Chapter 2: The General and the Prime Minister?

Chen Cong tucked away the letter. No sooner had he stepped down to the first floor than he saw Cao Ren, flanked by two women, looking for all the world like a lecherous fool.

Chen Cong curled his lip and made to leave, pretending not to see him. But Cao Ren brushed the women aside and quickly blocked his path.

"Zining? You’re back so soon?" Cao Ren asked, looking surprised.

"Cut the crap. Do you have business with me or not? If not, get lost."

"I do, I do!" Cao Ren leaned in and whispered, "Come with me."

The two men stepped outside, mounted their horses, and rode off. The further they went, the more confused Chen Cong became, until they pulled up before the gates of the General of Jianwei’s manor. This was the former residence of the Minister Steward, now refurbished and renamed as Chen Cong’s new headquarters. As for the Grand Tutor’s manor that Chen Cong had originally claimed, the plaque had already been swapped to read: "General Who Conquers the West."

Chen Cong’s mind was flooded with questions. "Tell me, Cao Jinzhi," he muttered, speechless. "Have you no shame? Coming to my place in the middle of the day—don't tell me your 'important business' is just to scrounge a free meal?"

"Just come in." Acting as if he were the master of the house, Cao Ren ushered Chen Cong inside.

Upon entering the main hall, Chen Cong found quite a crowd. Xiahou Dun was seated in the place of honor on the left, with the seat to his right clearly left vacant for Cao Ren. Further down sat Cao Hong and Mi Heng, and at the very end sat a reserved, unfamiliar young man. He was eight feet tall, well-built, and possessed a handsome face with an air of scholarly refinement that made him stand out among the rough-hewn veterans of Cao’s camp.

At a gesture from Cao Ren, the man stood and approached respectfully. "Cao Chun, courtesy name Zihe, pays his respects to the General of Jianwei."

Chen Cong quickly reached out to stop him from bowing. He smiled and said, "I am but a youngster, so I shall address you by your courtesy name, Uncle. I have heard much of you from Zixiao—that you are well-versed in military classics and particularly skilled in cavalry warfare. To see you today, I know the rumors were true."

Chen Cong never lacked a sense of propriety. He only joked with the other generals in Cao’s camp because they were old comrades; being overly formal would have felt distant. Once the bonds of life-and-death friendship were established, he could tease them as he pleased, and it only brought them closer. But Cao Chun was different. If he had greeted him with some nickname like "Chun-zi" or "Cai-he-zi" upon their first meeting, Cao Chun would not have felt welcomed—he would have felt slighted, even insulted. By speaking with courtesy and giving him the respect he was due, he would make the man feel valued.

Indeed, the look in Cao Chun’s eyes softened, the reserve replaced by a touch of affinity. He thought to himself: *It is as they say—family is family. The world-renowned 'Chen the Invincible' himself says I am extraordinary!*

Cao Ren followed up, "Zining, how about letting him serve as a deputy general in the cavalry battalion?"

*Cao Chun? A deputy general?* Even though the man had no legendary feats in the chronicles, in reality, he was the ruthless commander who would later lead the elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!

The *Records of Wei* noted: "The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry commanded by Chun were all the bravest warriors in the world, often recruited from among those who had served as hundred-man commanders."

To have him settle for a mere cavalry battalion of three hundred men was already a waste of talent, and Cao Ren was asking for a deputy general position on top of it?

Chen Cong waved his hand grandly. "To hell with 'deputy general.' If Zihe is willing to stoop so low, would he be willing to serve as my second-in-command?"

"This..." Cao Chun hesitated, glancing at Cao Ren. After all, he had no military achievements to his name; he feared others might resent him being thrust into such a high position.

Cao Ren, however, was beaming with delight. He waved it off dismissively. "It’s fine. Whatever Zining says, you do."

"In that case..."

Before Cao Chun could thank him, Chen Cong grasped his arm, interrupting, "We are family. Let’s have none of those formal pleasantries, Zihe."

"Very well!"

As the three men sat down again, Chen Cong realized something was amiss. Normally, if it were just a matter of pulling strings for a relative, Cao Ren would have been enough. Why were Xiahou Dun, Cao Hong, and Mi Heng all here? They were packed in like they were holding a family council.

"Dun, is something the matter?"

Xiahou Dun sighed and shook his head. "I cannot explain it well. Let Zixiao tell it."

