Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3902 Self-discipline and Restoration of Propriety are the Essence of Benevolence
The winter sun, as if it had been gathering strength for a long time, finally, on this morning, with an almost tyrannical manner, tore apart the thick leaden gray that had shrouded the Heluo region for many days, and poured its brilliance onto the desolate plain in front of Sishui Pass without reservation.

But this dazzling light brought no warmth to Cao Cao's army at Sishui Pass; instead, it instilled even greater fear in them...

In their eyes, in the sunlight, were countless blades and spears gleaming with cold light, cutting, amplifying, and reflecting the invisible yet omnipresent chilling aura that permeated the world, making it even more biting and piercing, revealing every detail.

Below the pass, the cavalry army had already formed ranks.

Faced with a powerful war machine, anyone would feel their own insignificance.

It was a majestic mountain range made of steel, leather, flesh and blood, and an indomitable will.

The dark ocean was silent and still, yet seemed poised to unleash a monstrous wave at any moment.

At the very front was a well-organized heavy infantry square, with soldiers fully armored and armed with spears over ten feet long, supported by thick tower shields, forming the most solid line of defense.

The spearhead and the edge of the shield shimmered with dense, cold stars in the sunlight.

The ferocious beast patterns on the shield seemed to writhe quietly in the radiance, licking their teeth and dripping saliva.

Then came an even more imposing cavalry formation.

The warhorse was clad in simple leather armor, and puffs of white mist spewed from its nostrils.

The armored cavalrymen were not seated on their saddles, but rather stood beside their warhorses with their hands on their ring-pommel swords and spears, ready to mount and launch an attack at any moment.

The two flanks are maneuverable light cavalry.

The light cavalry's warhorses were not covered with leather armor, but only with linen horse coats.

Cavalrymen mostly carried bows and swords, and did not use long-handled weapons.

These light cavalrymen, like the nimble tentacles of a giant beast, moved about from time to time, raising clouds of dust.

At the center of the main army formation, the tricolor flag of the cavalry and the Chinese character flag fluttered high.

Various flags, military flags, and identification flags of all colors were arranged at different heights around the commander's flag, which was over three zhang tall, with a red background, gold edges, and a huge "Fei" character embroidered in black silk thread.

The banner fluttered wildly in the dry, cold north wind, like a giant black eagle trying to spread its wings and strike the sky.

The entire cavalry formation was terrifyingly solemn.

Apart from the shouts of messengers, the rustling of battle flags, the occasional snorting of impatient horses, and the tapping of horseshoes lightly digging into the frozen ground, there was not a single chaotic human noise to be heard.

There were no private conversations in twos and threes, nor any scattered or disorganized gatherings outside the queue.

The cavalry demonstrated strong military discipline and fighting spirit.

Simply put, this is 'killing intent'.

Anyone faced with such an array of flesh and steel would instinctively have two distinct reactions.

If you know this formation belongs to your side, you'll feel safe and proud; but if you're standing on the opposite side...

Now, facing the cavalry's overwhelming killing intent, every Cao soldier on the wall felt a tightness in his chest, difficulty breathing, a buzzing in his head, and even his legs trembling.

On the city wall, Cao Cao stood surrounded by his trusted generals and personal guards.

To demonstrate his charisma, Cao Cao specially brought out a set of gold and silver armor that he hadn't used in a long time.

The armor is black and red as its base color, decorated with gold and silver threads. It uses a gold foil appliqué technique, where gold foil is applied to the armor while the paint is still wet, and then silver foil pieces are inlaid along the edges of the armor.

The complexity of the craftsmanship of this armor, and the amount of manpower and resources it consumed, far exceeds what most people can imagine.

What's even more impressive is that this process requires a one-time molding at every stage, with no possibility of rework or any mistakes!

