Chapter 7: The Cow That Brings Treasure

Seeing Cao Cao nod with such gravity, Chen Cong breathed a sigh of relief.

If this was the case, the situation seemed to become much simpler. Yuan Shao was busy dealing with Han Fu and had no time to spare for Sili in the short term, let alone Bing Province. Moreover, the two regions were separated by the Taihang Mountains, with rugged and difficult roads between them. Furthermore, the borderlands of Bing Province were desolate and cold; not only were they poor, but they also required constant defense against the Xiongnu and Xianbei to the north, as well as the Qiang tribes to the west. If Yuan Shao truly had a choice, the priorities of Qing and You Provinces would far outweigh that of Bing Province.

The question was: if he could establish a firm foothold in Bing Province, then whenever Yuan Shao sought to scheme against Sili in the future, he would have to consider whether the Cao army in neighboring Bing Province might strike at his home base. Likewise, as long as Yuan Shao was kept in check, Zhou Ang of Yu Province would be of little concern. And with Sun Jian and Yuan Shu at odds, the chaos in Yu Province could be set aside for the moment.

Then... could a mere Yan Province still block the path of the "Cao Thief"?

The only drawback was that the Cao army’s front line would become perilously long, stretching across the Central Plains in a "C" shape. If someone were to cut it in the middle, the head and tail would be unable to support each other. If that happened, the greatest enemy would become... Dong Zhuo!

"Father-in-law, do you think that one day, if my wife's grandfather were to march east out of Hangu Pass..."

"He won't," Cao Cao replied with absolute certainty.

"Why? If we were to judge a former hegemon solely on the loss of his ambition, wouldn't that be a bit biased?"

Cao Cao laughed heartily. "Zi Ning, you are blinded by a single leaf and fail to see the gathering clouds across the land. Once Sili is lost, wouldn't all the warlords under heaven fear that I, Cao Cao, might align directly with Dong Zhuo? How could they dare not come to the rescue? Therefore, the key to this matter is not whether Dong Zhuo wants to, but that he cannot leave Hangu Pass at all."

Chen Cong was stunned. So, the "Cao Thief" had intended to hold the other warlords hostage from the very beginning, which was why he dared to stubbornly cling to Luoyang?

Very well. Very shameless.

But Chen Cong felt completely at ease. It was truly comfortable to tag along behind such a cunning and wicked villain.

The next day.

As dawn approached, a servant arrived to report. Chen Cong, still fast asleep, heard the knocking at his door. A maidservant outside announced, "Master, the messenger from Chang'an has arrived."

Chen Cong blinked, flipped over and sat up abruptly, shouting, "Quick, invite him to the main hall to wait!"

"Understood."

After dismissing the maid, Chen Cong did not forget to plant a few kisses on Dong Bai, who was still fast asleep beside him, before humming a tune and quickly washing up.

When Chen Cong reached the main hall, the envoy had already taken his seat.

"Uncle-in-law? A-Zhuo? Why have the two of you come personally?"

Cheng Zhuo stepped forward, cupped his hands deeply, and smiled, "Colonel Who Breaks the Captives, Cheng Zhuo, greets the Minister of the Imperial Household!"

"Hahaha, A-Zhuo has been promoted! We must have a good drink later." Chen Cong quickly helped Cheng Zhuo up and turned to look at Niu Fu.

Niu Fu was sipping his tea unhurriedly. He did not rise, but smiled leisurely, "Zi Ning."

"Yes! Please, Uncle-in-law, give your orders!"

Hearing such an arrogant tone, Chen Cong’s eyes crinkled with joy. Was Niu Fu naturally arrogant? The answer was clearly no! Did he need to ask why Niu Fu was acting this way? He must have come to deliver some benefits!

Sure enough, Niu Fu slowly set down his tea cup, reached out to stroke the Tai'e sword at his waist, and wore a look of reminiscence on his face.

"Back then, when our families were enemies, it was I who specifically requested to return to Luoyang to bring A-Bai back. In the blink of an eye, A-Bai is already with child. How time flies."

Chen Cong apologized with a smile, "I will never forget the grace of you acting as our matchmaker, Uncle-in-law."

