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Just as would often happen in later eras, the county captain of Gucheng arrived belatedly with twenty or so soldiers.
In the Han Dynasty, a county captain was akin to the head of the local public security bureau, also overseeing responsibilities akin to those of the commerce and taxation bureaus. Though the rank was not high, their actual authority in local affairs was considerable.
Upon arriving at the scene, the county captain dismounted but did not immediately greet anyone. Instead, he swept his gaze across the area.
To one side, a pile of roughly thirty to forty corpses lay stacked. Seven or eight auxiliary soldiers were digging pits to bury the bodies. Nearby, beside a large cart, only about a dozen men appeared injured, their wounds already wrapped in cloth strips—none seemed seriously hurt. As for the dead, there were only three or five, likely killed by stray arrows. Judging by their attire, they were also auxiliary soldiers…
The county captain clicked his tongue inwardly. Damn it, are these really just ordinary transport soldiers? They're practically as tough as frontier troops!
He quickly plastered a smile on his face and approached Fei Qian with a bow. A seasoned official like him had sharp eyes—he could tell at a glance that the young man sitting in the carriage was the important figure in this convoy, even though the young man's face was drained of color, as if he had been badly frightened…
Fei Qian wasn't frightened—he had been vomiting.
Anyone who had thrown up three times in the early morning, retching until even bile came out, would look just as pale and sickly, no matter how healthy they usually were.
"My surname is Yang, serving as the county captain of Gucheng. Greetings, young master," Captain Yang said with a chuckle, clasping his hands and bowing deeply.
"Fei of Heluo, Left Attendant Gentleman of the Secretariat," Fei Qian replied tersely, unwilling to say more. He signaled for Huang Cheng to handle the discussion with Captain Yang.
It wasn't that Fei Qian was putting on airs—his stomach was still spasming occasionally, and speaking too much might trigger another round of vomiting…
However, this attitude seemed perfectly normal to Captain Yang. Nobles were always conscious of their status, and he was merely a lowly county captain. Moreover, a Left Attendant Gentleman was a court official with a rank of 400 shi. If this young master from the "Fei Clan of Heluo" were to chat casually with him, treating him like an equal or even a brother, that would have been abnormal!
Captain Yang quickly agreed and retreated with an ingratiating smile. Officials like him, who acted as local tyrants in their jurisdictions, were used to switching demeanors on a whim. Lowering his head now didn't feel the least bit humiliating.
After all, even though this was the border of Gucheng County, it was still within its jurisdiction. If something happened here, he couldn't escape responsibility. A bit of flattery was far better than accidentally provoking someone he shouldn't.
A short while later, Huang Cheng returned with a slip of paper, which he handed to Fei Qian.
Fei Qian skimmed it briefly before tucking it away.
The document was essentially a transfer receipt, recording what had occurred and who had taken over the matter…
What caught Fei Qian's attention was that the paper explicitly described the attackers as "remnant Yellow Turban bandits," with thirty-six heads claimed! The key issue was that the county captain had merely sent someone to perfunctorily inspect the scene and count the dead. He hadn't bothered to verify the identities of the attackers or inquire about the details of the assault. Under Huang Cheng's seemingly simple-minded smile, the captain had simply gone along with labeling them as "Yellow Turban remnants."
On the surface, it appeared that the captain was being extremely deferential to Fei Qian and his group, but in reality, there was something fishy about it.
During the Qin Dynasty and early Han, heads were crucial for climbing the ranks.
The military merit system, from the rank of Gongshi and Shangzao up to Guannei Hou and Chehou, allowed every promotion to be paved with severed heads.
In those days, the easiest way to collect heads was to serve as a vanguard soldier. A squad of vanguard fighters only needed five heads collectively to have every member promoted by one rank!
Of course, vanguard troops also suffered the highest casualties. A squad of eighteen men would often be reduced to just a handful after a single battle…
By now, as far as Fei Qian knew, the importance of headcounts for merit had greatly diminished, with more emphasis placed on the total number of enemies killed by the entire army.
But regardless, whether it was headcounts or total kills, the critical point was that the identities of the slain had to be verified!
