The Remnants of the Yellow Turbans
It was the second year of Jian’an.
In the Western calendar, that meant 196 AD.
Cao Cao’s influence was growing stronger by the day, and the construction work in Xuchang was gradually coming to an end.
Though it was only a temporary capital, Xuchang had become the true heart of the Han. Countless refugees and merchants had poured in, swelling the population. The steady training of soldiers had turned the city into an ever more formidable fortress.
It was in the midst of all this that I went to Cao Cao and made a request.
“You want to leave?”
“Uncle, I believe the battlefield suits me better after all.”
“Hahaha, so you’re already itching for action?”
“Wherever there is a battlefield, I will go and sweep it clean for you.”
When I answered firmly, Cao Cao thought for a moment before laughing and dismissing me. After leaving his official quarters, I took the opportunity to head straight for the military camp in Xuchang.
“Hup! Ha!”
Countless soldiers were training with their weapons. Cao Hong and Cao Ren oversaw the drills, and the majority of these men were Cao Cao’s elite troops who had risen with him back in Yan Province.
“Halt! Who goes there!”
“Commandant of Cavalry.”
I showed my plaque. The officer inspected it, then promptly made his report. Soon Cao Ren came running over with a delighted expression.
“Ziye, what brings you here?”
“I was feeling bored, so I thought I’d stop by for a while.”
“Hahaha! This fellow has truly become a warrior through and through. No battles means you’re restless, eh?”
Cao Ren let out a hearty laugh and handed me a pass, telling me to look around as much as I liked. Thanks to that, I was able to inspect the interior freely. I examined not only the training grounds but the barracks as well.
“Sigh…”
The soldiers’ training was excellent and most of them were seasoned veterans, but the moment I entered the barracks I was hit by a terrible stench. Hygiene was nonexistent in this era, and the problem grew far worse the closer one got to the military.
“Are those blankets even washed…? And why is there so much trash in every barracks?”
The trash consisted of blood-and-pus-stained rags, leftover chicken bones, and the filthy cloths tossed over them in a half-hearted attempt to hide the mess.
Scratch—
“Ah, fuck!”
Rats were scurrying about underfoot. This was truly intolerable. I would never overlook something like this. If I ever took command of the army, the first thing I would do was tear these barracks down and rebuild them from scratch.
Leaving the disgusting quarters behind, I continued my inspection of the camp formations.
“Ow ow ow—why did I have to roll into a gravel patch of all places?”
“Watch the rocks, you fool.”
The military physicians were treating the wounded, yet they were about to wrap bandages without even washing their hands.
“Hey, you!”
“!?”
“Ah, it’s the Commandant of Cavalry!”
Several soldiers recognized me and scrambled to their feet. The physician also offered a respectful greeting.
“Shouldn’t you wash your hands before treating injuries?”
“Commandant, this is…”
“Enough talk. Go wash your hands with hot water and then treat the wounds. Even when delivering a newborn, midwives wash their hands in licorice decoction first. How can a military physician neglect such basics!”
“Understood…”
The physician’s face clearly said What kind of nonsense is this? but he still followed my orders. He went to the cookhouse, drew hot water, washed thoroughly, dried his hands with a clean cloth, and only then returned to treat the soldier.
After making my way through the rest of the camp, I returned home. Even after that, Cao Cao remained silent on the matter.
“Your Majesty, a large force of former Yellow Turban remnants has risen near Runan. Their numbers are said to reach twenty thousand.”
“Y-Yellow Turbans! You mean their remnants are still running wild?”
The mere mention of the Yellow Turbans was one of the words most likely to cause panic at court. The Emperor, looking pitifully frail, turned his gaze toward Cao Cao. Since the Emperor could do nothing himself, he had no choice but to wait until Cao Cao—who held all military authority within Xuchang—resolved the matter.
“Your Majesty, Xuchang has many valiant generals. We can easily organize an army to suppress the Yellow Turban remnants causing trouble throughout Runan.”
“V-very well. We trust you.”
“This humble subject is overwhelmed with gratitude, Your Majesty.”
The young Emperor, who had not even reached adulthood, entrusted everything to Cao Cao. Every single person leaving the audience chamber afterward belonged to Cao Cao’s faction.
“Oh ho ho, Aman. Looks like you’ll get to flex your muscles again. All the expeditions from Xuchang will fall to you now, won’t they?”
