Jia Xu’s Stratagem

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Hahahaha! Before even entering the front hall of the Cao family residence, Cao Cao could already hear waves of cheerful laughter and animated chatter from within—he didn’t need to look to know the place was bustling. Once inside, he saw that the entire family, elders and children alike, were gathered together, talking and laughing. What surprised him most was that seated at the center of the crowd was neither Old Master Cao nor his second brother Cao Bin, though both were present. Instead, it was Gan Yuniang, the wife of his sixth brother, who occupied the seat of honor in the midst of the family.

Cao Cao frowned slightly. The whole family was here, even the patriarch, yet they allowed a woman of another surname to sit at the center—truly, the household was growing ever more lax in its customs.

“Father!”
“Uncle!”
“Master!”
“Uncle!”

His appearance prompted greetings from all around. Cao De, the fifth brother, rose to offer his seat, but Cao Cao waved it away, indicating he did not wish to sit.

“What is everyone chatting about that has you all so merry?” Cao Cao asked in a calm tone.

“Father, little aunt is expecting a baby,” piped up Cao Jie, sitting beside Gan Yuniang.

“Haha, Yuniang is pregnant! This is a grand blessing for our family!”

“Indeed! Xiao Liu and Yuniang have been married two years, and still no news—at last, we can stop worrying.”

“When Yuniang’s child is born, our home will be even livelier,” chimed in Lady Ding and several of the sisters-in-law, their voices full of excitement.

“Sixth brother’s wife is expecting?” Cao Cao looked at Gan Yuniang, then at Cao Ziyu beside her. Not long ago, the entire family had been urging Cao Xiaoliu to have children, but he always demurred, saying there was no hurry. Recently, he’d said that without a child, he couldn’t lead soldiers to war—now, less than two months later, she was with child? Such efficiency!

“Is this true? Has the imperial physician confirmed it?”

“Ah Man! Must you always be so suspicious? The imperial physician just took her pulse—how could it be false?” Old Master Cao reproached him.

Cao Cao’s face darkened—couldn’t he even ask a question?

“Enough, enough, let’s eat!” Lady Ding laughed, smoothing things over.

Everyone rose to head for the feast.

“Elder brother, come, let’s eat,” Cao Xin said with a smile.

“Hmph, even though your wife is with child, you must still go to Huainan. They need you there.”

“I know! Did I ever say I wouldn’t go? Brother, do you never tire of letting your imagination run wild?” Cao Xin laughed, wrapped an arm around Yuniang, and led her away.

“Scoundrel!”

—

After the New Year, the weather in Xuchang gradually warmed. Cao Xin set out southward with the Langya Army, traveling from Xuchang through Chen and Runan, and onward to the Huainan Commandery. It was early spring; the ice on the rivers was melting, all things awakening—a season alive with promise.

From the north bank of the Huai to the south bank, they passed many busy in the fields—farmers sowing and tilling, praying for favorable weather and a good harvest, and hoping for less war.

“General, look! An eagle is catching a rabbit!” Feng Juanniang, wrapped in a white fox fur cloak, pressed against the carriage window, pointing to a distant stretch of wilderness where a black eagle clutched a small white rabbit, flying off into the sky.

Cao Xin glanced over—it was the black eagle from the scout camp, trained for reconnaissance, sometimes sent hunting to hone its skills.

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“Be careful, it’s still a bit cold outside,” Cao Xin said, taking her small hand to warm it. “Juanniang, do you miss home?”

“I do!” Feng Juanniang nodded, her eyes bright and dewy. “I miss Sister Yu, and Sister Li too. General, when will we return to Xuchang?”

“I meant your family in Huainan.”

“Oh, I don’t! The General’s mansion is my home now. There’s you, Sister Yu, Sister Li, and we can play leaf cards—everything is here. Home is so much fun.”

“Haha, when the weather’s warmer in a few months, we’ll return to Xuchang together.”

“Yes, General!” Juanniang burrowed into his arms, playfully coquettish.

