One Hundred and Fifteen: A Word Returned to You

The Shangmu Battalion had always been quartered separately from the regular troops. As their commander, Shi A naturally lived alongside these men; it was only his formidable martial prowess that kept these warriors in line in the absence of fine wine, rich food, and women—though, of course, Cao Hong could have achieved the same.

Pan Zhang was relaying Cao Hong’s orders to Shi A. Once finished, Shi A remarked, “Eliminating mountain bandits is no problem; the Shangmu Battalion is well-versed in such matters. Furthermore, the bandits who have gathered here to fish and farm are hardly formidable foes. However... if they surrender, my three hundred soldiers cannot possibly guard them all, nor can we spare the men to escort them back to Juancheng, nor do we have the rations to feed them. Did the young master specify how to handle captives?”

Pan Zhang smiled and replied, “The young master only required that there be no more bandits within a hundred-mile radius of Juancheng within a month. He said nothing else.”

Shi A pondered this and said, “I understand.”

The following day, Pan Zhang had his four hundred halberdiers lay down their arms to fell timber and transport stone for the construction of an ancestral hall in Juancheng County. Shi A led the Shangmu Battalion out of the city to eradicate the bandits. Meanwhile, Cao Hong dispatched a letter to Dongwuyang County, requesting that Xun Yu, who had been appointed as the Marshal of the Army, send provisions to Juancheng.

At the same time, Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun joined forces, while Yue Jin and Cao Ren combined their troops. Moving out from Dongwuyang in two columns, they occupied Fan County and Dong’e—the two counties closest to Dongwuyang. Together with Juancheng, held by Cao Hong, these three locations formed a triangle around Dongwuyang, effectively securing the major thoroughfares. Grain from Dongwuyang began to flow steadily into these three counties, marking the beginning of the Cao army’s efforts to establish a foothold in Dong Commandery.

As Cao Hong’s request for grain reached Dongwuyang, a letter of appointment arrived from Liu Dai, the Inspector of Yanzhou. It formally named Cao Cao the Administrator of Dong Commandery, a request that had already been submitted to the imperial court. Upon receiving this, Cao Cao immediately summoned Xun Yu for counsel.

Inside the study of the Dongwuyang prefectural office, Cao Cao said to Xun Yu, “Wenruo, now that Liu Gongshan has sent word appointing me Administrator of Dong Commandery, I can rightfully command this region. I intend to depart tomorrow with three thousand elite guards and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to patrol the commandery. I will present the Inspector’s letter to the local factions and the surviving officials, ordering them to uphold the law and pay taxes on time. At the same time, I shall appoint local men to fill the vacancies in the local governments.”

Xun Yu replied, “Your Excellency is wise. With government offices incomplete, administration is difficult. Furthermore, as you have just arrived in Dong Commandery, you must engage with the local factions. Since you hold the Inspector’s letter, a tour is certainly in order.”

Cao Cao nodded and said, “While I am away from Dongwuyang, I leave all matters, large and small, for you to oversee.”

Xun Yu was startled. He had only just arrived; how could Cao Cao trust him so readily with everything? Just as he was about to decline, Cao Cao continued.

He said, “I have two brilliant strategists by my side: Ziyang and yourself. However, Ziyang excels in unconventional tactics rather than governance. Only you, Wenruo, can shoulder this great responsibility. Moreover, your name is known throughout the world; you are the nephew of the current Minister of Works and a product of the Yingchuan Academy. Naturally, no one will dare to dissent.”

Xun Yu had no choice but to accept. “I shall do my utmost,” he promised.

Cao Cao sighed, “My only concern is the situation in Juancheng. I wonder if Zilian understands my intent, and if he does, whether he can carry it out. He is only twenty-one this year, quite young, and before we raised our army, he was merely a merchant. He has never led more than a thousand men. It must be difficult for him to manage over ten thousand laborers to build a city wall with only seven hundred soldiers.”

Xun Yu smiled. “I observed that General Zilian’s three hundred men are fierce and peerless in courage. I suspect they will be more than capable of cowing the laborers.”

Neither Xun Yu nor Cao Cao imagined the ingenious approach Cao Hong was taking. They assumed that upon learning of the wall construction, Cao Hong would use brute force to capture the local bandits and press them into labor. They were testing Cao Hong’s wisdom and management skills, but what Cao Hong was actually employing—a strategy of winning hearts—was entirely beyond their expectations.

