Chapter 503: Truly Brave and Also Martial

On the fourth day of the tenth month, when the seven heads of Sun Ce, Cao Hong, Yue Jin, Li Jin, Gao Gan, Zhang Chao, and Dong Xi were delivered by swift horse to the Guandu front line, fierce battle was raging there.

This was only natural — five days earlier, the battle at Wuchao had, as a matter of course, brought a certain hope of ending this war to the Guandu battlefield. Thus, starting the day before, after a brief rest and reorganization, the Yan army had been launching continuous fierce assaults, attempting to bring this battle to a close.

Correspondingly, the Central Plains coalition forces had clearly lost their former ability to hold their ground; both army morale and the number of troops still fit for use had fallen to a certain degree.

In response, Gongsun Xun adopted an extremely demoralizing strategy to support the frontal battlefield — every time the front line shifted, no matter who advanced or retreated, the Yan army would invariably deliver a gift to the southern army.

In a mere two days, the southern army had already received six such grand gifts: Huang Gai, so gravely wounded he lay unconscious and could basically only await death; the head of Xu Sheng; the coffin of Zhou Tai, cleaned and with his head sewn back on; the command banner of Chen Wu; the command banner of Mao Jie... and the sixth was none other than Du Xi, Du Zixu of Yingchuan, Cao Cao's trusted favorite general, who had fled into Wuchao and then chosen to surrender — delivered in person!

Heaven knows what Cao Mengde felt upon receiving these prisoners, command banners, and corpses, but the man had not appeared at the front to boost morale for a long time; only when receiving envoys did he rouse himself slightly to show his face and make a response.

In fact, the only successful counterattack the Cao army managed during those six advances and retreats was accomplished through the desperate valor of Cao Ren... Just the day before, on the third day of the tenth month, during the daytime, the southern army had lost three defensive lines in succession. At dusk, Cao Zixiao retreated back to camp in disarray, only to discover that a unit of several hundred soldiers had not received the retreat order in time and was trapped as a whole battalion on the front line.

Out of shame and fury, Cao Ren personally led several hundred of his own personal guards in a night raid to rescue them. The entire army was stirred, and troops voluntarily followed in droves, so much so that the southern army not only succeeded in rescuing the trapped unit but also caught the Yan army off guard, directly retaking a defensive line.

However, such courage under extreme conditions was destined not to last. The next day, on the fourth day of the tenth month, Cheng Pu steadily and methodically mobilized troops, including dismounted Yan cavalry, and with absolutely superior numbers, sent them forward in rotation. Before the afternoon was even half over, the Cao army had lost two more lateral defensive lines, leaving their main camp directly exposed.

And at this moment, Cao Mengde still did not show his face.

Thereupon, Gongsun Xun sent over six of the seven heads in one breath, along with Huang Zhong's command banner, all delivered at once.

Yet, unexpectedly, within the nearly empty main camp of the Cao army, the several men in charge of the southern army at Guandu — namely Cao Cao, Cao Ren, and Liu Ye — all still managed to maintain their composure and a certain outward calm and dignity, which was somewhat admirable.

"Lord Cao!"

Watching as the men in the tent fixed their gazes upon those six heads, each in a different state, Sima Yi, who was not even an envoy but merely the one delivering the heads, steeled himself and explained, "My Lord Yan instructed me to convey the following: your son-in-law Sun Bofu was brought to justice while fleeing alone through the mud and marshes of Huangze, hence the considerable mud and filth; General Yue died together with our army's Commandant Guo of Pingyuan atop the city wall, knocking over a brazier before he died, hence the scorching by fire; as for the Kuaiji Commandant Dong Xi, he was trampled to death by the armored cavalry of Yexia, hence his wretched appearance; and Li Tuizhi — my Lord Yan said that although the man is foolish, he was, after all, his former general, and he will deal with him himself... In summary, our army did not deliberately desecrate or conceal the corpses. I beg Lord Cao's clear discernment."

"I understand," Cao Cao, seated at the head, withdrew his gaze from the six heads, his tone calm. "The envoy has toiled. Convey my thanks to Lord Yan."

"In addition," the more composed Cao Mengde was, the more cautious Sima Yi became, "your son, Young Master Cao Ang, was sent back by your son-in-law before crossing the river and should have been delivered overnight to Xiahou, the Regional Commander. Although our army breached the three cities of Puyang, Lihu, and Juanyang the day before yesterday, we did not capture Young Master Cao... My Lord Yan said, please do not be overly anxious, Lord Cao, and set your mind at ease."

"I understand," Cao Cao sighed slightly, but still gave the same reply.

