Chapter 10

Many of the soldiers in the army were farmers or small craftsmen before they joined. Of course, there were also stonemasons and carpenters among them. It didn't take long for the two guards to find five soldiers who had worked as stonemasons and carpenters for Cao Shuo.

In the tent, the five soldiers stood with their heads bowed and their eyes downcast. Cao Shuo was drawing something on a piece of Cai Hou paper. After finishing, he handed the paper to the soldiers: "Can you make these things?"

One of the guards took the blueprint and passed it to one of the soldiers. The other soldiers all leaned in to take a look. After examining the drawings, the soldier holding the blueprint asked, "Young Master, these things you drew look very strange. What are they for?"

"The one with the large ends and a bar in the middle is called a dumbbell," Cao Shuo explained. "The much larger one is called a barbell. The wooden frame with a single bar is called a horizontal bar, and the one with two bars is called parallel bars."

Never having heard of these things before, the soldiers looked at each other in confusion. "My body is rather weak, and I need to exercise," Cao Shuo said with a slight smile. "These things are for building strength and fitness."

The soldiers in Cao's army would also train when there was no battle. However, no one had ever used such strange equipment. "Make them according to the drawings," Cao Shuo said. "I've marked which parts should be made of stone, which parts should be made of wood, and the required hardness of the wood."

Although they didn't quite understand why Cao Shuo wanted to make these things, the soldiers still responded and left. "You two can also go and rest," Cao Shuo said to the two guards as the soldiers left.

The guards were about to leave the tent when Cao Shuo asked, "Do you two want to follow me, or do you want to return to your previous general?"

At this question, the two guards quickly replied, "We are willing to follow Young Master."

"Following me won't be easy," Cao Shuo said. "Since you've made this decision, go and rest for now. I'll talk to my father and have you stay."

As the guards were about to leave, a sound of footsteps came from outside. The footsteps stopped outside the tent, and Cao Shuo heard someone say, "Young Master, Lord Cao requests your presence."

Having been back in the camp for some time, Cao Cao should have finished discussing military affairs with the generals. Calling him at this time was likely to give him some rewards. "I'll go with you," Cao Shuo said to the person outside the tent.

Stepping out of the tent, he saw an officer waiting outside. Seeing him come out, the officer said, "Lord Cao has sent me to invite Young Master."

Cao Shuo nodded and followed the officer to Cao Cao's tent. Upon reaching the tent, the officer said, "Young Master, please wait a moment. I'll inform Lord Cao."

"Is it Shuo?" Before the officer could report, Cao Cao's voice came from inside the tent. "Yes, Lord Cao, it's Young Master," the officer replied.

"Let him in," Cao Cao said.

The officer responded and then said to Cao Shuo, "Young Master, please come in."

Entering the tent, Cao Shuo found Cao Cao alone inside. Cao Cao, flipping through a book, didn't even look up as he asked, "You have done a great service by saving your father. What reward do you want?"

Cao Shuo bowed and said, "Escorting Father to safety is a son's duty. If Father really wants to reward me, give me a position so I can establish merit for the Cao family!"

Cao Cao, perhaps not expecting such a request, looked up and asked, "Just that?"

"Just that," Cao Shuo said. "Gold and silver are external things. The Cao family's prosperity is what allows me to keep the treasures Father bestows. Beautiful women, though appealing, might be too much for my weak body. Instead of useless things, I'd rather do something within my capabilities, which would also be a good experience for me."

"I underestimated you," Cao Cao said. "Since that's the case, you can be a Zhechong Xiaowei, leading two hundred men. You will follow me in every battle."

"Thank you, Father!" Cao Shuo quickly thanked him and then added, "The two guards who helped me escape from Wancheng also did a lot. I want to keep them by my side."

"That's a small matter, no need to tell me," Cao Cao said. "If you want to keep them, just do so."

"Did you just find some stonemasons and carpenters?" Cao Cao asked next.

"Yes," Cao Shuo replied.

"What for?"

