Chapter Eighty-Eight: A New Beginning

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The next morning, as Cao Hong awoke, he said to Sheng Meizhen, who lay beside him on the couch, “Meizhen, this time I must go north to Henei to meet my elder brother. You should remain here in Xiangyi, for Henei is not a place suited for a long stay. Besides, I need you to look after the servants left in Xiangyi. I will leave you two hundred thousand taels of horse-hoof gold, to cover daily expenses and as capital for rebuilding our family’s fortunes in the future.”

Sheng Meizhen asked in surprise, “Why do you say Henei is not suitable for a long stay? The Sima family of Henei has deep ties with your elder brother. Years ago, when Sima Jian was Governor of Jingzhao, he supported your elder brother—a favor that should not be forgotten.”

Cao Hong smiled. “The four great families of Yangzhou are also on good terms with me, but even then, my elder brother is not inclined to go there.”

Enlightened by his words, Sheng Meizhen replied, “I see! Now I understand! Husband, go without worry. I shall take care of the servants, and… your two little treasures as well! I promise that when you return, I will ensure your every comfort.”

Her words were full of gentle insinuation. Cao Hong playfully tapped her nose, then rose to wash and dress. He summoned Shi A to prepare the troops, bid farewell to Wei Zhen, and set out for Henei.

Wen County lay within Henei Commandery, north of the Yellow River, in the Inspectorate’s jurisdiction. Now the entire region was ravaged by Dong Zhuo’s marauding armies, so Cao Hong had no choice but to travel north from Chenliu to Yanjin Port in Dong Commandery, then cross the Yellow River by boat. Dong Commandery was the domain of Qiao Mao, but fortunately he was still at the Suanzao Allied Camp, leaving Dong Commandery leaderless for the time being. Aside from the administrative center at Puyang, most of the counties remained in the hands of local gentry, and Yanjin was one such stronghold.

This phenomenon of local clans controlling county seats was common in the waning years of the Han dynasty. After all, paper was not widely available, block printing was costly and unreliable, and wealthy families monopolized nearly all educational resources. Naturally, literacy was reserved for the rich. Thus, as a commandery governor, one often faced a dearth of usable talents. The Han system of recruitment and recommendation had a peculiar feature: officials could recruit talented men, but those men retained the right to refuse appointment.

Many preferred to serve their own clans at home, untempted by minor ranks or titles. In these troubled times when great landowners rose to power, such situations were commonplace. Clearly, Qiao Mao’s Dong Commandery faced this very problem.

For Cao Hong, however, this was not a disadvantage. Local clans did not aspire to rule the realm, but rather sought to annex land and accumulate wealth. As long as one had money, they would offer every convenience. The wealthy Fang family of Yanjin, for instance—when Cao Hong presented sixty thousand taels of horse-hoof gold, the Fang family mobilized their entire clan, gathering every ferry in the county for his use—cargo ships, fishing boats, even derelict vessels were hastily repaired, all to ensure Cao Hong’s troops could cross the river.

Witnessing this, Liu Ye sighed, “Local governance is in shambles, and the gentry run rampant. How can there be any semblance of a unified state?”

Cao Hong replied with a laugh, “When unity endures long, division comes; when division endures long, unity returns. Is this not the grand course of the world?”

Liu Ye was momentarily stunned, gazing at Cao Hong. “General, your words are most insightful.”

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Cao Hong smiled quietly to himself, thinking: That’s just the opening line of a television drama. Yet he heard Liu Ye remark, “Chaos has taken root; I fear only extraordinary measures can restore order.”

This gave Cao Hong pause, for he sensed something of Liu Ye’s viewpoint.

Before long, with his men and horses, Cao Hong successfully crossed the Yellow River. Though it took half a day, he was relieved that the seemingly unreliable boats and boatmen had delivered his goods intact. That alone was a comfort, and he could not help but scorn the state of the northern grain transport. In Wu County, such a crossing of the Yangtze would have taken no more than two hours.

Landing at Yanjin Port, he led his men nearly three hundred li, finally entering the territory of Wen County. There, the first local headman he met was an elderly man surnamed Sima. In the Han dynasty, a headman was the leader of a hundred households—a role much like that of a village chief. Under the headman were leaders of groups of five and ten, above them a pavilion chief, and above ten pavilion chiefs, a township chief.

These rural officials, stationed outside the city, were mostly tools for local gentry to control the populace, and so were usually drawn from the great families. Henei Commandery was Sima territory, so it was only natural that the headman was a Sima.

Despite his failing eyesight, the old man recognized the Cao banner and asked if Cao Hong had come to find Lord Mengde. Receiving an affirmative answer, the old man promptly accompanied Cao Hong toward the county seat, explaining that the Sima family’s patriarch had specifically set aside three fortified hamlets outside the city for Lord Mengde’s troops. At present, Lord Mengde resided in one of these strongholds.

When Cao Hong’s procession of fifteen thousand men, thousands of livestock, and over a hundred wagons appeared outside Wen County, three groups of cavalry poured out from the four forts beyond the walls. Leading each group were men familiar to Cao Hong.

One squad was led by Cao Cao, another by Xiahou Dun, and a third by Cao Ren. Among them, Cao Cao rode at the head, laughing and spreading his arms as he galloped, “Ha ha ha! Zilian has returned! What a joyous occasion!”

From afar, Cao Hong saluted from horseback, “Elder brother!”

Cao Cao rode up and grasped Cao Hong’s hand. “Zilian, you have endured much! And you’ve brought so many supplies with you!”

Cao Hong replied, “Your younger brother sold off all our family assets in Wu County to gather these men, horses, and provisions.”

Cao Cao was moved. “Zilian, you sold everything? What about Uncle Jingjie…?”

Cao Hong answered, “Uncle and Lord Chen have decided to resign their posts and retire to Yulin in Jiaozhou.”

Cao Cao nodded. “So that’s how it is!” By then, Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren had arrived, and Cao Hong greeted them both.

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Cao Ren’s sharp eyes immediately spotted among the livestock six hundred Xiliang steeds, standing out like cranes among chickens. With excitement, he exclaimed, “Zilian, you’ve brought so many fine horses!”

At his words, Cao Cao looked up and was overjoyed. “Zilian, how many are there?”

Cao Hong replied, “There are six hundred renowned Xiliang steeds in all.”

Xiahou Dun slapped his thigh. “Excellent! With these, we can form a cavalry unit of a thousand!”

Cao Cao threw back his head and laughed. “Zilian, you have truly surprised your elder brother! Come, let us return to the stronghold and hold a feast to celebrate your arrival. I am eager to see what treasures you have brought me!”

Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren answered in unison. Cao Cao then ordered the messenger at his side, “Invite all officers of the rank of Commandant and above to my stronghold.”

The messenger sped off. Cao Cao turned to Cao Hong with a smile, “Recently, your elder brother has gained several capable aides. I will introduce them to you in a while.”

Cao Hong replied, “Elder brother, allow me to introduce someone as well.”

Cao Cao asked, “Who?”

Cao Hong replied, “When I passed through Runan, I was troubled by Yuan Shu, but this man devised a clever scheme, tricked Yuan Shu out of one million two hundred thousand taels of horse-hoof gold, and even enabled me to leave Runan with dignity.”

At these words, the faces of Cao Cao, Cao Ren, and Xiahou Dun all changed color. One million two hundred thousand taels of horse-hoof gold—enough to buy nearly a hundred thousand mu of good farmland! Who could possess such talent? With a faint smile, Cao Hong turned to Liu Ye, who stood a step behind, and said, “Ziyang, come and pay your respects to my elder brother.”