My Father in Law is Lu Bu

Chapter 722

“Yangzhou?” Cao Caoʼs eyes widened. Why is it Yangzhou again? He has been hearing about Yangzhou a lot these days.

“Yes Milord. Iʼm afraid only the hospital in Yangzhou may be able to treat the Military Advisor!” The doctor knelt down and replied. He was already grasping at straws.

“Hospital?”

“The hospital the King of Shu set up after finding famous doctors?” Guo Jia also asked.

“That one!” The doctor said with a bit of yearning. Those who studied medicine respected ability. This is why people like Hua Tuo was respected. But there is also a saying that teaching the apprentice would starve the master. Because of this, many doctors usually keep their method of treatment a secret and many doctorʼs skills are incomplete. But in Yangzhou, the skills can all be learned from books. Everyone can learn it so all the doctors yearn for it.

“Master Zhang Ji is there too.” The doctor mentioned Hua Tuo and Zhang Ji.

Liu Mang used these two celebrities to attract other doctors to Yangzhou as well.

“Zhang Ji!” Cao Cao couldnʼt help but feel that this hospital was reliable. If there were two miracle doctors there, then Fengxiaoʼs disease could be cured.

“Can Fengxiao really be cured?” Cao Cao asked again.

“It is possible.” The doctor replied. He did not dare to say otherwise. This way, he could at least live a few more days. Death was already the worst consequence. So even if Guo Jia does not recover, there would not be a difference.

“Milord. I cannot go!” Guo Jia shook his head. This was Yangzhou. If it was elsewhere, Guo Jia could still go for treatment. But if he goes to Yangzhou, he wouldnʼt be able to come back.

“Be obedient!” Cao Cao scolded Guo Jia. This was the first time Cao Cao spoke to Guo Jia angrily. He normally just indulges Guo Jiaʼs whims.

“But…”

Cao Cao naturally had the same thought as Guo Jia but he did not mind. “Fengxiao. If you go to Yangzhou, I will indeed lose a capable minister. But even without you, I have Xun Yu, Xun You and Cheng Yu with me. Do you think they are not as good as you?” Cao Cao used his words to force Guo Jia into a corner.

Guo Jia smilted bitterly. If he claims to be better than Xun Yu, Xun You and Cheng Yu, then he would be looking down on them. The Xun pair may not mind but Cheng Yu would definitely have choice words for him if he did this.

“But if you donʼt go to Yangzhou, I will lose a Guo Jia. And there is only one Guo Jia in this world!” Cao Cao added.

Guo Jia sighed as he looked at Cao Caoʼs eyes. Cao Cao only showed this determination once. It was right before his battle with Yuan Shao. At the time, Cao Cao marched with the determination of dying. “I understand.” Guo Jia nodded.

“Thatʼs better.” Cao Cao smiled. “Zhongkang. Prepare a carriage and three hundred men. Escort Fengxiao to Yangzhou!” Cao Cao said to Xu Zhu. “Zhongkang. I will leave Fengxiaoʼs safety to you.”

“Yes Milord” Xu Zhu cupped his fists. The others present were all jealous of Guo Jia. Cao Cao said before that he could not sleep well without Xu Zhu guarding him. He has serious migraine and would not be able to sleep. He could only sleep with Xu Zhu guarding him. Yet, he was sending Xu Zhu away to guard Guo Jia.

“Wait Milord!” Guo Jia suddenly said to Cao Cao.

“Hm?” Cao Cao frowned. Did Guo Jia still refuse to go to Yangzhou?

“Milord, you misunderstand me. What I am saying is, I can go alone. Zhongkang should stay by Milordʼs side.”

“How can I allow this?” Cao Cao shook his head. “Zhongkang is skilled in martial arts. Only he can protect you!”

“Protect me? From who?” Guo Jia laughed.

“Of course, it is from the King of…!” Cao Cao said before realizing his mistake.

Guo Jia was going to Yangzhou so the only danger Guo Jia needed protection from was Liu Mang. But if Liu Mang wanted Guo Jia dead, he could simply let Guo Jiaʼs illness finish him off. Besides that, Xu Zhu may be strong but not even he could fight off an entire army. Yangzhou was Liu Mangʼs territory after all.

“Milord. You just need to give me two hundred… No, fifty men.” Guo Jia said. Though there was no need for guards against Liu Mang, it did not mean that the journey there was completely safe. There can still be bandits roaming the lands.

