One Hundred and Sixty-One: Yuan Shu Raises an Army

Following the lavish welcoming banquet, Cao Hong returned to his own residence and instructed Li Jin to host Zhao Qi. Li Jin dutifully entertained Zhao Qi for several days, during which Cao Hong deliberately dispatched a letter to Cao Cao. In the missive, he stated that Zhao Qi had inexplicably arrived in his territory and conferred the status of a promoted scholar upon the magistrate of Chengshi County. Zhao Qi claimed this individual had previously been recommended as a scholar by Zhang Jin, the Inspector of Jiaozhou, yet the title had never been officially formalized due to the chaotic times.

The letter was laden with a tone of considerable grievance. Cao Hong complained that even he, the General Who Declares Might, was not entirely certain whether Li Jin truly deserved to be a scholar, yet Zhao Qi, a Minister of the Coachmen hailing from Chang'an, had become so utterly certain after exchanging only a few words. With a mere casual remark, Zhao Qi had formalized Li Jin's status as a scholar right under his very nose. When Cao Hong himself had entered official service, he had merely been a candidate of filial piety, recommended locally by his commandery. Now, to his dismay, his own subordinate had been elevated to a scholar recommended by an entire province—was this not tantamount to riding roughshod over his head?

The entire content of the letter read much like a younger brother complaining to his elder brother. Seated in command at Juancheng, Cao Cao burst into hearty laughter upon reading it. "Although Zilian has gained seasoning over the past few years, he remains hot-tempered and youthfully impetuous. Minister Zhao's ancestors hailed from Jingzhou, and Inspector Zhang Jin of Jiaozhou is also a native of Jingzhou; they have maintained old ties for years, so exchanging letters is naturally commonplace. It is hardly surprising that he knows the man is a scholar from Jiaozhou, and confirming a scholar recommended by an old friend is only human nature. Furthermore, this scholar is currently still within Yanzhou, remaining under my, Cao Mengde's, command and subject to Zilian's administration. What harm can he possibly do?"

By this time, Cao Cao's inner circle no longer consisted solely of Xun Yu and Liu Ye; strategists Xi Zhicai, Chen Gong, Cheng Yu, and Mao Jie had also joined his ranks, forming a formidable and sizable think tank.

Chen Gong spoke up, saying, "My lord, since General Cao is displeased with this scholar-magistrate, we can simply transfer the man to Dongjun. General Cao guarding Jiyin Commandery serves as the gateway to our Yanzhou; under no circumstances can we afford any loss there, nor can we allow him to harbor resentment."

Cheng Yu, however, chuckled and said, "Not so. General Cao is the lord's paternal cousin, and their bonds of brotherhood remain strong. How could he harbor resentment over such a minor matter? Even if there is displeasure, it is directed not at the lord, but at the Minister of the Coachmen, Zhao Qi."

Cao Cao suddenly turned to Xi Zhicai and asked, "Zhicai, what lofty insights do you have?" By now, Xi Zhicai's importance rivaled that of Liu Ye and Xun Yu. Deeply experienced, exceptionally wise, and overwhelmingly formidable, he was a man of great prowess.

Xi Zhicai smiled and replied, "I have not yet met General Cao and am unfamiliar with his temperament. Since the lord is his elder brother, you naturally understand him deeply and must already have a well-laid plan in mind."

At this moment, Liu Ye stated, "Although Minister Zhao appears to be merely in his early sixties, he is actually well past eighty and thoroughly senile. His actions are naturally muddled and erratic; otherwise, he would never have gone about pacifying the four quarters for national outlaws like Li Jue and Guo Si. The lord should write a reply to encourage and console General Cao, and then make it clear that this scholar shall forever remain under General Cao's jurisdiction. Once this is done, the grievance in General Cao's heart will surely vanish like smoke."

Xun Yu also chimed in, "My lord, Zhao Qi must be acting out of lingering affection for old acquaintances, or perhaps he was entrusted by Jiaozhou Inspector Zhang Jin. Otherwise, he would not have made a special trip to Jiyin, which shows he long knew the whereabouts of this Jiaozhou scholar before going to Jiyin to formalize his status. In truth, Jiaozhou is a land of southern barbarians situated in a remote border region where civilization has yet to dawn. Their scholar is surely thoroughly mediocre. General Cao's resentment undoubtedly stems from this very fact. Therefore, as long as this scholar remains beneath General Cao, no trouble will naturally arise. Moreover, it will allow General Cao to properly temper this southern barbarian scholar—is that not a joyous prospect?"

