My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 188 Cao Bao Pleads Guilty
A few days later, Liu Bei received a message from Cao Bao requesting to come to Tancheng, as he had important matters to report to Fang Bo.

Cao Bao is currently the Chancellor of Xiapi. According to Han regulations, he cannot leave Xiapi without a reason and needs Liu Bei's permission.

After discussing it with those around him, and considering Cao Bao's status and the sincerity of his request, Liu Bei agreed to Cao Bao's request.

Unexpectedly, Cao Bao's arrival this time was quite grand, with more than a dozen carriages carrying money.

Cao Bao swaggered into the prefectural government office, where Liu Bei greeted him in the main hall.

Upon seeing Liu Bei, Cao Bao trotted over to him and immediately bowed deeply.

"Your humble servant, Cao Bao, Chancellor of Xiapi, pays his respects to Your Excellency."

Cao Bao touched the back of his hand with his forehead and said in a somber tone, "My lord, I have come here to apologize to you."

Cao Bao's words truly confused Liu Bei.

"Wenwei, why do you say that? Let's talk about it when we get up."

Cao Bao, courtesy name Wenwei, was serving as the Chancellor of Xiapi at this time, and concurrently as the General of Jianwei.

You can call him Cao Wenwei, Cao Xiapi, or Cao Jianwei.

However, the different names carry subtle different meanings.

At this time, Liu Bei did not address Cao Bao by his official title, but instead used his courtesy name, which clearly showed his affection for Cao Bao and his desire to appease him.

Cao Bao remained prostrate and unmoved, instead sobbing softly: "My lord, I am guilty and wish to be punished by you as a warning to future generations."

Liu Bei was increasingly confused, but he also knew that Cao Bao was the role model he had set up, and that he had made great contributions to both him and Xuzhou.

Although Cao Bao did not support him immediately, and his eldest son also played a role in the deal, Cao Bao's own contribution is undeniable.

Moreover, from then on, Liu Bei consistently elevated Cao Bao to a high position, setting him up as an example for other factions.

Cao Bao's current status can be said to be above that of Chen Deng and Mi Zhu.

Chen Deng was only a third of the governor of Langya, and Mi Zhu was the chancellor of Pengcheng, a state with virtually no territory. Only Cao Bao was the chancellor of Xiapi, a state that had always been one of the strongest in Xuzhou.

No one could accuse Liu Bei of abandoning his allies after using them.

"Wenwei, we are nominally ruler and subject, but in reality, we are related by marriage. Why do you say this?"

Liu Bei personally stepped forward to help him up, only to see Cao Bao with tears streaming down his face.

“Your Excellency is unaware of the truth. Leopard’s sins are grave. I dare not ask Your Excellency to show favoritism. I only ask Your Excellency to take care of Leopard’s family.”

Cao Bao's actions not only made Liu Bei's mind sink, but also caused Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, Xun You, Guo Jia and others behind him to exchange glances.

Although these people had only been in the prefecture for a short time, they had naturally grown closer to each other.

Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong were both renowned scholars from Xuzhou and had known each other for a long time. Naturally, they visited each other frequently after their reunion. Xun You and Guo Jia, though of opposite temperaments, were both from the same hometown and old friends, and naturally became good friends.

Liu Bei reviewed the recent major events in his mind and found that nothing serious had happened. Even if Cao Bao rebelled, he could tolerate it.

Now that he had a better understanding of the situation, Liu Bei grabbed Cao Bao and asked, "What exactly did Wen Wei do wrong?"

Cao Bao, a burly man, cried uncontrollably, saying, "I once embezzled military funds and also seized Cao Hong's property when his family was raided. The other day, I received a letter from the Prefectural Governor and realized that I had committed a grave mistake and committed a heinous crime. Therefore, I have loaded all the embezzled money into a cart and come to the prefectural government to beg for forgiveness."

"The leopard is extremely ignorant, and only because of the favor of Lord Tao and Lord Ming, it has done wrong."

