Chapter Thirty-Eight: Whose Soldier Are You?

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PS: There have been fifty votes so far today, which is an improvement from before. Therefore, this chapter remains at 3,400 words. With the previous chapter, that’s over 6,500 words today. Whether there will be a third chapter depends on whether we reach fifty votes before midnight.
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Chen Gong had also noticed earlier that some soldiers were fighting, but such scuffles were commonplace, so he didn’t pay much attention. He hadn’t expected the commotion to rush right into his path. Fortunately, Cao Chun and Cao Hong had helped stabilize his horse and his own balance—otherwise, to fall from his steed would have been a disgrace for a county magistrate of his standing.

Now that Cao Hong had spoken, Chen Gong found it inappropriate to interject further, so he simply frowned and watched from the side.

Commander Qiao Fa, having recovered, was helped out of the crowd by his men. Upon seeing Pan Zhang kneeling before Cao Hong, his fury erupted. After all, he was a commander of a thousand men, leading one of the five companies, and how could he swallow being knocked down by his own subordinate? More infuriating was that Pan Zhang, who had never knelt to him, now knelt before a stranger. How could Commander Qiao tolerate such an insult?

Everyone present was the subordinate of some military leader, none much higher in rank than himself. As the saying goes, each serves his own master, regardless of rank. Thus, Qiao Fa barked at his men, “Seize that little wretch for me!”

His men, having gathered around him, immediately responded with a thunderous acknowledgment and moved to grab Pan Zhang. Cao Hong shot a glance at Liao Hua behind him, and Liao Hua immediately stepped forward, shouting, “Insolence! Do you think you can mete out private punishment within the army camp?”

With a wave of his hand, a dozen of his personal guards sprang forth, gripping their sword hilts and blocking Pan Zhang from Qiao Fa’s men.

Qiao Fa’s men were unarmed, having only come to watch the commotion. Seeing their opposition brandishing ring-pommel swords with such fierce intent, they were momentarily stunned, unsure of what to do.

Qiao Fa erupted in anger, roaring, “I’ll discipline my own men—what business is it of yours? Out of my way!” He bellowed at his own men, “What are you standing there for? Get him!”

“Try it!” Liao Hua urged his horse forward, leveling his spear, while his guards drew their swords in unison with a metallic clatter. The men who had been about to advance halted once more.

Seeing the other side had drawn steel, and with their coordinated action exuding such authority, Qiao Fa, himself a seasoned commander, sobered somewhat. He recalled that this contingent was under the banner of Cao Cao, the issuer of the proclamation, and forcibly suppressed his rage, turning to Chen Gong and asking, “Magistrate Chen, what do you say to this?”

A commander of a thousand and a county magistrate received equal salaries and were of equivalent rank, so there was no need for excessive deference. The civility between Chen Gong, Cao Hong, and Cao Chun arose from mutual respect.

Hearing himself addressed, Chen Gong coughed twice and replied, “Well...this man collided with General Cao’s horse, so the matter must be deferred to General Cao.”

Qiao Fa was taken aback by this, glancing at Cao Hong. With the help of his men, he stepped forward and said, “General Cao, I serve under Prefect Yuan Weigong of Dong Commandery as a commander of a thousand. This wretch is one of my soldiers. For him to offend your steed is a crime worthy of death. Please allow me to take him back for proper punishment.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Cao Hong noticed Pan Zhang, still kneeling, suddenly tense, every hair standing on end and his muscles taut—a sure sign that he was preparing to spring into action.

“Bracing himself? Excellent! He’s already at the peak of refining essence into qi, just a step away from refining qi into spirit. Such skill surpasses even Liao Hua’s. Most importantly, he’s fiercely brave—a man of boundless potential. No wonder he once captured Lord Guan alive! It would be a pity to let him go,” Cao Hong decided inwardly.

At that moment, Yue Jin, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, and Wei Zi—five commanders—arrived at Cao Hong’s side, inquiring about the commotion. Cao Chun quietly explained the situation to them.

Cao Hong smiled, ignoring Qiao Fa, and instead asked Pan Zhang, “Whose man are you?”

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Pan Zhang, poised to risk everything in a desperate gambit, was caught off guard by the question. Seeing Cao Hong smiling at him and asking such a foolish question, he thought, Didn’t that servant just tell you already? Why ask me?

But a flash of inspiration struck him. With sudden clarity, he kowtowed repeatedly and declared, “I am your man, sir! We were separated on the road, and Qiao Fa pressed me into service!”

Qiao Fa flew into a rage. “Nonsense! You clearly—” He was about to expose Pan Zhang’s lie when Cao Hong interrupted him.

“Yuan Jian! This man looks awfully familiar to me!” Cao Hong’s words, spoken with force, drowned out Qiao Fa’s protest.

Qiao Fa, his words cut off, was about to speak again when Liao Hua loudly chimed in, “Ah, yes, sir! This fellow is clearly a squad leader under my command! Hey, you four—didn’t you say a few days ago your squad leader had disappeared? Is this him?”

The four men Liao Hua pointed out immediately replied, “Reporting to my lord, this is indeed our squad leader!”

The squad leader standing beside them was momentarily stunned, shaking his head with a wry smile.

By now, soldiers from all sides had surrounded Cao Hong and his party, three layers deep. Those who had witnessed the fight between Pan Zhang and Qiao Fa knew that Cao Hong was determined to protect this young man, but none spoke up to call him a liar; instead, they all adopted a spectator’s stance. In these camps, brawls between soldiers from different commands were common. Sometimes, a man would share a drink in another camp, and by the next day, he’d be serving under someone else. Such things happened all the time.

