Chapter 898: 856. Cao Cao’s Knot For Zitong
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Go to yet here, at Zitong, a stubborn knot refused to loosen. The legitimacy of his dynasty, the very claim that he was the rightful Son of Heaven, demanded the crushing of the so called Han remnant clinging to Shu. Every day Zitong stood, it mocked him. Every night its walls held, the whispers of doubt grew louder across the realm.
At last, he raised his weary eyes and gazed around the tent. His sons were there, Cao Ang and Cao Pi, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince of Wei.
Around them were his most trusted generals that was alongside him in this campaign. Xu Chu, Xiahou Dun, Zhang He, Cao Ren, Li Dian, Cao Hong, and Yue Jin. And at the side, the twin minds he trusted most, Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai, both bowed low, their expressions drawn when they saw Cao Cao look at all of them.
His voice, when it came, was tired, almost hoarse. “I will ask once more. What plan remains to us? How do we tear down Zitong? Do not hide the truth. I have asked this too many times, yet we are still here, still mired at their gates. Tell me, what move remains?”
The tent fell silent. Men shifted uneasily. Each of them had suggested schemes before, only to see them fail against the fortress. The brazier smoked, casting thin tendrils into the stale air.
Xu Chu shifted uncomfortably, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Xiahou Dun stood tall, one eye narrowing as if to pierce the unseen defenses of Zitong itself. Zhang He, Cao Ren, Li Dian, Cao Hong, and Yue Jin all exchanged glances, none eager to be the first to speak. To speak now was to risk Cao Cao’s wrath, yet to stay silent was worse.
At last, Cao Pi stepped forward, his young eyes burning with ambition. “Imperial Father, if Zitong resists us still, then perhaps it is time we abandon patience. Let us throw our might wholly against it, with no regard for cost. Overwhelm them, drown them in numbers. If the moat claims a thousand, send two thousand more. If the walls drink our blood, let them choke on it until they fall.”
Cao Cao’s gaze flickered toward his son, but there was no warmth in it. “Foolish boy. Do you think I do not know the price of reckless slaughter? An emperor does not squander lives for vanity. If we bleed our army white here, what then? The tribes of the west will rise again. The Han will stir to counterattack. And Lie Fan, that upstart to the east, will seize the moment. I will not cripple my dynasty for a single city.”
Cao Ang, more measured, bowed his head before speaking. “Then perhaps, Imperial Father, we must look not at Zitong’s walls, but at its lifeline. A fortress may stand impregnable, but even the strongest walls fall if the bellies within go empty. If we cannot storm it, let us starve it.”
Zhang He inclined his head in agreement. “The crown prince speaks wisely, Your Majesty. We need not break Zitong by force. If we sever their supplies, they will wither in time. Their innovations will not fill their bellies.”
But Guo Jia shook his head. “It is not so simple I’m afraid. While His Highness Crown Prince’s idea is good, the problem is that Zitong lies deep in Shu, fed by hidden mountain routes and rivers. Fa Zheng and his ilk are cunning, they will have stockpiled provisions, perhaps even prepared secret caches. A siege of starvation could take months, perhaps longer. Time is not our ally. Every month that passes, Lie Fan grows stronger in the east, and the tribes we subdued in the west will test our chains.”
The words weighed heavily. Cao Cao leaned back, exhaling slowly, his headache worsening.
Xi Zhicai spoke then, his voice quiet but sharp. “Then we must think beyond warcraft. If their walls cannot be broken, their bellies cannot be emptied, then we must strike at their hearts. Discord within is the surest path to victory without. If we cannot breach Zitong’s gates, perhaps we can turn its defenders upon one another.”
Cao Cao’s eyes narrowed, focusing on him. “You mean subterfuge. Treachery.”
Xi Zhicai nodded. “Every city has its cracks no matter how impregnable it was, Your Majesty. Soldiers grow weary, merchants restless, civilians fearful. Gold and promises can accomplish what swords cannot. If we find even one within willing to betray, the gates may yet open for us.”
There was a murmur among the generals. Some frowned at the dishonor, others nodded at the practicality.
Cao Cao tapped the table, considering. “Perhaps. But such work takes time, and time is the very thing I lack, something that you all know.” His gaze shifted toward Guo Jia, as though hoping his most trusted strategist would conjure an answer from the ether.
Guo Jia, pale and thin from illness yet sharp as ever, smiled faintly. “Your Majesty, patience is still a weapon. You speak of lacking time, but sometimes the illusion of urgency blinds us. Let the enemy exhaust themselves upon their own fears. Zitong cannot remain a fortress forever. Even a wall of iron rusts. If we press steadily, probing here and there, while quietly sowing discord within, then when the moment comes, the gates will fall with far less cost than brute assault.”
Cao Cao closed his eyes for a moment, weary but listening. His headache pulsed like a drumbeat in his skull, yet his mind clung to Guo Jia’s counsel.
