Chapter 138: Xiapi

Lü Bu is a highly controversial figure. Overall, later generations evaluated him more critically than favorably. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms further earned Lü Bu the infamy of being a retainer serving three masters. However, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Peng discovered that while people's evaluation of Lü Bu was not particularly high, it could hardly be called overly malicious either.

They merely described him as having the nature of a tiger and a wolf, someone not to be trusted lightly.

As for the title of the retainer of three masters... at least for now, Cao Peng had not heard of it.

The Fierce Tiger! Or they called him a general with the heart of a tiger and wolf.

Just as the proverb says: among horses, the Red Hare; among men, Lü Bu. In a way, this expressed a certain admiration for Lü Bu. This fickle man, possessed of the nature of a tiger and a wolf, was nevertheless able to pacify and hold a region entirely on his own, and was even viewed by Cao Cao as a mortal threat. To some extent, this seemed to demonstrate Lü Bu's capabilities. Before his transmigration, Cao Peng had once heard a theory: Lü Bu was also a transmigrator. He was selfish, he was fickle, and he was lustful, yet at the same time exceptionally gentle toward women—the living image of a peerless, perfect modern man.

His emphasis on family was something men of this era simply did not possess.

During the Battle of Xiapi, Chen Gong suggested that Lü Bu divide his forces for defense. Yet, because of the earnest persuasion of his family, Lü Bu refused to leave Xiapi, ultimately meeting a tragic death. He was a good husband, and a good father. When Yuan Shu forced him to send his daughter to Shouchun to be married, Lü Bu carried his daughter on his back, charging back and forth through the chaotic enemy ranks again and again! Even when completely exhausted, he refused to abandon his daughter, successfully bringing her back to the city of Xiapi.

Compared to those who would casually abandon their wives and children at the drop of a hat, Lü Bu was perhaps much more deserving of a woman's affection.

Whenever later generations spoke of Lü Bu's steadfast loyalty to his family, it was inevitable that they would mention Liu Cao—no, Liu Bei, who had four times abandoned his wives and children to flee for his own life.

Among those instances, two had been caused by Lü Bu.

Yet Lü Bu could be said to have exhausted all benevolence and righteousness toward Liu Bei's family.

After Lü Bu was captured, Cao Cao originally hoped to take him into his service, only for a single sentence from Liu Bei to cost Lü Bu his life.

Subsequently, Lü Bu's family members seemed to have been divided up among Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and others. The most famous among these, perhaps, was the story of Guan Yu and Diaochan...

Diaochan was likewise a character deeply beloved by many.

A beauty and a hero... Guan Yu respected Diaochan, and Diaochan adored Guan Yu! A hero matched with a fair maiden seemed to be the most perfect ending.

Yet Cao Peng did not seem to agree with this ending.

Puyang Kai had asked him to bring gifts and visit Lü Bu in Xiapi. Cao Peng was both startled and delighted. What delighted him was that he would be able to witness such a legendary figure with his own eyes; what startled him was that a man like Lü Bu would probably not be very easy to deal with. Yet, regardless of whether he was willing or not, a trip to Xiapi was imperative.

Regardless of public or private matters, Cao Peng had no excuse to refuse. Lü Bu had been appointed General Who Guards the North and acting Governor of Xuzhou. Although this acting governorship lacked a certain orthodox legitimacy, no matter what, he currently controlled Xuzhou. Haixi was a subordinate county of Guangling, and Guangling was under the jurisdiction of Xuzhou. Now that the superior official had returned in triumphant victory, all subordinate commanderies and counties were required by etiquette to go and offer congratulations. This was a duty no one could shirk.

Just as Puyang Kai had said, since Deng Ji was absent, Cao Peng should naturally represent them.

Neither Puyang Kai nor Bu Zhi possessed the necessary qualification for this task. Cao Peng had no way to decline, so he had no choice but to accept the assignment... However, before leaving, Cao Peng still had several matters to attend to.

First, he instructed Bu Zhi to liquidate Chen Sheng's assets as quickly as possible. Once sufficient funds and grain were obtained, they needed to accelerate the repair work on the city walls of Haixi.

Those dilapidated walls truly needed a thorough restoration.

