Cao Wang came to meet Cao Changgeng in person mainly because he was afraid that others would be unable to complete the task.

Whether Cao Changgeng can cooperate with Cao Qiang is crucial to the prosperity of the Cao family.

Cao He was not a legitimate heir to the Cao family, and since he and Cao Ying were cousins, it was not his turn to inherit the Cao family property.

He rose to power by relying on his father-in-law's family, but if Cao He really becomes the head of the family in the future, will the Cao family still be the Cao family? Wouldn't it become Cao He's father-in-law's family?

Cao Changgeng's abilities are evident to all; if he were not an illegitimate son, he would be the most suitable successor.

It's a pity he wasn't born into the womb of the First Madam.

Cao Wang was invited in by Cao Changgeng.

Without any beating around the bush, Cao Changgeng asked directly, "I wonder what brings you here?"

Cao Wang didn't mince words: "I'm here to discuss a collaboration with Young Master Chang Geng."

"Oh?" Cao Changgeng asked feigned confusion, "What kind of cooperation is it?"

Cao Wang knew he was a smart man, and when talking to a smart man, you have to make things clear at once so that he knows what's going on and what's not.

"Young Master promises that as long as you join forces with us to defeat Cao Changyu and Cao He, and the Cao family is no longer divided, Young Master will recognize you as a true brother."

Cao Changgeng was surprised that Cao Qiang would make such a promise. If it were any other condition, such as a certain amount of money or shops, Cao Changgeng would not have been tempted.

But the young master considers him a true brother, which means he treats him as a legitimate son. He will no longer be a son born out of wedlock, but will be registered under the name of the first wife.

This is something that many children born out of wedlock dream of.

Everyone knows what it means to be born of the legitimate wife.

Even if she separates from Cao Qiang in the future, she can still divide the family property and start her own business without anyone objecting.

The sons of concubines and their descendants can only rely on the favor of the legitimate sons and will never be able to rise above others.

Cao Changgeng was tempted.

He knew Cao Qiang's character; he was arrogant, but he kept his word.

The conditions offered by Cao Qiang are now more reliable than those offered by Shenxi, which is far away in Bian'ai County.

After all, Shenxi's possible plans were all just his guesses, and whether they would succeed depended on many factors.

Given the Cao family's current status and power, it would be very difficult for Shenxi to monopolize Jianming Prefecture.

Partnering with Cao Qiang now is the best option.

"I wonder, with such generous terms offered by the young master, what can I do?"

When it comes to cooperation, it's definitely a two-way street!

Cao Wang directly listed the conditions: "All I need is for you, Young Master Chang Geng, to provide money and provisions, and for you to raise your voice and shout."

Cao Changgeng wields considerable influence over the Cao family. Once he steps forward to stand on Cao Qiang's side, many of the fence-sitters will turn to Cao Qiang's side.

Previously, Cao Changgeng was the one who contacted other aristocratic families. As long as Cao Changgeng contacted them, he would receive a lot of external support.

Moreover, Cao Changgeng controlled a considerable amount of money and grain, making him of paramount importance.

If Cao Changgeng had not been born out of wedlock, he would have had difficulty gaining support on his own, and he would not have needed to rely on Cao Qiang at all.

The barriers of social status are difficult to break down; when there is a legitimate son, it is difficult for a son born out of wedlock to rise to power.

Cao Wang greatly admired Cao Changgeng and often lamented, "Why isn't Cao Changgeng the eldest son?"

If Cao Changgeng were the legitimate son, how could he have allowed Cao Changyu to act so arrogantly? He would have suppressed him long ago.

It would not allow Cao He to have the opportunity to split the Cao family.

It can only be said that Cao Changgeng's mind was not on this matter.

This is also why Cao Wang dared to let Cao Qiang cooperate with Cao Changgeng; Cao Changgeng had no intention of taking over Cao Qiang's position.

Cao Changgeng pretended to ponder and said, "I need the young master's warrant."

