One hundred: Rise in winter, each man providing for himself.

May, with the earth warming, passed in the blink of an eye. Before Cao Hong could even savor the spring breeze brushing the willows, the lotus pond sprouting tender buds, and the vibrant life awakening in the land, Xiangyi had already embraced the scorching days of summer.

Cao Hong felt that time was flying for a reason—May had kept him busy, primarily with the task of forming the Shangmu Battalion. Before Wei Zhen arrived with the equipment, Cao Hong managed to coach Cao Ang and Cao Xiu in martial skills, inspected the barracks a few times to get familiar with the troops, ensuring his soldiers recognized him as their commander rather than mistaking Pan Zhang for their leader, since many soldiers had grown accustomed to Pan Zhang’s presence.

Wei Zhen was efficient; in just over ten days, he had forged 214 Soulhook Blades along with an equal number of dual-plated armors. From then on, Cao Hong’s schedule became shrouded in mystery, and no one knew exactly where he was going.

In truth, whenever Shi A led the Shangmu Battalion and 400 soldiers on patrols around Xiangyi, Cao Hong would silently trail behind. He needed to observe every move of these troops. Bai Qi’s “Art of War” states: “Some rely on heavy rewards and severe punishments to coerce courage, but it is difficult to discipline those naturally fearful of death. The Shangmu Battalion advances relentlessly, nurtures ferocity and beast-like nature, qualities unattainable by those inherently scared of dying.”

In other words, some men might show bravado under threat of reward or death, but deep down, they fear dying. Such men cannot develop the savage determination and grit the Shangmu Battalion requires and could collapse unexpectedly at any moment.

Therefore, Bai Qi’s training method for the Shangmu Battalion includes ‘observation’—assigning two people to live with one recruit, recording their daily habits. The commander would then decide if the recruit could cultivate the beast-like nature and ruthlessness needed. But Cao Hong knew this approach was too costly.

Firstly, the two observers watching the recruit day after day would likely grow jealous. Secondly, recording daily habits required literacy, and few soldiers could even write their own names. Bai Qi’s method was suitable only for armies rich in resources and talent, not for Cao Hong’s thousand-man force.

Hence, Cao Hong had no choice but to follow himself, relying on his mercenary’s keen insight and specialized training to assess the 214 recruits. Even a worthless man, when threatened with a blade, might fight to kill. Shi A’s method of overseeing 400 soldiers behind the battalion couldn’t completely filter out the death-fearing.

This meant that for half the month, Cao Hong wandered with the Shangmu Battalion and the 400 soldiers outside. In those ten or so days, the Shangmu Battalion fought five battles. Except one skirmish involving fewer than a hundred men, all other engagements involved over 300 combatants. Three battles took place in the mountains against enemy strongholds. Shi A executed his role well, always forcing the Shangmu Battalion to lead the charge. These men, driven by heavy rewards, performed impressively, defeating the enemy without reinforcements, leaving them dead or crippled.

Cao Hong was pleased that after these three sieges, instinctively these men began using the hook ends of their Soulhook Blades to scale cliffs and fort walls—exactly the weapon’s intended function. As vanguards, the Shangmu Battalion naturally faced siege warfare and had to excel at capturing fortified positions. The hooks increased their grip on treacherous terrain. Of course, the Soulhook Blade’s uses extended far beyond this, and Cao Hong planned to teach these in the coming days.

Watching the battles, Cao Hong identified several cowardly soldiers merely “playing the part” on the field. So, in early June, before the surviving 167 Shangmu soldiers, he executed seven who showed cowardice, fixing the battalion’s number at 160. The extra dual-plated armors he gifted to Pan Zhang for distribution, while the surplus weapons were stored within the battalion.

Today, Cao Hong stood in a secluded mansion in Xiangyi, holding a five-foot Soulhook Blade. Before him stood the 160 Shangmu soldiers, behind him stood Shi A, sword slung diagonally, while the 400 soldiers guarded outside.

Cao Hong toyed with the five-foot blade, speaking leisurely: “You must have discovered some uses of the Soulhook Blade. When attacking mountain strongholds, you’ve likely used the hook ends to scale walls and cliffs. Yet, I imagine you wonder why this weapon is so short. Our infantry polearms range from 16 to 18 feet, over three times longer than this five-foot blade. A weapon’s strength grows with its length. You must be thinking, how can the vanguard wield such a short blade? If the enemy forms a spear wall, wouldn’t that be suicide?”

The soldiers listened silently, having witnessed their commander’s unpredictable methods—distributing women, food, forcing them to fight each other, then compelling them to kill thieves, and finally executing comrades. Afraid of speaking out and risking death, no one dared break the silence, though their faces showed deep understanding.