The convoy traveled for five days. Crossing the Huai River at Qiyang, they entered the county of Shouchun.

Rumble—
Not long after passing the boundary marker of Shouchun, the distant thunder of hooves rolled toward them.

Cao Xin, astride his black steed, looked up to see a contingent of two to three hundred cavalry racing toward them, clad in black leather armor, a banner bearing the name “Xiahou” held high among them.

“General, it’s General Xiahou here to greet you,” Pei Yuanshao reported, riding up.

“They’ve come all this way to welcome me? How courteous!” Cao Xin laughed heartily, riding forward with his chief secretary Jia Xu, staff officer Liao Hua, and commander Pei Yuanshao.

“Ziyu, you’ve finally arrived!” Xiahou Dun, wearing a black eye patch and riding a sandy yellow horse, a broadsword strapped to his back, charged up to him.

“Yuanrang, what’s got you so anxious?” Cao Xin asked.

“Ziyu, there’s just too much going on—it’s all chaos. Look, my hair is turning white from worry.” Xiahou Dun sighed.

Since capturing Shouchun, Yuan Shu’s men had not given up; they were always plotting to retake Huainan and Lujiang. When Cao Cao and Cao Xin were present, Yuan Shu’s forces dared not act. But as soon as they left, Yuan Shu sent his generals to stir up trouble—raiding Hefei one moment, assaulting Juchao the next, then Chende. Local bandits also seized the opportunity to sack county seats, while Qiao Rui, governor of Lujiang, reclaimed three of Lujiang’s original counties.

Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin led their troops in a constant battle to put out fires. Over two or three months, they fought dozens of skirmishes—winning most—but out of more than ten thousand men, over three thousand had been lost, leaving just sixty-five hundred. Chen Lan, a surrendered general, lost nearly two thousand men as well.

With such heavy losses, Xiahou Dun and Chen Lan could barely maintain the façade of peace in Huainan, lacking the strength to eradicate Yuan Shu’s forces and bandits at the root. There was another grave issue—the hearts of the people.

“Damn it all, who knows what Yuan Shu has promised these people? The great families of Huainan would rather support that fool than us. No new recruits, no supplies—yet they secretly send food to Yuan Shu’s army. Traitors, the lot of them! Once, in a fit of anger, I arrested and executed a number of them and confiscated their property. But even then, they dared to revolt, conspiring with Yuan Shu’s outside forces to seize the city. If not for Yu Jin’s timely rescue, Shouchun might have been lost because of me.”

That diversion allowed Qiao Rui to take advantage of Yu Jin’s absence, seizing three of Lujiang’s eight counties—a loss almost as grave as losing Shouchun itself.

“Yuanrang, how many wealthy households did you confiscate in Shouchun?”

“Not that many, just a hundred and twenty or so. I’d have liked to confiscate more—best to take them all—but old Yang Hong wouldn’t allow it. Ziyu, I suspect Yang Hong is colluding with Yuan Shu. And Chen Lan, too—he often shirks his duties. None of the surrendered officials and generals can be trusted. Ziyu, be careful once you’re in Shouchun—don’t let them take advantage of you.”

Xiahou Dun’s face was grave.

Cao Xin nodded and asked for more details. According to Xiahou Dun, the situation in Shouchun was like a house ablaze on all sides, needing a torrential downpour to quench the flames, but all he had were a few buckets of water.

The day after Cao Xin and the Langya Army arrived in Shouchun, Xiahou Dun led five thousand troops back to Xuchang.

Next, the Chancellor Cao was preparing to campaign against Lü Bu, but after two disastrous defeats at Wancheng and Huainan, the Cao army was severely depleted. At the start of the year, Cao Cao had conscripted twenty thousand in Yuzhou and Yanzhou, but with only twenty thousand fresh recruits, it was unlikely they could defeat Lü Bu.

