My Father in Law is Lu Bu

Chapter 707

Cao Cao's spies soon returned from Liaodong. It was indeed Liu Mang who provided equipment and provisions to the Yuan Army. Gongsun Du was just the middleman.

As for the title of King of Liaodong, Gongsun Du put it aside as no matter how good this title is, it was just an empty title. The empty title was not as good as a pile of gold.

The Yuan brothers were filthy rich. In a blink of an eye, they spent over two million gold. Gongsun Du received over three hundred thousand gold as remuneration.

Cao Cao only offered a title. For what reason should Gongsun Du risk his life to help Cao Cao? Would the gold still be there if he helps Cao Cao? Would Cao Cao give him this much money?

However, Gongsun Du was still a man of integrity. Though he did business with the Yuan Family, he did not reject Cao Cao and treated Cao Cao's envoy well. He still invite Cao Cao's envoy to banquets. The only thing is that Gongsun Du did not say anything about Cao Cao's offer.

This angered Cao Cao. Cao Cao even listened to Guo Jia's suggestion to see if he could also buy this equipment from Yangzhou at a higher price. After all, Cao Cao was also filthy rich now. The amount Cao Cao was willing to pay made Gongsun Du excited. However, Liu Mang had anticipated this and had warned Gongsun Du that if Cao Cao was using a large amount of Yangzhou's equipment on the battlefield, all trade with Liaodong would be cut off. Because of this, Gongsun Du gave up as Liu Mang was the supplier.

Gongsun Du would not have anyone to complain to if Liu Mang suddenly decided to stop trading.

Gongsun Du refusing to sell equipment to Cao Cao made Cao Cao angry. Meanwhile, the new equipment sold to the Yuan brothers managed to help the Yuan brothers defend against several attacks from Cao Cao. Cao Cao became even more frustrated. Meanwhile, the nobles in Jizhou and Hebei started to make some small moves again.

Cao Cao almost pulled out his sword the moment he heard the report.

This was the fifth noble family in Jizhou who transported food and money to the Yuan brothers. How could Cao Cao tolerate this?

“Damn it! I will kill them!” Cao Cao shouted angrily. Cao Cao was not a fool. He knew those caravans were sent by noble families to aid Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan. “Men! Send everyone from those five families to prison!”

“Milord. This is not yet the time.” Guo Jia stopped Cao Cao. Guo Jia wanted to help Cao Cao wipe out these nobles because they were not loyal. If a foreigner were to offer more to them, they would rebel in a heartbeat. Guo Jia was angry but he also knew that he could not kill them yet. The moment they go after these five families, the others families would also turn against Cao Cao. At that time. At that time, the Yuan brothers would receive even more support.

"Cannot kill this person. Cannot kill that person. Then what should we do?" Cao Cao asked angrily.

"General Zhang He. You are familiar with the topography of Youzhou. Please send out the Dajishi to scout out the area and stop everyone from going from Jizhou to Youzhou." Guo Jia ordered Zhang He and his heavy cavalry to stop the support coming from Jizhou.

"Understood!" Zhang He then took his men and left.

"Even if it is Zhang He and the Dajishi, how many of them can he catch?" Cao Cao asked angrily. Youzhou was a very big place and the Dajishi only has five thousand men. Guo Jia's actions would just be a waste of human resources.

"If only Ziyuan was still here…" Cao Cao was beginning to think. If only Xu You was still alive, he would be able to put pressure on the nobles of Jizhou. The nobles would not be so daring. One of the reasons they were acting out was because Xu You is dead. They were now afraid that Cao Cao would go after them since Cao Cao even got rid of Xu You who was his childhood friend. At least those who opposed Cao Cao had a good death so they might as well serve the Yuan Family.

Guo Jia was not angry when he heard Cao Cao's words and placated him."Milord, Master Ziyuan's death naturally has its own benefits."

"Hm." Cao Cao looked back at Guo Jia, unconvinced.

With Xu You dead, there was no one left to challenge Cao Cao's dignity. Cao Cao was now like an Emperor or a God to the common people. He was to be revered. Being amicable is fine but if this is always the case then Cao Cao would be looked at as just a normal person. 𝐑âƝỒΒЕ𝒮

Xu You was someone who prevents Cao Cao from being revered. How could Guo Jia let him go? After Xu You's death, the people were in awe of Cao Cao once again. For example, the situation in Xudou became more stable. The only disadvantage was the actions of the nobles in Jizhou.

