Done Crying? Then Get to Work
[Emperor Xian = Mi-na / Anyi near Luoyang]
Our dear father-in-law's march on Luoyang ran aground before it could even get off the ground.
Yang Feng and Li Le had dug their heels in and fiercely opposed the campaign. Whether those White Wave Bandits were surprisingly formidable or Zhang Yang simply lacked the stomach for an internal brawl, the old man ultimately backed down.
I had chimed in with a few encouraging words of my own, reasoning that the living conditions in Luoyang had to be better than this squalid hole, but it didn't do a shred of good.
I'm supposed to be the emperor, you know...
Then again, what good was an imperial title? The only troops I could actually order around were the hundred-odd Tiger Rapids Guards who had stuck with me since our flight from Chang'an. Even those Spartan daredevils who screamed about their abs had numbered three hundred, if memory served.
Forced once more to confront my utter powerlessness, I decided to focus on what I actually could do: researching my transmigration perks. Until Grand Ancestor, Martial Emperor Lord Mengde arrived to rescue me, there really wasn't anything else to do while sitting idly in my room.
For that reason, despite my initial skepticism, I had conducted countless practical tests and accumulated quite a respectable database by now.
To begin with, the knowledge I could summon was strictly limited to Three Kingdoms materials I had encountered at least once in my previous life. Had it granted access to literally everything I'd ever laid eyes on, "Luoyang Was Actually the Capital of an Alien Civilization in the Late Han" might have shifted from internet conspiracy theory into a full-blown historical documentary, which was a bit of a shame.
Was I not afraid of altering history? Well, being scared of historical divergence didn't mean I was willing to live without air conditioning. Even Master Willis Carrier would sympathize with my plight.
Still, the fact that I could retrieve information I had merely skimmed in passing was genuinely astounding. There were entries buried so deep in my memory that I had completely forgotten I'd ever read them.
Naturally, there were catches. Digging up those obscure, faintly remembered scraps required long, uninterrupted stretches of intense concentration. Conversely, materials I had frequently referenced or held at the front of my mind during my webtoon days popped up in a snap.
And there was one more quirk: this ability wasn't automated. It only kicked into gear after I actively focused my mind on the target subject, even if only for a brief moment.
I didn't view that as a drawback, though. Since I had no intention of going out of my way to warp the timeline, I had zero need for real-time notifications pinging me around the clock.
Wait, is this even a transmigration perk? Did my brain just unlock its hidden potential in response to the greatest existential crisis of my life?
Hmm. I was half-joking, but it sounded shockingly plausible. After all, not once since waking up in this world had a status window popped into view or an ethereal system voice spoken to me. Sure, I heard what sounded like a whirring computer fan whenever I searched for info, but that could easily be a psychosomatic audio cue conjured up by my modern subconscious.
Perk or awakened brainpower, the bottom line remained unchanged: this mental archive was the only card in my hand. If I wanted to upgrade my standard of living, I had to use the knowledge harvested from it to pull off some clever scheming.
So, whenever I had a spare moment, I poured my energy into querying Mina Wiki and piecing together the timeline. Truth be told, in an ancient era devoid of entertainment, having something—anything—to read was genuinely fun.
3rd Year of Chuping (192 AD):
When the remnants of the Yellow Turbans launched a massive invasion of Yanzhou, Inspector Liu Dai engaged them rashly and was killed in action. Chen Gong subsequently recommended Cao Cao as his successor, a nomination fiercely championed by Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei. Uniting the surviving forces of Yanzhou beneath his banner, Cao Cao crushed the Yellow Turbans. Recognizing his conquest, Yuan Shao acknowledged Cao Cao as the Governor of Yanzhou, granting him de facto rule over the province.
Once Yanzhou was stabilized, Cao Cao sent for his father, Cao Song, and the rest of his clan residing in Langya, Xuzhou. While en route, however, they were intercepted and slaughtered by Zhang Kai, a subordinate officer under Governor Tao Qian of Xuzhou.
4th Year of Chuping (193 AD):
Consumed by wrath, Cao Cao invaded Xuzhou under the pretext of avenging his father, capturing over a dozen cities. Pushing forward to the Si River, his forces slaughtered tens of thousands of civilians, heaping corpses so high that the river ceased to flow. Tao Qian marched out to meet him at Pengcheng, but suffered a catastrophic defeat that cost him tens of thousands of men, forcing him to barricade himself behind city walls and mount a purely defensive stand. Cao Cao devastated Xuzhou until the following spring, when a shortage of provisions forced a temporary withdrawal.
By the summer of that year, Cao Cao launched a second campaign into Xuzhou, seizing five more cities and routing the combined armies of Liu Bei and Cao Bao. The slaughter resumed unabated, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.
Yet while Cao Cao was consumed by his conquest of Xuzhou, a disaffected Chen Gong conspired with Zhang Miao, the Administrator of Chenliu, and invited Lü Bu to launch a rebellion across Yanzhou. The uprising swept through the province, placing nearly all of Yanzhou into rebel hands; only the desperate heroics of Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, and Xiahou Dun managed to preserve three loyal counties.
Cao Cao rushed his army back from Xuzhou, only to suffer defeat against Lü Bu in the ensuing clash. A grinding stalemate followed, compounded by devastating locust swarms that triggered severe famine. Pushed to the brink, Cao Cao came within inches of offering his family as hostages to Yuan Shao and submitting as a vassal. Guided by the stern counsel of Cheng Yu, however, Cao Cao weathered the crisis, rallied his troops, and dealt Lü Bu a decisive defeat.
