Chapter 20: When the Country Rises, the Common People Suffer; When the Country Falls, the Common People Also Suffer.

In the Cao Army Camp, as the weather had turned cold in recent days, Lin Yu suddenly had a whim to have a hot pot meal.

He first found a table, hollowed out the top of it, then placed an iron pot on it and put a basin of charcoal fire underneath the pot. In no time, the water in the pot began to boil.

Lin Yu sat leisurely on the couch, instructing Zhao Yun, "Put the big bones in first to make the broth, and then add the hot pot base."

Before long, an enticing aroma wafted over.

"Oh... it smells so good!" Even Zhao Yun, who was usually calm and composed, couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

"This is just the beginning. It'll be even more delicious when eaten with sesame paste later!" Lin Yu laughed heartily as he put the prepared ingredients into the pot one by one.

Judging that the time was almost right and just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, he heard a burst of footsteps coming from outside. Immediately after, the curtain of the tent was lifted, and Cao Cao walked in with a big smile on his face.

Judging from this posture, he must have reached some sort of shady "deal" with Yuan Shao.

"Sir, great news. I just... Is this the Ancient Stew?" Before Cao Cao could finish his words, his nose twitched as his eyes fell on the hot pot in front of Lin Yu.

"Well... you could say that," Lin Yu nodded.

"Why does it smell so good?" Cao Cao's Adam's apple bobbed as he, too, couldn't resist swallowing his saliva.

Actually, a similar way of eating like hot pot had already existed in ancient times. The ancients named it "Ancient Stew" because when food was dropped into the boiling broth, it would make a "gudong" sound, hence the name.

"I just added some spices," Lin Yu said with a smile. "If Lord Cao doesn't mind, why not join us for the meal?"

"That would be wonderful!" Being a lover of good food, Cao Cao naturally wouldn't refuse. He sat down with a plop, picked up a piece of meat, and put it into his mouth.

The moment the food entered his mouth, various flavors such as spiciness, sourness, and the rich aroma of the sesame paste all stimulated Cao Cao's taste buds at once.

"Oh my god, this is so delicious!" Cao Cao couldn't help but exclaim.

With just this one bite, the cold of the weather was completely driven away, and his whole body felt warm. Without hesitation, he immediately picked up his chopsticks again and continued to eat heartily.

My duck intestines! Lin Yu cried out inwardly, but he could only shake his head helplessly.

Just as he was about to ask Dian Wei and Zhao Yun to sit down, he looked up and found that they had already been sitting at the table at some point, gobbling up the food together with Cao Cao! Heartless guys! Lin Yu quickly sat down and picked up his chopsticks too.

When Cao Cao was sweating profusely from eating, he slowly put down his chopsticks and said with a lingering aftertaste, "Sir, you are truly extraordinary. Even the Ancient Stew you made is so delicious!"

"Lord Cao, you flatter me," Lin Yu quickly waved his hand, fearing that Cao Cao might ask for another meal. After all, he didn't have many bags of hot pot base left.

"Lord Cao mentioned good news just now?" Lin Yu quickly changed the subject and asked.

Cao Cao slapped his forehead and laughed, "It's all because of your excellent cooking skills, Sir, that I forgot about the important matter! Sir, you are truly brilliant. After I proposed to present the Imperial Seal to Yuan Benchu, he agreed to all the conditions we put forward!"

Lin Yu just smiled slightly and didn't seem overly excited.

The Imperial Seal was a symbol of the identity of the Son of Heaven. Only with it could one ascend the throne and become the emperor in a legitimate and proper way. After seeing the chaos in the world, Yuan Shao had already harbored ambitions. How could he not be tempted by the Imperial Seal?

Lin Yu had taken the Imperial Seal from Luoyang City ahead of others precisely to facilitate the deal between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. Cao Cao used the Imperial Seal to exchange for Yuan Shao's strong support for him to become the Prefect of Dongjun. With Yuan Shao's backing, even if Liu Dai was extremely unhappy, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble openly. That was enough.

"Sir, for your great assistance, Cao Mengde will surely remember it in his heart and never forget it for the rest of his life!" Suddenly, Cao Cao's expression became solemn as he saluted Lin Yu with great seriousness.

Lin Yu quickly reached out to support him and said, "Lord Cao, you are being too polite! It is my honor to follow Lord Cao!"

"Sir, please rest assured. If I achieve great things in the future, I will definitely not treat you unfairly."

Lin Yu immediately felt relieved in his heart. What he had been working so hard for Cao Cao was for a better life, after all. With Cao Cao's promise, as long as he didn't do anything stupid, the wealth and honor for the rest of his life were basically guaranteed.

Cao Cao and Lin Yu and the others didn't rush to leave Luoyang but stayed and set up camp there for the time being.

A few days later, the messenger sent by Yuan Shao to Chang'an City brought back the official document from the imperial court. To appease Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo also readily agreed to their requests. After all, including Dongjun, places like Yanzhou and Yuzhou had basically been out of the jurisdiction of the imperial court. Instead of having a feud with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, it was better to do them a favor to appease them and prevent them from continuing to attack Chang'an.

Subsequently, Yuan Shao specially held a banquet and invited Liu Dai and Cao Cao to attend.

When Liu Dai learned that Yuan Shao had recommended Cao Cao to be the Prefect of Dongjun, his face immediately turned ugly. You see, he had originally planned to appoint his subordinate general Wang Gong to be the Prefect. He never expected Cao Cao to barge in like this. Losing such a large piece of territory for no reason, how could Liu Dai feel good about it?

However, he knew in his heart that Yuan Shao's banquet this time was a warning to him not to lay a hand on Cao Cao. Liu Dai could only swallow his anger and endure it.

After the banquet, Cao Cao and Lin Yu and their group returned to their tent.

"Judging from Liu Dai's expression, he must hate us to the core," Cao Cao said slowly, with a solemn look on his face.

You know, Liu Dai was the Governor of Yanzhou, and Yanzhou was under his jurisdiction. Now, before Cao Cao's troops even reached Dongjun, they had already offended Liu Dai. This wasn't a good sign.

"Don't worry, Lord Cao. Liu Dai is just an incompetent fellow, not worth mentioning," Lin Yu said with a dismissive smile.

If Liu Dai were really capable, he wouldn't have been killed by the Yellow Turban Army. After they went to Dongjun, as long as they developed patiently, when the Yellow Turban Army from Qingzhou invaded Yanzhou, it would be the time for them to rise.

To avoid any further complications, early the next morning, Cao Cao led his troops to Dongjun.

After several days of marching, the group finally arrived in Dongjun.

Dongjun was located in Yanzhou. Although it wasn't as prosperous as Yuzhou, it had fertile land and a large population.

However, due to the wars in recent years, most of what Lin Yu saw along the way were scenes of deserted land and sparse population. The common people he occasionally encountered were also sallow and emaciated, with dull eyes.

Seeing such a situation, Lin Yu couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart and sighed, "When the country rises, the common people suffer; when the country falls, the common people also suffer!"

"Brother, you have such good literary talent!" Zhao Yun was deeply moved and said sincerely....