Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Cao Cao's head was splitting with pain, and Xun You hurriedly summoned a physician. As the candlelight flickered, Cao Cao recalled Tao Qian's distorted face before his death—the old man's cloudy eyes still gleaming with resentment as he died of anger at the news of the feud between the brothers Tao Shang and Tao Ying. This carefully planned rift was no match for Lü Bu's reckless onslaught on the battlefield.

"Give Xuzhou half?" Cao Cao sneered, his laughter carrying the smell of rust and blood. "Does he think this is a butcher shop on the street and can cut it up at will?" Suddenly, the neighing of war horses could be heard outside the city. It must be Lü Bu's Bingzhou army looting the people again. The long neigh of the Red Hare sounded like the iron hoofs trampling on his heart.

As the night watchman's bells blared, Cao Cao unrolled his map and, with a cinnabar pen, circled Youzhou, Jingzhou, and Xiliang. Yuan Shao's power loomed like a dark cloud in the north, and the news of the complete conquest of Youzhou kept Cao Cao awake at night. In Jingzhou, secret envoys from Liu Biao and Sun Quan frequently traveled back and forth, and the Yangtze River was a constant stream of merchant ships, carrying only a fleeting cargo of silk or armor. To the west, the "Han Tianma Monument," erected by Ma Chao's cavalry after crushing the Di tribe, also posed a significant headache for Cao Cao. Surrounded by powerful enemies on three sides, and with his own internal turmoil at stake, the destabilizing factor of Lü Bu made it impossible for Cao Cao to expand his territory with peace of mind.

The bronze lamp flickered above the desk, casting a flickering light on Cao Cao's pale face. He lay supine on his beard-covered bed, letting the medical officer insert a silver needle into his Baihui acupoint. The veins in his forehead still throbbed. His headache eased slightly, but his thoughts remained mired in Lü Bu's demands for Xuzhou. He was contemplating how to calm this ferocious tiger without damaging his own foundation when he heard hurried footsteps outside the tent.

"Father! Great victory in Chang'an!" Cao Ang rushed in, holding a battle report stained with ink. The hem of his dark brocade robe was stained with mud, but it couldn't hide the brilliance in his eyes. "Ma Teng led his troops to defeat Yuan Shao's 50,000-man army, and even Yuan Tan was captured!" The young man's voice was filled with unconcealed excitement. He slammed the battle report on the table. The edge of the parchment scroll was still stained with the wind and sand from the frontier.

Cao Cao leaned up slightly, the silver needle trembling with his movement. He glanced at the flying words on the battle report and suddenly sneered: "What does Xiliang's victory or defeat have to do with me?" His bony fingers stroked the edge of the table, the candlelight casting a sinister light in his eyes. "Zi Xiu, you should understand—Yuan Shao's defeat and Ma Teng's rise to power only make the chessboard of this chaotic world even more chaotic." With that, he dismissed the medical officer, leaving Cao Ang stunned.

Cao Ang's knuckles turned white as he gripped the battle report, his throat filled with unspoken indignation: "Father! It was a blessing for our Han Dynasty that Ma Mengqi defeated the foreign race and erected a monument to show his power. But Yuan Shao broke his promise and took advantage of his expedition to march straight towards Chang'an. Now he has suffered such a great defeat. Isn't this the will of heaven?" The young man's eyes were burning, as if he wanted to turn all his grievances into flames.

Cao Cao slowly sat up straight, not even noticing the silver needle slipping from his temple. He gazed at his favorite son. The young man was now able to ride a horse and wield a spear, but there was still an innocent passion in his eyes. "Zixiu," he raised his hand and stroked the Youzhou, Xiliang, and Jingxiang marked on the map, his fingertips pressing heavily on the location of Yanzhou. "After Yuan Shao annexed Youzhou, he had the Wuhuan cavalry and the granary of Jizhou; Ma Chao's Xiliang cavalry was ready for battle at any time, and since the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, they have been a sword hanging over the heads of the Central Plains; Liu Biao and Sun Quan were secretly colluding, and the Yangtze River defense line was like an iron chain across the river."

