119. To Recruit Soldiers, First Become a Thief

Sun Boqin was overjoyed upon hearing this. He immediately stepped out of the tent, retrieved the leather bag hanging from his mount, and presented it to Cao Hong. Inside were thirteen volumes bound in Cai-hou paper, with the title "Qi Sun Tzu's Art of War" written on the covers. This Qi Sun Tzu was none other than Sun Bin, and the volumes were hand-copied manuscripts.

Cao Hong flipped through a couple of pages casually before tossing them beside his field bed. He smiled at Sun Boqin and said, "Rest assured, Master Sun. Tomorrow, I shall issue a decree: within the territory of Juancheng, only your Sun family may raise chickens. If the sound of crowing is heard from any household other than yours, their entire property will be confiscated."

Sun Boqin was delighted. "In that case, I shall send men to purchase chickens throughout Juancheng tomorrow, and then dispatch others to the forests in Lishan and surrounding counties to capture wild fowl."

Cao Hong nodded with a smile. "That is the right way to proceed. As you have just arrived, Master Sun, I am sure you have much to attend to. I shall not keep you further."

Sun Boqin laughed, "It is I who have been intruding upon your time, General. I take my leave."

Suddenly, Cao Hong asked, "Master Sun, is 'Boqin' your given name or your courtesy name? Should we not address each other by our courtesy names in the future to reflect a closer bond?" This tactic of winning hearts was something Cao Hong had naturally learned from his cousin, Cao Cao.

Sun Boqin replied, "I have long resided in Jincheng, where Hu and Han cultures mingle. I have long since ceased to have a courtesy name; 'Boqin' serves as both my name and my style."

Cao Hong nodded. "In that case, I shall call you Brother Boqin, and you may address me as General Zilian."

Sun Boqin was thrilled, recognizing that Cao Hong was trying to build rapport—a hint that they might become closer in the future. As the administrator of a family of three thousand, he understood the implication perfectly. He readily agreed and took his leave in high spirits.

After Sun Boqin left, Cao Hong sat at his desk, reflecting on what he knew—and what the original Cao Hong’s memories held—regarding cockfighting. From the lords and nobles of the Spring and Autumn period to the monarchs and ministers of the Qin and Han dynasties, and even among great scholars, many were obsessed with cockfighting. They would place bets on the matches, and some even spent exorbitant sums to acquire fierce fighting cocks to outdo others.

Cockfighting was a immensely popular form of entertainment from the Spring and Autumn period through the Wei and Jin dynasties, particularly among the upper classes. In his youth, Cao Hong had often gambled on cockfights with wealthy scions like Gu Yong. This phenomenon was easy to understand: even the most refined gentlemen possessed a competitive spirit, and cockfighting was the most satisfying outlet for that spirit devised by the people of the time. If you disliked someone but maintained a friendly outward relationship, yet still wanted to teach them a lesson, what were you to do?

In modern times, it would be easy: steal their girl or give them a "green hat" (cuckold them). But in the Han Dynasty, women were of little account. Cao Cao’s favorite pastime was sleeping with other men's wives. He had done so many times, yet the only one who turned against him because of it was Zhang Xiu—and even that was merely one version of historical record. Whether it was truly over a woman remains uncertain, as the Han era never truly placed much weight on female chastity. Did not the mother of Emperor Wu of Han bear a daughter with another man while living among the commoners, only to later become Empress Dowager? The "green hat" strategy would certainly not work in the Han Dynasty.

Of course, one could also use games like *Three Kingdoms*, *FIFA*, or *2K12* to crush an opponent, or defeat them in online gaming, but such things did not exist then. Thus, cockfighting was the only way, and it served the same purpose, which was why it remained popular for centuries.

When it came to entertainment, Cao Hong knew far too much. Sun Boqin wanted to raise fighting cocks? No problem, let him. Once Juancheng grew in scale, Cao Hong would introduce playing cards, dice, and open a casino for games like High-Low or Stud Poker. Each would be more novel and exciting than cockfighting, and more importantly, they would be immensely profitable. By then, Sun Boqin’s fighting cocks would no longer be the sole attraction. If so, why not grant him his wish?

Cao Hong rarely thought about accumulating wealth in this manner, but the merchant Sun Boqin had reminded him. With over a hundred thousand pieces of horse-hoof gold currently in Sheng Meizhen’s hands as startup capital, he could accomplish much. Why not invent other things that did not yet exist but were easy to produce? If he did that, would he not make a fortune?

Thinking of this, Cao Hong felt lighthearted. However, it was still too early for such things. He needed Cao Cao to secure a foothold in the Central Plains first. Only when the territory expanded, the population grew, and the number of wealthy households increased would these ventures be effective. In this regard, he had to admire Sun Boqin’s courage as a venture capitalist. He dared say that apart from himself, no one could see clearly where the chaotic decade of this era would lead, who would rise, and who would fall. Perhaps the likes of the Guo family or Xun Yu could guess at one or two who might achieve greatness, but they could not see the big picture. At the very least, he would bet that no one in the world knew that after Sun Jian died, Sun Ce would still be able to dominate the region east of the Yangtze.

Therefore, Sun Boqin’s choice to raise fighting cocks at this time showed his confidence that Cao Cao could establish himself in Dong Commandery. Otherwise, if others were to invade, Cao Hong’s decree would be rendered worthless.