"Hahaha, enough, I’ve digressed." Niu Fu straightened his robes, stood up slowly, and pulled a scroll of the imperial decree from his long sleeve. Knowing that Chen Cong would not kneel, he simply handed it over. He continued, "The Emperor was very pleased to hear the news and has specifically conferred upon A-Bai the title of Lady of Weiyang."

"What is there for the Emperor to be pleased about? It is all thanks to the mediation of Father-in-law and you, Uncle-in-law."

Everyone likes to be flattered. Whether Niu Fu had actually put in the effort or not, if Chen Cong said he had, then he had.

Niu Fu nodded with satisfaction, pulled Chen Cong into a corner of the main hall, and whispered, "The one thousand Flying Bear troops you requested—your father-in-law has agreed. But as your uncle-in-law, I can't let such a joyous occasion in your household go unmarked. It just so happens that you are familiar with Cheng Zhuo. I have appointed him to lead five hundred Flying Bear troops to assist you."

Chen Cong felt his heart skip a beat and immediately moved to thank him, but was stopped.

Niu Fu continued, "Your father-in-law does not know about this, so do not spread the word, Zi Ning."

Chen Cong blinked, puzzled, "That is five hundred Flying Bear troops. If Uncle-in-law is discovered..."

Niu Fu waved his hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter. You know that my contingent of Flying Bear troops suffered heavy losses in horses and armor after the fierce battles. A fortnight ago, your father-in-law specifically allocated an extra batch. I used five hundred Xiliang iron cavalry to exchange their old armor and merged them into the Flying Bear troops. There is no fighting in Guanzhong at the moment, and your father-in-law is submerged in wine and women all day; he will hardly notice. If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, no one will know."

Excellent!!!

Chen Cong wanted to kowtow to Niu Fu right then and there. This damn uncle-in-law was truly worth the effort. Arrogant? That was only right!

"I cannot thank you enough for your great kindness. If you ever have need of me in the future, just send a letter, and even if it’s a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I will face it with you, Uncle!"

"Good! Zi Ning is truly a man of his word."

Niu Fu’s gift of troops was, of course, not without selfish motives. Selling a favor to Chen Cong to deepen their connection was only one aspect. With no fighting in Guanzhong, the upkeep for the Flying Bear troops was enormous. By maintaining five hundred fewer, the kickbacks he could skim would be enough to keep him in luxury for half a lifetime.

Moreover, he wasn't afraid of this blowing up. If it were exposed, he could just stiffen his neck and claim he was helping Chen Cong. Given the current state of the Dong family, even if his father-in-law wanted to punish him, the old lady would protect him at all costs and even praise him for being "thoughtful." Two birds with one stone—why wouldn't he do it?

After laughing for a while, Niu Fu suddenly remembered Li Ru’s cold, sinister gaze and shuddered, snapping back to reality. He changed the subject, "Of course, your Eldest Uncle-in-law is also concerned about you. This time, he has specifically moved fifty thousand bushels of grain to support your army. However, the expenses for the Flying Bear troops are high; the men need meat at every meal, and the horses eat only the finest bean fodder. From here on, you will have to sustain them yourself."

Chen Cong, who had just been delighted, secretly counted on his fingers and broke into a cold sweat. The Flying Bear... setting aside the fact that the cavalrymen ate meat, each man needed four horses. One thousand five hundred Flying Bear iron cavalry meant six thousand horses... Even a golden mountain would be eaten away by this. And that wasn't even counting the wear and tear on weapons and armor.

Furthermore, would he have to replace the horses if they were lost? A single fine Dayuan horse was worth about ten gold pieces... It was hard to imagine that when Dong Zhuo held Luoyang, he had kept eight thousand of these gold-consuming beasts! If he had brought them all out to fight the allied warlords to the death, would they have even been able to reach Luoyang?

But there was no way he was going to spit out the meat that had already reached his mouth. If he truly couldn't afford to raise them... weren't there Xiongnu and Xianbei people north of Bing Province? And weren't there Qiang tribes to the west? With the wealth of the Hetao region, raising a thousand cavalrymen should be more than enough. The Qiang had occupied Hetao for so long; it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to go and collect some interest, would it?