Chapter 121: The Yellow Turbans Rise Again – The First Chapter of the New Volume, Seeking Your First Subscription

In the first year of the Chuping era, on the eighteenth day of the seventh month, Cao Hong was in the newly renovated prefectural office of Juan County, studying Sun Yi’s Art of War.

"When deploying the Eight Trigrams Formation, one must adapt to the advantages of the terrain and the requirements of the formation itself. Divide the formation into three parts; each unit has a vanguard, and each vanguard has a rear guard, all awaiting orders to move. Use one part for combat and two parts for defense; use one part to harass the enemy and two parts to consolidate. If the enemy is weak and in disarray, select your finest troops to crush them; if the enemy is strong and disciplined, use your inferior troops to lure them out. As for chariots and cavalry, divide them into three: one group on the right, one on the left, and one in the rear. On flat ground, use more chariots; on rugged terrain, use more cavalry; in narrow passes, use more crossbowmen. One must distinguish between 'living ground' and 'dead ground'—occupy the living, and strike the dead."

As he recited the text and compared it to the diagrams, Cao Hong muttered to himself, "I always thought the Eight Trigrams Formation was the original invention of Zhuge Liang, but it turns out to be Sun Yi’s. This formation is divided into nine armies according to the numerology of the Nine Palaces. The troop types can be changed at will, and even the maneuvers of the nine armies can be adapted to the circumstances and terrain. The wisdom of the ancients truly should not be underestimated."

This was his second month studying the *Sun Yi Art of War*. Cao Hong had always been quick to grasp things, but the military treatise was demanding. Beyond the complex formations, it covered the utilization of geography, strategic situations, and even intelligence gathering. Compared to Bai Qi’s *Book of Formations*, the *Sun Yi Art of War* was practically a military encyclopedia.

Furthermore, the *Sun Yi Art of War* discussed methods of troop selection, and its views differed greatly from Bai Qi’s. Recently, Cao Hong had studied the chapter on "Selecting Soldiers," which read: "The victory of an army lies in selection; its courage lies in discipline; its ingenuity lies in momentum; its advantage lies in trust; its virtue lies in the Way; its wealth lies in returning home quickly; its strength lies in allowing the people to rest; its injury lies in frequent warfare."

In short, Sun Yi believed in governing an army through clear rewards and punishments and allowing the people to rest. The text also contained maxims such as "Virtue is the foundation of an army" and "Trust is the clarity of rewards," which were vastly different from Bai Qi’s extreme recruitment methods. Comparing the two, Bai Qi’s approach was more violent and ruthless, whereas Sun Yi’s system of clear rewards and punishments was better suited for balancing the needs of massive armies—those numbering in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

Cao Hong had already made up his mind: he would keep his elite "Upper Recruitment" battalion limited to one thousand men, intended for surprise attacks, unconventional warfare, and spearheading assaults. For the main body of the army, he would employ Sun Yi’s methods; otherwise, if his entire force consisted of bloodthirsty fanatics, fighting would become impossible.

"Uncle!" Cao Xiu and Cao Ang, dressed in Hu-style martial attire, walked into the courtyard and bowed. For the past two months, they had come regularly for his instruction, as Cao Hong had promised to teach them a formidable martial art.

The technique Cao Hong taught was a cooperative combat style called "Six-Faced Spherical Force," aimed at merging the two fighters into one, allowing them to borrow each other's strength and compensate for each other's weaknesses to unleash greater power.

Seeing them arrive, Cao Hong closed his book and walked to the center of the courtyard to explain the essence of channeling strength: "As I told you before, this method requires the synchronization of body and intent. You must bind your muscles together like the bamboo strips of a horse lance, then release them in a sudden, explosive burst to injure the enemy. When two people work together, the principle is the same: one exerts the pressure, the other provides the snap, much like a bow and arrow—one acts as the draw, the other as the bolt..."

