Chapter Eighty-Nine: Taishi Ci (Before Dawn, Requesting Subscriptions)

The army of Cao had withdrawn.

The afternoon had already passed, and a spring breeze drifted along the riverbank.

Zhang Xiu, Jia Xu, and Hu Cheer rode to the front of Gan Ning’s formation.

“General Zhang.”

Gan Ning and Shen Chen came forward to greet them.

Zhang Xiu cupped his hands and said, “Xingba, Ah Chen, my thanks for this battle.”

Even his manner of address had grown much more intimate.

“You honor me, General. Need I speak of the bitter feud between me and Cao Cao? Even if I did not, we are like lips and teeth: when one is lost, the other feels the chill. We would still help one another.”

Shen Chen waved a hand, then turned his gaze to the old man of about fifty beside him and asked, “Could this be Master Wenhe, famed throughout Guanzhong?”

“Famed throughout Guanzhong is too much praise for me. It is young talents like you who truly deserve to be called prodigious,” Jia Xu said, studying Shen Chen in return, his long, narrow eyes narrowing to slits. “Young sir, you seem no more than fourteen or fifteen, yet you have shaken Cao Cao to his foundations. You are indeed a hero of youth.”

In truth, Shen Chen was only eleven this year, and would not turn twelve until October. He had developed early, however, and trained his body diligently, practicing martial arts and archery without slackening, while never neglecting meat, eggs, and milk. Thus he looked to be fourteen or fifteen.

Yet he did not correct Jia Xu. Instead he said solemnly, “Master Wenhe flatters me. I have only done what I could, and resisted Cao Cao with all my strength. That villain slaughtered hundreds of thousands in Xu Province and wiped out more than a hundred of my kin. I cannot share the same sky with him. I believe General Zhang feels the same.”

Jia Xu’s expression twitched slightly.

In truth, he had not been deeply involved in this battle. He had watched from afar the entire time and scarcely spoken a word.

In fact, Cao Cao’s tactics were all clear to him. As a veteran who had spent many years on the battlefield and served long in the Liang cavalry, how could he not know how to command in the midst of battle?

With the prestige he held among the Liang troops, a prestige that even made Duan Wei, that old and trusted subordinate of Dong Zhuo, feel threatened, directing Zhang Xiu’s forces would certainly have posed no problem.

If he had taken command of this battle, then even with too few men to defeat Cao Cao outright, it would have been easy enough to adjust the formation at once and hold out much longer.

Once Gan Ning’s reinforcements arrived, Cao’s army would not have been able to crush Zhang Xiu in a short time. Surrounded on three sides, they might not have been annihilated, but at the very least most of Cao’s troops could have been left on the field.

Even Cao Cao himself might have died amid the chaos.

Yet he had chosen to watch.

The reason was simple.

Jia Xu had never intended to continue serving under Zhang Xiu.

In his bones, he believed that Cao Cao had gained the Son of Heaven and would surely one day hold the north in his grasp.

Thus, in this war, he was the one who most hoped Zhang Xiu would fail.

So long as Zhang Xiu suffered a crushing defeat and came to understand the gulf between himself and Cao Cao, there would be far less resistance when the time came to persuade him to surrender.

Unfortunately, he had never imagined that Shen Chen would emerge in the middle of it all and play such a decisive role.

Although Zhang Xiu had indeed been defeated in this battle, the wound was not crippling. Once Cao’s army withdrew, there was still every chance to recover in the future.

As for Cao’s army—

This battle had been nothing short of disastrous.

Cao Ren’s five thousand men had been wiped out. Half of Le Jin’s soldiers had been slaughtered.

Add to that the forces lost in the battle for Wancheng and the recent clash at Tuanshui, and the total military losses came to nearly thirteen or fourteen thousand.

Then there were the several great commanders who had fallen: Dian Wei, Cao Ren, Le Jin, as well as Cao Cao’s son Cao Ang and his nephew Cao Anmin.

The stark contrast left Jia Xu almost doubting his own judgment.

Could it be that Cao Cao truly was not so formidable after all?

That thought flashed through his mind only briefly, but when his gaze fell on Shen Chen, something in his expression changed.

What a pity.

If this child did not bear a blood feud with Cao Cao, perhaps he could have joined him in serving the court.

For a moment, Jia Xu’s heart was filled with regret.

The others around them, however, did not know what Jia Xu was thinking. Seeing him remain silent, Zhang Xiu’s expression was not especially pleasant either.

