048. Seizing Control of Nanyang

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“Yu Du, Bai Feng, Wen Chang, how are the recruitment efforts in your camps?”

In the main hall of the Xin Ye county office, Cao Xin had gathered his generals to feast on roasted meat, discussing affairs while celebrating their recent victory.

“General, things have gone smoothly. The Langya infantry camp recruited over four hundred strong men able to lift three hundred pounds of stone. We now have more than eleven hundred in the infantry camp,” Bai Feng spoke first.

“General, my Mountain Camp recruited two thousand men, now totaling more than four thousand eight hundred, close to five thousand,” Yu Du replied, chewing on his meat.

“General!” Wei Yan clasped his hands in salute. “I only recruited soldiers from Nanyang, a thousand in all. The Bloodied Camp is now full.”

Cao Xin nodded, “Wen Chang, if you can recruit more, add another three thousand. In the future, Nanyang must rely on its own people for defense.”

“Yes, General!” Wei Yan accepted the order with a salute.

Cao Xin turned to the eldest Cao, Liao Hua, “How many for the City Defense Camp?”

“General, we recruited two thousand, the City Defense Camp now numbers four thousand,” Liao Hua replied.

Cao Xin nodded again. After several days of consecutive battles, the camps had suffered considerable losses. Li Yan and Yi Ji had suggested recruiting from surrendered soldiers and the wounded; these men had seen battle and wielded weapons, far preferable to recruiting mere farmers.

“Zheng Fang, are our supplies sufficient?” Cao Xin asked.

“Plenty of grain, enough for ten thousand men for half a year,” Li Yan said, his expression relaxed.

This time, after a great victory, Cao’s army had seized over seven hundred thousand bushels of grain from the Jingzhou forces and pillaged Caiyang, Zaoyang, and other locations. With ten thousand men and horses, the supplies would last half a year.

“Ha ha, that’s good. With grain in hand, there’s no need to worry,” Cao Xin laughed and nodded, then looked at Yi Ji. “Ji Bo, how many captives do we have left?”

“General, more than eight thousand, most of them wounded,” Yi Ji said, wiping oil from his lips.

“Treat as many as possible. We have no shortage of medicine. Those lightly wounded shouldn’t idle about—send them to mend the city walls. Also, send a message to Liu Biao of Jingzhou, severely reproach him for stirring up violence and invading Nanyang, and ask if he wants to take his surrendered soldiers back. Thirty coins for each. Sell him Caiyang county as well. We ask not much—six hundred thousand coins in goods.”

Cao Xin waved his hand as he spoke.

Caiyang county lay in the southern part of Nanyang, close to Jingzhou’s main camp at Xiangyang, much as Wan city was to Xuchang. If he held Caiyang, Liu Biao would never rest easy, constantly troubled by the prospect of an attack.

At present, Cao Xin had just over ten thousand men, most new recruits, not yet a match for Jingzhou. As for reinforcements from the eldest Cao, he commanded only about fifteen or sixteen thousand troops, spread out across four regions, with none to spare.

Selling the county for profit to forge an elite force was clearly the smarter move. The price offered was not high; six hundred thousand coins equated to roughly six hundred thousand bushels of rice. Last year, Yuan Shu, to ally with Lü Bu, sent three hundred thousand bushels of grain, only for the envoy to be executed in Xuchang.

Jingzhou was wealthy; six hundred thousand coins would pose no difficulty.

“Yes, General!” Yi Ji accepted the order with a salute. He had wide connections, friends in Xiangyang, and could easily reach Liu Biao through them.

Cao Xin ate another piece of roast meat. “The remaining issue is Rang city. Its walls are high and moats deep, and Zhang Xiu holds seven or eight thousand troops. Taking it won’t be easy.”

“General, now that Jingzhou’s fifty thousand troops have suffered a crushing defeat, Nanyang is firmly in our hands. Zhang Xiu is isolated in Rang city, with no choice but to withdraw or surrender,” Li Yan suggested.

“That makes sense!”

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Cao Xin nodded, scanning his assembled civil and military officials. He had hoped to find someone eloquent enough to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender in Rang city, but after surveying the group, it seemed none possessed such talents.

