Elder Cao Song, I Will Protect You
I sprinted at full speed and managed to catch up with the wagons carrying Cao Song’s household.
That same night, I met Cao Cao’s father, Cao Song, face to face.
He was an old man with gray-streaked hair and a lush beard. Yet from his extravagant silk robes to the lavish decorations inside his carriage, he perfectly embodied the image of a “filthy rich elder.”
“Ho? So you’re a member of our clan?”
“Yes, Grand Assistant.”
“I ought to check the family register. Boy.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Go fetch our clan’s genealogy.”
At Cao Song’s casual wave, a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties entered and respectfully offered a bundle of bamboo slips.
“You sweet thing, come sit beside me.”
“Ah, my lord.”
The old man—old enough to be her father—laughed heartily as he wrapped an arm around the concubine’s waist, pulled her onto his lap, and began stroking her.
Watching him, I understood at once exactly whose son Cao Cao was.
“Hmm. You said the Cao clan of Qiao County in Pei State, so let me ask—what is your father’s name?”
“He uses the given name Ming and comes from Wu Commandery.”
“Hmm, Cao Ming… And your grandfather?”
“He used the character Ding and once served as Governor of Wu Commandery.”
“Hmm, son of Cao Ming and grandson of Cao Ding… Oh! Here it is. Then you are Cao Xiu, nephew to Cao Hong?”
Cao Song confirmed it instantly after scanning the register.
Indeed, while Cao Xiu was said to be a distant relative of Cao Cao, he was precisely the grandson of Cao Ding, the former Governor of Wu Commandery.
Cao Hong was Cao Ding’s nephew, and Cao Cao was Cao Hong’s sixth cousin. That made me something like Cao Cao’s ninth cousin once removed.
“The register makes it clear. Well, it is good you have come.”
“Thank you for recognizing me, Grand Assistant.”
“Hahaha, enough with the ‘Grand Assistant.’ We are family—call me Great-uncle.”
Cao Song laughed boldly and kept patting his concubine’s rear the entire time.
“By the way, who are the men who came with you?”
“Great-uncle, this is Xu Shu. He is traveling with me in pursuit of learning. The rest of the party are strong men who have been escorting your household on the road here.”
“Haha, why prepare so many escorts? Governor Tao Qian of Xu Province promised to send several hundred soldiers to guard me. Hahaha—”
Aigoo. Those hundreds aren’t coming to escort him—they’re coming to kill him…
After the introductions, Cao Song presented every member of his household.
I paid my respects not only to Cao Song, Cao Cao’s father, but also to Cao Cao’s younger brothers—Cao De, Cao Bin, Cao Yu, and the rest. When you added their wives, concubines, and children, roughly forty members of the Cao clan were gathered here.
“You said your name was Munyeol?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“How old are you this year?”
“Twenty.”
“The perfect age. You’ve grown up splendidly.”
The middle-aged man with the magnificent mustache who greeted me as warmly as Cao Song was Cao De, Cao Cao’s younger brother.
“My son back in Yan Province is about your age. Once we arrive, I will introduce you myself. Build a good relationship.”
“Uncle, might I ask your son’s name…?”
“His name is Cao Yan. I gave him the courtesy name Anmin, and he is often called that.”
Ah, Cao Anmin!
In the historical records he died alongside Cao Cao’s son because of “Cao Cao’s personal scandal.” So that Cao Anmin was Cao De’s son.
“When we reach Yan Province, I will speak to my brother Mengde and request a suitable position for you.”
“Thank you.”
“My brother values those of the same clan. Look at us now—is he not gathering our entire family, starting with our father, to Yan Province?”
Both Cao De and the rest of the Cao clan held absolute trust in Cao Cao. After all, his name had spread across the realm as one of the Eighteen Warlords even after the failed assassination of Dong Zhuo, so it was natural they all relied on him.
While we continued escorting Cao Song’s household, Tao Qian’s troops finally arrived.