The candlelight on the desk suddenly crackled, sending sparks flying onto Cao Ang's boots. Cao Cao suddenly grabbed the wolf-hair brush on the desk and fiercely drew three red lines on a blank spot on the map: "Surrounded by three sides, tell me—in this chess game of the world, which move should we make?" His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, fixed on his son's suddenly tense jawline, awaiting the answer that would prove his years of cultivation.

Cao Ang straightened his back, met his father's scrutinizing gaze with a firm gaze, and said in a sonorous voice: "Father! In this world, the princes fight for supremacy, and the flags on the city walls change hands, but it is the people who suffer in the end! Yuan Shao's taxes bent the backs of the old farmers in Jizhou, but Ma Chao's cavalry saved the homes of the refugees in Xiliang. The fleets traveling between Liu Biao and Sun Quan were loaded with food and fodder earned by the blood and sweat of the people!" He strode forward and pressed his fingers heavily on the map, "I, your son, have no intention of competing for hegemony over the world, but as long as I have a soldier, I will ensure that the people have fields to cultivate and houses to live in! As for who sits on the throne, as long as the foreigners dare not invade our territory and as long as the smoke from cooking can rise in every village, what's the harm?" The young man's voice echoed in the tent, startling the candlelight to flicker slightly. Cao Cao looked at his son's flushed face, and in a trance he saw his younger self.

"I only wish the people have enough clothes to wear and enough food to eat..." Cao Cao muttered, a bitter taste rising in his throat. Looking at his son's face, roughened by the wind and sand, Cao Cao suddenly remembered that he had once harbored the ambition of being a "capable minister who governs the world," but those pure original intentions had long been obscured by the pursuit of power and ambition.

"Silly child." Cao Cao reached out and stroked Cao Ang's wind-blown hair, a sigh tinged with his rare tenderness. "In these troubled times, if you don't have the strength to conquer the world, how can you be qualified to protect the people? Yuan Shao's cavalry will crush villages, Ma Chao's battle flags will block out the sun, and Liu Biao's warships will plunder the people... If you don't hold the sword tightly, how can you protect their plows?"

Cao Cao's Adam's apple twitched, and he hesitated to speak. Gazing at Cao Ang's angular profile, he suddenly saw the young figure in his memory, sword in hand, swearing to be "General of the Western Expedition" for the Han. But now, the secret letters piling up on his desk, the scarlet markings on the maps, and the officers watching eagerly outside the tent all reminded him: this world is no longer the place that once accommodated the innocence of a child.

"You finally..." The words reached his lips but were swallowed back. He suddenly remembered the devastation of starving people twenty years ago. Back then, he too had clenched his fist and vowed to restore peace to the world. But somehow, those pure vows had been shattered by the currents of power.

"That's all." Cao Cao waved his hand, his voice filled with fatigue that he himself didn't even realize. "You go and rest." After Cao Ang's footsteps faded away, he slowly turned around and looked in the direction his son had left. The candlelight cast a deep shadow in the corner of his eyes.

Cao Cao sat alone in his tent, the candlelight flickering over the military manuals on his desk. He repeatedly stroked the battle reports left by Cao Ang, his nails rubbing the corners of the paper into deep wrinkles. He recalled his eldest son, who had studied at Lu Zhi's mansion and returned home filled with sayings like "The people are the foundation of the state" and "The benevolent love others." Back then, he'd dismissed them as mere youthful whimsy, but now he realized those words had already taken root in Cao Ang's heart.

"I regret this..." he muttered, his voice cut off by the howling north wind outside the tent. He recalled how, in order to teach Cao Ang the art of governing and maintaining peace, he had specifically entrusted him to a great scholar like Lu Zhi. He had fully believed that, with this renowned teacher, his eldest son would become a powerful figure in his quest for dominance. Little did he know that Lu Zhi's lifelong integrity and sense of responsibility for the country would permeate Cao Ang's character like spring rain.

Once upon a time, he had watched Cao Ang commanding his troops and shooting arrows through the air at a hundred paces, his heart filled with pride. Seeing his clear and measured approach to government affairs, he had become convinced that he was his ideal successor. But now, Cao Ang's obsession with the people and his own ambition to dominate the Central Plains had become an irreconcilable contradiction.

"Lu Zigan, ah Lu Zigan..." Cao Cao smiled bitterly, raised his head and drank the cold wine on the table. The spicy taste burned his throat. "You have taught my son to be a saint, but in this chaotic world, how can a saint... survive?" The candle flame suddenly exploded, splashing a few sparks in the darkness, just like his broken and complicated mood at the moment.

