Chapter 133: Provincial Governor-Grand Chancellor Cao Hong(Lord He applies powder to his face.)

After entering Shouzhang County, everyone proceeded to the county government office, with the exception of Cao Ang and Ren Jun, who were tasked with settling the grain supplies, and Pan Zhang, who was assigned to oversee the encampment for the entire commandery. Liu Yao led the generals, while Bao Xin, the Administrator of Jibei, personally stood at the gate to welcome them. Seeing his face as pale as paper—as if he were suffering from severe blood loss—Cao Hong immediately realized that Bao Xin had sustained serious internal injuries.

Upon seeing Cao Cao, Bao Xin bowed low in the manner of a subordinate and said, "Your subordinate, Bao Xin, Administrator of Jibei, respectfully welcomes the Excellency."

Hearing this, Cao Cao stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Why do you use such language, Yun Jie? I am merely filling the role of Inspector of Yanzhou."

Liu Yao interjected, "Do not decline this, Excellency. The former Inspector of Yanzhou has fallen in battle; the position of Inspector no longer exists for this province. There is now only the position of Provincial Governor, and that is you, Excellency."

The distinction between an Inspector and a Provincial Governor was significant. While an Inspector held the power to supervise and recommend commandery administrators, they lacked the political authority to govern the entire province. A Provincial Governor, however, was the supreme official of the province, wielding full control over its personnel, politics, and military affairs. An administrator might ignore the words of an Inspector, with the worst consequence being a report to the imperial court—which, in the current state of affairs, would be useless.

However, an administrator could not ignore the orders of a Provincial Governor. Disobedience could result in charges of gross disrespect, dereliction of duty, defiance of orders, or even treason. The Governor could then command other administrators to suppress the defiant party—a move that was legally and morally justified. By offering small incentives—such as population, tax relief, or land—to those tasked with the suppression, the Governor could easily secure their cooperation.

By urging Cao Cao to accept the title of Provincial Governor, Liu Yao and Bao Xin were essentially ensuring that once Cao Cao repelled the Yellow Turbans from Qing and Xu, he would become the legitimate master of Yanzhou, putting him on equal footing with Yuan Shao, the Governor of Jizhou.

Currently, Cao Cao’s status as Administrator of Dong Commandery was equivalent to Liu Bei’s status as Administrator of Pingyuan. The actions of Liu Yao and Bao Xin contained a deeper motive: they did not want the title held by the late Liu Dai to be diminished. Having likely heard that the Chief Clerk Wan Qian had petitioned the court to have Cao Cao replace Liu Dai, they sought to preemptively install Cao Cao as Provincial Governor. This would place Cao Cao in a superior position to the late Liu Dai, rendering a formal replacement unnecessary and allowing them to honor Liu Dai’s sacrifice for the nation.

Both men hoped to preserve Liu Dai’s legacy, which would benefit his descendants. Given that the current civil service systems, such as the recommendation system and the hereditary appointment system, placed great weight on family background, the loss of the Yanzhou Inspector title would not have served Liu Dai’s heirs well.

Cao Cao, a man of great insight, understood their intentions immediately. He laughed heartily and said, "Since Zhengli and Yun Jie trust me so, I shall not decline!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yao, Bao Xin, and all the Cao generals saluted their new Governor. Cao Cao helped them up one by one and said with a smile, "We face grave danger; we must live and die together. Such formalities can be set aside for now."

The men agreed in unison, their admiration for Cao Cao’s magnanimity further deepened. Cao Hong, watching from the side, felt that Cao Cao’s bearing was far more imposing than his own. Though he had tried to emulate it, he could never quite capture that essence.

"It seems that people are different, and the charisma of a leader is naturally different as well. Since I cannot learn it, I must find my own way," Cao Hong thought to himself.

Cao Cao gestured for everyone to be seated and spoke: "Gentlemen, I will not hide the truth. Our army currently has only ten days' worth of rations. As for the people of Shouzhang, I do not know if they have any reserves, and even if they did, I, Cao Mengde, would not take them. The enemy’s strength is vast for all to see, yet I, Cao Mengde, am determined to crush them within these ten days!"

The room fell silent. Only Dian Wei, Liao Hua, Cao Hong, and Liu Yao, who had heard Cao Cao’s strategy of "sinking the cauldrons and breaking the cooking vessels," understood his resolve. The others looked grave; although the Cao army had held the upper hand in the previous battle, the endless waves of the enemy made them feel overwhelmed.

Then, Cao Cao commanded, "This evening, I want you to gather all soldiers and laborers at the camp parade ground."

Everyone agreed. As the generals departed, none were in the mood for idle chatter. They sought rest under the guidance of the county staff, and even the usually energetic Cao Ang appeared visibly exhausted.

By evening, the parade ground was packed. Nearly twenty thousand infantrymen, a thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, dozens of scouts, and fifty thousand laborers from the armies of Liu Yao, Bao Xin, and Cao Cao stood shoulder to shoulder. Cao Cao stood on a high platform before them, backed by his generals, including Liu Yao, Bao Xin, Cao Hong, Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Wei Zi, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ang, Yue Jin, and Ren Jun.

At twilight, the setting sun cast a blood-red glow over the scene, creating an atmosphere of grim determination.

Cao Cao shouted, "I am Cao Mengde! Formerly the Administrator of Dong, and now the Governor of Yanzhou! I know most of you are sons of Yanzhou. You have likely heard of the tale of 'sinking the cauldrons and breaking the cooking vessels.' Long ago, the Hegemon of Western Chu defeated the Qin army on the banks of the Zhang River with unstoppable momentum. This battle now begins in your own homeland, the land of Yanzhou!"

"Times have changed, and centuries have passed. I ask you: in this desperate situation, surrounded by enemies with nowhere to retreat, do the sons of Yanzhou possess the same resolve to fight to the death as those on the banks of the Zhang River four hundred years ago?"

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry at the front raised their lances and roared, "We do!"

The fervor spread rapidly to the surrounding soldiers and laborers. A few voices joined in, followed by a thunderous, mountain-shaking shout.

"We do!"

Cao Cao nodded slightly to Cao Chun, who stepped forward and signaled the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. They drew their ring-pommel sabers and struck their black-lacquered armor. The metallic clanging echoed across the parade ground, drowning out the shouting, which gradually subsided.

When everyone fell silent, Cao Cao shouted again: "We have only ten days of rations! After ten days, either we starve, or the enemy is crushed! There are no rations in Shouzhang! But there are plenty outside the city walls! Do you have the courage to take them?"

"We do! We do! We do! We do!" This time, the response was much more uniform. Cao Cao’s words had bolstered the morale of the armies of Bao Xin, Liu Yao, and his own, uniting them as one.

Satisfied, Cao Cao nodded and said, "The army is to remain in camp and await my orders!"

"Understood!" the soldiers replied in unison. Their roar was so loud that the people of Shouzhang and the enemy outside the city heard it clearly—yet none of them knew what these soldiers were about to do.