Before coming here, Shen Chen had warned him that Jia Xu might very likely give the appearance of effort while withholding real commitment when facing Cao’s army in the future.

This battle had clearly confirmed that Shen Chen’s words were no falsehood.

It also caused Zhang Xiu to doubt even more the matter Shen Chen had once told him—that Jia Xu still wanted to throw in his lot with Cao.

But now was not the time to discuss such things. After thanking Gan Ning and Shen Chen, Zhang Xiu exchanged a few more words concerning a renewed alliance with Liu Biao, then withdrew toward Rang City.

Gan Ning watched the direction in which the Liang cavalry vanished and asked Shen Chen, “Ah Chen, is that the end of it? We don’t seem to have killed Cao Cao after all.”

“Uncle Xingba, be content. We’ve already won a great deal from this battle.”

Shen Chen shook his head. “Governor Liu will not send troops. He does not wish to march north into the Central Plains.”

“Why not?” Gan Ning asked, puzzled. “This is a heaven-sent chance to swallow the lands of the Riverlands.”

“And then have the Son of Heaven sitting over your head?”

Shen Chen shrugged and turned his horse around. “Come on. Governor Liu’s ambitions are not something we can guess.”

Gan Ning scratched his head. Though he had read books and was fairly intelligent, the political subtleties within them were not very clear to him and remained baffling.

Still, Shen Chen was right. Since Cao Cao had come to Nanyang in early February, nearly a month of fighting had passed, and Liu Biao still had shown no movement. It seemed he truly had no intention of exerting himself to the death.

The great army marched south toward Anzhong. Beyond Anzhong, following the Tuanshui River, one could reach Xinye, for Xinye lay at the confluence of the Tuanshui and Yu Rivers and was not far away.

Along the way, Shen Chen pondered the road ahead.

Liu Biao’s refusal to send troops was exactly as he had expected.

At first, Liu Biao had not moved because he knew Zhang Xiu had surrendered, and sending troops into Nanyang would no longer serve any purpose. Better to defend the outer ring around Xiangyang instead.

A few days earlier, Deng Hong had already gone to Xiangyang, and the news must certainly have been reported to Liu Biao. Yet no troops had come even now, proving only one thing: Liu Biao had never intended to destroy Cao Cao at all.

At present, Liu Xie, in the hands of a member of a different surname, was a prize everyone coveted. If Cao Cao obtained him, he could command the feudal lords in the Son of Heaven’s name.

But in the hands of a member of the imperial clan, he was nothing but a hot potato.

If Liu Biao marched north and destroyed Cao Cao, how would he handle Liu Xie once he had him?

He could only bow and scrape as a loyal subject.

For Liu Biao came from the scholar-official faction, and was also of the Liu imperial clan—an upright supporter of the throne.

The loyalist faction in Xuchang was not weak. If Liu Biao destroyed Cao Cao and intervened in that struggle, he would inevitably be swept along by the likes of Yang Biao, Zhao Wen, Zhang Xi, and Fu Wan, all of them loyalists, and made to work for Liu Xie.

Compared with serving the emperor in Xuchang, how much freer would it be to sit in Jing Province as an untouchable overlord above all others?

Besides, Liu Biao himself harbored no clean intentions.

So if one used even a little common sense, it was obvious he would not lift a finger against Cao Cao.

And without Liu Biao’s strength, with Shen Chen’s current power alone, it was impossible to shake Cao Cao’s foundation by marching north.

This time they had defeated Cao’s army because, first, Cao Cao had brought disaster upon himself by insisting on pursuing the Lady Zou.

Second, Shen Chen had the advantage of information.

Remove those two factors, and if they marched straight north to attack Yu Province, the mere presence of Li Tong stationed in Runan would be enough to give them a terrible headache.

Thus Shen Chen could only continue to bide his time, first strengthening himself and waiting patiently for the right moment.

So when would that moment come?

The Battle of Guandu.

Once he had reached that realization, Shen Chen understood that his next step must be to prepare for Guandu.

Upon returning to Huangmen Pavilion, Deng Hong came back on the following day.

He conveyed Liu Biao’s meaning: Gan Ning was to continue defending Huyang and not pursue Cao Cao. Deng Hong also went to Rang City, delivered a batch of grain and supplies to Zhang Xiu, and renewed their alliance.

Thus the situation in Nanyang was settled once more. Zhang Xiu held Rang City, and the surrounding counties that had originally surrendered to Cao Cao now one after another returned to his banner.

