PFC Chapter 42 Your Lord Wen will surely be defeated, I told you so.
Chapter 42 Your Lord Wen will surely be defeated, I told you so.
Lu Lingqi, filled with rage, was instantly subdued by Xu Chu. Her fists clenched, her almond-shaped eyes glaring at Xu Chu, but she dared not lash out again. "Let's be gentlemen, using words, not fists. Let's just chat, let's not cause any deaths." "Zhongkang, put away your sword. This brother, please sit down too." Gu Cheng beckoned to the two of them, seemingly acting as a peacemaker. Only then did Xu Chu sheathe his sword and step back.
Lu Lingqi snorted coldly and sat down again, looking annoyed. "Brother, have a cup of tea to calm down. Don't get sick from anger." Gu Cheng poured him a cup of tea. "Lu Bu is still your lord. If you don't like hearing bad things about him, I won't say anything. Anyway, I appreciate your kindness. As for you asking me to go and serve your lord, then forget it."
Lu Lingqi's agitated emotions had just calmed down slightly.
She took a sip of tea and sneered, "Brother Gu, do you really believe that our Marquis Wen is inferior to Cao Cao and will inevitably be defeated by him?" "That's not necessarily true." Gu Cheng sat down again and filled his own cup.
"Xiaopei is the gateway to Xuzhou. If your Lord Wen is willing to mobilize the entire army and do everything in his power to relieve the siege of Xiaopei, there is a chance to defeat Cao Cao."
"What a pity, you certainly won't do your best to save Xiao Pei, you'll just stand by and watch, hoping to reap the benefits."
Lu Lingqi countered, "Brother Gu, how can you be so sure that my Marquis Wen will not do everything in his power to save Xiao Pei?" "Didn't I just say that?"
Gu Cheng disagreed, saying, "Your Marquis Wen has no talent to be a great ruler, so how could he have the vision of one? In that case, he will only see the small gains in front of him and forget about the long-term benefits."
Upon hearing Gu Cheng "belittle" Lü Bu again, Lü Lingqi's eyebrows furrowed once more.
Gu Cheng quickly said, "Brother, don't get agitated. You insisted on asking me this, and I'm always honest, so I'm just speaking from the bottom of my heart."
Lu Lingqi swallowed back the dissatisfaction that was about to spill from her mouth. She just glared at Gu Cheng, saying nothing, her eyes shifting uncertainly. An awkward atmosphere ensued. They remained silent for a long time.
Lu Lingqi took a deep breath and asked seriously, "Brother Gu, I'll ask you one last question: are you truly unwilling to serve in the government and lend a helping hand to my Marquis Wen?"
"Then I'll answer one last time: Brother, I, Gu Cheng, am unworthy of your kind offer." Gu Cheng refused without hesitation. "In that case, I'll take my leave!" Lü Lingqi stood up abruptly, glared at Gu Cheng, and turned to leave.
As she was about to be discharged from the hospital, Lü Lingqi suddenly turned around and shouted, "Gu Cheng, you will soon find out you are wrong. Marquis Wen will definitely defeat Cao Cao!"
Having said that, she turned and left without another word.
"Young Master, that pretty boy has a terrible temper. Are you just going to let him go like that?" Xu Chu complained. Gu Cheng smiled and said, "Although he has a bit of a temper, he did want to invite me to come out of seclusion. Considering his good intentions, why bother arguing with him?"
Xu Chu suddenly realized what was going on and sighed in admiration, "Young Master is truly magnanimous; it's just that I, Old Xu, am petty." At this moment, Gu Cheng's stomach rumbled, and he realized that he hadn't eaten yet. Mi Huan, who was standing nearby, quickly served him some food.
"Young Master, are you truly certain that Lü Bu will not save Xiaopei, that Guan Yu will be defeated, and that Xiaopei will inevitably be captured by Cao Cao?" Mi Huan asked cautiously while serving him. "Of course, it's just a matter of time," Gu Cheng replied between bites. Mi Huan shivered.
After much hesitation, Mi Huan suddenly knelt down and bowed to Gu Cheng. "What are you doing?" Gu Cheng asked, bewildered. Mi Huan's eyes reddened as she pleaded, "My second brother, Mi Fang, is in Xiaopei City. Once Cao Cao breaches the city, he will surely die. I beg you, sir, to save my brother's life."
It turned out to be the case.
"Mi Fang forced you to marry Liu Bei, and you don't blame him, but now you want me to save him?" Gu Cheng asked, looking into her eyes.
Mi Huan sighed softly, "Second Brother was also doing it for the Mi family; he had his own reasons. In the end, we are still blood relatives. First Brother was also in vain."
"When we are both in the same boat, how could I bear to watch her die?" "She is a woman of great loyalty and affection..." Gu Cheng thought to himself.
Feeling moved is one thing, appreciating is another.
The Mi family was, after all, his enemy. How could he possibly show mercy just because Mi Huan looked pitiful and made a few pleas? "Mi Fang followed Liu Bei, betting her life and fortune on him." "You want me, a country bumpkin, to plead with Cao Cao for your brother? Absolutely not." "Mi Fang can only save herself if she wants to live." Gu Cheng helped her up.
