After Yuan Shu, Who’s Next?
During the three days of rest following the campaign against Yuan Shu, I received a mountain of gifts.
“What’s this? Tangerines?”
“They’re from Wenzhou. The sender asked me to convey his congratulations on taking a new wife.”
Cai Yan explained that the gift was in honor of my marriage to Yuan Jing as my second wife.
“Who sent them?”
“The eldest son of the former Minister of Works, Lord Yang Dezuo.”
“Yang Dezuo… Yang Xiu?”
I had nearly forgotten. Some time ago, when Cao Cao had declared he would root out Yuan Shu’s remaining sympathizers in the capital and restore discipline to the court, he had rounded up everyone from the anti-Cao faction. At the time, Yang Biao’s son, Yang Xiu, had waited for me in front of the pleasure house and begged me to spare his father. I had given him a little help.
“So Dezuo sent these Wenzhou tangerines.”
I picked out the largest one, peeled it, and took a bite. The burst of sweet and tart flavor was absolutely exquisite.
“Husband, look at this.”
“Wait, isn’t this liquor?”
“It’s called peony wine. It’s traditionally sent as a gift when there is a joyous occasion in the household.”
“And who sent this?”
“Lord Gongda, and these others as well.”
From Yang Xiu to Xun You, from Xiahou Yuan to Dian Wei, everyone had sent congratulatory gifts for bringing Yuan Jing into the household. The presents were as varied as the senders. Dian Wei had sent the pelt of a tiger he had hunted himself. Xiahou Yuan sent a set of signaling whistles used by commanders to lead troops. Xun You sent the peony wine, and Yang Xiu, as mentioned, the tangerines.
I was grateful for the gifts from my relatives and Cao Cao’s retainers, but some of them left me scratching my head.
“Where on earth did they even get these?”
Lingzhi mushrooms, dried abalone, marten furs, and even a set of thirty silver spoons and chopsticks. There was a little bit of everything.
“Hmmm.”
“We’ve acquired quite a fortune in goods.”
“Oh my, what’s this? Tangerines!”
Yuan Jing came scampering over, snatched one of the Wenzhou tangerines, peeled it in a flash, and popped it into her mouth.
“Mmm~”
After our wedding night, she had exchanged formal greetings with the Cao and Xiahou families and heard many warm words about maintaining good relations. As a result, she seemed far more at ease. Of course, she was still a homebody who rarely left her courtyard.
“Up we go. I’d better organize these.”
“Are you taking them to the storehouse?”
“I’m going to share them.”
I gathered up the gifts and headed to Cao Cao’s main residence.
“General!”
“Hah, just step back one square!”
“Aman, since when does the Han Dynasty’s Minister of Works play such sloppy chess?”
“Agh! How many times have I let you off? Retreat!”
“Such a temper… Fine. I just need to take this chariot, right?”
Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun were playing chess in the main hall. I approached them cheerfully.
“Uncle, Uncle. Please have some tangerines.”
“Hm? What’s all this? I was just starting to feel peckish.”
Cao Cao’s favorite foods were chicken stewed with medicinal herbs, dried abalone from the Jiangdong coast, and these very tangerines.
“Whoa~ So many? Aren’t these ridiculously expensive?”
Xiahou Dun peeled one and tried to pocket a few more.
“I’ll give some to Aunt later as well. Feel free to eat as many as you like here.”
“Thank you, my boy.”
“But really, where did they come from?”
“I received them as congratulations for taking a second wife.”
“Oh? So even you, Zayul, have reached the age where you give and receive such gifts?”
Indeed. If it had been from Cao Cao or my cousins, I wouldn’t have thought twice. But some of these were… ambiguous.
“So I brought them over. Good things are meant to be shared, aren’t they? The aunts and my younger siblings outside are already dividing them up.”
Honestly, since we all lived together under Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun, it felt awkward to keep so many gifts sent only to me. That’s why I decided to share them.
“I see. Who sent them?”
“Yang Dezuo, eldest son of the former Minister of Works.”
“Yang Xiu? The one serving as Minister of the Secretariat. Hmm.”
Cao Cao set down his chess piece, picked up another tangerine, and began peeling it.
“Who else? Besides our own people.”
“Marquis of Tianqiu, Lord Dong, and Grand Master of the Palace Zhongshan, Lord Fu.”
“Wait, who? Lord Fu?”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Aman, he means that Lord Fu, right? The Duke’s father-in-law.”
The man they called ‘Lord Fu’ or ‘Duke Fu’ was Fu Wan, father of the current Emperor’s Noble Consort Fu, who would later become Empress Fu.
“That man is quite the character. He held the rank of General Who Protects the State and carried a ceremonial axe, but after marrying his daughter to His Majesty, he returned his seal and stepped down from active duty, saying he did not wish to wield power as a relative of the imperial family.”
