“Can strategists really not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 457: Extra Chapter Eight (1)
(Historical figures from the Three Kingdoms era in the Da Yong period)
In the twenty-first year of Jian’an, May, Liu Xie conferred Cao Cao the title of King of Wei, allowing him to act as if he weren’t a vassal and to submit to orders without bowing.
By the twenty-third year of Jian’an, Liu Bei had moved his troops towards Yangping Pass, intending to seize Hanzhong. Cao Cao personally led a massive army to Chang’an to secure Guanzhong.
That same year, border conflicts erupted again, with Cao Zhang and Tian Yu ordered by Cao Cao to launch a northern campaign against the Wuhuan and Xianbei allied forces.
——————
July in Chang’an was unbearably hot.
Back in January of this year, the Grand Physician Ji Ben along with his sons Ji Miao and Ji Mu, Minor Palace official Geng Ji, and Chancellor Wei Huang attacked Chancellor Wang Bi’s camp, leading to a fire in Xuchang at night.
Although Wang Bi and Yan Kuang quickly quelled the rebellion, Wang Bi still succumbed to arrow wounds about ten days later. In a fit of rage, Cao Cao charged to Xuchang, executing everyone involved in the chaos, hidden under the pretense of firefighting.
Half a year had passed since that disaster, and even here in Chang’an, Cao Cao couldn’t shake off his indignation when recalling it.
But what bothered him more wasn’t the treasonous intent of the Grand Physicians so near to him; it was the war situation in Hanzhong.
The defeat at Chibi had dashed his hopes of eliminating Liu Bei and the Jiangdong regime, even giving Liu Bei thoughts of rising from it.
There’s a saying, “If there’s no Hanzhong, there’s no Shu.” With the foothold of Jing Province, Liu Bei would surely attack Yizhou next, and after seizing Hanzhong, he would plot to control Guanzhong.
To prevent this scenario, three years ago, Cao Cao took charge personally to campaign against Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, capturing Yangping Pass and forcing Zhang Lu to surrender.
Fortunately, he maintained a tactical advantage; two years prior, he launched another southern campaign against Ru Xu Pass, and this time Sun Quan couldn’t fend off his advance, sending envoys to negotiate. The two sides established a marital alliance.
But this year, with his main forces having retreated from Hanzhong, Liu Bei immediately led his army northward.
Xiahou Yuan was locked in a standoff with Liu Bei at Yangping Pass. Despite repelling Liu’s attacks time and again, they were increasingly strained and had to request reinforcements from Cao Cao.
But it wasn’t just the Hanzhong defense that was struggling; Cao Cao was feeling the strain himself!
July wasn’t normally a season for transitions, but the heat seemed to exacerbate his head illness. That night, just as sleep wrapped around him, Cao Cao felt a sudden, excruciating pain in his head, and in an instant, he lost consciousness.
This wasn’t the first time such symptoms had struck, but at that moment, he couldn’t help but think—if he truly died from this, could his son Cao Pi, who’d just been elevated from the Middle General rank to the title of Crown Prince last year, handle the legacy he’d leave behind, especially with Liu Bei and Sun Quan at the helm?
And under the hard reality that Wei’s legacy and the Han dynasty had a hard time coexisting, would Cao Pi have what it takes to fulfill the higher ambition that the self-proclaimed “King Wen of Zhou” had envisioned?
In Cao Pi’s somewhat cautious demeanor, Cao Cao found nothing to read.
But if his time truly had come, what else was left for him to worry about after he was gone?
After an unknown span of darkness that fully consumed him, Cao Cao finally regained consciousness.
But to his utter shock, he didn’t find himself in the Chang’an palace he’d just left but rather in a field tent!
Cao Cao: “…”
There was no way his subordinates had taken advantage of his unconscious state to move him from Chang’an to Hanzhong just to quickly support Xiahou Yuan!
Thinking of this, he quickly pinched himself.
The pain in his leg made it clear he wasn’t dreaming but was entirely aware and awake.
Yet, everything around him—from the camp’s decor to the scents in the air—was completely unlike what he had been used to just moments before!
Perhaps the only shred of familiarity was that the surroundings still adhered to his taste, and as he lifted his hand in front of him, he discovered a well-known scar on it: a remnant from the battle against the Yellow Turbans during the Changshe conflict many years ago!
This seemed to still be his body.
Could it be that he had somehow returned to over ten years ago while he slept?
What was he doing back then?
If he was campaigning, around the tenth year of Jian’an, he had successively pacified Ji Province and Qingzhou, and after Yuan Shao’s death, he annihilated Yuan Tan’s forces, leading a personal campaign against the Wuhuan in Liaodong.
