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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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I rode with all my might, pursuing Cao Song’s family’s carriages. And that night, I finally met Cao Cao’s father, Cao Song.
He was an elderly man with graying hair and a full beard. From his luxurious silk robes to the decorations inside his carriage, he was the very image of a “wealthy old man.”
“Oh? You say you’re one of our clan?”
“Yes, Grand Commandant.”
“Let me see the lineage scroll. Boy!”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go and bring our family lineage scroll.”
Cao Song beckoned with his finger, and a beautiful woman in her late twenties or early thirties entered and respectfully presented him with a bamboo scroll.
“You cute thing, come sit beside me.”
“Oh, sir.”
The old man, old enough to be her father, pulled the young concubine by her waist and sat her on his lap, chuckling. Seeing this, it was clear who Cao Cao took after.
“Hmm, you said you’re from the Cao clan of Qiao County, Pei Commandery. So tell me, what is your father’s name?”
“He uses the character ‘ming’ (明), meaning bright, and is from Wu Commandery.”
“Hmm, Cao Ming. And your grandfather?”
“He uses the character ‘ding’ (鼎), meaning cauldron, and served as the Grand Administrator of Wu Commandery.”
“Hmm, Cao Ming’s son and Cao Ding’s grandson… Oh! Here it is! So you’re Cao Xiu, Cao Hong’s nephew?”
Cao Song confirmed my identity after checking the lineage scroll. Yes, Cao Xiu was said to be a distant relative of Cao Cao, specifically the grandson of Cao Ding, the Grand Administrator of Wu Commandery.
And Cao Ding’s nephew was Cao Hong, whose cousin was Cao Cao. So, I was something like Cao Cao’s ninth cousin.
“I see from the lineage scroll. Well, welcome.”
“Thank you for recognizing me, Grand Commandant.”
“Hahaha, no need for formalities. We’re family, so just call me Great Uncle.”
Cao Song laughed heartily, repeatedly patting his concubine’s bottom.
“But who are these people with you?”
“Great Uncle, this is Xu Shu. He’s traveling with me to pursue scholarship. And the others are warriors I brought along to escort you and your family.”
“Haha, what’s with all this escort business? Governor Tao Qian of Xu Province is sending hundreds of soldiers to escort me soon. Hahaha-”
Oh dear, those hundreds of men weren’t coming as escorts, but to kill him…
Anyway, after the introductions, Cao Song introduced me to his entire family.
I paid my respects not only to Cao Song, Cao Cao’s father, but also to Cao Cao’s younger brothers, Cao De, Cao Bin, and Cao Yu. Including their wives, concubines, and children, there were over forty members of the Cao clan present.
“You said your name was Wenlie?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m twenty this year.”
“Just the right age. You’ve grown well.”
A middle-aged man with a magnificent mustache, Cao De, Cao Cao’s younger brother, welcomed me as warmly as Cao Song.
“My son in Yan Province is just your age. I’ll introduce you when we arrive. Become good friends.”
“Uncle, if I may ask, what is your son’s name…?”
“His name is Cao Yan, but he’s often called by his courtesy name, Anmin, which I gave him.”
Ah, Cao Anmin!
In the historical records, he died alongside Cao Cao’s son due to “Cao Cao’s personal indiscretions.” So, Cao Anmin was Cao De’s son.
“When we arrive in Yan Province, I’ll talk to my brother Mengde and ask him to find you a good position.”
“Thank you.”
“My brother cares for his family. See, he’s bringing our father and the entire family to Yan Province, isn’t he?”
Like Cao De, the other members of the Cao clan had absolute trust in Cao Cao. It was understandable, as Cao Cao’s name was known throughout the land, even after his failed assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo, as one of the eighteen coalition lords. Everyone relied on him.
As we continued our journey, escorting Cao Song’s family, Tao Qian’s army finally arrived.
“Sir, I am Zhang Kai, sent by the Governor of Xu Province. I have brought two hundred men under my command to escort you.”
Oh no!
Zhang Kai. The man who, in history, coveted Cao Song’s family’s wealth, killed them all, stole the treasures loaded on over one hundred carts, and fled, ultimately destroying the relationship between Cao Cao and Tao Qian and triggering the Xu Province massacre. He was the ultimate culprit.
“Oh, two hundred soldiers? This is quite reassuring.”
I hurriedly reported to Cao Song,
“Great Uncle, I’ve already brought warriors with me, so even without Xu Province soldiers, we should have no trouble reaching Yan Province.”
“No, there are so many bandits in these chaotic times. The more escorts, the better.”
“But these are soldiers tasked with protecting Xu Province. Please entrust your escort to us and accept their goodwill…”
“That wouldn’t be proper. Tao Qian sent these men because he wants to maintain friendly relations with our Cao clan. How can I refuse?”
Oh, old man! They’re here to kill us!
No matter what I said in this situation, Cao Song wouldn’t listen. In the end, we had no choice but to accept these men who had come with ill intentions.
With things like this, I had no choice but to keep my sword at my side and guard Cao Song’s family throughout the night.
“I look forward to working with you all.”
Zhang Kai, with his rugged face, forced a smile and greeted me and the other warriors.
In this unsettling situation, I was called by Xu Shu later that night.
“Brother Yuanzhi, you called for me?”
“Shh.”
Xu Shu put a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet. Inside the tent were a few of the warriors Lu Su had sent.
“What is it?”
“Listen to what this man has to say.”
Xu Shu pointed to one of Lu Su’s warriors, who spoke immediately.
“I previously served as a military officer in Xu Province, and there was no general named Zhang Kai at that time.”
“Hmm?”
“I left the army just two months ago. There was no General Zhang Kai then. The general of the Xu Province army was Chen Deng.”