“Ha ha, Sixth Brother, are you looking for someone to persuade Zhang Xiu?” Cao Chun, seated nearby, laughed.

“Zi He, are you volunteering?”

“I’m not suited, but I recommend someone who certainly is.” Cao Chun winked mischievously. “Sixth Brother, what do you think of Yang Xiu?”

Cao Xin raised his sword-like brows. Yang Xiu had been assigned by the eldest Cao to accompany Cao Ang, overseeing his studies in Wan city. Cao Ang preferred martial pursuits and had written to complain; if not for Cao Cao’s direct assignment, he would have dismissed Yang Xiu long ago.

“Zi He, Yang Xiu isn’t much of a speaker. What if Zhang Xiu beheads him?” Cao Xin stroked his chin.

“Ha ha! If he gets beheaded, wouldn’t that be all the more peaceful?” Cao Chun laughed.

The others joined in laughter.

Cao Xin shook his head, smiling. “Don’t say that. Yang Xiu is our envoy; I’d rather he return safely. Zi He, I leave this matter to you.”

“Yes, General!” Cao Chun accepted the order.

Within two days, Yang Xiu was summoned from Wan city by Cao Chun and sent into Rang city to negotiate. Cao Xin’s offer was to recommend Zhang Xiu to the court as General Who Raises Martial Valor and Marquis of Duting, essentially the same terms as before in Wan city.

The condition: surrender Rang city, disband the remaining Xiliang troops, to show the people of Nanyang their willingness to lay down arms and embrace the new order, thus giving the populace a clear account.

That day, Yang Xiu stumbled drunkenly out of Rang city, reporting Zhang Xiu’s willingness to surrender, but requested to speak directly with Cao Xin.

Cao Xin curled his lips; after all the effort, it still required his personal intervention. So much for the eloquence of the literati.

——

The next day, on the bridge downstream of Yu River between Rang city and Xin Ye, Cao Xin met Zhang Xiu for negotiations. He brought over eighty Langya cavalry, while Zhang Xiu came with eight hundred Xiliang riders.

“Zhang Wei You, how fearful are you of this general? You come to negotiate with a thousand men,” Cao Xin laughed.

“Hmph, you brought plenty yourself,” Zhang Xiu replied darkly, glancing at the Langya cavalry patrolling the riverbank.

“Let’s get to it, Zhang Wei You. What will it take for you to lay down your sword and choose the light over darkness?”

“Cao Zi Yu, you once called my Xiliang troops bandits, accused us of every evil. But damn it, you’re no better! You were a notorious bandit, pillaging and robbing, abducting women from good families. You’ve committed more crimes than I ever have, and you still dare ask me to lay down my sword?” Zhang Xiu retorted.

Cao Xin laughed heartily. “We’re not the same. Do you know why the Langya army is undefeated and its morale so high?”

“You simply pay well and equip your men. If I had your wealth, I’d raise a strong force too,” Zhang Xiu scoffed.

“Ha ha, wrong! Money, grain, and good equipment only breed corruption. I train my troops with conviction. Every Langya soldier, during their training, must memorize the military regulations and uphold the Langya army’s core pledge. Do you know what that pledge is?”

Without waiting for Zhang Xiu’s answer, Cao Xin called to the Langya cavalry on the bank,

“Brothers! Why do we serve? Why do we fight?”

The eighty cavalry straightened, chest out, and shouted,

“To pacify the turbulent times, to bring peace to the world!”

Though only eighty strong, their voices thundered with passion, eclipsing the eight hundred Xiliang troops opposite. Even Zhang Xiu was struck by their spirit—he saw something in them he’d never seen before, something he couldn’t quite name.

Cao Xin smiled gently. “Do you see? My army is a force of justice. All those I slay deserve it. Everything I do is for these eight words: pacify the chaos, bring peace to the world.”

Zhang Xiu shook his head. “I don’t believe it. That slogan is pure nonsense meant to deceive.”

