How to Survive in Chaotic Times (3)
This is probably the first time I'm greeting you by letter. And the first time doing so formally. Forgive my rudeness.
Your acquaintances are blameless. I earnestly begged them to include my letter with the one they were sending you, so please don't be too angry.
Do you know who this Jo Maengdeok is? It's me. You already know plenty about me, but can you claim to know everything about Jo Maengdeok? I doubt it. In all the world, only two people truly know me. One is Cao Cao herself, of course, and the other is the woman who betrayed me. I thought that only Jo Maengdeok in the world—and she alone—could understand me. But I was wrong.
She's not fully there yet, but the news that a man has some inkling of who this being called Jo Maengdeok really is filled me with such joy. Even if he hasn't pierced to my deepest core, he flung open the bolts and stormed right into my heart, leaving just one final door ajar. Yes, that's you. You've delved deeper into me than any other man.
Ah, but nothing indecent, of course. I have no intention of wielding the greatest weapon my sex affords me on a mere whim. So don't misunderstand. I'm not taking up my brush to exchange love letters with you. No, I seek your counsel on securing Xuzhou safely.
Speaking of Xuzhou, we must first discuss this Liu Bei... (excerpted)
It's good to hear from my advisors, but for this matter, I want your esteemed opinion. Please review it favorably and let me know the result.
P.S. If you'd like to come to Chenliu and speak with me in person, bring this letter and the silk along. I suspect we could have a deep conversation.
Lü Bu had seized Xuzhou. Liu Bei was left without a place to turn. And Cao Cao had come seeking my advice on the matter. To me—a near civilian!
Late at night, I summoned the one person whose perspective aligned most closely with Cao Cao's forces into my room. I handed her the letter you'd received and made her read it herself.
"What do you think, Yi?"
"Hm."
Sima Yi carefully folded the letter. She tied it with cords in three places to ensure it wouldn't come undone easily, wrapped it in that expensive paper, and then swaddled it again in silk, layering protections around the missive.
"If Master ends up working under Cao Cao someday, this will truly be of great help."
"I've told you, I have no intention of entering officialdom."
"Yet no one in the Central Plains is more deeply involved in its affairs than you. Not just Jingzhou, but especially Cao Cao's army."
As Sima Yi pointed out, I—as an individual—wielded some influence in Jingzhou and Yanzhou. Primarily over land, but I'd built enough renown to be called a 'notable figure.'
The Golden Sun of Xinye. No fancy courtesy name or epithet, but in Xinye, there wasn't a soul who didn't know my name. I'd raised my profile considerably.
"You've succeeded, Master. For Cao Cao to seek political counsel from you."
"You think this is all my doing? In fields like this, your help has been the greatest by far."
"Thank you, Master."
No flattery there. Our discussions on political maneuvers had the highest hit rate.
"First off, responding to Cao Cao's letter means aiding her."
"Exactly."
"Then you'll be formally intervening in the affairs of the warlords."
"Yes."
"One misstep, and you could become a target."
"True."
It was tricky. So far, only two had officially sought my aid: Inspector Huang Zu of Jiangxia and Xinye Prefect Mun Bing. For both, I'd actively devised strategies to repel invaders of Jingzhou. That had earned me enemies: Huang Zu's case pitted me against Sun Jian's heirs, and Mun Bing's against General Zhang Je's successors.
Helping Cao Cao now meant unpredictable consequences, whatever path she chose.
"Let me ask you first, Master. Will you help Cao Cao?"
"It's not aiding Warlord Jo Maengdeok. It's aiding the one who serves the Emperor."
I'd drawn the line clearly from the start.
"It's hiding one's eyes and pulling the covers over, sure, but failing to do even that will surely lead to great regret later. So I intend to offer counsel for the Han imperial house."
"I see. Then, as before, we'll consider various scenarios—"
"Only one."
I'd already decided what to convey.
"Review it, Yi."
"I'm listening."
"If Liu Bei seeks refuge, accept him. Then, as Lü Bu and Liu Bei once did, use him as the vanguard to subjugate Lü Bu."
"You're taking care of everything. No major issues there."
Fortunately, Sima Yi approved without objection. A few edits, and the reply would be ready.
"The reason for favoring Liu Bei is probably Zhuge Liang."
"Yes."
Since Zhuge Liang favored Liu Bei, I couldn't very well tell her to ignore him and let Lü Bu or Yuan Shu eliminate him.
"Having Liu Bei come first preserves the Han house's dignity and mercy."
"Yes."
p>Unless Liu Bei came to Chenliu and knelt first, there was no reason to embrace him proactively. That would only provoke Lü Bu's aggression.
