Cao Cao returned at night. The "raid" today had yielded good results, capturing quite a bit of supplies from the Moth rebels. Although most of it was farming tools, it was better than nothing.
However... just as he arrived at the camp, he heard that something "unbelievable" had happened in the main tent... A stone tablet had inexplicably emerged from the "potted plant."
"Hiss... a stone tablet?"
Cao Cao immediately thought of something. This stone tablet looked familiar.
He dared not delay and hurried to the main military tent.
At this moment, the tent was filled with people. Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, and Cao Xiu were all gathered around the "potted plant"... no one dared to step forward.
After all, when it came to ghosts and gods, it was better to believe than not to believe. If they accidentally touched it and suffered "heaven's punishment," it would be dire!
Following everyone's gaze, Cao Cao's eyes also fell upon the potted plant. A stone tablet had emerged from the soil, already protruding about an inch. There was also a line of small seal script on it – "With their..."
What in the world?
Cao Cao rubbed his eyes, his spirits immediately lifted, and he demanded, "What is the meaning of this?"
"Cao Gong..." Cao Xiu explained truthfully, "It was Young Master Lu Yu who ordered me to transport this potted plant... after watering it today, inexplicably... the soil turned over, and from the soil... a stone tablet emerged, revealing a small section!"
Cao Ren added at the opportune moment, "It would be one thing if a stone tablet just emerged from the soil, but this stone tablet actually wriggles upwards every few hours, and the inscription on it begins to appear one by one. If you call it sorcery, it doesn't seem like it, but based on common sense, how can a stone tablet emerge from the soil by itself?"
Speaking of which...
"Creak creak..."
The crisp sound rang out again, and Cao Cao instinctively took a step back.
The others, however, were quite calm. This stone tablet grew a little taller every few hours, more punctual than the arrival of a woman's period. They were already accustomed to it.
This...
Cao Cao's eyes widened. He could visibly see the stone tablet "wriggling." The movement was slow, but it was as if it were being pushed up by something.
Cao Cao couldn't help but furrow his brow. The crisp sound of "creak creak..." continued, with soil constantly being overturned, and the stone tablet had risen a full half inch. The fourth character on the stone tablet, "Dao...", appeared – the "Dao" from "With their Dao"!
"A stone tablet emerging from the soil, so familiar!"
Cao Cao murmured in his heart... At this moment, he remembered something...
Among everyone in the main military tent, only Cao Cao had participated in the suppression of the Yellow Turbans.
And only he knew that when the Way of Great Peace was preached in the countryside, a stone tablet would inexplicably grow in the fields. That stone tablet was much larger than the one in this wooden basin, so it would take at least five or six days, and at most more than ten days, to fully emerge from the soil...
And it often bore sixteen characters – "The Azure Sky is dead, the Yellow Sky shall rise, the year is Jiazi, the world shall be prosperous!"
At that time, Cao Cao had pondered that this matter was rather strange, perhaps it was sorcery from the "Way of Great Peace Technique" cultivated by the rebel leader Zhang Jiao?
But... now, the same scene appeared before his eyes, and it was arranged by Yu'er. Therefore... it was enough to prove that this was not sorcery, but man-made...
"Zixiao, Miaocai, Mancheng, all of you go out. No one is allowed to approach this tent, and the news of this stone tablet emerging must not spread beyond the camp."
Cao Cao immediately gave orders.
"Yes!" Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, and Li Dian cupped their hands and accepted the command. Although they didn't understand, they always treated Cao Cao's words as divine decrees. They immediately withdrew from the tent and sealed the information.
Cao Xiu had intended to leave with them, but unexpectedly, Cao Cao called out, "Wenlie, you stay!"
Ah...
Cao Xiu was slightly taken aback. He turned around and stood properly, remaining in the tent.
Although he didn't know his uncle Cao Cao's intentions, the atmosphere in the main tent was truly bizarre.
...
After a moment.
Apart from Cao Cao and Cao Xiu, there was no one else near the main military tent.
Cao Cao then opened his eyes and strode towards the wooden basin and the stone tablet...
The stone tablet continued to make a "creak creak" sound as it emerged from the soil.
Cao Xiu also widened his eyes. He was very curious about what his uncle was going to do.
"Bang..."
Cao Cao suddenly grabbed the stone tablet with both hands, exerted force with his fists, and pulled the stone tablet out of the soil completely.
