Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Date of Return Is Set

“Those who are devoid of humanity, who defile wives and daughters, whose bloodlust is ingrained in their nature—these are driven by profit. If one possesses sufficient resources, no fortress is unbreakable, no army invincible. They can seize strongholds, break mighty hosts, and face a hundred foes as one. Such men are the ideal vanguard.”

Reciting the words from “The Book of Formations,” the longer Cao Hong read, the more he felt this could not have been written by a celebrated general, but rather by a madman. Sighing deeply after closing the book, he mused, “The difference between a god of war and a madman lies in the god’s ability to restrain his madness.”

The following chapters detailed how to ensure these “men” obeyed their commanders. No wonder Gu Yong had gifted this book to Cao Hong; if one wished to vie for supremacy with it, the first requirement was to break free from the shackles of morality. Gu Yong, who had studied under Cai Yong, could never bring himself to do so.

This was now the ninth day of Cao Hong’s stay in Wu County. Most of the properties registered under his name had already been purchased. The local aristocratic families of Yang Province, whether offering grain or funds, or the service of strong local warriors, converted all into monetary value, which they then handed to Cao Hong to complete the transactions.

During these days, Cao Hong had gathered two thousand officers and men under Chen Wen, three thousand untrained strongmen, six hundred elite Xiliang steeds, a thousand crossbows, ninety thousand bolts, a thousand refined ring-hilted swords, a thousand eight-foot iron-spined spears, ten thousand ordinary halberds, three thousand thirty-refined ring-hilted sabers, ten thousand mules, horses, and oxen, over ten thousand laborers, and sixty thousand taels of gold shaped like horse hooves.

This was a considerable fortune. Cao Hong was absolutely certain that, historically, his cousin Cao Cao had not exhausted his resources in raising troops. According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, after his defeat by Xu Rong, Cao Cao sent out his officers to recruit soldiers across the land, yet managed to gather only a few thousand. Now, just the number of men mustered by Cao Hong far exceeded that, not to mention the abundance of fine equipment.

Cao Hong did not know how the “Cao Hong” of history had managed his properties in Wu County, but he believed that no matter how much he left behind, once Sun Ce unified Jiangdong, all his assets would be reduced to ashes. The reason was simple: he was not aligned with Sun Ce’s faction. Historically, Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror of Jiangdong, was notoriously domineering. He executed many aristocrats of Yang Province who refused to submit and confiscated their wealth, which directly led to his assassination.

Though he died, he had amassed great wealth for the Sun clan, paving the way for Sun Quan’s rise. Without Sun Ce’s iron-blooded methods, Sun Quan’s conciliatory policy towards the remaining clans would not have found such enthusiastic support. In a way, it was a case of one generation planting trees under which the next would sit, albeit at the cost of life.

Closing “The Book of Formations,” Cao Hong stepped out of the study, gazing at the drooping willows in the courtyard. He murmured, “Everything is nearly ready. It’s time to head north.”

At that moment, Shi A entered the courtyard and bowed. “Young Master.”

“Qingmang, what is it?”

In recent days, Shi A had been busy organizing troops and supplies for Cao Hong. Liu Ye was accounting for provisions and planning the march routes. In their spare time, both would teach Cao Hong’s nephew, Cao Xiu, swordsmanship and military strategy, as well as explain various classical works. As a result, Shi A and Liu Ye remained in the county office, with Cao Hong instructing them to report directly to his study if anything arose.

Shi A reported, “Madam has written from Lujiang. She has found the Qiao family. They do indeed have two daughters, twins of the same mother, only twelve years old—still two years away from coming of age.”

When Cao Hong mentioned taking a concubine, his pregnant wife Sheng Meizhen volunteered to make the arrangements herself, saying that as the principal wife, she ought to deliver the proposal in person to demonstrate the Cao family’s sincerity. With the connections of the Sheng family, she quickly located the Qiao family Cao Hong had mentioned, and now a reply had arrived.

Cao Hong asked, “What else did the letter say?”

Shi A replied, “Madam wrote that both girls are of exceptional beauty and more than worthy to enter the Cao family. Although their family is not prominent, serving as concubines is of little consequence. Upon hearing their daughters might marry into the Cao family, the Qiaos were overjoyed and have agreed to the arrangement.”

Cao Hong smiled, having expected this outcome. In those days, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were seen by the people of Yang Province as nothing more than foreign marauders, fugitives, and invaders. Any family daring to marry their daughters to such men could not have been among the local elite, especially with Sun Ce still in the early stages of his rise. The Qiao family was by no means distinguished, which was why Cao Hong had been so confident and had permitted Sheng Meizhen to proceed.

He said, “Send a reply to Meizhen, telling her to proceed with the betrothal. I will bring them north with me.”

Shi A answered, “Yes, sir.”

“Uncle!” A boy’s voice, still in the throes of adolescence, rang out at the gate. A youth clad in light blue martial attire entered the courtyard. He appeared fifteen or sixteen, his complexion fair and rosy, features delicate, his figure slender yet sinewy—not the fragile build of a sickly boy, but one of strength and resilience.

This was Cao Ding’s grandson, Cao Hong’s nephew, Cao Xiu. He had practiced the martial arts from a young age, agile and strong, with a foundation no less solid than Liao Hua’s, already reaching a high level of refinement in both body and energy.

“Wang, have you finished your reading for today?” Cao Hong asked with a gentle smile.

“Uncle, today I finished reading the entirety of ‘Six Secret Teachings,’ as well as several annotated and abridged manuscripts. Master Ziyang was with me the whole time, explaining the difficult parts,” Cao Xiu replied.

Ever since his uncle’s return, Cao Xiu had been excited, knowing that soon he would follow him north, mount a fine horse, brandish a spear, and ride across the land to vanquish traitors—his lifelong dream. Though Wu County was picturesque, he longed for the clang of arms and the thrill of battle. Thus, when Cao Hong urged him to study literature and swordsmanship, he applied himself diligently, fearing his uncle would change his mind if he performed poorly and leave him behind.

Cao Hong smiled. “In three days, you will have your capping ceremony, Wang. I have been so busy organizing the troops that I have yet to ask your grandfather—who has he invited as the honored guests for the ceremony?”

The honored guest of the capping ceremony was the witness who placed the cap on the youth’s head, marking his passage into adulthood—a role of great significance. For a man in the Han dynasty, aside from his father and teacher, perhaps no one influenced him more than this witness, who guided him into society.

Cao Xiu replied, “Grandfather has invited Lord Chen and Lord Lu as the honored guests for my capping ceremony.”

The Inspector of Yang Province, Chen Wen, and Lu Xian, grandfather of Lu Xun! Fine choices indeed! Cao Hong was inwardly amazed at the intricate web of connections among the great families of the Han. Cao Xiu and Lu Xun—future pillars of rival states—who would have imagined that Lu Xun’s grandfather would be the one to cap Cao Xiu? With such ties, even if Cao Wei destroyed Eastern Wu, the Lu family would not be annihilated; on the contrary, this might herald a new opportunity for them.

“Yes. Qingmang, go to the martial hall and guide Wang in his swordsmanship.” Regaining his focus, Cao Hong gave the order.

Shi A acknowledged, and together with Cao Xiu, took his leave. Once they had departed, Cao Hong returned to his study, thinking, “The Qiao sisters have been found, the recruitment nearly finished. Once my nephew’s capping ceremony is over, I’ll head north to join Cao Cao and strive for the empire. Yet, I wonder—where might he be at this moment?”