Nothing Happened in Hudu!
Nothing happened in Hudu! Today was a historic day. It was the day when the esteemed elder Cao Song would receive the staff of authority and conduct a ceremony praising the Emperor outside the city gates. From early morning, the entire Cao clan had been bustling about, and I too prepared by donning my official robes with care.
“Husband, please return safely.”
“Mm.”
Cai Yan wore an unusually solemn expression today, while the other wives all offered their greetings in unified silence. After receiving their well-wishes, I quietly stepped outside to join the waiting family members, and together we set off.
“Jushu, make sure to attend to your grandfather well today. Aren’t you the Taibu Sheng?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Zayul, there’s no need for you to head straight to court from here. Go directly to the Gate Colonel’s office. We’ll begin at the eastern gate, so open them the moment the procession completes its circuit and arrives.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“From what I saw earlier, Zixiao has recovered considerably. It’s a shame that fellow couldn’t join us.”
“Brother, Zixiao does possess a remarkably sturdy constitution. When he first arrived wounded, my heart truly sank.”
“Zilian, keep a close eye on the horses today. I’ll hold the reins, so support me well from the side.”
“Have no doubt.”
“Wenruo, Gongda, Zhongde. While I’m away, clear the backlog at the Minister of Works’ office. And instruct our friend Dezuo properly.”
“Understood, my lord.”
After Cao Cao had given instructions down to the smallest detail, he departed with Dian Wei and Xu Chu—the two colonels—flanking him as they escorted my father, Cao Song. When each man moved to his assigned duties, they all carried an air of complete composure. Those who needed to know already knew. And because something monumental was about to unfold today, I had to move as well.
With my position as Gate Colonel, I headed for the eastern gate. A large number of soldiers were already waiting at the Colonel’s office.
“You’ve arrived, sir?”
“Officer Zhang, why are there so many unfamiliar faces here?”
“Well, the thing is…”
Officer Zhang glanced around before stepping close and whispering.
“Today the Huben Army has been deployed instead of the regular Gate Army.”
“Hmm?”
Instead of the Gate Army that guarded Hudu’s twelve gates, the Huben Army—personal protectors of the Son of Heaven—had been spread throughout the positions. It looked suspicious at a glance, yet one could hardly object to the Emperor’s own imperial guard taking up station. Only now did I truly understand the situation. The Huben Army had been placed at every gate, while the soldiers under Cao Cao’s command had vanished. This was unmistakably a palace coup.
When I entered with that knowledge, the Huben troops immediately closed in around me.
“Gate Colonel, by order of the General of Chariots and Cavalry. From this moment, you occupy a position overseeing a national ceremony. Disarm and observe in comfort.”
“Disarm, you say?”
“You only carry a single sword and aren’t even wearing armor, correct? Simply return your blade, as everyone at court must do.”
Huben Zhonglangjiang Chong Ji. This man had recently held the post of Colonel of Chariots and Horses before his promotion. He also carried several grudges against the Cao clan. The first stemmed from when I brought Yuan Jing back after capturing Shuchun; he had publicly shouted that I had “brought the traitor Yuan Shu’s daughter,” only for Cao Cao to correct him with “Yuan Shao’s daughter” and crush the accusation. The second was that, perhaps because of that incident, the Chong family had been thoroughly investigated and shaken down during the recent purge of fifty clans. It made perfect sense that he would bear ill will toward the Cao clan and side with the Emperor.
Now I understood.
“Have some tea and observe at your leisure.”
Suddenly Chong Ji presented me with a steaming cup of hot tea. First disarmament, now tea…
“I’ll drink it later.”
“What kind of answer is that? How can you refuse tea that has just been brought?”
His open suspicion left me no choice. I opened my mouth wide and pointed inside.
“This person recently burned the inside of his mouth severely while drinking hot liquor. The physician instructed me to consume only cold things for the time being, so I must beg your understanding.”
“Hmm.”
