022. Life in the world leaves one with no choice
“General, over the past twenty years, did more than thirty million people really die?”
In the military camp, Li Big-Eyed asked.
“Of course it’s true. Precisely because so many have died, I always capture more prisoners and kill less in every battle, hoping to preserve some bloodline for us Han people,” Cao Xin replied solemnly.
“General, your virtue is high. At first, when we captured prisoners to exchange for money, I thought you were greedy. I never expected your intentions to be like this. I deeply admire you!” Li Big-Eyed saluted respectfully.
“General, your virtue is indeed admirable!” Yu Du echoed, bowing his hands.
Cao Xin nodded, about to offer modest words, when someone interjected,
“Not so! Not so!”
Two scholars approached. Zhong Yao, with his three long beards, smiled at him.
“General Six, as an officer of the court, it is your duty to charge ahead and annihilate rebel forces. How can you show leniency and nurture evil? Your mercy, General, is the compassion of women, and I believe it is absolutely inappropriate.”
Cao Xin smiled lightly, clasped his hands toward both men, addressing Zhong Yao as ‘Minister Zhong,’ and Xun You as ‘Brother Gongda.’
“Minister Zhong speaks truly.”
“Eh~” Zhong Yao was momentarily stunned; what kind of response was this? Xun You roared with laughter.
“General Six, you agree with what I said? You also believe you’re unfit to command troops in war? That you’re not a qualified general?” Zhong Yao queried with a stern face.
Cao Xin shook his head slightly. “Minister Zhong’s perspective is well founded, but what I said isn’t wrong either. The world is vast, and generals are countless; some are ruthless and bloodthirsty, some possess women’s compassion. Yet as long as they protect their territory and people, loyal to their duty, they are all qualified generals, with no distinction of superiority or inferiority.”
“Ziyu speaks sense,” Xun You nodded, then winked at Zhong Yao, urging him to rebut—rebut fiercely.
Zhong Yao frowned, stroking his three beards.
“It is said that on the battlefield at Xinye, you captured the subordinate general Deng Xian from Jingzhou, along with over two thousand Jingzhou soldiers, and soon after sold them back to Jingzhou for twelve thousand strings of cash.
Such conduct, General, is like letting a tiger return to the mountain, wasting the lives of your own soldiers. I cannot agree.”
“Minister Zhong, you are mistaken. You have read many books and should know the saying: ‘A bushel taken from the enemy is worth twenty bushels to me.’
I traded Jingzhou soldiers for Jingzhou’s goods and grain, which greatly weakened the enemy’s logistics while strengthening ours.
Moreover, Jingzhou soldiers know I do not kill prisoners; when they face me on the field again, if the battle goes poorly, they will surrender willingly, surrendering out of habit.
As for the subordinate general Deng Xian, if I can capture him once, I can capture him twice. If I kill him, Jingzhou might send someone even more formidable, and wouldn’t that trouble me more?”
Cao Xin spread his hands.
“Send someone more formidable... pfft!” Xun You clutched his waist, laughing heartily.
Zhong Yao scowled, shooting Xun You a glare. This man’s tongue is relentless, yet claims to dislike empty talk.
“General Six, how can you—”
“Minister Zhong!”
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Seeing Zhong Yao was about to retort, Cao Xin clasped his hands and said,
“Minister Zhong’s words are not without reason. As the old saying goes: ‘Mercy does not command troops, righteousness does not manage wealth, sentiment does not establish affairs, kindness does not govern.’
Minister Zhong is clearly a benevolent man, not suited to officialdom, just as my excessive compassion makes me unfit to be a general.
But these are chaotic times. When Heaven entrusts great responsibilities to someone, even if we do not wish it, we must step forward and do what we can. Such is life in the world; one is often compelled by circumstance.”
Cao Xin clasped his hands again to the two stupefied men, then quickly departed with Li Big-Eyed and Yu Du.
For a long moment, Zhong Yao gradually came to his senses.
“‘Mercy does not command troops, righteousness does not manage wealth, sentiment does not establish affairs, kindness does not govern.’ At first glance these four phrases seem lacking, but upon careful reflection, each is apt, piercing human nature. But is this really an old saying? I’ve never heard it; Gongda, have you? Gongda, what are you doing?”
Zhong Yao frowned at his friend, only to see Xun You, Xun Gongda, dip a brush in ink with his tongue and write eight characters inside his robe: ‘In the world, one is compelled by circumstance.’
“This saying suits me perfectly. I once wished only to retire to Shu and live quietly, away from worldly affairs, but my fourth uncle insisted I enter service, forcing me into things I dislike. Sigh~ Next time we gather, I’ll stand atop the Misty Rain Pavilion, gaze at the deep night outside the window, and gently sigh: ‘In the world, one is compelled by circumstance.’ This phrase will surely astonish all.”
Xun You praised.
Zhong Yao’s chin trembled; he gazed up at the sky and let out a long sigh.
Years ago in Chang’an, serving the Emperor Liu Xie, he dealt daily with the brutal bandits Li Jue, Guo Si, and Zhang Ji. During that time, his heart was constantly uneasy, always longing to escape Chang’an for a place of goodness.
Last year, at last, he escaped to Yingchuan, to Xuchang, and met Xun You, Xun Yu, Guo Jia—men of talent and pride. He was overjoyed, believing he’d found his proper company.
But less than a year later, he realized he was utterly mistaken. Under Prime Minister Cao, whether strategist or general, none were truly good men.
Xun Yu was stubborn and conservative; Cheng Yu was harsh and arrogant; Guo Jia was sly and lazy; Cao Hong was brash and domineering; Xiahou Yuan was the ‘White Land General’; Xiahou Dun was violent and reckless.