His influence gradually spread, encompassing the region around Wancheng, Nieyang, Anzhong, Jiyang, and Yuyang.

Meanwhile, Liu Biao continued to guard his own little patch of earth. In all of Jing Province, apart from Nanyang, there was only the northern defensive belt around Xiangyang, together with Deng County, Fancheng, Caiyang, Huyang, and the surrounding lands north of Xiangyang.

Although Cao Cao had left Nanyang, he left Cao Hong to garrison Ye County, planting a thorn there in Nanyang. Thus the three powers divided Nanyang into its northern, central, and southern regions.

Nanyang returned to calm. However matters stood, life still had to go on. Most common folk would not be swept away by the turbulence of war; they still had to labor as before.

Those who had never lived in ancient times could not know how difficult survival was for people of old.

In later ages there would be fertilizer, high-yield seeds, and mechanized farming, greatly reducing the labor required of farmers, who often busied themselves only during sowing and harvest.

But in ancient times, without modern technology, one depended not only on heaven for a living, but spent most days toiling in the fields: weeding, killing pests, irrigating, digging canals, raising seedlings—there was never a moment’s rest.

And even if one tended millet and wheat seedlings every hour of the day, the yields could never compare with those of later ages. Thus, on average, a person often had to cultivate more than ten mu just to keep body and soul together, the hardship ten times greater than that of farmers in later generations.

Huangmen Pavilion had nearly twenty thousand people. Before the war, most had fled to Huyang to take shelter; after the fighting, they returned here, and by early March the old bustle of life had been restored.

When Shen Chen returned to the clan estate, he immediately began making new plans. Damaged areas from the war were repaired, the bodies of Cao’s soldiers were hauled away to be burned and buried, canals were dug, walls were mended, and the winter wheat left from the previous year was prepared for harvest. Not a moment was wasted.

His time in the clan estate was running short. Once Deng Hong completed Liu Biao’s commission, he would return to Huangmen Pavilion to fetch him. Shen Chen would go back to Xiangshan Academy to continue his studies, while Deng Hong would return to service in the governor’s residence.

Then, on the fourth day of the third month, several horsemen suddenly arrived from the north and found their way to Huangmen Pavilion.

That day happened to be the day Shen Chen had planned to depart south.

Deng Hong had already returned the day before. After packing their belongings, the grandson and grandfather, together with the Cai household and more than a hundred servants and attendants, were once again to set out in grand procession for Xiangyang.

Early that morning, Shen Zhen and his wife, along with Shen Chen’s elder brother and sister-in-law, had prepared a banquet for him, slaughtering chickens and sheep to bid farewell to Deng Hong and Shen Chen.

After lunch, just as they were about to depart, someone came in to report that there was a message from Runan.

“Let them in.”

Shen Chen was in his quarters washing and dressing. Even when going out, people of antiquity took pains with their appearance.

A gentleman was expected to mind his bearing, so one had to wash oneself clean, don fresh clothing, and tie the hair properly before leaving the house.

He was just fastening his hair. At twelve he would not yet come of age, so he simply bound his long locks with cloth and wrapped them with a silk scarf.

He did rather want to cut it short, to shave it into the little crew cut he used to wear in his former life, but unfortunately the ancients held that one’s body, hair, and skin were received from one’s parents.

In those days, cutting one’s hair was a truly dreadful thing, because in the Han dynasty there was a severe punishment called the tonsure penalty, one of the five penal punishments.

The punishment was simple enough: all your hair was cut off, and you were left bald.

Since shaving the head was itself a major punishment, the severity of hair cutting was plain to see.

After straightening his hair, Shen Chen left his room and went to the front hall.

His elder brother Shen Zhong was already receiving the visitors.

The leader of the party was a burly man eight chi tall, with two hand halberds strapped to his back. His arms were extraordinarily long, and his build resembled Zhao Yun’s: broad-shouldered and powerful, with the limbs of an ape.

When he saw Shen Chen emerge, he rose from his seat and asked, “Are you Young Master Shen?”

“‘Young Master’ is a nickname given to me by Lord Liu Bei,” Shen Chen said with a smile. “Indeed I am. May I ask your honored name?”

“My name is Taishi Ci, courtesy name Ziyi. I am an attendant commander under Lord Liu Xuande, and I have come by his order to deliver a letter to you.”

The visitor was none other than Taishi Ci.