Chapter 51: Let Fengxiao Continue

The craftsmen had begun construction on the training grounds, and Liu Xie, too, had started to practice the grappling and combat techniques from his previous life in the empty space before his sleeping quarters, moves he knew so well they had become second nature. In his former profession, one where he might at any moment encounter the most ruthless desperadoes in the world, the training he and his peers received was nothing short of brutal. Yet the skills they gained were the distilled essence of countless fighting arts.

Their instructors had imparted to them a system that combined the strengths of various martial disciplines—Chinese boxing, Muay Thai, jujitsu, taekwondo—while stripping away all unnecessary flourishes. The techniques they learned were meant to incapacitate an opponent in an instant, or even kill outright.

Though Liu Xie’s physique in this life was somewhat lacking, his youth was on his side. He reckoned that, if it came to a fight with Sun Ce, with a few tricks up his sleeve, he just might stand a chance.

For five days straight, Liu Xie devoted himself to refining these techniques. Meanwhile, at Guandu, Cao Cao’s insomnia had grown ever more severe.

Ever since learning that Liu Xie had most likely been spirited away to Jiangdong by Zhang Hong, Cao Cao had felt as though a sword were hanging by a thread above his head, forcing him to keep constant watch, never knowing when it might fall and cleave his skull in two.

He had always believed that as soon as Liu Xie arrived in Wu Commandery, Sun Ce would immediately declare that the Emperor had moved the capital there. Such a move would require a legitimate pretext, and it was almost certain that blame would be laid at Cao Cao’s feet.

Once word spread through the heartland, Yuan Shao would seize upon the news and move to destroy Cao Cao in a single, decisive engagement.

This would be the most difficult battle of Cao Cao’s entire military career.

According to the analyses of Guo Jia, Xun You, and the others, if Sun Ce, Liu Biao, and their like all adopted a wait-and-see attitude, the best outcome would be to deplete most of Yuan Shao’s forces at Guandu and then retreat to Xuchang.

But clearly, with such heavy losses inflicted on the enemy, their own side would hardly escape unscathed. If Yuan Shao could not be dissuaded from pressing on to attack Xuchang, then they, too, would lose their rear base and become wandering forces like Liu Bei.

The strategists believed that after the news of Liu Xie’s move of the capital became public, the most critical factor would be the morale of Cao Cao’s troops.

If, as seemed likely, all of Han China rose up against Cao Cao, only by preserving the army’s morale could they hope to withdraw intact.

Thus, in this period, Cao Cao’s generals continued to construct defensive works around Guandu as though nothing were amiss, waiting for Yuan Shao to strike, while subtly circulating certain rumors among the troops.

For example, that Cao Cao was exhausting himself for the sake of the Han, but Liu Xie remained ungrateful, repeatedly colluding with other warlords to bring about Cao Cao’s death.

Moreover, they expressed concern that in Cao Cao’s absence from Xuchang, Liu Xie might be plotting some treacherous scheme behind their backs.

Guo Jia and his fellows had previously deduced, based on the date of Liu Xie’s disappearance, a likely window in which he would arrive in Wu Commandery. If Liu Xie were to declare the capital moved the moment he arrived, and the news spread rapidly through the heartland, the appointed days had already passed, and yet there was not a whisper from the region.

All of Cao Cao’s advisers had miscalculated. This suggested that upon reaching Wu Commandery, Liu Xie had not immediately announced the move of the capital. Why was this? The strategists of Cao’s camp fell into deep thought.

Cao Cao loathed this sense of uncertainty. In war, regardless of the size of his forces, he always acted only after meticulous planning, minimizing the unknown and maintaining firm control of the initiative. But this time, none of those principles applied.

It had now been five days since the date when the strategists predicted the news would break. Not only had they heard nothing from Jiangdong, but they had also received word that Yuan Shao was about to launch an assault on Guandu.

Upon receiving this news, Cao Cao immediately summoned his trusted advisers to deliberate on the matter.

This time, the room was uncharacteristically somber. Each person seated across from Cao Cao was a sharp mind, fully aware of the grave peril they now faced.

“Gentlemen, Yuan Shao is advancing with great force. How should we respond? Is there any sound plan?”

Though Cao Cao still sat at the head of the room, his hair was noticeably disheveled, and the swelling beneath his eyes betrayed many sleepless nights. It was plain for all to see that these days had been hard on him.

“There is no need to worry, Minister. If it is only Yuan Shao’s army attacking, our soldiers are prepared. According to our previous strategy, there should be no problem.”

The advisers fell silent, until Cao Hong, in charge of the defensive works, spoke up to offer some reassurance to his elder cousin.

But Cao Cao shot him a glance and immediately posed a question that left Cao Hong gaping.

“But if, in the midst of Yuan Shao’s attack, word arrives that His Majesty has moved the capital, can you guarantee that our troops will fight as fiercely as ever against Yuan Shao’s forces?”

“This…”

Naturally, Cao Hong dared not make such a promise. That would be tantamount to signing a military order—failure would mean losing his head.

He hemmed and hawed, unable to utter a word, glancing repeatedly at Guo Jia and the others, clearly hoping a good friend would come to his rescue.

“Minister, should news come from Wu Commandery of the capital’s relocation, our forces should immediately abandon Guandu and return to Xuchang. Otherwise, with morale so low, we would surely be no match for Yuan Shao!”

A close friend of Cao Hong’s, taking pity, stiffened his resolve and spoke up from the back.

But as soon as he finished, Cao Cao did not so much as look his way, nor did he respond. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Guo Jia and the others seated before him, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.

Guo Jia and Xun You exchanged a glance, then calmly turned to Cao Cao. At last, Guo Jia spoke.

“Minister, in my view, there is no need to worry too much about His Majesty’s arrival in Jiangdong.”

“What? No need to worry?”

“Fengxiao, our ability to establish ourselves in Xuchang depended entirely on holding the Emperor in our grasp. Now that the Son of Heaven is gone, our greatest leverage has vanished!”

No sooner had Guo Jia finished than two others voiced their disagreement. After all, it was obvious to everyone just how crucial Liu Xie was to Cao Cao.

Since the failed assassination attempt on Sun Ce, Guo Jia, already a man of few words, had grown even more silent. Cao Cao understood that Guo Jia still felt some guilt in his heart, and even now, as he had confided to Cao Cao, he could not fathom how Sun Ce had uncovered his arrangements near Wu Commandery.

But now, more than ever, Cao Cao needed Guo Jia to speak.

“Quiet, all of you! Let Fengxiao continue!”