One Hundred and Fifty-Six: Let's Make a Wager

"What are you laughing at?" Li Ru asked.

Cao Hong smiled and replied, "I am laughing at Wuyou for taking things too much for granted. Admittedly, holding the geographical advantages of Guanzhong and striking terror into Liangzhou makes occupying Yizhou relatively easy. But has Wuyou not considered that Li Jue and Guo Si might be fools on par with Dong Zhuo, or perhaps even greater fools than him?"

Li Ru sneered, "Perhaps they are indeed more foolish than Dong Zhuo, but with Dong Zhuo's downfall vividly etched in the past, would they dare to repeat his mistakes?"

Cao Hong said, "Very well! Even if they do not, Li Jue and Guo Si are entering Chang'an together—who shall be superior and who inferior? For all we know, they might fall to infighting even before marching out. Moreover, their followers have gathered merely out of a desperate desire for self-preservation. Once the situation stabilizes, internal strife is inevitable. Without Dong Zhuo, they are nothing more than a mob of opportunistic scoundrels!"

Li Ru retorted, "Even if they struggle to achieve greatness, how does that prove you will attain the highest offices of the state?"

Cao Hong answered, "It certainly does not!"

Li Ru laughed, "The person I wish to assist is a hero or an overlord capable of dominating the entire realm, absolutely not some petty foot soldier holed up in a single corner! If that is all there is to it, I would rather retire into obscurity among the common folk, or end my days far from the dust of the world."

This guy loves to put on airs! And he is intensely narcissistic! This was Cao Hong's impression of Li Ru at that moment. However, he was currently in urgent need of a brilliant strategist, so facing this impervious fellow, Cao Hong decided to activate his cheat.

The foresight cheat!

"Wuyou, you constantly refer to me as a petty soldier guarding a corner of the land, a point I cannot quite agree with. Because when it comes to the art of foreseeing events with divine accuracy, you are far from my match," Cao Hong said with a smile.

Li Ru replied proudly, "On what grounds do you dare claim divine foresight? Assessing the times and reading the situation requires not only hearing from all directions, but also a deep understanding of human nature. If I truly possessed divine foresight, I would have made Dong Zhuo remain on guard against that scoundrel Lü Bu. Even so, I consider myself far more skilled in this art than you."

Cao Hong smiled. "Very well! Since that is the case, let us make a wager. If you win, I will let you go to retire in the countryside. If you lose, you must stay by my side as a retainer. How does that sound?"

Li Ru smiled, "Agreed. What matter do you wish to predict?"

Cao Hong said, "Let us speak of Lü Bu, who is currently fleeing in panic. In your estimation, whose camp will he seek refuge in?"

Li Ru sneered, "He is fleeing toward Wuguan, so naturally, he intends to throw in his lot with Yuan Shu in Nanyang."

Cao Hong nodded and asked, "Then how long do you suppose he will linger under Yuan Shu's command?"

Taken aback by the question, Li Ru said, "The soldiers under Lü Bu's command are the Luoyang garrison troops formerly controlled by the Colonel of the Retainers Ding Yuan; they are an elite force. Yuan Shu will certainly treat Lü Bu generously. Once treated with such generosity, why would Lü Bu leave? There is no question of a short or long duration. From this alone, it is evident that you know nothing of how to assess the times."

Cao Hong smiled and said, "I say one year—Lü Bu will definitely not last a full year under Yuan Shu! Within one year, the truth will be revealed. What do you say?"

Historical records stated that after leaving Chang'an, Lü Bu went to Yuan Shu and received generous treatment. However, this fellow, presuming upon his deed of killing Dong Zhuo and feeling he had rendered a great service to the Yuan clan, allowed his soldiers to plunder within Yuan Shu's territory. This caused widespread dissatisfaction among Yuan Shu's generals. Realizing his guilt, Lü Bu immediately abandoned him to seek refuge with Zhang Yang, the Administrator of Henei. At that time, Li Jue had placed a massive bounty on Lü Bu's head, and Zhang Yang, tempted by the immense reward, harbored dangerous intentions. Consequently, Lü Bu fled to the domain of Yuan Shao in Jizhou. Around the time he sought refuge with Yuan Shao in Jizhou, he achieved a major military feat by shattering the grand army of Zhang Yan, one of the leaders of the Black Mountain bandits. That very year was 193 AD.