Cao Cao nodded. Guo Jia was made to rest for the rest of the day as they prepared the carriage. Fifty men from the Tiger Cavalry were also selected as guards.

“Fengxiao. Your eyes?” The next day, Cao Cao saw Guo Jiaʼs eyes bloodshot. It looked as though he had not slept all night.

“Milord. I should have conquered Youzhou together with you. But now, I have to leave and cannot accompany you Milord.” Guo Jia said as he looked at Youzhou.

“Go. I will wait for you to recover. Then we can chat and drink together happily again.” Cao Cao was very openminded. He wanted Guo Jia to stay alive as it was lonely at the top. When Cao Cao fought for his current position, he lost many things in the process. One of those was friendship. Guo Jia was the only one who gave him friendship. Others were simply terrified of Cao Cao or hated him.

“Of course.” Guo Jia nodded. “Milord. Before I leave, I will give you one last strategy.” Guo Jia said to Cao Cao.

“Huh?” Cao Cao listened carefully.

“Youzhou cannot be conquered from the outside but you can conquer it from the inside.”

“Inside?” Cao Cao was puzzled. The only ‘inside helpʼ is Yuan Tan and Yuan Shangʼs conflict with each other. Cao Cao wanted them to start fighting each other again but these two have became smart. They now let Yuan Xi take care of everything.

“It is not just the Yuan Brothers. There is also Gongsun Du.”

“Gongsun Du?” Gongsun Du was something of an ally to the Yuan brothers by being a middleman between them and Yangzhou. If Gongsun Du does not help them, then they would not be able to fight for long. If Gongsun Du helps Cao Cao, the Yuan brothers would be finished.

“Fengxiao. What do we do?” Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia expectantly.

“I have not yet been able to come up with the details. This will depend on the Lord, Master Cheng Yu and the others.” Guo Jia smiled bitterly and shook his head. He already had to go to Yangzhou.

“Yes.” Cao Cao nodded. He was being greedy. “Fengxiao. You must take care of your health.”

“I will.” Guo Jia replied with a smile. “Milord. Take care! Master Cheng Yu and everyone. Please take care of the Lord.”

“Donʼt worry, Military Advisor.” Cheng Yu replied. It was rare to see Cheng Yu not argue with Guo Jia.

“Take care everyone!” Guo Jia cupped his fist and then entered the carriage. The carriage then began to travel towards the Central Plains.

Cao Cao was reluctant to leave and kept watching the now distant carriage.

“Milord. The weather is cold. Let us go back in.” Xu Zhu said to Cao Cao.

“Yes.” Cao Cao responded and only returned to camp after the carriage had disappeared from view.

“Call the others in to discuss important matters.” Cao Cao ordered. He wanted to strike while the iron is hot and thorougly formulate the last strategy given to him by Guo Jia.

***

“One hundred thousand gold! This Cao Cao is really generous!” Liu Mang could not help but sigh at Cao Caoʼs generosity. It was an amount of money that not even noble families could afford. Yet, Cao Cao easily spent this amount just to save one person. Guo Jia Guo Fengxiao. He was truly a talent worth ten thousand gold.

Even Liu Mang was not so generous. When he brought back Tian Feng and the others, he did not spend one hundred thousand gold but one thousand sets of armor. After converting to the manufacturing costs, Liu Mang only spent about ten thousand gold.

“Without Guo Jia, Cao Cao would not have his success today!” Tian Feng spoke up. He had fought Cao Cao and Guo Jia before so he knew Guo Jiaʼs ability.

“Yes.” Liu Mang nodded. He had also met Guo Jia before in Xuzhou. That thin scholar commanded a hundred thousand men with ease. It was Guo Jia who defeated Chen Gong and Lu Bu. Guo Jia also drove out Liu Bei from Xuzhou.

“Milord. We cannot take this money.” Lu Su declared. Although he had never fought Guo Jia before, he knew of Guo Jiaʼs reputation. Even the uncle and nephew pair of the Xun Family thought of themselves as inferior to Guo Jia. Guo Jia becoming Cao Caoʼs top strategist was also evidence of his ability. What Lu Su was saying is that they must return the money to Cao Cao and let Guo Jia die from his illness. This way, they can get rid of an enemy.

“What do the rest of you think?” Liu Mang asked the others with a smile.

“Guo Jia is a great talent. Sooner or later, he will become a threat to Yangzhou. He must not live!” The others began to say as well.

