Chapter 041: Gathering at Sunset in Wan City
In later generations, in the Legends of the Heroes of the Three Kingdoms, there was a very interesting statistic called Loyalty!
Cao Peng never expected to gain Wei Yan’s loyalty, nor did he have any means to demand it, given his current circumstances. But even if there’s no loyalty, one can always increase goodwill...
The idea to present a sword came from Deng Ji. Although his contact with Wei Yan wasn’t long, Deng Ji could more or less grasp a bit of Wei Yan’s character. In his bones, this man was extremely proud, but not without feeling. Every person has seven emotions and six desires, preferences, and aversions. Deng Ji believed that to survive this calamity safely, forging a good relationship with Wei Yan was the most important thing.
So, he thought of the plan to present the sword!
Don’t be fooled by the fact that Wei Yan was only a commander of a hundred men—he actually had little to his name. A good sword in the market cost at least several thousand coins, maybe tens of thousands... and you couldn’t even haggle; the price really wasn’t high. The so-called good sword here was just an ordinary ring-hilted saber. For instance, the Longque in Cao Peng’s hand would fetch no less than several hundred thousand coins on the market; otherwise, don’t even think about it. As for a true treasured blade, it was priceless—worth millions or even tens of millions, and might still be impossible to obtain.
The large ring-saber Wei Yan wielded was a standard issue, worth only several thousand coins.
As Cao Peng said: a hero deserves a fine sword. With a good blade, Wei Yan’s combat power could increase by several levels.
As for Cao Peng, he could not make use of the Longque.
Instead of letting the sword collect dust by his side, it was better to give it to Wei Yan and win his favor.
In the past, Deng Ji would never have done such a thing, nor would he have stooped to it. Yet now, he seemed to have become enlightened, beginning to consider little actions that were hardly worth mentioning. Often, it’s those small gestures that prove useful at critical moments...
Cao Peng was quite pleased with Deng Ji’s change!
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The caravan moved slowly—so slowly that "snail’s pace" would not be an exaggeration.
Originally, it was just an ordinary assignment. But with Cao Cao’s campaign, this escort mission had become anything but routine.
Wei Yan and Deng Ji conversed constantly along the way.
The two rode side by side, with Cao Peng and Wang Mai trailing behind.
“Tigerhead, stay sharp.”
“Be careful of what?”
“Keep a close eye on Ma Yu. That fellow is far too quiet.”
“I know.”
Wang Mai didn’t question Cao Peng’s advice. In his view, if A’fu said such a thing, there must be a good reason. A’fu had a keen eye and noticed things others missed; sometimes, even if explained, he might not understand. If so, why ask further? Just do as A’fu says...
During the New Year’s Day fight outside Yiyang Camp with Wei Yan, though Wang Mai was injured, Wei Yan had meant no real harm, so the wound wasn’t serious. Wang Mai was sturdy to begin with, and after twenty days of Bajiquan training with Cao Peng, his recovery was swift.
In just two days, he was nearly back to normal.
“A’fu, who do you think will win this time?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m talking about Cao Cao and General Little Zhang...”
“I reckon that Lord Cao will probably suffer a loss this time.”
“How come? I’ve heard Cao Cao is a mighty warrior, and he has many talented people under him. Can General Little Zhang really defeat him?”
“Sometimes, when things go too smoothly, people become complacent. Once a person grows overconfident, calamity follows... Lord Cao’s army advanced too easily—he took Nanyang County almost without a fight.”
Cao Peng pontificated as he instructed Wang Mai.
Of course, he couldn’t say outright that he knew for certain Cao Cao would lose, and lose badly. This was the only way he could have such a conversation with Wang Mai. Honest as he was, Wang Mai didn’t object but pondered it seriously and nodded in agreement.
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As dusk approached, the caravan pressed on.
Just as Wei Yan and his men finished crossing a river at a ferry, preparing to continue their journey, a lone horseman galloped toward them from afar.
“Where is Commander Wei? Where is Commander Wei?”
Wei Yan spurred his horse forward, shouting sternly, “Halt! I am Wei Yan.”
The rider immediately reined in, dismounted, and knelt on one knee before Wei Yan’s horse. “I come from Jiunü Fortress by order of Registrar Huang. Commander Wei is to halt the march, camp here overnight, and await further instructions from Registrar Huang. I rushed all the way here and made it just in time.”
As he spoke, he presented a command token with both hands.
Wei Yan dismounted, took the token, and glanced at it to confirm it was indeed issued from the main camp at Jiunü Fortress.
“What’s the reason for the sudden halt?”
“Well...” The messenger hesitated, then whispered, “To be honest, just after noon, we received news from our scouts: Zhang Xiu surrendered to Cao Cao yesterday.”
“What?!”
Wei Yan was shocked, his expression changing dramatically.
“Cao Cao’s forces advanced rapidly. On New Year’s Day, after breaking through Ye County, his adviser Cao Hong captured Duyang the next day. Zhixian and Bowang counties surrendered without a fight. Yesterday, Zhang Xiu sent an envoy to Bowang to offer his surrender. Cao Cao is said to have accepted it.
