Sili Commandery, Jingzhao Yin.
Chang’an City — General of Chariots and Cavalry’s Residence.
The grand hall was filled with the fragrance of wine.
Li Jue, Cao Cao, and the other generals all wore slightly flushed expressions as they drank, watching the graceful song and dance performance in the center of the hall.
“General Li.”
Taking a sip of wine, Cao Cao smiled.
“How do you find the power of the new trebuchet I designed?”
Over the past several days, under Cao Cao’s guidance and with the cooperation of skilled craftsmen, an improved trebuchet—far superior to the previous models—had been completed.
These days, life in Chang’an suited him perfectly.
He had become like a fish in water, keeping the Xiliang generals thoroughly pleased.
“It surpasses the old trebuchets a hundredfold!”
Li Jue praised him without reservation.
“With such siege engines, the Xiliang Army will conquer every fortress and win every battle.”
“Mengde, you truly are my lucky star!”
“You flatter me, General.”
Cao Cao smiled modestly.
“They say a fine steed should be given to a true hero.”
“A siege weapon of this caliber can only realize its full potential in your hands.”
“Placed in the hands of anyone else, it would merely be a pearl cast into the dust.”
“May I ask whether you have any plans to march out and suppress the rebels?”
“I, Cao Cao, am willing to serve under your command.”
Though his expression remained calm, Cao Cao secretly watched Li Jue’s reaction.
“Ah… Mengde, your loyalty is appreciated.”
Li Jue took another drink and sighed, shaking his head.
“If only it were that simple.”
“It’s not that I’m unwilling to serve the imperial court.”
“It’s that I simply cannot.”
“I’m afraid that the moment I leave Chang’an, I’ll never be able to return. My retreat will already have been cut off.”
“Enough.”
“Why ruin today’s mood with such matters?”
“We’re celebrating tonight.”
“I won’t leave this banquet until my worthy brother Mengde and I are both thoroughly drunk.”
As time passed, the relationship between him and Guo Si had become increasingly delicate.
The trust between them had fractured beyond repair.
“It was my mistake to bring it up.”
“I deserve punishment.”
Cao Cao raised his wine cup with complete sincerity.
“I’ve only just arrived in Chang’an.”
“The only reason I’ve been able to establish myself here is thanks to your patronage, General.”
“Whatever command you give, I shall carry it out without hesitation.”
“Hahaha!”
Li Jue also raised his cup and laughed heartily.
“Hearing you say that brings me great comfort, Mengde.”
………….
Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Works residence…
Inside a waterside pavilion, Jia Xu was playing a game of Go with his eldest son, Jia Mu, while his second son, Jia Ji, watched from the side.
“Father.”
After placing a stone, Jia Mu looked at Jia Xu.
“May I ask… where does our path lie?”
As the saying goes, like father, like son.
Both of Jia Xu’s sons had inherited much of their father’s insight and were deeply worried about the situation in Chang’an.
Although they both knew that Cao Cao had almost certainly come with ulterior motives, there was little they could do.
Chang’an itself had already become an enormous, hopeless mess.
All they sought was survival.
“Mu’er.”
Jia Xu took a sip of tea before calmly placing another stone on the board.
“The path lies beneath your own feet.”
Originally, he had intended to flee.
But his elderly mother was advanced in years, and he dared not put her through such hardship.
Fortunately, he still enjoyed considerable prestige at court.
Even men like Li Jue and Guo Si were willing to show him a measure of respect.
So he had decided to wait and observe.
Jia Xu had complete confidence in himself.
As long as he remained in Chang’an, Cao Cao wouldn’t be able to stir up much trouble.
And if Cao Cao truly pushed him too far…
He could always kill him.
The fate of the imperial court…
The peace of the common people…
None of it meant a damn thing to Jia Wenhe.
All he wanted was to stay alive.
“Father.”
Jia Mu nodded slowly before continuing, “Do you mean… the situation at court is still under control?”
“Don’t worry.”
“It’s under control.”
Jia Xu remained as composed as ever.
“A few ripples on the surface are nothing worth concerning ourselves with.”
“The Son of Heaven is nothing more than a puppet.”
Jia Mu continued, “The ministers fight for power while ignoring the people’s livelihood.”
