One Hundred and Forty-Seven: Exceptional Promotion

After bathing, Cao Hong immediately began to dally with the twin beauties, Lady Da and Lady Xiao. Following a round of passionate intimacy, he changed into casual attire and entered the study to pore over the Art of War by Sun Bin. Before long, Pan Zhang and Shi A requested an audience, and Cao Hong promptly had them brought in.

Pan Zhang began, "My Lord, the troops have been settled. Currently, we have eight hundred halberd-wielding soldiers, two hundred newly recruited infantry, and three thousand laborers. To overawe the various gentry and officials of Jiyin Commandery, this force is likely still insufficient."

Cao Hong chuckled and said, "Wengui, the Lord is now the Governor of Yan Province. Furthermore, our Cao army has successively crushed the remnants of the Black Mountain bandits and the Yellow Turbans in Yan Province, and the commander of Mount Tai, Zang Ba, has also allied with us. This is a fact known to all in Yan Province. We are no longer the loose coalition of Guandong allied forces once stationed at Bian Waters, nor are we that small faction of government troops who had to depend on others shortly after leaving Xiangyi. Instead, we are an elite force capable of dominating Yan Province. To bend local factions to our will, we do not need to rely blindly on brute force; rather, we must wield momentum."

Pan Zhang asked, "Your subordinate is dense and fails to understand what is meant by wielding momentum."

Cao Hong smiled. "Momentum is, in essence, the prevailing trend of the times. Right now in Yan Province, our prestige is at its peak, and the tide of the times is on our side. When the news of the Lord absorbing a million Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou and Xuzhou spreads throughout Yan Province, that will be the moment we seize the opportunity to take control of Jiyin. To put it bluntly, by then, merely frightening them will suffice; why would we need to make a grand display beneath their city walls just to intimidate them? The goal is for a single messenger of ours to be sent, and they will be so terrified that they wet themselves. Only then can we say we have completely secured Jiyin."

Pan Zhang countered, "But back when we left Xiangyi and passed through Jiyin, many local powerful clans did not take us seriously at all! Some held their cities with fortified defenses, while others took the initiative to attack us. Now that we have been away for nearly two years, can we guarantee there won't be ambitious clans looking to rise up?"

Cao Hong replied, "This is what is called changing times and circumstances. When we left Xiangyi back then, everyone regarded us as a defeated remnant force fleeing Bian Waters, seeking shelter under Zhang Miao. Therefore, everyone assumed we were easy targets. But in the end, they were wrong. All along the way, we have never tasted defeat. Two years ago, it was the blood of dozens of powerful clans that taught them this fact; today, it is the defeat of the Black Mountain bandits and the Qingzhou-Xuzhou Yellow Turbans that impresses this reality upon them. Do these newly rising clans truly believe they are more formidable than the Yellow Turban rebels?"

Pan Zhang pondered this for a moment before saying, "Is this what is known as 'subduing the enemy without fighting'?"

Cao Hong laughed, "Wengui has figured it out!"

Pan Zhang cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, My Lord, for your guidance!"

Cao Hong then turned to Shi A and instructed, "Qingmang, go ask Wu Meng for two hundred women so that the brothers of the new recruit battalion can enjoy themselves for a few days. They have suffered greatly from consecutive military campaigns recently."

Shi A immediately acknowledged, "Understood!"

At that moment, Pan Zhang asked, "My Lord, should we send people to gather intelligence on the situation in the various counties of Jiyin Commandery? Especially the recent developments in Chengshi."

Cao Hong shook his head. "There is no need. Our army is the righteous master of Yan Province. If we send people everywhere to pry into local affairs, it would look as though we had a guilty conscience, needlessly letting others perceive that we lack confidence. You should all go attend to your duties for now, and remember to come to this manor this evening to attend the welcome banquet."

After giving their consent, Pan Zhang and Shi A departed. Cao Hong resumed his study of military strategy, continuing until the evening banquet hour arrived.

Wu Meng had previously instructed the servants to prepare the banquet at the General's Manor. When the time came, he brought his four sons to attend. Upon arriving in front of the estate, Wu Meng was momentarily stunned to see that the plaque on the gate had been changed to read "General's Manor."