Upon hearing the news, Registrar Huang immediately dispatched me to catch up with you... He said that when Zhang and Cao face off, the situation is highly unpredictable. If Zhang Xiu surrenders, these five thousand dan of grain need not be sent to Wan City. But the situation remains unclear, so Commander Wei is to camp here and await confirmation... I’ve delivered the message and must hurry back to Jiunü Fortress to report. Does Commander Wei have further orders?”
“Oh, nothing for now. Please report to General Huang that Wei Yan follows orders!”
“Yes, sir!”
The messenger saluted, remounted, and rode off.
Wei Yan was left with a headache...
“Deng, I’ve just received orders: General Huang commands us to camp here and await further instructions.”
Their exchange hadn’t drawn much attention. Deng Ji was busy adjusting the wagons and making arrangements, so he hadn’t noticed. The sudden order to camp left both Deng Ji and Cao Peng uneasy.
Why camp here, of all places?
“We just received word: Zhang Boluan has surrendered!”
“What?”
Deng Ji was shocked, while Cao Peng was puzzled.
“Who is Zhang Boluan?” Cao Peng asked quietly.
Deng Ji shot him a glance and replied, “Zhang Boluan is General Little Zhang—Zhang Xiu of Wan City.”
Cao Peng sensed Wang Mai’s questioning gaze, as if to say: Didn’t you just say Cao Cao would be defeated? How has Zhang Xiu surrendered?
It was truly difficult to explain.
So Cao Peng could only endure this embarrassing blow from Huang.
Deng Ji asked, “Now that General Little Zhang has surrendered, shouldn’t we return to Jiunü Fortress? Why camp here?”
Wei Yan stroked his short, dark beard, smiling wryly, “How should I know what General Huang intends? But I guess Zhang Boluan’s surrender isn’t fully confirmed yet. So General Huang wants us to stay here and wait for confirmation from Wan City. If Zhang Boluan truly surrenders, we’ll return at once. It’s less than a day’s journey from here to Nieyang County. If not, we continue the escort.”
That seemed to be the only explanation!
Deng Ji saw nothing amiss and nodded, “In that case, I’ll make camp right away.”
“Thank you for your efforts, Deng.”
With that, Wei Yan signaled for Cao Peng to follow.
Having received a favor, he would naturally offer more consideration.
On this, Wei Yan was not an ungrateful man...
Cao Peng exchanged a look with Wang Mai, who nodded, indicating he would stay alert.
Then Cao Peng rode alongside Wei Yan at a slow pace. Wei Yan remained silent, his long brows knitted, clearly deep in thought.
“Commander!”
Not far ahead, Wei Ping rode up with six men.
Wei Ping asked, “Why have we suddenly stopped?”
“General Huang ordered us to camp here and await further instructions... Wenbo, have you scouted out where we are?”
Wenbo was Wei Ping’s courtesy name.
He bowed from horseback, “Commander, this place is called Xiyang Gathering, at the border between Jiyang County and Wan City. If we turn back, we’re in Jiyang County; right now, we’re within Wan City’s territory. If we continue north, we’ll reach Wan City by tomorrow evening.”
“A real crossroads, damn it.”
“So should we turn back or camp here?”
Xiyang Gathering was an interesting place.
The Ji River joined the Yu River here, marking the boundary between Wan City and Jiyang County. At the same time, Xiyang Gathering was also the border between Wan City and Nieyang County. Following the Ji River south for ten li brought you into Nieyang County. All in all, Xiyang Gathering was a no-man’s-land between three jurisdictions.
Wei Yan considered, then said, “We’ll camp here. If we turn back, it’ll be a hassle. Even if General Huang sends us back to Jiunü Fortress, we can return via Nieyang. It’s not much different, so there’s no need for extra trouble... The men have marched all day and are exhausted. Let’s rest early and wait for General Huang’s orders... Wenbo, I must trouble you once more.”
“Your orders, Commander!”
“Scout thirty li north of Xiyang Gathering for enemy activity. We just heard Zhang Xiu surrendered... If true, there must be Cao forces nearby, so be extra careful.”
“I understand!”
Wei Ping accepted the task and rode off with his men.
Wei Yan scratched his head in frustration and said, “Come, let’s head back. Once the camp is settled, we’ll wait for news.”
Cao Peng offered no opinion, and had no right to.
He followed Wei Yan back toward the ferry, where the wagons and horses had already been arranged in a circle, forming the beginnings of a simple camp.
As they were about to enter, the great standard planted on one of the wagons suddenly collapsed with a crash, causing a commotion among the men and horses. Tang Ji rushed over to set the standard upright again. Wei Yan’s face turned grim.
In those days, a fallen banner or collapsed standard was an ominous sign.
At that moment, Cao Peng reached out his hand and murmured to himself, “The wind is rising.”