As the foremost warrior of the Three Kingdoms period, Lü Bu's exploits had drawn Cao Hong's special attention, so he was thoroughly clear on how events would unfold. The current year was mid-192 AD. Factoring in the time he would spend under Zhang Yang, Lü Bu was bound to leave Yuan Shu within a year.

Hearing Cao Hong's absolute certainty, Li Ru burst into loud laughter. "I suspect you are simply terrified that Lü Bu will be utilized by Yuan Shu, and when Yuan Shu marches to attack Yanyuan and appoints Lü Bu as the vanguard—with your Jiyin Commandery bearing the brunt of the assault—you are comforting yourself with such wishful thinking! Although Yuan Shu is narrow-minded and selfish, his methods for gathering talented individuals are no less inferior to his brother's. Coupled with Lü Bu's fickle, treacherous, and utterly shameless nature, the two of them are bound to hit it off immediately. How could there be any possibility of parting ways within a year?"

Cao Hong smiled. "Whether it is so or not, time will naturally reveal the truth. During this interim, I must trouble Wuyou to act as my estate steward. On one hand, you can receive news regarding Lü Bu at any time; on the other hand, it will serve as a disguise from prying eyes. Within my Cao army, only my elder brother Lord Cao, my cousin Cao Chun, and Xun Yu from Yingchuan currently serve in Luoyang, and perhaps you have crossed paths with them before. As long as you evade their notice, you can rest easy without a single worry."

Upon hearing this, Li Ru replied, "That is not a bad idea after all. Even with Lord Cao, we have only ever communicated through written correspondence. As for Cao Chun and Xun Yu, I have not yet met them. Provided I grow out a long beard and stoop my posture, Lord Cao will certainly fail to recognize me. However, I must state beforehand: as your steward, I will merely go through the motions to order the servants around and look the part of a household manager, dealing with mundane domestic chores. I will not devise strategies for you, nor will I calculate seasonal taxes or anything of the sort."

Cao Hong smiled, "Naturally. Feel free to command the servants and maidservants as you please; if you fancy any female entertainers, enjoy them to your heart's content. If you need money, just come to me. Once the gambling house here is built, if you ever wish to try your hand at a wager, go right ahead."

Li Ru remarked, "Speaking of gambling dens, I have stepped into a few in Daintuo myself. Indeed, the atmosphere is as fierce and intense as a battlefield. The only reason I have spoken with you at length is because you were capable of devising such a wealth-generating scheme as a gambling den, showing you possess a shred of intelligence. Otherwise, I would rather die than utter another half-sentence to you."

Hearing this, Cao Hong thought to himself that this fellow was truly brimming with character. No doubt he had been driven to utter exasperation by that fool Dong Zhuo, leading him to view everyone else in the world as idiots. Cao Hong felt a degree of understanding and sympathy for Li Ru. It was much like playing a MOBA game like Defense of the Ancients back before he became a mercenary, choosing a support role like Witch Doctor or Crystal Maiden, playing diligently and doing one's absolute best, only for the carry teammates to be a bunch of useless fools who threw the game and resulted in a crushing defeat—that kind of suffocating frustration was indescribable.

After losing enough times and suffering miserable defeats, one naturally comes to feel that everyone else playing the game besides oneself is a complete moron. Therefore, upon hearing Li Ru's remark, Cao Hong did not get angry at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "It is a rare thing indeed for Your Excellency to think favorably of my gambling house. That is at least one bright spot."

With that, Cao Hong left the cell, summoned the guards, released Li Ru, and escorted him back to his own residence. He instructed the servants to prepare a room for him, provide hot water for bathing and a change of clothes, and gathered the household staff to inform them that this man was now the steward of the Cao estate, commanding them to obey Li Ru's instructions. Only then did he depart.

Cao Hong did not bother assigning guards to watch over Li Ru. He had no fear that Li Ru would run away, for even if he fled, he could not get far. The entire Jiyin Commandery was Cao Hong's territory—where else could he possibly run?