Eighty-five.

Do not worry, Brother, as long as Li Yin leaves this Mount Heavenly Pillar with the goods, the matter will naturally spread. Once it spreads, half the stain upon our names will be washed away.

In the Huainan region, the great edge of war may have been dulled for the time being, but spies from every side are still here. All of them must pass through Mount Heavenly Pillar to learn what lies beyond it.

Within Jiangdong, Sun Ce and the Lord of Lujiang, Liu Xun, want to know what Cao Cao is doing, and they must pass through Mount Heavenly Pillar to do so. Likewise, Cao Cao must pass through here if he wishes to know what is happening in Jiangdong. This place can truly be called a storm-tossed crossroads.

Brother, I still refuse to accept this. Those provisions were paid for with our brothers' lives. Without them, the men would be left starving.

Chen Lan smiled at Lei Bo. This stubbornness over the provisions was only a pretense; what he truly could not accept was having been defeated by Zhang Xun. He had been badly battered by Zhang Xun's battle blade. Had Li Yin not intervened, Lei Bo would have suffered a far greater humiliation, and in another setting he might even have been slain by Zhang Xun.

Very well, Brother. When have you ever seen me spit back out what I have already swallowed?

Lei Bo's interest stirred. His elder brother really was not the sort to suffer losses in silence.

I have already let it be known: in this Jiangting of Huainan, there are fewer than five hundred soldiers, with several thousand old, weak, sick, and disabled. Yet the city they captured holds ten thousand measures of grain, several thousand battle blades, and all those horses. Tell me, do you think anyone might be tempted?

Brother?

Lei Bo's eyes flickered. Near Jiangting, those great powers would certainly not be interested in a little ant like Li Miao. People like Cao Cao naturally had their own calculations. But some others were different, especially those who, like them, were bandits who ruled from Mount Heavenly Pillar.

Do you remember Mei Qian?

Mei Qian of Mount Song? Lei Bo certainly remembered him. He was from the same trade as they were: a bandit. Only he was more professional than Chen Lan and Lei Bo, who were latecomers to the craft. The saying goes that those in the same line of work are rivals, and the two sides had fought more than a few times.

Now that such a fat lamb had appeared, would Mei Qian really fail to strike?

Brother, if Li Yin has only just moved the grain out and then is attacked by bandits, won't that look too obvious?

Chen Lan laughed. We are only responsible for putting the grain into his hands, not for escorting it. Besides, what I told Mei Qian was not Li Yin's marching route, but the location of Jiangting itself.

By the timetable, Li Yin has probably not even reached Jiangting yet, while Mei Qian will most likely be there first. As for that little brat Li Miao, he has only three hundred Imperial Feather Guards with him. They have all been sent out now, leaving only a few thousand old and feeble men. How could they possibly stand against Mei Qian?

Jiangting will certainly fall to Mei Qian. When he finds no grain there, he will kill Li Miao in his fury. And then, when Li Yin returns with his three hundred Feather Guards, what do you think will happen?

There will be slaughter, certainly.

The Feather Guards and Mei Qian's troops!

Lei Bo's eyes brightened. Though the three hundred Feather Guards were few in number, he knew they were no small force. At the very least, without two thousand men of his own, he would have no confidence in taking them down.

And once the Feather Guards lost their lord, they would surely become desperate men, perhaps even deadlier. Then they and Mei Qian would likely wound each other grievously.

At that point, Mount Heavenly Pillar could come forth to clean up the mess. The grain would be recovered, their reputation restored, and they might even take the opportunity to eliminate Mei Qian as well.

Brother, what a brilliant scheme. One stroke, four gains!

He looked at his elder brother with admiration.

You are forgetting one thing, Brother. If we are to seek refuge with Cao the Metropolitan Commander, we cannot go empty-handed. And in Jiangting, there is a gift of great value.

Greed shone in Chen Lan's eyes.

The Imperial Seal!

Li Yin's younger brother, Li Shu, had gone to Mount Heavenly Pillar? And after coming down intact, he had gone from arriving empty-handed to leaving with dozens of carts, together with warhorses and packhorses.

The news spread swiftly.

Liu Xun of Lujiang, Cao Cao of Yanzhou, and even Sun Ce in Jiangdong all learned of it.

Chen Lan and Lei Bo? Could it be that they had sided with Li Miao again?

Cao Cao frowned as he read the report. As for those two, although he had never formally accepted them, he had also not rejected them. In fact, he had treated their envoys rather well.