Mi Huan sensed there was still hope and hurriedly said, "Young master, how can my second brother save himself? First, write a letter of surrender, persuading Mi Fang to submit to Cao Mengde. I'll see if I can send this letter of surrender to Mi Fang in Xiaopei City."
"If he is sensible and listens to your advice, surrendering to Cao Mengde, he might be able to save his own life," Gu Cheng suggested.
Mi Huan suddenly awoke and bowed again to Gu Cheng: "Thank you for reminding me, young master! Thank you so much! I'll go write it right away!" Immediately, Mi Huan burst into tears of joy, wiped them away, and wrote a letter of persuasion to surrender. Outside the Gu residence.
"Hmph, you dare to underestimate my father like this? I will definitely help my father defeat Cao Cao and defend Xiaopei, so that you will know you were wrong."
Lü Lingqi muttered to herself, full of resentment as she walked out. Her subordinates, who had been secretly positioned around her, quickly surrounded her. "Miss, is Gu Cheng willing to serve in the household and work for Marquis Wen?" Zhang Liao stepped forward and asked.
Lu Lingqi snorted, "That kid's got his eyes on the top of his head! Not only does he refuse to come out of seclusion, but he also spouted some discouraging nonsense about how his father wasn't a great leader and was destined to be defeated by Cao Cao. It really makes me furious!"
"This brat, how dare he be so ungrateful?" Zhang Liao frowned, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect. "Miss, should I lead men in and forcibly take him to Xiapi?" "How can that be!"
"That kid is infuriating, but we can't use force. Even if we kidnap him, he'll harbor resentment and won't sincerely offer advice to our father!"
Lü Lingqi immediately rejected the idea.
"But we can't use force, and he refuses to serve. What should we do?" Zhang Liao frowned.
Lu Lingqi sneered, "That's simple. As long as Father can lift the siege of Xiaopei and defeat Cao Cao, letting him witness the mighty demeanor of a military commander, he will naturally be convinced and come out of seclusion to serve Father."
Zhang Liao seemed to understand something.
"By the way, Father's army should be arriving at Xiaopei soon. Let's head there immediately and help Father defeat Cao!"
A murderous glint appeared in Lü Lingqi's eyes.
Zhang Liao's eyes widened in surprise, and he hurriedly said, "Miss, this humble general has just received news that Marquis Wen has decided not to rescue Xiaopei for the time being, but to sit back and watch the tigers fight."
"What?"
Lu Lingqi was taken aback and abruptly turned to look at the Gu residence. She remembered what Gu Cheng had said to her earlier. Gu Cheng was certain that Lu Bu wouldn't rescue Xiao Pei and only wanted to reap the benefits. "He actually predicted that Father wouldn't rescue Xiao Pei... this, this..." Lu Lingqi murmured to herself, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief. "Miss, what are you saying? What do you mean he predicted it correctly?" Zhang Liao asked, bewildered.
Lu Lingqi snapped out of her daze, gritting her teeth, "This must be Chen Gong's idea, trying to ruin Father's important plans! We must go to the camp to see Father immediately!"
Lü Lingqi strode away, and Zhang Liao, unaware of the situation, had no choice but to follow. She walked wildly, not avoiding pedestrians, and nearly knocked over a burly man. "Pretty boy, are you blind?" the burly man said, his face darkening as he turned around.
Lü Lingqi didn't apologize and dashed away like a gust of wind. "Dian Wei, forget it, she's just a passerby, don't take it to heart," Cao Cao said, patting him on the shoulder. Dian Wei could only mutter curses as he turned back.
Cao Cao looked ahead and laughed, "We should be there soon. Fengxiao, remember, don't let anything slip and let my son-in-law find out the secret."
"Rest assured, my lord, I understand." Guo Jia, dressed in a blue robe, smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
Since Guo Jia joined Cao Cao, Cao Cao has greatly appreciated his strategies and found his temperament very agreeable. Cao Cao trusted him implicitly and even told Guo Jia the secret of Gucheng. At this time, Cao Cao's army had already reached Xiaopei and was still besieging the city and setting up camp, but had not yet begun the attack.
Cao Cao left Cao Ren in charge of the overall situation at the main camp, while he himself, along with Guo Jia, returned to Hulu City to meet his son-in-law. "This is the place Ang'er was talking about. Dian Wei, go knock on the door," Cao Cao said, pointing to the tightly closed gate. Dian Wei then stepped forward and knocked. Inside the courtyard...
Gu Cheng was already lying in the rocking chair, looking at the letter of surrender written by Mi Huan, pondering how to send it to Mi Fang in Xiaopei City. Just then, Zhou Tai hurried over and said with a smile, "Liheng, a guest has come to visit?" Gu Cheng was puzzled.
He had just seen one guest off when another arrived. He was clearly living in seclusion, yet it seemed as if the whole world knew where he lived.
"not see!"