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Thus, Cao Cao was forced to draw two thousand elite soldiers from Li Tong in Nanyang, and summon Xiahou Dun back to Xuchang. Adding in the battered remnants, he barely scraped together thirty thousand men. With these and Liu Bei’s allied forces, whether Cao Cao could achieve the victory he once did over Lü Bu, Cao Xin could not say.

For now, his greater concern was how to pacify the unrest in Huainan without delaying the spring planting.

“Master Wenhe, you know the situation in Huainan—do you have any brilliant strategies to resolve our troubles?” On the walls of Shouchun, gazing out over the bustling streets, Cao Xin posed his question.

Shouchun had once been the administrative seat of Yang Province, with more than twenty thousand households. After Yuan Shu established his capital there, the population swelled to over thirty thousand households. Even after repeated wars, the city and its county maintained a population exceeding a hundred thousand. Such density made management a challenge—riots, unrest, spies, and enemies colluding in secret. The situation here was far more complex than Nanyang.

“General, I offer three plans—high, middle, and low—for your consideration,” Jia Xu said, gently fanning himself with a black-feather fan.

“Let’s hear them, Master Wenhe!” Cao Xin invited.

“The best plan: the general holds Shouchun, defends against Yuan’s forces, suppresses Yuan’s supporters, and simultaneously courts the local gentry. Recruit and train until your army surpasses twenty thousand, and within a year, you’ll have Huainan firmly in hand,” Jia Xu said slowly.

Cao Xin stroked his stubbled chin. “A year? That’s too long. Is there something faster? I’m a man of action—I prefer to cut the knot swiftly.”

“There is—the middle plan: abandon the city.” Jia Xu pointed his fan at Shouchun. “Shouchun is Yuan Shu’s stronghold. Destroy the city, relocate its people to other counties where Yuan’s influence is weak. This will sever his roots in Huainan.”

Cao Xin shook his head. “Shouchun is a great city—burning it is wasteful. And relocating so many people is a nightmare. What if they refuse to move?”

Jia Xu narrowed his eyes with a sly smile. “Anyone who refuses is surely a spy for Yuan Shu. Their fate rests in your hands, General.”

“Haha, that’s too messy—and too bloody. Is there a faster plan, one with less collateral damage?” Cao Xin asked.

Jia Xu’s lips twitched, his dimples deepening. He sighed. “The low plan: turn their schemes against them—lure the snake from its den. But it’s risky and difficult.”

“Difficult?” Cao Xin’s eyes lit up. “Master Wenhe, do tell.”

“General, once General Xiahou withdraws, our forces in Huainan and Lujiang will total only ten thousand—our grip will weaken. Yuan Shu will surely seize the chance to attack Shouchun again. If you can turn this to your advantage, you can crush his army in Huainan, uprooting his base in Shouchun.”

“How do I do that?”

“If Yuan Shu’s forces attack, General, simply proceed as follows…” Jia Xu discreetly covered his mouth with his fan and whispered his plan.

Cao Xin nodded repeatedly as he listened. Compared to the previous plans, he felt this “low” plan was truly the best.

“Master Wenhe, why call this the low plan when it’s better than the other two?”

“General, the best plan is seventy percent human effort, thirty percent luck. The middle plan is fifty-fifty. The low plan is thirty percent effort, seventy percent luck. If it succeeds, it’s mostly due to fortune—so it is the low plan,” Jia Xu explained.

Cao Xin nodded. Human effort meant what could be achieved by means and resources; luck was the hand of fate. The more a plan relied on human effort, the steadier it was; the more it relied on luck, the more precarious.

And another thing: Jia Xu, being cautious by nature, disliked risk—so he called the best plan the “low” one.

Cao Xin smiled faintly. “Master Wenhe, when Yuan’s army attacks, chaos will erupt in the city. Why not go to Hefei for now—it’s safer there?”

“Thank you for your kind offer, General, but I feel safer by your side,” Jia Xu replied, bowing.

“Haha, you judge shrewdly!” Cao Xin laughed.