Cao Cao wore this set of gold and silver armor, representing the majesty of the prime minister, but he did not wear a helmet. Instead, he wore the three-beam Jinxian crown. The crown was made of iron wire and thin bamboo as its frame and covered with black silk. Even the turban under the Jinxian crown was meticulously made, making him appear extremely solemn and dignified.

Wearing a scarlet brocade cloak embroidered with gold thread and cloud patterns, and with the Heaven-Slaying Sword hanging at his waist, he truly looked like a majestic and awe-inspiring prime minister of the Han Dynasty!
Cao Cao straightened his back as much as possible, displaying extraordinary bearing.

If we ignore the small wooden platform it uses as a footrest...

And Cao Cao's face...

Under the sunlight, if you get close, you can see that Cao Cao's once dignified and resolute face is now sunken, with slightly protruding cheekbones and dark, drooping eye bags, all due to days of hard work and mental exertion.

Only those eyes remained sharp.

Once Cao Cao stood atop the city wall, he scanned the imposing cavalry below the pass inch by inch, trying to find some weaknesses in their formation…

Unfortunately, Cao Cao inspected the area for a long time but couldn't find anything wrong. In the end, he could only helplessly fix his gaze on the banner with the character "斐" on it...

There stood a group of heavily armored, fierce, and elite personal guard knights.

Among the valiant knights surrounding them, one stood out for his remarkably composed demeanor…

That's him.

it's him!
Cao Cao blinked hard; his dry eyes stung slightly.

But it's still not very clear...

However, Cao Cao knew that he was right there.

That imposing, majestic presence, seemingly integrated with the army behind him, that aura that, even standing still, clad in black armor, seemed to influence the surrounding space—was undoubtedly Cao Cao's most formidable opponent.

General Fei Qian, the Cavalry Commander.

He was on the gate, in a high position, wearing armor that shone with gold and silver.

He stood below the pass, amidst the crowd, clad in black fish-scale armor.

……

……

The city walls of Sishui Pass, though only a few hundred steps apart, seem to separate two eras, two orders, and two different worlds.

Countless gazes collided and clashed silently in the air above this battlefield, which was overly brightened by the sunlight.

There are eyes that belong to those who are inside and outside the pass.

The civil and military officials were either fearful or bewildered.

There are also those who look towards the area between the pass and the outside world.

The soldiers at the military academy were either resolute or eager to try...

The air grew increasingly heavy.

Even the North Wind, who was originally playing and frolicking among the two armies, saw that things were not going well and, without saying a word, abandoned his colorful playmates and secretly slipped away.

Suddenly, a war drum blared, and a gap appeared in the front line of the cavalry army.

A dozen or so carefully selected cavalrymen, clad in armor and carrying shields, passed through the cavalry formation under the escort of a troop of cavalrymen and stopped about 150 paces from the wall.

This is a relatively safe distance.

One of them was Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang was not originally required to come with these messenger soldiers, but he requested from Fei Qian to come to the front lines in person.

He wanted to see the Han Dynasty's prime minister with his own eyes!
Zhuge Liang raised his head slightly, his gaze falling on the golden and silver gleaming above Sishui Pass.

Cao Cao, Cao Mengde!
Zhuge Liang's eyes flickered, as if he had remembered something...

A moment later, Zhuge Liang said something briefly, and the loud-voiced messenger of the General of the Cavalry roared towards the Sishui Pass wall:

"General Fei, the Grand General of the Cavalry of the Great Han, has carried out the Emperor's will to return west to Chang'an to the ancestral temples, and is acting righteously to purge the court of corrupt officials and punish the disloyal! The army is now arrayed here not out of warlike intent, but to welcome the Emperor! As previously agreed, I request that Prime Minister Cao come forward to discuss with me the fundamental strategy of ending hostilities, pacifying the people, and stabilizing the nation! Since the Prime Minister has repeatedly expressed his sincerity, why begrudge a mere meeting?! Please, Prime Minister, descend from the pass!"