“My lord, this lowly officer is Zhang Kai, sent by the Governor of Xu Province. I have brought two hundred soldiers to escort you.”
No. This is bad!
Zhang Kai.
In history, he was the chief culprit who coveted the Cao family’s wealth, slaughtered them all, stole the riches from more than a hundred wagons, then fled—driving a wedge between Cao Cao and Tao Qian and triggering the great massacre of Xu Province.
“Ho, two hundred soldiers? How reassuring.”
I urgently spoke to Cao Song.
“Great-uncle, I already brought warriors with me. We will have no trouble reaching Yan Province even without Xu Province’s troops.”
“Nonsense. In these turbulent times, with so many bandits about, the more escorts the better, no?”
“But these men are soldiers tasked with defending Xu Province. Please leave the escort to us and simply accept their kind intentions…”
“That would be rude. Tao Qian sent them because he wishes to be friendly with our Cao clan. How could I refuse?”
Aigoo, old man! These bastards are here to kill us right now!
No matter what I said, Cao Song would not listen. In the end we had no choice but to let the openly hostile force inside.
Since it had come to this, I kept my sword belted on and stayed awake all night guarding the Cao household.
“We are in your hands.”
Zhang Kai forced a smile onto his brutish face and greeted both me and the other warriors.
In that distinctly uneasy atmosphere, I was summoned by Xu Shu that night.
“Did you need me, Yuanzhi?”
“Shh.”
Xu Shu pressed a finger to his lips, signaling silence. Several of the warriors Lu Su had lent us were inside.
“What is it?”
“Listen to what this man has to say.”
Xu Shu pointed to one of Lu Su’s warriors, who spoke at once.
“This lowly one once served as an officer in Xu Province. There was no general named Zhang Kai at that time.”
“Hmm?”
“I left the army only two months ago. There was still no general called Zhang Kai then. The chief commander of the Xu Province army was Chen Deng.”
What? Zhang Kai wasn’t originally one of Tao Qian’s men?
“Then the troops this Zhang Kai brought…?”
“I recognize some of the soldiers’ uniforms and faces. But their general is definitely not one of ours.”
The more I heard, the more uneasy I became. The soldiers were indeed from Tao Qian’s Xu Province army, yet their commander, Zhang Kai, had never belonged to Tao Qian’s forces.
Let me briefly recall the actual events from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Cao Song’s household was traveling with over a hundred wagons loaded with treasure. Governor Tao Qian of Xu Province was supposed to escort them, but his subordinate Zhang Kai betrayed them, plundered the wealth, and fled. This incident created a deadly rift between Cao Cao and Tao Qian and led to the massacre of Xu Province.
Yet the former officers among the warriors Lu Su sent all claimed they had never heard of any general named Zhang Kai. In other words, he was a parachute officer who had appeared out of nowhere only two months earlier.
“This is even more suspicious. But one thing is certain. We must remain wary of the soldiers from Xu Province and personally escort Great-uncle’s family all the way to Yan Province.”
Xu Shu nodded at my words.
“I give you my word. If you safely escort Great-uncle’s household to Yan Province, I will pay you double the originally promised amount.”
At the mention of double pay the warriors’ mouths twitched upward, then quickly fell again.
“My lord, are you preparing for the worst—fighting those hundreds of soldiers?”
“It may come to that.”
“Mmm… still, double pay…”
“Once we reach Yan Province, the Inspector there can reward you with far more than double.”
At that, the former officer named Yan Jia nodded confidently.
“That is enough to risk our lives for. We accept!”
“Right! We’re not farmers—we make our living by staking our lives!”
The twenty warriors Lu Su had lent us were truly elite. Even after learning of the Cao family’s wealth, they showed no greed. When told of the dangerous mission, they were ready to fight on the strength of Lu Su’s trust.
With them, we stood a real chance.
Whoosh— whoosshhh—
It was a night of pouring rain.