"Since I was weak as a child, during our escape from Wancheng, although I killed a few enemy soldiers, I felt very limited by my physical condition. I want to make some equipment to strengthen my body."

Staring at Cao Shuo for a moment, Cao Cao smiled slightly. "If you weren't my son, I'd suspect you were a different person!"

Cao Shuo didn't respond but was secretly amazed by Cao Cao's keen insight. He was indeed no longer the old Cao Shuo. In this frail body was a former special forces soldier who had achieved many feats and killed many people.

"What are the benefits of these tools?" Cao Cao asked. "There are many ways to strengthen the body. Relying solely on tools may not be very effective. I think you should learn from the generals."

"I will," Cao Shuo replied.

He would certainly seek advice from the generals. After all, the battlefields of this era still used cold weapons, different from the firearms he was used to. Firearms could kill enemies from a distance, but in the age of cold weapons, although there were bows and crossbows, the main method of killing enemies was through close combat. To survive in this era and gain Cao Cao's favor, he needed a strong physique and the ability to skillfully use cold weapons!

Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to speak, a guard's voice came from outside the tent: "Lord Cao, General Sun Guan of Qingzhou requests an audience."

"General Sun must have something important," Cao Shuo said. "I'll take my leave..."

Cao Cao said calmly, "The important matters have already been discussed with the generals. His visit won't be anything particularly significant. Stay here and learn more; it will be beneficial for you when you lead troops in the future."

After Cao Shuo agreed, Cao Cao instructed the guard, "Please bring General Sun into the tent."

The tent flap was lifted, and a tall, muscular general in bronze armor walked in. He had a long scar on the left side of his face, giving him a fierce and bandit-like appearance. Cao Shuo searched his memory but found no information about him. He had never interacted with Sun Guan before coming to this era.

After bowing to Cao Cao, the muscular Sun Guan knelt down and cried, "Please, Lord Cao, seek justice for the wrongfully killed soldiers of Qingzhou!"

Seeing Sun Guan kneel, Cao Cao asked, "General Sun, what are you doing? Get up and speak!"

---

PS: Today, I reviewed "The Book of Simplicity" in "The Complete Guide to Chinese Wisdom" and had many reflections.

"The Three Kingdoms: The Bastard Son of the Yuan Family" was the most exhausting and least popular book I've written. I spent days studying strategy to write it, managing to write only two chapters a day, and even then, it felt like I was dying. The results were mediocre at best.

To write the new book, I took a long break from writing, even spending time in Hainan, sitting by the sea, meditating on how to write the new book and how to make it more appealing to readers.

It wasn't until one day, when I realized that the "Twenty-Four Histories," "A Comprehensive History of China," "China's Five Thousand Years," "The Twenty-Four Histories in Plain Language," "Ancient Wild Histories of China," "Ancient Unofficial Histories of China," "The Emperors of China," "The Empresses of China," and other historical books on my bookshelf could only serve as references for writing history, but I shouldn't get too caught up in them. Only then did I know I could start the new book.

Initially, to write history well and make historical novels more authentic, I spent tens of thousands of yuan to fill my bookshelf with historical books. I never expected that I would dig a hole and bury myself in it.

Trying to write a different kind of history, I dug out controversial content from historical books, only to find that many history enthusiasts would use Google to find materials to criticize me, saying I didn't understand history.

Anyone who knows a bit of history knows that chili peppers came to China during the Ming Dynasty, and iron pots appeared during the Song Dynasty. In novels, if the protagonist doesn't do something different, what would he do after traveling back in time? Sit in a corner and count ants?

I just want to take my writing seriously and treat every reader who likes my novels with respect. When friends introduce me as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Anhui Network Writers Association, I won't feel guilty about an undeserved reputation.

I am a very persistent and perfectionistic person, even with severe OCD.

Every time I finish a book, I think about what was wrong with it and how it could be improved.

When I started writing about the Three Kingdoms, I dug a big hole and jumped into it, filling it with soil. Since I can't get out, I decided to focus on the Three Kingdoms, focus on the struggle for power, and use my understanding and writing style to interpret a different kind of history!