I love you, my daughter
A small village in Langya, Xu Province.
Ordinarily a place of profound quiet, it now hummed with an unaccustomed stir.
"What did you say? Our Cao Cao?"
"Yes, Elder. General Cao, now appointed General Who Conquers the East, has pacified the Qing Province region by Her Majesty the Emperor's command. She says she will come from Yan Province to personally escort you and the entire household."
"Oh... such welcome news! I had already heard my Cao Cao joined hands with that boy Yuan Shu to seize Luoyang, and now this at last!"
Cao Cao's own father, Cao Song.
At the messenger's words, he could scarcely contain his elation.
She had been a troublesome daughter, what with the Gundam murder case, the assassination of Ding Yuan, one scandal after another.
For a man like Cao Song, who had amassed a great fortune as the adopted son of a eunuch with the backing of the Ten Regular Attendants, his daughter's "misconduct" had caused him no end of anxiety and frustration.
When the assassination attempt on Zhang Rang forced the whole household to flee to this obscure corner of Xu Province, Cao Song had truly felt the sky was falling.
Yet,
despite all those trials, for Cao Song, who had never stopped believing in Cao Cao, the news that his daughter had weathered the storm and achieved such spectacular success—
and that this proud daughter now wished to look after him comfortably—brought him, as a father, a joy greater than anything else.
"I must go, of course I must go! Our splendid daughter has become a General—how could I not hurry to see her face! What is the steward doing? Pack at once! Make ready to depart!"
"Yes, my lord! I shall prepare immediately!"
"The time has come at last to leave this tiresome place! To Yan Province! To where our proud daughter Cao Cao is!"
The Cao Song household bustled with departure preparations.
Having been in hiding, they had kept to themselves in this rustic village, living as quietly as possible. But now they had nothing left to fear.
Who would dare lay a hand on the father of the General Who Conquers the East, a man who also counted General-in-Chief Yuan Shu among his acquaintances?
Their preparations complete, their spirits buoyant, the Cao Song household began their journey toward Yan Province.
In that moment, unaware that eyes were already watching such conspicuous movement...
*
"What? The Cao Song household?"
"Yes. It seems they had been lying low in Langya all this time, and now they have formed a sizable procession and are moving toward Yan Province."
"Hmm..."
The man wore a grave expression at his subordinate's report.
The Inspector of Xu Province, Tao Qian.
He quickly began to turn this unexpected news over in his mind.
'Cao Cao, is it... I already found that insolent chit throwing her weight around lately an irritation...'
Cao Cao had been rapidly expanding her power in the neighboring regions of Yan Province and Qing Province.
Though her sphere of action was still confined to those two provinces and had not yet reached Xu Province, Tao Qian sensed intuitively that a clash between her and himself was not far off.
During the recent campaign against Luoyang, Tao Qian, wary of the reaction around him, had disregarded Emperor Liu Bian's edict.
He had used maneuvers to suppress Xu Province's Yellow Turban rebels and insurgents and seize real power, but his indecisive handling of external affairs had led to this outcome.
Consequently, Tao Qian was now essentially a marked man in the eyes of the Luoyang court.
Cao Cao, on the other hand, was one of the principal heroes of the last war.
Moreover, her official post, General Who Conquers the East, encompassed within its jurisdiction not only Yan Province and Qing Province but also Xu Province.
In terms of the aftermath, and in terms of formal authority, she already held the mandate. And given the fierce ambition she had always displayed, the possibility that she would covet Xu Province one way or another was extremely high.
'And behind Cao Cao stand the Luoyang court and that man Yuan Shu. Even if I could somehow manage Cao Cao, should that ever-victorious commander bestir herself, victory would be a distant dream...'
A part of him regretted that he had not shown a bit of goodwill and built a connection when the coalition was being mustered, but it was already too late.
And.
Now, at a time like this, the matter of Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was starting to look to Tao Qian like an opportunity.
A golden chance to overturn this awkward predicament.
'I hear that chit Cao Cao is famously devoted to her parents. In that case...'
His calculation finished,
Tao Qian looked toward a hard-featured general standing at his side.
A man of Yellow Turban origin whose skill Tao Qian had recognized and taken into his service.
"Zhang Kai."
"Yes, my lord."
"I am going to give you a special mission. Can you carry it out?"
"Of course. I, Zhang Kai, would give my life for Your Excellency."
Zhang Kai answered with a proper martial bearing.
Watching him, Tao Qian smiled deeply and issued an order.
It was...
*
"Oh! Inspector Tao Qian sent you men?"
"That is correct, Elder. I, Zhang Kai, have received orders to escort you and your company safely to Yan Province."
Arrayed before him were thousands of soldiers and the hard-featured general who led them, Zhang Kai.