There had to be a reason they were so insistent. I refrained from further provocation and calmly watched the procession for the staff ceremony. Cao Song boarded the carriage while Cao Cao and Cao Hong took the driver’s positions, and the group began moving slowly.
“Seeing my grand-uncle receive the staff and offer greetings like this fills me with joy as a member of the family.”
“…”
Beginning with the greeting at the eastern gate, the slow tour of all twelve gates commenced. The Huben soldiers frequently studied me, but I deliberately avoided eye contact. I simply waited in relaxed fashion and asked Chong Ji,
“May I inquire of the Huben Zhonglangjiang—how much time is required to complete the circuit of all twelve gates?”
“It is not a simple tour. We must pay respects at each gate, and the carriage proceeds at a slow, deliberate pace. It will take considerable time.”
“I see.”
I nodded and waited, yet their vigilance toward me remained severe. Still, I had no intention of resisting and simply continued to wait. An oppressively heavy silence settled, broken only occasionally by the sound of drums and trumpets announcing that Cao Song had reached another gate. Since I made no move, Chong Ji likewise remained motionless, quietly watching only me.
At the very least, it seemed the Emperor had ordered them not to harm me but simply to keep me contained. It didn’t matter. If they were using me as the representative to snare those inside the city who might respond to Cao Cao’s forces, then employing me as bait meant many things were already in motion.
After quite some time had passed in this manner, a sudden commotion erupted outside.
“What is happening?”
“Gate Colonel, remain in this place. I will go out and investigate.”
“No, how can that be acceptable? I am the Gate Colonel responsible for guarding the capital’s twelve gates. I must assess the situation myself.”
“This person is the Huben Zhonglangjiang tasked with commanding His Majesty’s Huben Army. Even in assessing the situation, I must be the one to observe first.”
“Very well~ as you wish.”
I sat back down as Chong Ji hurried outside. Soon afterward, a hazy cloud of dust became visible beyond the window. A cavalry force—at least three thousand strong—was galloping toward Hudu at full speed. They all wore armor of the Han, and a banner bearing the character Zhang fluttered above them. Zhang Xiu’s army, having set out from Wancheng, had come to escort Cao Song and Cao Cao’s party.
“Y-you bastards! What is the meaning of this?”
“Attack! We must stop them!”
The noise outside grew chaotic. The clash of spears and swords rang out, followed by screams.
“What in the world is happening out there…”
Shing—
“Gate Colonel, you will stay here, yes?”
“You people. Do you truly believe that capturing me alone at this moment will end everything?”
Two guards now stood before me without any pretense, swords leveled at my face. But at that exact moment, allies burst through the door. Soldiers covered in blood, having finished suppressing the outside, immediately cut down the two men and approached me.
“Gate Colonel, are you unharmed?”
“Who would it be but the Magistrate of Xuchang coming personally to rescue me?”
Man Chong had raised troops himself and rushed here after learning I had been detained.
“This person remained in Hudu to maintain public order. I came the moment I received news of the disturbance.”
The General of Chariots and Cavalry’s office and the Huben Army could not leave the city while guarding the Son of Heaven. In the same way, Man Chong’s forces, responsible for maintaining order inside Hudu, were not permitted to depart either. Yet he had summoned his subordinates right here and organized them swiftly.
“Here are the Gate Colonel’s weapons.”
When Man Chong returned the sword I had surrendered, I immediately mounted a horse and raced home. I had hoped against hope that it would not be the case, but if such a thing had occurred, I did not know how I might lose control.
When I arrived at the residence in great haste, what I feared was exactly what I found. Huben troops blocked my path—hundreds of them, every one an elite gathered solely for protecting the Emperor since the escape from Chang’an.
“It’s Cao Xiu! Cao Xiu is here! Capture him!”
“Ha, damn them.”
The instant I drew my sword, prepared to fight alone…
Waaaaah— Waaaaah— Waaaaah— Waaaaaaaaah—
War cries erupted from every direction as a massive force surrounded the Huben Army. Wang Zifu, the General of Chariots and Cavalry commanding the Huben troops, looked visibly shaken at being encircled by more than double his numbers.
