Chapter Fifty-Three: Seeking Advice from Cao Hong

That night, a heavy stench of blood drifted from the Right Imperial Guard Camp. Similarly, the one hundred and ninety-three soldiers of the Right Guard carried with them the thick scent of slaughter. Having just come from a bout of killing, these men had grown silent. As a seasoned mercenary, Cao Hong understood well that their blood was beginning to cool; after a few more such slaughters, they would become nothing more than pure killing machines.

Cao Cao was a supremely competent commander. The next day, he assigned the soldiers who had not participated in the massacre to the onerous task of clearing away the corpses of the refugees. He even deliberately ordered the men to bring buckets of water from the Bian River, more than ten miles outside the city, to wash away the bloodstains.

Because so many had died so suddenly, the atmosphere in the camp turned heavy and oppressive. To Cao Hong, this was a welcome change. Such suffocating tension would rouse the soldiers from the lax, undisciplined state they had acquired in the allied army’s camp at Suanzao. After all, they were about to face a brutal battle; any relaxation would only lead them to the slaughterhouse.

Yet on this day, Cao Hong’s own troops rested throughout the camp, taking no part in the corpse-clearing. At the same time, Cao Cao summoned Cao Hong to his main tent. Inside, besides Cao Cao himself, there was only Dian Wei, his bodyguard.

After Cao Hong was seated, Cao Cao smiled and said, “Zilian, well done! Nearly two thousand refugees, each man killing an average of ten, and all accomplished so swiftly—truly the elite of my army.”

“Elder brother flatters me,” replied Cao Hong humbly.

Cao Cao continued, “In this surprise attack, your Right Camp will take the lead. I will command Dian Wei’s bodyguards and Yuan Jian’s hundred personal guards in the center. Zi He and the Left Camp will bring up the rear. The main army of five thousand will set out only an hour after we depart, so they’ll need at least half an hour, perhaps a full hour, to reach Hulao Gate. That means for a time, only our five hundred men will face Yang Ding’s fifteen thousand in the alleyways. If we’re not careful, we’ll be swallowed up by the enemy. Do you have any plans for this?”

Cao Hong drew a deep breath. In his previous life, he had been most skilled at fighting many with few. Cao Cao had asked the right person. He replied at once, “Since this is a surprise attack, and we are to pit few against many, chaos is our best weapon. The more confused the enemy, the better. If their commander loses track of his men, and the soldiers have no idea whether their commander lives or dies, then the larger their numbers, the more they’ll become a scattered mob, like a pack of wolves turning on each other without a leader.”

Cao Cao nodded repeatedly. “And how would you sow such chaos?” he asked.

Cao Hong considered and said, “The best way is to make a ruckus. Have our five hundred soldiers shout and howl. A military camp is a place of silence; to be so startled would throw the enemy into confusion. Their commander would be unable to restrain his men. The weak-willed would surely run about in panic.”

Cao Cao said, “You mean to provoke a barracks panic?”

Cao Hong paused, searching his inherited memories, and indeed found that the body’s original owner recalled such an incident: a barracks panic, when soldiers in camp, under sudden shock, collapse into frenzy. Such triggers often came from a single scream in the dead of night.

Especially when roused from sleep, soldiers, still bearing the ill temper of being awakened, would be further agitated by grievances—officers bullying men, veterans hazing recruits, all kept in check only by harsh military law. After long suppression, a single outburst could spread like a plague. The madness would infect all, erasing discipline as men vented their rage. The clear-headed would seize weapons, right old wrongs, take revenge, and since soldiers often formed cliques based on hometown ties, brawls would erupt. At that point, the officers who had bullied the men became prime targets, and in the chaos, everyone settled their own scores—slaughtering each other.

Any camp could fall victim to such a panic, and the longer the men had served, the more likely it was. The longer one endures military discipline, the more oppressive it becomes. In his memory, Cao Hong recalled one such case during the Eastern Han wars against the Western Qiang: a camp of ten thousand men suffered a panic, and twenty miles of connected camps fell into disorder and mutual slaughter. A hundred thousand troops were routed by the Qiang before a battle was even fought.

This was why camps had markets, and even camp brothels; a camp without drink, meat, or women was a powder keg, for the men had no outlet. The atrocities of ancient warfare—the pillaging, the burning, the rape—were also measures to provide the soldiers with a means of release, a way to prevent a barracks panic after too long a suppression.

When Cao Hong had offered his idea, he had not consciously thought of provoking a panic—he only knew from his studies of psychology that a sudden shout could induce agitation, confusion, terror, and hysteria. Had Cao Cao not named it, the term “barracks panic” might not have come to him. Nodding, Cao Hong replied, “Exactly so.”

Cao Cao thought for a moment. “The Xiliang forces have been running wild in Luoyang—looting and pillaging. There must have been disputes over the spoils, cliques forming. Stirring up a panic will not be difficult. It’s a brilliant plan—perhaps we can win without heavy losses. Zilian, you are truly a born commander.”

Cao Hong said loudly, “Thank you for your praise, elder brother. Why not summon Master Gongda and ask him which of Yang Ding’s colleagues under Dong Zhuo are at odds with him? We could have our soldiers shout, ‘General So-and-so is here for your head!’ The enemy would think it was an internal feud, and the chaos would only deepen.”

Cao Cao laughed heartily. “Excellent! Excellent! Dian Wei, fetch Master Gongda.”

Dian Wei obeyed at once. Cao Cao turned to Cao Hong. “Zilian, I thought you only cared for amassing wealth back in Wu Commandery—I never expected you to be so versed in military matters.”

Cao Hong replied, “It was but a fleeting inspiration, not worthy of the term ‘versed.’”

Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed. “Then, Zilian, may your mind be ever lit with such inspiration, to help your elder brother solve difficult problems.”

Cao Hong grinned in reply. At that moment, Xun You and Dian Wei entered the tent. Once seated, Xun You asked, “General, how may I be of service?”

Cao Cao said, “When we launch our surprise attack, we mean to incite a barracks panic. So, Master Gongda, I’d like to know: with whom does Yang Ding have longstanding enmity under Dong Zhuo? We could impersonate one of their followers and strike.”

Xun You’s eyes lit up. “A brilliant stratagem! Among Dong Zhuo’s Xiliang generals are both local gentry and petty scoundrels, incompatible in temperament, and their men are rife with feuds. Yang Ding—Yang Zhengxiu—is of the great Longxi clan, and has ever been at odds with Guo Si, one of Dong Zhuo’s captains. Guo Si was once a horse thief who later joined Dong Zhuo, rising to captain of three thousand under Dong Zhuo’s son-in-law Niu Fu. After Niu Fu was defeated in Hedong by the White Wave bandits, Yang Zhengxiu mocked Guo Si openly before Lord Zheng. There’s no love lost between them.”

Cao Cao slapped the table and laughed. “Splendid! We’ll impersonate Guo Si’s men. When we break into the camp, we’ll shout, ‘General Guo is here for Yang Ding’s head!’”

Xun You replied, “With this, victory is assured and your name will resound throughout the realm!”

Cao Cao laughed. “When I break through Sizhi, join forces with Brother Wentai, and pursue Dong Zhuo to his doom, the armies of the east will surely follow. Then Dong Zhuo is finished!”

With that, Cao Cao instructed Cao Hong to prepare for the next evening’s march. Cao Hong agreed and took his leave to ready the men.

Xun You also rose and departed, while Cao Cao, brimming with confidence, reveled in the thought of being first to break through the pass.