That was because Mount Heavenly Pillar was a vital route linking the Central Plains and Huainan. If one wished to take the land south of the Yangtze from the Central Plains, one had to pass through here. Likewise, if one wished to enter the Central Plains from beyond the Yangtze, this route was equally necessary.

At present, the lords of Jiangdong south of the Yangtze, Sun Ce, Yan Baihu, Liu Xun, and others, were all locked in a bitter struggle. This made it all the more inconvenient for Cao Cao to station troops at Mount Heavenly Pillar, because the moment he moved troops, the lords of Jiangdong would surely unite. After all, Cao Cao was the true power in the region. They, by contrast, held at most two or three commanderies, and at least only one city, while Cao Cao controlled an entire province.

Cao Cao would have been delighted to see them slaughter one another. How could he possibly send troops to provoke them?

Thus Chen Lan and Lei Bo became the perfect pieces on the board. They were neither Cao Cao's soldiers nor wholly independent of him. With them stationed on Mount Heavenly Pillar, Cao Cao's future southern campaign would become far easier.

And now, these two men had somehow begun entangling themselves with Li Yin again, which was rather intriguing to Cao Cao.

My lord is overthinking it.

The man sprawled before him, with his belt loosened and his robe half-open, wore the face of one of those great drinkers with ruddy nose and flushed cheeks. He lay upon the mat with no dignity in sitting and no dignity in standing, as carefree as could be, utterly unrestrained.

This was Cao Cao's study, yet Cao Cao seemed not to mind at all.

Fengxiao, have you something to teach me?

As he spoke, Cao Cao even lifted the wine jar beside him and poured a cup for the man.

Indeed, this man was none other than Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao, the mind of Yanzhou and Cao Cao's chief strategist.

Guo Jia sniffed the wine. Excellent. Duke Du Kang's wine is truly good. I may have to ask my lord for a few more jars.

Li Shu, Li Gonglu, was a man who loved pomp and glory, and whose extravagance knew no bounds. It was precisely for that reason that Chen Lan left Li Shu. That shows he has a brain.

He took a sip.

But Li Shu has already been ruined. He left behind his legitimate son, Li Miao...

Before Cao Cao could finish, Guo Jia continued for him.

His legitimate son, Li Miao, and the old, weak, sick, and disabled in Jiangting, yes?

Guo Jia smiled. Li Miao had guessed correctly after all. It was not that Cao Cao had failed to notice him; it was that Cao Cao had deliberately let him be.

For a broken little county like Jiangting, Cao Cao had long since discovered Li Miao's whereabouts.

There are fewer than a thousand troops, with a mass of old and disabled men. What right does Li Shu's son have to swallow up Chen Lan and Lei Bo? Even if Chen Lan and Lei Bo delivered themselves to his door, would Li Shu's son dare accept them?

To seek refuge is, by nature, for the weak to attach themselves to the strong. When have the strong ever attached themselves to the weak? If such a thing does happen, it can only be because of deep ties. But Chen Lan and Lei Bo and Li Shu's son? Heh. Their bond is so close they might as well be sworn enemies. Half of Li Shu's death can be laid at the feet of Chen Lan and Lei Bo. They cut off his road of retreat completely. Even Li Miao, that shameless, unfilial wretch, would be too embarrassed to cast aside his hatred and take them in.

He would also fear that they harbored ulterior motives. Once they submitted, who would listen to whom would be far from certain.

Then why did Li Yin make a journey to Mount Heavenly Pillar and leave that mountain with dozens of carts, all loaded with grain, weapons, armor, and those horses?

My lord, Chen Lan and Lei Bo are showing goodwill to you!

Showing goodwill to me?

Cao Cao frowned, a little puzzled.

Why did my lord not accept Chen Lan and Lei Bo?

Guo Jia asked in return.

Is it because my lord despises their betrayal of their former master and their habit of kicking a man when he is down?

Cao Cao did not deny it. He was indeed a man who treasured talent deeply, but he was also suspicious by nature. If Chen Lan and Lei Bo could betray Li Shu now, would they not betray him later? Especially after they had even sent troops to attack Li Shu in Shouchun, Cao Cao had grown all the more averse to them, which was why he had kept the two men dangling for so long.

That is why Chen Lan and Lei Bo have made arrangements on both fronts.

Guo Jia took another sip of wine and shared the other piece of news with Cao Cao.