“Chang’an is no place to remain for long.”
“You should begin making preparations sooner rather than later.”
The Xiliang Army produced nothing of its own.
Yet it numbered more than 150,000 men, in addition to tens of thousands of cavalry.
Its daily consumption was like a bottomless pit.
Even with the grain stockpiles that Dong Zhuo had accumulated, they would eventually be exhausted.
And when that day came, the sky over Chang’an would collapse.
Li Jue, Guo Si, and the others would ultimately degenerate into nothing more than bandit warlords, surviving by looting and pillaging.
Jia Mu could already foresee that future.
“Rest easy.”
Jia Xu glanced at his son and replied calmly, “As long as you’re following your father, do you really think I’ll let you go hungry?”
……
Yan Province, Dongping Kingdom.
Wuyan City, on the banks of the Wen River.
On the southern side of the camp, a great banner embroidered with a bowl of rice emblem and bearing the words “Camp Crusher” fluttered in the wind.
“My lord.”
Gao Shun’s face was as dark as thunder as he looked at Lü Bu.
“Though your martial skill is exceptional, when drilling alongside your comrades, you should devote yourself wholeheartedly to training.”
“Why are your movements so limp and half-hearted?”
Gao Shun showed his lord not the slightest bit of courtesy.
“Bo Ping…”
“Impudence!”
Gao Shun cut him off with a sharp rebuke.
“This is a military camp!”
“How can you address me based on our personal relationship?”
“You should call me Company Commander.”
“If it happens again, your training will be doubled!”
“Then may I ask, Company Commander Gao…”
Startled by the outburst, Lü Bu retorted indignantly, “If this is a military camp, then why are you calling me ‘my lord’?”
“Are you trying to put me in a position of disloyalty?”
“I can’t bring myself to call you ‘Fengxian.'”
Gao Shun answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“From now on, you call me Company Commander.”
“I’ll call you my lord.”
“The two of us can simply serve the General together.”
“Fine, fine. You’ve really got some nerve—”
“Impudence!”
Gao Shun barked again.
“Today’s training is doubled.”
“You don’t eat until you’ve finished.”
Having said that, he fixed Lü Bu with an unwavering stare.
“…”
Lü Bu instantly went numb.
He wanted to argue back but didn’t quite dare.
After all, Gao Shun was famous for being stubborn to the core.
“Double it, then!”
In the end, all Lü Bu could do was put on a brave face.
“I can tell you’re still dissatisfied.”
Gao Shun replied coldly.
“Very well.”
“Tomorrow, your training will be doubled again.”
“…”
This time, not only did Lü Bu fall silent—even the soldiers who had just joined the Camp Crusher Camp stood there dumbfounded.
None of them had expected that the man placed in charge of organizing the camp would establish his authority by making an example of his own lord.
Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the two shared some deep blood feud.
The tactic worked, however.
At the very least, every one of the recruits had developed a healthy fear and respect for Gao Shun.
By now, Lü Bu was on the verge of tears.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why he had ended up under Gao Shun’s command.
Not only was Gao Shun refusing to give him any special treatment, he even seemed determined to make things harder for him.
“This subordinate accepts the order.”
Grinding his teeth, Lü Bu lowered his head and cupped his fists toward Gao Shun.
…………
That night, the central drill ground of the Qihuo Army.
“Zhongde.”
After finishing the lesson, Zhang Jing did not dismiss the gathering.
Instead, he turned to Cheng Yu and instructed, “Have them bring over everything we’ve prepared.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Cheng Yu bowed respectfully and carried out the order.
“Tonight…”
Zhang Jing looked at the crowd with a smile.
“I’m going to teach you how to make a dish.”
“I’ll make sure every one of you learns it.”
“My hope is that, afterward, you’ll teach many more people how to prepare it.”
“Huh?!”
The five hundred law enforcers looked at one another, their faces filled with curiosity and anticipation.
None of them had expected their lord to teach them cooking as well.
Before long…
Two large sacks and an enormous iron cauldron were carried over.
Once the fire was lit and the oil began to heat, the contents of the sacks were finally revealed before everyone’s eyes.
— The end of the Chapter–
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