Another Big Mission
Even though I still had the gift I meant to give Cheng Yu, Cao Cao’s summons threw everything into chaos once more.
Still, I supported the ailing Xi Zhicai as we hurried toward the government office where Cao Cao waited.
“Ah, you’ve all arrived? Come, come this way.”
Cheng Yu happened to be stepping outside just then, so I called out to him at once.
“Zhongde, sir.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but I gave small gifts to everyone back in Yan Province…”
I handed him the brush I had prepared. It was made from marten hair—an exceptionally fine piece.
“Hmm… so this is what Wenruo was talking about earlier. A fine gift indeed. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Right, then. Let’s go in.”
Cheng Yu slipped the brush into his robe, took my hand with a warm grip, and personally led me before Cao Cao.
“Ah, everyone’s here?”
Cao Cao waved us in with a broad smile. This time a cushion had been prepared for me—positioned right beside him.
“Good, looks like everyone who needs to be here has arrived. Shall we begin?”
Cao Cao clapped his hands twice. The doors opened, and Wei Hong entered carrying an armful of bamboo slips.
She set the bundle down neatly, offered Cao Cao a respectful bow, then lowered her head.
“My lord, for what reason have you summoned the head of the Wei Merchant Group?”
“Judging by the fact that Manager Wei is here, I assume some unusual intelligence has arrived?”
When both Xun You and Cheng Yu spoke up, Cao Cao gave a firm nod and ordered Wei Hong.
“Distribute the bamboo slips to everyone and have them read the contents.”
“At once, my lord.”
Wei Hong personally handed a slip to each of us. I unfurled mine and began to read. The information inside was fascinating.
“M-my lord!”
“Is this true?”
The other strategists cried out in astonishment. Cao Cao, who already knew the details, simply nodded.
“The situation in Chang’an is far worse than we imagined.”
By now I could describe the state of affairs outside Yan Province with my eyes closed.
“His Majesty is suffering terribly at the hands of those traitors.”
The bamboo slips concerned the state of Chang’an. After Dong Zhuo’s death, his former subordinates Li Jue and Guo Si had risen in revolt, taken the Emperor hostage, slaughtered the loyal officials, and driven Lu Bu out of the capital. That much was common knowledge.
Since then, Li Jue and Guo Si had been squabbling over power while using the Emperor as their puppet. Li Jue styled himself Grand Marshal, Guo Si called himself Grand General, and together they lorded over Chang’an and the surrounding Guanzhong region.
We had put down the rebellion in Puyang faster than expected. That meant our next moves should have been either conquering Xu Province—where the ailing Tao Qian would soon draw his last breath—or securing Luoyang and Chang’an to “support the Emperor.”
Either path had been within reach. And this was clearly an opportunity to do the latter.
“The information reached us through the Yan Province merchant network, so I reported it to you at once, my lord.”
“Correct. It was Wei Hong who brought this to me, which is why I called you all here.”
Cao Cao waved one of the bamboo slips as he spoke.
“According to the spies embedded in the Guanzhong merchant guilds, His Majesty is enduring immense suffering because of Li Jue and Guo Si’s tyranny. General Dong Cheng has begun secretly gathering brave men for a righteous uprising… Hmm.”
I already knew the story, but to the others it was shocking news. I decided to sit back and observe for now. There was no need to speak first; Cao Cao would ask for my opinion at the end.
“My lord, if the Wei Merchant Group obtained this information from merchants in Guanzhong, then…”
“Exactly. It means every major merchant coalition and intelligence network operating under the provincial governors will soon learn of this as well.”
That was true. From what I’d heard, a merchant named Zhang Jian was rising rapidly in Yuan Shu’s Huainan territory and now dominated trade across the Jiangdong and Huainan regions. In Hebei, the merchant houses of Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang—famous for backing Liu Bei’s army—were active. Though come to think of it, Zhang Shiping would be quite old by now. Probably Su Shuang’s network, then.
In Jing Province I hadn’t heard any particularly famous names, but since it was the richest region in the south, they would certainly have received the same intelligence.
“Hmm. Chang’an is in crisis, and they’re gathering brave men… There are two possibilities. Munyeol.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
He was asking me directly?
“What do you think it means that they are recruiting warriors in Chang’an?”
This one I could answer immediately.
“May I speak my mind freely, Uncle?”
“Of course. Speak without reservation.”
Xun Yu, Xun You, Xi Zhicai, Cheng Yu, and Wei Hong were all watching me. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I pretended to think for a moment before replying carefully.
“In my opinion, one possibility is that General Dong Cheng intends to gather these warriors separately from Li Jue and Guo Si’s armies, then assassinate the two traitors during a banquet or similar gathering. Much like when you, Uncle, tried to kill the traitor Dong Zhuo in the name of righteous justice.”
I deliberately added the last part to flatter him.
“Hehehe, and the other possibility?”
“Since Li Jue and Guo Si have seized Chang’an while calling themselves Grand Marshal and Grand General, General Dong Cheng may be gathering troops to help the Emperor escape. He would need outside forces to make it work.”
“Did you all hear that? My nephew has spoken. What are your thoughts?”
“My lord, I believe Young Master Munyeol’s analysis is correct. You already had the same thoughts and simply wished to confirm them with us, did you not?”
Xun Yu’s smooth words made Cao Cao laugh even more heartily as he nodded.
“Hahaha! Exactly!”
“My lord, I believe we will need to send a spy to assess the situation in Chang’an.”
