Chapter 080: The Hunt Begins

Cao Peng had no intention of returning to deal with official documents today. He wanted to visit Mi Zhen, that young girl. Since bringing her from Xu Province, he had entrusted the management of the Erguotou business to her capable hands.

He arrived at a tavern known as the Drunken Immortal’s Abode, the birthplace of the famed Erguotou that had earned renown throughout the land. This establishment had provided Cao Peng with his first fortune, and later became a veritable mint, steadily filling his coffers.

Yet, clear-headed as ever, Cao Peng had never intended to keep this enterprise entirely to himself. He proactively sought a partnership with Cao Cao, handing over the lion’s share of the profits. In this way, Master Cao received tangible benefits, which greatly improved his opinion of Cao Peng and also ensured that every possible support was given to the expansion of the Erguotou trade.

Cao Cao, after all, was a man with an insatiable appetite for wealth. With such a vast army to maintain, money was always in short supply. He was either worrying about provisions and funds or on the verge of doing so. Shifting resources from one need to another had become routine, and in desperate times he would not hesitate to make an example of the grain officers.

Much like the current situation: though he had suffered much slander of late, he dared not launch a purge among certain high ministers. The reason was simple—their connections with the great clans ran deep and intricate. With a major battle against Yuan Shao looming, Cao Cao was unwilling to offend these clans, lest the supply of provisions become a crisis yet again.

As soon as Cao Peng entered the tavern, he saw the lovely Mi Zhen poring intently over the account books. She always took what he entrusted to her seriously, especially when it was his own enterprise.

Suddenly, she was embraced from behind by a pair of strong, familiar arms. “Husband?” she exclaimed, turning in delighted surprise at the sight of Cao Peng’s face.

He smiled faintly and gently tapped her nose. “Of course, I came to see you. It’s late—why aren’t you home resting?”

Mi Zhen replied softly, “Soon. I just wanted to finish what I have here, then I’ll go back.”

Cao Peng held her affectionately as they spoke for a while. But just then, someone stumbled in, breathless and anxious. Looking closely, they saw it was one of the Drunken Immortal’s Abode’s managers.

Mi Zhen instantly sprang up from Cao Peng’s arms, her demeanor shifting from bashful wife to efficient manager in a heartbeat. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

The manager glanced at Mi Zhen, then at Cao Peng, and hurriedly reported, “General Cao, our trade caravan has been attacked!”

At these words, Cao Peng’s brow tightened. The Erguotou business had now spread far and wide, with caravans and packhorse teams delivering their goods. Though the world was unsettled, such a thing should hardly happen; they traveled openly under the Cao army’s banner, and their routes avoided the more dangerous side roads. It was unlikely that remnant Yellow Turban bandits were to blame—this had the markings of deliberate action by a rival warlord.

Cao Peng had used the Drunken Immortal’s Abode not only to trade in spirits, but also to weave a clandestine intelligence network. These activities had always been shrouded in secrecy. Could someone have uncovered his intentions? That the plot was discovered so quickly was beyond his expectations. The likelier scenario, he thought, was internal—someone had betrayed them to Yuan Shao or another rival.

Cao Peng had planned to rest, but now, with this emergency, he was eager to uncover the truth. He returned to his residence to address the matter.

Chen Qun assisted him in analyzing the information, collecting numerous reports. Piece by piece, they reconstructed the scattered clues, until the truth began to emerge. To Cao Peng’s surprise, the culprit was Yuan Shao’s army.

“General,” said Chen Qun, “I believe someone has been closely watching our every move, which is how they discovered our use of the Drunken Immortal’s Abode to cultivate spies.”

Cao Peng nodded. “Changwen, your reasoning is sound. I thought the same. But much remains unclear—let’s not make hasty assumptions.”

In this tense atmosphere, the grand hunt at Xu Field was postponed by another seven days. At last, Cao Cao gave the order for the hunt to proceed. This time, Cao Peng did not try to dissuade him, for he understood better than anyone the true purpose behind it.

Before the war with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao needed to test the loyalty of those around him. If he were to declare himself king, would it win him more support? Even the smallest increase in his chances of victory was of critical importance now.

On the appointed day, Cao Cao mounted his prized steed, Claw-Yellow Lightning, and mustered his troops, rattling the very city of Xudu with their numbers.

Standing outside, Cao Peng watched the mighty procession, his expression grave. He said to Dian Wei beside him, “I won’t be attending the hunt at Xu Field. You must ensure the safety of the Grand Minister.”

Dian Wei nodded without question. Cao Peng’s decision to abstain from the hunt was surely for good reason.

After Dian Wei led his troops to join Cao Cao, the latter looked around and noticed Cao Peng’s absence. “Why is Anmin not here?” he asked.

Dian Wei replied, “My lord, the general said he wished to supervise the training progress of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.”

Cao Cao nodded; he had inspected this cavalry himself and found it already possessed the ferocity of wild beasts. At this crucial stage of their training, he too hoped that when the time came to face Yuan Shao, this formidable force would help him conquer the realm.

The army marched out of the city in a grand display—one hundred thousand strong. The hunting grounds at Xu Field sprawled over two hundred li, encircled by the troops.

Cao Cao and Emperor Liu Xie rode side by side, Cao Cao’s steed subtly edging ahead. Behind them followed trusted generals like Dian Wei and Cao Ren, while the civil and military officials trailed far in their wake.

Dong Cheng glanced at the sun, estimating that by this time, Zhong Ji should have already made contact with Cao Pi. A man with such a conspicuous role as himself could not act openly in the city; the task had to fall to Zhong Ji, a minor figure whose absence from the hunt would go unnoticed.

Now, Zhong Ji stood before Cao Pi, amused at how the young man, though compelled by circumstances, showed some timidity.

“I really shouldn’t be getting involved in all this,” Cao Pi said quietly, looking at his counterpart.