The Road to Xuchang
Having reached Wan, we were met by a Wei official who had come out to receive us.
Thanks to the lodging he arranged, we were able to rest far more comfortably than we had while camping along the road.
But before we set out for Xuchang, there was one more matter to attend to.
"Zheng Sui. What do you make of this?"
"Hmm. The price and the quality aren't bad. For a commoner like me, it looks perfectly fine."
"I see."
Having entered Wei territory, Zheng Sui and I left our baggage at the inn, changed into plain clothes, and wandered through what passed for a marketplace. This was no idle outing — we meant to get a rough sense of how things stood inside Wei. We had already secured the Wei official's permission beforehand.
I had framed it as buying Zheng Sui a new pair of shoes to replace his worn ones, and asked if we might visit the nearby market. The official had initially wondered why we needed to leave the inn for something so trivial, but after I pressed him a few more times he hemmed and hawed and finally agreed — on the condition that a civil officer accompany us as a guide.
A guide in name only, of course. In truth he was there to watch us, to make sure we weren't up to anything else. So a young civil officer trailed after us at a leisurely pace. Once he saw that we were genuinely browsing the market stalls, he seemed to relax.
He wasn't wrong. We really did nothing more than wander from stall to stall, looking over goods. So why bring Zheng Sui along? Because he was a civilian, and I figured he would judge prices and quality from a commoner's eye better than I could.
We had already visited several shops, examining clothes, shoes, and foodstuffs, and Zheng Sui reported that both quality and price were decent. Supply seemed steady as well — nothing was hard to find. Wan sat right against Xiangfan, where a fierce war had only recently raged, so the drain on goods should have been severe. And yet the market bustled with life.
One marketplace alone couldn't tell the whole story, but by the look of it, the economy was running well enough.
Wei really is a great power. All that material spent on war, and still…
In the Hanzhong campaign and the fighting at Xiangfan, Wei had suffered heavier losses than we had — in both men and supplies. Yet not much time had passed, and already the damage seemed largely repaired.
Given enough time, Wei's sheer economic strength and population will only make them stronger. We need to watch for the right moment and launch a northern campaign before the gap widens any further.
Jingzhou had its own masters of civil administration — men like Ma Liang and Pan Jun — who had done much to repair the damage of war. But Wei was no less capable. Chen Qun and Zhong Yao, no doubt, were the ones to thank for that.
"Zheng Sui. Let me buy you these. You've been trailing after me all this way — you've earned them."
"Ah— yes, yes! Thank you, General!"
I bought him a pair of shoes, and we continued through the market. Was there anything worth bringing back for Gan Yong and the others in Jingzhou?
We never got the chance to look further. A buzzing, fly-like racket cut through the air and forced us to stop.
"You lowborn wretch! Do you have any idea how precious this is?!"
What was that?
An unpleasant, all-too-familiar voice brought us up short.
"I'm sorry — please, just this once, forgive me…"
"Silence! Pay for it at once, or I'll kill you where you stand!"
"We don't have that kind of money. Please…"
I turned toward the noise. A young woman stood trembling, clutching a small boy to her chest. And the one bellowing at them was none other than the man who had been a thorn in our side until recently — Cao Wei, flanked by several burly servants, menacing the woman and child.
It felt like walking straight into a scene from some third-rate play, but I had no time to dwell on it. I ran toward the commotion at once.
"Hold on — stop right there!"
I stepped between them and demanded an explanation.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Cao Wei took one look at my face and scowled.
"This is none of your concern. Be on your way!"
"You are threatening people in the open street. How am I supposed to walk past that? What happened here?"
The sun had not yet set, and yet he reeked of liquor, his eyes slightly unfocused. As I pieced the story together, it seemed the little boy had accidentally bumped into him while he was carrying a coral tree. Looking closer, I could see a faint chip on one corner of the coral. That damned coral tree again…
Even so — threatening people like this? And that was a piece he had obtained by fraud in the first place.
In front of me he had at least pretended to behave. The moment he let go of the reins, this was what he became. No wonder he would end up executed later.
"Unless you mean to pay for it yourself, stay out of this and leave!"
"You would do well to turn around and go home. If word gets out how you came by that coral — or if this turns into a larger scene — you are the one who will suffer for it."
Cao Wei flinched, but he did not back down.
"I received this by legitimate means. I have nothing to fear!"
"Last warning. Walk away."
"You are the one causing trouble in our Wei lands! Stand aside!"
At Cao Wei's signal the servants surged forward to seize the woman and child by force. I grabbed the two in front by the collars.
"Ghk— ghk—!"
Unable to match my strength, both men were shoved stumbling backward. The remaining servants charged in a fury. I released the first two, slipped the incoming fist with a slight turn, hooked a leg, and sent one man sprawling; the next I caught by the arm and slammed to the ground.
Zheng Sui tangled with two more in a rolling scuffle, while the Wei civil officer behind us stood frozen, at a complete loss for what to do.
"Cease this at once! What is this disturbance?!"
From the far end of the street a mounted general and a troop of soldiers came thundering toward us. The local peacekeeping officer, perhaps?
Finding he could not overpower me, Cao Wei scurried over to the newcomer.
"G-General! That man is from Shu — he assaulted the people of Wei! They are ruffians! Seize them and punish them!"
Cao Wei pointed at me and shouted. No doubt he assumed that since the general was a Wei officer, he would take his side.
I let out a sigh. We had not even reached our destination, and already one pointless incident after another.
"We are not ruffians. We are an envoy party from Shu, come to offer condolences for His late Majesty. And the ones who started this disturbance are over there."
"Very well. Everyone, calm yourselves."
The officer answered evenly and dismounted. Looking closer, I saw he wore ornate armor — a higher-ranking official than I had first thought.
He bowed with formal courtesy.
"So you are the party from Shu. Forgive the discourtesy. I had heard that a mourning delegation from Shu would be arriving. You must be General Jin Cheong. Do you remember me?"
"Pardon?"
Only then did I look carefully at his face. It was a face I knew well.
"Ah — Cao Zhang… my lord."
"Yes. It is I. The first time we have met since the last negotiations."
"Indeed. I did not expect to see you here."
Of all places to run into him again. I had thought, if anywhere, it would be in Xuchang.
"I am here on the orders of my elder brother, His Majesty the King of Wei, to receive your mourning party."
"I see… You have gone to some trouble on our account."
Cao Pi truly was a spiteful one. Sending Cao Zhang of all people — the very man we had fought to the death against in Hanzhong. He had taken an arrow from me and been thrown from his horse; I had assumed he could hold no goodwill toward me. And yet, against expectation, he treated us with courtesy and kindness.
The brief lull in the uproar flared again at Cao Wei's insistence.
"Th-that man struck us first! He must be punished…"
"Did you not threaten civilians first?"
"I had every right to be angry! You were not going to pay for the damage!"
"And that gives you leave to terrorize a woman and a child?!"
Still refusing to come to his senses, Cao Wei peeked out from behind Cao Zhang and kept trying to blacken my name. Of all the roads to Xuchang — I had not expected it to be this rough.
"Enough. That is enough."
Just as I was about to answer again, Cao Zhang stepped between us and cut the argument short. He turned to me.
"You have come a long way, only to be drawn into this absurdity the moment you arrive. I am truly sorry. Still, I must ascertain what took place here, and I ask for your cooperation."
"Of course."
"Ahem… Very well…"
"I am Cao Zhang, General of the Yue Cavalry of Wei and Marquis of Yanling. From this moment I will take control of the situation. I will tolerate no further disturbance."
And so Cao Zhang, appearing without warning, stepped forward to put the chaos to rest.