Winter passed, spring arrived.
Thanks to the two great "legions" of "Faqiu" and "Mojin," Cao Cao in Yanzhou had successfully weathered the winter of the third year of Chuping.
Spring brought the revival of all things, and with it, a closer approach to the harvest season. All scholars, commoners, and soldiers in Yanzhou were filled with anticipation for the future here...
In just a few months, grain would be harvested, adding frosting to an already abundant Yanzhou granary.
Cao Cao's position as the elected Governor of Yanzhou grew more stable by the day.
Every time he thought of this, Cao Cao's mood became exceptionally bright. It seemed... ever since Yu'er arrived here, everything had become much simpler.
However, while some rejoiced, others worried...
A thousand li away from Yanzhou, in the land of Henei, the cold wind howled... in a small courtyard, a pavilion under the gusting wind seemed exceptionally biting.
Here, two disappointed men were seated.
The one on the left stood seven feet tall, exceptionally heroic. His phoenix-eye brows merged into his sky-reaching forehead, and his handsome eyes were clearly delineated.
Even without his signature twin-dragon-playing-pearls silver crown, without his domineering and mighty Sky-Splitting Halberd, without his ride on the Chitu horse the color of flame, his appearance still turned heads. As for his name, the Chitu among horses, Lu Bu among men!
At this moment, Lu Bu raised a jar of plum wine, a hint of disappointment and mockery in his eyes.
"Brother Gongtai, you miscalculated everything this time..."
Sitting opposite him was Chen Gong, Chen Gongtai.
Chen Gong also raised his wine jar. "Drink, drink..."
His demeanor held a hint of inscrutability, yet it seemed to convey – say no more, it's all in the wine. After this cup, there are three more!
"Hahahaha..." Lu Bu let out a bitter laugh and then drained the plum wine.
Chen Gong, on the other hand, sighed deeply, also tasting the "bitterness" in the wine with resignation.
Over the years, the two of them had not fared well.
Let's speak of Lu Bu first. After he conspired with Wang Yun to kill Dong Zhuo, due to Wang Yun's series of blunders, the excellent situation was ruined overnight!
Lu Bu was defeated and fled Chang'an. First, he sought refuge with Yuan Shu, but because he was too arrogant... Yuan Shu refused him.
Then he went to Yuan Shao. After assisting Yuan Shao in pacifying the Black Mountain bandits, he was suspected by Yuan Shao, who even secretly dispatched soldiers to find an opportunity to end his life. If not for Chen Gong's timely appearance to help him escape, Lu Bu would likely have perished in Jizhou!
Afterward, Lu Bu fled to Henei and sought refuge with the Prefect Zhang Yang. Now, he had been here for over a year.
Lu Bu was not one to live under others' patronage!
Over the past year, he had endured immense frustration. Only Chen Gong had persistently advised him to wait, secretly gathering former Bingzhou subordinates, awaiting an opportunity to secure a place to settle.
And the place Chen Gong valued was precisely Cao Cao's Yanzhou. However... who would have thought that in just one year, Yanzhou, once plagued by internal and external troubles, would become as solid as a fortress, and the stagnant political and military situation in Yanzhou would suddenly be revitalized with vigorous life... This was something even Chen Gong could not have foreseen.
"Gongtai..." Lu Bu proactively refilled his own and Chen Gong's wine. "You once said that Cao Cao seized Yanzhou when the Governor of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, died. I, Lu Bu, could do the same, taking over when Cao Cao died at the hands of the Yellow Turbans. But a year has passed, and the Yellow Turbans have not only failed to destroy Cao Cao but have instead joined Cao Cao's ranks..."
"Gongtai also said that the Yanzhou granaries could not possibly provide enough food for millions of Yellow Turbans. In their hunger, great disaster would surely befall Yanzhou, with clans and the Yellow Turbans alike turning their attention to Cao Cao. I, Lu Bu, could seize this opportunity to destroy Cao Cao and take over Yanzhou... But..."
