“It’s too late now.” Cao Cao shook his head.
“Yuan Shu and Zhang Yuheng are in league with each other. Xu Province has too few troops, and even if Gongsun Zan sends soldiers, he won’t commit wholeheartedly. Zhang Yang previously dispatched forces into Yan Province and suffered heavy losses as well.”
“Liu Biao is nothing more than a watchdog guarding his city.”
“Nor can we place any hopes on Liu Yan.”
“Among all the warlords under Heaven, only Brother Benchu has the strength to contend with Yan Province.”
“However, Yan Province enjoys the advantage of defending favorable terrain. With Brother Benchu’s strength alone, even if victory is achieved, it would be a pyrrhic one. And when Gongsun Zan and Zhang Yan strike afterward, what then will Brother Benchu do?”
Cao Cao himself was preparing to flee.
Why would he possibly attack Yan Province?
First, he had no confidence of success; second, there was no benefit in it.
As for Yuan Shao conquering Yan Province by himself— In Cao Cao’s eyes, that was pure fantasy.
Yuan Shu had already provided an example.
Tens of thousands of troops had failed to breach cities defended by only a few thousand men.
Even Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun had previously suffered major setbacks while attacking Yan Province’s fortified cities.
“Then are we supposed to do nothing?”
Yuan Shao was beginning to realize just how troublesome the Qihuo Army was.
Being troublesome alone would have been bad enough.
The real problem was that they were his neighbors.
That made things particularly irritating.
“Brother Benchu.” After a moment of thought, Cao Cao asked:
“What do you think of Lu Bu?”
“Lu Bu?” A look of disdain appeared on Yuan Shao’s face.
“Brave he certainly is, but in the end he is a fickle, faithless man—a mere brute with courage but no wisdom.”
“At present he serves under me.”
“The provisions for his army are supplied by me as well, yet the fellow still allows his troops to plunder the countryside, causing the common people to curse his name and local officials endless misery.”
“Now that the campaign in Ji Province has ended.. Such a petty man cannot be kept any longer.” Yuan Shao had run out of patience with the Marquis of Wen.
His arrogance alone would have been tolerable.
But he was constantly stirring up trouble, acting as though Ji Province belonged to him.
“Brother.” Cao Cao shook his head.
“If you handle the matter that way, would it not give others grounds for criticism?”
“In my humble opinion…”
“General Fenwei should be appointed Inspector of Yan Province.”
By now, Cao Cao had thoroughly figured out Lu Bu’s standing in Yuan Shao’s mind.
Send the wolf-like Marquis of Wen into Yan Province.
Even if he could not restrain Zhang Yuheng, he would at least make both Yuan Shu and Zhang Yuheng miserable.
“Hahaha! As expected of you, worthy brother!” Yuan Shao was overjoyed.
“This proposal of yours benefits me in more ways than one. Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!”
If he were to recommend Lu Bu as Inspector of Yan Province— Not only would he gain a reputation for generosity, but Lu Bu would willingly leave Ji Province and even feel grateful to him.
At the same time, his foolish younger brother would get a taste of how cruel the world could be.
“Brother, I have one more matter to discuss.” Seeing Yuan Shao in high spirits, Cao Cao spoke up.
“After spending several days with Lord Binqing, I have already decided to travel to Chang’an and protect His Majesty.”
“What?!” Yuan Shao’s expression changed dramatically.
“You must not! How can you be so unwise?”
“Do you not know what kind of place Chang’an is?”
“It is a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den.”
“Though Dong Zhuo is dead, his remnants still number over a hundred thousand. You once stood among the coalition lords and made enemies of the Liangzhou army. How could Guo Si and Li Jue possibly tolerate your presence?”
“Listen to your elder brother.”
“The waters of Chang’an run deep. I’m afraid they’re beyond your ability to navigate.”
“One careless mistake, and your life will be in danger.” Yuan Shao genuinely valued Cao Cao.
The man possessed both civil and military talent, knew how to conduct himself, and always spoke in a pleasing manner.
Unlike the foolish younger brother in his own family.
Whenever that idiot faced him, he would bring up the insult of being “born of a servant woman,” making Yuan Shao grind his teeth in fury.