Cao Bao sincerely pleaded guilty, saying, "My life is insignificant, but I fear that it may tarnish your reputation. I earnestly request that you handle this matter impartially. I am willing to accept my punishment as a warning to others."

Cao Bao's words shocked Liu Bei and the others.

Guo Jia leaned close to Xun You and whispered, "This man must have been guided by a master."

Xun You nodded slightly. This was too obvious. However, Cao Bao had gone too far. It was unclear whether this was the intention of the person giving the advice or whether Cao Bao had acted on his own initiative.

Xun You believed the latter more, since someone who could instruct Cao Bao to surrender would not have allowed him to act so exaggeratedly.

Don't you realize that if Liu Bei takes this opportunity to turn against you and actually captures you, all the drama you're putting on now will just be dirt on your grave in the future?

Zhang Zhao stepped forward and said to Liu Bei, "My lord, it is rare to find such an open and honest prime minister of Xiapi. In my opinion, he should be dismissed from his post as prime minister of Xiapi, his ill-gotten gains confiscated, and sent home to reflect on his mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Cao Bao immediately became anxious and began to curse inwardly.

Where did this old dog come from, so vicious?

My lord, you absolutely must not listen to him!

Fortunately, Liu Bei slowly shook his head and explained to Zhang Zhao, "Lord Zhang, you are unaware of this. Wen Wei rendered great service to our Xuzhou. When Cao Cao invaded our province, Wen Wei fought valiantly on the battlefield, vowing to fight to the death, which saved our Tancheng from falling into enemy hands. Later, he also took the initiative to help the province reorganize the county troops and improve the military system. If he were greedy for money, how could he be so selfless? He must have been deceived and misled by others."

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Cao Bao finally felt relieved. Just as Qing'er had said, the Duke truly cared for him.

However, after being intimidated by Zhang Zhao, Cao Bao dared not continue his act. He honestly thanked Liu Bei and said that he had brought all his illegal gains of nearly ten million coins with him to the state government, intending to hand them over to the state government.

In fact, Zhang Zhao is not stupid. He is strong-willed, but not foolish. He stood up just now because he couldn't stand Cao Bao's overzealousness, which made him look like a clown.

With the wisdom of Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong, they could naturally see Cao Bao's position and role.

If you insist on forcing Liu Bei to deal with Cao Bao, then Liu Bei will start to suspect what Zhang Zhao'an's true intentions are.

Seeing that Cao Bao had become more docile, Zhang Zhao did not press the matter further.

Moreover, his single letter was enough to frighten a prime minister and general into confessing his guilt, which greatly enhanced Zhang Zhao's prestige in Xuzhou. Why wouldn't he do it?

Even Zhang Hong was a beneficiary. As the chief administrator, he was clearly Zhang Zhao's first deputy, and he naturally benefited from this as well.

Finally, at Cao Bao's earnest request, and also to warn other bribe-takers, the ten million yuan that Cao Bao brought was confiscated by the state government. Cao Bao was punished by having surrendered himself and returned the embezzled funds, and was fined six months' salary as a warning.

At the same time, the state government also issued a new announcement, using Cao Bao's case as an example, giving all officials in the state a time to turn themselves in.

Those who surrender themselves within fifteen days of receiving the official document will be given a lighter punishment, and those who return all the embezzled funds will be dealt with in the case of Cao Bao.

That night, Liu Bei held a grand banquet for his officials in the state capital, also to appease Cao Bao, who was moved to tears and regretted his past actions.

In no time, the determination of Xuzhou to fight corruption spread throughout Xuzhou, and even the surrounding counties and kingdoms heard about it.

At this time, Liu Feng had already arrived in Qu County with a large group of his core followers.

This time, Liu Feng brought more than two thousand people.

Liu Feng originally planned to transfer Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang, but then he changed his mind and thought that since Qu County was located by the sea, the navy would be much more useful than the army.

