Chapter 56: Good Ministers and Brave Generals Gather at Cao's Camp [Seeking Follow-up Reading]

The sun is rising.

The maid brought breakfast to Cao Cao.

"Let's go together."

Cao Cao was not in a hurry to talk about the matter and gestured to serve a meal to Jia Xu as well.

Dian Wei was already eating with big mouthfuls.

Porridge, steamed vegetables, donkey meat.

Dian Wei ate twelve bowls of porridge in one breath before putting the bowls down, feeling very happy.

After Cao Cao finished his meal, he returned to the topic: "The control of intelligence is of utmost importance, no matter who is under your command. For those who are in charge of intelligence, loyalty should be ranked above ability."

"How can I trust you and entrust you with such an important matter?"

"What do you think, General?" Jia Xu asked cautiously.

"In the past few years, you have been working under Dong Zhuo's son-in-law Niu Fu, not striving for fame and fortune, and being content with a simple life."

Cao Cao: "But from that time on, you took advantage of the Yuan family's support for Dong Zhuo, and cleverly arranged and allocated some resources from some of the things Dong Zhuo gave to Niu Fu to ensure that you were well-informed and to ensure your own safety."

Jia Xu's heartbeat quietly quickened.

In his early days under Niu Fu, he did have some arrangements.

It was just a small process of transfer that allowed him to know some of the information first, before Dong Zhuo.

This matter is very obscure and happened thousands of miles away. Why did Cao Cao know about it?
Jia Xu's mind raced and he immediately figured out where the problem lay.

Cao Cao said, "Bring the person in."

The imperial guards dragged a man in from outside.

The other party was the old woman who had previously attempted to assassinate Cao Cao and was captured alive by Dian Wei!

The old woman had been tortured and had many injuries on her body.

It was based on her confession and by listening to her inner thoughts that Cao Cao learned some of the secrets in her heart and deduced that Jia Xu was not honest under Niu Fu's command.

"I asked her, and she said that once she received a mission, the order was obtained and delivered through Feng Mu Niao." Cao Cao smiled.

The existence of the Feng Mu Niao, combined with the old woman's confession, enabled Cao Cao to know that when Jia Xu was under Niu Fu's command, he used public resources for personal gain and secretly intercepted intelligence, leaving behind some traces.

"I took some precautions because Dong Zhuo was very tyrannical and wanted to kill people at any time."

Jia Xu said helplessly: "I did borrow some of Dong Zhuo and Niu Fu's strength for my own use, including a small number of personnel. I have learned about Dong Zhuo's appointment to the prefectures and counties, and I am willing to join the upper army together."

Cao Cao exposed Jia Xu and asked him to give up this part of his power and merge it into Bafu in order to increase Jia Xu's investment cost in Cao's camp.

He handed over the business he had been running for several years to Cao Cao. If he wanted to give it up, the cost would be very high.

This is like a rope, which has a certain restraining effect on Jia Xu and makes him work more attentively.

Only after achieving this step can we delegate power appropriately and hand over intelligence-related matters to Jia Xu.

[Jia Xu joins Cao's camp. You already have Xun Yu and Jia Xu under your command. Both are talented advisers.]

[Jia Xu, strategy value 93, unparalleled computing power, knows people and himself, puts self-preservation first, and is cautious throughout life]

Only at this time did the entry give a hint that Jia Xu had entered Cao's camp.

Previously, it was the professional service of the professional strategist Jia Xu, and now it is just the initial service.

[You have gathered Xun Yu (a talent who can assist the king), Jia Xu (a word that can bring disaster to the country, a word that can bring peace to the country), and Dian Wei (a purple general who is the best at fighting on foot)]

[Caoying was just established, and its power rating has been upgraded to: Ren (beginning to take shape)]

At this moment, Cao Cao had few people under his command, but their quality was amazing.

Xun Yu and Jia Xu's ability to plan and strategize puts them among the top ten in the Three Kingdoms, plus the military commander Dian Wei.

