory from the blades he had raised—Tao Qian, Gongsun Zan, Han Meng, Lu Bu, and others—who had been aiming at him.
“This time, we should have His Majesty issue an edict generously commanding the use of ten thousand taels of gold and two hundred thousand stones of military grain for the reconstruction of Luoyang. Then grant the positions of the Three Excellencies. Perhaps the Grand Assistant among them?”
“The Grand Assistant, which holds military authority among the Three Excellencies? Then someone not even in Luoyang would hold the military power of the Han?”
“Then you, Inspector of Yan Province, can simply take the position of Grand General under the Grand Assistant, which would allow you to wield actual military authority!”
Wow, even this part matched history.
“Ziye, what do you think?”
“Pardon?”
“I simply want to hear your opinion as well.”
It seemed Cao Cao had already finished calculating in his head, but he was deliberately seeking confirmation from me. In that case, I should show off my talent a little by sprinkling in some historical knowledge.
“Master Guo’s suggestion is worth attempting, but there is one problem.”
“Oh? And what is that?”
“General Yuan of Hebei will refuse the position of Grand Assistant and gather all his forces to take real action.”
“Hmm?”
“They say he has gathered three hundred thousand soldiers in the Ji Province region. Isn’t that ten times our own forces?”
At that, Guo Jia suddenly turned to look at me. Then he smiled and nodded.
“So you are the one they call Master Wenye? The one who rescued His Majesty and the loyal officials from Chang’an.”
“That is correct. I am currently known as Ziye.”
“Hoh~ Ziye? From what I heard, the eldest son of the Inspector of Yan Province is called ‘Zisu,’ yet you are not Wenye but ‘Ziye’… Hmm.”
He was deliberately using my old courtesy name. There was no way an information broker who claimed to know everything wouldn’t know my real courtesy name.
“Indeed, Master Ziye. When I heard the story of how you traveled between Guanzhong and Luoyang, I was the one who told the famous scholars of Yu Province that heaven had blessed the Cao clan with geniuses born in the same generation. But seeing you in person, you seem to be excellent in every way except for one crucial detail.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why do you not understand that what I just said means General Yuan Shao of Hebei will ‘deliberately refuse the Grand Assistant position to create justification for attacking Hebei later’?”
Damn!
Guo Jia was really something. His way of thinking was top-class. In that case, I could just do the minimum like receiving a quest, and everything would be uploaded automatically. Even if he said Yuan Shao would refuse the Grand Assistant post, the most he could do in Hebei was military training. I had mentioned an army of three hundred thousand, but there was no way Yuan Shao would actually lead that massive force down to Luoyang and suddenly declare war by shouting, “We shall punish the traitor,” right?
“Master Fengxiao! What do you mean by plotting against Hebei in the future?”
“Listen here, Guo Jia! Are you thinking of our army as some kind of punitive force that will use the Son of Heaven to crush the regional lords?”
Xun You and Cheng Yu exploded in anger, but even in this situation, Xun Yu remained calm. No, he didn’t say a single word. He simply sipped his tea and listened, as if he had known from the beginning that recommending Guo Jia would lead to this verbal brawl. And while the term “punitive force acting under the Son of Heaven’s decree” that Guo Jia had used wasn’t wrong, saying it carelessly could get one labeled as delusional and traitorous, resulting in one’s head being chopped clean off.
But the one listening to all of this was Cao Cao.
Cao Cao thought for a moment before making his decision.
“That’s enough bickering, everyone. I understand what you all mean.”
The single phrase “I understand” from Cao Cao carried a great deal of meaning. He scratched his temple and looked around at everyone, including me.
“Then for now, we should find a skilled envoy who can travel between Hebei and Luoyang.”
At that moment, an idea flashed through my mind.
“Uncle.”
“Mmm, what is it?”
“The one who will deliver His Majesty’s letter traveling between Hebei and Luoyang—I will do it.”
“What? Ziye, you? This requires a renowned scholar.”
“I will do it. There are three reasons.”
I held up three fingers. When Cao Cao gave permission, everyone—including Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Xun You, and Cheng Yu—turned to look at me.
“First, I was the one who escorted the Son of Heaven from Chang’an to Luoyang. The famous scholars of Hebei and General Yuan will have heard my name. If I go, they will at least listen.”
“Oh ho, so even if you bring unreasonable demands, Yuan Shao won’t slam the door in your face?”
“Second, this won’t be a one-time trip. We will need to go multiple times and build familiarity with the envoy’s face. Since you granted me the courtesy name Ziye, I will be going as your blood relative.”
“Yes, that is also correct. I will consider the third reason heard and grant permission.”
“!?”
Cao Cao laughed heartily and patted my shoulder as he spoke.
“Just as you said, you were the one who escorted the Son of Heaven from Chang’an, and you are also my blood relative. Even if excessive conditions are exchanged, Yuan Shao cannot become so enraged that he would raise a blade against my own kin, now can he?”
Ooh, that was exactly the third reason, and Cao Cao had guessed it immediately. As expected of Cao Cao!
Today had been a truly meaningful gathering. I had met the man named Guo Jia, and I had also been given the role of envoy who would meet Yuan Shao of Hebei.
When I go to Hebei, I should take note of many people and gather internal information… right?