“So these are the traitors who blocked His Majesty’s eyes and ears and arbitrarily raised troops? Arrest them all! Execute every man who resists!”
Xun You, unusually clad in armor and gripping a sword, pointed it at Wang Zifu and shouted.
“Y-you bastard! Who are you calling traitors? The real traitors are you Cao dogs and everyone who follows you!”
“To whoever captures Wang Zifu, I shall bestow five hundred taels of gold on the spot! Everyone, attack!”
As Xun You shouted with sword raised, I too lifted my blade and fought the Huben soldiers directly. These were men who had once fought alongside us from the escape at Chang’an all the way to Luoyang. Now they resisted with such desperate ferocity that it nearly cracked one’s spirit.
“Wang Zifu!!”
“!?”
I knocked aside his sword as he raised it against me, hooked his leg, and sent him sprawling.
“Keuk!”
I followed by striking the back of his head with my scabbard, knocking him unconscious. In the midst of that chaotic melee, Xun You came running. I handed Wang Zifu over to him.
“I’ll pass on the five hundred taels.”
I mounted my horse once more and galloped toward home. In the distance, ominous signs of battle already marked Cao Cao’s residence.
“Zayul, is that you?”
“Uncle Zixiao!”
Cao Ren, who should have been lying in bed, had donned armor, taken up a spear, and was guarding the entrance to Cao Cao’s home. Around him stood elite soldiers—the very limbs of the Yilang I had spoken of—along with hundreds of men wearing black tiger-patterned uniforms. The leader of that black-uniformed group, face hidden behind a dark mask, shook the blood from his sword and approached me.
“Truly… I did not come all the way from Lujiang to Hudu just to witness this sight.”
“Ha, haha…”
The swordsman who removed his mask was none other than Liu Ye. The hundreds of warriors under his command were the very comrades who had held back the Jiangdong army when I offered rewards for my journey to Hudu.
“Zayul, the house is secure. Go open all the gates. Aren’t you the Gate Colonel?”
“Is everything truly fine? Let me confirm…”
Cao Ren placed a hand on my shoulder and nodded.
“My fifty subordinates, along with Zihuan and Zidan, fought splendidly. There is truly nothing to worry about. This uncle will guard the house well, so hurry and open the gates to welcome the family.”
With Cao Ren speaking so firmly, I had no choice but to move. Liu Ye and his black-uniformed warriors accompanied me.
“A Gate Colonel cannot travel alone. I shall escort you.”
“Thank you, Ziyang.”
With the black-uniformed warriors marching boldly through Hudu and me riding at their head, the citizens murmured but quickly retreated indoors and barred their gates. When we reached the northern gate, the numerous Huben troops had already been torn apart by the combined forces of Xun You and Liu Ye.
“The Gate Colonel has arrived. Open the gate.”
“But right now inside the city…”
“I will not repeat myself. Open it.”
“…Understood.”
The moment the officer guarding the northern gate opened the doors, Cao Song’s carriage appeared, with Cao Cao and Cao Hong waving to me from beside it. Following them came three thousand troops of Zhang Xiu’s army from Wancheng, marching proudly into the capital, along with two thousand finely trained iron cavalry that had arrived at some point, following General Xiahou Yuan. The instant five thousand cavalry entered Hudu, the situation was over.
“A rebellion carried out inside the capital by one of the Three Dukes and the General of Chariots and Cavalry…”
“Ziyang, I’m not certain this is something that should be spoken of at the level of a General of Chariots and Cavalry.”
“That is a matter to be decided inside the capital. I simply cannot fathom the reason behind it.”
“Where under heaven is there a war without reason? As you said, you will hear the proper explanation from within.”
I too took up my sword and followed Cao Cao’s party. Meanwhile, Cao Song made a circuit of the imperial palace grounds, ordering every gate opened, and was able to lean upon the cane the Emperor had bestowed upon him. And Cao Cao, leading his army, entered the imperial palace with bold, unhesitating steps.