Guo Jia saw that Cao Cao was still thinking about the pros and cons of killing Xu You and added. "Milord. Hebei is suffering from the chaos of war and various industries are waiting to be revitalized. If you want the nation to be prosperous again, you will need a lot of money."

Guo Jia's words made Cao Cao feel moved.

"Now that these people come out, we will have money." Guo Jia said calmly. It turned out that Guo Jia have already begun preparing for the future livelihood of Hebei. Hebei had suffered many years of war. When the Yuan brothers left, they also looted the place. It was now extremely desolate and a lot of money was required to restore it to its former glory. Cao Cao also still needed to march South after pacifying the North. He needed a lot of money to invest into his army. Where would he find the money to also develop Hebei? Guo Jia had planned to use the Jizhou nobles' money to develop Hebei but he initially have no excuse. But now that excuse have been given plainly to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao must settle accounts with these five families that support the Yuan Army. After destroying them to scare the others nobles, the other nobles have no other choice but to pay money. At that time, they would not need to worry about lacking funds.

"Ziyuan. You are really my loyal minister!" Cao Cao said to Xu You who was already dead.

Cao Cao's army then attacked the Yuan Army again. Though the Yuan Army had new equipment, they were still unable to equip everyone. Besides that, Cao Cao has three hundred thousand men under his command. The Yuan Army needed to defend too many places.

There were battles happening all over Youzhou.

The Yuan Army used their advantage in equipment to wipe out Cao Cao's army of ten thousand. Cao Cao counterattacked and used their numbers advantage to wipe out an entire camp.

During this entire time, Guo Jia's health worsened. He was coughing as he stood in the cold wind, causing Cao Cao to become very worried.

Guo Jia looked at the next city. Cao Cao's army of three hundred thousand has captured five towns in Youzhou and have lost at least forty thousand men. How much longer would they need to capture the whole of Youzhou? How many more men do they have to sacrifice to capture the whole of Youzhou? This cannot continue.

"The Yuan brothers. Gongsun Du. The King of Shu!" Guo Jia was thinking of the three related parties.

Thats right. Cao Cao was not fighting just one enemy but three. Liu Mang sold equipment and Gongsun Du sold provisions. With the support of those two, the Yuan brothers could continue to persist.

"Fengxiao. You should go back. It is windy here." Cao Cao stepped forward and said with concern. He even took off his fur coat and hanged it on Guo Jia's body.

"Thank you for your concern Milord." Guo Jia smiled back at Cao Cao. "I am alright."

"A centipede dies but never falls. I did not expect Benchu's second son to be so talented." Cao Cao sighed. He initially did not take any interest in Yuan Shao's children. What was the use of these two prodigal sons? Even if Cao Cao was not here, these two would have destroyed each other. However, Cao Cao did not expect Yuan Xi to be such a talent. Remember that Yuan Xi was competing against the best tacticians in Cao Cao's army such as Guo Jia.

"I would not have this success had Benchu name Yuan Xi as his heir." Cao Cao laughed. "Things are truly unpredictable." It was just like how no one expected Cao Cao to win the battle at Guandu.

"Milord. What did you say just now?" Guo Jia suddenly caught something important in Cao Cao's words.

"I said that things are unpredictable?"

"No, not this one!" Guo Jia shook his head.

"If Benchu's successor was Yuan Xi." Cao Cao repeated.

"Yes! That's it!" Guo Jia's eyes lit up.

"What's wrong?" Cao Cao asked.

"Milord. Who is the Commander of the Yuan Army?" Guo Jia asked Cao Cao with a smile.

"The Commander of the Yuan Army? It must be Yuan Xi." Cao Cao and the Yuan Family had been fighting for a long time. How could he not know who the enemy commander is?

"No." Guo Jia shook his head. "The Commander is not Yuan Xi."

"If it is not Yuan Xi, then who is it?"

"To be precise, the Commander is just a compromise between Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan." Guo Jia said to Cao Cao.