That was Fu Wan.
“If not for him, it would have been General of Agile Cavalry Dong Cheng’s daughter who became Empress.”
Dong Cheng, father of Noble Consort Dong, and Fu Wan, father of Noble Consort Fu. Both women were consorts, but neither had yet become Empress. This was due to the current Emperor’s circumstances.
The reigning Emperor, Liu Xie, had ascended the throne in 189 AD and was now nineteen years old. After being held captive in Chang’an, during the restoration of the ruined Luoyang, two consorts had been selected with the understanding that one would be elevated to Empress. That ceremony was planned to coincide with his coming-of-age at twenty.
Of course, in the original history, Noble Consort Dong would meet an ‘unseemly end’ before that, and although Noble Consort Fu would become Empress, she too would meet an ‘unseemly end.’
“Has the Duke of Dong sent you any gifts yet?”
“Not yet.”
“The Duke of Fu sent something, but the Duke of Dong did not… General!”
“Eh?”
Xiahou Dun’s eyes widened before he frantically searched for his next move.
“The position of imperial in-law is truly something. Raise one good daughter and suddenly you have the Son of Heaven as your son-in-law.”
“Aman, why don’t you send your own daughter as a consort? These days, it seems our Jie has grown into quite the fine young lady.”
“Do you know how old she is? She hasn’t even had her fifteenth birthday yet.”
“They say Consort Fu entered the palace at twelve. The Emperor was ten at the time.”
The conversation between Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun while playing chess was astonishing. They spoke of the imperial family, the court, and the imperial relatives as casually as if they were discussing neighborhood gossip. Anyone who overheard would have fainted from shock. Yet their words showed they had a perfect grasp of the situation at court.
“Why don’t you speak to your elder brother about it? He is, after all, the Emperor’s advisor.”
“His health has been poor lately, so he’s gone to the hot springs for recuperation. He says he intends to retire from office soon.”
The Emperor Liu Xie’s coming-of-age ceremony was only a few years away, and a formal Empress would soon be appointed. It was still unclear whether it would be the Dong faction led by Dong Cheng or the Fu faction led by Fu Wan. The fact that Fu Wan had sent me a gift might mean he had sensed something from Cao Cao’s earlier insistence that ‘Yuan Jing is not Yuan Shu’s daughter, but Yuan Shao’s,’ and was trying to curry favor.
“Xiahou Dun.”
“What is it, Aman?”
“That’s enough chess. Let’s go drink.”
“Are you buying?”
“Fine. Tell everyone at the Wei clan’s top establishment to gather. Zayul, you prepare yourself as well.”
It seemed Cao Cao had made up his mind about something. As he stood to change his clothes, I glanced at the chessboard between him and Xiahou Dun.
“Cheeky brat… dodging the checkmate before it even lands…”
Xiahou Dun really was good at chess.
That evening, Wei Hong’s pleasure house closed its doors to the public. Only Cao Cao’s clan members and retainers gathered for a private banquet. In essence, it was Cao Cao’s personal facility for hosting his own faction.
The attendees were an impressive lineup. Military officers included Dian Wei, who had recently taken a new wife, along with Xu Chu, Yue Jin, Li Dian, Li Jin, Man Chong, and Xu Huang. Civil officials included Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, and Jia Xu. Those who could not attend because they were stationed in the provinces—Xiahou Yuan guarding the borders, Cao Chun, Xu Shu, Yu Jin, Zhong Yao, and Li Tong—were also part of the core group holding the frontiers.
“Bottoms up!”
Even within the massive hundred-room pleasure house, the seat closest to Cao Cao was once again turned into a drinking party. When Cao Cao raised his cup, everyone else lifted theirs and drained them in one go. True to his love of the “fill and finish” bowl-drinking style, once the cups were empty he would walk around with a wine jar, chatting with each person.
“I wonder what topic will come up at tonight’s drinking party.”
“At the very least, it probably won’t be a celebration for Zayul taking a concubine.”
“Ah, Master Bonghyo.”
Guo Jia, who appeared like a ghost whenever alcohol was involved, was said to be seen more often at the pleasure house than at court.
“Anyway, congratulations on the marriage. How many more do you plan to add?”
“I haven’t thought about that yet.”
“If there’s a woman you like, just take her into your arms. You can ask our lord for permission later.”
“Let’s drop that subject.”
“No, this is exactly the kind of talk we should be having.”
“What do you…”
Guo Jia emptied his newly filled cup in one gulp and pointed toward Cao Cao at the far end of the room.
“Our lord started from that end and has been making his way up here, cup by cup. What do you think that means?”
“That he’s going around talking to everyone?”
“Correct. So what do you suppose the topic is?”
