Chapter Thirty-Six: Magistrate Chen

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PS: Brothers, you have my gratitude! Although the votes today did not reach 100, there were still 60, only ten fewer than the combined totals from Monday and Tuesday. Therefore, I am posting an additional 2,800-word chapter today; together, these two chapters already amount to 5,500 words. I look forward to your continued support tomorrow. If the votes surpass 100, I will immediately update with three chapters, totaling between 6,500 and 7,500 words!

Many thanks to book friends 120203180126692 and Iron Sword 18 for your generous rewards; your appreciation has come even faster than I anticipated...

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At this moment, on the ramparts of Suanzao County, banners fluttered in the wind, each inscribed with different names. There were now banners for Zhang, Qiao, Bao, Liu, Yuan, and Kong—six in all. Notably, two banners bore the Zhang name but in different colors, indicating that Zhang Miao, Prefect of Chenliu; Zhang Chao, Prefect of Guangling; Qiao Mao, Prefect of Dongjun; Liu Dai, Inspector of Yanzhou; Yuan Yi, Prefect of Shanyang; Bao Xin, Chancellor of Jibei; and Kong Zhou, Inspector of Yuzhou—these seven allied armies had all arrived at Chenliu.

Of these seven forces, five hailed from Yanzhou itself, with only Kong Zhou coming from neighboring Yuzhou, and Zhang Chao, Prefect of Guangling, having stationed his troops in Chenliu some time ago, which allowed for his rapid arrival at Suanzao.

With Cao Cao's own arrival, all six armies of Yanzhou were now assembled. Cao Cao ordered his troops to gather five li outside the city, then sent Yue Jin ahead to announce their arrival. After a while, Yue Jin returned and reported, "My lord, please wait a moment. The generals inside will soon come out to greet you."

At this time, only Cao Hong, Cao Chun, and Dian Wei stood at Cao Cao's side; Xiahou Dun and the others were commanding the troops. Cao Cao laughed and said, "When Meng Zhuo sees the might of our army, he will not dare to take us lightly!"

Cao Chun replied with a smile, "Naturally, my elder brother. You have exhausted the family fortune, and Brother Zixu has invested eighty percent of his own assets. Together with the contributions from our elder brother and Zilian, the wealth we've invested is not something Zhang Miao, Zhang Chao, and the like can easily match."

Cao Chun's words clearly revealed his dissatisfaction with Zhang Miao and the other three of the "Four Friends of the North"—Zhang Chao, Zang Hong, and Chen Rong. He thought they had little reason to put on airs. Though Cao Cao had suffered misfortune and was without a stronghold, at least Cao Ren still ruled over twenty-one counties as the uncrowned king of Peiguo, and Cao Ding, who regarded Cao Hong as his own son, was still a prefect. Not to mention, the family included grand ministers like Cao Teng and Cao Song. In comparison, the North Four Friends were but famous in name; Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao were mere prefects, local gentry of Yanzhou, and possessed no real grounds for arrogance.

Compared to the former glory of the Cao clan at court, the so-called Four Friends of the North and the Zhang family were but a joke. It was only that fortune had momentarily turned against Cao Cao.

But Cao Cao cautioned, "Zi He, mind your words."

At this moment, the gates of Suanzao County opened, and seven generals in shining armor rode forth at the head of the column. Cao Hong swept his gaze over them, secretly amused. Of the seven, six were all for show; only one, a man of medium build and dark complexion, possessed true skill, comparable to Liao Hua, having reached the advanced state of refining essence into energy. The others had not even entered the martial path.

"As expected, this is a rebellion of scholars," Cao Hong thought to himself.

Two men led the seven; one was Zhang Miao, the other a plump, fair-skinned middle-aged man whose armor looked as if a cauldron had been strapped to his body.

When the two groups were about twenty paces apart, Zhang Miao remained silent, but the plump man called out first, "Mengde! Ha ha! Mengde, it's been too long!"

Cao Cao laughed heartily. "Brother Gongshan, I trust you have been well!" With that, he rode forward to greet him.

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Dealing with the opposing leaders was Cao Cao's affair and had nothing to do with him, so Cao Hong moved to Cao Chun's side and asked, "Zi He, who is that man?"

Cao Chun, who had become an attendant at the palace in Luoyang at seventeen and often accompanied Cao Cao when he served as Commandant of the Army, had met many people. He answered, "That is Liu Dai, Inspector of Yanzhou."

Cao Hong nodded. "No wonder he dares to speak before Zhang Miao."

The position of Inspector was originally a sinecure, meant only to monitor the local prefects on behalf of the imperial court, with a salary of only six hundred measures, much less than the prefect's two thousand, and not really a superior. But during the chaos of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the court granted inspectors real power to quell the disorder. Once they had authority, they became the true leaders of the province. If some were powerful enough to overawe the prefects, their title was changed to Governor. The meaning of 'Governor' is to manage: to herd sheep, to herd horses, to govern a province!

Currently, there were three Governors: Liu Yan of Yizhou, Tao Qian of Xuzhou, and Han Fu of Jizhou. Liu Dai had not been made a Governor, presumably due to insufficient strength, but in terms of rank, he was above Zhang Miao. What's more, he was of imperial blood, a relative of the Han dynasty; with so many eyes watching, Zhang Miao, no matter how wild, would not dare to overstep.