"Come...come, come, come..." The voice rolled like a tide, exceptionally loud and clear, echoing and spreading. Every word was like a resounding war drum, striking the ears of every soldier guarding the pass and also hitting the hearts of the civil and military officials within the pass.

For some reason, all the Cao army soldiers, civil and military officials, breathed a sigh of relief...

However, Cao Cao found this invitation extremely jarring.

Clearing customs?

Are you kidding me?
Cao Cao stood behind the battlements, his eye twitching slightly.

How dare he go out?
How can I get it out?

No matter how the talks went or what the outcome, he might be locked out of Sishui Pass the moment he left, leading to a mutiny!
Cao Cao glanced discreetly at the shadows of the battlements beside him, where several trusted men disguised as ordinary soldiers carrying spears were holding crossbows with far greater range and power than ordinary ones.

Cao Cao wanted to shoot Fei Qian, but Fei Qian did not come forward.

Even if the goal was to kill the soldiers who were shouting, the distance was too great, and accuracy couldn't be guaranteed...

Cao Cao sighed inwardly, suppressing his frustration, and turned his gaze to Xiahou Jie.

Cao Shuo did not come to the pass because Cao Cao needed him to stay and garrison the area inside the pass.

Even though Cao Cao scolded his rebellious son every day, he was still his son after all...

Only when someone suddenly stops asking questions and scolding you will the problem become truly serious.

Xiahou Jie was stunned for a moment, then hesitated a bit, stretched his neck out, widened his eyes, and almost pointed at himself...

Helpless, Cao Cao could only wave his hand, becoming even more certain that he absolutely could not leave the pass to meet with them.

Xiahou Jie hurriedly ran over, bowed his head and listened attentively to Cao Cao for a moment, then turned and left.

A short while later, a shout rang out from Sishui Pass:
"General of the Cavalry, listen carefully! Chancellor Cao is a pillar of the Han Dynasty, relied upon by the Emperor. His fate rests on the safety of the court and the nation, and on the hopes of the people. How can he lightly venture into such a perilous place, placing himself beneath swords and arrows? Since you truly wish to negotiate, please move your esteemed presence to the pass for a proper discussion! Only in this way can you demonstrate your sincerity!"

The intention behind these words was quite obvious: to lure Fei Qian into the reliable killing range of the crossbows on the city wall.

Zhuge Liang chuckled and then said a few more words.

The messengers of the Flying Cavalry shouted in unison again...

"Prime Minister, your position concerns the safety of the nation. But may I ask, where is His Majesty now? Where is the legitimate palace of the Han Dynasty? Is it perhaps within the walls of the fortified Sishui Pass, where swords fly, that the Emperor's ancestral home of Chang'an is a more suitable place to reside? If Prime Minister Cao is truly sincere in discussing the important matter of welcoming the Emperor back to Chang'an, why fear stepping even half a step beyond these gates? If you merely wish to cower behind these walls, offering empty words and delaying the inevitable, then your so-called sincerity is nothing but a deceptive pretense! You will only invite ridicule from the world!"

These words were sharp as a knife, not only directly exposing Cao Cao's cowardice and apprehension in not daring to leave the pass, but also once again laying bare the most crucial and difficult-to-answer question for Cao Cao: "The Emperor's return to Chang'an."

Xiahou Jie turned his head to look at Cao Cao again, his eyes filled with longing...

Cao Cao, being a man of great stature, immediately realized that continuing to dwell on the issue of "whether or not to leave the pass," a matter purely of courage and sincerity, would only make things worse and damage the morale of his own side.

He had to regain control of the conversation and stop dwelling on whether or not to leave the pass. So he quickly beckoned Xiahou Wei to come closer and whisper a few words in his ear.

Xiahou Wei hurriedly ran forward again and replaced Xiahou Jie...

