Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 98: The Zhuge Clan of Langya County
Between Juancheng and Langya State, there is Taishan County.

Ying Shao, the prefect of Taishan County, was directly appointed by the Han court in the sixth year of Zhongping (189 AD). Therefore, like Zhang Miao, he was still independent of Cao Cao's control.

Ying Shao came from a prominent family in Runan and had close ties with the Yuan family.

At the same time, because Cao Cao implemented new policies in Yanzhou and valued people from humble backgrounds, Ying Shao was never very interested in Cao Cao's attempts to appease him and secretly maintained contact with Yuan Shao.

In addition to the intelligence provided by spies stationed in Dongjun and other places, some of the intelligence Xu You obtained from Yanzhou also came from Ying Shao.

Historically, Cao Cao brought his father to Yanzhou, and was killed by Zhang Kai after entering Hua County, Taishan County.

It is impossible to prove whether this was due to the desire for money or whether someone else instructed him to do so.

In order to reduce the risk, Cao Yan decided to take only Dian Wei and a few followers with him and go through Taishan County to Langya State, so as not to alert the enemy or attract unnecessary attention.

Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan's Flying Dragon Cavalry first went to Shanyang County in the name of cooperating in the elimination of the remaining Yellow Turbans, and then detoured into Hua County in Taishan County to lie in ambush, waiting for the arrival of Cao Yan and Cao Song's troops.

Hua County is only about fifty miles away from the ancient city of Yangdu where Cao Song and his family took refuge.

On the second day of May, Cao Yan and his party arrived at the ancient city of Yangdu.

The Cao Family Compound is quite famous throughout Yangdu, and you can find the direction by asking around.

Not long after we left,
From a distance, Cao Yan and his group could see the large mansion covering an area of ​​ten acres.

Arriving at the entrance, I saw two vermilion-painted doors inlaid with copper nails, and the door knockers were bronze Taotie swallowing mouths. On either side of the gate stood half-human-high stone lions, their fangs bared and claws swaying, looking majestic and imposing.

Dian Wei, who was standing behind Cao Yan, asked curiously, "Is this Old Master Cao's house? It's truly magnificent!"

Before Cao Yan could answer, the doorman came out jogging to greet him.

He looked at Cao Yan and others.

The young man in the lead had a handsome and elegant temperament, but also had a bit of heroic spirit.

Behind him were four fully armed guards, one of whom was tall and strong, with a fierce look on his face. He couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

But he quickly recovered, bent his waist, and cautiously asked: "Excuse me, sir, what is this..."

Cao Yan did not answer the doorman. He walked straight to the door and shouted, "Father, your son is here to take you to Yanzhou!"

Upon hearing this, the doorman's face suddenly changed, and he knelt hurriedly on the ground: "I didn't know the young master had arrived, I will go and inform him now!"

Cao Yan smiled and said, "That's fine, just go and report it yourself."

"Thank you for your forgiveness, sir!" After saying that, the doorman rushed into the mansion crawling.

The doorman ran into the yard, and Cao Yan also led Dian Wei and others, crossed the one-foot-high threshold, and entered the courtyard.

After walking a few steps, I saw an old man with a slightly plump figure walking quickly towards me, surrounded by a crowd of people.

The leader was Old Master Cao Cao Song.

Now his hair has turned gray, his face is covered with wrinkles, and his eye sockets are sunken, but his eyes are still bright.

He was dressed in a gorgeous brocade robe with a jade belt around his waist, and his every move exuded an air of wealth.

"Father!" Cao Yan shouted from afar.

Cao Song looked closely and saw that it was his favorite youngest son Cao Yan, and tears immediately streamed down his face.

"It's Lao Liu! Why are you here?" Cao Song stepped forward quickly and took Cao Yan into his arms.

"Old... Old Six?" Cao Yan was startled when he heard that, and then he remembered that he was the sixth child in the family...

Cao Song stroked Cao Yan's cheek with trembling fingers and said, "I haven't seen you for a few years. You've grown taller, thinner, and stronger..." Then he pulled Cao Yan's arm and looked at him carefully.

However, Cao Yan's face was less mischievous than before, and more elegant and heroic.

The old man nodded repeatedly and couldn't help but sighed: "Your brother said that you are now capable of both literature and martial arts and can stand on your own. I didn't believe it at first..."

Then, with a tone that was three parts blame and seven parts heartache, he said, "Why did you deceive me, my child, and pretend to be such a dandy? You made me worry about you for years."

"Father, let's go inside and talk first." Cao Yan smiled and supported Cao Song as they walked towards the main hall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several young men in gorgeous clothes standing in the corridor, looking around curiously.

Entering the main hall, Cao Song sat down in the main seat with the help of Cao Yan.

After Cao Yan sat down below Cao Song, Cao Song asked in confusion, "Yan'er, why did you pretend to be a playboy back then?"

Cao Yan picked up the teacup, took a sip, and seemed to be considering where to start.

After a moment, Cao Yan smiled and said, "It's not that I'm pretending. Back then, my son really just wanted to be a playboy and live happily."

"..." Cao Song's hand froze suddenly, and then he said suddenly: "After the frequent wars, you were forced to show your ability to assist your elder brother in order to save your life?"

"Yes! In troubled times, only power can save lives. My eldest brother had just been defeated in Xingyang and was in dire straits. If my son had not come out to help, he would have had a hard time saving his own life, let alone living a peaceful life?" Cao Yan sighed.

Cao Song pondered for a long time after hearing this, and sighed softly: "I am very pleased that you two brothers can work together to create a great cause. But what are your plans for coming here this time?"

"It's all arranged." Cao Yan smiled and said, "Don't worry, father. Stay for a few more days. Once I finish my business, we'll set off together."

Cao Song asked doubtfully, "What could you possibly be doing here?"

Cao Yan said, "My son wants to visit the Zhuge family and find someone."

"Oh?" Cao Song became interested. "The Zhuge family is considered a prominent clan in Langya County. Why do you suddenly want to visit them?"

The Zhuge family of Langya can be traced back to Zhuge Feng, the Inspector of the Imperial Guards in the Western Han Dynasty, but they only maintained local influence for the next two hundred years.

Although they "served in prefectures and counties for generations", most of their official positions were at the level of county magistrate or county magistrate.

In terms of cultural accumulation, although the Zhuge family passed down the study of classics from generation to generation, they lacked a sustained academic status, and the gap between them and the "generations of nobles" such as the Yuan family of Runan was significant.

Compared with the Yuan family and the Xun family, the Zhuge family seems too insignificant.

Cao Yan naturally could not talk about the Zhuge family during the Three Kingdoms period, who served in three kingdoms and held high positions, forming a grand occasion of "one family with three branches as the crown".

However, Cao Yan did not hide his purpose and replied, "I heard that the Zhuge clan has produced many young talents. I want to help my elder brother recruit a few of them."

Cao Song recalled for a moment and said slowly: "Zhuge Gui died in the fourth year of Zhongping, and he had three sons.

After Zhuge Gui's death, the eldest son has been making a living outside alone and rarely sends back news.

The second son Zhuge Liang and the third son Zhuge were both raised by their uncle Zhuge Xuan.

There have been recent reports that Yuan Shu seems to be intending to recommend Zhuge Xuan to serve as the prefect of Yuzhang County."

Cao Yan looked at his father in shock. After a long while, he asked, "How do you know so much information?"

"Hahaha!" Cao Song laughed heartily and then asked, "Do you really think your father became the Grand Marshal simply by making donations?"

"Isn't it?"

"..."

(End of this chapter)