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“Ha ha! Justice is for others to judge. Since I became the governor of Nanyang, I’ve cleared more than fifty thousand acres around Wan city, built over a hundred villages, added more than thirty thousand households to Nanyang. Is that just a facade? You’ve been stationed at Wan and Rang for nearly two years—aside from hoarding grain and oppressing the people, what have you done for Nanyang?” Cao Xin sneered.

Seeing Zhang Xiu about to speak again, he waved him off. “Enough with useless words. If you and your Xiliang troops surrender, what are your terms? I’ll meet those I can; if not, we’ll fight.”

Zhang Xiu’s face darkened; he sighed. “Zi Yu, the Xiliang troops rebelled after surrendering at Wan mainly because the Chancellor gave too little pay. The Xiliang men left Liangzhou young, most in their teens or twenties; now, they’re all old, thirty or forty and weary of war, longing for home. But the Chancellor wanted to keep them fighting, paying them like ordinary soldiers—no wonder they refused. Even a fool wouldn’t agree. Whether you recruit or disband them, you must give enough pay and provisions, or there’ll be resentment, and I’ll have no answer for them.”

“Oh? How much do you want?”

“Hand over Rang city, and you pay a million coins. If you want to recruit the Xiliang troops, five hundred thousand coins, and their pay must be at least double that of ordinary soldiers.”

Zhang Xiu tested the waters.

“Ha ha, you’re dreaming! You have fewer than five thousand Xiliang men left; each death diminishes your force. I offer two choices: first, I pay fifty thousand coins, ten coins per man, and you disband on the spot. Second, accept recruitment into my camps, same pay as ordinary soldiers, one coin per month, rewards for victory, and guaranteed livelihood. Make your choice.”

“Fifty thousand?! Are you treating us as beggars?” Zhang Xiu fumed, clenching his fists.

“With five thousand troops, a single charge from my Langya cavalry would halve your numbers. How much do you expect?” Cao Xin countered.

Zhang Xiu glared, grinding his teeth. “Two hundred thousand!”

“Just fifty thousand. Agree and we talk; disagree, we fight. You have three days to decide,” Cao Xin said, waving his hand and departing with the Langya cavalry.

“Cao Zi Yu!” Zhang Xiu called from the bridge. “Pacifying chaos, bringing peace—is a warlike man like you truly seeking peace?”

Seated atop his dark horse, Cao Xin laughed, “The world is vast—Han is not the only realm. When Han is at peace, I’ll go fight beyond the Western Regions. They say the West has endless gold and gems, countless exotic beauties. My greatest wish is for peace to come soon, so I can go abroad and pillage to my heart’s content.”

Cao Xin laughed, leading the Langya cavalry away from the riverside.

“Is that scoundrel’s talk genuine?” Zhang Xiu shook his head, barked a command, and left with his Xiliang riders.

Within two days, Zhang Xiu agreed to Cao Xin’s terms and suggestion for trade, but demanded the court appoint him as Protector General of Qiang and Marquis of Duting, to garrison Liangzhou and oversee the Western Qiang with a token of authority.

Due to the chaos, the court had long lost control of Liangzhou—a hollow title, not much of a problem, just awaiting a decree from the court and Chancellor Cao.

Once the matter of Rang city was settled, Cao Xin sent Yu Niang and Li Niang back to Xuchang. He remained in Xin Ye, sharpening his troops, training the Langya cavalry, keeping a keen eye on Hanzhong, Bashu, and Jingzhou—wondering who would be the next target.

“Ji Bo, has there been any response from Xiangyang?”

One day, as Cao Xin watched the surrendered Jingzhou soldiers repairing Xin Ye’s city walls, he asked.

“General, the issue is highly contentious; Xiangyang is still debating,” Yi Ji replied, fanning himself.

Cao Xin shook his head. “Urge them again. If they won’t pay, I’ll take my men to Caiyang for drills.”

“Yes, General!” Yi Ji saluted and went downstairs to handle the matter.

Cao Xin took a sip of chilled juice.

“Report!!”

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out from below the city tower. Cao Xin spat out his juice in surprise. The general had just settled down—now, where would war break out next?

——