A New Order Received
Chenliu! I have returned once more!
After my stay in Qiao County, the city had transformed. Its population had swelled, the markets thrummed with fresh vitality, and with the construction of a new eastern outpost underway nearby, merchants and laborers poured in. Economic activity followed as naturally as breathing.
“Munyeol, you rascal!”
“Uncle Wenyang, Uncle Zilian as well.”
“Heh heh heh—look at you. In the short time we haven’t seen each other, you’ve become quite the man.”
“Your frame is bigger than before. Don’t tell me all you did in Qiao County was stuff your face?”
“What are you saying, Uncle? This is all muscle.”
“We’ll see whether it’s muscle or fat on the training grounds later. Come on! Aman has been looking for you desperately.”
The moment I revealed my identity to the gate guards of Chenliu, Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong rushed out to greet me. From there I walked proudly toward the government office where Cao Cao waited.
“Brother Mengde, we have arrived.”
“Aman, see who has come!”
Cao Cao was seated on a cushion, reviewing documents. He looked up.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Munyeol already back?”
“Uncle. Have you been in good health?”
“Hahaha! As for me, nothing has changed. But you’ve grown even more impressive. I like it very much.”
Cao Cao laughed heartily and turned to Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong.
“You two, come to my residence this evening. We’ll roast a few chickens.”
“Aman, I’ll bring the wine myself.”
Since Cao Cao had declared a feast at home tonight, chicken dishes would be prepared in abundance. And with Xiahou Dun personally volunteering to bring the liquor, it was clear we would be drinking and eating until the small hours.
That evening, a grand banquet brought together the Cao and Xiahou clans.
“Great-uncle, I greet you once more after the New Year.”
“Oh ho ho ho! Seeing you again puts my heart at ease, Munyeol.”
Cao Song, along with the matriarchs Lady Ding and Lady Bian, welcomed me warmly.
“Munyeol, is Ang doing well?”
“Yes, Aunt. He has become the finest warrior in Qiao County. He asked me to deliver this to you without fail.”
I presented the target that Cao Ang had proudly shot. Lady Ding examined it with wide eyes before carrying it over to Cao Cao.
“Husband, look at this.”
“Oho! This is impressive. Zisu has inherited my talent for martial pursuits. Hahaha! He could easily command an entire cavalry unit!”
“Then when will you summon him back?”
“Wife, there is no need to rush. No one looks forward to his growth more than I do.”
Lady Ding, ever the doting mother, had wanted to call Cao Ang back to the family estate in Chenliu, but Cao Cao gently dissuaded her, insisting the boy needed more tempering.
“Munyeol, have a cup.”
“Ah, thank you, Uncle Zixiao.”
Cao Ren approached and filled my cup himself.
“So, how is my younger brother?”
“Uncle Zihua proved to be an outstanding teacher. I wish to demonstrate everything I learned from him—horsemanship, spearmanship, and archery.”
“That fellow has always excelled at conscription and training. He is truly indispensable to the army.”
Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, Cao Hong, and Xiahou Yuan—all of them laughed and chatted freely. It felt as though we would drink the entire night away.
Across the room, a young man caught my eye and offered a respectful bow. That was Cao Anmin, the relative who had originally served as Cao Cao’s bodyguard in my place. We had only been passing acquaintances before, but he was one of the cousins I would eventually live and fight alongside.
While the laughter inside never ceased, I slipped out for some fresh air. The music and merriment still echoed behind me. I was already thinking that, to commemorate my return to Chenliu, I would soon visit Huayan.
At that moment Cao Cao suddenly stepped outside.
“Ah, Uncle.”
“Yes, it is me.”
He approached with a booming laugh and straightened my collar with his own hands.
“No matter how much you drink, a man must never appear disheveled. A warrior’s rumpled clothes should only be seen in front of an peerless beauty.”
It was a perfectly Cao Cao sort of remark.
“Uncle, you ordered me to return to Chenliu within thirty days, so I came at once. But what exactly would you have me do from here on—”
“Enough.”
“?”
“Munyeol, have you forgotten? I detest discussing official business at a drinking party.”
As expected, Cao Cao did have a task for me—one of considerable military importance.
“My apologies. Then I shall ask tomorrow morning during office hours.”
“Mm, good, good. Come, let us drink some more.”
Cao Cao threw an arm around my shoulders and led me back inside. That night, Cao Cao and his four great “uncle” generals drank with such ferocity that one of them eventually collapsed unconscious. Xiahou Yuan was the first to fall, while Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun remained standing until the end.