"Also..." Sima Yi's heart was uneasy as he continued, head bowed, "My Lord Yan also bade me tell you, Lord Cao... that the battle of the Puyang raid on Yexia was not because he detected it by luck. On the contrary, it was because you, Lord Cao, harbored a hope of luck, while he, as it happened, had no need to rely on luck. Returning to the root of the matter, the Yingzhou and Liaodong troops were always merely an embellishment; sending them to Xuzhou a few days earlier or a few days later would have made no difference. But at that time, Lord Cao could no longer afford to wait — it would have been better to guard against Puyang! The general trend is set, the strong and the weak are clearly divided, so I beg Lord Cao not to be resentful."

"I understand, and I bear no resentment," Cao Cao laughed in spite of himself, then turned the conversation. "Your words are well-chosen, sir. May I be so bold as to ask your name and origin?"

"Sima Yi of Wen County in Henei, courtesy name Zhongda. A mere soldier before the lines, unworthy of Lord Cao's inquiry." Sima Yi remained cautious.

"How could I not know of Sima Zhongda?" Cao Cao suddenly realized. "A talented scholar of the Yexia Academy, renowned throughout Hebei, and the descendant of an old friend... To think, when I first entered officialdom as the Northern District Commandant of Luoyang, it was your esteemed father who recommended me. Is your esteemed father still in good health, and where does he serve now?"

"My father is in good health. Since the chaos of Dong Zhuo, he has been living at home in leisure, farming, and incidentally educating my younger brothers. He has not taken office."

"That is natural, and a good thing," Cao Cao sighed with emotion, his tone taking on the air of a private conversation between an elder and a junior. "Your esteemed father is, after all, an old minister of the Han and a man of integrity. It is right that he does not serve. But this action will inevitably implicate you brothers... I do not mean right now. At your age, whatever you do now is of no consequence; instead, it shows your Lord Yan's attentive cultivation. I mean the great prospects of the future. If you, Zhongda, seek a grand career in the future, your family background may instead become somewhat of a hindrance."

Sima Yi looked up blankly, momentarily unsure how to respond.

"It is like this," Cao Cao, seeing his expression, laughed again, appearing increasingly amiable. "Although your Sima clan has old ties with Gongsun Wenqi, firstly, you are, after all, Han ministers of several generations; secondly, you are, after all, an established century-old aristocratic clan... The former needs no elaboration, but the latter is precisely what Gongsun Wenqi is most wary of. You must understand that between Han and Yan, the difference is not merely one of family name, but a fundamental difference in systems. The former, though it has always suppressed powerful magnates and restrained the aristocracy, ultimately cannot fundamentally escape either, so the aristocracy and magnates are, in the end, the foundation of the Han state. As for Gongsun Wenqi, and even I, Cao Cao, and Liu Xuande — the reason we raised armies to this point was originally because, in our youth, we saw to some extent the decline of the Han and felt in our hearts that the magnates and aristocracy were no longer sufficient to support the realm. Thus, we intended to sweep them clean and establish a new system..."

Sima Zhongda's heart stirred, but his face grew increasingly blank.

"Still don't understand?" Cao Cao grew more earnest and natural as well, but in the cold and empty central army tent, with six heads still lying between the two men, such earnestness could not help but make one's heart quail. "To be honest, when it comes to understanding Gongsun Wenqi's mind, Liu Xuande may act closer to Gongsun Wenqi in conduct, but that is merely from daily immersion and natural habit. When it comes to grand strategies of governance, however, it is I who understand your Lord Yan a bit more. And since you happen to be the descendant of an old friend, I will speak a few frank words. Listen for a moment..."

"This junior would not dare." Sima Yi immediately prostrated himself.

And Cao Cao paid no heed, but pointed out on his own: "Suppose I were in your Lord Yan's position. Then even if you, Sima Zhongda, had outstanding talent, a clear record, and in the future your merits and seniority all fell into place naturally, yet based solely on your Sima clan's family status, I would absolutely never let someone like you become Prime Minister! Even more harshly, I would not even give you the positions of Left or Right Chancellor. At the very most, one of the lower Four Chancellors, and that's it. And when I died, I would even leave a testament to my son, telling him not to use you either! Why so? Because the future realm of Great Yan must guard precisely against century-old aristocratic clans like yours! In fact, looking back now, when Gongsun Wenqi first began gathering talent, he naturally had considerations in this regard from the very start. This is where I fell short of him. Of course, it is also possible that at that time, he was indeed looked down upon by the sons of aristocratic families..."

Hearing this, Sima Yi, who had still been somewhat on guard, kept his face impassive, but inwardly he was finally shaken to the core. He too recalled the origins of the current several Chancellors... Although there had been much discussion in Yexia before, and some debate precisely because of these seven men's backgrounds, considering their undisputed seniority and merits, the matter had not been elaborated upon too much.

