The Growing Mountain of Misfortune and Rage
The morning commute to the office was no different from any other day. Then, the steward of the Minister of Works office came running in a panic, leaving Cao Cao visibly bewildered.
“Minister! Minister!”
“What is all this commotion about?”
“A great number of boxes have just arrived at the Minister of Works office. They are tightly sealed and came from Hebei.”
“What? Hebei… Could Yuan Benchu have sent them to me?”
Yuan Shao had sent gifts to the Minister of Works office? I had no idea what they contained, but everyone agreed we should go see for ourselves.
Inside the main office of the Minister of Works, there were indeed dozens of boxes labeled as gifts from Yuan Shao. Each one was a treasure chest carved from ebony, adorned with antique decorations and coated in luxurious lacquer.
“Good heavens, what is all this? What could Yuan Benchu possibly be sending me in such quantity at a time like this?”
“My lord, whatever the contents may be, the sheer number of boxes makes it difficult to dismiss this as mere courtesy,” Xun Yu observed.
As he said, the number was excessive. If these had been delivered to Cao Cao’s private residence, I might have simply thought he was sending a mountain of gold and jewels. But to send them openly to the imperial administrative office?
“Zayul, open one.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
I took out a small pocket knife, broke the wax seal, and lifted the lid. What lay inside was… rolls of fine silk, along with various gold and jeweled ornaments.
“Hmm?”
“What is it?”
While Cao Cao sat at his desk observing and the other retainers watched in a row, I stood in the center and opened the boxes one by one, removing their contents.
“This is silk brocade. And these are gemstones.”
“Sending such things to the Minister of Works office?”
Everyone was puzzled by Yuan Shao’s intentions. As I reached deeper into the box, a strange smell rose from the jewels. I dug further—and then came a sickening, soft squelch.
“U-Uncle…”
“Zayul, what is it? Did you find something unpleasant in there?”
“There is… something truly strange inside.”
“Take it out. Now!”
I steeled myself, grabbed the revolting object, and lifted it. What emerged was a human head, buried among the gold and jewels. A severed head.
“Wh-What?!”
Even Cao Cao staggered back in shock at the sight of the human head tumbling from the pile of gems. I, who had been holding it, was momentarily stunned as well. What kind of madman pulls a prank like this?
“No! This… this is—!”
Xun Yu rushed over, seized the severed head from my hands, and examined it closely. His face gradually turned deathly pale. He quickly brought the head before Cao Cao.
“Minister, there is no doubt! This is the head of Gongsun Zan, former General of the Left and Inspector of Youzhou!”
“Gongsun Zan? Then Yuan Benchu has finally destroyed Gongsun Zan’s forces?”
“If so, then all these other boxes…”
The retainers began murmuring among themselves. Cao Hong, Dian Wei, and Xu Chu rose to their feet.
“Elder Brother, allow me to check the rest.”
“I will help. Wrapping an enemy general’s severed head like some kind of gift… Isn’t the Yuan clan of Hebei completely insane?”
Following Cao Hong, Dian Wei grumbled as he pried open another box. Inside was the head of a woman with her eyes closed in death.
“Minister, this appears to be Gongsun Zan’s wife.”
“It must be Lady Hou, Gongsun Zan’s principal wife.”
“There are many more here! These look like his concubines… and this is the head of his son, Gongsun Su.”
Yuan Shao had severed the heads of Gongsun Zan’s entire family and sent them all. Each box had been lavishly decorated with silk and treasure, then delivered openly to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao’s expression twisted with a mixture of shock and burning rage.
“Uncle, there is a letter here.”
It was a bloodstained bamboo slip found inside the box containing Gongsun Zan’s head. At Cao Cao’s gesture, I read it aloud.
The Grand General of Hebei speaks thus:
To the Minister of Works, who toils day and night for the reconstruction of the capital, I humbly present this month’s taxes.
In addition, I have attached proof of my campaign against the traitor of Youzhou. I request that you report this to the Son of Heaven so that His Majesty may recognize the Grand General’s merits.
The contents were so absurd that the words nearly stuck in my throat. Xun Yu quickly addressed the still-dumbfounded Cao Cao.
“My lord, this means Yuan Shao has completely pacified Hebei. It has been quite some time since the great clans of Qingzhou and the Black Mountain bandits of Bingzhou stopped sending tribute to the court, has it not?”
“Ugh… So Yuan Benchu has finally swallowed all of Hebei!”
Even in this situation, Xun Yu calmly laid out the path Cao Cao’s forces must take.
“My lord, for now, present these heads to His Majesty and report that the former General of the Left, Gongsun Zan, has been executed as a traitor. Allocate these goods toward the reconstruction of the capital. The court will surely be shaken by this news. We must demonstrate clearly that the court remains unshaken.”
“Y-Yes! Let us proceed to the imperial audience at once! Gather all the heads!”
“Understood, Minister!”
