Chapter 112: The Mystery in a Single Character

Three days after the birth of Cao Hong’s daughter, he set out for Juancheng County, leading his elite recruited troops and halberdiers. Along the way, Cao Hong continued to ponder the mysterious significance behind the word “defense” that Xun Yu had inscribed on the talisman.

At that moment, Cao Hong rode alongside Pan Zhang, who commanded the halberdiers, both part of the central army, while Shi A led the recruited troops ahead. They traveled light, covering over a hundred li in less than a day. Within Dong Commandery, the dominant power was the Cao army, which occupied Dongwu County. Aside from that, there were remnants of bandits hiding deep in the mountains and a few local noble families scattered in the poorer rural counties. These landed gentry either possessed wealth so meager that even bandits ignored them or lived in remote, barren areas untouched by banditry, allowing them to survive.

Clearly, these factions posed no real threat to the well-equipped and well-trained Cao army. Wherever the Cao forces marched—whether against bandits or the powerful local clans who dared not resist—they left a trail of bloodshed and terror. The army’s fierce reputation alone was enough to deter any would-be challengers. No one would stir trouble for the Cao troops, and the army itself avoided unnecessary provocations.

Thus, Cao Hong made full use of this fearsome reputation. Along the route to Juancheng, whenever they passed through inhabited areas, they would demand grain and valuables, forcibly conscript some laborers, and bring them to Juancheng. After all, Cao Cao had ordered him to recruit soldiers, but the only territory fully under Cao control was Dongwu County. Who would heed his call for recruits? So Cao Hong had no choice but to resort to these forced measures.

Though he knew such conscripts were poor fighters, orders were orders. Moreover, while he had not fully grasped the meaning of Xun Yu’s talisman, he was certain that Cao Cao’s instruction to head to Juancheng carried a deeper purpose. Otherwise, why would Xun Yu bother giving cryptic advice? Cao Cao, a master strategist, would not blindly send him to recruit troops without having secured control over Dong Commandery—that would be utterly illogical.

Cao Hong’s pace was slow as he continued demanding supplies and conscripts. By dusk, still over thirty li from Juancheng, he had only gathered about a hundred able-bodied men. The grain collected could barely feed their thousand-strong force for twenty days. Converting a hundred li to meters, roughly forty kilometers, the fact that only a hundred laborers were found along such a stretch spoke volumes about the sparse population.

Still pondering Xun Yu’s “defense” character, Cao Hong turned to Pan Zhang, an East Commandery native, and casually asked, “Wengui, you’re from Dong Commandery—have you ever been to Juancheng?”

Pan Zhang replied, “Juancheng is notoriously poor. Even when my family was prosperous and did business throughout the commandery’s counties, we had little dealings with Juancheng. I’ve never been there myself.”

“Such poverty? And yet I’m supposed to recruit soldiers there? Why not send me to a wealthier place?” Cao Hong wondered aloud, then pressed further, “Why is Juancheng so impoverished?”

Pan Zhang chuckled and said, “It’s the unfortunate fate of its people. According to the elders, Juancheng was once prosperous, but that was before our dynasty was established. Later, the city walls were destroyed and could no longer fend off bandits. Many residents left, leaving behind only those who revered their ancestors and refused to abandon their homeland.”

Cao Hong was surprised. “If the city walls were damaged, why not just repair them? Why abandon the city?”

Pan Zhang explained, “Juancheng’s history stretches back long before the Xia Dynasty to the era of the Five Emperors. Emperors Yao and Shun both established their capitals here. Ancient records mention how Shun cultivated the Lishan Mountains, where the people lived harmoniously, gradually forming settlements that grew into cities within a few years. Lishan and Leize are both within Juancheng’s borders. After Shun succeeded Yao, he built Juancheng’s grand city walls, known as the old lands of Kunwu and the ruins of Zhuanxu.

“Later, during the Spring and Autumn period, the State of Wei rebuilt Juanyi City on the old walls, making them even more magnificent. At that time, the fertile fields surrounding Juancheng were plentiful because the walls provided security, encouraging people to settle and prosper.

“But with dynastic changes, repeated breaches of the Yellow River, and several natural disasters, the city walls suffered severe damage. Their great width and size caused soil erosion and landslides, burying farmland under earth and stone, leaving the people destitute and displaced. The local nobility lacked the resources and manpower to restore the walls. Bandits took advantage of the ruined defenses, raiding the countryside. After such calamities, Juancheng became a place of broken walls, barren lands, and impoverished people.

“Although the dynasty later established a county government there, the walls have yet to be repaired. Dong Commandery’s capital moved to Puyang, so Juancheng’s defenses no longer hold strategic value. It wouldn’t make sense to spend huge sums on restoration. Even in peaceful times, bandits emerge from the mountains and swamps, and without walls, Juancheng is their first target. Countless county magistrates have died at the hands of bandits. Yet officials above won’t go to great lengths to rebuild the walls just because a county magistrate falls.”

Listening quietly, Cao Hong suddenly considered a possibility: Was Xun Yu’s “defense” hint urging him to rebuild Juancheng’s city walls? After all, the walls of Dongwu County were inferior even to those of Qiao and Chenliu Counties, comparable only to Xiangyi—a place hardly fit for defense. If Cao Cao ordered him to garrison there, perhaps it was to have him find laborers to reconstruct the walls. The so-called “recruitment” might simply be forced labor for wall-building.

If that were true, the matter would be straightforward. City walls of this era were mainly constructed using the hanging plank tamping method and rammed earth bricks. The hanging plank technique involved wooden rods piercing two side panels, tied with ropes for straightness, with earth packed tightly in between. The rammed earth method used mud bricks piled up to form the walls. Thus, cities looked like great mounds of yellow earth from afar. Only major fortresses like Hulao Pass, Hangu Pass, Dasan Pass, or monumental projects like the Great Wall built by the tyrant Qin Shi Huang, as well as the capitals of the Western Han and Eastern Han dynasties, were constructed from the stone bricks familiar from television.

The image of cities built of blue bricks only emerged after the Ming Dynasty. Even the walls of the Yuan capital were earthen, let alone those of the late Han period.

Earthen walls had a weakness: they easily collapsed after river breaches or during heavy rains. This vulnerability explains why flood tactics were so effective during the Three Kingdoms—they were nearly impossible to defend against. Yet they had advantages: with enough manpower and soil, repairs were swift; and walls could be built thick—sometimes over ten meters. Siege engines like catapults and battering rams were effectively useless against such massive earthworks.

With Juancheng’s walls long neglected and Xun Yu’s talisman bearing the word “defense,” it was clear that Cao Cao intended for Cao Hong to rebuild the walls. If that was the case, why the riddles? Why not say so plainly? Just as Cao Hong resolved one question, another arose.

A simple wall reconstruction—why all the cryptic hints? Could it be… a test? The thought suddenly surfaced in Cao Hong’s mind.