Chapter Thirty-Seven: Dispute
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PS: This chapter is 3,200 words. As is customary, there will be another chapter. If there are thirty recommendation votes today, and seventy more, the third update will appear. Gentlemen, please move your fingers.
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Chen Gong led the Cao army northeast of Suanzao County, explaining as they marched: “There are too many people this time, and the county barracks cannot accommodate so many soldiers. Therefore, Prefect Zhang has ordered that every general attending the alliance may only bring fifty men into the city, for safety.”
Cao Chun nodded and said, “Dian Wei, later you shall take fifty of your men into the city with Magistrate Chen to protect our lord.”
Dian Wei nodded. “Yes!”
Chen Gong pondered for a moment, his expression conflicted, then as if steeling himself, he said, “Generals Cao, the barracks are filled with troops brought by various dignitaries, each loyal to their own lord. There is little mutual respect, and recently brawls have been frequent. Since the dignitaries reside in the city, they are unaware of these incidents, and the officers dare not report them. The camp is quite chaotic; you should caution your comrades and soldiers.”
Cao Chun laughed. “Does Magistrate Chen think we’ll get beaten?”
Chen Gong smiled. “Not at all. I fear you’ll be the ones doing the beating and might not know when to stop, causing fatalities. That would be impossible to cover up.”
Cao Chun and Cao Hong burst out laughing. Cao Chun said, “The magistrate is truly amusing.”
Cao Hong added, “Rest assured, we know our limits.”
Chen Gong nodded, pointing ahead to a dense cluster of tents. “There lies your camp. Master Zang has placed the soldiers and laborers of Prefect Zhang together in the western camp to guard the provisions and prevent thieves. The rest are in the eastern camp.”
Cao Hong nodded. Though Zang Hong was a mere scholar, his organization of the camp was meticulous. Cao Hong himself had no talent for such matters; in the future, he would need a specialist for logistics. Shi A was fine in single combat, but not so much in commanding troops.
After Chen Gong led the Cao army through the main gate, Cao Hong observed the tents arranged in vast square formations, each separated by a broad ten-meter road, clearly belonging to different factions—each with its own banner.
As the Cao troops entered the camp, many soldiers in diverse attire poured out to watch. These soldiers wore armor but carried no weapons or helmets, presumably stored in their tents. Some held wine gourds, others chicken legs or braised beef.
It seemed these soldiers were living quite well, thought Cao Hong.
As Cao Hong judged them inwardly, the soldiers were also scrutinizing the Cao army.
“Tsk, tsk! Whose troops are these? They’re impressive—all equipped with hooked sabers and ring-handled swords. That must cost a fortune!”
“Didn’t you notice their armor is better than ours? Who are these big shots? Could it be Lord Yuan’s men?”
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“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6—there are actually six men in brilliant armor. So wealthy!”
“What are you talking about? Some of the officers behind them have it too!”
“Ah, look at the young general beside the magistrate, his sword is truly beautiful!” Since Chen Gong was leading, the soldiers knew he was the magistrate.
“I worked for a wealthy family in Shanyang and saw jade set in sword scabbards like his—each piece worth a gold horse-shoe!”
“Hey, I can read! That’s not Lord Yuan’s troops—their banner bears the character ‘Cao.’ So these must be Lord Cao’s men, the ones who issued the call to arms against Dong Zhuo.”
“Ah, so it’s him!”
“No wonder he dared to post the manifesto! Look at their weapons—one of them could probably take down our whole squad!”
“Of course! Back when I faced the Yellow Turban rebels under General Huangfu Song, I wielded a hooked saber and a ring-handled sword. A few rebels tried to stab me with long spears, but I flipped like a hawk and killed four with two swings, then pushed the last one’s guts out with the hook. It’s a fantastic weapon!”
As Cao Hong approached a crowd, about ten meters away, a youth not yet twenty called out,
“Bah! Pan Zhang, you were a stable boy for General Huangfu Song, weren’t you? You’re making it up. Weren’t you born in the first year of Xiping? During the Yellow Turban uprising, you were only twelve—a mere child, flipping like a hawk!”
A young officer in two-piece armor laughed and cursed.
Brilliant armor was extremely expensive—each set cost at least fifty thousand coins, enough to buy a grand estate or five acres of prime land in Suanzao County, equivalent to a petty landlord. If it weren’t for Cao Cao’s father, Cao Song, who became Grand Commandant and made his fortune, they could never have produced so many sets. Most officers of similar rank to Cao Hong and Cao Ren wore the inferior two-piece armor, which explained the soldiers’ surprise.
Two-piece armor, as the name suggests, covered the chest and back, made of small metal fish-scale plates nailed to leather, sleeveless. Compared to the brilliant armor’s metal walls, beast-head shoulder guards, and kirin or lion-heart mirrors, its protection was much inferior.
