"The world's heroes are born in my generation, and once in the martial world, time urges us on. Grand plans and hegemony are discussed with a laugh, but life is ultimately just a drunken spree!"
Guo Jia's words left Chunyu Qiong, the "Drunken Immortal General," stunned.
Of course, these words were words Guo Jia had silently memorized while chatting with Lu Yu.
At this moment, with kindred spirits, the two reminisced and drank fine wine heartily.
"Good, good, good..." Chunyu Qiong emptied his goblet. "Fengxiao, I never imagined that not only are you handsome, but your brewing skills are also so extraordinary. This nectar is unlike anything I've ever tasted in my life. It's exhilarating! Only with such potent liquor does one feel truly alive!"
Chunyu Qiong, while sighing, refilled Guo Jia's cup. "I truly like brothers like Fengxiao. If it were those pedantic scholars, they'd talk about the Book of Documents and the Book of Songs even while drinking, speaking of virtuous and restrained drinking, unlike King Zhou of Xia who 'overthrew his virtue and was lost in wine,' or saying 'drink only in sacrifice,' 'do not drink habitually,' 'gather for group drinking,' and 'forbid excess.' So many rules, damn it all, it's all nonsense!"
The 'drink only in sacrifice,' 'do not drink habitually,' 'gather for group drinking,' and 'forbid excess' that Chunyu Qiong mentioned refer to the "virtues of wine" in Confucian culture.
'Drink only in sacrifice' meant drinking was only permitted during sacrifices.
'Do not drink habitually' advocated for not drinking regularly, saving grain, and only drinking when ill.
'Gather for group drinking' discouraged people from gathering to drink.
'Forbid excess' prohibited excessive drinking!
It should be known that Emperor Wu of Han, by dismissing the Hundred Schools of Thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism, influenced the entire Han Dynasty to subtly adhere to Confucian "virtues of wine." Confucianism did not oppose drinking, but it set many rules, even claiming it was a matter of virtue.
And these were precisely what Chunyu Qiong detested.
Today, he had found a soulmate. Guo Fengxiao's line—"Grand plans and hegemony are discussed with a laugh, but life is ultimately just a drunken spree!"
Such soaring spirit, such sky-high dominance, this was truly how one should drink...
Drinking so cautiously before felt like what a nobody.
"Come, Brother Fengxiao, I'll finish this one for you, you drink as you please."
Another goblet was downed...
Hahaha...
Chunyu Qiong wiped his mouth with great bravado. "Good wine, excellent wine..."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he praised the wine, Guo Jia repeatedly waved his hands. "This wine cannot be considered good. Brother Chun, being such a connoisseur, must know that with the same brewing method, variations in water, climate, and grain, as well as fermentation levels, can lead to different levels of mellow taste. The wine brewed by my Imperial College distillery... at best, it's only mid-tier distilled liquor, not as good as the best, but better than the worst!"
Whoa...
Hearing Guo Jia's words, Chunyu Qiong's interest was immediately piqued.
"Then... what kind of brewing can be called 'nectar' and be considered top-grade?"
"Brother Chun wishes to know?"
"Naturally!"
"Hahaha... Then I shall explain in detail." Guo Jia smiled faintly, took a sip of his wine, and said loudly, "During the reign of our Emperor Wu, Tang Meng was sent to the Nanyue Kingdom. The local people presented a sauce-aroma fine wine to Emperor Wu. The records say—'Emperor Wu drank it and found it sweet and delicious, and the legend of 'Tang Meng drinking 'gou jiang' and making Night Wolf' was left behind!'"
"Afterward, this Nanyue sauce wine became an annual tribute. However... with the current chaos in the world, this fine wine has never been transported to the Central Plains and the north! It is truly a pity..."
Heh...
Chunyu Qiong became more and more interested as he listened.
He repeatedly asked, "Why was the Nanyue sauce wine so delicious? Could it be... that it's due to the different water and climate you mentioned, Brother Fengxiao?"
"That's right!" Guo Jia nodded. "There is a place in the Nanyue region where the Pu Lao tribe has lived for generations, with mulberry trees covering the mountains. Hence, it was named 'Masang Bay.' The local people discovered a pure spring on the east bank of the Chishui River, and people habitually called this place 'Sifang Well,' also using it to replace 'Masang Bay.'"
"And the locals brewed wine with this pure spring water, making it extremely mellow and fragrant! To show their reverence for the ancestors who cultivated the land, the local people named this wine 'Maotai.' There is even a saying here: 'Nine wells, eight towns, ten Maotai!'"
At this point, Chunyu Qiong suddenly thought of something.