Cao Cao’s father, Grand Tutor Cao Song, occupied one of the Three Excellencies and acted as a pillar between the Cao clan and the court, yet he rarely stepped forward himself.
In reality, Cao Cao could swing his sword freely from the position of Minister of Works precisely because he had his father’s prestige at his back.
“This time I will not go myself.”
“Oh? You’re leaving it to the younger ones?”
“The Yellow Turban remnants are nothing but weak bandits who possess less than half the momentum of their former glory. With only twenty thousand men, anyone at my side should be able to repel them.”
“Oh ho ho, and who shall go?”
Cao Cao immediately turned to Cao Ren, who was walking beside him.
“Zixiao, how would you like to lead this campaign?”
“Me, sir? If you organize the army, I will set out at once and sweep every last one of those bandit scum away.”
“Good. I like that spirit. Now, which generals shall we send…”
Cao Cao glanced over his relatives and retainers, including me, before making his decision.
“Zisu, go and earn some military merit this time.”
“Yes, Father.”
“And Ziye, you asked to be sent to the battlefield before, didn’t you? You will go as well.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
Cao Ren would serve as supreme commander, with Cao Ang and me as his deputies. Having the entire Cao clan together made the force feel utterly reliable.
“My lord! My lord! I wish to go too!”
Dian Wei strode forward and thrust his hand into the air.
“Now now, you are my bodyguard. How can you leave my side?”
“My lord, I’m going insane from boredom. I haven’t been to the battlefield, so all I do is eat and get fat. I haven’t tasted blood in so long my whole body is itching.”
“Hey, you…!”
Cheng Yu and Guo Jia looked ready to scold Dian Wei for speaking so bluntly to Cao Cao, but Cao Cao simply laughed loudly, unconcerned.
“Hahaha! So another person in our house is itching for battle besides Ziye? Very well. Dian Wei, prepare yourself.”
“Thank you, my lord!”
His voice boomed so loudly it seemed to shake the palace itself.
And so twenty thousand soldiers were assembled in Xuchang. Commandant Cao Ren took overall command and set out to suppress the Yellow Turban remnants in Runan.
Cao Ang and I were appointed as his left and right deputy generals, while Dian Wei joined the campaign as a commandant.
“This is my first time fighting Yellow Turbans.”
“Zisu, there’s not much difference. The old Yellow Turbans were truly terrifying—half the country was crawling with them. But these are just remnants. They’re no different from the White Wave Bandits or the Black Mountain Bandits—nothing but mountain robbers.”
Cao Ren explained the situation and dismissed the enemy as insignificant. Of course we still couldn’t let our guard down since they were enemies, but the implication was that they would be far easier to handle than a proper regular army.
When we reached the battlefield in Runan, however, we discovered something strange.
“W-what is this?”
“Why are there so many corpses and so much blood? It looks like someone already swept through here.”
Cao Ren was startled. While Cao Ang examined the surroundings, I too noticed the abnormality. Heads wearing yellow turbans had been severed, their bodies dyed red with blood—turning them into “Red Turbans.”
I wondered who could have fought such a fierce battle when Dian Wei, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.
“This doesn’t look like the work of regular troops. It appears to be the doing of a group of wandering warriors or a peasant army.”
“Commandant Dian, what do you mean?”
When I asked, Dian Wei pointed at the corpses one by one with his iron halberd.
“Take this corpse. It wasn’t killed by a bladed weapon. It was beaten, then trampled and stabbed after death. This kind of damage doesn’t happen without a unit wielding iron flails.”
“Is that so?”
“And this one. The neck wasn’t cut cleanly—it was hacked multiple times. Clearly not the work of a skilled swordsman.”
His words sparked a thought in my mind.
“Besides the Yellow Turban remnants, there’s another faction active in Runan?”
“The region is so poorly governed that local groups must have formed to protect themselves. Whoever their leader is, I’d like to meet him.”
Cao Ren examined the bodies Dian Wei had explained and showed clear interest in the leader of the group responsible. I was curious as well.
In the history of the Three Kingdoms, Runan had always been a land of chaos. Many remarkable warriors and wandering heroes had emerged from there. No matter who tried to occupy it, local warlords would constantly rise up. Even for Cao Cao, pacifying Runan had been one of the most difficult tasks in his quest to control the Central Plains.
“Uncle Zixiao, let’s pursue them. The blood hasn’t dried and the bodies haven’t begun to rot. The battle must have happened recently.”