As Cao Cao exchanged pleasantries with the seven leaders, a man separated from the cavalry behind them and rode straight toward the detachment of Cao Hong and Cao Chun. This man had two neatly trimmed mustaches on his upper lip, stood about 180 centimeters tall, thin and straight-backed, dressed in a long robe with a fur cloak over it, and appeared to be about thirty-five years old.

At this time, when armies were mustering, generals would appear in armor for easy identification. All the leading officers in Cao's army, including Cao Hong, wore newly forged bright armor—so named for its gleaming metal, both protective and impressive. Even the deputy commanders, such as Shi Huan and Liao Hua, wore it. But this man, riding toward them in a long robe and fur cloak, was plainly not a warrior but a civil official.

He reined in his horse before Cao Hong and Cao Chun, saluted with a clasped fist, and said courteously, "Greetings, generals. I am Chen Gong, known as Gongtai, magistrate of Suanzao County, responsible for receiving all the armies and arranging your accommodations. Might I ask if you would like to enter the camp now?"

This man was Chen Gong? Cao Hong's heart skipped a beat as he scrutinized him. In the Romance, Chen Gong left Cao Cao because Cao Cao killed the family of Lü Boshe. But in the historical records, it was because Cao Cao killed a renowned scholar named Bian Rang in Yanzhou, causing Chen Gong to become disillusioned with him; later, Chen Gong even joined Zhang Miao and Lü Bu in rebellion, nearly destroying Cao Cao.

Cao Hong felt a certain admiration for Chen Gong, as the man was known for his intelligence and strategy. When Lü Bu was driven from Yanzhou by Cao Cao, and managed to expel Liu Bei from Xuzhou, it was all thanks to Chen Gong's schemes. Even when Cao Cao later attacked Lü Bu, it was Chen Gong's advice that enabled Lü Bu to hold out for so long. Only when Lü Bu inexplicably ceased to heed Chen Gong did defeat follow. In the end, Chen Gong refused Cao Cao's offer of surrender and faced death with composure—a man of steadfast principle.

Who would have thought this man was the magistrate of Suanzao? Since fate had brought them together, should he try to win Chen Gong over to the Cao family's cause, and let Lü Bu, that upstart, suffer for it? The only question was, did he have the ability to do so?

As Cao Hong pondered, Cao Chun said, "Magistrate Chen, please wait a moment. I will first seek my elder brother's instructions."

Chen Gong smiled, "No need to stand on ceremony, General. Please do."

Cao Chun was about to ride off when he saw Cao Cao in the distance signaling to them. Stopping his horse, Cao Chun said to several soldiers behind him, "Go inform the five generals that we will enter the camp first."

The soldiers obeyed and hurried off. Cao Chun said to Chen Gong, "Magistrate, please wait a moment."

Chen Gong smiled, "No trouble at all." He then surveyed the Cao army, his eyes lighting up as he exclaimed, "Of all the armies here, yours is by far the best equipped! The ring-handled sabers gleam in the sunlight, and the workmanship on the hooked fittings is superb!"

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Cao Chun laughed, "You flatter us."

Chen Gong smiled, "The troops are well-drilled and march in step; truly a mighty army! May I ask your distinguished names, generals?" Chen Gong had little faith in the campaign against Dong Zhuo, for the other assembled armies were poorly equipped, disorganized, and most of the prefects were scholars rather than warriors. Only Bao Xin, Chancellor of Jibei, was a true general with a disciplined force.

If he had any hope left, it was that Cao Cao, who had issued the call to arms against Dong Zhuo, had not yet appeared. If Cao Cao's forces were as unimpressive as the others, Chen Gong intended to pack up and leave, rather than risk extermination.

Fortunately, Cao Cao's army did not disappoint. The soldiers and officers were not only well-armed but exuded vigor and martial spirit, which delighted Chen Gong and prompted him to converse more.

Upon being asked, Cao Chun promptly replied, "I am Cao Chun, styled Zi He, kinsman of Lord Mengde."

Cao Hong bowed, "I am Cao Hong, styled Zi Lian, also a kinsman of Lord Mengde."

Chen Gong nodded, "A pleasure, a pleasure. You two are truly heroes in your youth. If you ever have leisure, you must visit my humble abode for a drink or two. Though I am but a minor magistrate, I have a few jars of good wine at home!"

Cao Chun was a bit taken aback, unable to fathom why this man was so eager to befriend him, especially since he himself was a former palace attendant and his elder brother, Cao Ren, was the master of Peiguo. There was no need to associate with a mere county magistrate.

But Cao Hong knew that Chen Gong had played a vital role in helping Cao Cao establish a foothold in Yanzhou in his early days, and history had already proven his talent. At that time, Cao Cao had just suffered defeat in the campaign against Dong Zhuo and was making a comeback. Chen Gong had joined him when he needed help most, so his loyalty at this stage was beyond doubt.

Cao Hong therefore smiled and said, "Once we have settled in, my brother and I will be sure to call upon you, my lord!"

Chen Gong was delighted. "Then I shall sweep my humble quarters in anticipation!"

At that moment, the soldiers sent to relay the message returned. Cao Chun said, "Magistrate Chen, please lead the way."

Chen Gong agreed, took the lead, and the Cao army followed after him.