Chapter Thirty-Four: Raising the Banner of Rebellion

The banquet lasted until midnight before dispersing. Cao Hong and Sheng Meizhen rode back to their residence in a four-horse carriage, with Shi A on horseback accompanying them. Inside the carriage, Cao Hong's expression was grave, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

This Lady Bian clearly possessed extraordinary skills, yet there was no record of such abilities in history. It was difficult to discern her true origins. The saying goes that reputation is no match for personal acquaintance; only after witnessing her methods today did Cao Hong understand how she, once a concubine, could become the Empress Dowager of Wei, hold her position unshakably, and keep her sons so well in line. In this place, there were no weaklings—every woman harbored secrets.

“My lord, what are you thinking?” Sheng Meizhen asked, noticing Cao Hong’s troubled contemplation.

“Ah, it’s nothing, I was just pondering the matter of raising troops in the coming days,” Cao Hong replied with a smile, gradually relaxing. After all, though Lady Bian harbored secrets, her contributions to the Cao family were well recorded in history.

Moreover, the Records of the Three Kingdoms recount that when Cao Hong, in his old age, committed an offense and was arrested by Cao Pi, it was Lady Bian who compelled Cao Pi’s wife, Lady Guo, to intercede, thereby saving him from punishment. Clearly, Lady Bian posed no immediate threat. As for whether she played a role in Cao Ang’s death—that would not occur for several years yet, and need not be worried about for now.

Upon returning home, Cao Hong and Sheng Meizhen washed up and retired. The next day, after packing their belongings, another day passed, and it was the second day of the New Year. Cao Hong and Shi A mounted their fine steeds, each bearing the renowned Han jian “Nameless” on their backs, a boxwood bow fastened to the saddle, and a quiver of arrows. They set out for the military camp, while Sheng Meizhen saw them off at the door, offering a few words of advice before returning inside.

When the two arrived at the barracks, squads of soldiers were striding quickly to assemble at the parade ground. Now serving as a captain in Cao Cao’s personal guard, Liao Hua happened to be passing by with a detachment of fifty men. Spotting them, he called out, “Young master, Brother Shi, the army is gathering. Hurry and join them!”

Cao Hong glanced at the fifty guards behind Liao Hua—each one vigorous and imposing, with at least twenty having reached the Refinement of Essence and Qi, while Liao Hua himself had attained the highest level of that realm. Cao Hong smiled, “Yuanjian, well done! You’re leading the most elite squad of the right wing in the personal guard.”

Cao Cao’s personal guard consisted of fifty men, commanded by Cao Chun and Cao Hong, divided into two companies and two squads. The company commanders were Cao Chun and Cao Hong, each leading a hundred men charged with following Cao Cao into battle. The two squads, each with fifty men, were led by Dian Wei and, presently, Liao Hua. These hundred were the finest warriors in the army, tasked with never leaving Cao Cao’s side and protecting him from enemy generals skilled in arms during chaotic melee.

“Haha, it’s all thanks to your support!” Liao Hua was more than satisfied with his position. As a squad leader in the guard, he stood a head above others—comparable to a regular company commander—and his pay equaled that of a company captain, far more comfortable than his days as a petty lord in a small county.

Cao Hong nodded, “Let’s go to the parade ground.” Leading the way, Liao Hua gave an order, and his fifty guards followed behind at a measured pace.

At the parade ground, Cao Hong found that the troops had nearly finished assembling. Under the Later Han’s worship of the Fire Virtue, soldiers’ uniforms were red; looking around, a sea of crimson stretched as far as the eye could see. Even the chill of early spring seemed warmed by it.

The men were arrayed in six phalanxes. At the front stood a raised platform—the command dais—where Cao Cao, clad in bright, gleaming armor, presided, with Dian Wei armored at his back.

The first, smallest phalanx below the dais was Cao Cao’s personal guard. Cao Hong, with Liao Hua and their fifty men, joined this formation, spotting Cao Chun already astride his horse at the forefront. Cao Chun smiled and beckoned him over.

Cao Hong noted the light in Cao Chun’s eyes—a spark like lightning—and sensed his cultivation had greatly advanced, likely to break through the next stage after a single battle. Clearly, his earlier words had been effective, and he felt gratified.

To their left was Wei Zi’s phalanx of a thousand men; to the right, Xiahou Dun’s thousand; behind, Yue Jin’s thousand; on Yue Jin’s left, Cao Ren’s thousand; on the right, Xiahou Yuan’s thousand.

Though soldiers were still drifting to their formations, once in place, no one moved—a testament to relentless training. The air was thick with murderous intent.

Each of these 5,500 men was equipped with a four-foot military ring-pommel saber, painstakingly forged of medium-quality steel through thirty cycles of tempering, not to mention the face-sized hooked shield. This “hooked shield” was a small iron shield with a three-inch spike at its center for impaling enemies, and above and below the shield were one-foot curved iron hooks to catch or block enemy weapons—once hooked, the ring-pommel saber could finish off the foe.

This combination was the top-tier weaponry of Han soldiers, designed to counter long-shafted troops. The shield could parry and even push or kill opponents, while the saber excelled at chopping. Compared to single-use spearmen or halberdiers, its superiority was clear.

This was the fruit of Cao Cao and Wei Zi’s lavish expenditure. Standing tall on the command dais, Cao Cao’s pride in his well-armed soldiers was evident.

When all were gathered, three drumbeats sounded, followed by a blare of horns. The parade ground fell silent but for the snapping of regimental flags in the wind.

Cao Cao drew his steel short halberd and shouted, “Men! Today is the day to win glory! Do you have the resolve to lay down your lives and crush the traitor Dong?”

“We do!!!!!!!!!”

All 5,500 roared in unison, their voices shaking heaven and earth.

“Destroy the traitor Dong, defend our families and country!” Cao Cao raised his halberd high.

“Destroy the traitor Dong, defend our families and country!” The chant echoed again and again across the ranks.

The soldiers drew their sabers, waving them as they shouted, their momentum overwhelming.

Cao Hong, waving his weapon, asked, “Zi He, why do I not see any laborers?”

Only on arriving did Cao Hong realize the importance of logistics: one soldier required three laborers to transport grain for a campaign; even pitching camp and cooking, or constructing siege engines, was the work of laborers, not soldiers. Laborers were thus a vital part of war.

The histories often spoke of a million-strong army—perhaps only two hundred thousand were soldiers, with the rest being laborers and camp followers…

“We are currently marching to the Sour Jujube Alliance, which is still in the territory of Chenliu, under Governor Zhang. We can rest and requisition supplies in the county at any time, as Zhang has agreed. This time, the laborers are provided by Han Fu, Governor of Ji Province; we have no need to bring our own,” Cao Chun replied with a smile.

“Zhang Miao is so generous? Allowing us to requisition grain at will?” Cao Hong wondered, for this did not match Zhang’s usual character.

“You may not know, but Yuan Shao wrote a letter to Governor Zhang, asking him to accommodate my elder brother. So…”

“Yuan Shao again—though he’s in Hebei, Zhang Miao must still save face and comply. He certainly acts the elder brother,” Cao Hong nodded, understanding.

Cao Cao raised his hand, and the shouts died down. He called out, “March!”

At once, Yue Jin, Xiahou Yuan, and Cao Ren’s troops turned and led the way. Behind them, the forces of Cao Chun, Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, and Wei Zi followed in order. Cao Cao and Dian Wei mounted and joined the personal guard. Thus, the 5,500 well-armed soldiers set out for Sour Jujube.