Chapter 46: Distributing Rewards for Meritorious Service

Inside the Shangdang Administrator's Mansion...

It was definitely not just Cao Ren who felt a pain in his groin. Cao Cao, who considered himself a reborn Han Xin and a reincarnated Wu Qi, shared the exact same agony...

*We haven't seen each other in many days, and I have missed you dearly.*

Upon hearing his son-in-law's endless, flowing account of how he drove the slave troops to launch a three-pronged assault on northern Shangdang—and how he marched with seven days of rations to reach Jiexian in three days, Guyuan in four days, and captured Lucheng while taking generals prisoner and forcing the Shangdang army to surrender in five days, because failing to break the city meant having no food whatsoever—Cao Cao found himself completely unable to rejoice.

After all his painstaking planning—his desperate gamble of fighting with his back to the river, his meticulous manipulation of people's hearts, his sequential defeat of Yan Liang followed by Zhang Yang—he was just a stone's throw away from smoothly seizing Lucheng to bring the campaign to a perfect close.

It was a magnificent victory of the few over the many; his daring, vision, and tactical calculations were all of the absolute highest order.

It ought to have been a classic military campaign recorded in the annals of history.

Yet it missed by a single step!

"Oh, by the way, Father-in-law, there are currently three hundred thousand *hu* of grain left in Yangyi, along with two thousand cattle and thirty thousand sheep. You can take them all with you when you head back. Bingzhou has a sparse population; we cannot use up that much grain."

Hm?

In an instant, Cao Cao felt completely at ease!

He stepped down from the main seat, walked right up to Chen Cong, leaped into the air, and rewarded his son-in-law with a great bear hug.

So what if they had taken the entirety of Shangdang?

What were thirty thousand *hu* of grain even if you scraped the bottom of the administrator's mansion? When his son-in-law made a move, it was thirty hundred thousand *hu* at a stroke. What else was there to say?

"In this battle, Zining has made monumental contributions! Refusing to shun hardships, you raced back and forth like lightning, causing Zhang Yang to suffer a crushing defeat. You deserve the highest merit! This father shall immediately memorialize the Son of Heaven to promote Zining to General Pacifying the North."

Chen Cong cupped his fists deeply. "Many thanks, Father-in-law."

"Hahaha, well said!"

With Shangdang about to be pacified and a massive windfall secured, Cao Cao was in such high spirits that he finally turned his attention to rewarding meritorious service.

First, he bowed to Xun You. "Gongda devised strategies within the command tent and secured victory a thousand li away. Your strategic planning, vision, and boldness are all top-tier; you deserve the second highest merit. I appoint you as Central Military Advisor, and will memorialize the Son of Heaven to enfeoff you as the Marquis of Liting."

Xun You stepped out of the ranks and made a profound bow. "I bow in gratitude to my lord."

"Yuanrang captured Qishi in the left-hand advance first, and then beheaded the enemy general Zhang Cheng in battle. I memorialize him as the General Launching Yang."

Xiahou Dun never expected that, right beneath the second-highest merit, he would actually be granted the rank of a general!

This made him the very first person in Cao's camp to hold a general's rank after Chen Cong.

His face beaming with excitement, he cupped his fists heavily. "I bow in gratitude to Elder Brother!"

***

Cao Cao then looked at Huang Zhong. "Hanshang rendered meritorious service by capturing Gaodu. I temporarily appoint him as General Building Might, and will memorialize the Son of Heaven to elevate his peerage to Marquis Within the Passes."

Huang Zhong stroked his beard, chuckled for a moment, and bowed deeply with cupped fists. "I bow in gratitude to my lord."

"Zihe rendered meritorious service by assisting Zining in capturing the city and taking generals prisoner. However, as an official of the Prefecture Governor's Office, he will not be transferred, but for his achievements, I memorialize him as a Marquis Within the Passes."

Cao Chun cupped his fists heavily. "I bow in gratitude to Elder Brother."

"Zilian rendered meritorious service by assisting Hanshang in breaking the city. I memorialize him as General Establishing Awe."

Cao Hong said happily, "I bow in gratitude to Elder Brother!"

Cao Cao then rewarded Yue Jin as General of the Household for Fleet Cavalry for his merit in being the first to scale the walls, Dian Wei as Commandant of the Gate Guard for his merit in slaying enemy generals, and Xu Chu as General of the Household of the Fierce Tiger for his merit in capturing enemy banners.

When it came to Cao Ren...

Even the glib-tongued scoundrel Cao Cao didn't know what to say for a moment.

Logically speaking...

He had pinned high hopes on this cousin of his.

