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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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I had suddenly fallen into the Three Kingdoms era.
No, to be precise, it wasn’t even the Three Kingdoms yet, but it was the late Eastern Han Dynasty, an age of chaos preceding it.
Having consumed so many stories of this genre, I’d hoped to be born into a prestigious family… but instead, I ended up in a dirt-poor household in Wu Commandery, Yang Province.
My parents were farmers, and with my father’s poor health, I had to take up the plow myself from the age of fifteen, working tirelessly without rest.
In truth, whether this was the age of Three Kingdoms heroes or not, I had become a mere commoner trapped in the worst hellhole, forced to worry daily about survival.
By the first month, I couldn’t bear it anymore. I even contemplated extreme measures to return home, but the parents I met in this life always shielded and cherished me.
Yet even that came to an end when my father passed away during a village plague.
Relief from the government? This land was controlled by bandits, beyond the reach of the Han Dynasty’s administration. Their leader was a brute named Yan Baihu.
After my father’s funeral, to survive, I moved his remains to the mountains. Using the three-year mourning period as an excuse, I hid in a shack I built.
It was then I met “the man who owed my father a debt from the past” and received help with the funeral.
And then he asked me, ‘After three years here, you’ll be of age. Will you then seek to make your mark on the world?’
Then he made an offer, ‘Why not learn literature and martial arts from me in the meantime?’
To survive this turbulent era, I accepted.
With no cheat abilities, noble lineage, or innate talent, I learned purely to stay alive.
So, before my father’s grave, I trained with him by day in swordsmanship, archery, and spearmanship, and studied literature by night.
Driven by survival, I even hunted dangerous beasts in the mountains for food. Something that would’ve been unthinkable under normal rites.
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Three years passed.
“Huu—”
I bowed one last time to my father’s grave.
“I’ll return now.”
The man who had stayed with me also smiled, bowed, and finally descended the mountain with me.
“In the Central Plains, they say a descendant of the Yuan family, who served the Three Excellencies, earned fame for completing his father’s three-year mourning.¹”
But knowing most figures of this era, I replied immediately:
“Are you speaking of Yuan Shao?”
“Though you’ve never left the southern lands, you know the affairs of the Central Plains even with your eyes closed? Hahaha!”
Yuan Shao had held two three-year mourning periods, earning widespread renown. Now, under the guise of filial piety, he’d become a warlord with influence in the Central Plains.
My master patted my shoulder.
“Since we’re leaving the mountain, I’ll teach you one last thing: horsemanship. Then my duty ends.”
“Horsemanship?”
“I’ve occasionally gone down to speak with your mother. There’s enough money to prepare a horse for you.”
After three years of training in the mountains, I finally learned to ride.
When we returned to the village, my mother, who had been working the fields alone, embraced me and wept. Slowly, I became part of this family.
For the next six months, my master taught me horsemanship. Of course, I didn’t ride all day; I hunted or fought nearby bandits to earn a living.
Eventually, I became known as “Xun, the Warrior of Wu Commandery.”
And so, I turned twenty in Wu.
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On a moonlit night, my mother and master called for me late.
“At this hour… What’s the matter?”
Both wore solemn expressions. Whatever it was, it seemed quite serious.
After a silence, my master spoke first:
“Xun, it’s time to tell you the truth.”
“…Truth?”
What truth? What was he saying?
“Xun, we told you our family had no surname, that we were wandering commoners. But that’s a lie.”
Wait—our family had a hidden secret?
“Then…”
“We hid your surname. Our family once produced a Grand Commandant.”
…What? A sudden revelation about my birth?
Honestly, after being stranded in this world, I’d resigned myself to survival. But a family that produced a Grand Commandant during Emperor Huan or Ling’s reign? That meant we were once an illustrious house!
“You are of the Cao clan from Qiao County, Pei State.”
“What?!”
Crazy! Not just any family, but the Cao clan of Qiao County!
The Cao clan of Pei’s Qiao County could only mean one lineage: Cao Teng, the eunuch and Grand Commandant under Emperors Huan and Ling. His adopted son Cao Song, who bought the title with 100 million coins.
And finally Cao Song’s son, the Hero of Chaos and capable Minister of Governance, Cao Cao.
I was part of Cao Cao’s family.
“Then why are we in Wu Commandery…?”
“You were too young to remember, but after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, we fled south to escape war.”
