Chapter 48: Return to Wancheng

Liu Xie did not reveal his true identity. He felt that now was not the right time; it was better for them to recognize only his strength. If they knew he was the deposed emperor, who knew what other thoughts might arise.

"As for what we do next," he continued, "I will now take you all to Wan City. For the time being, Wan will serve as our base of operations. Of course, Cao Cao will send troops against us again, but you need not worry. With me here, Cao Cao will never breach Wan City." Liu Xie spoke with absolute confidence to everyone present.

Zhang Xiu and the others hesitated for a moment, but at last, gritting their teeth, made their decision. "Very well, we will follow you," they said.

A knowing smile appeared on Liu Xie’s lips. All his efforts had been aimed at winning over Zhang Xiu and his men. Now, he had finally succeeded.

"Rest assured, I am a man of my word," he promised. "My ambition is the whole realm. In the future, you must be prepared to march with me to conquer all lands. Of course, you may think I am boasting, but I will prove it with my deeds."

He said no more. With his loyal Wolf Shadow unit and the few hundred survivors under Zhang Xiu, they set out for Wan City.

Meanwhile, at the Cao Residence, the aftermath of a fierce battle had left the place nearly in ruins. Many people outside were clearing the wreckage. Alone in the guest hall, Cao Cao paced back and forth, his heart both anxious and furious. Zhang Xiu had rebelled, and in the chaos, his general Dian Wei and his own son Cao Ang had both perished. Now, he wanted Zhang Xiu dead more than anything. He was waiting for word from Cao Ren and Cao Hong, determined to see Zhang Xiu captured and executed without delay.

"Prime Minister, Generals Cao Ren and Cao Hong have returned!" a soldier burst in to report.

"Send them in immediately!" Cao Cao’s impatience was palpable.

Soon, Cao Ren and Cao Hong entered in armor, striding forward, but when Cao Cao saw it was only the two of them, his face darkened.

"Where is Zhang Xiu?" he demanded coldly.

The two generals lowered their heads, unable to reply.

"I asked you, where is Zhang Xiu?" Cao Cao pressed.

With a thud, they both dropped to their knees. "Prime Minister, we beg your forgiveness. We had Zhang Xiu surrounded at the city gate, but suddenly, twenty black-clad warriors appeared out of nowhere..."

"They were extraordinarily powerful," Cao Ren explained nervously, "they broke through the gate and... and rescued Zhang Xiu."

Cao Cao’s anger exploded. The two men dared not speak further, painfully aware of the magnitude of their failure.

"Cao Ren, how many men did you have at the time?" Cao Cao asked.

"We... we had over ten thousand men," Cao Ren replied meekly.

Smash! Cao Cao seized a wine cup and hurled it to the ground. "Over ten thousand men, and yet twenty managed to rescue Zhang Xiu? Where are those twenty now?" he demanded.

"They... they escaped," Cao Hong stammered.

Cao Cao was rendered speechless. "Twenty men broke through your encirclement of over ten thousand? And you didn’t capture a single one? Not even a corpse? Did you bring back any bodies?"

He was intensely curious about the true identity of those twenty. If even one or two had been killed, he’d want to examine them for clues.

"Prime Minister, there were no bodies. They all escaped," Cao Ren replied, bracing himself.

Cao Cao clenched his fists, nearly beside himself with rage. "Over ten thousand men, and you couldn’t even kill twenty? Not a single corpse?"

Cao Hong and Cao Ren bowed their heads in shame. "Prime Minister, they truly were formidable—not just in combat, but also ruthless in their tactics. We had at least a thousand men at the gate, but they still cut through the middle and escaped."

Cao Hong didn’t wish to exaggerate the enemy’s strength, but recalling their ferocity, he couldn’t help but leave Cao Cao deeply astonished.

"Report!" a subordinate rushed in, calling out.

"Prime Minister, the scouts report that Zhang Xiu has led his remaining forces back to Wan City," he announced.

"Wan City? He dares to return there?" Cao Cao sneered. "Cao Ren, Cao Hong, I grant you one more chance. Take fifty thousand troops and seize Wan City within half a month. Bring me Zhang Xiu’s head."

"Yes, Prime Minister!" The two men, eager for redemption, accepted the order at once.

In Wan City, Liu Xie and his companions had already gathered in the governor’s residence.

"Master Liu," said Jia Xu, the strategist, his expression grave, "now that we’ve retreated to Wan, Cao Cao will certainly send more troops. Our losses this time were heavy. If his army arrives, we may not be able to hold the city."

But Liu Xie remained calm and confident. "Do not worry. I will conjure up an army of one hundred thousand for you."

"An army of a hundred thousand?" The others were bewildered. "Where would such a force come from?"

Liu Xie smiled with assurance. In the twenty-first century, he had been an avid student of the Three Kingdoms, with a thorough understanding of the era. As he knew, Nanyang was densely populated—during the late Eastern Han, the empire’s total population exceeded fifty million, and Nanyang alone accounted for over 2.4 million, nearly five percent of the total.

They were now in Wan City, the seat of Nanyang’s administration, which gave them an unparalleled advantage. Recruiting a hundred thousand soldiers from more than two million people was hardly a difficult task. Nanyang was one of the most populous and spirited commanderies in the land; raising troops here would not be hard at all. Of course, how it would play out depended on their methods.

"Nanyang..." As Liu Xie pondered this, a thought suddenly struck him. In history, it was in Nanyang’s Xinye that Liu Bei encountered Zhuge Liang. That meant, at this very moment, Zhuge Liang was somewhere within their domain.

"Master Liu, what did you say?" Zhang Xiu and the others heard him muttering and looked at him in confusion.

"Oh, nothing," Liu Xie replied. "From this day forward, Wan City and all of Nanyang shall be free from any outside control. Henceforth, Nanyang will proclaim itself a principality in its own right."

This declaration astounded Zhang Xiu and his men.

"Master Liu, you must not do this," Jia Xu protested immediately. "Nanyang is surrounded by enemies: to the north is Xu Chang and Cao Cao; to the side, Xiangyang and Liu Biao. As of now, Wan and Nanyang are still under Jingzhou’s jurisdiction. If we declare independence, not only Cao Cao, but even Liu Biao will not let us go."

His concerns were not unfounded; everything he said was true. If Nanyang declared independence, they would find themselves beset on all sides, and the situation would become extremely perilous.