The three of them entered together and forcibly raised Cao's camp to a higher level, no longer the starting level of Gui.

The previous entry indicated that the number and size of Cao Ying’s troops were clearly not enough to upgrade their levels.

But Xun Yu, Jia Xu and Dian Wei together were worth thousands of troops, and the level of Cao's camp began to change.

[You recruit talents, gain luck, improve your qi and blood, and physique, and your overall health value +1:84, and your headache is further alleviated]

[Your physique is strengthened, your bones are growing secretly, your height and physical signs are changing and lengthening]

[Caoying's level has been upgraded, and your reputation has increased dramatically, 14578...14771.../20000]

The recruitment of strategists and generals of the caliber of Xun Yu, Jia Xu, and Dian Wei was an obvious help to Cao Cao in all aspects!
Cao Cao read the entry and asked Jia Xu, "Now that you are under my command, what arrangements will be made for your family? Do I need to send someone to secretly bring your family members over?"

Jia Xu: "Before coming to Luoyang, I already gave instructions to my family.

If nothing unexpected happens, they have gone into hiding. I have a specific way to contact them."

Cao Cao remembered a record from later generations, saying that Jia Xu was the best person at preserving his life in the late Han Dynasty.

During the turbulent times of the Three Kingdoms, not only was Jia Xu himself safe and sound, but even his family members, descendants, and the entire Jia family, none of them died accidentally in the war.

This is not easy to do even in prosperous times, which shows Jia Xu's ability to protect himself.

After gaining initial trust, Cao Cao began to reveal more of his arrangements.

He sent Xun Yu out and contacted Huangfu Song to arrange the troops and horses, and reported them one by one so that Jia Xu could have a more accurate judgment of the enemy and our situation.

On this day, Jia Xu was in another study next to Cao Cao, where he began to summarize the information sent by various parties under Cao Cao and formulate what to do in the next stage.

Cao Cao himself can then have some free time.

You can just ask him to confirm the things that Jia Xu has screened.

On the other hand, Dong Zhuo controlled the palace and also made arrangements.

In the morning, Dong Zhuo, in the name of the Queen Mother and the Emperor, issued an edict to dismiss Sikong Liu Hong, and appointed himself to take over the position of Sikong.

Sikong was a high-ranking official at the level of one of the Three Dukes.

There were seven officials in the court, including the clerks under the Minister of Works Liu Hong, the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of Agriculture, who spoke out against it and were publicly beaten to death.

Dong Zhuo showed his tyranny and intimidated his ministers while at the same time preparing to use conciliatory tactics.

He would reinstate some of the old ministers who were dismissed by his external relatives and the Ten Eunuchs in an attempt to ease the conflict with the aristocratic class.

"Dong Zhuo knew very well that relying solely on military suppression would not be enough to keep the government running."

"So when he gains control of the emperor and the empress dowager, he will initially show an attitude of reconciliation with the nobles and court officials in an attempt to consolidate his own advantage."

After receiving the news, Cao Cao and Jia Xu talked in the study:

"The bodies of several officials who were beaten to death were hung at the south gate of the imperial palace."

"In the afternoon, all the officials were confiscated without exception. Their children, wives and concubines were all given away by Dong Zhuo to his subordinates. Dong Zhuo would use the money and property to support his troops. The food and pay for the troops he brought to Luoyang were running out."

Cao Cao and Jia Xu both felt it was unexpected.

Dong Zhuo was struggling to deal with the political situation and had no time to do anything else for the time being.

A day was spent observing the changes in Luoyang.

In the evening, Xun Yu, exhausted from his journey, entered the city from the east gate and returned to Luoyang.

In Cao's residence, Diao Chan poked half of her pretty face in from outside the study: "General."

Ps: This chapter was written at 2800 words, and I kept deleting and revising it. I always felt that it was not right for Jia Xu to just obey, so I added some details and twists. My head was in tears. It's Monday soon, please vote and read it again, thank you

(End of this chapter)