----

In Yecheng, Jizhou, bronze Vermillion Bird lanterns illuminated the meeting hall as if it were daytime. Yuan Shao wore black armor inlaid with jade, and the nine-gift pattern on the black leather belt around his waist shone coldly in the candlelight.

"Your Excellency is mighty and powerful! This campaign not only completely recovered the Youzhou territory, but also recruited 20,000 Wuhuan cavalrymen. This is truly an unprecedented achievement in expanding our territory!" Guo Tu was the first to rise, his jade tablet striking the ground with a resounding sound. Ju Su, Shen Pei, and the others joined in. The roar of praise from the entire hall silenced the howling north wind outside the tent. Yuan Shao stroked his bloodstained beard, his gaze sweeping across the hall as the secretary, holding the report of victory, imagined how this victory would be recorded in history.

Suddenly, there was the sound of bells and pendants, and brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang rushed in. The second son, Yuan Xi, held a gold-inlaid wine cup, his eyes full of reverence: "Father, your mighty power has caused the Hu people to surrender. This is truly a blessing for our Yuan family!" The third son, Yuan Shang, drew his sword, drawing a brilliant arc of light in the air: "When I lead the Wuhuan cavalry south, I will surely make the likes of Cao Cao and Ma Chao tremble with fear!"

Yuan Shao tilted his head back and gulped down his wine, the acrid liquid mingling with the taste of blood swirling in his throat. He gazed at the falling snow outside the hall, remembering Tadun's utterly wrathful roar before his death, the cloud of dust rising as twenty thousand Wuhuan knights knelt and surrendered their weapons. This feat would shock the world, and secure his position as the overlord of the north. With this thought, he slammed the wine jug heavily on the table, the spilled wine snaking across the ivory map like a river, a reflection of his growing ambition.

The clamor in Yecheng's meeting hall was suddenly interrupted by a clear voice. Feng Ji straightened his wide sleeves and stepped forward amidst the chorus of praise. His jade hairpin shone dimly in the candlelight: "My lord, you have swept across Youzhou and accepted the surrender of the Wuhuan. How can we not report this unprecedented feat to Xudu?"

These words were like a huge rock dropped into a boiling pot, and the whole room erupted in uproar. Yuan Shao's originally relaxed brows suddenly furrowed, and his glare from under the gilded crown was like a knife. The puppet emperor in Xudu, controlled by Cao Cao, was nothing more than a cover to control the princes. He treated him coldly when Liu Bian was still alive, let alone the new emperor who was now living in a corner. Just as he was about to reprimand him, he saw Feng Ji's calm expression and raised his tablet even higher: "Ma Chao of Xiliang was crowned king beyond the rules, but he occupied Chang'an and then divided the land and granted it. My lord, if you present the victory report to the court, then we will see that child emperor..." He paused deliberately, his eyes sweeping across the indignant civil and military officials in the room, "How should we reward the true hero of troubled times?"

As Feng Ji finished speaking, Xu You staggered and knocked aside the generals in the front row, the smell of alcohol mixed with saliva flying, "My lord! In the past, Emperor Gaozu made Han Xin a king, but it was only because he defeated Zhao and pacified Qi! Now my lord, you are defeating the Wuhuan in the north like a crushing force, recruiting 20,000 cavalry and expanding the territory by a thousand miles! If that kid from Xudu dares to treat you badly, we will..." He suddenly lowered his voice, a sinister look flashed in his eyes, "We will teach him to know whether the world belongs to Yuan or Cao!"

Guo Tu swung his long sleeves, and his jade scepter drew a sharp arc in the air: "Ma Chao of Xiliang only occupied a corner of Chang'an, and he dared to call himself the King of Liang? My lord controls Jizhou, Qingzhou, and Youzhou, with a million soldiers and mountains of food and grass! In terms of achievements, Ma Mengqi is nothing but dust under your horse's hooves!" Before he finished speaking, Shen Pei stroked his beard and continued: "In the past, Duke Zhou Dan established rituals and music, and only then did the world fall in love with him; now my lord has conquered the people outside the Great Wall, it is truly the will of heaven! He should be given the title of king to show his merits!"