Therefore, Liu Feng ultimately selected 500 armored soldiers from Pan Zhang's troops, plus 50 cavalrymen personally led by Taishi Ci, 1,000 naval troops from Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, 500 retainers from Gan Ning, and more than 800 close followers from Dong Xi's hometown.

They can start from Jiangdu, go directly upstream, follow the Huai River to the You River, and reach Qu County, which is very convenient and fast.

These transfers and the entire action plan were all approved by Liu Bei. Liu Feng dared not hide such a big matter from Liu Bei.

In addition, Liu Feng also brought Mi Zhu, the Zhuge brothers, Chen Wan and Chen Ying, Xu Xuan, Chen Jiao, and a group of military officials led by Taishi Ci.

The defense of Guangling was entirely entrusted to Zhao Yun and Xu Sheng.

After the secret arrangements were completed, Liu Feng led his men into Qu County in a grand manner, and at the same time delivered an official document to Liu Gong, the magistrate of Qu County.

Liu Gong was a cousin of Liu Rong, the Prince of Langya, and it was through Liu Rong's recommendation that he became the magistrate of Qu County.

Liu Rong was on good terms with Cao Song. When Cao Cao raised an army in Chenliu, Cao Song dared not follow him. So he took his young son Cao De and went to Xuzhou to seek refuge with Liu Rong, the Prince of Langya.

It was precisely because of Liu Rong's protection that Cao Song was able to spend several years peacefully in Langya.

Even when Tao Qian suffered a crushing defeat for Cao Cao and wanted to capture Cao Song to vent his hatred, Liu Rong resolutely stopped him.

Tao Qian considered himself a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty and had no way to deal with Liu Rong.

As fate would have it, Cao Song became afraid at this time and was eager to go to Dongjun to join Cao Cao, which gave Tao Qian an opportunity to intercept and kill him on the way.

Although there are many doubts and various versions of the story.

However, most of the evidence and historical records tend to suggest that Tao Qian was the one who killed him, simply because that was Tao Qian's personality and character.

According to the Book of Wu, Tao Qian sent Zhang Kai to escort Cao Song, but the latter, seeing the money, intercepted and killed Cao Song. The location was the valley between two mountains north of Langya, in the area between Fei County and Hua County.

Just a few months ago, Tao Qian wanted to arrest Cao Song to vent his resentment, but only a few months later, he sent people to escort him. This change was really too fast. Don't be fooled by the fact that the princes at the end of the Han Dynasty didn't seem to leave any great reputation, not even as great as the imperial relatives like Liu Yan and Liu Yu.

In reality, these feudal lords still wielded considerable influence in their respective regions, recommending many of their protégés and former subordinates as local officials.

Xuzhou has only five commanderies and kingdoms in total. Among them, Langya, Donghai, Pengcheng and Xiapi each have their own vassal kings, and each one has a more powerful background than the last.

The Prince of Donghai was the eldest son of Emperor Guangwu, the first crown prince of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and even abdicated the throne to Emperor Ming of Han.

The Prince of Langya, the Prince of Pengcheng, and the Prince of Xiapi were all sons of Emperor Ming of Han and were enfeoffed as princes.

The King of Xiapi was abolished in 186 AD because his lineage died out.

But the other three kings are still alive, and they are all close to Cao.

Let's not even talk about the Prince of Langya. He had an extremely close relationship with Cao Song. Otherwise, Cao Song wouldn't have come to Langya to seek refuge with Liu Rong, and Liu Rong wouldn't have stood up to Tao Qian's pressure to protect Cao Song.

Later, Liu Rong's younger brother, Liu Miao, went on to lavish praise on Cao Cao before Emperor Xian of Han, commending him for his loyalty to the Han Dynasty, his governance of the empire for Emperor Xian, and his campaigns against rebellious officials. This flattery greatly pleased Cao Cao, who not only appointed Liu Miao as the Prefect of Jiujiang but also bestowed upon him the title of Marquis of Yangdu.

The Prince of Pengcheng was also a pro-Cao Cao faction member. When Que Xuan rebelled in Xiapi, Liu He, the Prince of Pengcheng, fled to Dong'e County in Dongjun for refuge, which was one of Cao Cao's strongholds.