Wu Zhi, standing beside him, explained, "The rank of a general is either on par with the Nine Ministers or second only to the Three Excellencies. Now that General Cao's lord is a Provincial Governor, their statuses are roughly equivalent, so General Cao naturally cannot name his own residence a General's Manor."

Hearing his son's explanation, Wu Meng nodded. Then, touching the account book tucked inside his robes, he muttered, "When General Cao sees this ledger, will he beam with joy as you predicted, or will he not? To be honest, I am truly uncertain in my heart. You must know that collecting taxes without authorization is a capital offense."

Wu Zhi reassured him, "Father, rest assured. Ever since General Cao exterminated the Li family, absolutely no one in Dingtao has dared to act as county magistrate. Since General Cao appointed you to take charge, it is naturally equivalent to granting you the authority to collect taxes. Now that Lord Cao has become the Governor of Yan Province and has sent General Cao to reassume command over Jiyin, it is clearly his intention for all the counties here to resume paying taxes. Upon seeing this ledger, General Cao will undoubtedly be overjoyed, and he might even confer upon Father the official title of County Magistrate."

Wu Meng swallowed hard and nodded. Years ago, he had witnessed with his own eyes as Cao Hong crushed the head of the head of the Li family with a single stomp. He felt a deep-seated terror toward this general who looked cultured and refined yet possessed such overwhelming brutality. When Cao Hong first told him to administer Dingtao, he had no idea where to start and was terrified of provoking this murderous god. If not for his youngest son, who had been well-read and quick-witted since childhood, devising strategies and solving difficulties for him, Dingtao would never have achieved its current prosperity. Because of this, he followed his youngest son's every word implicitly.

By the time the father and his four sons entered the banquet pavilion, Cao Hong had not yet arrived, but Cao Ang, Pan Zhang, and Shi A were already seated. Wu Meng immediately led his sons in bowing to them. Cao Ang, Pan Zhang, and Shi A politely returned the courtesy one by one. When Wu Meng learned that Cao Ang was the eldest son of the Provincial Governor, he was so startled that he nearly dropped to his knees. Fortunately, Wu Zhi nudged his father's lower back with his shoulder just in time. Cao Ang took in all these actions and cast a meaningful, knowing smile toward Wu Zhi.

Wu Zhi met Cao Ang's gaze with calm composure and walked to his own seat.

After a short while, Cao Hong arrived in the hall, attired in a light robe with a relaxed sash and wearing a magpie-tail crown. Everyone stood up, including Cao Ang. After exchanging greetings with the company, Cao Hong cordially invited everyone to take their seats, and the banquet officially commenced. After Cao Hong toasted the gathering three times to encourage drinking, he smiled and said, "This time, Lord Cao sent me to Jiyin specifically to have the various counties, which have fallen into lax administration, reappoint officials, collect taxes, govern according to our dynasty's laws, practice the kingly way, and implement benevolent rule. Dingtao is the administrative seat of Jiyin Commandery and also the first place I inspected. Although the commandery's official posts are not yet fully staffed, the common people still live in peace and contentment, and the Wu family of Beikai has made an immeasurable contribution. I will certainly submit a memorial to Lord Cao to reward merit accordingly."

Wu Meng hastily expressed his gratitude while glancing sideways at Wu Zhi. Seeing his youngest son signaling him with his eyes, he stepped out of his seat into the center of the hall, produced an account book, and said, "Ever since the General uprooted the tyrant Li family of Dingtao in the twelfth month of the first year of Chuping, this humble commoner dared to begin collecting taxes from the populace. This ledger covers a total of fourteen months of taxes, from the twelfth month of the first year of Chuping to the end of the second month of the third year of Chuping. All taxes were levied strictly in accordance with our dynasty's laws. Please review it, General. The tax monies are currently kept safely in the county government's treasury."

Cao Hong waved his hand at a nearby guard, who immediately stepped forward, took the ledger from Wu Meng's hands, and placed it before Cao Hong. Without even opening it, Cao Hong tapped the corner of the book and said with a smile to Wu Meng, "Beikai, please return to your seat."

Wu Meng gave a respectful assent and returned to his seat. Cao Hong then burst into hearty laughter. "Beikai has truly put in painstaking effort, and this matter has been handled wonderfully! Do you gentlemen know what this is called?"