Having Cao Qiang's handwritten order makes it easier to gain the trust of others and allows for contact with more people.

"Okay." Cao Wang immediately took out the warrant.

"Heh, looks like you were prepared in advance!"

Cao Wang smiled and said, "Time is of the essence, so we can't afford to waste any."

"Okay, I will do it."

Cao Changgeng agreed.

After seeing Cao Wang off, Cao Changgeng summoned Cao Yi, the leader of his private army.

"Gather your soldiers and wait for my orders. Do not move without my orders."

"As you command."

Cao Changgeng originally used these private soldiers to save his life, and he still uses them to save his life now, but he needs to reconsider his previous idea of ​​taking advantage of the chaos to leave the city.

He needed to quickly sort things out with the Cao family, and then...

Go to negotiate with Zhao Peng.

Cao Changgeng was very efficient. He contacted other prominent families again and gathered a total of more than 10,000 people.

They quickly surrounded Cao Changyu with lightning speed.

Cao Wang suggested to Cao Changgeng: "If we can take advantage of Tao Feng's army outside the city to launch an attack, it will be easier to deal with Cao Changyu."

Cao Changgeng shook his head and rejected the idea: "No, if the situation gets out of control, Cao Changyu will be caught in a pincer attack, but if Tao Feng takes the opportunity to attack, we will suffer a great loss."

Moreover, I have already inquired and learned that Tao Feng is currently short of food supplies and is gathering more supplies and building siege weapons. It is estimated that it will take half a month to a month before the next siege.

"We can't afford to waste so much time with Cao Changyu. We have a larger force now, and while Cao Changyu is still unaware that I'll concentrate over ten thousand men to surround him, now is the time to take him down."

Indeed, Cao Changyu did not expect that Cao Changgeng would join forces with Cao Qiang.

Suddenly put on the defensive, they escaped the encirclement under the protection of their loyal subordinates, and surprisingly broke out of the north gate and disappeared into the vast mountains.

Cao Changgeng did not send anyone to pursue them. Leaving aside the survival rate in the mountains, Cao Changyu had run away and had few men left, so he was no longer a threat.

There's no need to go to great lengths to wipe out those who pose no threat.

Cao Qiang was astonished; he hadn't expected Cao Changgeng to be so capable.

However, he kept his promise and indeed publicly declared Cao Changgeng as a direct descendant, and registered the ancestral hall under the name of his first wife.

Cao Ying's injuries are severe and he has not yet regained consciousness. Cao Changyu was able to survive because he did not kill Cao Ying.

Otherwise, even if they hide at the ends of the earth, they will still be hunted down by the Cao family.

The doctor has given the results: Cao Ying is unlikely to regain consciousness, so everyone has automatically promoted Cao Qiang, the young master, to the head of the family.

A country cannot be without a leader for a single day, and neither can a large family.

That's why Cao Qiang was able to directly include Cao Changgeng in the family genealogy.

Cao Changgeng was considered the eldest son, so he naturally had more say. He was also given command of his private army by Cao Qiang, and Cao Changgeng directly led his troops to attack Cao He's territory.

Cao He had already prepared a defense, and the two sides fought for several days without ending the battle.

The difference between Cao He and Cao Changyu is that Cao He had the support of his father-in-law's family, the Dong family, and unlike Cao Changyu, whose troops were mostly divided up by Cao Qiang, Cao He's troops were always able to contend with Cao Changyu's, so he should not be underestimated.

Cao Qiang summoned Cao Changgeng: "Changgeng, why is Cao He so difficult to defeat?"

Cao Changyu only fought for two days before taking it down!

Cao Changgeng said, "Cao Changyu has no food supplies and his troops are less than half of what they used to be. Cao He is not in this situation."

"Oh!" Cao Qiang said, somewhat frustrated, "At this rate, when will we ever win?"

"Master, don't worry, I have a brilliant plan!"