Usually, three outcomes were possible: first, the matter would be dropped; second, the opposing commanders would negotiate—either returning the man, doing a favor, or offering some money; third, someone would come with men to seize the person by force, often leading to a fight. In the latter case, even if the man was reclaimed, he’d likely be executed for desertion.

Because such incidents were so familiar, the soldiers merely watched, expressions casual. Pan Zhang had deliberately put on a show, hoping to win Cao Hong’s favor, and now his goal was achieved.

Cao Hong was openly determined to claim the man, and the outcome depended only on Qiao Fa’s response. Qiao Fa saw that Cao Hong and Liao Hua were performing a duet to claim Pan Zhang as their own, and his expression darkened. Under different circumstances, considering Cao Cao’s growing fame and the prowess of his troops, he might have yielded as a gesture of goodwill. But having been beaten by Pan Zhang in front of his men, and now unable to reclaim him, his dignity was at stake—especially with other soldiers present. He could not afford to show weakness.

He declared, “This man is from Dong Commandery. I’ve known him since he was a boy, and he is indeed my soldier. If you don’t believe me, I can have the other seven commanders of a thousand in the Dong Commandery camp testify!”

He had changed his address from “General Cao” to “Brother Cao”—a more casual, but less friendly, form—and his mention of the seven other commanders was a naked threat: with the eight thousand strong of Dong Commandery, was it worth making enemies over a single soldier?

Before Cao Hong could reply, a rough voice barked, “Bah! Even if this lad was your father, he could enlist elsewhere. Why should being from Dong Commandery make him your soldier? Lü Bu is from Bing Province—why is he leading the Xiliang forces?”

It was Dian Wei speaking, who had never forgotten Cao Hong’s recommendation. Seeing Cao Hong confronted, he immediately spoke up to help.

Qiao Fa’s face darkened. He was about to reply when Cao Ren roared, “What nonsense! So what if there are seven commanders? Do the Dong Commandery troops want to take on the rabble of the Cao clan? Enough talk! My cousin says this lad is ours, and so he is! Who do you think you are? If you’re not satisfied, bring your men to our camp and fight it out. Otherwise, tell Qiao Yuanwei to come to Pei and ask Cao Zixiao for him!”

Cao Ren was an ambitious man, the uncrowned king of Pei, a grand commandery with twenty-one counties, compared to Dong’s fifteen. Qiao Mao’s domain was smaller than his, and while Cao Teng and Cao Song gave the Cao family prestige, the Qiao family could boast only Qiao Xuan. Though the Caos had once been criticized for their eunuch ancestor, the truth was they had flourished in recent decades, and as a scion of the Cao clan, Cao Ren did not consider himself inferior to the likes of Qiao Mao or Zhang Miao.

Having been slighted by Zhang Miao, Cao Ren already despised these local powers in Yan Province. Now, even a mere commander dared speak to a Cao. He felt the indignity of a phoenix among chickens—hence his blunt retort, naming Qiao Mao directly and implying Qiao Fa was unworthy of conversation.

Qiao Fa’s face turned even darker. By now, several other Dong Commandery commanders had arrived, and one shouted, “How dare you address our lord by name?”

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“A eunuch’s bastard dares to run his mouth?”

The first insult did not elicit much response from the Caos, but the second crossed the line. As the words were spoken, Xiahou Yuan, astride his horse, his gaze flashing with cold light, fixed his eyes on the man and shouted, “Courting death!”

He drew the zelkova bow from his back, nocked a carved-feather arrow, and fired in a flash. A scream rang out, and within the crowd, a square yard cleared as a commander in double-vented armor clutched his right ear, writhing on the ground. On the earth beside him lay an arrow with an ear still dangling from its tip.

The crowd erupted in commotion. Xiahou Dun bellowed, “Men, show your weapons!” His voice thundered across the camp.

All 5,500 Cao soldiers roared in unison, “Yes, sir!”

The sound of swords being drawn fell like a heavy rain. The demonstration of force was so overwhelming that all the onlookers, soldiers from various contingents, shrank back a dozen paces. The Dong Commandery commander, whose ear had been shot off, was dragged to the rear.

Only Qiao Fa and the two soldiers supporting him, surrounded by Liao Hua’s men, could not retreat, leaving him to face all 5,500 Cao troops alone. Even as a commander of a thousand, his knees began to tremble; he was at a loss for words.

Cao Chun rode forward, fixing Qiao Fa with a cold stare, and said, “If you insult the ancestors of the Cao clan again, your eight thousand Dong Commandery troops will stain the camp with their blood!”

He barked, “Sheathe your weapons!”

The Cao soldiers obeyed instantly. Cao Chun then addressed Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and the other four, “Brothers, let us return to camp.”

They answered as one, rejoining the ranks. Cao Chun then turned to the still-stunned Chen Gong. “Magistrate Chen, lead the way!”

Snapping out of his daze, Chen Gong replied, “Ah! Oh—yes, lead the way, please!” And with that, he spurred his horse ahead.

Cao Hong called to the kneeling Pan Zhang, “Come, boy, let’s go!”

Pan Zhang, having witnessed the entire episode, was filled with admiration for the Cao army’s audacity—their domineering spirit, their sheer arrogance. They shot off a commander’s ear, and the crowd parted to let them pass, not daring to utter a sound. This was a true army, these were true warriors!

“The archery of that man is simply divine! To shoot off an ear in such a dense crowd without harming anyone else—remarkable! The Cao family’s strength is truly extraordinary. I’ve finally found my place!” Delighted, Pan Zhang hurried after Cao Hong’s horse, his heart full of joy.