The War Horse of Cao Cao's Army [Romance of the Three Kingdoms] - Chapter 6

“Great-Uncle, we need to gather the entire family into the carriages,” I urged.

“What in the world is going on…?” Cao Song was still in shock, but I managed to guide him into one of the carriages.

One by one, I loaded the rest of the family—Cao Song’s concubine, Cao De, and his wife—onto the carriages.

“Bandits? Where is the Tao Qian army?” Cao De demanded, looking around in disbelief.

“Great-Uncle, the very soldiers sent by Tao Qian are the ones turning to banditry!”

“What—what did you say? That wretched Tao Qian is behind this?” Cao Song finally grasped the betrayal, his face turning red with fury.

But by then, it was too late.

I couldn’t help but think, If only you’d listened when I said not to accept Zhang Kai’s men!

“Hurry, get in here! Stay here and you’ll all die!” I shouted.

“Wait! My daughter! I can’t see my daughter!” One of the family members cried out in panic, his wife at his side, as they desperately tried to run toward the ongoing fight between the warriors and Tao Qian’s soldiers.

“It’s too dangerous!” I warned.

“No, my daughter must be over there. It’ll only take a moment, please, let me go,” he pleaded.

“You’ll die if you go!” I urged.

“I have to save her!” he yelled, pushing forward recklessly.

As I struggled to hold them back, a loud shout echoed from behind us.

“Wenlie!!!”

“!?”

Xu Shu, drenched in a mix of rain and blood, came running toward us, carrying a young girl in his arms.

“Father!”

“My daughter!” cried the Cao family member.

It was her. The young girl Xu Shu carried was indeed the missing daughter. He hurried over, setting the girl down, and she ran barefoot through the rain to embrace her parents.

“Get going!” Xu Shu shouted.

Without hesitation, I loaded the Cao family into the two carriages, filled with dozens of relatives. Urgently, I whipped the horses, and the carriages lurched forward, speeding into the storm.

The horses, startled by the sudden lash, bolted forward through the rain-soaked night, while Cao De steered the reins of the other carriage behind me.

The Cao family had been ambushed near a small village in Taishan Commandery.

In the original timeline, their fate would have been sealed—robbed of their treasures and slaughtered to the last. But thanks to my intervention, they narrowly escaped the jaws of death.

I left the remaining chaos to Xu Shu and the warriors under Lu Su’s command. There was only one goal now—get the family to safety.

I spurred the horse on, racing through the storm. We rode hard for what felt like an eternity, until finally, my horse collapsed, exhausted.

Rain still poured down, drenching my clothes and making each movement feel heavy and sluggish.

“Huff—Is everyone safe?” I called out as I tried to catch my breath. The door of the carriage creaked open, and Cao Song stepped out.

“Have we managed to escape those bandits?”

“We need to let the horses rest for a while. How are the others faring?” I asked.

“Oh my, I thought we were done for,” Cao Song sighed, his clothes still soaked and clinging to him as he took a deep breath.

The inside of the carriage must have felt like a cramped tin, packed tightly with so many of Cao Song’s relatives. We had only managed to get two carriages and stuffed them with as many people as possible to make our escape.

“We’ll rest the horses and continue as soon as they’re ready. I know it’s uncomfortable, but please bear with it just a little longer.”

“Hey, Xiu,” Cao Song called out as he awkwardly climbed out of the cramped carriage, making his way toward me.

“Great-Uncle, the rain is cold. You should stay inside,” I urged.

“No, no, even if we continue, I need to understand the situation clearly before we go.”

Now that everything had settled, he was asking for an explanation, and I couldn’t avoid it. I had to tell him the truth.

“When I first set out from Langya to find you, I encountered many warriors along the way.”

“Yes… but those men who attacked us…”

“We were here to protect you and your family, Great-Uncle. I couldn’t trust the men sent from Xuzhou. Especially this Zhang Kai—he wasn’t one of Tao Qian’s true subordinates. We discovered that he wasn’t even part of the original Xuzhou forces.”

“I was completely fooled, thinking those bandits were sent to protect us,” Cao Song muttered, his realization coming far too late.

It was frustrating. Even though I had warned him earlier, telling him not to trust the so-called guards, it had fallen on deaf ears. In the end, all we could do was save the lives of the Cao family.

“We had over a hundred carriages filled with gold and treasures, and now all we have left are the few ornaments still on our bodies,” Cao Song said, his eyes welling with tears as he stood there, rain pouring down.

“But at least everyone is alive, Great-Uncle. That’s what matters. We’ll head to Yanzhou and seek refuge with the Governor,” I reassured him.

“Ahman… Ahman won’t let those men go unpunished,” Cao Song whispered, using Cao Cao’s childhood name.

At that time, only close family or dearest friends could use someone’s childhood name, so even the fearsome Cao Cao was called Ahman only by his father.

“Yes, once we reach Yanzhou, we can figure out what to do next,” I reassured Cao Song before helping him back into the carriage and spurring the horses onward.

We rode through the rest of the night, with me whipping the reins relentlessly. By the time dawn broke, we finally arrived at a small village.

As soon as we stopped, the dozens of members of the Cao family spilled out of the carriages, famished and exhausted. They ate eagerly, even though the meal was far from a proper feast—just a simple spread on a straw mat, with bowls and chopsticks haphazardly placed. Yet, in their hunger, they devoured it all without complaint.

“Keep the food coming, please!” I called the innkeeper.

“Yes, right away.”

The innkeeper gave a sympathetic glance at the Cao family, clearly thinking they had narrowly escaped an encounter with bandits.