But now, thinking in reverse with Cao Cao's reminder, Sima Zhongda felt as if clouds had parted and he saw the truth — indeed, the ministerial ranks of Lu, Lou, Han, and Wang, those original followers, were of course a matter of course; one could not doubt them simply because of their origins. But why was it that Lord Yan's earliest original followers were all of that status?

Did this not precisely illustrate the point?

As for the claim that the sons of aristocratic families looked down on him, Sima Yi instead found it absurd.

In summary, with this thought, Sima Yi's heart was nearly shaken.

"You need not overthink it," Cao Cao, whether or not he saw that the other had been swayed, smiled again. "It is but a single layer of one's background. If you can render exceptional service like Shen Zhengnan, I imagine that with Gongsun Wenqi's magnanimity, he would also regard you with special favor... In the end, it still comes down to merit and personal virtue and talent."

Sima Yi hastily prostrated himself again, professing to have received instruction.

"I am weary. Go back now, and convey my regards to your Lord Yan and your esteemed father." Seeing this, Cao Mengde said no more, but waved his hand in dismissal.

Sima Zhongda dared not linger, and hastily took his leave, then returned to the Yan army's main camp with a heart full of troubled thoughts.

However, no sooner had Sima Yi left than Cao Mengde, who had just moments ago been so genial, was suddenly overcome with grief, covering his face with his hand... To put it plainly, Cao Mengde's performance just now was the true loss of composure. Faced with the total failure of the decisive battle, he had already been forced to use such idle words and topics to mask his emotions and send the envoy away.

Because, just then, he truly did not know how to respond to the heads before him and Gongsun Xun's intimidation!

The tent was silent for a long while. Finally, Cao Ren, covered in dust and bloodstains, hand on his sword, broke the silence: "This battle is lost. Our army has no further chance of victory. Elder brother, leave quickly! If you don't leave now, it will be too late."

"Go where?" Cao Cao looked up, dazed.

"Just as Xun Wenruo said — take our remaining men, protect the Son of Heaven, and go to Huainan or Jingzhou... or even Jiangnan." Cao Ren glanced at Liu Ye beside him, without any scruple. "At this point, what else can we do but this? Can we possibly surrender?"

Hearing these words, Cao Mengde almost instinctively looked again at those heads.

The one covered in mud was his son-in-law and adopted son; the one scorched beyond recognition by fire was his foremost general of a different surname, his trusted confidant since his days as a county magistrate; beyond these, even Cao Hong, Cao Zilian, who within the clan was most at odds with him, had calmly committed suicide, his head appearing here; and Li Tuizhi, who clearly could have surrendered, yet still upheld his fealty to him... Adding to these the earlier Xiahou Yuan, Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, Xu Chu, Wang Bi, Mao Jie — life after life was here. As Cao Ren said, how could he, Cao Mengde, possibly surrender?

At this point, only flight or death remained!

Of course, with the bearing of a hero, death was something to be avoided unless absolutely necessary, for no one knew what the future might hold, and no one could guarantee there would not be a sliver of hope... Gongsun Xun had not let his advantage go to his head this time, but what about next time?

This time, because of the Son of Heaven's youthful impulsiveness, they had lost the hearts of the Han old ministers. Next time, when the House of Han truly reached the brink of extinction, perhaps the people's hearts would rally again?

Not to mention, the more people died, the more the living should cherish themselves...

It was not that he could not die!

When the moment of absolute necessity came, Cao Mengde would certainly face death calmly, but he could not be intimidated to death by Gongsun Xun using such a crude charade!

That was not him, Cao Cao!

"If I leave, what of you and Yuanrang?" After pondering briefly, Cao Cao gritted his teeth and made up his mind. At this point, there was indeed no need to hold on stubbornly.

"Elder brother Yuanrang and Zixiu must retreat immediately!" Cao Ren answered seriously. "Puyang, Lihu, and Juanyang are all lost. The Yingzhou and Liaodong troops massed at Neihuang will surely march south along this corridor at once. If they don't leave now, they will only be surrounded in vain, utterly useless to the situation. But here at Guandu, I must stay behind specifically to hold out for a time... Because if we are to flee south and live under another's roof, our sole foundation for a foothold lies with the Son of Heaven. If Guandu is left empty, I fear you won't even make it to Wancheng before the pursuing cavalry catches up."

This was a very rational answer. Cao Cao could only nod slightly, then immediately looked at Liu Ye, who had not uttered a word.

Liu Ziyang understood at once: "Lord Cao, set your mind at ease. We are, after all, as lips and teeth. I will naturally remain here to continue assisting General Zixiao. The few auxiliary troops in camp will also not be withdrawn further. But Lu Zijing's force is one of the few troops under my lord Liu Yuzhou; they must withdraw to Pengcheng immediately. Even here at Guandu, I still wish to bring back as many men as possible, so I beg Lord Cao not to hesitate — go quickly and take custody of the Son of Heaven..."

