Chapter 231 - Talented Person Under The Heaven (1/2)
Chapter 231 Talented Person Under The Heaven
Translated by [email protected]
Cao Cao rode his horse out of Xudu but he was unable to find Liu Ye. He wanted to bring Liu Ye back to Xudu but Xun You, who was in charge of Xudu shook his head and said that he did not see Liu Ye. Even Liu Ye’s residence was empty. He has left without taking any valuables with him but all the valuables are merely worldly possessions to Cao Cao.
“Regret! Regret! To have eyes but to be unable to see talent!” Cao Cao’s intestines regretted letting go of such talent! (TN: Yes. Intestines.)
He now remembered Liu Ye trying to speak. Liu Ye probably wanted to report about the ballistae at that time. However, he gave up such an opportunity just because he was suspicious of Liu Ye.
The wisdoms of the ancient people were terrifying! Liu Mang had to rely on books to invent the ballistae but Liu Ye replicated it just by relying on Cao Cao’s information. Although it was inferior, Liu Ye could create a better one provided he had the time.
“Milord, if you can’t catch him, forget it!” Guo Jia also felt helpless and blamed himself for being late. Had he not drink wine, he would have noticed the ballistae earlier and could have prevented this from happening. Guo Jia also heard from the other generals about the scenario of Cao Cao chasing out Liu Ye. It was a scenario that Guo Jia himself would be unable to endure had it happen to him.
Guo Jia was once loyal to Yuan Shao but because Yuan Shao treated him with disdain and did not use his talents, Guo Jia also left to serve Cao Cao.
“Feng Xiao! You do not know! I am very afraid!” How could Cao Cao not be afraid? For such a talented person to leave him, would still be okay if the person went into seclusion. However, if the talented person joined someone else, it would become a huge threat. Cao Cao was afraid that Liu Ye would change allegiance to Yuan Shao. At that time, Yuan Shao would really rejoice.
“Don’t worry Milord!” Guo Jia rea.s.sured Cao Cao. “Ziyang would not seek refuge with Yuan Shao!” Guo Jia was not speaking empty words but a fact. Yuan Shao was someone who treats the Han in disdain. Compared to Cao Cao, he would be treated even worse at Yuan Shao’s Army. While serving Cao Cao, Liu Ye still managed to obtain an official position. Had he served Yuan Shao, he would most likely end up as a clerk! All the seats of power there would be given to the Hebei n.o.bles. Even if Yuan Shao wanted to give him a powerful seat, he would stand out too much among the Hebei n.o.bles! Guo Jia believes that Liu Ye would not be so stupid to go to Yuan Shao. On top of that, Yuan Shao did not think much of the ballistae. He believed that the reports of the battle at the Yangtze River is false. He also believes that that tens of thousands of soldiers in Jiangdong and Jingzhou were small. He believes that the others would flee at his might the moment Cao Cao’s Army is destroyed. That is why he did not send Lu Bu any congratulatory gift or ask for the ballistae.
The people in charge are the arrogant ones.
“My brother, your temperament is really a big help to me!” Cao Cao seeked joy amidst his suffering and did not want to think about Liu Ye anymore. Let us get rid of that troublesome Yuan Benchu first. “Fengxiao, can you replicate the ballistae?” If Liu Ye was around, Cao Cao would not be worried as this ballista was invented by Liu Ye. On the other hand, Guo Jia may be a top advisor but he was terrible at mechanics.
“Milord, this does not need good mechanic skills. The craftsman would just need to a.n.a.lyze it.” Guo Jia has terrible mechanic skills and does not want to show his incompetence. Since there were so many craftsmen in Xudu, might as well just teach them. He does not believe that each part cannot be remade after dismantling the ballista. Especially when they have Liu Ye’s blueprints.
“The ballista is no problem. The question is if Milord can hold out at Guandu.” Guo Jia needs Cao Cao to be able to defend Guandu. That way, the ballistae can be developed and used.