As Cao Hong was lost in thought, he realized the sky had darkened. A guard came to report that Shi A requested an audience. Cao Hong immediately had him brought in.

Since arriving in Juancheng, Shi A had led the "Shangmu" Battalion through over a hundred skirmishes, wiping out all the bandits in the mountains and marshes of Lishan, Leize, and other parts of Juancheng. The battalion of over three hundred had been whittled down to two hundred and fifty. Beyond having Shi A turn in the confiscated money, grain, and tools, Cao Hong had no interest in the bandits' families. Regardless of whether they were women or children, he left them to the "beasts" of the Shangmu Battalion, which kept the soldiers' morale exceptionally high.

This time, Cao Hong had called for Shi A regarding recruitment. He said, "Qingmang, my elder brother has appointed me as Colonel of Eagle Might and Magistrate of Juancheng. Beyond the county troops, I am authorized to command five thousand infantry and fifteen thousand laborers. I wish to entrust the recruitment to you."

Shi A replied candidly, "Juancheng is currently filled with outsiders, most of whom belong to large, influential clans. I fear they will be unwilling to join the army. Our strength is not yet sufficient to force them, lest a mutiny undo all your hard work, Young Master."

Shi A was a martial man who spoke without tact, always delivering blunt truths. Cao Hong appreciated this. He smiled and said, "I know. That is why we cannot recruit in Juancheng. I want you to head east."

"Head east?" Shi A was taken aback. "Young Master, the Black Mountain bandits under Bai Rao are currently moving east to cross Mount Tai and join the remnants of the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans. Wherever they pass, refugees will scatter and bandits will proliferate. How can we recruit under such conditions?"

Cao Hong smiled slightly. "I want you to take the Shangmu Battalion and act as bandits."

Shi A was even more stunned. He had never heard of a general ordering his subordinates to become bandits.

Cao Hong smiled and produced a scroll of silk. When unfurled, it revealed a map of the entire Yan Province, which Xun Yu had given him before his departure.

Cao Hong pointed to Daye Marsh, located on the border east of Dong Commandery. "There is a place here called Daye Marsh, spanning over three hundred li from north to south and over one hundred from east to west. The land is fertile, and the fish in the marshes are countless. Currently, Shanyang Commandery is suffering from banditry, the Administrator is missing, and the Black Mountain bandits are swarming eastward. Shanyang must be in chaos, with bandits everywhere, no stable ownership of fields, and people displaced. I want you to find a place in Daye Marsh to settle as bandits. Take in the refugees you encounter and care for their living arrangements. In time, they will naturally be grateful. With the bravery of your Shangmu Battalion, you will soon gain a great reputation. When that happens, you can round up the local bandits and persuade them to join me. You only need to subdue those around Daye Marsh; there is no need to go further."

Shi A was stunned for a long time. Such a method of recruitment was unheard of. Little did he know that Cao Hong was using the high-level tactics of the later "Great Progenitor"—acting as a friend and comrade to the impoverished masses. This method, which had once helped four hundred million compatriots stand up, was something neither Shi A nor even Cao Cao could have conceived.

After a long while, Shi A asked two questions: "Young Master, to gather refugees, one needs grain. And Daye Marsh is so vast; to build a reputation, I will likely face many battles. Are two hundred and fifty Shangmu men enough?"

Cao Hong laughed. "I have already planned for that. From time to time, I will have Wengui lead troops to transport grain for you to 'raid.' If you can even seize the grain of government troops, you will gain a formidable reputation. If someone is foolish enough to attack you and you lose a few men, you can replenish them using my selection methods. Remember, the Shangmu Battalion can have at most three hundred men; any more, and they will be difficult to control."

Hearing that Cao Hong had a comprehensive plan, Shi A agreed.

Cao Hong continued, "Good. Tonight, go discuss the grain-raiding with Wengui. Once you have settled the details, arrange it yourselves. The provisions provided by Master Wenruo are quite substantial, and after the autumn harvest, I will begin collecting taxes, so grain will not be a problem."

Shi A replied, "Understood."

At this time, Pan Zhang and Shi A still considered themselves Cao Hong’s servants, so they did not refer to themselves as "this subordinate general" but as "the subordinate." However, Liao Hua was now a member of Cao Cao’s personal guard, so to avoid suspicion, he addressed Cao Hong as "this subordinate general."

Cao Hong said, "Once you understand, go."

Shi A took his leave. Three days later, he quietly departed Juancheng with the Shangmu Battalion. Two days after that, Pan Zhang personally led three hundred halberdiers east, with one hundred of them pushing carts loaded with grain.

Cao Hong’s innovative recruitment method was thus implemented. Although only one hundred halberdiers remained in Juancheng, there was no cause for concern—four ancestral halls stood in the county, and with the ancestors watching, who would dare let their servants run wild? Even so, ten days later, Cao Cao sent a strong reinforcement to Cao Hong: a fifty-man Tiger and Leopard Cavalry unit led by Cao Xiu. At the same time, his wife, concubines, and daughters also arrived in Juancheng under Cao Xiu’s escort.

Though the family was reunited and Cao Hong was happy, the problem remained... the county magistrate's office in Juancheng had not yet been fully repaired.