Both Liu Ye and Xun Yu shared an extraordinary friendship with Cao Hong, so they naturally spoke up to help him out of loyalty, echoing each other's sentiments. Upon hearing this, Cao Cao burst into laughter. "Quite so! I shall write a reply to Zilian, this candidate of filial piety, telling him to properly discipline this scholar!"

That very day, Cao Cao penned a letter to Cao Hong. The core message was to comfort Cao Hong, assuring him that the scholar was merely a southern barbarian with no great abilities, and that even though the imperial court had formalized his scholar status, Cao Cao would never heavily employ him. Instead, the man would be left in Cao Hong's permanent service. Upon receiving this letter, Cao Hong immediately set his mind at ease. It appeared that the narrow-mindedness he had deliberately displayed had convinced Cao Cao completely, yielding the additional desired effect of legitimately bringing Li Jin under his own command—which was what he had hoped for most.

As he laid aside Cao Cao's letter, Li Jin arrived at the residence to request an audience, announcing that he had safely seen Zhao Qi off. Cao Hong let out a long sigh of relief and thought to himself, "That pest has finally left."

In truth, Cao Hong had secretly visited Zhao Qi the previous night to inform him that he could not personally see him off, as doing so would arouse Cao Cao's suspicions. Zhao Qi had naturally expressed understanding, while Cao Hong was thus able to project an image of extreme displeasure toward Zhao Qi's conferral of the scholar title upon Li Jin before Cao Cao—a truly seamless stratagem.

Though his heart was at ease, he could not display it outwardly. Instead, he smiled and said, "It is not that I did not wish to bid farewell to Lord Zhao, but rather that my learning is shallow, and discussing the Way of Confucius and Mencius with him is simply not as smooth as your eloquence, Qixian. Furthermore, since he formalized your scholar status, it is only fitting that you express your gratitude first. Besides, having just arrived from Lord Cao's side, I naturally cannot associate too closely with him, lest others accuse me of emulating Lord Cao. Although I enjoy Lord Cao's deep trust, public gossip is a fearful thing, and one must still guard against it."

Li Jin nodded and said, "The General is indeed far-seeing. Actually, your subordinate has another matter to report upon this visit."

Cao Hong asked, "What matter? Speak freely, Qixian."

Li Jin replied, "Over the past few days, rumors in the marketplace have claimed that military forces across various counties in Yuzhou are mobilizing frequently, and some merchants have even spotted the banners of the Yuan clan. No doubt Yuan Shu is already making a move."

Hearing this, Cao Hong was momentarily stunned. Yuan Shu could not sit still already? This was merely the end of June in the year 192! Supposedly, there should have been at least another half-year before he launched an attack. Feeling puzzled inwardly, he asked aloud, "Apart from this, is there any other news?"

Li Jin said, "Merchants have also reported that a large number of Southern Hulu barbarians have recently appeared in Yuzhou. These men ride fine steeds, carry barbarian bows, and wield sharp blades. Their demeanor is fierce and rugged, yet they commit no pillaging, and their whereabouts remain mysterious."

Hearing this, Cao Hong remarked, "Perhaps they are reinforcements summoned by Yuan Shao. Qixian, you must immediately dispatch scouts disguised as merchants to sneak into Yuzhou and gather intelligence, to see what on earth Yuan Shu is plotting."

Li Jin answered, "Understood!" and promptly departed.

After Li Jin left, Cao Hong pondered for a moment before summoning Pan Zhang. "Wengui," he instructed, "you must immediately dispatch letters to all counties in Jiyin, ordering them to step up the training of their county militias. I fear Yuan Shu will soon raise an army to invade."

Accepting the command, Pan Zhang said, "My lord, if Yuan Shu invades, I fear mere county militias will find it difficult to resist the enemy."

Cao Hong replied, "I do not expect them to repel the enemy; it is merely a tactic to wear them out!"

Upon hearing this, Pan Zhang nodded and took his leave.

"Yuan Shu, oh Yuan Shu! Are you truly this impatient?" Cao Hong muttered to himself with a cold laugh. To be continued...