This action stunned Cao Xiu. He muttered to himself, Uncle Cao Cao is truly bold, truly fearless of ghosts and gods!
Of course, how could Cao Xiu know that Cao Cao had done many "fearless of ghosts and gods" things in his life!
While he was in a daze, the stone tablet had been removed from the wooden basin. Cao Cao and Cao Xiu's gazes simultaneously fell beneath the stone tablet, to the bottom of the wooden basin.
Visibly, the soil beneath the stone tablet was loose. What did this prove? It proved that this stone tablet had been deliberately planted by Lu Yu.
And beneath the stone tablet were soybeans... to be precise, bean sprouts. These bean sprouts had pushed up the stone tablet, which weighed thousands of times more than them...
This...
Cao Xiu was still bewildered, his gaze fixed on the wooden basin...
Cao Cao, however, had already exclaimed, "Hahaha... So that's how it is, so that's how it is!"
At this moment, he understood. The trick of the Way of Great Peace's "divine stone tablets appearing to enlighten the masses" back then was indeed like this. There was no such thing as ghost and god theories in this world; everything was man-made!
Having understood all of this, Cao Cao couldn't help but laugh heartily, repeatedly exclaiming in his heart, "Yu'er, well done, Yu'er! You have truly solved a great problem for your father!"
"The strategy to pacify the thirty thousand Moth rebels is hidden beneath this small wooden basin and stone tablet! You have brought me so many surprises!"
Murmuring in his heart, amidst his excitement, a hint of melancholy appeared in Cao Cao's eyes.
It was a pity that he had not met Yu'er earlier...
If it had been ten years earlier, no, even five years would have been enough, and the situation in the world, and his own circumstances, Cao Cao believed, would have been completely different.
"Cough cough..."
In his excitement, Cao Cao couldn't help but cough lightly. Whenever he thought of Yu'er being away for fifteen years, his heart became exceptionally heavy.
Guilt. The more outstanding Yu'er was, the more guilty he felt in his heart...
For Yu'er, meeting Cai Zhaoji was meeting the right person at the wrong time.
But for him, Cao Cao, not finding his son, who possessed such extraordinary talent, earlier, it was meeting the wrong person at the right time!
Fortunately, it was not too late to mend the fence and reunite father and son!
"Uncle, are you laughing?" Cao Xiu asked, seeing Cao Cao's complex expression.
Cao Cao turned his head, lifted his hand, and patted Cao Xiu's shoulder, then pointed to the inscription on the stone tablet – "With their methods, return their bodies!"
Heh heh, using the methods of the Way of Great Peace to deal with these thoroughly brainwashed Yellow Turban rebels was indeed the most suitable!
"Wenlie, haven't you always wanted to achieve merit on the front lines? Lu Yu has prepared a meritorious service for you in this wooden basin!"
"Haha, it seems he had already figured out long ago to give this merit to you!"
Speaking of this, Cao Cao took a few steps closer to Cao Xiu, deliberately lowering his voice, and carefully explained the reason.
At first, Cao Xiu didn't think much of it as he listened, but the more he listened, the more profound it felt.
Good heavens...
Before, Cao Xiu's expectations were merely to kill enemies and achieve merit on the battlefield. Even in an ideal state, how many rebels could he kill? How much merit could he achieve? It was just so-so...
But now... after hearing Uncle Cao Cao's explanation, after hearing Lu Yu's meticulous plan, Cao Xiu instantly felt that his own perspective was too narrow!
This was no ordinary merit; this was a peerless, astonishing achievement.
A peerless achievement that would make thirty thousand Moth rebels surrender without a fight!
"Cao Gong... I..."
After hearing Cao Cao's words, Cao Xiu was stunned. His voice carried a hint of terror.
"Go do it! Be discreet... absolutely do not let any word leak out." Cao Cao patted Cao Xiu's shoulder again. "Now, can you understand the good intentions behind your uncle placing you by Lu Yu's side?"
Hiss...
Cao Xiu bit his lip, and at this moment, he understood!
Why had his uncle dismissed everyone?
Why did Young Master Lu Yu mention that this small potted plant was related to the situation in Yanzhou?
Why didn't Young Master Lu Yu write a letter to explain, but instead used an object to hint at it...
Young Master Lu Yu had gone to great lengths!
Uncle Cao Cao had gone to great lengths with good intentions!
At this moment, Cao Xiu suddenly felt that being a guard by Lu Yu's side wasn't so bad!
...
...