116. Xu You Comes to Join Him, and Cao Cao Rushes Out to Welcome Him

Xu Chu stood watching the unruly soldiers when, shortly after, General Cao Hong approached with a squad of men, carrying a tray.

The object on the tray looked somewhat familiar to Xu Chu. It was a bloody mess—what on earth was it? Xu Chu squinted and realized with a start that it was the head of Wang Hou, the officer in charge of grain.

"The grain officer, Wang Hou, embezzled military supplies and has now been beheaded by order of the Prime Minister," Cao Hong’s voice boomed like thunder, ringing in the ears of the soldiers. "The Prime Minister commands all officers and men to endure for a few more days; within ten days, supplies from the rear will surely reach the camp. Anyone who continues to incite unrest will face the same fate as Wang Hou."

Upon seeing Wang Hou’s head, the disgruntled soldiers thought: "Oh! No wonder we couldn't get a full meal! It turns out that all our grain was embezzled by that wretch Wang Hou." Now that the Prime Minister had executed him, they would have plenty to eat once the new supplies arrived. Ten days—that was manageable; they could wait ten days. Hatred does not simply vanish; it shifts. The soldiers’ resentment toward Cao Cao was successfully redirected toward the grain officer.

Seeing that the soldiers had calmed down, Cao Hong bowed to Xu Chu and said, "Zhongkang, I must be going. The Lord has ordered that Wang Hou’s head be paraded through all the divisions so that every man knows what happened, thereby settling the army's morale."

Xu Chu was still utterly bewildered. He scratched his head and replied, "Alright, go ahead."

As Cao Hong left with the head to make his rounds, Xu Chu remained confused. He thought, *Wang Hou just told me he was going to see the Prime Minister to discuss a solution. How, in the blink of an eye, did he become a grain embezzler?* He mused further, *I never heard a word about him embezzling grain! He didn’t seem like the type.*

Had Xu Chu heard about the embezzlement? Certainly not, because it never happened. Wang Hou had not stolen a single grain. It was a pure frame-up. But one had to consider who was doing the framing. Since it was Cao Cao, Wang Hou was destined to meet a bitter end. It must be said that when it comes to political manipulation, Cao Cao is truly in a league of his own.

With this single maneuver, at the cost of one grain officer, Cao Cao had nipped a potential mutiny in the bud. The only unlucky soul was Wang Hou. However, he need not worry too much in the underworld; after Cao Cao had him beheaded, he told the corpse, "I will provide for your wife and children." Cao Cao was well-known for his "care" for the wives of others, so he would surely handle that responsibility with meticulous, thorough attention.

The Cao camp was surviving on dwindling supplies, with enough left for perhaps ten more days. If Xu You did not arrive to defect by then, Cao Cao would have no choice but to retreat.

At dusk, candlelight flickered in Cao Cao’s command tent. Cao Cao, Guo Jia, and Su Ming were discussing tactics for burning Wuchao. They had prepared plan after plan to handle any contingency. Everything was ready; they were merely waiting for the "east wind"—and that wind was Xu You.

Just then, Xu Chu rushed in, panting. "He’s here! He’s here, my Lord!"

Cao Cao looked at him, puzzled. "Who is here?" He paused, then suddenly realized what Xu Chu meant. "Is it Xu You, Xu Ziyuan?"

"Yes!" Xu Chu replied hurriedly. "A middle-aged scholar has arrived outside the camp, claiming to be Xu You."

"Prime Minister," Su Ming suggested, "since he has come, shall we go out to receive him?"

Cao Cao started to walk out but suddenly stopped. "Wait." He took off his shoes and put them on the wrong feet. Not stopping there, he ruffled his clothes and disheveled his hair. Seeing everyone staring at him, he smiled and explained, "This is called 'welcoming someone with shoes on the wrong feet.' I know Xu Ziyuan well; he is a man who values his reputation greatly. The more importance I show him, the more he will be willing to serve us."

Watching this, Su Ming thought, *It has to be you, Cao Cao! When it comes to political maneuvering, no one in the late Han and Three Kingdoms era is your match.*

Cao Cao led Su Ming, Guo Jia, and Xu Chu to the camp gates. Xu You was already waiting there with a beaming smile. Upon seeing Cao Cao, he walked forward and said cheerfully, "Mengde! It has been a long time since we last met."

This exchange revealed that Xu You was not only vain but also arrogant. Cao Cao was the Prime Minister of the Han, a position of supreme power, yet Xu You did not address him by his title, but by his courtesy name, Mengde. This irritated Cao Cao. He wondered if Xu You would have dared to address Yuan Shao as "Benchu" while in the Yuan camp. That was impossible. Yuan Shao came from a line of ancestors who had held high office for four generations, and among the three of them—Yuan Shao, Xu You, and Cao Cao—Yuan Shao had always been the eldest brother.

The reason Xu You dared to call Cao Cao "Mengde" but not Yuan Shao "Benchu" was simple: in his heart, he did not believe Cao Cao was his superior. In Xu You’s eyes, Cao Cao’s success was merely a matter of luck. Despite his annoyance, Cao Cao showed nothing. He was a man of profound calculation who kept his feelings buried deep. Since he needed Xu You, he could easily handle being called "Mengde"—or even "Cao Aman"—with a warm, smiling face. After all, who was Cao Cao? He was the supreme cunning hero of the era; surely he could endure such a minor slight.

"A long time indeed, a long time indeed!" Cao Cao said, his expression full of warmth and familiarity. "Ziyuan, I have missed you dearly!"

After they exchanged pleasantries, Xu You stated his purpose. Hearing that Xu You had come to defect, Cao Cao was overjoyed. With Xu You’s defection, Yuan Shao was certain to fall.

"This is no place for conversation," Cao Cao said, extending a warm invitation. "Ziyuan, come with me to my tent, and we shall talk through the night by candlelight."