"Using him as the vanguard to subjugate Lü Bu is because he's the most suitable to reclaim Xuzhou."
"Precisely."
Liu Bei was the former Inspector of Xuzhou, who'd won the people's favor repelling Cao Cao's army. Though he'd failed to win over the influential clans and been ousted, the common folk and some elites still admired or missed him.
"Once Lü Bu's tyranny peaks, nostalgia for Liu Bei will surge. When facing Lü Bu's forces later, some might shut the gates instead of opening them like Zhang Chao did, putting them in a bind."
"Haha, already planning to fight Lü Bu someday?"
"If I were on Cao Cao's staff, that's the tactic I'd use with Liu Bei. ...Though Teacher Xun You would think of it herself even without prompting."
Cao Cao's twin pillars, Xun Yu and Xun You, handled different specialties. Xun Yu managed 'internal affairs' like army logistics, while Xun You focused on 'strategy and tactics' for battles.
"If I were Xun You, having drawn Liu Bei's forces as allies... I'd use Xiaopei as a base to besiege Xiapi."
"A siege. Fitting."
Xiapi in Xuzhou. I knew well what sort of 'land' it was.
"The castle's built in a low-lying area. It floods easily when it rains."
"You know Xuzhou too?"
"Before coming to Jingzhou, I considered it. Around third on my list, but ultimately passed."
"Oh? I'm curious why."
"Land prices seemed unlikely to rise—only fall."
Not just because of Cao Cao's Xuzhou massacre; it never struck me as prime real estate.
"Buy land, and it should at least gain thirty percent value. Xuzhou's ideal for warlords, but not for someone like me."
"Not worried about war?"
"Haha, come on. You think I foresaw the massacre and avoided it?"
"It'd be just like you, Master. Hehe."
"No way. At that level, I'd be a god. I'm just a guy who eyes land values."
Xuzhou's worth. To Cao Cao, worth two massacres and still itching to claim it. To me, meaningless.
"Unless you're crazy for seafood over freshwater fish, no real gains worth considering."
"Freshwater fish. Speaking of, time to plan tomorrow's breakfast. How about grilled cherry salmon? Yuan Zhi caught a whole boatload yesterday evening."
"Great idea. Then we should wrap this up and prep for tomorrow."
I took up my brush. With Sima Yi, we refined the wording for the letter to Cao Cao.
"...Hm."
"What's wrong?"
"Just occurred to me after finishing."
I reexamined Cao Cao's letter to me.
"Accepting Liu Bei is the most rational path, but why does it feel so off?"
"What's off about it?"
"Something tells me Cao Cao doesn't want to take him in."
"Because he nearly had Xuzhou, and Liu Bei got in the way?"
"Mm..."
Liu Bei. Why did this man's name keep surfacing in the chaos?
"Maybe Cao Cao sees both Liu Bei and Lü Bu as threats to eliminate."
"Lü Bu, sure, but why bother with Liu Bei? What's he got that sets him apart from Yu Tai, the old Yanzhou Inspector?"
"True. Yu Dai, Yu Yan, Liu Biao, Liu Yao, Liu Zhang, Liu Yu... Ugh, so many Lius."
"Oh, and there's 'Xian' too?"
"Hey, that's different."
Liu, Xian. Names never to utter lightly. The Emperor himself.
"Never realized how many Lius there are."
"Well, Emperor Gaozu aside, the imperial bloodline spread far over centuries. King Jing of Zhongshan had over a hundred descendants, they say."
"Right. And Liu Bei claims descent from him."
King Jing of Zhongshan's line. ...'Liu' blood.
"Need to add a note."
I appended a P.S. to the letter.
"Lord Cao, even if jealousy toward Liu Bei stirs, it would be wise to look to the future."
"Hey! Jealousy? What jealousy? Does he have something I lack? Popularity with Xuzhou's people? I've got the masses of Yanzhou, Yeju, and Qingzhou."
Sima Yi mimicked Cao Cao, thickening her voice in rebuttal.
"......Blood."
More precisely, 'lineage.' Something unchangeable, no matter one's efforts, if born in this realm.
"I worry you might envy his claimed imperial descent."
Something the Cao clan—and Jo Maengdeok—lacked. Something even Dong Zhuo, who toppled imperial prestige for supremacy, never gained. Something Liu Yu held, whom Yuan Shao sought to enthrone to right the realm after the fall.
Imperial blood. Royal lineage.
"We must verify if Liu Bei is truly King Jing of Zhongshan's heir. One more line: Since Liu Bei claims descent from King Jing of Zhongshan, in accepting him..." Hmm, good enough.
"If fake, he'd be the scam of the century."
"Yeah. Really."
It seemed ridiculous now.
"Blood makes the office."