The youth called Pan Zhang flushed with anger. “I have a courtesy name, Wen Gui! I am Pan Wen Gui of Fa Gan, East Commandery! Qiao Fa! You’ve heard of my family’s reputation in East Commandery; calling me by my given name is rude!”
The officer called Qiao Fa laughed. “Indeed, I heard of your family, but now East Commandery has no Pan family. All I know is that your family fell because of you, the wastrel. When your father died, you neglected your studies and insisted on fighting the Yellow Turbans, sold off your property for junk weapons, and took some thugs to join the army. Then the rebels smashed your eggs and you ran home naked to become a henchman again.”
His words were cruel, but Pan Zhang was unfazed, replying with a grin, “You know my family affairs well…” Suddenly, he raised his voice: “Does everyone know why? Because this Qiao Fa was originally surnamed Pan, a porter in my family’s rice shop. He was called Pan Fa. Later, all that heavy lifting gave him brute strength, so he went to serve the Qiao family as a house slave and changed his surname to Qiao Fa. Hey, I may be a wastrel, but I kept my name. At least if I ever find a camp follower to bear children, I’ll know my surname. But you—does your son know his father’s real surname?”
“You little bastard, you’re asking for it!” Qiao Fa kicked at Pan Zhang.
Pan Zhang sneered, stepped back, dodged, and darted forward, striking Qiao Fa’s side with his elbow. There was a crack of breaking bone, and Qiao Fa groaned and collapsed.
Qiao Fa’s soldiers, seeing their commander beaten, rushed to grab Pan Zhang.
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Pan Zhang had endured much humiliation in daily life. Seeing the superb equipment of the Cao troops, he was already eager to defect. He deliberately provoked a fight, waiting until Cao Hong was near to make his move, intending to show off his skills before Cao Hong.
Pan Zhang was unlucky. He had indeed sold his family property and brought local youths to join Huangfu Song’s campaign against the Yellow Turbans, but ran into Bo Cai’s forces and was overwhelmed. After suffering serious injuries, he was taken in by a farmer and spent years recuperating. By the time he returned to the army, the Yellow Turban uprising was over, and he was out. Returning to East Commandery, he joined the military out of necessity, only to find that former servants had become officers while he was still under their command.
When a scoundrel rises, and sees his old master, he naturally flaunts his reversal of fortune, often humiliating Pan Zhang. Pan Zhang had considered leaving, but couldn’t swallow his pride. He hoped that his skills would someday be recognized by Prefect Qiao Mao of East Commandery, who would promote him, so he endured, waiting for revenge and success.
But as time passed, he realized Qiao Mao was a wastrel himself, incapable of recognizing talent. Disheartened, Pan Zhang thought of leaving again. When the call to arms against Dong Zhuo spread, he heard Qiao Mao would join the alliance, and hoped to meet heroes and perhaps find a worthy leader.
Coming from a wealthy family and having fought the Yellow Turbans, Pan Zhang had seen the world and instantly recognized the Cao army’s excellence. He decided to take a risk—if the Cao army rejected him, he could always escape amid the chaos, for the camp defenses were full of gaps. He was confident he could flee.
Now, as Pan Zhang deliberately fought and retreated toward Cao Hong’s group, each blow he landed broke bones, and he quickly incapacitated six or seven men.
A soldier lunged at Pan Zhang, who shouted, blocked, seized the man’s hands, grabbed his neck, and flung him backward—landing right in front of Cao Hong’s horse, less than a meter away.
Cao Hong, Chen Gong, and Cao Chun were riding side by side. Their horses, startled, reared up with loud neighs. Cao Chun, skilled at riding, pulled the reins, bringing his horse back to earth. Cao Hong, also adept, squeezed with his legs and used his weight to force his horse down before it rose too high. Only Chen Gong, the scholar, could not control his mount, and cried out as he slipped off.
Cao Chun quickly grabbed Chen Gong’s reins to calm the horse, while Cao Hong caught Chen Gong, preventing him from falling.
Chen Gong felt himself suddenly weightless, someone supporting him back onto his saddle. Just as he was recovering from the shock, he heard Shi A behind Cao Hong roar, “How dare you!”
The shout was thunderous, and all the soldiers watching the fight turned to Shi A. Even those fighting Pan Zhang stopped.
Pan Zhang realized he had gone too far, having startled Magistrate Chen Gong. Cold sweat broke out, and he prepared to flee, but saw the young general with the ornate sword watching him with a smile, asking, “What is your name?”
Beside this young general were another youth, a swordsman, and a burly man with twin halberds, all glaring at Pan Zhang. He knew any one of them could crush him—he could feel it. Escape was impossible.
So he gritted his teeth, knelt, and said, “I am Pan Zhang, courtesy name Wen Gui, of Fa Gan County, East Commandery. I greet the general.”
Pan Zhang! The very Pan Zhang who would one day capture Lord Guan? Cao Hong’s heart stirred—he remembered the name.
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