Watching him display a properly disciplined military manner, Cao Song began to feel his heart swell at the thought that he was already enjoying the benefits of his daughter's success.
"I cannot express my gratitude. I was already somewhat uneasy about the long journey with only a few hundred soldiers. To be given an escort like this fills me with the greatest reassurance."
"His Excellency has long desired amicable relations with General Cao. This is a small gesture of goodwill, so please do put in a good word for him with the General."
"Of course, of course. I shall gladly do so."
Thus the escort began to travel together in a reasonably cordial atmosphere.
And then.
That night.
Under a sudden downpour, the Cao Song party and Zhang Kai's troops found shelter at a small temple.
The Cao Song household settled inside the temple, while Zhang Kai and his men surrounded the perimeter.
With them hemmed in so tightly not a drop could leak out.
Zhang Kai looked at his subordinate officers and spoke in a cold voice.
"Everyone is ready, I trust?"
"Of course, General."
The officers wore resolute expressions.
As he looked at them, Zhang Kai recalled the secret order his lord Tao Qian had given.
—Capture Cao Song and his entire household alive. Once this is successfully done, you will find me nothing but grateful in the future.
Tao Qian had spoken of taking Cao Cao's household hostage as a shield to protect Xu Province, or words to that effect.
But as far as Zhang Kai was concerned, he neither knew the detailed background nor honestly cared.
What mattered to him was that handling this well guaranteed his advancement.
Besides, the enormous wealth the Cao Song household was hauling along would be a bonus.
'Thinking of it that way, my lord is quite generous. Good. I will see this mission through without fail.'
Thus, renewing his "loyalty" to his lord, Zhang Kai resolutely drew his sword.
"Begin. Kill every last escorting soldier and capture the entire Cao Song household alive."
"Yes, General!"
The soldiers moved in unison the instant the order fell.
A broad smile spread across Zhang Kai's lips as he watched them.
*
"Aaaagh!"
"Urk!"
Hideous screams erupted from every side.
The temple, perfectly tranquil until a moment ago, had transformed in an instant into a scene of slaughter.
"Wh-what? What in the world is happening?"
"Elder! Stay back! It's dangerous here!"
The very troops who had been guarding them had turned on them without warning.
Cao Song and his household were thrown into utter confusion, unable to grasp what was happening.
"This is no time to stand still! Please follow me at once!"
"Ah... understood, Steward."
Cao Song moved to flee hastily, following the steward's directions.
But.
"Cao Song is over there! Get him!"
"Hrk!"
The moment they spotted Cao Song, the enemy came swarming like ants.
Unable to find an exit, they ultimately had no choice but to retreat deeper inside the temple.
"Ah! St-Steward!"
"Go, my lord, quickly! We will hold them here somehow!"
"Tch..."
The steward formed a line with the few dozen remaining soldiers in front of a small door.
Leaving them behind, Cao Song swallowed his tears and began searching desperately for a way out.
But.
"Impressive. But this is as far as you go."
"Hngh!... Y-you... swine... think you'll... get away with this?"
"That is none of your concern. Farewell!"
"Gark!"
Outnumbered, the steward and the soldiers could not hold out long and were soon cut down.
Their sacrifice had bought a brief sliver of time, but still the Cao Song household found no escape.
The decision to lodge at this temple tonight had been Zhang Kai's suggestion from the start.
There was only one way out,
and the walls here were taller than those of ordinary temples. No normal means of escape existed.
In the end, Cao Song and his family frantically concealed themselves in a storehouse inside the temple.
In this desperate situation, where the clamor outside made discovery seem only moments away,
Cao Song instead began to recover his composure with surprising speed.
'That scoundrel Zhang Kai is doing this... plainly on Tao Qian's orders.'
A man well-versed in business, and though fallen, still the father of Cao Cao—Cao Song.
Carelessness had brought him to this pass, but for a man whose insight far surpassed the norm, deducing the present situation was not a difficult task.
'Their aim is surely to seize me and my family as hostages. A scheme to use us to hobble our Cao Cao.'
Knowing Cao Cao's deeply filial nature, if they were taken hostage she would never be able to attack Xu Province.
In the worst case, she might become a puppet dancing on Tao Qian's strings.
As a father, Cao Song could never, ever countenance Tao Qian's attempt to exploit his daughter's devotion like this.
'No matter how worthless a father I may be... I cannot become a hindrance to my daughter's future. That being so, I would rather...'
The very reason he had hidden himself away in remote Xu Province was to avoid obstructing his daughter's future.
And those feelings remained unchanged now.
'I wanted to see it... with my own two eyes... my child in her moment as a general.'
Filled with such deep regret and sorrow—and at the same time, praying earnestly that his daughter would accomplish the great cause she desired—Cao Song slowly drew the dagger he always carried within his robes.
'I love you... my daughter...'