Three Kingdoms: The Peerless Strategist of Wei

Chapter 27 is nothing more than Liu Bei trying to squeeze money out of Cao Cao.

"Liu Bei is a hero of our time, and he has come to serve us willingly. Why then do we have to take his life?"

Cao Cao said with a puzzled expression.

Gu Cheng sneered, "Liu Bei is not only a hero of our time, but also a tyrant in times of chaos. He harbors boundless ambitions and has always considered himself a member of the Han imperial family. If we don't get rid of him today, he will surely become a major threat in the future."

Cao Cao's expression suddenly tightened.

"Moreover, Liu Bei's foundation is still shallow and his wings are not yet strong. Even if you, Cao Mengde, secretly help him, he still cannot defend the isolated city of Xiaopei as long as Lü Bu leads his troops to attack."

"Once Xiaopei falls, the western gateway of Xuzhou will fall entirely into the hands of Lü Bu. If you, Cao Mengde, want to eliminate Lü Bu in the future, you will have to spend extra troops and money to take this place back."

"Instead of passively maneuvering like this, it would be better to directly kill Liu Bei, seize Xiaopei firmly in our hands, and then lead a large army straight into Xuzhou, eliminating Lü Bu in one fell swoop!"

A chilling killing intent was already subtly present in Gu Cheng's words and eyes.

A glint of light flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, and he suddenly understood.

He never expected that Gu Cheng's vision and scope were not limited to Liu Bei, but also included the entire plan to eliminate Lü Bu in the future.

"Li Heng is absolutely right. Among the many warlords in Henan, Lü Bu is the most deadly threat. He could hinder me from behind during my decisive battle with Yuan Shao. This man must be eliminated as soon as possible!"

Cao Cao nodded to himself, deeply agreeing.

"So, my dear son-in-law, you mean you advocate that I immediately mobilize a large army and attack Xiaopei?"

Cao Cao suppressed the turmoil in his heart, kept a straight face, and asked again.

"The time is not yet ripe."

Gu Cheng gently shook his head.

"Liu Bei recruited soldiers and stockpiled grain in Xiaopei City. He had already recruited at least 10,000 strong soldiers. He could easily hold Xiaopei for ten days or half a month."

"At that time, Liu Bei will definitely ask Lü Bu for help. If you, Cao Mengde, fail to capture Xiaopei after a long siege, you will be in danger of being attacked from both sides by Lü Bu and Liu Bei's troops."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, stroking his long beard as he said, "In that case, the only way to get rid of Liu Bei is to launch a surprise attack."

"There's no need to go to such lengths."

Gu Cheng took a small sip of his wine, then looked up and asked, "Xiaopei is just a county town; how many people and households could it possibly have? How could Liu Bei support an army of tens of thousands? Father-in-law, do you know the reason behind this?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao suddenly realized something was amiss, but after much thought, he couldn't figure out the key point and could only shake his head helplessly.

"Liu Bei's confidence stemmed from nothing more than the generous assistance of the Mi family of Xuzhou."

Gu Cheng's single sentence revealed the key secret.

Cao Cao suddenly understood and realized the truth.

The Mi family of Xuzhou, the Zhen family of Hebei, and the Lu family of Huainan are the three most powerful and wealthy merchant families in the world today.

Since Liu Bei entered Xuzhou, Lady Mi had always been a great help to him. Even after Liu Bei lost the main city of Xuzhou and ended up in a state of wandering, Lady Mi still remained loyal to him.

When Liu Bei came to Cao Cao for help this time, he specially sent Mi Zhu, the head of the Mi family, to Xuchang, which shows how much Liu Bei relied on and valued the Mi family.

Liu Bei was able to support tens of thousands of soldiers in just the small county of Xiaopei, which was entirely due to the strong financial resources of the Mi family, who had enough money and grain to recruit soldiers and stockpile military equipment.

"Cao Mengde, you only need to cut off all the Mi family's support to Liu Bei. Once his money, food and military pay are cut off, he will be forced to reduce his troops and cut off his own wings."

"When that time comes, Cao Mengde, you can mobilize your army to take Xiaopei directly. Wouldn't that be as easy as turning your hand and capturing it in no time?"

Gu Cheng tilted his head back and drank the remaining wine in his glass, then explained the key points of the entire plan.

Cao Cao now fully understood the key point and immediately said with a smile, "If we want to cut off the Mi family's support for Liu Bei, we must start with Mi Zhu. We should grant him official titles and ranks in the name of the Han Dynasty and forcibly keep him in Xuchang. Is this what you mean, my son-in-law?"

"My father-in-law truly has a keen eye; he's amazing!"

Gu Cheng immediately gave him a thumbs up, his eyes showing genuine admiration.

"Alright, we've had enough of a chat today, so I'll head back to Xuchang now."

Having obtained the answer he wanted, Cao Cao immediately stood up and took his leave.

