The Seat of the Grand General
On the journey back, I departed Ye City amid the warm hospitality of Hebei’s notable figures, all centered around Governor of Ji Province Yuan Shao.
I suspected that if I ever returned, far more events would await me.
“Alright, alright~ Move briskly, everyone! These are tribute goods to present to His Majesty the Emperor in Luoyang!”
I had traveled to Ye City alone, but on the return the Hebei army that Yuan Shao personally assigned escorted me, along with five hundred thousand stones of military provisions.
The Hebei troops delivered the grain safely all the way to Luoyang. The sight of several hundred thousand stones of provisions flowing into a city still crowded with ruined houses left everyone staring in astonishment, tongues clicking.
It was a truly spectacular scene.
“The condition of Luoyang is even worse than I imagined. Tsk!”
Bong Gi, the deputy to the General of the Right who had accompanied us from Hebei, covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief as though he had stepped into a filthy slum. He gazed at Luoyang’s soldiers and vagrants with open contempt.
After that, events unfolded exactly as expected.
The Emperor expressed sincere gratitude, stunned that Yuan Shao’s forces had delivered twice the requested provisions. Yet he also voiced concern over the memorial Yuan Shao had submitted.
Your servant, Yuan Shao, Governor of Ji Province, humbly addresses Your Majesty.
I am truly relieved that Your Majesty has escaped the clutches of traitors in Chang’an. In accordance with Your Majesty’s command to rebuild Luoyang, I first offer military provisions drawn from the assigned taxes. Gold will be dispatched as soon as preparations are complete.
However, even as these taxes are presented, many in Hebei remain disloyal and disrespectful toward Your Majesty. Your servant regrets that injury from conflict with these rebels prevents me from attending court in person. To stabilize the realm, I require Your Majesty’s approval to suppress the traitors of Hebei.
With utmost loyalty to the Han, your servant prostrates himself to report: May Your Majesty cherish the sincere hearts of distant ministers and distance yourself from the flattery of treacherous officials nearby. Furthermore, may you swiftly complete the restoration of Luoyang so that the millennium capital stands firm once more.
Bong Gi personally presented Yuan Shao’s memorial to the Emperor. The officials who had fled Chang’an with nothing but the clothes on their backs—aside from the Cao clan—could do nothing but gasp in continuous admiration, reduced to mere spectators offering reactions.
Unlike Cao Song, the Grand Tutor, Cao Cao listened to the entire recitation with his eyes closed.
The audience ended precisely as one might expect. I received only the Emperor’s praise for my service as Yuan Shao’s envoy before the matter was closed.
That evening.
I answered a sudden summons from Cao Cao. He had not called for me alone; he had also ordered me to bring my wife, Cai Yan.
The temporary residence where Cao Cao was staying had already taken on a rather dignified atmosphere. Both Cao Cao and his wife were waiting for us in person.
“Ziye!”
“Uncle, I have arrived.”
“Good, good~ A husband and wife arriving together makes for a very fine sight, doesn’t it?”
Cai Yan offered a respectful greeting to Cao Cao and his wife. Lady Ding, unlike her usual stern demeanor, smiled brightly and took both of Cai Yan’s hands in hers.
“To think Ziye’s wife is the daughter of Master Cai Bojie. What a perfectly matched pair you make.”
“Thank you, Madam.”
“By the way, has there been any talk of a fiancé for your younger sister? There is one fellow in our household who refuses to even look at matchmaking proposals…”
Lady Ding had been saying the same thing to every woman she met lately, so I gently intervened.
“Aunt, I will personally see to Zisu’s marriage arrangements.”
“You will? Then I shall trust you with it, Ziye.”
“Wife, enough household talk. Tell the servants to prepare the wine table.”
At Cao Cao’s command Lady Ding rose, and Cai Yan followed to help.
“I will assist as well.”
“No need. You are a guest.”
“How could a young guest sit idly by while her elders prepare the wine and food?”
After Cai Yan bowed once more to Cao Cao and followed Lady Ding out, he immediately clapped me on the back.
“You’ve found yourself a fine woman, eh?”
Still patting my back, Cao Cao led me inside. The strategists and Cao Ren were already waiting.