Everyone quickly collected the heads of Gongsun Zan’s family, sorted through the treasures, and hurried toward the imperial palace.
“Your Majesty! The Grand General of Hebei, Yuan Shao, has destroyed the forces of Gongsun Zan, former General of the Left and Inspector of Youzhou, and has sent his severed head to the court!”
“S-Such a thing!”
“Your Majesty, although Gongsun Zan once contributed to the campaigns against the northern barbarians and the coalition against Dong Zhuo, he later committed tyrannical atrocities in his own province and murdered Liu Yu, a member of the imperial Han clan and Your Majesty’s own imperial uncle! Therefore, you must issue a formal edict regarding the pacification of Youzhou.”
Cao Cao had no choice but to step forward and act exactly as Yuan Shao had dictated. No matter how one looked at it, now that Yuan Shao had completely pacified Hebei, even if Cao Cao held Xuzhou, Yanzhou, northern Yangzhou, Yuzhou, and Yongzhou, the scale of Yuan Shao’s army and resources far surpassed his own.
Moreover, it had not been long since Sun Ce had done the exact same thing—presenting the head of Yu Xun and sending the tribute from Yangzhou under the pretext of eliminating “remnants of rebels disrespectful to the court.”
In the end, following Sun Ce’s example, Yuan Shao had arbitrarily executed a troublesome warlord and offered a massive amount of tax revenue in exchange for the court’s recognition. The Emperor had no power to refuse.
From Cao Cao’s perspective, he naturally wanted to destroy Yuan Shao, who had provoked such widespread aggression. However, the campaign against Yuan Shu’s remnants was not yet over, and he would need at least another year to build up sufficient strength for a proper confrontation.
But the real problem came afterward.
“Minister, I have failed you.”
“Zixiao! What in the world happened to you? And those wounds—what of Xuande? Where is Liu Bei?!”
Only a portion of the soldiers who had gone to suppress Yuan Shu’s remnants had returned. Cao Ren had been struck by countless arrows, and Zhou Ling had barely managed to bring back the surviving troops.
The moment they arrived, all the Cao clan members immediately carried Cao Ren to Cao Cao’s residence.
“Bring every physician in Xuchang at once! If necessary, summon even the imperial physicians!”
“F-First, we must treat the wounds!”
The military doctors hurriedly heated their surgical blades, removed Cao Ren’s armor, and prepared for surgery.
“Ugh… kgh!”
“Zixiao, you must endure this.”
“Of course, Brother Mengde. This is nothing compared to the battles of the past…”
“Brother Mengde, among my retainers are several skilled physicians. I will bring them immediately.”
“Yes, Zilian! Hurry and fetch the best doctors!”
As Cao Hong rushed out, Cao Cao, burning with rage, grabbed Zhou Ling by the collar and dragged him outside. Not knowing what might happen, I followed in a hurry.
“Speak truthfully! Where is Liu Bei, and how did Zixiao end up in this state?!”
“Minister, I will report everything I witnessed.”
Even in this situation, Zhou Ling remained calm as he explained what had occurred.
“Yuan Shu attempted to break through the siege of Shuchun together with his nephew Yuan Yun and flee to Qingzhou. The Left General and the Palace Attendant pursued them to the end and finally captured him.”
“Then why is Zixiao in such a condition?!”
“The Left General took command of thirty thousand troops, eradicated all of Yuan Shu’s remaining forces in Xuzhou, captured Yuan Shu, and forced him to commit suicide. However, they were ambushed there.”
“An ambush? Who was responsible? Speak clearly!”
Cao Cao growled as if ready to draw his sword and behead Zhou Ling at any moment. Zhou Ling spilled out the entire truth.
“It was a faction from Xuzhou. They appeared to be remnants of Lu Bu’s forces from Mount Tai. Their leader was named Chang Xi. He led several thousand troops in a surprise attack. The Palace Attendant was wounded while blocking their assault.”
“And Liu Bei? What was Liu Bei doing there?!”
“The Left General immediately led his troops in pursuit of Chang Xi’s forces that had ambushed us. He said that since the remnants of Lu Bu and various minor factions in Xuzhou were still rebelling against the court, he would remain in Xiaopei to eliminate them all before returning. He also left this letter.”
“You fool! Even so, how could you simply return without him? If you had reported from Xiaopei, I would have led an army myself to suppress those remnants! Why did that not occur to you?!”
Cao Cao was truly furious and continued to berate Zhou Ling, but the man continued answering steadily.
“The Palace Attendant’s injuries were too severe to be treated in Chuxian or Xiaopei. After emergency first aid, we urgently escorted him to Xuchang. Furthermore, upon hearing the news, General Xiahou in Chuxian summoned his deputies Wang Zhong and Liu Dai and declared he would handle the situation himself by raising troops.”
“Grr… Grrrrrr!!!”