At Cheng Yu’s suggestion, Cao Cao nodded again. Xun You chimed in as well.
“We should choose a commander with sharp eyes who is not yet widely known. If someone like us went, Li Jue and Guo Si’s men would recognize them instantly.”
“True. You would have been my first choice, You, if not for that problem.”
“The agent must also possess the martial skill to escape alone if discovered.”
“Indeed. And we need someone intelligent enough to maintain organic communication with Yan Province while carrying out all these tasks.”
It seemed they were looking for someone with the perfect qualities of a spy.
“Cough… cough…”
“Zhicai, are you all right?”
“My lord… why do you speak as if the perfect man for this mission is not standing right beside you?”
The person standing beside Cao Cao… was me.
“You want to send Munyeol to Chang’an?”
“My lord, is there anyone else here who fits the description?”
“Haha, when even you put it that way, Zhicai, I have no rebuttal.”
Cao Cao turned to me.
“Well then, will you go?”
“If my uncle commands it, I will go anywhere.”
“Hahaha! I really do like this boy’s straightforward spirit.”
Cao Cao kept laughing as he threw an arm around my shoulders and whispered.
“Chang’an is a long journey. Go to my stable and pick any horse that catches your eye.”
“Really?”
“My nephew is heading out on a major mission. Of course I must give him the best mount. Aren’t you the thousand-li horse of our Cao family?”
Cao Cao had just given me permission to take any horse I wanted from his stable. In truth, I would have loved to try riding Di Lü or the Shadow Runner, but since I was going in as a spy, a more ordinary horse would be wiser.
More important than the horse was gathering detailed intelligence on the Chang’an region for the infiltration.
“Young Master Munyeol, please examine the documents I will leave on the desk in the administrative office tomorrow morning.”
From the way Xi Zhicai spoke, it seemed he would compile the relevant materials for me. Xun Yu simply smiled silently, wishing me luck. Xun You laughed loudly and assured me I would succeed. Cheng Yu rummaged in his robe and handed me several silver rings.
“Take these.”
“Rings? And silver ones at that…”
“Nothing beats these when infiltrating as a spy. Slip one to the wives or concubines of the gate guards or captains and nine out of ten times you’ll pass without trouble.”
“But why do you carry them, sir…”
“…I’ve made occasional use of them myself.”
I had just given Cheng Yu an expensive brush, and now he had returned the favor. After thanking him, I headed home when Cao Cao told me to rest early.
“Young Master, welcome ba—”
The steward greeted me, but loud voices were echoing from the inner courtyard.
“Why are you being so stubborn? What exactly is wrong with the girl I introduced this time?”
“I’m sorry, Mother. I truly have no thoughts of marriage right now.”
“You’ll be twenty-two soon! Your father had already fathered you at that age!”
So that was why it was so noisy—Lady Ding and Cao Ang were arguing again. Ever since Cao Ang returned from his first campaign, Lady Ding had been constantly trying to arrange his marriage. It looked like another clash had erupted.
Come to think of it, even in the original history, although Cao Ang died young, he had reached adulthood, yet there was never any mention of a wife or descendants.
Here, however, it seemed Lady Ding had repeatedly tried to arrange matches with daughters of Yan Province’s noble houses, only for Cao Ang to refuse each time.
“Mother, I would prefer to wait a little longer. When I meet a woman I truly like, then I will marry.”
“And that is why your mother is trying to find her for you! Or are you perhaps frequenting that Wei woman’s cheap courtesans?”
“It’s not like that.”
Goodness, Lady Ding’s voice was so loud even I could hear it clearly from outside.
“Let me be clear. As the eldest son of the Cao family, you must marry a daughter of a prestigious house. Being bewitched by mere beauty and taking a low-born courtesan or some peasant’s daughter as a concubine is more than enough.”
I wish she would speak a little more quietly about such things…
“Ah, Young Master Munyeol. You’ve returned?”
“Oh—Lady Bian?”
I had unfortunately run into Lady Bian while she was walking nearby. She must have heard everything.
“Please don’t speak so formally to me, Aunt. Feel free to speak casually.”
“No, no, Lord Cao.”
She had just been talking about “low-born courtesans,” and now the former courtesan Lady Bian had overheard. The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. I usually tried to stay out of family matters, but the tension between Lady Ding and Lady Bian seemed ready to explode at any moment.
Lady Bian simply smiled and quietly walked away. I entered the inner hall as if nothing had happened and greeted Lady Ding.
“Ah, it’s Munyeol.”
“Yes, Aunt. I just returned.”
“I hear you took Zisu with you to the battlefield and performed brilliantly. I must thank you for giving all the credit to my son.”
“Not at all. Zisu fought well on his own.”
“Hohoho. Come with me for a moment.”
Lady Ding led me into the inner residence, opened a cabinet, and handed me an ornate jewelry box.
“Please continue to look after my Zisu.”
“Is it really all right for me to accept this…?”
“Take it. This is my personal thanks, not from my husband.”
She was notoriously strict with Lady Bian and the other servants, yet she always treated me warmly and encouraged me to stay close to Cao Ang. It really was strange.
“Thank you, Aunt.”
“Now that I think about it, have you no plans to marry?”
“Ahaha, right now I…”
I wasn’t going to get married—I was about to head to Chang’an.
Still, the precious ornaments Lady Ding had given me were worth keeping. Once I returned from Chang’an, I was sure they would prove useful somewhere.