Furthermore, corresponding weaponry had to be fully equipped. After all, with Haixi County left unmanaged for so many years, the weapons in the armory had long since been completely lost. Ironically, Cao Peng's own father presided over the Bureau of Armament, which was responsible for all weapons across the realm. Yet precisely when Cao Peng needed them, he faced countless difficulties. The weapons had to be prepared in secret, without any flagrance, and above all, without letting too many people know.

Otherwise, it would easily startle the prey.

Secondly, Cao Peng paid a visit to Huang Zheng and the heads of the other nine major guilds.

He repeatedly instructed them that the rectification of the North Market brooks no delay, and the absolute top priority was to quickly staff the Magistrate's Bureau with personnel.

As for this manpower, Cao Peng decided that each of the nine guild heads should contribute ten men.

Once these ten men were incorporated into the Magistrate's Bureau, they would no longer have any ties whatsoever to the nine guilds.

Regarding this demand, Huang Zheng showed sufficient understanding and promised to resolve the staffing issue of the Magistrate's Bureau within three days.

Cao Peng had sketched out a beautiful blueprint for them, and now they had to return the favor by giving Cao Peng their full support.

Having settled these two matters, Cao Peng made a trip to Chen Sheng's agricultural estate.

Overall, Chen Sheng's estate was relatively peaceful. The thousands of tenant farmers did not show any intense resistance. With the twelfth lunar month approaching, farming was certainly out of the question, but so many people could not simply be left idle. Idleness bred idle thoughts, and idleness led to trouble. That evening, without pausing to rest, Cao Peng hurried back to the county office. After consulting with Bu Zhi, he decided to assign all several thousand tenant farmers to the city wall repair project. Having thousands of people at work would not only solve Haixi's labor problems but also keep these people usefully occupied.

At the same time, utilizing the city wall repairs was also an opportune moment for the county office to display its strength and prestige to the people of Haixi.

By the time everything was properly arranged, it was already past midnight.

Lying on his couch, Cao Peng tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Tomorrow he would set out for Xiapi to pay his respects to Lü Bu... Well, as a mere minor magistrate, he probably wouldn't even have the opportunity to see Lü Bu in person.

Most likely, he would simply drop off the gifts, leave a calling card to prove that someone from Haixi had visited, and that would be the end of it.

Yet Cao Peng felt somewhat reluctant; he hoped to seize this chance to catch a glimpse of Lü Bu, knowing that every time one saw Lü Bu, there were fewer chances left...

Ah, how contradictory, what a headache!

Cao Peng turned over, closed his eyes, and unconsciously drifted off into dreamland.

In his dream, he imagined himself riding a steed known as Night-Shining White, galloping across the plains. Night-Shining White flew like lightning, and he reveled in the exhilarating speed. Suddenly, a ball of fire appeared directly ahead, charging straight toward him. The rider on horseback wore a hundred-flower battle robe, a Tang-Ni precious armor, straddled a Red Hare neighing wind-beast, and wielded a painted halibard with crescent blades. Majestic and awe-inspiring, radiating murderous intent, the rider effortlessly blocked Cao Peng's path.

"May I ask, are you the Marquis of Wen, Lü Bu?"

The great general on horseback burst into laughter.

Strangely enough, even though the opponent was not far away, his features remained blurred and impossible to discern.

Just as Cao Peng was feeling puzzled, the great general suddenly spurred his horse forward, and the painted halberd in his hand somehow transformed into a Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

A red face! Reclining silkworm eyebrows, phoenix-like eyes, and a magnificent beard flowing past his jaw.

"Rebel Cao, do not flee... Guan Yu is here!"

Before it could be said, the action was already too swift; Guan Yu swung his blade down toward Cao Peng.

For some reason, the moment the Green Dragon Crescent Blade slashed toward him, Cao Peng's body seemed paralyzed, unable to move a single inch as he watched that gleaming steel blade draw closer and closer!

"Ah!"

Cao Peng cried out, sitting bolt upright.

Inside the room, candlelight flickered with dim illumination.

The charcoal in the brazier was still burning brightly, keeping the room as warm as spring.

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

His clothes were soaked through with perspiration...

Feeling his mouth parched and tongue dry, Cao Peng stumbled down from the couch, picked up a bowl of plain water, and gulped it all down in one breath.