The memories from over ten years ago felt vague to Cao Cao, leaving him uncertain if he was indeed back in the past.
Desperate to determine where he was, rather than pondering the past, Cao Cao rolled out of bed and flung aside the curtain to head out.
But as soon as he lifted the heavy tent flap, he was greeted by a scene unlike anything he’d ever seen.
Endless military tents were set up on lush grass, and just a little farther out from the tents, there was a cluster of grazing pasture.
Due to the surrounding tents blocking his view, Cao Cao couldn’t discern what lay beyond the camp. He could only faintly see snow-capped mountains reaching into the sky in the distance.
In that instant, Cao Cao suddenly realized—the sky hovering above him was far clearer and bluer than what he was accustomed to seeing day to day. It felt closer to him than anything he’d laid eyes on before!
This transformation in the heavens, something he saw every day, was indelibly imprinted in his mind, strongly affirming that he truly was in a place he couldn’t name!
Years of experience navigating the treacherous waters of politics and wars had left Cao Cao swirling internally but externally he remained composed.
The soldiers guarding outside the tent stood motionless with their long spears, merely calling out “General Cao,” oblivious to the fact that their superior had changed overnight.
But before Cao Cao could even think about changing out of his sleepwear to explore outside, he suddenly heard someone shout “Father!” from a distance.
Turning towards the sound, he saw a man in his thirties striding toward him, helmet in hand.
That one glance hit Cao Cao like a lightning bolt, freezing him in place.
The man’s appearance certainly differed from what he recalled, yet in the contours of his eyes and brows, there was undeniably a hint of his former self.
Cao Cao had no doubts that if his eldest son, who had perished in the battle at Wancheng, had lived to this age, he would look exactly like the man before him!
The man moved with confidence, bearing the demeanor of a seasoned general. Although he lacked the youthful exuberance of earlier days, he was the spitting image of what Cao Cao had imagined in countless midnight daydreams.
This made him unconsciously call out “Zixiu” as the man approached.
Cao Ang hadn’t anticipated that his father had swapped out for a new model overnight. He just laughed, “Father, did you sleep too deeply? His Majesty heard you were attacking Cangyuan and that you were blocked by Tang Miao and the Fa Qiang. Since there’s nothing going on in Hanzhong, he simply let me join you so you could see your son again after years!”
Cao Ang pushed Cao Cao towards the tent, adding, “What a pity that the altitude here is too tough to bear; otherwise, I would have brought your granddaughter and grandson along to see you too!”
Cao Cao was left utterly dumbfounded.
“What Your Majesty, what Tang Miao and Fa Qiang?”
Why is the son who should have been dead for over twenty years suddenly talking about reinforcements from Hanzhong, and saying it’s a pity about altitude sickness, otherwise he would have brought his sons and daughters along?
Just a few sentences, and Cao Cao felt his brain nearly turning to mush.
Thanks to his rock-solid mental resilience, which could withstand a mountain collapsing right in front of him, he managed not to show any signs of panic. Instead, he casually asked, “How is your mother?”
Cao Ang’s biological mother had passed away long ago and had always been cared for by Lady Ding.
Given his own condition and Cao Ang’s age, Cao Cao figured that if time really rewound by ten years, Lady Ding would still be alive and, since she usually didn’t accompany the army, she shouldn’t be here. So this was a relatively safe question, one that could help him dig a little deeper into the situation.
But even though Cao Cao was prepared psychologically, he never expected to hear from Cao Ang: “Mother has been assigned by Your Majesty as one of the examiners for this year’s imperial examination, and she’s been in seclusion for the past six months. I didn’t see her when I passed through Sili; didn’t I already mention this to Father yesterday?”
At this point, Cao Ang looked at Cao Cao skeptically, wondering why his father was asking that question.
Perhaps due to the slight change in his father’s tone, but it didn’t raise any alarms in him. He simply reached over to check Cao Cao’s forehead—no signs of fever, and he sighed in relief. “If Father isn’t feeling well, you should definitely have the physician take a look soon. Mr. Yuanhua should have selected a new batch of camp physicians during his last trip to Qinghai County; you don’t have to feel like they aren’t capable just because they’re young.”
“If you get sick again like two years ago and refuse to see a doctor, I’m afraid Your Majesty won’t let you take on this expedition westward.”
Cao Cao: “……”
Since waking up, not a single piece of news had been expected by him.
This scene was so real and flawless that it didn’t feel like any prank by someone.
But even from just these few words, he could confirm that when Cao Ang mentioned ‘Your Majesty’, it definitely couldn’t be the Son of Heaven Liu Xie!