It was exactly as I had expected. The family’s greatest elder, Cao Song, had gone elsewhere on separate business. In other words, this was a military conference within the Cao army.
“Xiahou Dun should be returning soon. I wonder whether he properly surveyed the situation in Yan Province?”
Come to think of it, Xiahou Dun had been absent for some time. According to Dian Wei, he had left to carry out “a certain order from the lord.” Yan Province? If he was scouting conditions there, it seemed an expedition to Yan Province would be launched before long.
“First, let us raise our cups to Ziye, who was asked for two hundred thousand stones yet returned with five hundred thousand.”
Cao Cao praised my achievement and personally lifted his wine cup.
“Bong Gi, who came from Hebei, could not stop praising Ziye. He said the boy debated Hebei’s notable scholars and defeated them all.”
“Not only is he skilled with the sword, but also with words. It appears Young Master Ziye will accomplish great things for the lord in the future.”
Cheng Yu, who was normally sparing with praise, now openly acknowledged me as the lord’s great asset.
“Moreover, he even brought an extra one hundred thousand stones for our share. What a tremendous bonus!”
Cao Cao laughed heartily, yet the atmosphere remained terribly heavy. Neither Cheng Yu, Xun Yu, Xun You, the newly joined Guo Jia, nor Cao Ren—who attended in his capacity as a general—smiled.
Cao Cao’s own laughter died quickly. His expression hardened as he gripped his wine cup tightly.
“Enough of the good news… Shall we discuss the letter Bong Gi brought?”
A letter?
When a matter I had not known about surfaced, Xun Yu leaned close and whispered in my ear.
“Along with the one hundred thousand stones Young Master Ziye obtained, Governor Yuan Shao sent the lord a letter containing unreasonable demands.”
Unreasonable demands? What level of presumption would make even Cao Cao this furious?
Cao Cao looked straight at me and spoke.
“Ziye.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Brother Yuan’s condition for accepting the position of Grand Commandant is that our family be sent to Ye Commandery.”
“What?”
Hostages?
“He says he will prepare a fine mansion and grant land so we may live prosperously in Ye City. I have two wives and several concubines, so he demands one of the wives, three sons excluding the eldest… and even you.”
“Me as well?”
“Since the eldest son must remain at my side, it seems he has chosen you to fill the role of second son.”
Yuan Shao was treating me on the same level as Cao Cao’s eldest son, Cao Ang, and demanding I be sent as a hostage? I was grateful for such high regard, yet a hostage? What exactly did Yuan Shao take me for!
“You must have accomplished something quite remarkable in Hebei. The moment Brother Yuan calls for you, he will likely arrange a marriage alliance with a daughter from another powerful Hebei clan rather than Sohui.”
“That is absurd…”
“A man taking multiple wives and concubines is one thing. But you understand what this truly means, Ziye.”
Yuan Shao was personally summoning me, Lady Bian, and the children beneath her—Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Zhi. I answered regarding his shallow scheme.
“The Governor of Ji Province seeks to seize Uncle’s throat now that you have become Grand General, using the position of Grand Commandant as leverage.”
“Correct.”
“Furthermore, by calling for me, Aunt Bian, and the children while offering to arrange marriages? He intends to bind the Cao clan to Hebei’s powerful families and draw them into his own sphere of influence.”
“You see it clearly. Do you happen to know the Jian clan of Zhongshan?”
Why was the Jian clan being mentioned…? Ah. It was connected to what I had just said about Yuan Shao arranging political marriages between the Cao family and Hebei clans.
“While praising you, he suggested you take in the Jian clan family that has fallen into hardship.”
“I merely offered relief to a household that had lost its head out of a sense of righteousness.”
“Is that so.”
He clearly meant for me to take Jian Fu through Yuan Shao’s matchmaking. But I could not accept it now.
“What is your thoughts?”
“If Uncle asks it of me, I will go. But if this is a one-sided notification from General Yuan Benchu, I will refuse.”
“Hoh, you would refuse? How exactly would you refuse? Brother Yuan now holds the position of Grand Commandant and possesses such justification. How could you block state affairs?”
When Cao Cao asked with clear interest, I answered without hesitation.