Chen Cong turned back to Cao Ren, who rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment. "Zining, what do you think of Xun Yu, Xun Wenruo?"

"What do I think? I think sitting down, standing up, or lying down? My father-in-law already said it: he is a gentleman of the highest order, possessing the talents of a king-maker. Do you really need my opinion?"

Cao Ren glanced at Chen Cong, and seeing his expression remained unchanged, he continued, "Zining, in the past, whenever our eldest brother had an issue, he would at least discuss it with us. Now that he has Xun Wenruo, they come and go together, eat and sleep together, and everything must be according to his advice. Yes, we are rough men, and we lack the brilliant strategic minds for governing the state. But many heads are better than one—we could at least offer some ideas, couldn't we? Right now, we are just in Luoyang. When we take the entirety of Sili and connect it to Yingchuan, will we old brothers become nothing more than minor clerks under his command?"

Chen Cong finally understood. It was corporate financing. The family workshop had suddenly become a publicly traded company; the seats on the board had increased, and the new shareholder had indicated continuous investment, so the Chairman naturally shifted his focus. It was only natural that the poor relatives would feel a sense of loss.

Chen Cong didn't care because he had anticipated this long ago and had clearly distinguished between the primary and secondary conflicts. Otherwise? To put it bluntly, based on his genuine contributions alone, he could rest on his laurels for a lifetime. Why should he break his back while those strategists just wagged their tongues?

"Jinzhi, let me ask you: in these chaotic times, what is the most important thing?"

Cao Ren thought for a moment. "Money, grain, troops, territory?"

Chen Cong nodded. "Not entirely. There is more."

Cao Ren pondered, then added, "Talent?"

"More."

"And..." Cao Ren’s eyes lit up. "The trust of one’s lord."

"Close enough. Trust is essentially just the appearance of opportunity. You have opportunity, and you can achieve glory and become a marquis. You have opportunity, and you can provide for your family and strengthen your clan. You have opportunity, and you can leave a name in history for a hundred generations. But you must distinguish between what is your opportunity and what is not."

Chen Cong took a breath and continued, "For us warriors, risking our lives on the battlefield is our opportunity. For them, the strategists, offering plans or governing a region is their opportunity. They cannot take yours, and you cannot do theirs well even if you tried to seize it. You feel slighted now only because the war hasn't started yet. If there is a battle, my father-in-law can't exactly send Xun Yu to lead the charge, can he?"

Cao Ren exclaimed in surprise, "You muscle-brained brute, you can actually speak such wisdom? I am impressed!"

Chen Cong laughed. It was a laugh of frustration.

"If you know how to talk, say more, but if you don't, keep your mouth shut!"

Cao Ren chuckled, then turned to Xiahou Dun. "In that case, Yuanrang, you should go and apologize to Master Wenruo."

Chen Cong asked, "Apologize for what?"

Xiahou Dun’s face darkened as he waved a hand. "Nothing of consequence. It’s just that Xun Wenruo suggested to our eldest brother that my right battalion’s structure was bloated and that we should reorganize into four elite battalions, appointing commanders as he sees fit. I disagreed and traded a few words with him."

The ten thousand new troops recruited in Luoyang had not been evenly divided among the four battalions. One thousand went to the Tiger Guard, one thousand to the Vanguard, three thousand to Cao Ren’s rear battalion, and the remaining five thousand were all merged into Xiahou Dun’s right battalion. Though Chen Cong hadn't gotten a single soul, Cao Cao had promised that whenever good horses were purchased, he would be allowed to select elites from every battalion for his own cavalry unit.

Chen Cong smiled. "No need to apologize. You weren't wrong."

"Why not?" Xiahou Dun asked, puzzled.

*Harmony between civil and military officials?* Cao Cao’s own words were: *As long as they don't sabotage each other, it's fine. If they actually get along, then we've got a problem.*

Of course, it was Cao Cao’s business to teach Chen Cong these strange lessons, but Chen Cong couldn't teach them directly to Xiahou Dun.

"Do as I say; I wouldn't lead you astray. Why all the questions?"

They were never from the same faction anyway; why would he want to grovel before the Yingchuan strategist clique? It was clearly Xun Yu who had struck Xiahou Dun on the left cheek first; standing up to him was the right thing to do. Was he supposed to turn the other cheek and let him slap that one too?