The war at Zitong had become more than a siege. It was a battle of patience, of wit, and of endurance. Zitong stood tall still, but the war was far from over. His dynasty’s legitimacy demanded Han’s annihilation. He could not, would not, allow Zitong to stand forever.
When his eyes opened again, they burned with renewed resolve. “So be it. If stone walls defy the storm, then we become the flood. We will choke Zitong slowly, relentlessly, until no man within can breathe. Prepare the plans. Spare no effort. Zitong must fall.”
The gathered generals bowed in unison, the weight of their lord’s command pressing upon them.
And while the soldiers bled and the generals schemed, far away in Chengdu, Emperor Xian’s pieces moved quietly across the unseen board, their paths diverging into the mountains and jungles.
Wu Yi and Wang Fu bore gifts and seals, seeking wolves in the wild to turn against the very man now massaging his temples in frustration.
The clash at Zitong was only one front in a greater struggle, a struggle of empires and of time itself. While the thunder of war drums shook the valleys of Shu, in Xiapi the rhythm of change beat to a quieter, steadier pulse.
Lie Fan sat within the royal office of his palace, the late afternoon sun streaming across rows of scrolls stacked high upon the polished desk. His hand moved slowly, turning pages of bamboo slips bound with silk threads.
Each line he read was the fruit of days and weeks of labor by his ministers, draft frameworks that could alter the very foundation of governance in his Hengyuan Dynasty.
He was reading the proposals concerning the Imperial Exam and Chen Qun’s ranking system.
His idea, conceived long before during the banquet celebrating the birth of Sima Shi, was finally taking shape under the careful drafting of his most trusted ministers.
Nepotism, bribery, and hollow connections had poisoned the arteries of the realm, even when he had the Oriole Agents to keep them in check, they still couldn’t clean all of them. Offices were not earned, they were purchased or inherited, leaving true talent buried beneath the weight of privilege.
That would not do for the world he sought to build.
The Imperial Exam was his answer.
His advisors had debated fiercely, but at last, Jia Xu, Chen Qun, Xun You, and the others had all agreed. Together they drafted the initial frameworks.
Now Lie Fan read their work carefully.
The scope of the exam was breathtakingly comprehensive, exactly as he had envisioned. It was not a test for mere scribes or poets; it was designed to find true Renaissance men, polymaths who could govern. The proposed subjects were a symphony of necessary knowledge.
Philosophical and Ethical Foundations. Deep probing questions from the Confucian classics, but also from Legalist texts on statecraft, Mohist doctrines on universal love and defense, Daoist principles of governance through non action, and even the other schools of thoughts. A candidate would need to synthesize these, to argue for their application in the current state affairs.
Mathematics and Logistics. Problems of tax calculation, granary management, engineering projects for canals and fortifications, and the complex arithmetic of supplying distant armies.
Governance and Law. Hypothetical scenarios involving judicial disputes, administrative corruption, natural disasters, and border conflicts. A candidate would be expected to draft edicts, propose solutions, and demonstrate an understanding of the law’s spirit, not just its letter.
Literature and Composition. The ability to compose poetry, draft persuasive proclamations, and write elegant memorials was not frivolous, it was the grease of bureaucracy, the tool for diplomacy and inspiring the people.
Military Strategy. While not requiring every official to be a general, a basic understanding of Sun Tzu’s principles, logistics of campaign supply, and the geopolitical implications of military moves was essential for any high ranking minister.
Hypotheticals rooted in the present chaos were posed as questions, forcing candidates to think not only of ancient wisdom but also of present dilemmas.
One example caught his eye. ‘A province has been struck by both famine and banditry. The governor requests emergency funds to recruit soldiers, while the granary requests its grain be diverted to the starving. You have limited resources. What course do you choose, and how do you justify it?’
Lie Fan smiled faintly. Such a question separated the parrots from the thinkers. A man who merely quoted Mencius or Xunzi would falter. A true official would show balance, understanding that order and livelihood were twin pillars of rule.
He read another, ‘The son of a powerful noble is accused of murdering a merchant’s daughter. The evidence is circumstantial but compelling. The noble family pressures the court for dismissal. The merchant’s guild threatens to halt all trade if justice is not served. As the presiding official, how do you proceed? Justify your ruling with reference to legal code and state philosophy.?’
Another, ‘Quote and interpret a passage from the Dao De Jing that could be applied to minimizing conflict with a neighboring state that is provocatively massing troops on our border. Then, contrast this with a Legalist approach to the same situation.’
He nodded, impressed. The questions were immaculate. They demanded not rote memorization, but critical thinking, creativity, and a profound understanding of how to apply knowledge to real world problems. A man who could answer these was a man who could govern. A man who could not, no matter how blue his blood, had no place in his administration.
______________________________
Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 35 (202 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 (+20)
VIT: 623 (+20)
AGI: 623 (+10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0
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