“This is Mount Tai Commandery, correct? How long until we reach Yan Province?”
“At this pace, two days.”
Yan Jia’s answer made my instincts scream.
“Tonight we will not sleep. We must guard Great-uncle’s family through the night.”
“Understood, my lord.”
They had already resolved to risk their lives.
Meanwhile, Cao Song was enjoying his concubine inside his tent despite the pouring rain. As the unrelenting downpour continued, a silent dawn arrived…
“Who goes there?”
Slash!
“Aaaargh!”
Suddenly the sound of clashing blades and screams rang out nearby. Countless soldiers holding spears and swords emerged from the rain, slowly advancing.
“Who are you?”
“Kill them!”
The very escort troops sent by Tao Qian had finally turned their blades against us. I drew my sword at once and stood in front of Cao Song’s tent to face them.
When two soldiers charged with spears at the ready, I ran along the tent wall, leaped, and brought my blade down on the first man.
“Guhk!”
Slash—
My sword struck between helmet and armor, severing his neck. Blood gushed out, but the fierce rain immediately washed it away.
One man clutched his throat, gurgling as he collapsed. The second swung at me. I barely avoided a fatal cut to the chest; the blade had come dangerously close.
He followed up with another overhead strike. I dodged sideways, then thrust my sword into his flank.
Shunk—
“Gaaah!!”
The officer staggered the instant the blade pierced his side. Driven by fury, I stabbed the stumbling man again and again.
He could not even scream properly. When I finally drove the sword into his chest and yanked it free, blood sprayed like a fountain and his body went still.
Whoosh— whoosshhh—
As the torrent of blood was swept away by the rain, I brushed wet hair from my eyes and raised my sword again.
“This is exactly why I told you not to accept Tao Qian’s escort!”
“There! Kill that one!”
I had barely dealt with two, but the remaining soldiers all rushed me. Dodging spears and blades flying from every direction, I swung my sword at anyone in reach.
Slice—
I cut down another soldier, and the sensation traveled all the way to my heart.
My heart pounded violently, my whole body tingling as if electrified.
I had already drawn my sword. To survive, I had to become a demon.
“This bastard is tougher than he loo—”
Swish!
In the dark, rainy dawn, a gleaming blade flashed. A soldier’s head flew into the air, his eyes meeting mine for one final moment.
“Ah…?”
The enemy’s head with its dead eyes tumbled across the ground and stopped at his own feet.
“!”
“Munyeol… it turned out exactly as you predicted.”
“Yuanzhi!”
Xu Shu had severed the man’s head in a single stroke. He took his place beside me, facing the enemy together.
The twenty warriors Lu Su had lent us also came running to surround me.
“Save the Grand Assistant’s family!”
“It’s a bandit attack! Everyone protect the Grand Assistant!”
With the twenty warriors drawing their blades, I could finally breathe. Amid the chaos, Cao Song emerged from his tent.
“W-what is all this noise? Why is it so chaotic outsi—”
The moment Cao Song stepped outside and saw the dead soldiers of Tao Qian’s army and the warriors guarding his tent, his face turned deathly pale.
“Hiiik?”
“There’s Cao Song! Kill him!”
“Not a chance!”
The soldiers, now turned bandits, spotted Cao Song and charged. The warriors around me moved to block them.
“W-what in the world is this madness?!”
“Great-uncle, you must flee. These men have become bandits to steal the family’s wealth!”
“W-what?”
At that moment Xu Shu gripped my shoulder.
“Munyeol! I will hold them here. Take the family, load them onto the wagons, and get them away.”
“Yuanzhi!”
“When you brought me to Nanyang, you must have foreseen something like this. Shall I play the warrior one last time?”
Xu Shu and the warriors borrowed from Lu Su raised their swords and charged toward the soldiers of Tao Qian to block their path.
And I knew I had to save every last member of Cao Song’s family here.