Cao Song listened to Tao Qian's words with some bewilderment; he felt as if there was something wrong with his ears. Tao Qian's words clearly suggested that he wanted to find a successor for Xuzhou and in his eyes, his own son Cao Cao was a good candidate. He hoped that should Cao Cao become the Governor of Xuzhou, he would treat the people kindly and, by the way, take care of his two sons.
What Cao Song felt now was that this was the Mandate of Heaven for his eldest son, much like it had been for Guangwu in the past. People were offering their territory to him before he even arrived in Xuzhou, which was one of the most important grain-producing areas in the world at the time. Moreover, they only asked in return to take care of his sons and not to let the Tao Family lineage die out. It was as if not just pies but entire mountains of gold were falling from the sky.