"Fei Ziyuan! You constantly proclaim your intention to purge the court of corrupt officials and serve the Emperor, portraying yourself as a loyal minister! Yet the Emperor's decree is here, ordering you to cease hostilities, protect the borders, and ensure the safety of the people. Have you heeded even a single word of it?! Now you have even led a fierce army, forcing the Emperor to halt his journey at the pass, disturbing the peace of His Majesty's presence. Is this the way of a subject? In your eyes, do you still have the Emperor's majesty, or the laws and regulations of the court?!"

This is a typical example of using power to suppress others, attempting to use the highest-level political ethics of "imperial edict" and "the duty of a subject" to suppress Fei Qian and seize the moral and legal high ground.

Cao Cao thought he could use this to suppress these messengers from the Flying Cavalry, send them back, or have someone else come to deliver a message...

After all, accusations made from a moral high ground are difficult for ordinary people to handle.

Regardless of which scenario unfolds, it briefly demonstrates the "strength" of Cao Cao's side, seemingly leaving the Flying Cavalry "speechless" or "in disarray"...

But something very strange happened.

After a very brief silence, another sound rang out!
Unhurried and deliberate, each word was crystal clear, its echo seemingly reverberating against the brick wall.
"Cao Mengde! Now that things have come to this, why continue this self-deceptive act? Whose hand wrote this imperial edict you speak of? Was the imperial seal affixed voluntarily by the Emperor, or was it done under duress from you powerful ministers? Is the Emperor's residence in the remote town of Xuchang his own will, or is it due to Prime Minister Cao's inability to disobey him? The Emperor yearns to return to the ancestral temple in Chang'an to legitimize the dynasty; this is His Majesty's wish, known throughout the land! And who is it that repeatedly obstructs and delays this process? Who in the land does not know, who is not aware, that the one who holds the Emperor hostage to command the feudal lords?!"

"Our army has come east today not to disturb the Emperor, but to request His Majesty's return! We beseech Your Majesty to break free from the clutches of powerful ministers, escape this puppet state, and return west to the old capital, Chang'an, to assume the throne and restore the order of the Han Dynasty! This is the way for a subject to be truly loyal, without shame before his conscience or the world! You have confined the Emperor within this Sishui Pass, ostensibly for protection, but in reality, it is imprisonment! You use this to bolster your own position, obstructing his return, and yet you dare to call yourselves loyal ministers, even questioning our Lord General? Is this not a complete distortion of the truth, utterly absurd!"

Cao Cao's eyes widened instantly!
This statement is logically rigorous and progresses step by step!

Like peeling a bamboo shoot, it completely strips away Cao Cao's glamorous facade that he had worn for many years, pointing directly to his political nature of "holding the emperor hostage"...

At the same time, he cleverly defined the General of the Flying Cavalry's act of besieging the city and asking the emperor to "return to Chang'an in the west" as loyal and righteous, and defined "obstructing the return in the west" as treacherous and rebellious. It was a sharp counterattack, not only getting rid of the label that Cao Cao had put on him, but also giving Cao Cao an even bigger label in return.

Cao Cao's face appeared even more somber in the sunlight, even turning somewhat ashen.

Damn!

Who is this?
Cao Cao immediately realized that there was a brilliant strategist among the group of people below the pass!
Otherwise, they wouldn't have reacted so quickly and spoken with such sharp and incisive words!

Can……

Who is it?

Pang Tong?

Or were those two from the Xun family?

Or perhaps Jia Xu?
Cao Cao squinted, trying to identify a key figure among the group of cavalry messengers...

But he failed.

Not like.

Moreover, Cao Cao believed that the strategist and wise man should have a fair complexion, be pampered and comfortable, wear a tall hat and turban, and be skilled in social maneuvering...

But among those cavalrymen, they all wore the same armor and had the same sun-tanned, wheat-colored faces…

Who is this?

"My lord? My lord! How should we respond?"

Xiahou Jie, who was standing next to Cao Cao, noticed that Cao Cao remained silent for a long time, so he couldn't help but ask.

