Chapter 40: The Sword Presentation at Wancheng

The first day of the first month in the second year of Jian'an—a new year had just dawned.

Cao Cao, styled Mengde, now holding the esteemed post of Grand Minister of Works, divided his army into two columns and set out to conquer Wan City.

His clansman, the Censorate Advisor Cao Hong, led troops from Kunyang in Yingchuan Commandery, broke through Ye County that very day, and pressed on toward Duyang and Zhixian; the newly appointed Prefect of Henan, Xiahou Dun, led his forces from Fangshan in Runan Commandery, marched against the current of the Ru River, and on the second day of the first month reached Zhongyang Mountain, pointing his vanguard at Wuyin County.

Wuyin’s magistrate, Cheng Yao, surrendered without a fight, delivering both his seal and the entire city into their hands...

Cao Cao himself commanded the central army, following close behind.

Yu Jin, the Pacifier of the Barbarians, remained at the rear with the baggage train and provisions.

For a time, Nanyang Commandery was awash with panic and tension, dark clouds of war looming overhead.

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Cao Peng had long anticipated Cao Cao’s expedition.

He also knew full well that Cao Cao’s campaign against Wan would end in defeat. For beside Zhang Xiu lurked a formidable figure.

That man was Jia Xu, styled Wenhe—a strategist Cao Peng deeply admired.

Cao Peng wanted nothing more than to warn Cao Cao: “When you reach Wan, do not let lust or romantic entanglements sway you, or even your own son will suffer the consequences.”

But the question was, how could he reach Cao Cao?

Who would believe him, or let him approach the great warlord?

Cao Cao, now ruling in the Emperor's name, was already the leader of a realm. Cao Peng could not even gain an audience with Huang She, let alone with Cao Cao. This was one of the reasons he had opposed seeking refuge with Cao Cao in the first place. Without a patron, they had little hope of securing a foothold. Cao Cao was known for valuing men of talent, recruiting them from all backgrounds, but even so, those men at least had some reputation.

To approach Cao Cao was a Herculean labor...

Deng Ji returned to Yiyang Garrison with a hundred sets of armor and weapons, as well as ample provisions.

He barely had a moment to catch his breath before Wei Yan summoned him to the command tent for a council. After all, Deng Ji was the acting commander at Yiyang; if the garrison was to march out, he would be swamped with preparations.

As the Art of War says: “In the employment of troops, there are a thousand chariots of heavy transport, a thousand leather-covered wagons, and a hundred thousand men in arms. The cost of provisions, guests, materials, and equipment, as well as the daily expenses, amounts to a thousand pieces of gold each day. Only then can an army of a hundred thousand be set in motion...” Yiyang Garrison had barely a hundred men, but even a short campaign required thorough preparation. Supplies, materials, and equipment—all had to be ready before departure. Even though it was just a two- to three-day journey from Jiunü Fortress to Wan, no detail could be neglected.

Such was the work of a commander.

Wei Yan finally understood the value of a skilled adjutant.

No longer did he have to worry about the endless minutiae—Deng Ji saw to everything with methodical precision.

First, the newly arrived armor and weapons were registered, then distributed team by team. Old and damaged equipment was collected to be returned to the army quartermaster for repair or disposal; Deng Ji’s responsibility ended there.

Once these tasks were done, Deng Ji began preparations for the campaign: how to break camp, whether rest would be needed en route, and other logistical details.

By the time he finished and returned to his tent, midnight was near.

Utterly exhausted, Deng Ji collapsed onto his couch, eyelids heavy as if weighed by lead, his mind fogged with fatigue.

“Brother-in-law, wake up!”

“Ah Fu... What is it? I’m really tired today. If it’s not urgent, can we talk in the morning?”

Seeing Deng Ji about to close his eyes again, Cao Peng grabbed his arm and pulled him upright.

“Brother-in-law, this is important!” Cao Peng’s expression was grave, his tone solemn. Deng Ji, despite his exhaustion, roused himself at the sight of such seriousness.

“Brother-in-law, I think I’ve figured out Huang She’s plan.”

“His plan?”

“Brother-in-law, Lord Cao has marched his army!”

