Chapter 161: Cao Cao Scared Out of His Wits

"Ha, indeed!"

Lü Bu laughed heartily, looking even more arrogant.

Cao Cao muttered inwardly, *"How has this pompous fool, whose emotions are always written on his face and who loves taking the credit, managed to survive until today? That foolish thief Chen Gong is willing to help him even unto death."*

With a smile, Cao Cao continued, "Fengxian! As you know, I was defeated by Chu Feng in Shouchun. That man is an unstoppable force of nature, cutting down several of my top generals in succession. At that very moment, my thoughts immediately turned to you, Fengxian."

"He boasts of being the greatest under heaven, but in my eyes, you, Lü Bu, are truly the greatest. If I have your assistance, given your matchless valor, what is there to fear from that Chu thief?"

"Ha, indeed, indeed!"

The more Lü Bu listened, the more pleased he felt, and he said smugly, "Naturally."

"Fengxian, surrender to me! As long as you submit, I will memorialize the court to appoint you as General of Chariots and Cavalry. With your valor and our forces combined, conquering this realm will be as easy as turning over one's hand."

"When that time comes, you shall lead the infantry and cavalry to conquer the warlords for me, while I govern the realm from the rear. What warlords under heaven could we possibly fear?" Cao Cao wore the expression of someone who felt they had met a soulmate too late.

"Is that true?" Lü Bu was tempted.

What Cao Cao proposed genuinely moved him. Especially after fighting for so many years, he was tired. Being a general wasn't a bad outcome after all, and he could spend every day drinking and making merry in peace.

"Naturally. I, Cao Mengde, always keep my word. If you don't believe me, I can swear an oath before the three armies." A sharp glint flashed in Cao Cao's eyes; he knew he could easily play a man like Lü Bu to his death.

"Cavalry-thief Cao, take this arrow!" Seeing that Lü Bu was indeed tempted, Chen Gong immediately nocked an arrow to his bow and shouted angrily, "My Lord! That Cao Cao is as cunning as a fox; how could you possibly be his match? He is tricking you into surrendering! The moment you surrender today, your death is certain!"

Chen Gong said with fierce exasperation, as if hating his lord for failing to meet expectations.

"But he swore an oath before the three armies, it cannot be false!" Lü Bu said, unwilling to let go. Primarily, he was trapped in an isolated city; how could he not fear Cao Cao?

"My Lord, not a single word from Cao Cao can be believed! Have you forgotten Zhang Miao? His entire clan was slaughtered by Cao Cao. Do you really think he will spare you?"

"Furthermore, that Cao thief has a weakness for beautiful women. If you die, your wives and concubines will undoubtedly be defiled by this man!" Chen Gong said with burning indignation.

At these words, Lü Bu flew into a rage.

"Cao Cao, you treacherous villain! You actually tried to trick me into surrendering! If you want to fight, then let us fight! The walls of Xiapi are high and thick, and I have three years of grain stored within. I fear you not!" Lü Bu roared angrily.

With that, Lü Bu snatched up his bow and arrow, drew it, and let fly.

The sharp arrow pierced through the air, startling Cao Cao so intensely that his blood ran cold. He was well out of normal arrow range, and though his subordinate generals cried out in alarm, it was too late as they watched the arrow whistle toward them.

Cao Cao's heart leaped into his throat!

With a resounding *clang*, Cao Cao felt a sudden heaviness on his left shoulder as the arrow dropped to the ground.

Fortunately—fortunately, he was wearing precious armor. Even so, cold sweat poured from his forehead.

With a pale face, Cao Cao wheeled his horse around and retreated.

Guo Jia, Xun You, Cao Ren, and the others hurried forward, looking at Cao Cao with deep concern.

Retreating over a hundred paces, Cao Cao dismounted, his legs turning to jelly. Had Cao Ren not been quick-eyed and fast-handed enough to steady him, Cao Cao would likely have collapsed right there on the spot.

That single arrow had truly terrified him.

Loosening his belt, Cao Cao began to urinate while muttering, "What a pity, what a pity! Lü Bu was already persuaded by my words. If not for that meddling brute Chen Gong ruining everything, Xuzhou would have been within our grasp!"

"Yet this Lü Bu's archery is truly remarkable. Had I not been wearing my armor, that arrow might well have slain me," Cao Cao said, still lingering in fear.

Clearly, he had nearly frightened himself to the point of wetting his breeches.

Lü Bu was indeed still formidable. Back at Puyang, he had also routed his army completely. Such a fierce tiger had to be eliminated, or else it would leave endless trouble behind.

