Chapter Forty-Four: Yuan’s Elite Troops

The allied military camp outside Sour Jujube County was in a frenzy due to the arrival of Yuan Shao. Most soldiers rushed to catch a glimpse, but one man remained unmoved. He sat in his tent, cradling a handwritten book as he read with meticulous attention.

This man was Pan Zhang, who had copied the "Brief Commentary on Sun Zi" authored by Cao Cao and returned to camp. Now, he resided in the tent of the personal guard and had indeed been appointed as a squad leader under Liao Hua.

“Before battle, one must first calculate its cost; strive to rely on the enemy for provisions.” Reading aloud the opening line of the warfare chapter from Cao Cao’s "Brief Commentary on Sun Zi," Pan Zhang’s admiration for Cao Cao was boundless.

The "Brief Commentary on Sun Zi" was merely Cao Cao’s insights layered upon the classic "Art of War," making it more accessible and concrete. In recent days, Pan Zhang had completed the first chapter on strategy, and the subtle profundities within Cao Cao’s writings had opened a door to military wisdom he had never imagined. He thirsted for knowledge, studying with fervor.

“Sun Zi’s words, ‘The method of employing troops: a thousand chariots, a thousand armored wagons, and a hundred thousand men in armor,’ are essentially what the lord said—before battle, one must first calculate the cost. When I read it years ago, I took it literally, thinking one truly needed a thousand wagons, a thousand steeds, and a hundred thousand armored men. How foolish! When I went to suppress the Yellow Turbans, I really purchased ten wagons and ten fine horses, spent the money, but it was utterly useless.” Pan Zhang laughed at his past naïveté.

Just as he was about to delve deeper, suddenly, footsteps thundered, drowning out the clamorous noise. The sound was heavy, accompanied by the metallic scrape of armor—a strange noise that piqued Pan Zhang’s curiosity. At last, he stepped out of his tent and walked toward the main avenue of the camp, eager to see what kind of troops could produce such ponderous footsteps.

Within the crowd, both Cao Hong and Liao Hua had already seen it: a force of at least two thousand soldiers, all clad in scale armor, steel helmets atop their heads, short halberds hanging from one side of their waists, and a one-meter-long metal hook from the other.

Scale armor had existed since the Warring States period, offering both high defense and flexibility. It was crafted by punching holes in square-inch metal pieces and sewing them layer upon layer onto tough, oil-soaked animal hide. With several overlapping layers and a smooth surface, weapons slid off without biting, and the leather base lent flexibility to the joints. Most impressive was the full-body coverage—even hands could be protected by fine scale gauntlets.

The lower hem featured split skirts for maximum arrow defense. Compared with the favored bright armor of current generals, scale armor had its advantages. Bright armor, though lacking joint protection, was thick and highly defensive, with flexibility comparable to scale armor—though vulnerable to arrows at the joints.

Scale armor, nearly impervious to arrows due to its comprehensive coverage, was labor-intensive and costly. Each suit required countless iron plates, leather soaked in oil, hand-sewn assembly, and high-quality iron ore for the plates—a complex and expensive process. With the advent of bright armor, scale armor had been largely abandoned.

Yet now, before them stood at least two thousand men in scale armor. Cao Hong was certain that one suit cost three times that of bright armor; a single set could buy fifteen acres of good farmland and create three minor landlords. Two thousand suits could purchase an entire county.

What was this, if not wealth rivaling a nation? If the allied soldiers had marveled at the hooks, ring-handled sabers, and the generals’ bright armor of the Cao army, upon seeing these two thousand scale-armored soldiers, their awe turned to speechless shock—mouths agape, utterly astounded.

Was this war, or the burning of money?

These scale-armored soldiers bore two banners: one large, emblazoned with the character "Yuan," and a smaller one reading "Bohai"—clearly, Yuan Shao’s troops.

Liao Hua drew a sharp breath and said, “These are elite troops.”

Cao Hong observed coldly; every soldier was over 185 centimeters tall, robust and brawny, clearly endowed with natural strength—otherwise, they could not support the weight of scale armor. Moreover, each had reached the stage of refined essence and vital energy, meaning they had entered the threshold of martial arts, versed in combat skills. Compared to ordinary soldiers trained in fixed routines, these men were true elite warriors.