Gu Cheng waved his hand and leaned back in the recliner. "What's wrong, son-in-law? You won't even see me?" A familiar voice rang in his ears. Gu Cheng looked up and was surprised to see Cao Cao walking in with a smile.
"Father-in-law?" Gu Cheng rose to greet him, asking curiously, "What wind has blown you from Xudu to this Hulu City?" "As you know, my Yang family is in the medicinal herb business. Now that Cao Cao is campaigning in Xuzhou, my Yang family is fortunate enough to secure a business supplying medicinal herbs."
"I dared not neglect you, so I personally delivered the medicine to the front lines. On my way, I stopped by Hulu and stopped to see you." Cao Cao's reason was quite reasonable, leaving Gu Cheng with no room for doubt. "I see. Then congratulations, Father-in-law, you're about to make a fortune again." Gu Cheng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. "What fortune?" Cao Cao waved his hand, self-deprecatingly saying, "Just a little bit of money. How can it compare to your salt business, my dear son-in-law? In a few years, I'm afraid you'll become the richest man in the world."
Gu Cheng made some modest remarks and then invited Cao Cao into the inner hall. "Father-in-law, who is this?" Gu Cheng looked at Guo Jia.
He had noticed early on that the person who came with Cao Cao this time was not Xi Zhicai.
"Oh, this young master's surname is Jia, given name Guo. He is currently a clerk in the Sikong's office and is a close friend of mine despite our age difference," Cao Cao introduced.
"So he's my father-in-law's friend."
Gu Cheng then cupped his hands in greeting: "Jia Shuzuo, it's an honor to meet you."
Guo Jia hurriedly returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "This humble official has long admired Young Master Gu's name. It is an honor to finally meet you today." Long admired your name?
Gu Cheng looked at Cao Cao with suspicion in his eyes.
Cao Cao chuckled and said, "Having such a good son-in-law as Liheng, I naturally can't help but show him off to my friends. Don't worry, he's one of us, I can trust him."
Gu Cheng suddenly realized what was happening and couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.
While others were showing off their sons and daughters, this father-in-law was showing off his son-in-law. The host and guests sat down, and fragrant tea was served. After taking a few sips, Cao Cao said, "My dear friend, despite our age difference, has been troubled and distressed lately. I thought that with your wisdom, Liheng, you could surely comfort him, so I brought him to visit you."
Gu Cheng felt somewhat depressed.
It turned out that his father-in-law had treated him like a therapist, bringing his friend along to have his emotional problems treated. However, since his father-in-law had made such a boast, he, as the son-in-law, couldn't let him lose face. So Gu Cheng smiled modestly and said, "Father-in-law, you've greatly exaggerated my abilities. However, if Jia Shuzuo has any concerns, he can certainly talk to me about them."
"Sigh~"
Guo Jia feigned distress and sighed, "To be honest, I am currently torn between staying in the Sikong Mansion or resigning and going to Hebei to join Yuan Shao's forces."
Gu Cheng understood; he wanted to find another way out and defect to Yuan Shao. "That's not surprising. On the surface, Yuan Shao is far stronger than Cao Cao." "Everyone admires the strong, so it's understandable that Jia Shuzuo wants to join Yuan Shao. After all, strategists like Xun Yu and Guo Jia who go against the tide and abandon Yuan Shao for Cao Cao are extremely rare."
Gu Cheng was not surprised, but casually mentioned Guo Jia's name. Upon hearing this...
Cao Cao and Guo Jia were slightly startled and couldn't help but exchange a glance.
Xun Yu served under Yuan Shao in his early years, but before Cao Cao became the governor of Yan Province, he went south and joined Cao Cao's forces, which is common knowledge.
However, Guo Jia had only secretly traveled south ten days prior, joining Cao Cao's forces in Changyi. Even among Cao Cao's civil and military officials, very few now knew of Guo Jia's arrival. How did Gu Cheng find out?
"How did you know, Young Master Gu, that Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao, has already defected to Cao Cao?" Guo Jia couldn't help but ask.
"Hmm? Did I mention Guo Jia?" Gu Cheng asked in return. "Son-in-law, you did mention Guo Jia," Cao Cao nodded. Gu Cheng could only cough a few times.
"Guo Jia is Xun Yu's friend, so it's normal for Xun Yu to recommend him to Cao Mengde." "I've heard that this man has extraordinary strategic skills. If that's the case, he should be able to see that Cao Mengde is the true wise ruler." "If he wants to join Cao Mengde, he should naturally join him before Yuan Shao marches south, so that he can be of timely help and be given important responsibilities." "My estimation suggests that this is the most suitable time. Could it be that I've actually guessed right by accident?" Gu Cheng had to give them a reasonable explanation.
"As my lord said, he was right. Just by predicting that I would join you at this time, his wisdom and insight are unmatched by many in this world..."
Guo Jia clicked his tongue in amazement and couldn't help but glance at Cao Cao. Cao Cao stroked his long beard, a slight smile playing on his lips, his brows revealing a hint of pride in his son-in-law. "Yuan Shao, a man from a family that has held high office for four generations, is renowned throughout the land, and the number of strategists and generals under his command far exceeds that of Cao Cao."