"That is only natural," Cao Cao sighed. "But once I leave, how many days can you hold out?"

"Three or four days, perhaps?" Liu Ye glanced at Cao Ren, who remained silent, and spoke earnestly. "At most three or four days, and Guandu will be untenable. General Zixiao and I should then turn back and follow Lord Cao..."

"At that time, I would like to ask you, sir, to cover the rear," Cao Cao, having also glanced at Cao Ren upon hearing this, then said something quite unusual to Liu Ye. "Our Cao and Xiahou clans are nearly one body. In the current situation, Zixiao has absolutely no reason to surrender. When the time comes and he is trapped, death is his only path. But you, sir, can surrender with your troops. For your lord Liu Yuzhou still has the two commanderies south of the river... perhaps four commanderies, enough to gain a foothold, and can still speak with Gongsun Wenqi."

Liu Ziyang fell silent for a moment, but in the end, nodded slightly and reluctantly agreed.

"Zixiao." Cao Cao fixed his gaze once more on Cao Ren, who had remained silent, and spoke with earnest gravity. "Your brother knows you carry a stifled anger in your heart. Even before the battle began, when Gongsun Wenqi treated you as merely a single horse, you already felt aggrieved. And after Miaocai and Zihe departed, you became even more resolved to fight to the death, preferring to perish if only to make Gongsun Wenqi pay a price... But have you considered this? Since Zihe, Miaocai, and Zilian are all gone, if you go as well, it may grant you a moment's satisfaction, but how am I to bear it then? The departed have left; how can the living endure it? Promise your brother that you will not throw your life away unless there is absolutely no other choice!"

Cao Ren's expression finally shifted. His eyes reddened, yet he gritted his teeth, forced a nod, and gave his word.

"I will depart tonight at the second watch. After I leave, have men collect Zilian's head and the others' and send them to Pei for burial... Have someone bring in some lime. Do not disturb me before then." Seeing Cao Ren nod, Cao Cao, relieved, waved his hand once more, and there was truly nothing left to say.

Cao Ren and Liu Ye understood that Cao Cao intended to personally clean the faces of Cao Hong, Yue Jin, Sun Ce, and the others, then preserve them with lime. So neither spoke; they could only bow with clasped hands and take their leave.

And so it went until the second watch that evening. Cao Cao, knowing full well that this battle held no further chance of reversal — or rather, that the fate of the Central Plains was already decided — watched as his few remaining personal guards escorted the heads of Cao Hong and the others southeast toward Pei for burial. Then, leading only three or four thousand old and broken troops, he departed the camp, heading southwest toward Yingchuan and Nanyang.

Yet he had gone no more than three or four li from camp, and Cao Ren had barely turned back from seeing him off, when suddenly the Guandu main camp behind them erupted in clamor, flames blazing against the sky!

It was only the second watch, yet such a massive night raid had already been launched. Clearly, Gongsun Xun had calculated that Cao Cao's spirit was broken, and so without a moment's pause, he struck under cover of night to seize the camp!

Cao Mengde turned his head to gaze at the flames behind him. For a moment, he was speechless. Just as he prepared to give the order to turn back and render aid, he suddenly froze on horseback, unable to make a sound... It turned out that as the fires blazed in the north, Cao Cao abruptly recognized that a white-haired old soldier beside him, his face full of terror, bore a striking resemblance to the grain-hauling laborer who had popped blisters for his grandson that day. He could not tell if it was the same man.

Reckoning it up, it must have been twenty days ago by now?

After a brief moment, Cao Cao let out a sigh, turned his horse southward, and did not look back again.

————I am the dividing line of not looking back again————

"...Sima Yi, barely having come of age, returned from Cao's camp and hastened to pay audience to the Grand Ancestor. He reported fully that Cao's spirit was broken and his troops had lost their nerve, and that they could be struck by night. The crowd all doubted. The Grand Ancestor also hesitated slightly: 'How does a youth know this?' Yi replied: 'Your Highness, in your benevolence, over two days and nights you returned to the enemy seven great generals' heads and banners in total. According to what your servant has heard, for the first six times, Cao received each head with mourning and did not question the envoys. When your servant went this time, Cao did not look at the heads, but only asked your servant's background and instructed your servant on how to enter official service. From this, one can tell his heart and strength are already spent!' The Grand Ancestor laughed and accepted this, then promoted Yi to Qu Army Marquis, and thereafter launched night raids on Cao's camp without cease." — New Book of Yan, Volume 76, Biography 26

PS: Thanks to the 122nd adorable LEONYU, and also thanks to Benchu, who recorded a blessing video in Antarctica... Thank you all for your care and affection.

Also, happy day after Mid-Autumn!

(End of Chapter)