After the explanation, the two began to practice. They trained until dusk, when a servant sent by Sheng Meizhen arrived to invite Cao Hong to dinner. Just as the three were preparing to leave, a Tiger and Leopard Cavalryman under Cao Xiu’s command arrived and reported, "Reporting to the Colonel, Captain, and Young Master: A massive wave of refugees has appeared in Shanyang Commandery. According to them, Zhang Rao has consolidated thirty thousand remnants of the Yellow Turbans from Qing and Xu provinces, joining forces with the Black Mountain bandits fleeing from the east to lay siege to Taishan Commandery in Yan Province. Currently, the Administrator of Taishan, Ying Shao, is locked in a bloody battle across the twelve counties of the commandery, but he is losing ground and likely cannot hold out for much longer."

Cao Xiu turned to Cao Hong and asked, "Uncle, what should we do?" As Cao Hong held the highest rank, the decision fell to him.

Cao Hong immediately thought of Shi A, who had gone to live as a bandit in Daye Marsh, and asked, "Where are these refugees heading?"

The scout replied, "They are moving east. They will likely pass through Daye Marsh and enter Dong and Jiyin Commanderies."

Cao Hong nodded. If so, Shi A would surely succeed in his recruitment. He said, "Ying Shao once sent a letter to my eldest brother seeking aid. Now that the bandit threat has entered Yan Province, we must write back to Dongwuyang to inform him before deciding on our next move."

Cao Xiu ordered the scout, "Draft a letter to the Administrator in Dongwuyang immediately..."

The scout bowed and left. Cao Ang asked excitedly, "Are we going to war?"

Cao Xiu added, "It seems a major battle is imminent. This time, it’s the Black Mountain bandits combined with the Qing and Xu Yellow Turbans—the scale is even greater. With our mere ten thousand men, I fear..."

Cao Hong spat and said, "That Liu Xuande fellow could drive those bandits away like stray dogs, so why can’t we? They are nothing but a rabble. We won't just fight them—we will force them to surrender and use them for our own purposes!"

The two young men looked at Cao Hong with immense admiration. Cao Ang remarked, "My uncle truly possesses extraordinary courage." Cao Xiu added, "Uncle is mighty indeed."

Cao Hong blushed, thinking to himself that it was Cao Cao’s brilliance that gave him such confidence.

***

In the prefectural office of Dongwuyang, Cao Cao was reviewing the military intelligence sent by Cao Xiu, with Liu Ye and Xun Yu standing by. Cao Cao laughed and said, "Ying Shao is in trouble. Should we send reinforcements?"

Liu Ye bowed and said, "Ying Shao of Taishan, Zhang Miao of Chenliu, Liu Dai the Inspector of Yan Province, and Bao Xin the Chancellor of Jibei are the officials who have long been rooted in Yan Province. After the previous wave of banditry, they are the only ones left; other commandery governors have either gone missing or been killed. This shows they possess exceptional ability. Now that the threat is even greater than before, they will surely support one another. Since Ying Shao has asked for aid, the other three will certainly send troops. My Lord, you should bide your time and stay out of this. If you send troops and win, the others will not appreciate it and will claim the glory for themselves; if you lose, they will surely shift the blame onto you."

Cao Cao nodded. "Ziyang’s words are wise. However, the bandits are approaching with great momentum, likely numbering no fewer than four hundred thousand. If those four are defeated, my mere ten thousand men might not be spared."

Xun Yu said, "My Lord, do not belittle yourself. Whether it is the Black Mountain bandits or the Yellow Turbans of Qing and Xu, these hundreds of thousands surely include women and children—that is the habitual way of such bandits. The number of actual combatants may not be that high. Furthermore, their leaders are mere peasants and butchers; they rely on a moment of bloodthirsty courage, knowing nothing of timing, terrain, or military strategy. They rely solely on their numbers and their deep-seated resentment. Such a chaotic army advances relentlessly when they win, but once defeated, their morale plummets and they flee blindly. My Lord, you saw how they immediately fled to Yan Province after being defeated by Liu Xuande, not daring to linger in Qing Province. This proves this rabble is not to be feared; we only need to crush their spirit."

Cao Cao laughed heartily. "Wenruo’s words are excellent! In that case, we shall remain still. If Mengzhuo and the others can win, that is well and good. If not, then I, Cao Mengde, shall turn the tide with my own strength."

Liu Ye and Xun Yu said in unison, "My Lord is wise!"

Cao Cao laughed, then ordered a letter to be sent to Juan County, commanding Cao Hong: "Remain in position and await further orders."