For Cao Hong, a man who had traversed time from the future, it was easy to see how the people of this era held a near-superstitious reverence for ancestral roots. Having lived two lifetimes, he had a clear point of comparison; the characteristics of the ancients stood out like glowsticks. Any ordinary person would not have thought of this as quickly as Cao Hong, unless they were a master strategist of psychological warfare. This did not necessarily mean Cao Hong was smarter than them, but rather that his perspective and observational powers allowed him to act in ways that surprised even Cao Cao and Xun Yu.

Cao Cao laughed, “You hold Zilian’s abilities in high regard, Wenruo! Very well. I intended for the Juancheng project to take a year; a few days’ delay to test him will not matter. Once the three-day deadline passes, you must send someone to see what exactly Zilian is doing.”

Xun Yu chuckled, “Since General Zilian has already written to request grain, I shall send my own page to oversee the transport, and he can take the opportunity to observe the General’s situation.”

Cao Cao nodded. “That is excellent.”

The following day, Cao Cao departed with Dian Wei, Liao Hua, and Cao Chun to begin his inspection. Dong Commandery oversaw sixteen counties, and the various officials required numbered in the thousands. Cao Cao did not have nearly enough people to appoint. In this age, those with literacy and learning were scarce; unlike the modern era of universal education, most were illiterate. Only the wealthy families had the means to read and write. For this reason, many local officials were recruited from the local populace—a move that both stabilized local factions and ensured the administration was managed.

There were three ways to recruit: recommendation for filial piety and integrity, direct summons, and official appointment. The first was handled by local administrators; Cao Cao had this authority, and Cao Hong had gained his position as Chief of Qichun through the recommendation of the Administrator Cao Ding. Summons and appointments were also the prerogative of local or imperial officials with the authority to establish their own offices.

Cao Cao’s current tour was aimed at selecting local talent to fill these vacancies, while simultaneously supporting the local factions that had been battered by banditry. They were the educated class, and agricultural production and taxation depended on them; the illiterate could do little, let alone handle arithmetic. The powerful clans of Dong Commandery had either been devastated by bandits or purged by Cao Cao, and the region was in chaos. Now was the perfect time for Cao Cao to appoint officials and bolster these factions.

After seeing Cao Cao off, Xun Yu immediately ordered his page, Xun Qian, to lead ten of his twenty personal guards and five hundred laborers with supply carts toward Juancheng. Before leaving, Xun Yu instructed Xun Qian, “Upon reaching Juancheng, in addition to delivering the grain, convey my greetings to General Zilian. Also, tell him I wish to know what he has been doing lately, and whether he has opened my silk pouch.”

Xun Qian nodded and set off.

When Xun Qian arrived in Juancheng with the provisions, Cao Hong immediately hosted a banquet. Though Xun Qian was but a page, he had grown up in the noble Xun household and was used to refinement. Seeing that Juancheng lacked even a proper prefectural office and that the walls were incomplete, he felt a twinge of sympathy for the general stationed there. He thought to himself, *He is the young master’s cousin; why must he endure this barren place? It is truly pitiful.*

Thinking this, he nevertheless relayed Xun Yu’s message: “General Cao, my master asked me to...”

Cao Hong laughed heartily. “Ah! I understand! I understand! Your master wants to know if I opened the pouch, right? I did! It told me to build a city wall, didn’t it? Go back and tell him: I am building, but not a wall. I am building an ancestral hall, and after that, a tomb. If Master Wenruo asks whose hall and tomb, just give him one word.”

With that, Cao Hong dipped his finger in his wine and wrote a character on the table: “Ancestry.”

Xun Qian did not understand the meaning, but he did not ask further, as Cao Hong clearly had nothing more to say. He returned to Dongwuyang with the reply and the character, relaying everything faithfully to Xun Yu.

After pondering for a long while, Xun Yu realized Cao Hong’s intent. “Ancestry! He means to have them acknowledge their roots and return to their kin! How unexpected! Zilian has actually thought of this psychological tactic! It is true—with the deep heritage of Juancheng, the descendants of these families must be scattered throughout Dong Commandery, Yanzhou, and even the entire realm! By doing this, Zilian will surely attract them to move back!”

Xun Yu slammed his hand on the table in admiration. “General Zilian, you are truly unfathomable!”