Chapter 120: The Shameless Liu Xuande

After settling Sheng Meizhen, her daughter, and the Qiao sisters into a simply renovated, abandoned mansion, Cao Hong immediately received Cao Xiu at the military camp. There was a reason why Cao Cao had suddenly dispatched fifty Tiger and Leopard Cavalrymen to Cao Hong. Cavalry and infantry served entirely different purposes: cavalry were for rapid attacks, surprise assaults, and long-range raids, while infantry were for forming battle lines, defending cities, and conducting encirclements. By sending a unit of elite, mobile forces, Cao Cao clearly intended for Cao Hong to take the initiative.

However, having received no direct orders from Cao Cao, Cao Hong needed to question Cao Xiu.

Inside the large tent, sixteen-year-old Cao Xiu stood before Cao Hong. He had grown to over 180 centimeters, with long, sturdy, and powerful legs—a natural-born cavalryman.

"Wenlie, your uncle sent you here with fifty Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Did he give you any instructions?" Cao Hong asked.

Cao Xiu replied, "Uncle, my Great Uncle ordered me to station myself in Juan City and scout the military situation in Shanyang Commandery."

Cao Hong nodded upon hearing this. Shanyang Commandery was adjacent to Juan City; if one were to scout the military situation, an outpost would naturally be established there. But why would Cao Cao be concerned with the military situation in Shanyang? Shanyang was more than just a commandery; it was the seat of the Yanzhou Inspectorate, effectively housing two separate administrative bodies.

"The Black Mountain bandits have swarmed into Shanyang. The Administrator has gone missing, and the only one left is Liu Gongshan, the Inspector of Yanzhou, who has retreated to defend the three counties of Fangyu, Xiaqiu, and Hululu. Everywhere else is filled with refugees and bandits. As long as we hold Juan City and keep the rebels out of Dong Commandery, what does the situation in Shanyang have to do with us?" This was what puzzled Cao Hong. Although Liu Dai had been forced into the three southeastern counties of Shanyang, he still commanded troops, generals, and grain. He was not to be compared with the Black Mountain bandits, who had been driven eastward by Cao Cao's forces; sooner or later, he would either annihilate them or drive them out of Shanyang.

Under such circumstances, as long as the Black Mountain bandits did not return, why was the military situation in Shanyang so important?

Cao Xiu answered, "I do not know the exact connection between the Shanyang situation and our army, but I heard Yuanjian mention that after my Great Uncle returned to Dongwuyang County from his patrol, Mr. Wenruo informed him that Ying Shao, the Administrator of Taishan Commandery in Yanzhou, had sent a letter. He claimed that Jiao He, the Inspector of Qingzhou, had been crushingly defeated by the remnants of the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans led by Zhang Rao. His whereabouts are unknown, and the fortified city of Linzi has fallen. Subsequently, Zhang Rao led a rebel force of two hundred thousand to attack Ju County, the capital of Beihai State in Qingzhou. Kong Wenju, a famous scholar of the era and the Chancellor of Beihai, led his troops to resist but was defeated and fled to Duchang County in Beihai. He was then besieged by Zhang Rao’s subordinate, Guan Hai. He only managed to escape after sending a letter for help to Liu Xuande, the Chancellor of Pingyuan State in Qingzhou. Later, Liu Xuande joined forces with Kong Wenju, the successor Inspector of Qingzhou, Tian Kai, and the army of Gongsun BoGui, the Marquis of Ji, to defeat Zhang Rao. Now, Zhang Rao is fleeing westward, and Taishan Commandery in Yanzhou is the first in his path. Ying Shao must have written to all the commandery administrators in Yanzhou for help. My Great Uncle likely sent me to scout Shanyang to see if Taishan has been breached, as Taishan lies just to the east of Shanyang."

As Cao Hong listened to the military briefing from Cao Xiu, he realized that the war in Qingzhou was raging just as fiercely. However, he was more struck by the name of another person: Liu Xuande! There was no need to ask; this was undoubtedly Liu Bei, the future Emperor Zhaolie of Han. He never expected that this fellow, Liu Bei, was already the Chancellor of a state.

"Pingyuan... Pingyuan... wait! Chancellor of Pingyuan? Isn't Pingyuan a commandery? A commandery is governed by an Administrator, not a Chancellor. Who bestowed the title of Chancellor upon Liu Bei? It’s absurd!" Cao Hong immediately remarked, "There is only Pingyuan County in Qingzhou, so where did this 'Pingyuan State' come from? Who appointed Liu Xuande as Chancellor?"

Cao Xiu, being at Cao Cao's side, received all kinds of intelligence sent to Dongwuyang. By comparison, Cao Hong, who had spent several months in Juan County, was naturally less informed. Furthermore, unless one was ordered to campaign or garrison a frontier, one could not maintain spies to gather intelligence on other regions, lest one be accused of harboring ulterior motives or overstepping one's bounds. Thus, while Cao Hong had spent months renovating Juan, he knew nothing of the situation elsewhere.