“Innkeeper, will this cover the cost for 40 meals?” I asked, handing him a silver ingot.

“Oh, yes~ more than enough!” he replied cheerfully, tucking the silver away with a grin.

With the generous payment, the innkeeper brought out various side dishes and water, distributing them among the 40 or so family members. They were finally able to fill their stomachs and catch their breath.

“Sir, sir!”

“Hmm?”

I turned to see a local approaching me with urgency.

“Sir, a soldier arrived in the village on horseback. Is he with you?” the villager asked urgently.

“Hmm?” I instinctively reached for my sword and hurried to the location.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a pursuit squad from Tao Qian, but Xu Shu and his group.

“Yuanji!” I called.

“Wenlie, you managed to escape safely,” Xu Shu replied, his clothes, which had only recently been bought, now once again soaked in blood.

The warriors accompanying him were in no better shape—wounded, bloodied, and barely holding on.

“Is there a doctor in the village?” I asked the innkeeper. “These men need treatment immediately!”

The villagers followed my orders, bringing hot water, strips of cloth for bandages, and dried herbs to treat the wounded. The group was in rough shape, but they managed to get some care.

“Master Cao! We fought against five hundred men!” one of the warriors exclaimed.

“Pulling a wolf’s whiskers has nothing on this… barely made it out alive. Even double pay won’t be enough for this one,” another said, shaking his head.

“Yom Ga’s dead, poor guy. He said he was going to buy a small farm and retire after this. Shame he couldn’t make it,” another lamented.

“We’re lucky to be alive ourselves. Those bastards were relentless,” someone added.

Of the twenty warriors, seven had perished, and the rest were all nursing serious or minor injuries.

“What happened to Zhang Kai’s army?” I asked.

“After we pulled back, word spread that the carts full of gold and treasures had vanished in Taishan. I’m sure they made off with it.”

In the end, Cao Song’s vast fortune had likely ended up in the belly of a traitor.

Despite the losses, the remaining warriors were enough to see us safely to Yanzhou.

“As soon as we reach Yanzhou, we’ll settle the payment. The shares for the fallen will also be separated and sent to Master Lu Su,” I promised.

“We’ll make sure of it,” one of the warriors replied.

The surviving swordsmen agreed to accompany us the rest of the way. After a few days of rest in the village, we set out again, and finally, we arrived at Yanzhou.

From there, things moved quickly.

When we reached Puyang, the capital of Yanzhou, Zhang Miao, the governor, hurriedly received us, despite our ragged appearances. From there, we were safely escorted to Chenliu city, where Cao Cao himself resided.

Cao Cao’s residence in Chenliu was immense, far grander than any local official’s mansion—its sheer size resembled that of a royal palace.

“We’re finally safe… I can breathe easy now,” Cao Song sighed in relief after arriving in Yanzhou. He quickly changed into fresh silk robes, looking every bit the nobleman once again, and entered Cao Cao’s grand estate with renewed confidence.

As we walked together, Cao Song firmly gripped my hand, walking by my side.

“Xiu, I’ll make sure to tell Ahman how you saved our family. He’ll value someone like you, a true talent from our clan,” Cao Song said, beaming.

“Haha, thank you, Great-Uncle,” I replied, knowing that by saving Cao Song’s family, I had altered the course of history.

With Cao Song intending to speak of my deeds, I had now secured a vital connection to Cao Cao. My efforts hadn’t been in vain.

As we stepped into the mansion, the doors swung open, and a figure rushed out toward us.

“Father!!!”

“Oho, Ahman!” Cao Song exclaimed as Cao Cao rushed forward barefoot, immediately kneeling to take his father’s hands in his own.

Despite his somewhat small stature, Cao Cao had a commanding presence. His voice was strong and resonant, and as he lifted his head, I could finally take a closer look at him.

He wasn’t particularly handsome, but he wasn’t unattractive either. His sharp, gleaming eyes gave off an intense, almost terrifying aura, even upon first meeting. His neatly trimmed beard and sharp features made him appear as precise and calculated as a blade.

What an impression—so this is the real Cao Cao.

“I was deeply worried when I heard that Tao Qian‘s men had attacked our family in Xuzhou.” 

“Ahman, I truly escaped death. If it weren’t for Wenlie here, we would all be lost,” Cao Song said, his voice full of gratitude.

“This young man?” Cao Cao asked, finally turning his gaze toward me.

Even with just a glance, the intensity of his presence was overwhelming. His sharp eyes seemed to pierce right through me, and I felt my heart race more than it had during the ambushes by river pirates or Tao Qian’s soldiers.

“Ahman, this is one of our own. He’s from Wu County, a grandson of Cao Ding, making him about your ninth cousin,” Cao Song explained.

“….”

Cao Cao continued to stare at me in silence, his expression unreadable.

“This young man led a group of swordsmen and protected me and our family from the bandits. He’s the reason we’re all alive today,” Cao Song added.

“Ah, is that so?” Cao Cao muttered as he approached me.

He carefully looked me up and down, then, without warning, grabbed my hand.

“Huh?!” I gasped, surprised by the sudden gesture.

“Haha… AHAHAHAHA!” Cao Cao burst into wild laughter, holding onto my hand as if something had deeply amused him.

“Who would’ve thought we had such a hidden talent in our family? Quite an impressive young man!” he exclaimed, his laughter echoing through the room.

“Ahman, this boy saved the lives of our entire family,” Cao Song reiterated.

“Yes, I heard it very well, Father.”

Cao Cao laughed even louder after hearing Cao Song’s words.

From this very first meeting, I could feel that I had caught Cao Cao’s attention in a significant way.