Two thousand refined essence warriors clashing with Xu Deng—given Xu Deng’s abilities, he would likely have no choice but to flee. There are limits to human strength; one could kill until their arms grew weary, let alone the effort needed to cleave this scale armor.

“Thud, thud, thud, thud.” Heavy footsteps and the scraping of scale armor echoed as they marched past the allied camp. Following them was a middle-aged general clad in bright armor, whose cultivation had just broken through to the stage of refined energy and spirit—slightly inferior to Cao Cao. His face was flushed from excesses; Cao Hong immediately recognized him as a warrior lacking ambition. Chen Gong accompanied him.

Behind them, about eight thousand soldiers in lamellar armor entered the camp, also wielding long halberds and belonging to Yuan’s army. Their equipment fell short of the Cao army’s five thousand five hundred, though their disciplined ranks could not be underestimated. Each thousand-man unit was led by a commander in bright armor, riding at the head. The grandeur of Yuan Shao’s ten thousand troops made it clear the alliance leader’s post was his for certain.

Xiahou Yuan squeezed in beside Cao Hong, cursing, “Damn it! The Yuan clan is truly wealthy and grand.”

Cao Hong asked, “Brother Miaocai, what’s that hook they carry?”

Xiahou Yuan, who had traveled the land with Cao Cao in earlier years and was well-versed in military affairs, replied, “Oh, that’s called a Blunt Wu Hook. The Wu Hook is a sword with a hooked tip. These hooks aren’t like the Wu Hook, which is double-edged; they aren’t meant for killing. Instead, during a siege, after scaling the city walls, soldiers use the hook to latch onto the parapet and climb over—it’s an assault weapon brought by the northern tribes when they attacked us. Its true name is known only to those tribes.”

Cao Hong nodded at this, thinking, “So that’s it. It seems Yuan Shao has an elite force called the Vanguard Camp—could these scale-armored soldiers be its predecessor? In future battles with Yuan Shao, I must beware these iron-clad monsters.”

After Yuan Shao’s troops passed, the soldiers of Wang Kuang, Governor of Hedong, entered the camp. Wang Kuang’s men were uniformed in long halberd lamellar armor—about ten thousand strong. Their marching was uneven; Xiahou Yuan cursed beside him, “Damn it, only Yuan Benchu’s men are worth seeing. The rest are truly no match!”

Soldiers pressed close to Xiahou Yuan turned to glare, but he fixed them with a tiger-eyed stare and barked, “What are you looking at? I’m talking about you lot, you useless fools!”

Rather than anger, the soldiers stepped aside, giving Cao Hong, Liao Hua, and Xiahou Yuan more space—a rather comfortable arrangement.

Cao Hong chuckled inwardly, thinking this General Xiahou was indeed formidable. After Wang Kuang’s troops passed, no other units followed. Presumably, the heavy supply troops of Han Fu, Governor of Jizhou, with their numerous people and goods, could not enter the camp and had to be stationed elsewhere.

With the spectacle over, the allied soldiers dispersed. Xiahou Yuan dragged Cao Hong and Liao Hua off to Sour Jujube to drink, saying that with Yuan Shao’s arrival, the fighting would soon begin and alcohol would be prohibited, so they had to seize these few days for drinking.

Cao Hong, unable to refuse such hospitality and mindful of the need to build camaraderie with the other generals—after all, should he be besieged, he might need his comrades to save him—agreed, treating it as an investment in goodwill. Liao Hua, seeing his young master consent, naturally followed.

As for Pan Zhang, who had witnessed the formidable scale-armored soldiers of Yuan’s army, he revered Cao Cao’s "Brief Commentary on Sun Zi" as a sacred text, for he now deeply understood that warfare was a contest of wealth. Cao Cao captured this truth at the very opening of the warfare chapter. Pan Zhang returned to his tent at once to continue studying the military treatise, determined to master it fully and become a competent commander worthy of his lord’s expectations.