Yuan Xi was the weakest amongst the three brothers. It is not strange as Yuan Tan was the eldest son and Yuan Shang was the favored son. These two naturally took more than eighty percent of Yuan Shao's strength while Yuan Xi could only get ten percent of the inheritence at most.

Because of this, the main strength of the Yuan Army still consisted of soldiers from Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang's armies.Yuan Xi was only Commander because the other two brothers were unwilling to submit to each other.

"Milord. In our army, your orders must be firmly implemented. But this is not the case for Yuan Xi." Guo Jia said to Cao Cao. "Milord. Do you still remember our first battle at Youzhou? The Yuan Army could have easily taken out a piece of Xu You's army and then retreated, exchanging a small cost for a huge benefit. However, they suddenly went crazy and rushed out to pursue Xu You. This allowed General Zhang He and General Xu Rong the opportunity to defeat a part of the enemy."

"Are you saying that Yuan Xi's orders is not being implemented?" The Yuan Army was not united at all. Both Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang regarded each other as enemies so how could they cooperate?

If the Yuan Army was truly united, then Cao Cao would not have been able to take Youzhou. But now, this is not certain.

"All we need to do is to make the Yuan Army fall apart again." Guo Jia sneered.

"Where is General Xu Huang's army?" Guo Jia then asked Cao Cao.

"Xu Huang is at Zhuo County." Cao Cao pointed at the map as he replied to Guo Jia.

"Who is the garrison commander of Zhuo County?"

"Cen Bi!" This was someone under Yuan Tan's command. Cen Bi was a powerful warrior who has ten thousand elites and thirty thousand regular troops under his command. As Xu Huang's troops were also considered top quality troops within Cao Cao's army, they were as strong as Cen Bi's troops. That was why Cao Cao sent Xu Huang's troops there.

"Cen Bi!" Guo Jia thought for a while. "Yuan Tan's men." Guo Jia then turned to Cao Cao. "Milord. Give the order for Xu Huang to come back. Let General Xiahou Ba and General Xu Huang switch places."

"Let Zhongquan fight Cen Bi?" Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia with confusion. Xiahou Ba was Xiahou Yuan's second son. His mother is the sister of Cao Cao's wife Lady Ding. He can be considered as Cao Cao's nephew.

Although he was capable, he was still young. This was the first time he came out with Cao Cao to gain experience.

Because of this, Cao Cao also did not give him a high position. He was just the leader of the troops in charge of logistics. He has thirty thousand men under his command but they were not particularly strong. If he encounters five thousand elites, they would be able to wipe him out. If Xiahou Ba were to fight against Cen Bi, it would just be courting death.

"Although General Xiahou Ba only has thirty thousand men, it should not be a problem to defend the camp for ten days to half a month." Guo Jia looked back at Cao Cao with a smile. He knew that Cao Cao was worried about his nephew. After all, Cao Cao has great expectations for Xiahou Ba. If Xiahou Ba were to die, Cao Cao would not be able to explain himself to the Xiahou Family.

"Defending the camp?" Cao Cao was confused. They were now attacking Youzhou and Zhuo County was a strategic location. Only by capturing it can Cao Cao safely break into the hinterlands of Youzhou.

"Milord. What do you think will happen if we let Yuan Tan go and attack Yuan Shang with all of our strength?" Guo Jia asked Cao Cao.

"Let Yuan Tan go and attack Yuan Shang with all of our strength?" Cao Cao thought about it for a while and his eyes lit up. Yuan Shang would definitely feel resentful after losing a lot of troops. It then becomes a question as to whether the two brothers can continue to cooperate by then.

Guo Jia planned to use the reserve troops as a precaution so that Yuan Tan would not dare to send troops to give support. Meanwhile, all of Cao Cao's elites and launch a fierce attack on Yuan Shang to create a rift between the two brothers.

"Okay. Let us have Zhongquan and Xu Huang switch places tomorrow." Cao Cao immediately made a decision.

"No. We have to act now!" Guo Jia shook his head and said to Cao Cao.

"Have them journey at night?" Cao Cao asked.

"Yes. Time waits for no one Milord." Guo Jia explained. "If we wait for too long, Yuan Xi may be able to solidify his position as Commander."