Cao Xiu replied, "This Chancellorship of Pingyuan was conferred by Gongsun BoGui, the Marquis of Ji. At the beginning of this year, Gongsun BoGui led his cavalry south from Guangyang Commandery in You Province, aiming for Ji Province. Han Fu, the Governor of Ji, was terrified and ceded his position to Yuan Benchu, welcoming Yuan’s forces into the province. Enraged, Gongsun BoGui appointed his subordinates: Yan Gang as Governor of Ji, Tian Kai as Governor of Qingzhou, and Dan Jing as Governor of Yan, sending them south to seize various territories in Hebei. After Tian Kai captured Pingyuan Commandery in Qingzhou, he memorialized the imperial court, stating that his subordinate, Liu Xuande, was a descendant of Emperor Jing through Prince Jing of Zhongshan. Since his ancestor’s fief was in the Pingyuan region, he converted Pingyuan Commandery into a State and appointed Liu Xuande as Chancellor, intending for him to reclaim his ancestral lineage and inherit the fief when he next met the Emperor."

*Damn!* I’ve seen shameless people, but never anyone this shameless! So, this was how Liu Bei’s reputation as a "Royal Uncle" spread? In that case, it was Gongsun BoGui—Gongsun Zan—who had once shone so brightly in Hebei, who truly made Liu Bei’s name as a scion of the Han imperial house famous? Liu Bei was quite something, too; he just accepted it!

"Utterly shameless! Just because his surname is Liu, he’s a descendant of the Prince of Zhongshan? Does he have a family genealogy? At least our Mr. Ziyang has a family tree with every detail clearly recorded," Cao Hong blurted out.

Cao Xiu laughed. "I fear no one knows that. After all, Emperor Jing's son lived over three hundred years ago. Who knows how many descendants he had? Even if a record existed, it would have been in the palace. Now that Dong Zhuo has taken the Emperor to Chang'an, the imperial archives have likely been reduced to ashes. There is truly no evidence left to prove or disprove it."

Cao Hong was silent for a long moment, then smiled. "That's brilliant!"

Cao Xiu looked confused. "What did you say, Uncle?"

"I said this Liu Xuande is truly brilliant! Truly impressive! To dare to overstep his bounds and claim to be a scion of the Han house." As Cao Hong spoke, he realized that Liu Bei must have seen through the chaos—the burning of the Luoyang palace and the fires of war engulfing the world—and seized the opportunity to claim this dubious lineage. Cao Xiu was right; there was no evidence left. Whether it was true or not was up to the current Emperor to decide. But the beleaguered Emperor was now a hostage of Dong Zhuo and could say nothing. By the time the Emperor could speak, Liu Bei would have already made a name for himself. In this way, the isolated Emperor would suddenly have an extra "Royal Uncle" to rely on.

The outcome was predictable: the title of "Royal Uncle" would be firmly established.

"The fellow is a master of reading the situation. No wonder he could carve out one-third of the world. Heh! I admit I don't have that kind of brain. Impressive, truly impressive. A formidable foe, a formidable foe!" Cao Hong thought to himself.

He then heard Cao Xiu say, "He is indeed a formidable man. I heard that in this recent victory over Zhang Rao's two-hundred-thousand-strong army, it was Liu Xuande who served as the commander-in-chief, with the armies of Gongsun BoGui, Tian Kai, and Kong Wenju all under his direction."

"I see! So that's how it is. What were their results in this battle?" Cao Hong asked casually.

"Seventy thousand prisoners, tens of thousands dead, and countless chariots, armor, and farming tools captured," Cao Xiu replied.

"Damn! What a guy!" Cao Hong couldn't help but curse aloud. He couldn't help but admire Liu Bei. It was no surprise that Gongsun Zan made him the commander; after all, both Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan were students of Lu Zhi. Most importantly, that royal title gave Liu Bei every advantage in winning over the hearts of the people. What did the illiterate commoners know? If "Imperial Uncle Liu" put on a show of being approachable, he would easily win their hearts. Not just the commoners, but even the rebels likely held an ingrained fear of imperial authority. Using a scion of the Han house as a commander was putting every resource to its best use.

Seeing Cao Hong’s reaction, Cao Xiu laughed. "Uncle, your reaction is the same as Great Uncle's when he heard the news. Yuanjian mentioned that when Great Uncle heard Liu Xuande's name and the results of the battle, he cursed, and then praised him."

*Of all the heroes in the world, only the Prefect and I are worthy!* These were Cao Cao's original words, and they likely originated here. This year was the year Cao Cao and Liu Bei began to intersect, and history would become even more turbulent from this turning point.

"Since that is the case, Wenlie, you may handle the scouting of the military situation in Shanyang yourself. I must go back and see my daughter." With that, Cao Hong said goodbye to Cao Xiu and left. In his heart, however, he decided to study Sun Bin's *Art of War* diligently, lest he be crushed into dust by the wheels of history.