Chapter 33

In the ninth month of autumn during the second year of Chuping, the Yellow Turbans besieged Kong Rong in Dachang. At this time, Cao Cao, who was thinking of Xu Xun, was serving as the Governor of Dongjun, busy collecting taxes and preparing for a possible war with Gongsun Zan in the coming years.

He was so busy that he could hardly spare a moment when suddenly a scout reported that the Yellow Turbans had surrounded Kong Rong. Kong Rong had sent someone to Liu Bei, the Governor of Pingyuan, to request reinforcements, and Liu Bei was advancing rapidly toward Dachang. Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was greatly alarmed and quickly summoned his advisors and generals for a discussion.

Riding Captain Ren Jun said, "Given the current situation, we will eventually have to fight one or two battles with Yuan Shao against Gongsun Zan. Liu Bei is Gongsun Zan's man. His deep penetration into Qingzhou and occupation of Pingyuan is like a sharp blade piercing into our heartland. If he uses the pretext of suppressing the Yellow Turbans to seize Beihai and Qi, he will completely surround us from three sides, which is extremely dangerous. We must also send troops to Beihai as soon as possible."

Clerk of the Bandits Li Qian also said, "If Liu Bei only takes Beihai, it would be manageable, but if he advances further and captures Donglai, it will be even more troublesome. Donglai has excellent harbors. Gongsun Zan could transport his troops by sea to Jiaodong and attack us from behind. If that happens, everything will be over, and even with extraordinary abilities, it would be impossible to reverse the situation."

Cao Cao immediately slammed the table and was about to dispatch troops, but he noticed that his most trusted advisor, Military Strategist Xi Xian, was still stroking his beard in deep thought and had not yet given his opinion. He quickly clasped his hands and said, "Zhicai, what do you think?"

Before Xi Xian could answer, a loud voice came from outside the door: "Mengde, hold on!" Two officials then rushed in.

They were both dressed in deep red robes and black headbands, the attire of the county officials. One was in his thirties, with a long horse-like face, a thick beard, and small pupils, which made him look a bit intimidating. The other was in his early twenties, with a handsome face and fair skin, and only short whiskers.

The one with the long face and thick beard shouted, "Mengde, how could you plan to send troops to Qingzhou without consulting me first?"

"Ah," Cao Cao quickly stood up and bowed, "Gongtai, Wenruo, weren't you collecting taxes in Guyang? How did you return so quickly?"

The one who spoke was Cao Cao's childhood friend, the Inspector of Dongjun, Chen Gong. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, "Oh, don't even mention it. Collecting taxes is no easy task. When we arrived at the Guyang county office and did the calculations, guess what? All the land in the county was registered under three people. We visited each of them, but they all claimed that the Yellow Turbans had ravaged their fields for a whole year, leaving them with no harvest. They asked us to report to the county office to exempt them from this year's land and head taxes..."

The other, Xun Yu, added, "They were lying. We could see the crops as we passed by. The harvest was poor, but not non-existent. They treated us well and even offered bribes, but they refused to hand over a single grain of food."

Cao Cao frowned, glared, and slammed the table, "Such stubborn people should be arrested and executed for refusing to pay their taxes!"

"Wait, Mengde," Chen Gong quickly interjected, "I found out that these three are prominent scholars in the county, from families that have held high ranks for generations. One is even said to be a disciple of Zheng Kangcheng. We cannot arrest them without cause. Losing a bit of tax revenue is a small matter, but if we alienate the influential families in the county and damage your reputation, or even provoke unrest, it would be a great loss."

Xun Yu said, "I think they are just putting on a brave front. I only have the title of Military Advisor to the Vigorous General, and you haven't given me any troops. If I had a few hundred soldiers, do you think they would dare to stall?"

Cao Cao nodded, "Alright, I will order Xiahou Yuan to move his troops to Guyang to support you!"

As they spoke, Chen Gong and Xun Yu approached, and Ren Jun, Li Qian, and Cao Ren quickly made room for them to sit. Once seated, Chen Gong waved his hand, "This matter is not urgent. We heard that Pingyuan had sent troops to rescue Kong Rong, so we hurried back to help you make a decision—Mengde, we cannot send troops."

Cao Cao frowned, "What do you mean, Gongtai? Why can't we send troops?"

"We have no just cause," Chen Gong spread his hands, "Kong Rong sent Taishi Ziyi to Pingyuan for help, not to us, and we have no orders from the provincial government. If we send troops now, it would be a violation of the rules. A 2,000-dan official cannot send troops across boundaries, let alone send troops from Yanzhou to Qingzhou."

Commander of the Separate Army Xiahou Dun snorted, "What year is this? Why are we still following those old rules? Haven't we sent troops across boundaries before?"

"Before, we always had a just cause," Xun Yu explained, "Lord Cao came to Dongjun by the order of the Chariot and Cavalry General and the leader of the alliance, Yuan Shao. Even though Lord Cao can send troops across boundaries under the title of Vigorous General, it could lead to a conflict with the Pingyuan forces. If this causes a full-scale war between Yuzhou and Youzhou, are we prepared for that?"

Before Cao Cao could answer, Chen Gong shook his head, "Not to mention us, even Yuan Shao is not prepared. Without a year or two of preparation, a war with Gongsun Zan would likely end in defeat. So, it's best not to provoke the Pingyuan forces or Gongsun Zan."