“Would it not suffice to fall from my horse once?”
“What… what did you say?”
Cao Cao gestured with the hand still holding his wine cup, urging me to repeat myself.
“Since General Yuan Benchu in Hebei claims injury prevents him from entering the court in Luoyang, I shall claim an unfortunate riding accident has left me injured and unable to travel to Ye City. Naturally, I will also write that Aunt Bian and the children have suddenly taken ill.”
“Heh… hehehe… Hehehehehehehehe!”
Cao Cao listened and suddenly burst into laughter again. He had begun with hearty amusement, turned serious at Yuan Shao’s arrogant proposal, and now laughed once more at my words.
“Did you all hear that? This child says he will not go to Brother Yuan even if it means throwing himself from his horse.”
Cao Cao seemed to have reached a decision. He emptied his cup in one gulp and slammed it down on the table.
“I shall relinquish my position as Grand General.”
“My lord!”
“Brother! The Grand General position—how can you…”
Cheng Yu and Cao Ren cried out in shock, but Guo Jia simply nodded as though he understood perfectly.
“Choosing my wife and sons is a hundred times better than clinging to the Grand General seat. I must inform Bong Gi. Tell him Brother Yuan may simply take the position.”
“Brother, then what will you do going forward?”
“How does Minister of Works sound?”
“Brother, among the Three Excellencies, the Minister of Works holds the least military authority? No—strategists, are you all simply going to let this pass?”
As Cao Ren continued to press in astonishment, Cao Cao pointed directly at me.
“Ziye!”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Explain the roles of the Three Excellencies. First, what does the Grand Commandant do?”
“The Grand Commandant… together with the title, holds the authority to command all provincial armies across the Han in the name of the court. It is a military position.”
“Then what about the Minister of Education?”
“The Minister of Education… oversees education and civil administration throughout the Han. It is the position that presents petitions from all civil and military officials to the Emperor.”
The Grand Commandant for military affairs, the Minister of Education for civil governance, and the remaining one—
“Finally, what does the Minister of Works do?”
“The Minister of Works can oversee all public construction projects across the Han in the Emperor’s name, particularly managing water control and civil engineering…”
…Wait. Minister of Works?
Only then did Cao Cao’s true intention become clear to me.
“Uncle! By taking the position of Minister of Works, you mean…”
“We must serve His Majesty, rebuild Luoyang, and establish a temporary capital. All of that falls under civil engineering, does it not?”
“It does. Moreover, General Yuan Benchu of Hebei pays a ‘special reconstruction tax for the capital’ every season…”
“Since it is a tax Brother Yuan pays out of loyal heart for Luoyang’s reconstruction, we should make full use of it. Is the Minister of Works not originally responsible for the civil engineering budget?”
So it could be interpreted this way?
The moment Cao Cao became Minister of Works, he would stand beside the Emperor as the supreme authority over Luoyang’s reconstruction. Every “capital reconstruction tax” Yuan Shao sent would fall directly into his hands…
“My lord, you have finally made the correct decision. The Grand General position? Hand it over to Yuan Shao of Hebei. While you’re at it, grant him the Jieyue authority to exercise power in Ji Province. Then he will diligently send only money and provisions while paying no attention whatsoever to affairs in the Central Plains.”
Guo Jia’s crisp explanation brought a smile to Xun Yu’s face as well.
“Of course, there will also be no sending of the Grand General’s children as hostages under the name of the Grand Commandant.”
Cao Cao nodded. Only then did Cao Ren’s expression shift to understanding—So that’s what it meant.
“Good. Submit the memorial, then prepare a feast with those one hundred thousand stones!”
“A feast? What are you saying, brother?”
“Zixiao, we must hold our nephew’s wedding ceremony, mustn’t we? It has been a long time; let us gather the entire family.”
Cao Cao coolly tossed the Grand General position to Yuan Shao, then declared he would personally preside over my wedding.
“Ziye!”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Cao Cao rose from his seat, picked up the wine bottle, and filled my empty cup to overflowing.
“That resolve to deliberately fall from your horse for my sake has truly moved me.”
Right there, I emptied the cup Cao Cao had poured for me in a single draught.