“No. I really want to save Guo Jia.” Liu Mang laughed.

“Milord. Please reconsider!” Zhuge Liang said. “Guo Jia is not like Zhou Yu and Cao Cao is not like Sun Ce. Zhou Yu can be saved but not Guo Jia!” Zhuge Liang tried to dissuade Liu Mang when he saw Liu Mangʼs love for talent acting up. Unlike Zhou Yu, Guo Jia will not surrender.

“Milord. We can take the one hundred thousand gold but leave Guo Jia to die.” Mi Zhu, the merchant, suggested. Merchants have no sense of loyalty. It is true that they could take the money and then leave Guo Jia to die.

“No. How would the rest of the world see Yangzhou if we take the money but did not save Guo Jia? Where would the Lordʼs prestige go?” Reputation was important. If they do not keep their word, no one would trust Yangzhou in the future.

“I am saying, I want that one hundred thousand gold. I also want to save Guo Jia. If I cannot save Guo Jia, I will return that one hundred thousand gold to Cao Cao!” Liu Mang was determined to save Guo Jia.

“Milord! Please reconsider!” Xu Shu also tried to dissuade Liu Mang.

“Yuanzhi. You only see the threat of Guo Jiaʼs talent which is why you say he cannot be saved. But you are forgetting one thing! Yang Hong. You can explain it to them!” Liu Mang said. Yang Hong was the only one who did not stop Liu Mang.

“Ministers. What you are forgetting is that Guo Jia is coming to Yangzhou to see a doctor. A doctor is not being sent to Xudou!” Yang Hong said to the others.

Zhuge Liang and the others were so afraid of Guo Jiaʼs talent that they forgot that Guo Jia is now just a sick person who is coming to Yangzhou to see a doctor.

“We can cure him and I will take the money. But whether Guo Jia will be sent back or not depends on me!” Liu Mang said to the others, making them feel relieved.

Guo Jiaʼs arrival in Yangzhou was like a sheep falling into the tigerʼs mouth. Though Liu Mang will not kill Guo Jia, Guo Jia will also not be able to go back to Cao Cao.

While Liu Mang and the others were still in discussion, a message arrived that Officer Huben have escorted the guests to Shouchun.

“So quickly?” Liu Mang was surprised. This officer was Wei Yan. The Yiyang Troops under Wei Yanʼs command have expanded to about five thousand men. They were stationed at the borders of Yangzhou and Yanzhou to guard against Cao Caoʼs army. If Wei Yan have escorted someone here, it meant that a distinguished guest has arrived.

“Where is he?” Liu Mang asked.

“It is about twenty miles away from the North Gate.” Xu Shu said to Liu Mang.

“Letʼs go. Who wants to come with me to see Guo Jia?” Liu Mang asked with a smile.

“Milord. I want to meet this Guo Jia!” Lu Su was the first to speak.

“Milord. I also want to see what this genius looks like!” Zhuge Liang was the next to step forward. Liu Mang had mentioned Guo Jia many times before in front of Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang was not happy with this and wanted to meet Guo Jia for himself. The opportunity for that has now arrived.

“Milord. I also want to see the person who defeated me!” Tian Feng also wanted to see Guo Jia.

“Anyone else? Does Yuanzhi want to come with us?” Liu Mang asked Xu Shu.

“You guys go. I have a lot of paperwork to do.” Xu Shu had a lot of work so he did not want to go. Liu Mangʼs method of ruling was to get people to do work but does nothing himself. Because of this, all of Liu Mangʼs work end up in Xu Shuʼs hands.

“Letʼs go! Prepare the horses!” Liu Mang ordered and soon, several horses were prepared. Those who followed all could ride horses. This include Tian Feng who was from Hebei. Riding horses was easy for him.

They soon stopped at a pavillion outside the North Gate to wait for Guo Jia and the others.

***

“Boyi. Where are we now?” The ill Guo Jia was sitting in the middle of the carriage. He asked his son who was sitting outside.

“Father. Shouchun is still about few miles away!” Guo Jiaʼs eldest son, Guo Yi, replied.

“Boyi. Are you afraid of coming to Yangzhou with me?” Guo Jia asked as he looked at his eldest son lovingly.

“No. I am not afraid. Mother said I should protect you!” Guo Yi raised his little head and said to his father.