The last King of Donghai, Liu Zhi, also wielded considerable power within Donghai and was always feared by Tao Qian.

It is very likely that Liu Rong was not the only one standing behind Liu Gong; Liu Zhi might also be standing behind him at the same time.

However, Liu Feng didn't care at all. If any of these princes behaved themselves, he would continue to support them out of consideration for the fact that they all shared the same surname, Liu.

If they really don't know what's good for them, then we can deal with them all at once; the charge will be readily available collusion with the corrupt officials.

Liu Feng prepared for the worst and led a group of people to Qu County.

Liu Gong's side was also bustling with noise, and the loudest voice undoubtedly came from Wang Yu, the eldest son of the Wang family, who had met Liu Feng once before.

"Your Excellency, this is a chaotic order from the prefecture!"

The people in the hall were discussing among themselves, but Wang Yu was the first to jump up and shout at Liu Gong: "Your Excellency should explain to the state government the importance of the salt industry. The fact that such an absurd policy was issued by the state government must mean that he has ulterior motives and wants to ruin the foundation of Xuzhou."

The reason Wang Yu was so agitated, even daring to slander the prefectural government, was because a recent decree from the prefectural government had seriously shaken the foundation of the Wang family.

Several days earlier, a decree suddenly came from the prefectural government, ordering that from the seventh day onwards, large-scale logging would be strictly prohibited, and the management of salt production along the coast would be strengthened. The decree also required the prefectural envoy to be sent to Qu County to re-establish salt officials to manage the salt production, and that approval should not be granted and salt production should be strictly prohibited.

For the Wang and Gan families, who were wealthy salt merchants, this was a government decree that could cost them their lives.

If they can't cut down trees, what do they use to boil salt?

Not to mention that the state government has also effectively banned salt production.

This infuriated Wang Yu, who, driven by immense greed and rage, directly attacked the prefectural government.

Liu Gong's heart skipped a beat. Although he had the support of the feudal lords, he was not from their clan and was not very bold.

Hearing Wang Yu's blatant and direct attack on the prefecture, he became frightened.

But before he could even speak to persuade Wang Yu not to be so disrespectful, another voice rang out.

"Zu Yao's words are absolutely right!"

A middle-aged scholar standing next to Wang Yu stood up in agreement. This man was Gan Zhen, the patriarch of the Gan family, the most powerful and influential clan in Qu County.

Wang Yu, courtesy name Zuyao, was a generation younger than Gan Zhen. The two families had been linked by marriage for many years, and their relationship could be described as one of mutual prosperity.

After Gan Zhen stood up, he cupped his hands towards Liu Gong and said, "Madam, since the prefecture is issuing such chaotic orders, you should disobey them."

"Disobey orders!?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Gong panicked even more: "How can this be allowed?"

Gan Zhen snorted coldly and said, "Your Excellency, the salt industry of Qu County is the source of salt for the people of Xuzhou. Even the provinces of Yu, Jing, and Yan have to buy salt from us when they are short of it. But now the prefecture is ordering us to stop making salt. If this happens, where will the people get their salty food? Isn't this absurd?"

Liu Gong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and explained, "Lord Gan, the prefecture also has an explanation. There is enough stock in the prefecture to last for several months. Moreover, it is not that you are required to close down, but that you are required to truthfully report the quantity and quality of each product. As long as the report is complete and passes the review, you can open for business according to the quantity."

"Absurd beyond belief."

Another person stood up. This person was tall and burly, a fierce warrior.

"I, Zheng Wang, have been in Xuzhou for so many years, and this is the first time I've heard of such a rule. How do we report how much salt we're boiling? Today the fire is blazing, tomorrow the wind is strong, the day after tomorrow it's drizzling—the weather changes every day. How can we possibly report that? Everything in the prefecture has to be reported. Does this mean that in the future we'll even have to apply to the county for permission to chop firewood?"