In later eras, when would office workers responsible for receiving supplies be most likely to skip meticulously checking newly arrived stationery?
Right before lunch or at the end of the workday…
So why wasn't this county captain carefully verifying the identities of the dead? It wasn't as if he was rushing off to eat or clock out…
×××××××××××××××
Outside the allied camp at Suanzao, Cao Cao and Bao Xin stood atop a small hill to the east. They had just bid farewell to a few friendly governors, and now the two of them were about to part ways as well.
During the Battle of Bian River, Cao Cao had ultimately been saved by Cao Hong's desperate efforts, but Wei Zi had not been so fortunate—he had been unable to escape the chaos of battle.
In truth, Cao Cao knew that Wei Zi's death was partly his and Cao Hong's fault. When the right flank was ambushed by Xiliang cavalry, throwing his formation into disarray, Cao Hong had immediately led troops to his rescue. As a result, when the entire line collapsed, Wei Zi had been trapped in the melee…
But Cao Cao couldn't blame Cao Hong. If not for Cao Hong's timely intervention, he would have lost his life on the banks of the Bian River.
Originally, half the funds for this recruitment drive had been provided by Cao Hong, while the other half had come from the Wei family. Now, not only had all the soldiers been lost, but Wei Zi's life had also been forfeited. Cao Cao truly couldn't return to Chenliu—he had no idea how to face Wei Zi's family…
Bao Xin was also grieving. His cousin Bao Tao, serving as the vanguard, had been trapped inside Dong Zhuo's camp along with the remaining front-line troops when fire broke out, burning them all alive.
As for Bao Xin himself, he had been standing too far forward at the critical moment and was struck by a stray arrow, forcing his banner to retreat and ultimately leading to the disastrous defeat.
Even worse, when Bao Xin and Cao Cao managed to regroup some scattered soldiers and flee back to Suanzao, they had nearly been executed by Liu Dai as sacrificial offerings to the army's banner! If not for the vehement objections of Governors Zhang Miao, Zhang Chao, and Qiao Mao—and later, Yuan Yi also stepping forward in protest—the two might already have become wandering spirits beneath the central army's flag.
Bao Xin, still injured and bandaged, couldn't wear armor and was dressed in a scholar's robe instead. The wind whipped at his sleeves, making them flutter wildly.
"...Mengde, this is where we part," Bao Xin said.
Despite his injury, he endured the pain and, with the help of his guards, mounted his horse. He gave Cao Cao a slight salute before urging his horse eastward. Though he had escaped Liu Dai's punishment, he still had to answer to Liu Luan, the Prince of Jibei. Bao Xin's future remained uncertain…
The February wind was still bitterly cold, as if freezing the blood in one's heart.
"Cousin, where do we go now…?" Cao Hong asked hesitantly.
"Zilian… we… have failed…"
Cao Hong fell silent for a moment before suddenly raising his voice. "No, cousin! We have not failed! My family still has money. If we've lost our weapons, we'll buy new ones! If we've lost our soldiers, we'll recruit more! As long as we're alive, we have not failed!"
"...As long as we're alive, we haven't failed?" Cao Cao repeated, a glimmer of light returning to his eyes. His heart, chilled by the cold wind, seemed to beat anew…
"Well said, Zilian! Very well said! We… we'll go to Yangzhou!" Chen Wen, the Inspector of Yangzhou, was an old friend of his. Moreover, Yangzhou had been largely untouched by recent conflicts. Under Chen Wen's protection, recruiting troops there shouldn't pose any major issues.
"Understood!" Cao Hong, delighted to see Cao Cao regaining his fighting spirit, immediately went to organize their few remaining soldiers for the journey.
Cao Cao turned back for one last look at the Suanzao camp. After a long silence, he sighed and descended the hill, mounting his horse to ride south…
The biting wind swept across the hill, carrying with it fragments of a poem—
"East of the pass, men of honor rise,
Taking arms to punish villainous foes.
They pledged to meet at Mengjin's shore,
Their hearts set on Xianyang's overthrow.
Yet though their forces joined as one,
They faltered, hesitant to advance.
Strife for power turned them apart,
Soon they fought their own by chance…"