Phew...

What in the world was that ghost of a dream?

Cao Peng wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath, trying hard to calm himself down.

What you think about by day, you dream about by night.

Could this dream be a warning that his trip to Xiapi would not be as easy as he had imagined? In his past life, Cao Peng was an atheist, but now, he no longer dared to be sure. Since bizarre events like transmigration could happen, what was impossible in this world?

It seemed he had to be a little more careful!

Cao Peng did not sleep well for the rest of the night.
Every time he closed his eyes, he would dream of Guan Yunchang baring his fangs and brandishing the Green Dragon Crescent Blade as he lunged toward him... Consequently, when dawn broke, Cao Peng woke up with a pair of dark circles under his eyes. His spirit appeared somewhat listless, and his ears rang intensely, with a persistent buzzing in his head.

"A-Fu, are you feeling unwell?"

Wang Mai asked, unable to help himself as he looked at Cao Peng's haggard appearance.

"I'm fine, just didn't sleep well last night."

Cao Peng waved his hand, pulled Wang Mai aside, and said, "Tiger-head brother, this trip of mine to Xiapi might take a few days. Keep a close eye on things here, and by the way, pay extra attention to Wang Cheng. Take charge of the matters at the North Market; once everyone is in place, incorporate them for our own use as soon as possible.

I will be back in three to five days at the earliest, or seven to eight days at the latest."

"Don't you worry. Fifth brother and I will keep an eye on things at the North Market."

"Mm..."

Cao Peng nodded, offering no further nagging instructions.

He understood Wang Mai very well; though somewhat blunt-spoken, the man was not foolish.

Once a task was entrusted to him, he would find every possible way to complete it, so Cao Peng was not particularly worried.

After washing up, his spirits improved considerably. Cao Peng changed his clothes, led Night-Shining White out of the stable, and walked to the outer courtyard of the county office.

The carriage was already prepared, loaded with the congratulatory gifts for Lü Bu.

Most of these gifts were items confiscated from Chen Sheng's estate. After Puyang Kai and Bu Zhi carefully sorted through them, they selected this cartload of presents. Cao Peng merely glanced at them cursorily; they were nothing more than gold, silver, and silk fabrics, though they certainly did not appear overly shabby.

"Second brother, third brother, let's set off."

Cao Peng had originally planned to make the trip alone, but upon hearing about it, Dian Man and Xu Yi insisted on coming along.

Both of these men were fond of displays of martial prowess and valor. Dian Wei had once crossed swords with Lü Bu and had praised him lavishly in front of Dian Man at home; as for Xu Yi, he had long heard of the Fierce Tiger's reputation without ever having laid eyes on him. With this opportunity to visit Xiapi, the two of them were very eager to witness Lü Bu's demeanor firsthand.

Truth be told, their thoughts were somewhat similar to Cao Peng's own.

Dian Man brought ten guards, and Xu Yi brought another ten guards. Including the servants and carriage drivers, a party of over thirty people slowly departed from the northern gate of Haixi.

As they were leaving the city, Cao Peng even ran into Wang Cheng.

He smiled slightly at Wang Cheng from horseback and nodded, considering it a greeting.

Wang Cheng raised his hands in a salute toward Cao Peng, wearing a similarly beaming smile...

In October of the second year of Jian'an, Lü Bu assisted Cao Cao in jointly attacking Yuan Shu, returning in triumphant victory. At this time, Yang Feng and Han Xian, having helped Lü Bu defeat Yuan Shu, remained stationed in Xiapi. Because the wars in Xuzhou and Yangzhou were endless, the military rations of Yang Feng and his faction could not be sustained, and consequently, they hatched the ambition to usurp Xuzhou. The two of them conspired with Liu Bei, intending to take advantage of Lü Bu's returning army to launch a joint attack against him and swallow up Xuzhou.

However, Liu Bei loathed Yang Feng's character. He invited Yang Feng into his military camp under false pretenses, seized the opportunity to assassinate him, and annexed his troops.

When Han Xian saw that Yang Feng was dead, he fled toward Bingzhou with a dozen cavalrymen. On the way, however, he was killed by his own subordinates! Thus, Yang Feng and Han Xian met their downfall.

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