Five feet equals about 1.2 meters; sixteen feet about 3.7 meters; eighteen feet about 4.2 meters. If enemy spearmen advance, the vanguard with short blades charges into a forest of long spears. Even clad in dual-plated or scale armor, several spears thrusting simultaneously would cause injuries—it was no exaggeration to call it a death sentence.

Seeing their expressions, Cao Hong smiled and pointed to a Shangmu soldier: “You, hold the Soulhook Blade reversed, hook forward.”

The soldier obeyed. Cao Hong then turned his back to him, facing Shi A, extended his arm backward, hooking the end of the soldier’s blade with his own, and shouted, “Let go!” With a forward swing, the soldier’s blade flew from his hand like a windmill toward Shi A.

Shi A was shocked, shouted sharply, drawing his sword, which rang as it struck the spinning blade mid-air, immediately halting its rotation and causing it to fall lifelessly to the ground.

Relieved, Shi A suddenly felt a cold wind on his face—Cao Hong charged, blade in hand. Shi A retreated three steps, flicking his wrist, his sword transforming into thousands of gleaming shards, ready for battle. Cao Hong laughed heartily, halted his advance, causing Shi A to strike at empty air. Then Cao Hong ceased attacking.

Shi A realized Cao Hong was testing him. Reflecting on Cao Hong’s strange maneuver, Shi A marveled—his swordsmanship alone allowed him to evade. Against infantry, this move would likely kill at the moment the Soulhook Blade was thrown.

Turning to the Shangmu soldiers, Cao Hong said, “From tomorrow, pair up. One throws and kills from the front, the other follows immediately to retrieve their blade and charge in. This is the method to break a spear wall. Once mastered, I will teach you how to break a shield wall.” After speaking, Cao Hong patted Shi A’s shoulder and left.

After Cao Hong’s departure, the Shangmu soldiers were stunned, unable to imagine such a fierce technique. It seemed the spear wall was no match for them.

Shi A then shouted, “What are you waiting for? Find your partners and begin training!”

Leaving the secluded mansion, Cao Hong rode into the street, where a guard under Dian Wei hurried over with several men. Upon seeing Cao Hong, he saluted: “General, my lord orders you to come quickly to the county government for a meeting.”

Cao Hong replied, “Understood, I’m on my way.”

The guard bowed again: “I must also summon other generals. Farewell.” With that, he and his men hurried away.

Passing the guard, Cao Hong made his way to the county government. There, Cao Cao and Liu Ye were already seated in the main hall, joined by Wei Zi, Cao Ren, and Cao Chun. Cao Cao gestured for Cao Hong to sit. After a while, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Zao Zhi, Le Jin, Li Qian, and other military leaders arrived. Liao Hua and Dian Wei stood behind Cao Cao. Since arriving in Xiangyi, this was the first time the Cao faction’s key generals gathered so comprehensively.

Once assembled, Cao Cao spoke: “Gentlemen, my decision is made. On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, we will march from Xiangyi, dividing our forces into six routes to advance into Dong Commandery. Along the way, we will sweep away the Heishan bandits, remnants of the Yellow Turbans, and various other scoundrels and villains.”

Xiahou Dun immediately asked, “Mengde, how will the six armies be distributed?”

Cao Cao smiled, “My 4,000-strong personal guard and 1,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry form one route. The remaining five routes will be led by five commanders, each commanding a thousand men.”

Cao Ren raised an awkward concern: “Elder brother, how about the civilian laborers?”

In this era, civilian laborers were crucial—transporting supplies, cooking, setting up camps, even washing clothes and clearing battlefields. Soldiers fought, but at least three laborers were needed per soldier. With 15,000 laborers, Cao’s army couldn’t fully support 10,000 regular soldiers.

Cao Cao laughed, “The laborers will naturally march with my main force. As for the five thousand-man routes, we are here to cleanse Yanzhou of bandits and restore peace for its people. Shouldn’t local gentry and noble families contribute to our cause?”

Cao Hong immediately understood. Knowing the laborers were insufficient, Cao Cao would supply his main force and elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, while the five thousand-man units must be self-sufficient—either by seeking support from local families or finding other means. There was even a subtle implication that if no support came, the Cao army wouldn’t hesitate to use harsh measures. After all, a thousand regular troops could easily dominate Yanzhou; if they couldn’t take noble strongholds, seizing a few manors and workshops would suffice.

Ha! Didn’t Cao Cao advocate strict discipline and no theft? That might come after solidifying his power. For now, with Yanzhou in chaos, a little pillaging wasn’t a problem—at worst, they would pretend to be someone else while doing so.

Cao Hong’s mind was already quietly planning.