Indeed. After Yuan Xi became Commander, the Yuan brothers who have usually suffered defeat have begun to gain a series of victories. Even if they do not win, they would not suffer huge losses. Because of this, Yuan Xi was gaining reputation. All of the generals liked to listen to Yuan Xi's command. Even the advisors for the two other brothers spoke highly of Yuan Xi. Once a long time passed, it was possible for these subordinates to switch sides and support Yuan Xi instead of Yuan Tan or Yuan Shang. This is because Yuan Xi was a reliable Lord who can lead them to victory. Who would want to support those two prodigal sons?

Meanwhile, Yuan Shang was generously giving praise to Yuan Xi. "Second Brother is truly like Sun Tzu! You are skilled at leading the troops!" Yuan Shang was full of smiles watching Cao Cao's army being defeated by Yuan Xi.

"Yes. With Second Brother here, we would not need to worry about that bandit Cao Cao." Yuan Tan was also very pleased. With Cao Cao's army retreating, they would be able to launch a counterattack. Yuan Tan was already sick of living in Youzhou.

The other civil and military officials were also praising Yuan Xi.

"No, no!" Yuan Xi replied modestly. Only Shen Pei and Guo Tu remained silent. They wanted to remind their Lords that Yuan Xi's reputation was getting bigger but they did not know how to say it. Right now, they were facing a life and death situation. Any form of internal strife would be fatal. If their words breaks the alliance, they would have nowhere left to go in the future.

Another reason is that they can win by following Yuan Xi. If they had listened to the other two, they would have been completely defeated by Cao Cao long ago. This is why they just pretended to know nothing as long as Yuan Tan (Yuan Shang) cannot take advantage of this.

"Third Brother. How many new weapons and armor do you have?" Yuan Xi asked, causing Yuan Shang to become cautious. Could it be that Yuan Xi wanted his weapons and armor? It was hilarious that Yuan Shang was still worried about such small amounts of money despite the fact that Yuan Xi's prestige was growing with each passing day.

"There are less than a thousand sets." Yuan Shang gave a number.

"Huh?" Yuan Xi frowned. He knows his brother was lying. "Third Brother. I do not want your equipment. I am asking so that I know how to coordinate a plan."

"That's right, third brother. Why are you so narrow minded? How can you lie to Second Brother? On the battlefield, it would be considered making false reports. Second Brother. I have two thousand sets of armor and three thousand swords." Yuan Tan said. He too, was vigilant until he heard Yuan Xi's words and then he took this opportunity to mock Yuan Shang as well.

"I am narrow minded? Haha. Some people have three thousand sets of armor and five thousand swords but only reported two thousand armor and three thousand swords." Yuan Shang mocked.

Yuan Xi felt helpless looking at his two brothers but he manage to obtain the proper information as the two brothers continue to bicker with each other. That is, Yuan Shang has two thousand five hundred armor and seven thousand swords while Yuan Tan has three thousand armor and five thousand swords.

If the two of them were to combine their wealth, they could form an army of heavy infantry. After that, they could simply ride on horses to become heavy cavalry. Yuan Xi wanted to to gather these equipment to form an army as he knew that these weapons would be useless in small numbers. It is only useful if the enemy cannot overpower with your numbers.

However, Yuan Xi also knew that this was impossible. Taking these away from his siblings was like killing them.

"Brothers. Do you still ahve money? If you do, but more of these equipment. These two to three thousand equipment can only bring victories. If we want to drive Cao Cao out of Youzhou, we need a large army." Yuan Xi could not obtain these by himself so he could only persuade his two brothers to do it.

"Money!" Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan were in a dilemma. Although they also wanted more weapons and armor, it was too expensive. Gongsun Du also refused to lower the price as he was just the middleman.

"We do not need much. At least five thousand more sets." Yuan Xi said to the two brothers.

"Second Brother. This is an important decision. I will need time to decide." Yuan Shang said to Yuan Xi. This required hundreds and thousands of gold so he needed to discuss this with his subordinates.

"Second Brother. I need time as well."

"Alright. I hope the two of you can give me an answer by tomorrow morning." Yuan Xi also nodded and then saw them off.