“Indeed. If we follow these tracks, we should encounter either the Yellow Turban remnants or this group of Runan warriors!”
Cao Ren immediately spurred his horse and led us deeper into the region, following the trail. After riding for half a day, we saw thick smoke rising in the distance and caught the heavy stench of blood.
It was an army reeking of combat, blood, and murderous intent.
Thump, thump, thump, thump—
As soon as we appeared, they began beating their drums as if they had been waiting for us.
“Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!”
I didn’t know which faction they belonged to, but the moment they saw us they sounded the drums, so Cao Ren immediately ordered our troops into battle formation. Twenty thousand men had gathered on a narrow mountain path, but a quick survey of the terrain showed no ambush waiting on the cliffs. Moreover, the enemy showed no intention of using fire attacks. Instead, they positioned infantry wielding blood-soaked spears and swords at the front.
They wore mismatched armor and carried non-standard weapons—a raw, undisciplined militia. Yet the number of soldiers who had already tasted blood numbered in the thousands. A head-on clash would not be easy.
“I am Cao Zixiao, Commandant from the imperial capital of Xuchang! Who are you people?”
“The capital? Xuchang? Then you must be Minister of Works Cao Cao’s troops.”
The man who stepped forward appeared to be the leader of the militia. He was tall with broad shoulders and carried a massive greatsword nearly as tall as a man. He looked nothing like a mere bandit chief.
“Reveal your identity! Who are you?”
“Since you asked, I’ll answer. I am Xu Chu of the Pei Kingdom in Yuzhou. My courtesy name is Zhongkang.”
“Xu Chu?”
Oh boy, Xu Chu?
I glanced at Cao Ren, but he clearly had no idea who the man was. Since it seemed only I knew of Xu Chu’s historical significance, I stepped forward and explained to everyone who he was.
“I have heard there is a group of wandering warriors in Yuzhou who hunt Yellow Turbans. Their leader is said to bear the Xu surname from Pei. Is that you?”
“Hmm, so rumors about me have spread that far.”
Despite his enormous build and the overwhelming presence of the greatsword, his personality seemed surprisingly calm. He didn’t appear eager to fight right away.
“We are the imperial army sent to eliminate the Yellow Turban remnants in Runan. If you share the same goal, would you join us?”
“Nonsense. The warriors of Runan will handle Runan’s problems. We have no need for meddlesome government troops. We will deal with the Yellow Turban remnants ourselves, so you lot should just turn around and go back the way you came.”
“You bastard. Are you trying to become a warlord of Runan?”
“Call me a warlord if you like. We only want to protect our own territory. That’s all.”
Xu Chu spoke calmly and logically. But the other generals had no intention of letting his attitude slide.
Especially Dian Wei standing beside me. He gripped his iron halberd so tightly that veins bulged across his thick hands.
“Such an arrogant bastard! Listen to him acting like he’s somebody!”
“Hey, big guy. Watch your mouth.”
“You think I’d listen to the likes of you? General Cao! Please allow me to crush this fool!”
Technically Cao Ren was a Commandant, not a full General, but anyway.
In this situation, even Cao Ren seemed ready to attack Xu Chu’s warrior band. While it was admirable that they had defeated the Yellow Turban remnants, these men had rejected the imperial army and formed their own independent faction. If left alone, they would become a separate warlord power in Runan.
That was when I stepped forward.
“Commandant, how about this instead?”
“Ziye, what do you suggest?”
“Both sides share the same enemy—the Yellow Turban remnants. Rather than fighting each other, why not have Dian Wei face their leader in single combat?”
“A one-on-one duel? Well… it doesn’t seem like Dian Wei would lose.”
Indeed. I couldn’t picture Dian Wei losing a one-on-one fight even against Lu Bu or Guan Yu.
“If by chance Dian Wei is defeated, then I will step in and capture both that Xu Chu fellow and the army he leads.”
“Hearing you speak with such confidence, you must be quite sure of yourself.”
Cao Ren nodded in acknowledgment and turned to Dian Wei.
“What do you think, Dian Wei? Can you do it?”
“Just leave it to me! I can handle a guy like that with one hand!”
Dian Wei shouted confidently and dismounted. Xu Chu seemed intrigued as well and stepped forward to meet him.
Xu Chu of Yuzhou, the wandering warrior with the greatsword, and Dian Wei, Cao Cao’s personal guard.
Before facing the Yellow Turban remnants, the two factions who shared a common enemy decided to test each other’s strength.