“Brother, my mind is made up.” Cao Cao bowed respectfully, his expression firm.
“I hope you will grant your approval. Once I have established myself in Chang’an, you and I can work together—one governing affairs within, the other handling matters without—and together restore the Han. Would that not be a glorious thing?”
“You… you…” Yuan Shao had not expected his younger brother to be so stubborn.
Moreover, Cao Cao had framed the matter in such righteous and noble terms that Yuan Shao found himself at a loss for words.
Finally, he sighed. “Very well, very well. Go, then.”
“But your family must remain in Ji Province.”
“If something should happen one day, your elder brother can at least preserve your bloodline.”
To Yuan Shao, going to Chang’an was extraordinarily foolish, reckless, and dangerous.
How much better it was to command troops in the Central Plains.
Free and unconstrained.
One could even entertain thoughts of establishing an independent power—though such thoughts could remain nothing more than fantasies.
Even so, it was a hundred times preferable to entering Chang’an.
“Thank you, Brother, for granting your approval.” Relief washed over Cao Cao.
Rising to his feet with a smile, he said:
“As for my family—even if you had not mentioned it, I would have shamelessly entrusted them to your care.”
“You…” Yuan Shao patted Cao Cao on the shoulder.
“You have always been this stubborn.”
“I do not know when exactly you intend to enter the capital, though I assume you already have your plans.”
“Remember to be cautious. Above all else, preserve your life.”
“Rest assured, Brother. I understand.”
Cao Cao looked at Yuan Shao, and for a moment it felt as though time had returned to their youth.
Back then, neither of them was particularly valued within their own families, yet they had shared the same ambitions and spirit.
Before long, they had become close friends.
Yuan Shu had been part of that circle as well.
However, as they grew older and Yuan Shu came to understand more about the world, he gradually distanced himself from the two of them.
The friendship between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, on the other hand, endured.
After the coalition against Dong Zhuo, when Yuan Shao’s foundations were still unstable, he wanted to secure a foothold for Cao Cao.
To that end, he had even sent his own family members into the custody of Liu Dai, the Inspector of Yan Province, all so that Cao Cao could take control of Dong Commandery and Liu Dai would be willing to smooth the way for him.
Thinking back on all those events, Cao Cao felt a complicated bitterness in his heart.
Yet he knew full well that the two of them would ultimately drift farther and farther apart.
That very day, a memorial drafted by Zhao Qi was sent to Chang’an under the escort of an imperial envoy.
The year was 193 AD, historically known as the fourth year of the Chuping era.
……………..
April 7th, during the Chen hour (approximately 7–9 a.m.).
Yan Province, the Kingdom of Dongping.
At this moment, south of Wuyan City, although the area had already been placed under military lockdown, countless commoners had still gathered there.
Most were family members of fallen heroes, while the rest were villagers from the surrounding countryside.
Clatter…
The sound of marching footsteps approached from afar.
Soon afterward, two ranks of soldiers came into view.
Their armor gleamed brightly, sabers hung at their waists, and long spears were held firmly in their hands.
Their formation was orderly and disciplined, their military bearing imposing.
When the people saw them, not only were they unafraid, they were filled with pride.
For they all knew that these soldiers came from the Qihuo Army.
They were sons of ordinary commoner families.
The stronger these young men became, the more secure the people felt.
“It’s the Lord!”
“The Lord has arrived—!”
“We pay our respects to the Lord!”
“We—”
As Zhang Jing arrived together with the civil and military officials, cheers erupted from the crowd.
Many among them recognized him.
Zhang Jing’s expression remained solemn.
He did not respond to the cheers of the people.
Instead, he stopped before a towering and magnificent memorial archway.
At the center of the archway’s upper section, three large characters had been engraved in bold, powerful strokes:
Hall of Heroes.
“Attendant Wang.” Zhang Jing stared at the archway with a serious expression and said:
“Allow the people to enter.”
With those words, Zhang Jing was the first to step through the archway.
— The end of the Chapter–
TL note : Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 50 chapters of the release :
https://www.patreon.com/DeCakraWnloverz