***

Liu Mang was overjoyed when he received report that Xu You was killed and Cao Cao's vanguard army suffered heavy casualties. As long as Cao Cao was delayed in the North, the Central Plains will stay safe.

"It looks like those weapons and armor are showing its worth at Hebei." Liu Mang laughed.

"That's right. The weapons and armor that come out of the Ministry of Works are all works of art." Xu Shu also nodded.

"Milord. Gongsun Du is asking if he could sell it to Cao Cao." Mi Zhu asked Liu Mang.

Mi Zhu was the Minister of Commerce. He was the money bag of Yangzhou. All businesses had the cooperation of his men.

"Cao Cao is interested? How much is he willing to pay." Liu Mang laughed as he asked.

"According to Gongsun Du, Cao Cao is willing to pay a hundred fifty gold for the armor and eighty gold for the sword." Mi Zhu replied.

"Haha. Gongsun Du is really good at doing business." Liu Mang laughed. "He will profit another fifty and twenty gold from this."

"Huh?" Mi Zhu was confused until Yang Hong explained that the price Gongsun Du quoted Cao Cao was two hundred gold and one hundred gold for the armor and sword respectively. This is not including the profit that Liu Mang had already given Gongsun Du. The difference in price would all naturally go into Gongsun Du's hands.

"Tell Gongsun Du that he can sell the equipment if Cao Cao pays one thousand gold for the armor and five hundred gold for the sword. If Cao Cao cannot afford it, then he can forget it." Liu Mang said coldly. Gongsun Du was just being greedy. He had already made hundred and thousands from trading with the Yuan brothers. If it as not because of them holding back Cao Cao, Liu Mang would not even have sold the equipment to Gongsun Du.

"Yes." Mi Zhu nodded. Cao Cao would definitely not buy it. Even Cao Cao could not afford paying a thousand gold just for a set of armor.

"Milord. The Yuan brothers have also found our business department." Mi Zhu continued.

"They are asking if we can sell the equipment a little cheaper." Mi Zhu asked. The selling price of the equipment was ten times higher than the cost of production. In Mi Zhu's opinion, selling it a bit cheaper would not matter much as it meant that the other party would buy more.

"Not possible." Liu Mang immediately refused.

"Zifang. You do not understand. Only we in Yangzhou can sell these weapons and armor. It is just like when Yuan Shao had monopoly on horse trade. Anyone who wants a horse can only buy it from him. Regular horses can be sold for at least twenty gold while the good ones can easily go for one hundred gold. At that time, Yuan Shao also did not lower the price." Liu Mang said as he narrowed his eyes at Mi Zhu. In other words, Liu Mang was coveting the wealth of the Yuan Family.

But another reason Liu Mang did not want to lower the price is because he wanted to limit the number of equipment going to Hebei. He did not want such equipment to be given to foreigners. Besides that, Liu Mang also did not have much hope that the Yuan brothers could resist Cao Cao. This is because the Yuan brothers ultimately lost in the original history. If Liu Mang sold these equipment to the Yuan brothers cheap, they would lose and the equipment would end up in Cao Cao's hands. It would be like giving equipment to Cao Cao for free. The Yuan brothers can only delay Cao Cao at best.

"But Milord. The Yuan brothers really don't have any money!" Mi Zhu wanted to say. The other officials from the Ministry of Commerce reported that the number of provisions the Yuan brothers bought was getting less.

"No money?" Liu Mang frowned. It would be problematic if the Yuan brothers could not afford it. After all, the Yuan brothers only have one province and limited resources.

Liu Mang started to think of things that the Yuan brothers have that he would also want. After all, this was a trade. Liu Mang could not give things to the Yuan brothers for free.

The Yuan brothers lacked money and food. Meanwhile, Liu Mang could also buy horses from Gongsun Du and at a cheap price as well. Gongsun Du would not deceive him by selling inferior goods. As for weapons and armor, Yangzhou was the one selling it.

Liu Mang really could not think of anything besides people. Liu Mang thought to himself if he should engage in human traficcking.

At that moment, Liu Mang suddenly remembered. No matter what era it is, the most important thing was talent. What kind of talents does the Yuan Family have?

