Chapter 1129: Competing Without Competing

Cao Zhen, the son of Qin Shao, who had been mistakenly killed by Guan Yu, was treated like a son by Cao Cao. Incidentally, Cao Zhen possessed considerable talent, not in martial prowess but in large-scale military operations.

Cao Cao was a bit worried that Cao Zhen might not be able to contain himself and would try to confront Guan Yu, given that Qin Shao was Cao Zhen's biological father.

"I have him studying alongside Mengquan (Xiahou Heng) and Zhongquan (Xiahou Ba), with Zhongquan keeping an eye on him. He won't act rashly," Cao Ang said with a nod.

Among the younger generation of the Cao and Xiahou families, only Cao Ang had reached adulthood. The rest were no older than eleven or twelve, with some still in their infancy.

Because Cao Ang was the eldest, he took on the responsibility of educating and managing the younger generation of the Cao and Xiahou families. After all, the older generation, including Cao Cao and his peers, were busy conquering the world and had little time to raise their children. Thus, Cao Ang gathered all his younger brothers, cousins, and other relatives to teach them.

What Cao Ang was doing now was similar to what Cao De had done in the past. And because Cao Ang was loyal, gentle, and ten years older than his younger brothers and cousins, even mischievous troublemakers like Cao Pi and Xiahou Ba obediently listened to him.

Thanks to Cao Ang’s presence, the younger generation of the Cao and Xiahou families had achieved a surprising level of harmony, with brothers supporting each other.

"Alright, you and Juan’er keep an eye on that group of troublemakers. Make sure they don't fight," Cao Cao said with a wave of his hand, dismissing Cao Ang to tend to the children. In truth, Cao Cao sometimes felt that Cao Ang’s personality was too soft.

Cao Ang didn’t argue and simply turned to leave. He had always been this way in front of Cao Cao, rarely expressing his own opinions. As a child, he had suffered many setbacks for voicing his opinions, so now he generally accepted Cao Cao’s suggestions without objection. But this didn’t mean he was foolish.

In fact, Cao Ang was exceptionally intelligent. His intelligence wasn’t the type to be displayed through composing poems or writing essays at a young age, but rather a true wisdom in understanding what needed to be done.

Whether it was representing the Cao family with Cao Pi or the Xiahou family with Xiahou Heng, both sides greatly respected and even revered Cao Ang.

To put it simply, if Cao Cao’s foundation was built on the support of the Cao and Xiahou families, then Cao Ang’s foundation was the next generation of these families, led by Cao Pi and Xiahou Heng.

Cao Ang allowed competition between Cao Pi and Xiahou Heng but kept them united under his leadership. He didn’t need to display exceptional talent like Cao Cao. As the eldest son, his role was to ensure peace among his brothers. In fact, he had reached a level even higher than that.

Cao Ang had mastered the art of “competing without competing.” He didn’t need to prove himself as extraordinary. Instead, he made sure all his brothers followed his lead and that they all had opportunities to showcase their abilities. That was enough.

At only twenty years old, Cao Ang already understood how to conduct himself when he lacked the power to make decisions. In another ten years, once Cao Pi and the others reached adulthood, everything would become clear, and by then, Cao Cao would realize who his most capable son truly was.

As long as Cao Ang continued on this path, neither the talented Cao Zhi nor the cunning Cao Pi, nor the formidable Cao Zhang would have any chance of surpassing him. In fact, they wouldn’t even entertain such thoughts.

In most cases, the instability of an heir’s position stemmed not from a lack of ability but from the father’s lack of recognition. Cao Ang’s approach eliminated any possibility of Cao Cao doubting him. The full support of his brothers was already guaranteed.

As for Cao Chong and Cao Xiong, they didn’t even need to be considered. If Cao Ang managed to bring up capable brothers like Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, and Cao Zhang, then the younger siblings would naturally follow in line behind him.

Moreover, the younger generation of the Xiahou and Cao families had also been raised under Cao Ang’s guidance. By the time they grew up, it would be inevitable for Cao Ang to take over everything from Cao Cao. At that point, any attempt by Cao Cao to replace Cao Ang would cause the entire Cao family to collapse.

In history, had Cao Ang not died, leading to the disintegration of the harmony between brothers, the Cao and Xiahou families would not have fallen to such a low point. The reason the Cao family and the Xiahou family were treated poorly starting with Cao Pi was because Cao Pi never gained their full support.

The Cao and Xiahou families had never been part of Cao Pi’s foundation. That was the foundation Cao Ang had laid for himself. In fact, even Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, and Cao Zhang were part of Cao Ang’s carefully planned foundation. But when Cao Ang died, this well-crafted foundation was split among the three brothers.

Cao Pi inherited the support of the aristocrats, Cao Zhi gained the backing of the literati, and Cao Zhang rallied the external military forces. If Cao Ang had been alive, with these three under his control, all these factions combined would have formed the power base of the imperial clan. Together, they represented the entirety of Cao Cao’s forces.

If Cao Ang had ascended to power, he would have held absolute authority, with the leaders of each faction—Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, and Cao Zhang—remaining loyal to him. Though these factions might have competed with each other, as long as Cao Ang was in charge, the balance would be maintained, and the Xiahou family would be smoothly integrated into the imperial clan.

Cao Ang’s greatest success was ensuring that his most promising brothers had solid support systems, ensuring they wouldn’t struggle after his rise to power. Meanwhile, he would retain absolute control, preventing any conflicts between his brothers and maintaining the supremacy of the Cao family within the court.

Moreover, this strategy demonstrated to future generations that aligning with Cao Ang was a beneficial move, and it showcased his broad-mindedness. In this way, he achieved multiple objectives at once.

Cao Ang’s only failure, however, was doing everything a good elder brother should, yet failing to foresee that he would be so tragically set up and killed by his own father.

After Cao Ang’s death, his carefully laid plans quickly became a joke. With their eldest brother gone, Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, and Cao Zhang began competing with each other. The reason was simple: Cao Ang had left them all with their own power bases.

Each of them now had their own resources. Without Cao Ang’s restraint, why should they continue listening to anyone else? While Cao Ang had been alive, they all knew not to entertain ambitions of the heirship. But with him gone, and each having their own strength, they all saw an opportunity to vie for power.

At first, they might have been able to tolerate the situation, but as time passed, no one could resist the allure of the top position. While they had once refrained due to Cao Ang blocking all paths to the throne, without him, neither Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, nor Cao Zhang possessed the ability to maintain that balance.

Achieving such control required not only skill but also careful planning far in advance. Long before these brothers were even born, Cao Ang had already prepared everything, making each of them mere pieces in his larger game.

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