What? Zhang Kai wasn’t originally under Tao Qian?
“Then what about the troops Zhang Kai brought?”
“I recognize some of the men and their uniforms. But I don’t know the general.”
This was unsettling. The troops were indeed from Tao Qian’s Xu Province army, but the general, Zhang Kai, was apparently not originally under Tao Qian’s command.
Let’s briefly discuss the actual story of the Three Kingdoms here. Cao Song’s family in Xu Province possessed treasures loaded onto over one hundred carts. Governor Tao Qian offered to escort them, but his subordinate, Zhang Kai, betrayed him, plundered the treasures, and fled.
But the warriors who were former military officers in Tao Qian’s army claimed not to know Zhang Kai. He was a general who appeared out of nowhere just two months prior.
“This is even more confusing. But one thing’s for sure. We need to be wary of the Xu Province soldiers and escort Great Uncle and his family to Yan Province ourselves.”
Xu Shu nodded in agreement.
“I promise you all this. If you safely escort Great Uncle and his family to Yan Province, I will double the agreed-upon payment.”
At the mention of double payment, the corners of the warriors mouths turned up, then quickly fell back down.
“Sir, are you anticipating a fight against those hundreds of soldiers, in the worst-case scenario?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“Hmm, even so, if it’s double the pay…”
“Once we reach Yan Province, the Governor there will reward you far beyond double.”
The warrior who had been a military officer, Yan Jia, confidently nodded.
“If that’s the case, it’s worth risking our lives for. Understood!”
“Yes, we’re not farmers. We risk our lives to earn money!”
The twenty warriors under Lu Su were truly elite. They showed no greed for Cao Song’s wealth, and even after being informed of the dangerous mission, they were prepared to fight, based on their trust in Lu Su.
With them, This was worth a try.
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It was a rainy night.
“This is Taishan Commandery, isn’t it? How much further to Yan Province?”
“At this rate, we’ll arrive in two days.”
At Yan Jia’s words, I had a gut feeling.
“We won’t sleep tonight. We’ll guard Great Uncle and his family all night.”
“Yes, sir.”
They were already prepared to risk their lives.
Meanwhile, Cao Song was enjoying the rainy night with his concubine. As the relentless rain continued, dawn approached.
“Who’s there?”
Suddenly, the sounds of clashing swords and screams echoed nearby. Through the rain, numerous soldiers, armed with spears and swords, slowly approached.
“Who are they?”
“Attack!”
The escort soldiers from Tao Qian had finally turned against us. I immediately drew my sword and confronted them in front of Cao Song’s quarters.
When two soldiers charged at me with spears, I leaped onto the wall and struck one of them down.
“Keuk!”
-Swish
I struck between his helmet and armor, severing his neck. Blood gushed out, but the heavy rain washed it away instantly.
One of the two soldiers collapsed, clutching his bleeding neck, but the other swung his sword at me.
I barely dodged the blow to my chest. It would have been a fatal wound if it had been any deeper.
He swung again at me as I retreated, and I dodged again, this time bringing my sword up to pierce his side.
Thud
“Gah!!!”
The Tao Qian soldier staggered, struck in the side. Enraged, I repeatedly stabbed his reeling body.
He could barely scream as I unleashed my fury. Finally, I plunged my sword into his chest and pulled it out. He spewed blood like a fountain and stopped moving.
-Whoosh, Shooaaaaaa
As the torrential rain washed away the blood, I ran a hand through my hair and raised my sword.
“This is why I said we should refuse Tao Qian’s escort!”
“There! Kill him!”
I had barely managed to take down two, but the remaining Tao Qian soldiers all charged at me. Dodging the incoming spears and swords, I swung my sword wildly at anyone in sight.
-Swish
I cut down another soldier, the satisfying impact resonating through my arm and into my heart.
My heart pounded even harder from the shock, my whole body tingling as if electrocuted.
I had already drawn my sword. To survive here, I had to fight like a demon.
“This bastard, he’s holding up well…”
-Swish
In the dark, rainy dawn, a flash of a blade, and a soldier’s head flew into the air, his eyes meeting mine.
“Ah…?”
His lifeless eyes stared at me as his head landed on the ground and rolled to a stop at my feet.
“!”
“Wenlie… It happened just as you predicted.”
“Brother Yuanzhi!”
Xu Shu, having swiftly beheaded a soldier, joined me in the confrontation.
And the twenty warriors Lu Su had lent me also rushed to my side.
“Protect the Cao family!”
“We’re under attack by bandits! We must protect the Grand Commandant!”
I breathed a sigh of relief as the twenty warriors arrived, swords drawn. Amidst the commotion, Cao Song emerged from his quarters.
“Wh, what’s this noise? Why is it so loud outside…”
Cao Song stepped out and his face paled as he saw the dead Tao Qian soldiers and the warriors protecting his quarters.
“Hah?”
“There’s Cao Song! Kill him!”
“Not if we can help it!”
The Tao Qian soldiers, now revealed as bandits, spotted Cao Song and charged to kill him, but the warriors around me blocked their path.
“Wh, what is the meaning of this!?”
“Great Uncle, you must escape! These men have turned bandits, aiming for your family’s wealth!”
“What, what!?”
Xu Shu placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Wenlie! I’ll handle these men. You take the family and escape in the carriages.”
“Brother Yuanzhi!”
“You anticipated this when you brought me to Langya. Well, shall I play the warriors one last time?”
Xu Shu, along with Lu Su’s warrior, charged towards the Tao Qian soldiers, swords drawn.
And I had to rescue the entire Cao family.
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Grandpa Cao just wanted a chill road trip, but nope—now it’s all swords, betrayal, and bloody rain showers! ⚔️🌧️🔥