Then there was the old, irreverent Xun Gongda, the extravagant and debauched Cao Ziyu, and the notorious Cao Mengde, who enjoyed slaughtering cities, digging graves, killing friends, and indulging in lust.
From top to bottom, this group was riddled with issues, yet he could not but associate with them.
Sometimes, Zhong Yao truly felt his prospects were bleak.
“Yuan Chang, come, let’s drink flower wine. There are new songstresses at the Good Companions Pavilion,” Xun You said, putting away his brush.
“I won’t go, don’t drag me!” Zhong Yao protested, but reluctantly left the training ground.
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“General, you are truly formidable—even Minister Zhong, so eloquent and skilled in debate, was left speechless by you,” Li Big-Eyed exclaimed at the riding arena.
Cao Xin shook his head, unimpressed. “We are warriors; what is the use of clever words? True strength lies in defeating the enemy. How many recruits did the Langya Riders get?”
“Only eighty-two. At first, Prime Minister Cao said we could pick freely from the army, but when we started selecting, Generals Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, and Yu Jin wouldn’t allow it. They said the Prime Minister wanted to form his own armored cavalry, so the men were needed for a new cavalry camp, not for us.
We ended up selecting eighty-two qualified men from the manor guards, and with the old riders, barely have two hundred.”
Li Big-Eyed shrugged.
Cao Xin frowned slightly. After witnessing the valor of the Langya Riders, Cao Cao and the generals all hoped to train their own armored cavalry.
They believed that if Cao Ziyu could defeat Zhang Xiu’s five thousand elite Xiliang troops with just a hundred cavalry, they could also achieve one hundred against five thousand—or even ten thousand—if they had armored riders.
Regarding such ambitions, Cao Xin was noncommittal.
To build armored cavalry, one needs money, refined steel, and northern warhorses.
Of these, refined steel is most crucial, and it cannot simply be bought with money.
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By the late Han, horse equipment included saddles—Cao Cao’s guards often held saddles to shield him from arrows—and stirrups, mostly made of leather straps, wood, or bone, which were not sturdy and could break after a few uses, making them unreliable in the heat of battle.
But the iron stirrups used by the Langya Riders were forged in blast furnaces with coal, producing refined steel more durable than the iron commonly used.
The horseshoes for warhorses were similar. Some tried to use wrought copper to make shoes to lessen hoof wear, but thick copper shoes were too heavy, thin ones not durable; after a few dozen miles they would crumble, and their cost exceeded that of the horse.
Refined steel was best for forging them.
Yet forging a piece of refined steel consumed many materials and came at a high price.
Only senior officers were entitled to use refined steel for their weapons—like his heavy iron spear, Guan Yu’s Crescent Blade, Sun Jian’s ancient broadsword. Using refined steel for stirrups and saddles was not cost-effective.
Cao Xin had calculated: a superior northern warhorse for the Langya Riders cost about one hundred strings of cash; armor and barding about five hundred; saddle, stirrups, horseshoes another five hundred; a trained rider about five hundred; the cavalryman’s armor and weapons around one thousand.
Each Langya cavalryman was worth about two thousand five hundred strings. One hundred Langya Riders meant two hundred fifty thousand.
This was after improving the process and cutting costs; others would spend even more on equipment.
If Prime Minister Cao and Cao Hong intended to build armored cavalry, in time they would discover the inferior quality of pig iron, and then he could seize the opportunity to sell some refined steel and make a handsome profit.
“Big-Eyed, speed up the new recruits’ training, let them adapt sooner to the horses and armor. Old Yu’s infantry as well—we’ll soon face a tough battle.”
“General, who are we fighting?” Li Big-Eyed and Yu Du asked, excited.
“What are you so cheerful about?”
Cao Xin explained that Yuan Shu had claimed emperorship, Prime Minister Cao was preparing for a southern campaign, and Liu Biao might send troops to Wancheng.
“Big-Eyed, after the wedding, you, Old Yu, and Bai Feng’er take the new recruits back to Wancheng to garrison, ready for the coming war. This battle, we must win.”
“Yes, General!”
The two thumped their chests in salute, then strode toward the training field to continue guiding the recruits.
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Li Big-Eyed and Weaver Girl’s wedding soon arrived.
Cao Xin brought Jade Lady, Beauty Lady, and the Langya officers to offer their congratulations.
The new bride Liu Weaver Girl was born a farmer but virtuous, diligent, and said to be descended from a Han prince, making her more than a match for the bandit Li Big-Eyed.
Not long after Li Big-Eyed’s marriage, Prime Minister Cao issued an edict sternly condemning Yuan Gonglu’s shamelessness, calling upon all lords to unite against him. He also, in the name of the court, appointed Sun Ce as the Bright Han General and Administrator of Kuaiji, inheriting Sun Jian’s title of Marquis of Wucheng.
Sun Ce then broke away from Yuan Shu in Jiangdong, costing Yuan Shu vast territories east of the Yangtze.
Immediately, Cao Cao appointed Lü Bu as General of the Left.
Lü Bu, delighted, was persuaded by Chen Deng to abandon alliance and marriage ties with Yuan Shu, sent Yuan Shu’s envoy Han Yin to Xuchang for execution, and pillaged Huai Bei.
Yuan Shu, enraged, dispatched Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui to attack Lü Bu and was defeated. He then personally led troops against Chen State in Yuzhou, luring and killing Prince Liu Chong and Minister Luo Jun.
Cao Cao issued an edict publicly denouncing Yuan Shu, listing twelve crimes, and declared war against him.
As the drums of war drew nearer, Li Big-Eyed, Yu Du, and Bai Feng led their troops back to garrison at Wancheng.
Cao Xin stayed on a few more days, watching for Cao Cao’s arrangements to coordinate, or perhaps to launch a raid in Yangzhou and seize more wealth and lean horses.
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