Deng Ji stifled a yawn and nodded, “Yes, I’ve heard they’re advancing quickly—already crossed Lushan and entered Nanyang.”

“Does Huang She want us to escort provisions to Wan?”

“Yes, we depart the morning after tomorrow. It’s about five thousand shi of grain, and it must reach Wan within three days.”

“Given the pace of Cao’s advance, when we arrive at Wan...”

Cao Peng left the sentence unfinished, but Deng Ji understood.

“When we reach Wan, Cao’s army will be at the city gates. By then, whether we wish to fight or not will be out of our hands.”

“Using a borrowed knife to kill!”

“Exactly—a borrowed knife!”

Deng Ji drew in a cold breath, looking at Cao Peng with a wry, bitter smile.

“Huang She’s methods are truly ruthless.”

By this point, both Cao Peng and Deng Ji had more or less deduced Huang She’s intentions.

At first, Huang She had summoned Deng Ji, likely looking for a pretext to frame him or his kin, to implicate his entire family. Unexpectedly, Cao Peng had come of his own accord, saving Huang She the trouble. With Cao Cao’s army marching on Wan, there was no need for subterfuge—just send Deng Ji and Cao Peng to Wan, leaving them to their fate...

If Zhang Xiu triumphed, Cao Peng and the others might not survive; if Zhang Xiu fell, their fate would be just as dire.

“Ah Fu, we... should run.”

Deng Ji was wide awake now. He lifted his head.

Run?

It wouldn’t be so simple...

Cao Peng gave a bitter laugh. “Brother-in-law, do you think Huang She would have no contingencies?”

“You mean...?”

Cao Peng bit his lip and spoke quietly, “I am certain Huang She has people watching our house right now. At the slightest sign of flight, our parents and your sister would be implicated... Brother-in-law, we can’t run. The knife’s handle is in Huang She’s hand.”

Deng Ji fell silent.

“Then what do you suggest?”

“We’ll take it one step at a time,” Cao Peng said, pacing the tent before stopping abruptly. “There’s something else. Today I saw Wei Ping, the Captain, sneaking around with Ma Yu—no idea what they were plotting. Yiyang Garrison is not a monolith; it seems Wei Ping has his differences with Wei Yan. I think, if Huang She wants to move against us, he’ll use Wei Ping and Ma Yu...

Our feud with Ma Yu is not hard to uncover.

Huang She is adept at using others to do his work—first, trying to use Yiyang Garrison against us; now, using the Wan campaign as a pretext. He may well bribe Wei Ping and employ Ma Yu’s hand... Brother-in-law, we mustn’t underestimate Huang She.”

Deng Ji drummed his fingers anxiously on the rail of his bed.

“Here’s what we’ll do. Starting tomorrow, I’ll arrange for you to serve alongside Wei Yan.

Wen Chang is a formidable warrior and quite loyal. If you’re by his side, he may be able to protect you. As for whether we should inform him about Wei Ping...”

“Best not to,” said Cao Peng. “We’re not close enough to Wei Yan yet. If we rush to tell him, he might think we’re sowing discord. I’ll be fine around Wei Yan, but you will be in danger alone. We need to get Tigerhead transferred over as well. And Wei Ping still commands the sword-bearers—your four sword-bearers are not to be trusted.”

Deng Ji thought for a moment, then smiled calmly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get them reassigned.”

Cao Peng noticed that Deng Ji was no longer tense as before; instead, he seemed almost relaxed, as if—at last—he had the air of a strategist, calmly orchestrating events from afar.

He smiled, too.

After everything that had happened, Deng Ji had grown much more mature.

“In any case, from now on, we must be cautious.” Deng Ji’s drumming slowed, his words sounding half to Cao Peng, half to himself. “Actually, things may not be as dire as they seem. Sending us to Yiyang Garrison may have been a grave mistake on Huang She’s part!”

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As time passed, the frantic preparations gradually settled into routine.

Though the campaign was sudden, the battle-hardened warriors of Yiyang showed little sign of being unsettled. Their motto rang true: “When the enemy strikes, the warriors of Yiyang lead the charge.” Perhaps from the very day of their assembly, the soldiers of Yiyang had foreseen this outcome.