The next day, despite a pounding hangover, I stood before Cao Cao in his office without the slightest dishevelment.
Cao Cao, clad in his signature crimson robe, gazed at me in silence.
“Munyeol.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“From the moment you reached Qiao County, Zihua has done nothing but sing your praises. Your name is gradually becoming known in both Qiao County and Chenliu, is it not?”
“You flatter me.”
“That is why I wish your name to become known in the northern reaches of Yan Province as well.”
“Pardon?”
The north of Yan Province meant Puyang. Zhang Miao currently served as its governor, and it was also where Master Chen Gong—the man who had once given me a folding fan—resided.
“When I spoke of you in Puyang, both my friend Zhang Miao and Chen Gong expressed a desire to meet you. While you are there, greet the prominent clans of Yan Province, converse with them, and then return at your leisure.”
What did this mean? Pay respects to Governor Zhang Miao and advisor Chen Gong in Puyang, speak with the local gentry, and come back?
“Uncle, is there anything else I should do?”
“Mm, simply think of it as taking a vacation in Puyang. Stay for half a month to a full month, then return and tell me everything that occurred.”
Now the shape of the order became clear. Cao Cao wanted me to observe the situation in Puyang and sound out the influential families of Yan Province. When I thought about it, although Puyang belonged to Cao Cao as Inspector of Yan Province, there had been strangely little contact between it and the Cao or Xiahou clans.
After all, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan were all stationed here in Chenliu. Sending me to inspect the region was therefore no small responsibility.
“I understand, Uncle.”
“Munyeol, Puyang is a crossroads. To its northeast lies Jizhou, to its northwest Bingzhou. All sorts of people pass through—merchants, entertainers, ruffians, courtesans, even Xiongnu and Western Region folk from time to time.”
“Though I have only visited once, I remember it as a place overflowing with energy.”
That single visit had been when I rescued Cao Song and his relatives, barely catching my breath before resting there awhile.
“Moreover, with so many merchants and wealthy clans living there, once they learn your identity they will compete to invite you. Do not refuse their hospitality. Enjoy it to the fullest.”
“Hahaha, yes. I shall obey.”
“If they offer you women, mount them like a stallion. If they serve wine, empty entire jars as you did last night. If they give gifts, accept them graciously and distribute them to those around you when you return.”
Cao Cao had essentially ordered me to indulge without restraint.
“However, once you have enjoyed yourself, you must return and report every single thing that happened in Puyang to this uncle of yours—omitting nothing.”
“I will keep it in mind, Uncle.”
“Finally, Puyang has always been a hub for merchants, and high-quality iron from Hebei and the Central Plains flows through it. Purchase several excellent swords and bring them back.”
His words suddenly brought to mind something Huayan had said in Qiao County.
“Young master, right now in the Puyang region many merchants travel back and forth, and the volume of salt and iron transactions has grown considerably.”
That was it—iron. The volume of iron traded in that area was steadily increasing. It seemed Cao Cao already knew this and was deliberately instructing me to buy several blades forged from fine iron.
“It would be even better if, while staying in Puyang, you kept a journal of events and brought it back. You understand what I mean, yes?”
“Uncle, I understand perfectly. Shall I depart today?”
“The sooner the better. Traveling alone would be dull, so take your friend. He should be staying as a guest at Xun You’s residence.”
I knew exactly whom he meant.
“You mean Xu Yuanzhi?”
“That friend of yours has talent in literature as well. If you tell Xun You, he will ask you to purchase several books in Puyang. Travel together.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Having received Cao Cao’s command, I left the office and went to find Xun You. He acted as though he had already heard everything and immediately summoned Xu Shu. Then, with generous traveling funds pressed into our hands, he saw us off with a wave.
“So I am traveling with Brother Yuanzhi once again.”
“I have been nothing but a parasite eating your food until now, yet the Inspector of Yan Province has given even me a mission.”
“I heard you have resumed training in swordsmanship.”
“Mm. Master Gongda said that even while cultivating literary talent, one must not neglect martial talent.”
Well, if he followed Xun You’s advice, Xu Shu would one day become an indispensable civil-military strategist within Cao Cao’s army.
Together with Xu Shu, I set out on the road to Puyang. What events awaited me there, and how the situation would shift once I reported every detail to Cao Cao, I could only discover by experiencing it myself.