"Brother Fengxiao? If... if we use your distillation and fermentation method for brewing, and select the wine from 'Nine wells, eight towns, ten Maotai,' wouldn't the aroma of the wine then be..."
"Aiya..." Guo Jia deliberately put on a look of sudden realization. "Brother Chun... this is... a good idea, an excellent suggestion!"
He clapped his hands in admiration!
Guo Jia's expression was simply, in two words—"Brilliant!"
Hearing Guo Jia's praise, Chunyu Qiong nodded repeatedly. "This is a truly significant undertaking, a great matter that will benefit all the people in the world. You and I must join forces, and we must refine this Maotai sauce-aroma wine, making the entire world intoxicated by it!"
"Brother Chun has such ambition, your younger brother is truly impressed... truly impressed!"
Guo Jia clasped his hands and bowed to Chunyu Qiong...
"Hahahaha..."
Chunyu Qiong let out a hearty laugh. He threw his arm around Guo Jia, holding him tightly... as if embracing a slender woman. "From today onwards, you are my sworn brother..."
"Brother Chun... this... this won't do!" Guo Jia repeatedly waved his hands. "Brother Chun is a general, commanding tens of thousands of soldiers, while I, Guo Jia, am just a brewer. How can I be worthy... worthy of calling Brother Chun my brother?"
As these words escaped his lips...
Chunyu Qiong flung his arm. He was already drunk. Today, he had truly found a kindred spirit. He had never drunk so heartily in his life.
"Guards..."
"Your subordinate is here..."
With a shout, several armored guards quickly entered the large tent.
Chunyu Qiong continued to command, "Pass down the order. From now on, Guo Fengxiao is my brother, my sworn brother... From now on, if you see Brother Fengxiao in our military camp, you must treat him as you would treat me! If Brother Fengxiao points east, and any of you dare to go west, this general's saber is not to be trifled with!"
Ah... ah...
The armored guards were a little bewildered. General Chunyu Qiong had found a sworn brother through drinking.
Of course, as Chunyu Qiong's confidants, they could understand. This behavior was very much like Chunyu Qiong himself, and it was the epitome of the "Drunken Immortal General"!
"All of you, get out... don't delay my drinking with my worthy brother!"
Chunyu Qiong waved his hand and immediately poured two more goblets. "Brother Fengxiao, I've discovered that not only are your brewing skills extraordinary, but your drinking capacity is also unfathomable. Tonight... shall we brothers have a drinking contest?"
"Hahaha..." Guo Jia raised his goblet. "Your younger brother cannot ask for more..."
With that said, Guo Jia drank first as a toast.
However, as he drank this goblet, the corners of his lips curved slightly, and a hidden "deep meaning" flashed in his eyes, a peculiar "meaningful depth"!
—Three days later, on the first day of September, great things are expected!
...
...
Cao Camp, Guandu Great Fortress, Central Military Tent.
At a square table, Cao Cao, Xu You, and Lu Yu were seated.
Cao Cao occupied the main seat, Xu You the guest seat, and Lu Yu sat to the side.
There was no wine or tea on the table.
Only clear water...
But Xu You did not mind at all. He scanned the table and nodded gently, as if... he had realized something.
Cao Cao spoke first.
"Ziyuan, seeing you reminds me of our fourth year at the Imperial College, when over a dozen of us students gathered at the 'Yun Shang' Qingyi Pavilion in Luoyang!"
Old friends meeting naturally begin by reminiscing.
Lu Yu did not interrupt, listening with keen interest. He knew Xu You and Cao Cao had a close relationship, but just how close? That was not something that could be discovered in ancient texts.
Lu Yu was very interested.
"I remember... at that gathering at the 'Yun Shang' Qingyi Pavilion, besides you and me, there were Yuan Shao, Zhang Miao, Hu Muban, Zhong Ji, Wu Qiong, and others... But now, they... are either dead or regarded as mortal enemies. The past is like smoke... it makes one sigh with regret."
Cao Cao lamented repeatedly...
Yes... times have changed... Among these old classmates, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were mortal enemies;
Zhang Miao had once allied with Lu Bu and betrayed Cao Cao;
Zhong Ji was implicated in the Yellow Turban Conspiracy and sought to kill Cao Cao;
Wu Qiong defected to Dong Zhuo but was killed by Dong Zhuo...
Even Cao Cao's best friend, Hu Muban, was killed by Yuan Shao!
Times have changed, and not a single one of those old classmates remained by Cao Cao's side...
This inevitably made Cao Cao sigh.
"Alas..."
Cao Cao let out a sigh and shook his head.