“Ah…”
By my calculation, I’d been a child then. My memories were faint, but hiding our status meant something must’ve happened in our hometown.
My mother gestured to my master.
“The man who taught you martial arts fought alongside your father during the Yellow Turban Rebellion.”
I see. A veteran of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Everything he had taught me, the literature, martial arts, and horsemanship, now made sense.
“Master, I understand now.”
“I made a promise to your father. If he died first, I’d guide you until you became a warrior.”
I bowed deeply to him.
Learning this truth set my heart racing. Four years of hardship now made sense. I was of the Cao clan!
“Your childhood name was ‘Xun,’ but your adult name is Xiu (休), and the courtesy name given to you for when you come of age is Wenlie (文烈).”
Oh my god!
Cao Xiu, courtesy name Wenlie.
A Cao clansman from Qiao County, a distant relative of Cao Cao who would rise to Grand Marshal of Cao Wei.
From my Three Kingdoms knowledge, Cao Xiu’s birth year was unclear, but after his father’s death, he lived with his widowed mother until joining Cao Cao’s uprising. He later served three generations: Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui.
Although he participated in major battles, he didn’t have any particularly outstanding achievements, but the trust of the Cao family and his background as a member of the imperial family with power in the military were enough to change history.
I was Cao Xiu! If I had known this from the beginning, I would have taken my parents and sought out Cao Cao right away!
“Now that you are an adult, I will call you by your courtesy name. Wenlie!”
“Yes, Master.”
Shedding the name ‘Xun’ and embracing ‘Cao Xiu, Wenlie’ stirred something deep within me.
So, I was Cao Xiu, Wenlie.
The four grueling years suddenly felt worth it. How ironic.
“It’s time to leave Wu and rejoin the Cao clan.”
“To Yan Province?”
“No, you will go to Xu Province.”
“Xu Province …?”
The Cao clan… Xu Province… great filial piety… something felt ominous
“The clan elder, Grand Commandant Cao Song, resides in Langya, Xu Province. Soon, he’ll move to Yan Province. Take this letter and pay your respects.”
I accepted the wax-sealed letter.
“I’m to meet the Grand Commandant in Langya?”
“Yes. Meanwhile, I’ll escort your mother safely to our hometown in Qiao County.”
My mother would return home under the master’s protection, while I headed to Xuzhou to meet Cao Song—Cao Cao’s father.
But Langya was where the Cao clan would be slaughtered.³
This was fate, and an opportunity.
A chance to rewrite history.
“Can you leave tomorrow morning?”
“I’ll depart at once.”
“Hahaha! You’ve become a true man, Wenlie!”
The master laughed heartily and handed me a sword.
“A coming-of-age gift for your journey tomorrow.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Pay your respects to the Grand Commandant and rise within the Cao clan. I’ll be rooting for you.”
He praised me warmly. My mother, smiling silently, and quietly handed me a box.
“Open it.”
“You’re leaving now, so this is clothing and travel expenses from selling the house and land.”
“Mother…”
“I’m sorry for all the hardship you’ve endured.”
I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. I had thought I had fallen into hell, but in hindsight, she was a mother who had continued to care for me despite our difficult circumstances.
“I pray you gain recognition from the main family and make a name for yourself in the country.”
I felt a surge of emotion, my heart burning.
Another mother who had guided me through a world that had been so unfamiliar. She had endured so much hardship yet continued to care for me until the very end. And I was only saying this now.
“Thank you, Mother.”
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The next day.
Before setting off on horseback, I took one last look at Wu Commandery.
It had been a place of despair for four years, but now, farewell.
When I return, I’ll be a general under Cao Cao, reclaiming conquered lands.
From Wu Commandery in Yang Province to Langya in Xu Province was a journey of a little less than ten days. As I rode, I organized the current situation.
It was now 193 AD, before the Xu Province massacre. And Cao Cao’s father, Cao Song, along with his family, were still living safely in Xu Province.
Yes, I could still save them.
The most infamous act attributed to Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms era was the ‘Xu Province massacre,’ and the cause was the ‘ slaughter of his family in Xu Province.’
But if I saved Cao Song and the clan first…
If I escorted them safely to Cao Cao and revealed myself as a Cao clansman with his father’s support…
That’s where it begins.
I’ll carve my own Three Kingdoms destiny!
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From farm boy to warrior to secret heir—history just got a major rewrite, and I’m here for it! ⚔️🔥 #ThreeKingdomsGlowUp
