Chapter 45: How Much? Tell Me, How Much?

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Time rewound to yesterday.

When Lu Chuan held the pre-sale auction, Cao Cao, relying on Lu Chuan’s investment of ten million coins, along with forty million in grain, supplies, weapons, and so forth, successfully recruited several thousand soldiers in Yangzhou. Added to the four thousand soldiers allocated to Cao Cao by Chen Wen, the Governor of Yangzhou, and Zhou Xin, the Administrator of Danyang, Cao Cao easily assembled an army exceeding ten thousand men.

Now, stationed in Henei, a smile once again appeared on Cao Cao’s face.

Since the defeat at Xingyang, Cao Cao’s mood had been gloomy. The root cause was simple: he lacked sufficient troops.

In these chaotic times, without a strong army, one is nothing more than fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others.

Especially after witnessing the might of Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and others, Cao Cao felt disadvantaged. He knew he had to seize every moment to strengthen his forces without any slackening.

With ten thousand soldiers now, Cao Cao finally had some leverage and could afford a slight reprieve.

Particularly, the two thousand elite soldiers led by Dian Wei were extraordinarily formidable!

On the way back from recruiting in Yangzhou, the newly enlisted troops actually mutinied. Fortunately, Dian Wei reacted swiftly, leading his men to suppress the rebellion immediately. In less than half an hour, the mutiny that could have endangered Cao Cao’s life was quelled.

Historically, after this mutiny, Cao Cao returned to Henei with barely over a thousand soldiers—a truly dire situation.

But with Dian Wei’s help, this rebellion was merely a minor hiccup on the way to raising troops.

It was precisely for this reason that Cao Cao grew confident, believing this was a chance granted by heaven.

So, as soon as he entered Henei, Cao Cao eagerly prepared fine wine and delicacies like venison and invited Dian Wei to dine with him.

Dian Wei, straightforward and unpretentious, came without hesitation.

Facing the fine wine, Dian Wei drank heartily without reserve. As soon as he set down his cup, Cao Cao promptly refilled it, and Dian Wei drank again.

After a dozen rounds, Dian Wei grew somewhat tipsy, his cheeks flushed, yet his hand remained steady.

Cao Cao sensed the moment was right, and he spoke.

“Dian Wei, what do you think of my situation here?”

“It’s alright,” Dian Wei replied.

Alright?

Cao Cao’s hand trembled slightly as he poured more wine. “Is there anything you’re dissatisfied with?”

“No! There’s wine to drink, meat to eat, and you don’t micromanage me like Lord Lu does. I have no complaints.”

“Is that so? Does Lord Lu often keep tabs on you?”

“Yes, he says drinking interferes with work and doesn’t let me drink too much—no more than three jars a day. If he finds I’ve had more, I’m in trouble.”

“What? Is that true?” Cao Cao exclaimed indignantly. “As long as you do your job well, what harm is there in drinking a bit? Here with me, drink to your heart’s content. Plenty of wine awaits, and no one will stop you.”

“Really?”

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“Really!”

“Good, then bring three more jars of this wine—I intend to drink my fill today!”

Dian Wei laughed heartily and immediately downed the wine Cao Cao had just poured.

Cao Cao was eager to win Dian Wei’s favor and naturally did not oppose him, waving for three more jars of fine wine.

“Dian Wei, you seem comfortable here. Why not stay longer with me? What do you think?”

“That’s fine. Lord Lu said I should lead my two thousand brothers to help you for a year. Only a few months have passed; there’s still time.”

Dian Wei, engrossed in drinking, hadn’t caught Cao Cao’s deeper meaning.

Clearing his throat, Cao Cao said, “I mean, after the year, you continue to stay on. How about that?”

“What?” Dian Wei, lifting his wine jar, froze at Cao Cao’s suggestion.

“What do you mean? You want me to stay with you for good?”

Cao Cao nodded, eyes filled with hope. “If you agree, I promise endless fine wine, endless venison. Whatever you desire, I’ll provide.”

Dian Wei set down his jar, his expression turning serious.

“General Cao, I’ve said before, I only acknowledge Lord Lu. I serve no other! I came this time because Lord Lu sent me to protect you. But if you want me to betray Lord Lu, don’t even think about it!”

Cao Cao felt awkward and hurriedly refilled Dian Wei’s jar.

“Well… it’s not that I want you to betray Lord Lu. I just want you to stay longer here. Your Lord Lu hasn’t forbidden it, has he?”

Dian Wei snorted coldly and rose abruptly.

“General Cao, no need to say more. Though I am uneducated, I understand the loyalty of a faithful servant to one master. If you called me here to make me betray Lord Lu, you’re wasting your effort! Farewell!”

Dian Wei’s response was resolute, leaving Cao Cao no chance to plead as he walked out, leaving Cao Cao sighing alone.

Such a fierce and loyal warrior, how did he end up under Lu Chuan’s command?

And Lu Chuan was just a county magistrate—how could Cao Cao accept this?

Outside, Xiahou Dun and others who had been standing guard saw Dian Wei leave and hurried in.

“Mengde, how did it go? Did Dian Wei agree to stay?”

Cao Cao shook his head. “Dian Wei is stubborn as a mule! What future is there in following a mere county magistrate? I invited him here with the best intentions, and yet he refuses!”

Xiahou Dun was displeased as well. He knew Dian Wei was a fearsome warrior; even he and Xiahou Yuan together might not be able to overpower him.

But that wasn’t Dian Wei’s pride’s foundation!

Moreover, Cao Cao had put tremendous effort into winning Dian Wei over, trying every trick to please him, almost as if he were offering his own heart.

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Yet, despite all this, Dian Wei remained ungrateful.

Especially today, he showed no respect and simply left.

“Mengde, why don’t we all go get him? We’ll capture Dian Wei first and see what he has to say!”

“No! Absolutely not!” Cao Cao hastily waved his hands. “Have you not noticed the two thousand soldiers Dian Wei brought? They obey only him. If you touch Dian Wei, those two thousand soldiers will fight us! Our newly recruited troops stand no chance against them.”

Xiahou Dun fell silent.

Though he disliked Dian Wei, he had to admit those two thousand soldiers were formidable.

Especially when clad in armor and formed into a phalanx, even Xiahou Dun leading ten thousand troops couldn’t confidently say he could defeat them.

So, it was better to let it be.

Cao Cao sighed again and asked, “Any news from Lu Chuan’s side recently?”

“Yes!” Cao Hong stepped forward. “Lu Chuan held a pre-sale auction for fixed assets in the northern outer city of Lu County. It went very well.”

“Northern outer city, fixed assets, pre-sale? Auction?” Cao Cao’s brow furrowed deeply.

“What’s that about?”

Cao Hong quickly explained, and Cao Cao finally understood, though his expression remained disdainful.

“Selling houses and shops not yet built? It’s surprising Lu Chuan thought of that! And people are willing to pay? Zilian, tell me, how much did Lu Chuan’s pre-sale auction raise? Over ten million coins?”

“Uh…” Cao Hong scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

Cao Cao saw his hesitation and was unfazed. “It’s fine. Just tell me what you know. Even if Lu Chuan is capable, this pre-sale event probably didn’t raise much. Twenty million coins at most, right?”

Cao Hong braced himself and said, “Actually, Lu Chuan’s pre-sale auction raised three hundred million coins…”

Cao Cao suddenly looked up sharply.

“What? How much did you say?!”