Cao Cao clenched both fists so tightly they trembled as he roared in extreme fury. Zhou Ling knelt and pulled something from his robes, offering it to Cao Cao.
“Minister, the Left General has recovered the Imperial Jade Seal that was in the hands of the traitor Yuan Shu. Of the thirty thousand troops he led, eighteen thousand—including the wounded—have returned to Xuchang. He stated that with the remaining ten thousand, he could sufficiently suppress the rebellion in Xuzhou and would return afterward.”
Wow… What a move.
Liu Bei had truly used his head brilliantly. If he had simply returned, Cao Cao would have grown suspicious. But by claiming they had been attacked by remnants of the Xuzhou warlords at just the right moment, he had sent back the wounded Cao Ren, the injured soldiers, and the recovered Imperial Jade Seal under the perfect pretext. Leaving only ten thousand troops was both the minimum number needed to suppress a rebellion and a safety measure—had he brought everyone back, the enraged Cao Cao would have immediately pursued him.
Liu Bei had acted with far more cunning and impeccable timing than in the original historical records. After swearing loyalty to the Han imperial family following his appointment as Left General, he had now secured both the “great cause” of recovering the Imperial Jade Seal and suppressing traitors, as well as the “justification” of sending the wounded back to Cao Cao’s army.
A short while later, the physicians who served as Cao Hong’s retainers arrived in a rush. They entered and began treating Cao Ren. The sound of Cao Ren’s screams mixed with the sound of arrows being extracted. Soon, one of the doctors emerged hurriedly.
“Minister!”
“How is he?”
“The wounds are deep and he has lost a great deal of blood, but we have sewn the torn flesh and stopped the bleeding with medicine. From here, his recovery will depend on the Palace Attendant’s will.”
“Can you save him?”
“If he avoids cold winds for three days, keeps the wounds clean, and prevents infection, he should make a full recovery. Also, these are…”
The arrows that had been inside Cao Ren’s body. If they had tried to remove them on the spot, he would have died from excessive bleeding. The fact that they had transported him over several days with the arrows still inside meant, fortunately, that they were not poisoned.
However, the shape of the arrows was rather strange. While one might say all arrows look alike, the arrowheads had a distinct form, and they gleamed even when covered in blood.
“Huh?”
I grabbed one of the arrows and quickly wiped it with my sleeve to examine the head.
“This is…”
“Zayul, what is it?”
“Uncle, please excuse me for a moment.”
“Zayul!”
I rushed home with the arrow in hand. Lu Ming happened to be in the garden, practicing swordsmanship alone with the blade I had given her.
“My lady! Ming!”
“?!”
“Give me that sword right now!”
“???”
Lu Ming looked puzzled but handed over the sword when I shouted. I took it and compared it directly with the arrowhead.
“Ha… hahaha…”
“Zayul! What in the world are you doing, boy?”
Cao Cao, who had followed late, approached. I ran to him and showed him the two items.
“Uncle, please look at this. This sword is the Gojing Sword from the Hebei mountains that I obtained in Lujiang. The forging technique on this arrowhead is identical.”
“Wh-What?!”
Cao Hong, who had followed, hurriedly compared the Gojing Sword with the arrowhead.
“This… is definitely forged in the style of the Hebei region.”
“You’re saying the ones who shot Zixiao and rebelled were using weapons from the Hebei mountains?”
“Elder Brother, it is certain. These arrows were made using the forging methods of the Gojing region in Hebei!”
The statement carried a great many implications.
“Ugh… Uuuuugh!”
Cao Cao’s rage flared once more. He gripped the Imperial Jade Seal tightly, his hands shaking. His expression seemed to say, “What is this worthless lump of jade?!” No one could stop the fury that filled him. He clutched the seal and—
Crack!
“Eh?!”
Bang— Bang! Crack!
In his rage, he slammed the Imperial Jade Seal repeatedly against the wall of the house. Lu Ming’s mouth fell open before she glared at him. I quickly restrained her and ushered her inside. The others were equally stunned to see Cao Cao smashing the Emperor’s Imperial Jade Seal in anger.
“Elder Brother, what are you—!”
“My lord!”
“Haa… Haa… Uuuugh!”
No one could restrain the utterly enraged Cao Cao. When I belatedly rushed over to try to calm him, he looked at the Imperial Jade Seal, now partially shattered from being slammed against the wall, and hurled it at me.
“…Zayul.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Originally, the Imperial Jade Seal of Han was made from the He Shi Bi. When the traitor Wang Mang tried to seize it, the furious Empress Xiaoyuan threw it and chipped the corner.”
“!!!”
“Yet this seal looks far too pristine, doesn’t it? Go and have the broken part repaired with gold.”
Though he had vented his rage by smashing the seal, Cao Cao had cooled his head and issued the order. I accepted the command, holding the Imperial Jade Seal with its missing corner.
And from that moment on, an uneasy, murderous aura began to linger within the once-warm Cao residence.