However, after sighing, he quickly rallied himself, tilted his head up, and continued to recall the past. "Back then, at the 'Yun Shang' Qingyi Pavilion, each of you would tell amusing anecdotes about me, Cao Man! I remember Zhang Miao spoke first, saying, 'Two years ago, Aman was learning archery. The groundskeeper went to adjust the target, and before he had even moved away, Aman shot an arrow. The groundskeeper, startled, quickly ran away, but the arrow struck the groundskeeper's thigh!' It made you all burst into laughter..."
Recalling this, Xu You nodded. "Mengde, do you still remember that Hu Muban said you once rode a horse and plunged into a pond, horse and rider together? When practicing driving, the chariot overturned into a ditch. When practicing the qin, the strings snapped, producing a sound as unpleasant as grinding a dull knife! At the time, listening to it, I thought you, Mengde, were perhaps a 'troublemaker'? Who would have thought that times would change, and today... you would become a powerful figure vying for control of the Central Plains! Truly, life is unpredictable!"
It should be known that the Imperial College of this period was not just a pass for official careers.
More importantly, it was a platform for building networks. Some students established relationships with fellow provincials, clansmen, and classmates, which was an important channel for students to build their connections.
In this era, such a trend was very common.
"Mengde..." Xu You asked with great interest, "Even to this day, there is one matter that I have always been unable to understand."
"Brother Ziyuan, please ask." Cao Cao extended his hand in a gesture.
Xu You took a sip of water and then asked, "I remember that after your monthly 'Yue Dan Ping' critique, you went to Nanyang to meet Yuan Shao and me. I am still perplexed, was the phrase 'a capable minister in times of peace, a heroic figure in chaotic times' truly evaluated by Xu You? Why... after Yuan Benchu read this review, did he wear a look of disdain?"
Hoo...
The long-buried past was brought up again. Cao Cao closed his eyes, and scenes from the past flashed before him.
"Whenever Yuan Benchu spoke of the 'Yue Dan Ping,' he would say Xu Shao was a fraud, deceiving country folk from outside. He also said that if Xu Shao had lived in the era of Yao and Shun, he wouldn't starve, because at least he could have been a shaman and earned a living. But how could I, Cao Cao, the son of a Grand Minister of Agriculture, believe such a thing? His disdain for this review, perhaps... is not surprising?"
"Is that truly the case?" Xu You narrowed his eyes.
As they talked deeply, their conversation became increasingly meaningful, with hidden implications.
"How could your reputation as Mengde the 'troublemaker' earn such high praise from Xu Shao? Perhaps someone intended it! Was it your father? Or the eldest son of Qiao Xuan?"
Mentioning this...
Cao Cao's eyes suddenly opened wide. Old friends meeting... inevitably involved reminiscing about glorious past events!
And this 'Yue Dan Ping,' this 'capable minister in times of peace, ambitious official in chaotic times,' was far less simple than the public perceived.
At that time, Cao Cao, because the Cao family was implicated in the "Empress Song" case, was dismissed from his post as Magistrate of Dunqiu. In the same year, that was also when "Lu Yu," or rather "Cao Yu," was just born.
The Cao family, from a position of prominence, suddenly fell into disrepute...
And Cao Cao, at that crucial stage of his career, having lost his father Cao Song, his great supporter, desperately needed some other way to be re-employed by the court.
When the official channels were blocked, Cao Cao's teacher, Qiao Xuan, devised a completely new path for him.
—A capable minister in times of peace, a heroic figure in chaotic times!
This review was actually written by Qiao Xuan for Cao Cao.
And this review was enclosed in a letter. Qiao Xuan entrusted Cao Cao to deliver the letter to Xu Shao. Xu Shao was an old friend of Qiao Xuan, how... could he not understand his intentions?
And so...
Cao Cao's review of "a capable minister in times of peace, a heroic figure in chaotic times" spread throughout the world. Yuan Shao disdained seeking critiques from the common people, so... hearing this review, he naturally showed considerable disdain.
Xu You had always harbored this question, which was why he asked it at this specific time and place.
Cao Cao did not hide anything and recounted the story leisurely.
After all, it was a story from over twenty years ago...
Coincidentally, mentioning this reminded Cao Cao of the "Empress Song" case, reminded him of Dunqiu... reminded him of the time he met and fell in love with Yu'er's mother.
Inevitably... he looked up, his gaze drifting towards Lu Yu.
However... Lu Yu shivered. The rhythm was wrong. You old friends are reminiscing, why are you looking at him so strangely... Lu Yu suddenly felt a tightening in a certain area and instinctively felt a bit flustered!
"Haha..."
Cao Cao, however, burst out laughing. The reminiscing part was over. Next... it was time to get down to business. "Ziyuan, tell me, why have you come to surrender? What happened?"