Gu Cheng quickly tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Father-in-law, why don't we sit down and have a simple family meal before you leave, instead of waiting for your wife to return?"

"No, no, I won't disturb you two any longer, haha—"

Cao Cao laughed and waved his hand, then turned and strode away.

Gu Cheng looked down at the walnut crumbs scattered on the stone table and couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "This stuff was originally only good for cracking walnuts, but I never expected it would be worth fifty million coins. This deal was definitely a sure win."

Outside the gates of the mansion.

Cao Cao and his entourage had already mounted their horses and were galloping towards Xuchang.

"My lord, are you truly planning to hand over all fifty million coins to Young Master Gu?"

Xi Zhicai, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask.

"Of course, we have to give it to them."

Cao Cao laughed and said, "The Imperial Seal is a national treasure, priceless. Spending fifty million coins to buy it back is extremely worthwhile. Moreover, this money will ultimately go to my son-in-law. In the end, it's a case of keeping the wealth within the family."

Xi Zhicai suddenly realized what was going on and couldn't help but laugh along.

A moment later.

Xi Zhicai suppressed his smile and said solemnly, "Young Master Gu has sharp eyes and a clear understanding of things. Liu Bei is indeed no ordinary person. I believe that our lord should act entirely according to Young Master Gu's plan."

"My son-in-law is always a master strategist, so why should I not listen to his plans?"

Cao Cao's expression was resolute. He raised his riding whip and shouted, "Upon returning to Xuchang, immediately request the Emperor to draft an imperial edict appointing Mi Zhu as the Minister of the Imperial Household, ensuring he never has the chance to return to Liu Bei's side again!"

"promise!"

...

Ten days later, in Xiaopei City.

In the main hall of the prefectural government, Liu Bei sat expressionlessly in the head seat, his face filled with deep sorrow.

"Brother, Cao Cao appointed Mi Zizhong as the Minister of the Imperial Household and forcibly detained him in Xuchang as an official. This is clearly an attempt to cut off the Mi family's financial support for you!"

Guan Yu's face was ashen, and his phoenix eyes were filled with burning resentment.

Zhang Fei immediately burst into curses, "That treacherous Cao Cao! We were originally planning to use him to deal with that traitor Lü Bu, but we never expected to be tricked by him instead. That old villain is truly cunning to the extreme!"

"Bang!"

Liu Bei slammed his clenched fist on the table in front of him, his anger about to erupt completely.

But in the next instant, he took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the anger that was rising in his throat.

"I don't know which treacherous villain offered Cao Cao such a vicious and wicked plan. Not only did Cao Cao refuse my surrender and submission, but he also turned around and tried to harm me!"

Liu Bei's overwhelming rage ultimately turned into a heavy sigh.

"My lord, I have heard that Cao Cao has recently gained the assistance of a reclusive master. This man is incredibly resourceful and almost supernatural. Cao Cao's previous victories over Zhang Xiu and Yuan Shu were largely due to his strategies."

"Could it be that the insidious scheme Cao Cao used against us this time was also devised by this master?"

The strategist Sun Qian suddenly spoke up, saying in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei shuddered and frowned deeply. He said, "If this is indeed the case, and Cao Cao has such an extraordinary person to assist him, then the fate of our Han Dynasty is even more precarious."

Guan Yu immediately spoke up, "Leaving aside whether this hermit truly exists, the most pressing matter right now is that Mi Zizhong is being held captive in Xuchang by Cao Cao. The Mi clan may become hesitant and dare not offer us any further assistance. If that happens, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Liu Bei frowned even more deeply, his head bowed as he fell into deep thought.

Just at this time.

Sun Qian stepped forward, bowed deeply to Liu Bei, and said, "My lord, now that Mi Zhu is not in Xuzhou, Mi Fang is in charge of the Mi family. I have a plan that can both make Mi Fang publicly demonstrate his loyalty to you and extract a large sum of money from Cao Cao, as retribution for his wicked scheme!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's spirits instantly lifted.

"Most of the salt in the provinces of Yan, Yu, and Sili controlled by Cao Cao came from the salt lakes in Hedong and the coastal salt fields of Xuzhou. The salt business in Xuzhou was mostly controlled by the Mi family."

"I have recently heard that the White Wave Army has rebelled in the Hedong region and has temporarily taken control of several major salt ponds in the area. The daily salt needs of the provinces under Cao Cao's rule can now be met entirely by the sea salt produced in our Xuzhou."

"Given this situation, why don't we take this opportunity to let Mi Fang raise prices on the spot, starting with salt, and squeeze a large sum of money out of Cao Cao?"

"In this way, we can both demonstrate the Mi family's loyalty to you, our lord, and make them completely offend Cao Cao. It's truly a brilliant plan that kills two birds with one stone."

Sun Qian explained his entire plan clearly and eloquently.

Liu Bei's eyes lit up instantly. He stroked his long beard while carefully weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

Guan Yu immediately showed delight and said, "Brother, I believe that Gongyou's plan is entirely feasible."