Xi Xian nodded lightly, "Gongtai is right, and this is why I hesitated... But can we just watch as Liu Bei extends his influence into Beihai, even Qi and Donglai?"

Chen Gong smiled slightly, "For now, we should send more scouts to gather information about Beihai. If the Pingyuan forces are defeated by the Yellow Turbans or withdraw after defeating them, it will not harm us. If Liu Bei defeats the Yellow Turbans and refuses to leave, will Kong Rong willingly open his doors to a bandit? He will either seek help from us or from Yuan Shao. Then we can send troops with a just cause, and Gongsun Zan will not have a reason to declare war."

Xun Yu agreed, "This is the best strategy to deal with any situation."

Cao Cao stroked his beard and thought for a moment, "Alright, let's wait and see... Let's focus on the tax issue first."

The year passed quickly, and in the spring of the third year of Chuping, to the surprise of Cao Cao and Chen Gong, even though Yuan Shao had been retreating and even ceded Bohai to Gongsun Zan to buy time, Gongsun Zan still led his army south to attack Yuzhou. Yuan Shao moved north to resist Gongsun Zan, and Cao Cao responded by sending troops to the border, engaging Liu Bei in several battles in Gaotang.

Soon, news came that Gongsun Zan had been defeated at Jieqiao and retreated to Youzhou. Liu Bei, upon hearing this, quickly sent envoys to seek peace with Cao Cao. Cao Cao did not have the strength to annex Pingyuan, so he reluctantly agreed to Liu Bei's request for peace and withdrew to Dongwuyang, the capital of Dongjun.

In the fourth month of summer, the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou and Taishan suddenly invaded the heartland of Yanzhou, heading straight for Changyi, the capital of Yanzhou. The Inspector of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, ignored the advice of the Riding Captain Bao Xin and hastily sent troops to intercept them, resulting in a major defeat and his death. Chen Gong took this opportunity to go to Changyi and convinced Bao Xin, Wan Qian, and Xu Si to welcome Cao Cao to take control of Yanzhou.

Cao Cao then joined forces with the Governor of Chenliu, Zhang Miao, and personally led 5,000 troops into Changyi. They soon encountered the Yellow Turbans' massive army of a million men in Shouzhang. After a fierce battle, Cao Cao's vanguard was almost completely annihilated, and Bao Xin died in the charge, but the Yellow Turbans' momentum was halted. Cao Cao then employed several ingenious strategies, winning consecutive battles and pushing the Yellow Turbans back to Suixiang in Jibei.

Guan Hai wrote a letter to Cao Cao through a "translator," saying, "When you were the Governor of Jincheng, you destroyed many shrines, which aligns with the teachings of Zhonghuang Taibai. It seems you have the potential to understand the Dao, but now you are confused. The Han dynasty is at its end, and the Yellow Family should rise. This is the will of heaven, not something your abilities can change." The letter suggested that Cao Cao should join the Yellow Turbans and abandon the corrupt Han dynasty.

Cao Cao scoffed at the letter, "Whether the Han dynasty can survive and what the will of heaven is, you know nothing! I will teach you a lesson."

Cao Cao's army, numbering only about 10,000, surrounded the million Yellow Turbans. Most of the Yellow Turbans were old, weak, women, and children, and the few thousand able-bodied men had lost their fighting spirit due to lack of food. They could hold out for a few more days, but any attempt to break through would be fatal.

Cao Cao planned to wait a few more days until the enemy was nearly starved before launching a final attack. At this moment, Xi Xian spoke up, "After defeating the Yellow Turbans, what do you plan to do with them? Do you intend to execute a million people one by one?"

Cao Cao replied, "I have been thinking about this. Even if most of them are old, weak, women, and children, and they are half-starved, they will still fight fiercely. Our losses will be significant—what do you suggest, Zhicai?"

Xi Zhicai said, "Qingzhou and Yanzhou have been ravaged by war, and only a fraction of the population remains. The land is mostly abandoned. Even if we defeat the Yellow Turbans, controlling this desolate land will be difficult. Why not recruit the Yellow Turbans and let them return to their homes to cultivate the land, providing a foundation for your efforts to restore the Han dynasty?"

Cao Cao said, "Wenruo also suggested this in his letter. However, the leaders like Guan Hai are a major threat. We sent people to persuade them to surrender, but they refused to hand over their heads. Who has the eloquence to convince them?"

Just as he was at a loss, a soldier at the gate reported, "Xu Xun from Beihai requests an audience with Lord Cao."

"Is this the Hongfu who single-handedly repelled the Yellow Turbans at Dachang?" Xi Xian was delighted and bowed to Cao Cao, "Congratulations, Lord Cao, the surrender of the million Yellow Turbans depends on this man!"

——————————I am the apologetic dividing line——————————

In the previous text, I mentioned that Wang Zifa was a supervisor under Kong Rong, which was a mistake. The correct title should be "Supervisor of the Postal Office" or "Supervisor of the Postal Department," and "engaged" is a term used for the subordinates of a censor or governor. I will not correct the previous text, but from this chapter onward, I will use "Supervisor of the Postal Department." I deeply apologize to all readers and ask for your understanding. If you wish to criticize me, please do so with your recommendations.

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