Chen Lan spread word that Jiangting held grain and only a few thousand old and weak men. Among those who received the news was Mei Qian of Mount Song.

What is he trying to do?

Cao Cao's eyes widened, and soon he understood. Mei Qian attacks Jiangting. Though Li Miao has fewer than a thousand men, do not forget that the several hundred he still has are all elite Feather Guards, the very sort even I covet.

If Mei Qian moves against Jiangting, it will be no easy matter. Once Mei Qian swallows Jiangting, Chen Lan will then send troops to Jiangting.

What is there in Jiangting worth Chen Lan's troops? If there is anything at all, it can only be the Imperial Seal!

Exactly, my lord, the Imperial Seal. Chen Lan wishes to present the Imperial Seal to you. In doing so, he can wash away the stain upon his name and also offer you, my lord, a gift upon first meeting. Why not?

Guo Jia's analysis was precise and unhurried.

Nonsense. This is utter nonsense!

Cao Cao was angered, though there was delight in his eyes, and beneath it all, unease.

Someone.

My lord!

One of Cao Cao's attendants entered the study.

Hurry to Mount Heavenly Pillar at once on the fastest horses and stop Chen Lan and Lei Bo!

Cao Cao ordered his man. He was indeed loyal to the Han emperor, but the Han emperor was nothing more than a puppet. If the Imperial Seal fell into the emperor's hands, that would be troublesome indeed. Without the Imperial Seal, Cao Cao could depose the emperor whenever he pleased and simply claim it was a counterfeit. But with the Imperial Seal in hand, the emperor's position would become truly legitimate. At the very least, many who wavered between loyalty to the Han house and loyalty to Cao Cao would, once the seal was restored to the emperor, truly throw themselves behind the emperor. And then there was popular sentiment: the Imperial Seal represented rightful rule.

The ancients believed fervently in such things. One could not call it mere superstition, but rather faith in the mandate of heaven. The Imperial Seal was the sign of legitimacy. That was why Li Miao's cheap, foolish father, once he obtained it, flew into a frenzy and proclaimed himself emperor in rebellion.

No need.

Just as the attendant was about to leave, Guo Jia called him back. If it had been anyone else, Cao Cao's guard would have paid no heed, but this was Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao, the man who shared Cao Cao's bed.

Guo Jia turned to his lord.

My lord, it is already too late.

From Xudu to Mount Heavenly Pillar, and then from Mount Heavenly Pillar to Jiangting, the message has already gone out too late. By now Mei Qian has probably received it, and may even already have moved his troops.

Chen Lan and Lei Bo have ruined me!

Cao Cao was furious. If Chen Lan and Lei Bo truly delivered the Imperial Seal to him, would he return it to the emperor or not? If he returned it, the emperor would gain the people's hearts and a legitimate claim. If he did not, then he would be condemned as harboring treacherous designs.

My lord, why should you distress yourself?

Guo Jia said indifferently.

How can I not be distressed? If Cao Cao wanted the Imperial Seal, why would he need Chen Lan and Lei Bo's meddling? With the boy Li Shu left behind and those troops in his hands, even if they came ten times over, I could destroy them. I could obtain the Imperial Seal, yes, but I cannot do so. It is because that boy bears the surname Li. Li Shu was once the legitimate son of the Li clan; now that Li Shu is dead, his son naturally becomes the new legitimate heir of the Li family. If I kill Li Miao, I would be severing the Li line altogether. Should I do such a thing, many would come to fight me with their lives. The Li family has held the Three Excellencies for four generations, and half the scholars under heaven may be said to have come from that house. If I were to wipe out their line, the number of enemies I would make would not be small.

And so, in the history that might have been, Li Miao could live comfortably even without his father. Wherever he went, people would care for him out of respect for the old head of the Li family. Only in this lifetime, Li Miao clearly did not understand what his family's name represented. With the Imperial Seal gone as well, he could only bitterly and stubbornly hold on.

Chen Lan used Mei Qian and might have played a fine two-pronged game, perhaps even dealing with Li Miao along the way. If Cao Cao were then to accept Chen Lan and Lei Bo, would that not amount to admitting that he himself was the one who had destroyed the Li clan's line?

Chen Lan and Lei Bo are nothing more than bandits. They brutally murdered the young master of the Li family. If we destroy them, would that not be vengeance on behalf of the young master? At that point, not only will my lord offend no one, but he will also earn the support of certain scholar-official families. Why not indeed?

Guo Jia said calmly.