Cao Cao took a breath to suppress his frustration.

Cao Cao's mind raced. He could only change the battlefield again, directing his attack at Fei Qian's fundamental governance and philosophy, attempting to launch a fierce assault on the levels of cultural tradition and social ethics...

"Your actions in Guanzhong, Hedong, and even Longxi have overturned ancestral systems and corrupted the millennia-old moral order! Your so-called 'New Land Administration' is in reality a pretext for forcibly seizing the ancestral property of the gentry to enrich yourselves! This has led to disorder among the noble and the lowly, and the collapse of propriety and law! You have arbitrarily altered classical texts and commentaries, confusing the ways of the sages, and using strange and frivolous crafts to bewitch people! Such actions not only fail to bring peace to the world, but are the root of chaos and a path to disaster! If this continues, it will inevitably lead to the decline of China, the disgrace of the world, the darkness of the state, and the disorder of the realm!"

These accusations are extremely harsh, pointing directly to the core contradictions of Fei Qian's new policies, and also representing the most fundamental fear, resistance, and hatred of the Shandong aristocratic clans towards him.

They forcibly seized the ancestral property of the aristocratic families!

Regardless of how these Shandong gentry and powerful families acquired their ancestral property, what they feared most was the distribution of their land, which would lead to the development of other land and eventually give the common people the means of production.

So when Cao Cao had these words shouted out, many officials from prominent families in Yingchuan, Runan, Qiaopei and other places within the city walls couldn't help but show deep agreement on their faces. Some even nodded slightly, feeling that the Prime Minister's words truly expressed their thoughts!
As for the widening gap between the rich and poor in the Han Dynasty, the high concentration of means of production and livelihood in the hands of aristocratic families and powerful clans, and even the gradual monopolization of these means by small aristocratic families and large clans, which led to the increasing hardship of ordinary people and the outbreak of conflicts and wars such as the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the sons of these wealthy aristocratic families in Shandong simply did not care.

Through hereditary succession, Shandong gentry families accumulated control over vast amounts of land, population, and wealth, forming a closed-loop economic system based on small-scale farming. Land consolidation was not only a source of their wealth but also the foundation of their political privileges and social status. Any reform that touched upon the land system directly threatened their very survival, thus instinctively leading to resistance.

Family property is regarded as the lifeblood of the family. Even if its origin is obtained through trickery or force, it has become an indisputable "legitimate asset" in the eyes of the vested interests.

The desire to protect ancestral property is seen as protecting the privileges of future generations, leading them to disregard the overall crisis facing Han society.

On the other hand, these aristocratic sons had long occupied the top of society and lacked direct experience of the hardships of ordinary people.

Under the manor-based small-scale peasant economy, the suffering of tenant farmers and retainers was kept outside the high walls, while the sons of the gentry were immersed in philosophical discussions, poetry, and power struggles, viewing the common people as abstract numbers and a resource that could be constantly regenerated and inexhaustible.

During the mid-to-late Eastern Han Dynasty, aristocratic clans had become the de facto rulers of society. They monopolized knowledge, official careers, and economic resources, forming "states within a state." This structural privilege made it difficult for them to step outside their own perspective and pay attention to the common people. Even when they witnessed peasant uprisings and wars under the dynastic cycle, they mostly attributed them to "the cycle of heaven" or "the emperor's lack of virtue," rather than to their own exploitation.

So this was Cao Cao's last "trump card"!
This was the last bit of "confidence" that kept Cao Cao gritting his teeth and persevering!
Land ownership was the fundamental interest of the powerful clans and wealthy families in Shandong!

Anyone who touches their fundamental interests will die!

Emperor Guangwu was incompetent back then, and Emperor Huanling was even worse!

Cao Cao was no exception!
Cao Cao gritted his teeth. "Now, you, a mere cavalry commander, think you can do it?"