Placed in Xu Du as a mere good luck charm, no matter how many titles the Han court bestowed upon Liu Xie or how wise he might be, he could never overshadow Cao Cao, making Cao Ang say things like “Your Majesty won’t let you hold such and such a position.”
What kind of place was he in?
What situation was he facing?
While his mind was in turmoil, Cao Ang pressed him onto a stool inside the tent.
Cao Cao, not used to sitting on such a high stool, jolted back to reality and turned to face the mirror.
It wasn’t a brass mirror but an extremely rare translucent glass, layered with silver, reflecting his image clearly.
The younger version of himself, a good ten years younger, looked even more spirited than he did twenty years ago, sending waves of unfamiliarity over him, especially when he saw Cao Ang’s reflection as well, making him feel an indescribable sensation.
He knew that saying too much might lead to mistakes, so he replied to Cao Ang, “I must have slept too deeply. You’re right; I did indeed sleep too deeply. Such is the way of getting older.”
Cao Ang handed a hairpin to Cao Cao, responding, “You’re barely in your fifties. Cheng Zhongshu and Jia Qingzhou aren’t saying they’re old; you are even younger than them by a few years, perhaps even a decade. How can you claim to be old?”
“Your Majesty has said that currently, while there’s only Qinghai County under governance, as supplies for military preparations come from Liangzhou and thus fall under Liangzhou’s jurisdiction, if we can recover Cangyuan, especially stabilizing Tang Miao and Fa Qiang, more counties should be added here. Perhaps we could establish another ‘West State’, similar to how Liaodong created Suizhou.”
“You even stated in your memorial two years ago that if this West State were to be established, you would serve as the first Governor of the West State, which suits the wish for the expedition to the west more than the title of General of the Chariots and Cavalry—so how can you say you’re old now?”
Clearly still within the military tent, Cao Cao felt completely out of sorts!
If he wasn’t mistaken, the Cheng Zhongshu and Jia Qingzhou mentioned by Cao Ang, deducing based on age, must refer to Cheng Yu and Jia Xu, the only people he knew that fit that age range.
But Jia Xu had been rather careful since the Battle of Wancheng; ever since convincing Zhang Xiu to return, he was well aware of self-preservation. Before Cao Cao lost consciousness, he was even reclusive due to the heir dispute, hinting at not changing the line of succession. So why was he now the Governor of Qingzhou or the Prefect of Qingzhou??
And that Liaodong Suizhou title clearly didn’t seem like it had been annexed from Youzhou but rather as if newly acquired territory was being organized!
What emperor of the Han Dynasty could have such commanding authority over the world!
Cao Cao didn’t believe in the supernatural, but if he hadn’t realized that he had arrived in a different world, one that had developed differently from where he came, he wouldn’t live up to the title of King of Wei.
With a face that showed no emotions, he tidied his clothes and, taking advantage of Cao Ang’s distraction, flipped through a couple of pages of the “bedside” military notes to confirm that today was indeed the day for the advance.
Not wanting to miss the chance and give others the opportunity to notice anything off about him, Cao Cao immediately passed the command of the troops to Cao Ang, wanting to see how much he had progressed over the years.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Cao Ang took command, rallying soldiers from the camp alongside the more carefree Cao Hong.
As the army commenced their advance, Cao Cao watched this unfamiliar scene unfold, seeing the vast outside world.
On the Cangyuan beyond Liangzhou, there lay a land that had yet to be developed by human hands, even more untouched than Liaodong.
And at that moment, as these fully armored soldiers, even better equipped than Cao Cao’s elite troops, faced off against the distant Qiang troop under Cao Ang’s command, they drew a stark contrast without needing more words.
However, at that instant, Cao Cao did not see Cao Ang issue the order for the front lines to advance; instead, after chatting a bit with Cao Hong, he wheeled out a strange iron tube from the rear troops.
Before he could even figure out what it was, the iron tube, once lit, erupted with a thunderous roar.
In a flash of fire, a black-red iron ball streaked through the air, crossing the distance between both armies in an unstoppable manner, crashing heavily into the enemy camp!
Regardless of whether the enemies were thrown into chaos, Cao Cao instinctively turned his horse around, ready to retreat to avoid being affected by this thing more terrifying than a thunder cart.
However, the surrounding troops clearly didn’t give him a chance to retreat.
Just as he made that movement, Cao Ang turned his head, looking perplexingly at Cao Cao: “Father?”
Author’s Note:
Cao Cao: What is this thing ah ah ah ah ah ah! (I need to stay calm)