“Good boy.” Guo Jia laughed. His wife was the one who had Guo Yi follow him. Although Guo Jia is going to Yangzhou to treat his illness, he also knew that he might not come back. It was one thing if he was cured. However, if he dies, there should at least be someone to see him off. That was why Guo Yi is following him.

As for Guo Yiʼs safety, Guo Jia was not too worried. He was sure that the King of Shu would not make it hard for a child.

Guo Jia coughed out blood again. Time was running out and he did not believe he would recover. He only relented and came to Yangzhou because he wanted to live up to Cao Caoʼs expectations. Cao Cao had even threatened Guo Jia saying that he would withdraw troops from Hebei. Otherwise, Guo Jia would never allow Cao Cao to spend one hundred thousand gold just to preserve his own life.

“Father look! There are so many people in front! Are they here to welcome us?”

“Welcome us?” Guo Jia looked over.

“Milord!” Wei Yan exclaimed with surprise. Hearing his words, Guo Jia realized who was waiting for them.

“Your Excellency Guo. Our Lord is calling for you.” Wei Yanʼs following words confirmed Guo Jiaʼs suspicion. The person waiting for them was Liu Mang. But this was the pavillion outside the city. Did the King of Shu come all the way out here to greet them?

“I am sorry for troubling you, General Wei Yan.” Guo Jia nodded. He did not know why the King of Shu purposefully come out to greet him but he still had to show etiquette and got off the carriage.

“Milord!” Wei Yan was the first to greet.

Liu Mang looked at the red faced Wei Yan and smiled. “Wenchang.” Wei Yan was one of Liu Mangʼs most miserable generals. He had strength but he was almost executed by Liu Mang. He was even mocked and threatened by Liu Mang.

“It must have been hard to personally escort him.” Liu Mang added. Cao Caoʼs men left after leaving Guo Jia with Wei Yanʼs subordinates. Wei Yan and his men escorted Guo Jia the rest of the way.

“It is not exhausting to work for Milord.” Wei Yan was a bit excited as he replied.

“Haha.” Liu Mang laughed. He could read Wei Yanʼs thoughts. If it was just escorting Guo Jia, Wei Yan could have sent someone else to do it. Yet, Wei Yan personally escorted Guo Jia because he wanted to show himself to Liu Mang and make his presence felt. Liu Mang was not interested in Wei Yanʼs little tricks but there was someone else who was displeased about this.

“General Wei Yan. If you are personally escorting Guo Jia, then who is in charge of your duty? Are you neglecting your duty?” Zhuge Liang complained. It might have been fate for these two to be incompatible. Zhuge Liang was also the Minister of Justice so he had the ability to accuse Wei Yan.

“I…! I…!” Wei Yan started to stammer. He wanted to present himself to the King of Shu but ended up getting attacked by Zhuge Liang.

“Alright. Wenchang, since you have already escorted him here, rest in Shouchun for a day before returning.” Liu Mang interceded for Wei Yan.

Wei Yan was smart. He knew that as long as he does not overdo things, Liu Mang would not find fault with him.

“Thank you Milord.” Wei Yan quickly nodded and left. Getting entangled with Zhuge Liang would not be good for him.

Liu Mang waved his hand and Wei Yan stepped back. Liu Mang then looked at the thin scholar slowly get off the carriage. There was also a child by his side.

The two of them looked at each other as they tried to see through the other party.

Liu Mang was the first to speak. “Resourceful Talent Guo Jia. I have long heard of your reputation. I am lucky to meet you today!” Liu Mang smiled and clasped his fist at Guo Jia.

“Resourceful Talent?” Guo Jia was confused. He did not expect the King of Shu to call him that.

Liu Mang then remembered that this was something Guo Jia was known as in the future rather than the present. However, this did not bother Liu Mang. “He can handle government affairs, and come up with strategies that defeat the enemy and prevent future troubles. Truly a resourceful talent.” Liu Mang was generous with his praise.

“Your Highness overpraised me. It is Your Highness who manage to conquer half the land despite only being thirty years old. There is no one who can compare with Your Highness.” Guo Jia was also very interested in Liu Mang. Liu Mang actually appeared out of nowhere and his title was conferred to him by Cao Cao. It was Liu Mang who helped Lu Bu survive and build the current foundation. Originally, Lu Bu was the one in charge but now it seemed as though Lu Bu was taking a backseat in favor of Liu Mang.

Liu Mang smiled and did not deny it. He then changed the subject. “Master Fengxiao. Are you not afraid you cannot go back after coming here?”

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