At this point, Lu Bu drained the wine jar in his hand.
"Heh heh... heh heh heh..."
His cold laughter was filled with self-mockery. He felt like a fool, naive for believing Chen Gong's nonsensical words!
The current situation was...
Yanzhou had not descended into chaos; instead, it was well-supplied with troops and provisions. Cao Cao's former "internal troubles" were now poised to become external threats to others, and Lu Bu's opportunity to take over Yanzhou became increasingly slim.
It was unbearable, he wanted to cry!
"Fengxian, please be patient..." Chen Gong narrowed his eyes. The events in Yanzhou were too strange; even he couldn't figure out exactly what had happened.
However... there was a rumor.
"Fengxian, do you know who advised Cao Cao to take control of Yanzhou?" Chen Gong asked.
"Who?" Lu Bu raised his eyes. This question indeed piqued his curiosity.
"Yin Lin!" The two words flowed gracefully from Chen Gong's mouth. Then, Chen Gong slowly stood up, his hands behind his back, and explained in detail, "Recently, spies have investigated that when Yin Lin was traveling in Pengcheng Commandery, Xuzhou, Cao Song had specifically instructed his son Cao De to rush to Pengcheng to present Yin Lin and his sister with vast amounts of gold and grain. For this... Yin Lin revealed heavenly secrets to Cao De, stating that the Governor of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, was about to die, and advised Cao Cao to take control of Yanzhou, which led to what happened later!"
*Hiss...*
Lu Bu gasped, drawing in a breath of cold air. He only knew that Cao Cao had taken Yanzhou at the perfect time, without the slightest error...
But damn it, who would have thought there was such a connection?
It was Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, Cao Cao's brother, Cao De... No, to be precise, Cao Cao had received help from Yin Lin. It was no wonder.
In the past, the Monthly Review had stated – "He who gains Yin Lin can gain the world!" Now, upon careful consideration of this statement, Lu Bu felt it held a certain significance.
"Gongtai means..." Lu Bu quickly began to ask...
"Yin Lin can predict people's life and death. I, Chen Gong, am not Yin Lin. How can I know heaven's will? We can only do our best..."
To be honest, after Chen Gong spoke, Lu Bu's mood improved considerably.
In recent years, apart from the fierce infighting between the Yuan brothers, the most sensational event was Yin Lin's god-like predictions. If he had to lose to him, then it was acceptable!
Of course, Lu Bu was not resigned. Living under others' patronage was always a uniquely bitter experience. When would he, Lu Bu, no longer be like a stray dog, fleeing everywhere?
"Gongtai... it seems that for nearly a year... there have been no more rumors about Yin Lin. Otherwise... even if it were a thousand or ten thousand li away, I, Lu Bu, would personally visit to inquire about a way out of this predicament!"
As these words left his mouth, Chen Gong paused for a moment before replying, "Yin Lin's seclusion might not be a misfortune for us... If we don't receive guidance, Cao Cao also won't. Furthermore..."
Chen Gong held back, but Lu Bu was already impatient. "Sir, sir, the situation is critical. Please don't beat around the bush."
"Hahahaha..." Chen Gong burst into laughter. "I have a plan that, unless Yin Lin himself is within Cao Cao's camp, this plan can help Fengxian peacefully acquire all eight commanderies of Yanzhou! It will make Cao Cao lose all popular support, and he will flee in panic like a stray dog!"
Gritting his teeth, Chen Gong clenched his fist abruptly.
As the saying goes, deep love breeds deep hatred.
Just as much as Chen Gong, who was once the Magistrate of Zhongmu County, had admired Cao Cao, he now wished to defeat Cao Cao.
Cao Cao, oh Cao Cao... When you killed the Lu family, didn't you say, "Rather I betray the world, than the world betray me"?
Heh heh... Very well, this time, I, Chen Gong, will use Cao Cao's methods to defeat you, Cao thief!
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