Following this rout, Lü Bu and Chen Gong fled to seek shelter under Liu Bei, who had assumed control of Xuzhou after Tao Qian's death. Zhang Miao departed to solicit reinforcements from Yuan Shu, only to be murdered on the road by his own subordinates. Meanwhile, Zhang Miao's younger brother, Zhang Chao, holed up inside Yongqiu Castle to await his sibling's return, enduring a brutal siege that lasted three months.
[Cao Cao = Mengde / Yongqiu Castle, Yanzhou]
"The gates are breached!"
After three agonizing months of stubborn resistance, Yongqiu Castle was finally falling.
"Hunt down Zhang Chao!"
Frenzied soldiers tore through alleys and courtyards, determined to capture the enemy ringleader and bring a definitive close to the bloodshed.
"Shall we head inside, then?"
With resistance dwindling and a perimeter firmly secured, Cao Cao led his personal guard into the citadel.
"Aaargh!"
"Mercy! Spare us!"
Everywhere he looked, soldiers were cutting down the broken garrison or dragging weeping captives into the streets. To an outsider, it was an unvarnished scene of butcher's work. To Cao Cao, however, it brought an overwhelming sense of relief—the exhausting, maddening rebellion that had bled Yanzhou dry was finally over.
He rode slowly through the courtyards, letting the satisfaction of victory wash over him, when a breathless messenger sprinted forward to deliver an urgent report.
"We have located Zhang Chao, My Lord!"
"Is he alive?"
"He took his own life."
"Tsk. Is that so...? Lead the way."
He could have simply waited for his men to present the severed head, but Cao Cao chose to inspect the remains in person. When he arrived at the chamber where Zhang Chao had died, however, the soldiers had already severed the head from the neck.
"Menggao... how did it come to this...?"
Cao Cao stared at the bloody trophy for a quiet moment before waving a dismissive hand, gesturing for them to clear it from his sight. The soldiers quickly carried away the head along with the mangled torso.
"All of you, step outside. Leave me."
At his command, the bodyguards withdrew to a respectful distance, posting a perimeter around the courtyard.
He isn't here either.
Xun Yu's report had stated that Zhang Miao was slain by his own men while attempting to flee toward Yuan Shu, and it seemed those words had proven true. To think that after everything, not even a corpse remained to be buried.
Cao Cao's gaze drifted into empty air, clouded with bitter melancholy. Then, without warning...
"Hic... sob..."
He began to weep.
"Urrrgh... Mengzhuo, you fool of a friend..."
Paying no heed to the bewildered soldiers stationed beyond the doorway, Cao Cao's quiet sniffling escalated into full-blown wailing. His chest heaved violently with each racking sob, his ample bosom trembling beneath his robes.
"Huuu-uuugh... Who is left in this world whom Mengde can trust to look after his own family...? Who?!"
In truth, Zhang Miao had been a dear companion to both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao since their youthful days in the capital. Indeed, just before embarking on his uncertain, high-stakes campaign against Tao Qian, Cao Cao had instructed his own household that if misfortune befell him on the battlefield, they should seek refuge with Zhang Miao.
"Sob... waaah... Why did you make such a blunder? Why?!"
Of course, Cao Cao knew the answer all too well. Yuan Shao had personally pressured him to put Zhang Miao to death.
A string of political disputes had fractured the relationship between Yuan Shao and Zhang Miao. Petty and vindictive, Yuan Shao had demanded Zhang Miao's head, but Cao Cao had flatly refused to comply. That act of defiance had deepened the bond between Cao Cao and Zhang Miao—yet it had also planted a seed of lingering dread.
Back then, Cao Cao simply lacked the military weight to stand against Yuan Shao on equal terms.
In the end, it all comes down to raw power.
Had Cao Cao possessed the strength to defy Yuan Shao openly, would Zhang Miao have placed more faith in him? There was no way to know now, but Cao Cao had already made up his mind: sooner or later, he would challenge Yuan Shao for supremacy under heaven.
And to achieve that, I must secure the Son of Heaven at all costs.
Guiding the imperial court was an immense political gamble fraught with peril, but it was also the single trump card capable of instantly overturning the sheer disparity in strength between himself and Yuan Shao.
"My Lord."
"Ah, Zhongde. What is it?"
"The families of Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao have all been rounded up."
"Have they? Good work."
"How would you have us proceed, My Lord? Shall we show them leniency?"
Having perhaps overheard his lord's loud lamentations, Cheng Yu probed carefully to gauge Cao Cao's intentions.
"Exterminate the three clans down to the last root, of course. What else would we do?"
In the blink of an eye, the warlord delivered his decree in a voice so frigid and merciless that it was impossible to imagine he had shed a single tear for Zhang Miao only moments before.
"Spare no one. Not even the infants."
"Understood, My Lord."
Receiving the order, Cheng Yu didn't display the faintest trace of surprise or bewilderment. There was no room for hesitation, no thought of wondering what was wrong with his master.
Yanzhou was still surrounded by wolves on every flank.
Mercy was a luxury they could not afford.
[Reference Illustration]
This is Cao Cao.
I reiterate: in this world, this person is a 'man.'