Chapter Ninety-Six: Returning to Xiangyi, Watching the Winds and Clouds Rise

After Cao Cao summoned Qiao Fa, he dismissed Cao Hong and the others, leaving only Liu Ye in the hall. Once Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan took their leave, they returned to their respective lodgings to continue practicing the newly developed “Grass-Cutting Spear Technique.” Whenever the mood struck him, Cao Hong would also peruse the “Book of Formations” by Bai Qi, a gift from Gu Yong.

Days passed one after another. The Sima family of Wen County remained indifferent to Cao Cao’s army; the allied forces at Suanzao made no move forward, while the three fortified camps housing Cao’s troops maintained a steady regimen of drilling soldiers, procuring provisions and ironware. It seemed as though, after more than two months, the fervor for crusading against Dong Zhuo had begun to subside.

Few knew that within the Cao army’s fortress, a man named Qiao Fa had quietly departed. All attention now rested on news from Sun Jian. It was already widely known that Sun Jian had routed Hu Zhen and Lü Bu’s forces at Yangren. Everyone awaited his defeat of Dong Zhuo and his advance on Luoyang.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao had completed the division of his forces, this time making some adjustments. Apart from the four thousand elite guards under his direct command, a Tiger and Leopard Cavalry of a thousand men was established, along with five companies of a thousand men each. The remaining fifteen thousand served as laborers, handling logistics and transport.

The four thousand soldiers of the personal guard were directly supervised by Cao Cao. From this group, a thousand formed the palace guard: five hundred led by Dian Wei, five hundred by Liao Hua, with two newly appointed deputy commanders—Zao Zhi and Li Qian—recent arrivals.

As for the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, Cao Chun naturally took command. The five companies of a thousand were led by Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and Yue Jin. Wei Zi and Cao Cao's new brother-in-law, Ren Jun, were appointed as left and right supervisors of the civilian camp, commanding fifteen thousand laborers and overseeing logistics.

Shi Huan remained Cao Ren’s deputy; Pan Zhang and Shi A served as Cao Hong’s deputies. The five thousand seasoned troops brought by Yue Jin and Cao Hong were dispersed throughout the ranks. Since the formation of a ten-thousand-strong regular army meant many soldiers were originally laborers, veteran leadership was essential for training. Thus, they were distributed as officers to guide the new recruits.

Equipment was less of an issue. Cao Hong had brought ten thousand ordinary spears, ensuring each soldier was armed. Armor was being produced in the fortresses, and the three thousand thirty-forged ring-hilted swords supplied by Cao Hong were allocated to officers of squad leader rank and above; the remainder would be distributed in due course.

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry was now the army’s most elite force, each armed with a horse lance, a hand crossbow, ten bolts, and a hundred-forged ring-hilted sword. However, there was not yet enough iron for proper armor or horse gear. With the plan to depart Wen County for Xiangyi soon, they had to make do with easily produced scale armor for the time being.

Among Cao Hong’s thousand men, about a hundred were veterans—meaning each squad of ten had one seasoned soldier. Cao Hong tasked these veterans with leading and training the recruits, delegating supervision to Pan Zhang. Shi A, meanwhile, was assigned a different task by Cao Hong.

This assignment baffled Shi A. He was instructed to covertly observe the thousand troops and note anyone who bullied others, was overly domineering, or greedy and lecherous—recording every name, ensuring at least two hundred such individuals were listed.

When Shi A questioned, “Sir, with only these three types of men, I fear I won’t find two hundred. Discipline in the army is strict; not everyone dares act that way.”

Cao Hong replied, “Just find those who seem lacking in humanity.”

Shi A immediately understood and set about his task.

Another ten days passed before news arrived from Sun Jian. On the surface, it was good news: near the late emperor’s mausoleum outside Luoyang, Sun Jian had fought Dong Zhuo’s forces for a day and night, defeating them and forcing Dong Zhuo west to garrison at Shengchi. Sun Jian entered the city through Xuanyang Gate and opened all gates of Luoyang, inviting the eastern allied armies to enter.

Upon receiving this news, Cao Cao ordered everyone to pack up. The cavalry set out for Chenliu and Xiangyi. The Sima family of Wen County remained unmoved; Cao Cao, unwilling to humble himself, merely sent a letter of thanks and departed. At that time, the Sima family surely still looked down on Cao Cao’s humble origins.

The group marched grandly south along the Yellow River, purposely bypassing Suanzao, and returned to the Wei family’s territory at Xiangyi. Wei Zi’s son, Wei Zhen, came out to greet them and provided wine, meat, and women to reward the troops. For the first time in a while, a sense of stability returned to the Cao army—felt by both officers and men.

Once settled in Xiangyi, Cao Cao immediately requisitioned all the Wei family’s smithies to produce armor for the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and dispatched Wei Zi with gold to purchase all manner of military supplies. In addition to provisions and raw materials for weapons, medicines for disease prevention were also procured.

Cao Cao also had Xiahou Yuan select five hundred strong men from Xiangyi and train them in archery, as the army still possessed five hundred fine bows, sufficient to form an archery unit.

Meanwhile, as expected, the allied forces who entered Luoyang soon fell into infighting, just as Liu Ye had predicted. The conflict stemmed from a dispute between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu—Yuan Shao sought to enthrone a new ruler, Yuan Shu refused, and in protest recalled Sun Jian. Not to be outdone, Yuan Shao appointed Zhou Ang as Inspector of Yuzhou and sent him to drive Sun Jian out, bringing the feud into open warfare. Sun Jian and Zhou Ang clashed at Yangcheng, with Sun Jian achieving a decisive victory and Zhou Ang retreating in defeat.

Soon after, the Black Mountain bandits—Bai Rao, Yu Du, and Sui Gu—descended from the mountains, ravaging Wei Commandery in Jizhou, then crossing the river into Dong Commandery, looting and slaughtering as they went. The chaos spread as bandits from Yanzhou and Jizhou rose up, attacking cities, seizing wealth and women. Only the most powerful local clans and officials managed to protect themselves; elsewhere, devastation reigned.

The members of the eastern alliance, previously content to watch Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu’s feud in Luoyang, now lost all desire to stay and hurried back to their own territories to fend off the bandits. Seeing the alliance disintegrate, the remaining forces in Jizhou and Yanzhou withdrew, leaving Luoyang behind.

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu also ceased hostilities for the moment—the former marched north to confront the bandits, the latter returned to Runan to bide his time while encroaching on Yuzhou. Both sent letters seeking allies among the various factions.

At the same time, news spread that the Emperor had arrived safely in Chang’an. The new era was officially named Chu Ping Year One, though Cao Hong still habitually called it the year 190.

In May, as wildflowers bloomed, two letters arrived for Cao Cao in Xiangyi—one from Yuan Shu, one from Yuan Shao. Both now lay on the desk in the study, where Cao Cao, Liu Ye, and Cao Hong stood together...