Zheng Wang was also a powerful family in Qu County, but unlike the Gan and Wang families, the Zheng family had long since become a powerful and influential family. It was even said that they had dealings with pirates, and there were even rumors that the Zheng family had long been cooperating with pirates.

Liu Gong felt like his head was about to explode.

He knew something was going to happen as soon as he received the order from the state government.

However, Liu Gong underestimated the temper and audacity of these powerful clans. He originally thought he could appease them and use a delaying tactic.

It wasn't until the negotiations actually began that I realized the fact that this group hadn't rebelled on the spot was already a sign of respect for me, the county magistrate.

Liu Gong could understand the other party's strong reaction.

The salt industry is just too lucrative.

Otherwise, why would the imperial court have repeatedly tried to nationalize the salt monopoly but failed?

Moreover, as an insider, Liu Gong knew very well that behind the Gan, Wang, and Zheng families stood many people, including the feudal lords who were his backers.

The enormous profits of the salt industry do not belong to just these few families; the people behind them who are the ones who get the biggest share of the spoils are the ones who operate behind the scenes.

This is precisely why the Gan, Wang, and Zheng families are so arrogant, even daring to directly criticize the state government's orders as chaotic.

Other wealthy salt families, though not as arrogant as the Gan, Wang, and Zheng families, also found the decree unacceptable and pressured Liu Gong in various ways, whether by pleading, begging for mercy, or expressing resentment.

The meeting that Liu Gong intended to hold to appease the salt magnates turned into a boycott by them, much to Liu Gong's regret.

Ultimately, under pressure from the wealthy salt merchants such as the Gan, Wang, and Zheng families, Liu Gong was forced to agree to explain to the state government and request that it rescind the order.

Before the state government responded, the salt merchants of Qu County were unaffected by the state decree and could continue to boil salt.

It was summer, the peak season for salt production, and the salt magnates couldn't bear to waste even a single day.

As for the prefectural government, they believed that their backers would successfully persuade Governor Liu.

"Uncle, why didn't we see anyone from the Mi family this time?"

When leaving the county government, Wang Yu and Gan Zhen walked together.

Upon hearing Wang Yu's words, Gan Zhen sneered, "The Mi family has now latched onto the governor's coattails and no longer recognizes their old family ties. Did Mi Zifang visit you before he left?"

"Never."

Wang Yu shook his head honestly, a look of jealousy flashing in his eyes: "Mi Zifang is quite pleased with himself now. I heard that he was appointed as the Chancellor of Langya by Lord Liu, which is a position of two thousand shi (a unit of grain) for a county lord."

Gan Zhen nodded with a grim expression: "A petty person who has gained power. A merchant is a merchant after all. Once he gains power, he completely disregards the friendships built up over generations."

Wang Yu was somewhat confused: "Uncle, what do you mean?"

Gan Zhen sneered, "I sent someone to see the old man of the Mi family the day before yesterday, but he refused to see us and said he was unwell. Hmph, he really thinks we're all fools. The Mi family is clearly an enemy now, not a friend. Remember to tell your father this when you get back."

Wang Yu was shocked upon hearing this, and could hardly believe it: "Uncle, do you mean that the Mi family has completely sided with Liu Bei?"

Gan Zhen nodded with a somewhat grim expression: "I don't know where that old bastard Mi Zeng gets his confidence from, being so decisive. Isn't he afraid of losing the bet?"

For families like Gan, Wang, and Mi, the rule of survival is not to bet everything.

When Tao Qian was alive, Mi Zhu provided a lot of financial support. After Liu Bei arrived, Mi Zhu was able to provide him with the same financial and material support.

But this is completely different from being fully on board.

In the former case, even after Tao Qian's downfall, the Mi family remained the most powerful and influential family in Qu County.

But if Liu Bei loses power now, the Mi family will face an attack from the Gan, Wang, Zheng, and a host of smaller families. If there are no other opportunities, the Mi family will ultimately be torn apart and completely devoured.

(End of this chapter)