“Rest a.s.sured Fengxiao. Although your lord is now dim sighted from old age and unable to recognize talent, he is still not a bungling oaf! With these 100,000 soldiers, we can hold out for at least 3 months.” Cao Cao has his own self confidence. If he wasn’t a ruler, Cao Cao would be a general that is adapt in both the pen and the sword. Before becoming a ruler, Cao Cao has fought against the Yellow Turbans. At that time, he was under the command of Huang Pu Song. Cao Cao could often give good proposals and was also a vanguard like Lu Bu. However, Cao Cao would later become more and more like a ruler. Understanding the value of his own life, Cao Cao gave up being a vanguard to someone under his command. On the other hand, Lu Bu’s love for fighting and his strong martial arts prevented him from converting. Both methods of fighting have their own advantages.
Lu Bu’s advantage was that as long as Lu Bu is around, the morale of the army is always at its highest. The disadvantage was if Lu Bu was killed or besieged, it would become fatal to the morale. One example was when Lu Bu retreated after fighting the 18 warlords at Hulao Gate. The soldiers garrisoned at the gate all also lose morale.
On the other hand, Cao Cao’s method of commanding from the rear ensures his own safety but his soldiers would not be able to be as strong as Lu Bu’s soldiers.
Even the Ferocious Cavalry was inferior to the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and could only be used to apply some pressure to the Lu Bu’s Army.
When Cao Cao claim to be able to hold back Yuan Shao for at least 3 months, he was being modest. He was actually able to defend Guandu for 6 months. Yuan Shao would need to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of soldiers if he wants to capture Guandu!
“Haha, in that case, I promise you that I will give you the ballista just before Guandu is captured.” Guo Jia joked. He knew that Cao Cao is currently under a lot of pressure so he decided to share the pressure with him.
“This prodigy! Do not give me a corpse alright!” Cao Cao smiled and jokingly punched Guo Jia. Cao Cao could only laugh when he was with Guo Jia. Everywhere else, including his own home, Cao Cao’s actions were spied on and revealed. Ever since the death of Cao Ang, Cao Cao noticed his children all acting strangely. Familial love has decreased and everybody was being solemn. It was a tragedy.
When the battle for Guandu began, Yuan Shao’s soldiers continued to attack Guandu. Meanwhile, Cao Cao did not follow Cheng Yu’s proposal to attack Qingzhou. He divided his army into two, the first army were to defend Guandu while the second army was hiding in the camp to avoid war and to load the ballistae onto the wars.h.i.+ps.
The scale of the battle became larger over time. What started as an a.s.sault by a few thousand soldiers became an a.s.sault by tens of thousands of soldiers. Eventually, Yuan Shao lost his patience and ordered all of his soldiers to attack. The Yellow River became the Red River as the whole river was filled with dead bodies and blood.
Liu Mang on the other hand does not know about the battle at Guandu. All he knows was that he is now married and could now tell the world that My father-in-law is Lu Bu! (TN: Roll credits.)
Miss Lu also became a gentle woman that was considerate of Liu Mang instead of a willful and violent woman. If it was not because Miss Lu had a birthmark on her chest, Liu Mang would have thought that Lu Bu had two daughters. Liu Mang now has three wives. That is Lu Lingqi, Yuan Fang and his concubine He Yu. He Yu did not dare to call herself a Qiao and could only become a concubine. Liu Mang was extremely busy that night and woke up the next day with a sore waist.
Liu Mang finally started his journey to Shouchun. Zhang Liao and Zang Ba needed a few more days of preparation but Liu Mang had business to take care of so he left early. After a few days, he reached Hefei. At the time, Hefei was still a small county. After the war, it was desolate and did not have many people. That is why the army could immediately be stationed there. At that moment, a scout came to Liu Mang and delivered a painful news. Shouchun was occupied. A green war flag with the word Liu was raised.