"Who are the advisors of the Yuan brothers? Who are their generals?" Liu Mang asked Yang Hong who was in charge of information in Hebei.

"Yuan Tan's advisor is Guo Tu." Yang Hong replied.

"Guo Tu?" Liu Mang thought for a moment and then shook his head. Guo Tu was talented but was not someone Liu Mang wants as Guo Tu was skilled at causing internal strifes.

Yuan Tan's general is Cen Bi, He Yan, Wang Hu…" Yang Hong said a few names but Liu Mang did not recognize all of them. He did not want these people who seemed like they could be killed in seconds.

The same happened when Yang Hong said the names of Yuan Shang's advisors and generals. People like Xin Ping and Shen Pei were good at causing internal strifes. Though Emperors needed such people to keep the power balance in check, this is something that should be done only after conquering the land and the nation is at peace. During chaotic times like these, having such people was just a death sentence.

Liu Mang did not care for any of them. Were the Yuan brothers really so worthless?

Liu Mang was still frowning when a minor official stepped forward.

"Your Highness. Tian Feng Tian Yuanhao seems to be with the Yuan Family." The official said.

Liu Mang looked at him and saw someone he recognized. This man was Pang Shanmin. Pang Gong knew that his son could not do any deceitful scheming so he sent Pang Shanming to Liu Mang to see if Liu Mang could help. Liu Mang also found Pang Shanmin a job that did not require such a skillset, that is, to teach at the academy in Yangzhou.

The reason Pang Shanmin came to the hall was to borrow books from Liu Mang. The ancient people had a lot of literature but only a few of them learned mathematics. Pang Shanmin who was influenced by his father did not know the multiplication table very well. However, Liu Mang's academy was going to teach this. Because of this, Pang Shanmin had to learn everything from scratch.

"Tian Feng? Isn't he already dead?" Liu Mang asked subconciously.

"Master Yuanhao is dead?" Pang Shanmin was shocked and looked like he was about to cry. Tian Feng was a great scholar. To people like Pang Shanmin, he was an idol. If your idol is dead, you would naturally cry.

"Milord. How do you know Tian Feng Tian Yuanhao is dead?" Yang Hong was puzzled.

"Is this not it?" Liu Mang scratched his head. "Didn't Tian Feng get killed by Yuan Shao after Yuan Shao's defeat at Guandu?" Liu Mang still remembered that in the original history, Tian Feng was described as someone firm in his opinions to the extent of offending superiors by Cao Cao's subordinate Xun Yu. He had made many suggestions to Yuan Shao but his suggestions were not accepted. He was imprisoned for dissuading Yuan Shao from attacking Cao Cao. He was then killed after Yuan Shao's defeat at Guandu.

"Milord. Yuan Shao fell into a coma after the Battle of Guandu. Where would he find the time to kill Tian Feng?" Yang Hong shook his head. At that time, Yang Hong still served Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu was defeated and wanted to surrender to his brother so Yang Hong already had spies sent. Tian Feng was still alive.

"What about Ju Shou?" Liu Mang then asked.

However, Yang Hong shook his head. "Milord. I do not know about this person's fate. Some said he died at Guandu. Others said he was killed by Yuan Shang as Ju Shou was fiercely loyal to Yuan Shao. There were also those who said that he was killed by Yuan Shao himself.

"Ju Shou and Tian Feng! Good. As long as we can get this person, then the deal would not be at a loss." Liu Mang then said to Mi Zhu. "Zifang. Thank you for your hard work. Send your people to contact the Yuan brothers immediately. Tell them that I want Tian Feng and the other old generals that belonged to Yuan Shao. You can negotiate the price but Tian Feng must be obtained.

Liu Mang felt excited as though he found treasure. Yuan Shao was indeed defeated like in history but it would seem that the endings of others were different. The generals and officials who were supposed to surrender to Cao Cao were all left behind by mistake. Tian Feng who should have been dead was also still alive.

Liu Mang was thinking as to whether he could go to the Yuan brothers to get more things.

"Understood." Mi Zhu nodded. Soon, an envoy took a warship and headed towards Hebei. They landed at Liaodong and was then escorted to Youzhou by Gongsun Du's men.