The gathered officers kept their heads lowered, not daring to speak.

They certainly couldn't say, *"Milord, were you actually scared so badly that you wet yourself? Look at the size of that puddle."*

After a long while, Cao Cao recovered his composure.

Guo Jia then spoke up, "Milord, Lü Bu possesses only the valor of a common brute. Now, only the single city of Xiapi remains in the entirety of Xuzhou. After we besiege the city for half a month, we can send agents to sow discord among them, and our grand enterprise will be assured!"

Cao Cao nodded and commanded sharply, "Cao Ren, arrange for the various divisions to thoroughly encircle the city. Additionally, send men to deliver grain to the generals of Mount Tai, and by the way, officially confer upon them titles of commandaries' prefects and generals."

"Understood!" Cao Ren nodded.

With that, Cao Cao turned his head to cast a glance at Xiapi, a murderous intent lingering in his eyes, tinged with a strange excitement. He had long heard tales of Diaochan; once Lü Bu was dead, he simply had to taste her!

With such a peerless beauty and fine matron, what meaning would life have if he could not share wine and laughter with her?

Of course, Cao Cao's sphere of influence was currently much stronger than it had been at this same period in the past. The submission of Sun Ce and Liu Pei played a major factor in this, coupled with the allegiance of the Mount Tai bandits.

Once he captured Xuzhou, he would lord over the Central Plains—stretching east to Qingzhou, Xuzhou, and Mount Tai, and west to Guanzhong and the Three Auxiliaries. Furthermore, holding the Son of Heaven in his hands, Cao Cao would control fully one-third of the entire realm!

Yuan Shao was indecisive and poor at employing men; Cao Cao did not consider him invincible. Right now, the person who worried him the most was still Chu Feng. This sudden variable kept him walking on thin ice.

Fortunately, the several counties of Danyang blocked Chu Feng's interior, keeping him somewhat on edge, while Sun Ce in Ruyin could also serve as a strong check against him. Both of these men harbored a blood feud with Chu Feng.

***

In Shouchun, within the general's manor.

Chu Feng was reviewing various official documents.

Most of them concerned the post-war recovery of Shouchun, as well as household registrations, agricultural lands, and official appointments across the Jiangnan region. A significant portion had been sent by Liu Lüe, and processing them was extremely complicated.

At the same time, he ordered the various commanders to begin recruiting new soldiers. A great number of elite troops had fallen in the recent battles, and as his territory expanded, his defensive garrisons were stretched thin.

Yan Xiang hurried over, cupped his fists, and said, "Lord, the autumn harvest taxes from various regions have largely been collected. Here are the tax reports submitted from all localities."

Chu Feng took the documents. Late-Han warlords typically collected taxes after the autumn harvest, and this batch of taxes was of vital importance to him.

After all, the official treasuries were empty, and funds were completely exhausted.

Scanning down the pages, Chu Feng couldn't help but frown. The farmland tax was set at a rate of one-fifteenth, followed by the poll tax—namely, one hundred and twenty coins for an adult and twenty-three coins for a child.

Yet for the entire commandery of Wu, the reported poll tax yielded merely over thirty million coins?

"Who submitted this tax report? In such a vast commandery like Wu, the population is only a little over four hundred thousand?" Chu Feng slammed the document heavily onto the desk and rebuked angrily, "This—"

Yan Xiang lowered his head and sighed, "Lord, the powerful clans conceal their dependents, leaving the registered population at just over eighty thousand households."

He knew that Chu Feng couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

"Hidden households? Investigate this! Conduct a thorough investigation to the very end! I want to see who dares to embezzle tax revenues." Chu Feng's voice was icy cold. Previously, his territory had been limited.

Now that he had added Wu, Kuaiji, and Yuzhang commanderies, if these people were allowed to remain this arrogant, what about the future?

In Wu commandery alone, having absorbed so many refugees, the population should at least double in official records. How could it possibly be just over eighty thousand households? It was practically a joke at his expense.

"Lord, hidden households exist everywhere."

"If we investigate this thoroughly, we are likely to offend the local gentry clans. Moreover, my lord, you are the head of the gentry clans, and the Yuan clan undoubtedly possesses hidden households as well. There is simply no way to begin this!" Yan Xiang said with a troubled expression.

This sort of problem had been difficult to resolve since ancient times. It wasn't a matter of simply investigating and expecting results; initiating an investigation itself caused problems, and pushing the matter further would provoke public outrage.

"What do you mean? Has it rotted straight to the core?"