"More than a month ago... I once..." Xu You began, but as the words left his mouth, he suddenly remembered something and quickly turned his face towards Lu Yu. "People say that the Hidden Dragon's words leak heavenly secrets, and whoever obtains the Hidden Dragon can bring peace to the world? Since... Situ Lu predicted my arrival in advance, then... he likely knows why I am here, right?"
This...
The topic shifted to Lu Yu. Lu Yu blinked his eyes and recalled briefly.
He said, "Leaking heavenly secrets is too much to claim, but I know your conversation with Yuan Shao crystal clear!"
Lu Yu's voice followed closely. "Mr. Xu advised Yuan Shao to divide his forces into two routes: one to feign an attack on the Guandu main camp, and the other to assemble hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers to launch a surprise attack on Xuchang. In this way, regardless of which route succeeded, Commander Cao would be severely defeated!"
Whoa...
As Lu Yu spoke, Cao Cao was startled, and Xu You was also startled.
Cao Cao was shocked because if Yuan Shao had truly followed this plan, it would have struck Cao Cao's vital point, and he would have undoubtedly been defeated.
Yuan Shao was surprised because he had only mentioned this strategy in the central military tent, so how could it... have reached Lu Yu's ears and be stated so precisely?
Xu You's eyes widened as he looked at Lu Yu in disbelief.
Lu Yu, however, spoke calmly. "Mr. Xu, actually... I have informants within Yuan's camp. I am fully aware of every move you and Yuan Shao make. It's a pity... Yuan Shao is a mediocre lord. Not only does he not listen to such a brilliant plan, but he also severely reprimands you, Mr. Xu, and is likely to hold you accountable in the future! Serving a mediocre lord as a wise minister is the greatest pain in life."
Lu Yu sighed and shook his head.
Cao Cao, however, was not surprised. He said loudly, "Ziyuan and Benchu were classmates. Have you not yet seen Yuan Shao's greatest weakness: extreme caution? If he has fifty percent certainty, he won't do it. If he has seventy percent certainty, he won't do it either. He only dares to act when he has ten percent certainty? But the battlefield is constantly changing, and warfare involves risk. Where are there so many ten percent certainties? Hahaha..."
Xu You also shook his head.
"Mengde, to put it bluntly, Yuan Shao thinks that you can deceive even the esteemed Son of Heaven? How could he not set an ambush to lure him into a trap? Everyone knows Mengde is suspicious, but little do they know that Yuan Shao's suspicion is several times greater than Mengde's. Alas... alas..."
Speaking of this, Xu You let out a sigh.
But then... he suddenly remembered something. Something was wrong. Where was it wrong? Hidden Dragon just mentioned informants... Hidden Dragon planted informants in Yuan's camp?
But those who knew his strategy were all core advisors? Could it be... there was an informant among them?
Hiss...
Thinking of this, Xu You raised his head and couldn't help but ask, "Situ Lu, may I ask... who exactly is the informant you mentioned in Yuan's camp?"
"Well..."
When this question was posed, Lu Yu smacked his lips and, without hiding anything, blurted out a name.
"Guo Tu..."
As soon as these words were spoken, Xu You was greatly astonished, and in an instant... all his doubts were resolved.
Good heavens...
He knew why Guo Tu was always flattering and always offering incorrect advice.
Once or twice might have been luck...
But... every single strategy he proposed was wrong. To achieve this, one needed exceptional skill!
"Brilliant, brilliant..."
Xu You exclaimed twice, then, with a "thump," he knelt down, completely awestruck. So... so it turned out Hidden Dragon had planted someone in Yuan's camp from the beginning...
Good heavens!
No wonder Yuan Shao suffered repeated defeats, no wonder Cao Cao achieved victory after victory... it was fate, this was truly fate...
If he hadn't defected to Yuan's camp, how would Xu You have known this crucial piece of information?
"Situ Lu, I am impressed... truly impressed..."
Clasping his hands, Xu You repeatedly clasped them.
Lu Yu, however, helped Xu You up. "Mr. Xu, there's no need for this... it was just a small stratagem, a mere trifle!"
Mentioning this small stratagem...
A green light appeared in Xu You's eyes.
This green light was sinister, like a sharp dagger...
Since the entire situation was under Hidden Dragon's control, then... then... why not take revenge for past grievances and settle old scores!
—"Situ Lu, I presume... Situ Lu now has a master strategist in mind? Situ Lu, please speak frankly... what do you need me, Xu You, to say or do!"
—"I, Xu You, will surely speak without reservation and omit nothing!"
...
...