The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 407 Cai Mao prepares to surrender to Cao Cao
"Qin Shou has angered everyone!"

Cao Cao put down the information in his hand with a complicated expression.

The clan power in Jiangdong was also very strong, which Cao Cao was well aware of. If it were not for his large number of troops and numerous civil and military officials, even if he occupied Jiangdong, he would be constrained by these aristocratic families.

He was also a man of action, and his favorite thing to do, apart from liking other people's wives, was to promote people based on their talents. He also wanted to implement this in Jiangdong.

But he would not cut flesh from the noble families like Qin Shou did. After all, the noble families still had the upper hand, and he still needed the support of these noble families.

Qin Shou is now doing what he wants to do, so even though Qin Shou is his enemy, he still admires him in his heart.

"Qin Shou is a man of great talent. He saw the reason for the decline of the Han Dynasty at a glance. The frequent wars in the north gave him the opportunity. Now Jingzhou is different. The people's hearts are uncertain, and the three families are fighting for it. This gives these aristocratic families the confidence to pretend to obey the Cavalry Army while secretly disobeying it." Guo Jia also sighed.

His background determined that he was inclined towards the poor family, so he admired Qin Shou very much.

"My lord, this is an opportunity!" Cheng Yu ignored it and said loudly: "Qin Shou is rampant. Those who left behind are the surrendered soldiers of Jingzhou. The army is not determined. Now the noble families are dissatisfied, which will definitely affect the situation in Jingzhou. If we rush into Jingzhou at this time, we may not be able to capture Xiangyang."

Cheng Yu suggested.

Does Qin Shou's great talent have anything to do with him? He is just worried about whether he can capture Xiangyang, divide Jingzhou with Liu Bei, and exchange Yuzhang County, so as to achieve the possibility of joining forces with Liu Bei to deal with Qin Shou.

Cao Cao nodded. In fact, he had long lost hope in Xiangyang. Unexpectedly, the situation took a turn for the better. The Cavalry Army committed suicide, plunging Jingzhou into turmoil.

"It would be great if we could get help from the noble families of Jingzhou." Guo Jia stroked his beard and said, "At this time, some noble families must have other ideas."

Cao Cao shook his head and said, "Qin Shou eliminated the private soldiers of the noble families in Jingzhou, making it impossible for these people to rebel, unless?"

"Cai or Kuai!" Guo Jia's eyes lit up and he said, "Now the two families must be regretting what they did that day. On the surface, they are the governor and general, but in fact they have lost the power to control Jingzhou."

"Qin Shou is just getting rid of him!" Cheng Yu said sarcastically.

Cao Cao didn't say anything. If such a thing happened to him, he would do the same. How could he let a person who had just surrendered take control of the military power?
"My lord, there is someone outside who claims to be sent by your best friend. He wants to see you for something."

There was a sound of footsteps outside, and then Xu Chu strode in.

"My best friend? Who is it?" Cao Cao was surprised.

Since leaving the Central Plains and coming to Jiangdong, there is really no one I can call my close friend.

"The man's surname is Cai!" Xu Chu responded again.

"Cai Mao!" Cao Cao and Guo Jia exclaimed.

"Come in, please." Cao Cao called out quickly and trotted out at a quick pace.

It was really a timely relief. Cao Cao didn't expect that just when he was thinking about someone to act as an insider, someone would contact him. He was overjoyed.

"Cai He!"

When Cao Cao saw the person coming, he immediately believed the other party's origin. Cai He had once followed Cai Mao and met Cao Cao in Luoyang.

"Cai He pays respect to the general in the name of his brother."

When Cai He saw Cao Cao, he bowed quickly and said, "Degui asked you to come here, do you have any letters to bring?" Cao Cao nodded and asked the other party to stand up.

Cai He shook his head and said, "Brother did not send a letter, but asked me to deliver a verbal message. Everyone in Jingzhou is looking forward to your arrival in Xiangyang. As long as the enemy is at the gates of the city, it will be the time for our Cai family to open the city gates."

When Cao Cao heard this, a strange look suddenly appeared on his face.

"Your brother sent you to pretend to surrender. Tsk tsk, he wants to kill you!" Cao Cao said dimly.

"Ah, absolutely not. General, you are wise. Qin Shou spent 500 strings of cash to buy 80% of my Cai family's land. Some of the noble families in Jingzhou are like this." Cai He gritted his teeth and said, "These damn guys are clearly robbing by trickery!"

After hearing this, Cao Cao nodded secretly. This was consistent with the information reported in the intelligence that the aristocratic families in Jingzhou suffered heavy losses, which was also in line with the practices of the Cavalry Army.

"I'm afraid Cai Mao didn't just send you to Jiangdong!" Guo Jia suddenly said quietly.

"Brother also asked Cai Zhong to go to Jingnan." Cai He did not dare to neglect it and said quickly: "Whether it is the general or Uncle Liu, whoever's troops arrive in Xiangyang first will go to Xiangyang first."

Cao Cao believed him and understood his move, but he was still a little dissatisfied. He snorted, "Now Liu Bei can't even take Dangyang, and he wants to get his hands on Xiangyang. What a joke."

"This is not something I can know." Cai He said quickly, "If the general decides to raise an army, I will take care of the Han River Navy and allow the general's troops to go north along the river. On the night when the general blocks the Han River wharf, I will open the north gate of Xiangyang and welcome the general into the city."

"What does Degui want?"

Cao Cao was silent for a while before asking quietly.

"The Governor of Jingzhou, the General of Zhennan, and the confiscated fertile land must be returned to my Cai family." Cai He said bravely.

"If I can enter Xiangyang, I will naturally give these things to him." Cao Cao looked at Cai He deeply.

"In that case, I will take my leave now. The Cavalry will conduct strict inspections. If I stay out for a long time, I will inevitably arouse suspicion." Cai He walked a few steps and said, "If the general does not go, I am afraid that Xiangyang will be captured by Liu Bei."

Cao Cao looked at the other person deeply, nodded, and let him leave.

"My lord, this man cannot be trusted. He might be deceiving us. If Cai Mao wants to surrender, he should write a handwritten letter." Cheng Yu said immediately.

Cao Cao stroked his beard, shook his head, and said, "It is unlikely that he surrendered in a false way, but it is still possible if you say that he surrendered in a false way."

"Why is this?" Cheng Yu was a little curious.

"If our people can march down the city, he will truly surrender. If we don't send troops, I'm afraid he will suppress his anger and wait for the right opportunity. In short, he will not put himself in danger," Guo Jia explained.

Cao Cao chuckled and said, "This is also the reason why he didn't write a letter. Once he wrote a letter, there would be a risk of being exposed. If Cai He came, if he was discovered by the Cavalry, he would have enough excuses."

Cao Cao defended Cai Mao.

If Cai He had really brought a letter, Cao Cao might have been suspicious. But he just asked Cai He to deliver the letter, so Cao Cao, who was suspicious by nature, no longer doubted him.

"So that's how it is. This Cai Mao is really cunning."

Only then did Cheng Yu understand the truth. "

(End of this chapter)