“When the enemy strikes, the warriors of Yiyang lead the charge!”

Deng Ji found a pretext to place Cao Peng at Wei Yan’s side.

Then he transferred Wang Mai over as well, and after consulting with Tang Ji, dismissed the four elite sword-bearers from his retinue on the grounds that they were unnecessary. Tang Ji, not thinking too much of it, recalled the sword-bearers and assigned two spearmen as Deng Ji’s new escorts.

A day passed in this ceaseless busyness, almost without notice.

At dawn the next day, as the tiger hour began, Yiyang Garrison lit their fires to cook breakfast. After the soldiers were mustered at the rabbit hour, the convoy—escorting five thousand shi of grain in forty-one wagons—set out from Jiunü Fortress, bathed in the glow of morning. Wei Ping led the vanguard with six cavalrymen. Wei Yan commanded the center with twenty spearmen and twenty sword-and-shield soldiers. Tang Ji brought up the rear with thirty-four spearmen.

By Deng Ji’s arrangement, Ma Yu and his men, now serving as spearmen, were placed in the rear guard.

Over forty wagons and some eighty men moved steadily down the main road...

Cao Peng, riding his nag behind Wei Yan, cut a striking figure in leather armor, a Han ring-sabre in hand and a Dragon Sparrow broadsword slung across his saddle.

“Ah Fu, that Dragon Sparrow is quite the blade.”

Wei Yan knew quality at a glance. He saw immediately that Cao Peng’s broadsword was extraordinary.

He, too, wielded a broadsword, but his was clearly inferior to Cao Peng’s Dragon Sparrow. For any great general, a fine steed and a famed weapon were prized above all. Wei Yan’s eyes lingered on the broadsword, unable to look away.

“My father reforged the Dragon Sparrow for me, as a gift for this campaign.”

Cao Peng drew the Dragon Sparrow with one arm and handed it to Wei Yan.

“Your father forges blades?”

“Yes, he’s a blacksmith,” Cao Peng replied, urging his horse closer and lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Commander Wei, can you see anything unusual about this Dragon Sparrow?”

Wei Yan weighed the sword in his hand.

“Your father made this so heavy—if you try to swing it a few times, you’ll cut yourself before you cut the enemy. Still, it’s a fine blade... Been around for years, I’d wager. He must have reforged it. The craftsmanship is excellent—far better than mine.”

With that, Wei Yan swung the Dragon Sparrow in a great arc, slicing through the air.

The blade sang with a sharp, piercing cry.

“A marvelous sword! Truly marvelous!” Wei Yan exclaimed, nodding in admiration.

It was clear the weight and balance of the Dragon Sparrow suited him perfectly.

The Dragon Sparrow broadsword was specially forged, weighing more than twice as much as the usual seven-foot long sabers. To wield such a blade one-handed required immense strength of arm and waist—an ordinary man could never manage it. Wei Yan took the Dragon Sparrow in one hand, his own broadsword in the other, and began to demonstrate his skill from horseback. The blades flashed and whirled, the wind howled, and Cao Peng could scarcely follow his movements.

No wonder this man was counted among the mighty generals of the Three Kingdoms!

“Brother Wei, if you like it, I’ll give you the Dragon Sparrow.”

Wei Yan started in surprise. “Give it to me?”

“My father originally meant to give it to Tigerhead, but you see, Tigerhead prefers the serpent spear to the broadsword.

So the Dragon Sparrow came to me... But as you yourself said, I can’t even wield it properly. It’s wasted on me. As the saying goes, ‘A beauty for a hero, a treasured blade for a warrior.’ Only in your hands, brother, will this sword realize its worth.”

“Well...” Wei Yan hesitated, but it was clear he truly loved the blade.

“Come, brother! If a man likes something, let him be bold about it. I’ve already said the sword is more suited to you. May you achieve glory with it.”

At this, Wei Yan burst out laughing.

“Brother Ah Fu, since you put it that way, I won’t be shy!”

He sheathed both swords and secured them to his saddle.

From a distance, Deng Ji watched in silence.

Seeing Wei Yan accept the Dragon Sparrow, Deng Ji finally let out a long breath of relief, a faint, relaxed smile crossing his face.