As Guo Jia said, Cao Cao had begun with Jia Xu near the door, then moved on to Cheng Yu, Cao Ren, Xun You, Cao Hong, Xun Yu, Cao Ang, and was now approaching us. Originally Xiahou Dun had been seated right beside Cao Cao, but he had left saying, ‘I’ll go have a drink with the generals in the other room.’
Looking at the seating arrangement now, it was quite deliberate.
“I thought everyone just sat wherever they liked, but that wasn’t the case.”
“Oh~ As expected of Lord Zayul. Your powers of observation are excellent.”
If seated by age, Jia Xu and Cheng Yu were the oldest and should not have been at the very bottom. If by seniority, Cao Hong should not have been in the middle. And if by family relation, it made no sense for me to be seated above Cao Ang.
“What could this arrangement mean?”
“It’s a process of turning suspicion into certainty while discussing a single topic.”
“?”
By then, Cao Cao had already reached Cao Ang. I could faintly overhear the conversation between father and son as they drank together.
“Father, I will simply follow your orders. I am prepared to step forward anywhere.”
“Good. That is exactly the answer I wanted from you. Have another cup.”
Cao Cao looked at his son with satisfaction and asked,
“But when will you give me a grandson?”
“That is… well…”
“Heh heh heh. War is not only fought outside the house.”
From the outside, they looked like a perfectly harmonious father and son. After finishing with Cao Ang, only Guo Jia and I remained. In this situation… it was that.
“Master Bonghyo.”
“Yesss~”
“Let’s put our tables together.”
“Huh?”
I immediately slid my table right next to Guo Jia’s and sat down beside him. Cao Cao took the seat directly across from us.
“Goodness, what’s this? You two are practically glued together drinking?”
“Uncle, I’ve been learning a great deal from Master Bonghyo lately.”
Cao Cao smiled as he filled our cups and asked us both at once.
“What do you think I’ve been saying while coming up here?”
“You’ve decided on the next target after capturing Shuchun.”
“As expected of Guo Jia. You understand before I even speak. Then let me ask Zayul—who do you think I intend to strike?”
“Is it Lu Bu?”
As expected, sitting together with Guo Jia allowed us to answer in turns, which made the exchange even more effective. Yes. After Yuan Shu, only Lu Bu remained. Of the provinces of Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou, Beiyangzhou, and Yongzhou, Cao Cao already controlled Yanzhou and Yuzhou. Yongzhou and Beiyangzhou were effectively his as well. Only Xuzhou was left. Once he took that, the Central Plains would belong to Cao Cao.
“Correct. I intend to prepare to strike Lu Bu in Xuzhou. That’s what I’ve been asking everyone about.”
“My lord, if I were to oppose it here, would you call off the war?”
“Guo Jia, you’ve always been like that. Even if everyone else agrees, if you disagree, you disagree. And if necessary, you’d grab me by the collar to stop me.”
“Yes. That is my duty.”
Guo Jia was truly capable of doing exactly that. It was no coincidence that Cao Cao would later say, ‘If only Guo Jia were still alive.’ It wasn’t just because of his military or administrative talent. The real reason was that Cao Cao believed Guo Jia was the one man who would grab him by the collar and stop him if he ever strayed toward ruin.
“Zayul, what do you think?”
“I support striking Lu Bu.”
“However, we have no justification.”
“!”
Cao Cao let out a long sigh and explained everything he had asked up to this point.
“The first question I asked Jia Xu at the very end was, ‘Can I open the next battlefield immediately?’ To Cheng Yu, I asked, ‘Should the next war be the pacification of Yongzhou in the west, or Yangzhou in the south?’”
So that’s why Jia Xu and Cheng Yu were seated at the bottom.
“To Cao Ren I asked about the army’s current level of fatigue. When he said it wasn’t bad, I asked Xun You whether we had gathered enough intelligence on Xuzhou. To Cao Hong I sent word to prepare Xiahou Yuan in Yanzhou and Cao Chun in Choxian to move again. With Xun Yu I discussed budget management for consecutive campaigns. To Zisu I asked, ‘If I move against Lu Bu, can you handle it?’”
So that’s what Cao Ang had meant when he said, ‘I will simply follow your orders.’ That was how we had reached this point.
“And now that Guo Jia has already answered that ‘we will strike Lu Bu in Xuzhou,’ it’s your turn, Zayul. You’re the last one.”
Eh? Eh? Originally Cao Cao had intended to ask me whether we should strike Lu Bu, but Guo Jia had answered first. That meant I was left with the final question.
“We must strike Lu Bu and take Xuzhou. However, Lu Bu contributed forces to the campaign against the traitor Yuan Shu and was officially appointed Governor of Xuzhou by the court. We have no justification to attack him out of the blue. Tell me—what justification should we use?”
A justification for starting a war… Why did I always get stuck with the hard questions? And did I really have to answer it right here, on the spot?
For a moment, my mind spun frantically.