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, unable to fathom what Cao Hong was driving at. Then they saw Cao Hong slam his hand down on the table and laugh, "This is called cooperation between officials and the people! For a law-abiding citizen like Beikai, to toil diligently below for the peace of the people, and to run about above for the court's revenues—such devotion is truly witnessed by heaven and earth. If talent like this were buried, we would truly be unworthy of being ministers of Han!"

Having finished speaking, he drained a cup of wine in one gulp, and the others followed suit. Ancient officialdom was no different from modern times: when the superior drank, the subordinates had to keep pace. Cao Hong then pointed to Wu Meng's eldest son and declared, "Bolai! From this day forward, you shall be the Magistrate of Dingtao County!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire assembly was astonished. Wu Meng stammered, "General, my unworthy son is only eighteen years of age and has not yet been recommended as a filial and incorrupt official."

According to Han law, a man had to undergo a selection process to enter official service. The most common method was the system of recommendation known as *Xiaolian* (filial and incorrupt). This meant that each commandery would select one person of high moral character each year to recommend to the imperial court. One must not assume that being recommended as *Xiaolian* was an easy feat; a commandery with a household registration of two hundred thousand people could only recommend one person per year. Smaller commanderies with fewer than two hundred thousand residents recommended one person every two years, while those under one hundred thousand did so once every three years. Favorable treatment was given to ethnic minority regions, where those with over one hundred thousand could recommend one person annually.

The probability of this was extremely small. The reason both Cao Cao and Cao Hong had been recommended as *Xiaolian* was simply because of their profound family backgrounds. Aside from the *Xiaolian* recommendation, there was an even more prestigious branch of the civil service selection system called *Maocai* (men of outstanding talent). This required top-tier senior officials such as the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers to recommend one person of exceptional learning and ability each year. Because such high-ranking grand ministers were few in number, the number of *Maocai* was also exceptionally small, which made the weight of such a recommendation even heavier.

The consequence of this recommendation system was that officials increasingly recommended their own family members and students, leading to the bureaucratization and hereditary monopolization of government posts by powerful clans. For example, the four generations of Three Excellencies from the Yang and Yuan families were typical representatives, and even the Cao family, to which Cao Hong belonged, was another. However, this selection system was not entirely bad; at least in its early stages, this recruitment method—which emphasized moral cultivation—inspired scholars of the Han Dynasty to strive to elevate their personal cultivation and moral integrity, laying the foundation for China to become a land of ritual and propriety.

That Wu Meng's son had not been recommended as *Xiaolian* was indeed a problem. However, minor local gentry like him could not possibly comprehend the intricate rules of officialdom's games. Apart from the recommendation system, the Han Dynasty had another mechanism known as the *Zhengbi* system (requisition and summons), whereby high-ranking officials could directly summon whomever they wished to serve as officials. This method cared little whether one was a person of good character or bad, a man of talent or a fool. Such a system further provided hereditary aristocratic gates with opportunities for development. Imagine a Grand Commandant or Minister of Works summoning a whole cohort of his own disciples in one breath; within a few years, his disciples and former subordinates would fill the ranks of officialdom across the empire.

The Yuan and Yang families had produced multiple holders of the Three Excellencies, so their network of disciples and former subordinates could be said to be spread throughout the realm. Compared to Cao Cao, whose grandfather had only just begun to rise to prominence, the foundations of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were vastly superior.

Now, Cao Hong intended to make Wu Meng's son a county magistrate, which naturally required utilizing the requisition system. They heard him smile and say, "What need is there for a *Xiaolian* recommendation? Tomorrow, I will dispatch a message to Lord Cao, asking him to officially summon your son to serve as the acting magistrate of Dingtao. As for you, Beikai... since your son is serving as county magistrate, you shall serve as the commandery administrator. Starting tomorrow, you are the Administrator of Jiyin!"

*Clatter.* Wu Zhi, who had always fancied himself capable of controlling every situation, was completely stunned by Cao Hong's unexpected reward and dropped his chopsticks to the ground. Wu Meng and his other sons all dropped their jaws, staring blankly at Cao Hong.

Yet Cao Ang, Pan Zhang, and Shi A remained entirely unphased. To them, for the ever-victorious Cao Hong, whatever he did always had a reason behind it. That was a principle the three of them had learned after following Cao Hong through years of warfare.