Zhang Fei immediately shouted, "Then what are we waiting for! Brother, quickly call Mi Fang over and order him to raise the price of sea salt immediately!"

"This sea salt business is ultimately the private property of the Mi family. How can I, as your elder brother, presume to interfere?"

"Moreover, if we do that, it would be tantamount to making the Mi clan openly hostile to Cao Mengde, and it would put Mi Zizhong, who is in Xudu, in a life-or-death situation. As his brother, I really can't bear it."

Liu Bei shook his head and sighed, his face full of reluctance.

Guan Yu's expression turned serious, and he solemnly said, "I know that you, my brother, have always been benevolent and righteous, but this matter concerns the life and death of us brothers, and even more so, the great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty. You must not forget the greater good for the sake of petty righteousness!"

Liu Bei's expression suddenly tightened slightly.

"Yes, my lord. If Mi Zhu is truly loyal to you and to the Han Dynasty, even if he is in danger at this moment, he will definitely support your decision without hesitation."

Sun Qian was also standing by, earnestly offering his advice.

Liu Bei just kept sighing and hesitating to make a decision.

"Brother, I implore you to prioritize the greater good of restoring the Han Dynasty!"

Guan Yu immediately rose and stepped forward, bowed deeply to Liu Bei, and earnestly pleaded for his help.

Zhang Fei immediately knelt down as well, shouting at the top of his lungs, "That's exactly what I meant!"

Unable to resist the repeated persuasion of the crowd, Liu Bei could only sigh helplessly and say, "Fine, for the sake of the Han dynasty, I can only make an exception and go against my own conscience this time."

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

...

In the eastern part of Xudu City, there is a secluded and quiet courtyard.

Mi Huan had received a top-secret letter from her second brother, Mi Fang, delivered urgently from Xiaopei.

In the letter, Mi Fang, in his capacity as the current head of the Mi family, ordered Mi Huan to immediately notify all salt shops of the Mi family in Xudu, as well as in the prefectures of Yan, Yu, and Sili, to immediately increase the price of salt by three times.

"If the price of salt were to triple all at once, how would ordinary people afford to eat salt? Making money in this unscrupulous way is not in line with the family tradition passed down through generations of the Mi family."

Mi Huan stared intently at the secret letter in her hand, her delicate brows furrowed tightly together.

"Our lord has to support tens of thousands of troops in just Xiaopei, and the daily cost of money and grain is countless. For the sake of restoring the Han Dynasty, this is the only way we can do it."

Zhao Yun, standing to the side, also looked helpless and sighed deeply before speaking.

Clearly, Liu Bei also sent him a secret letter, explaining in detail the reasons and difficulties behind his plan to drive up the price of sea salt and profit from Cao Cao.

"But my elder brother is still under Cao Cao's control. If Cao Cao finds out that the Mi family has drastically raised the price of salt and is profiting from his territory, what if he poisons my elder brother? Doesn't our lord have any concerns at all?"

Mi Huan raised her eyes and glared at Zhao Yun, asking him a question word by word.

"this……"

Zhao Yun was speechless for a moment, unable to defend Liu Bei in any way.

Although Liu Bei repeatedly explained his predicament in the letter, claiming that this action was for the sake of the Han Dynasty and that he had no other choice.

But how could he tell Mi Huan that it was worth sacrificing her brother for the sake of the lord's cause of restoring the Han dynasty?

"Although Cao Cao is cunning, he also has the magnanimity of a great ruler. He probably wouldn't do anything ruthless to your brother."

Zhao Yun could only offer such words as a token attempt to comfort Mi Huan.

Mi Huan hesitated, hanging her head and falling into a long period of contemplation.

Much later.

She bit her lip sharply, her voice tinged with bitterness as she said, "My eldest brother is not in Xuzhou. The Mi family is now in charge of my second brother. Since he has made his decision, what can I do? If he wants to raise the price of salt, then let him raise it."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to say a few words to comfort Mi Huan, but he didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only shake his head and let out a long sigh.

...

One month later.

In the eastern suburbs of Xu County, in Gu Cheng's mansion.

The clattering sound of mahjong tiles being shuffled echoed gently throughout the courtyard.

Gu Cheng was sitting around a square table with Cao Jie, Da Qiao, and Diao Chan, playing mahjong with great interest.

"Three of a kind! Self-draw! A clean sweep!"

Da Qiao chuckled and slapped the mahjong table, knocking over all the tiles in her hand. She then looked at everyone present with a smile.

"Oh, Wan'er, how come you won again? Your luck is just too good!"

Cao Jie looked somewhat annoyed and muttered complaints under his breath.

Gu Cheng exclaimed with admiration, "Wan'er, it seems your talent in mahjong is in no way inferior to my wife's. You've only been learning for a few days, and you're already this good."

"I was just lucky today, and I also owe it all to my sister, who is such a good teacher."

Da Qiao subtly flattered Cao Jie with her humble words.