Cao Ren possessed a steady disposition and could be entrusted with major responsibilities... though he had been led somewhat astray by his son-in-law...

If Chen Cong hadn't thrust himself into the affair and hastily seized Lucheng to capture Zhang Yang, bestowing him a general's rank and enfeoffing him as a Marquis Within the Passes for his service would not have been out of the question.

However.

When seizing Yangba, this fellow was in the vanguard and the very last to scale the city walls, achieving nothing noteworthy. When advancing on Changping Pavilion, Zhang Yang had not even set up defenses, so there was no real battle. When fighting at Zhangjiang... when fighting at Zhangjiang, as a vanguard general leading troops into the charge, he was still behind Huang Zhong and Xiahou Dun. What kind of merit could that possibly count as?

He had done plenty of hard, grinding labor, though...

The problem was that Cao's camp had just been established. Only those with actual feats like Dian Wei slaying generals were made Commandants of the Gate Guard.

As for Yue Jin and Xu Chu achieving the rank of Generals of the Household, it was because they were already Marquises Within the Passes beforehand.

If Cao Ren's hard labor were to be counted as merit, there were countless minor officers in Cao's camp whose arduous toil deserved equal recognition; how could he ever convince the masses?

Cao Ren looked pleadingly at Cao Cao, silently licking the bitterness spilling from the corners of his mouth.

"Elder Brother need not trouble yourself, Ren..."

Chen Cong broke in, interrupting him. "Father-in-law, though Lucheng is pacified, Shangdang still suffers from bandit trouble and the Yellow Turban scourge. Zixiao has a steady temperament; why not transfer him to be the Administrator of Shangdang?"

At that moment, Cao Ren was practically on the verge of tears, gazing at Chen Cong with eyes overflowing with gratitude.

An administrator...

When all was said and done, since Chen Cong was the Governor of Bingzhou holding supreme military and political authority in his own hands, the Administrator of Shangdang could also be considered his subordinate official; appointing and dispatching him to pacify and govern a region was by no means inappropriate.

***

Cao Cao breathed a silent sigh of relief.

As a sovereign, he valued fairness when rewarding merit. Of course he could also appoint Cao Ren as the Administrator of Henei or the Governor of Henan Yin.

Ultimately, however, it would be hard to convince the public.

After all, passing over generals, Generals of the Household, and Marquises Within the Passes who possessed genuine military achievements in favor of appointing Cao Ren—who lacked notable martial exploits—to govern a region was simply indefensible.

Having Chen Cong shoulder this task turned out to be just right.

First, since Chen Cong was not a supreme sovereign, but rather the Governor of Bingzhou, there was nothing improper about employing nepotism to give Cao Ren a start.

Second, with the eastern expedition to Yanzhou imminent, nobody else would cast envious eyes on the post of Shangdang Administrator. After all, becoming the Administrator of Shangdang meant staying far away from the Yanzhou battlefield.

Third, although Shangdang was pacified, it bordered Yecheng in Wei Commandery, making it inevitable that Yuan Shao might harbor further ambitions. It required a major general to hold the territory. While Cao Ren might not excel at slaying generals, capturing banners, breaching enemy lines, or scaling walls first, he was thoroughly reliable when it came to guarding a region.

"All matters concerning Bingzhou shall naturally be decided by Zining."

Cao Ren first bowed with cupped fists toward Cao Cao, then made an obeisance to Chen Cong, beaming with a radiant smile.

"I will surely not fail the trust of Elder Brother and Zining!"

At the height of his joy, his gaze suddenly landed on Cao Chun, who was also beaming with a radiant smile...

The Military Bureau Adjutant of the Prefecture Governor's Office...

So, while he ostensibly became a high-ranking official guarding a territory, in military matters he was not only subject to Chen Cong's command, but also to the command of his own younger brother, Cao Chun?!

Had he known things would turn out this way, why had he ever felt such disdain for Bingzhou?

If he had followed Chen Cong into Jinyang earlier, he might even have secured the position of an Attendant Officer!

After the distribution of rewards for meritorious service, Cao Cao looked toward Chen Cong. "Did Zining make a record of the official titles and peerages you were supposed to report just now?"

Chen Cong looked perplexed. "Why on earth would I record those?"

Cao Cao said as a matter of course, "To memorialize the Son of Heaven, naturally."

"Why doesn't Father-in-law memorialize them himself?"

Cao Cao stretched lazily, loosening his muscles and bones, and smiled. "The Grand Tutor of the current court is not this father's father-in-law, and the current Son of Heaven is not this father's brother-in-law. If this father were to submit a memorial, would the Son of Heaven dare grant it? Oh, by the way, the Grand Tutor was promoted to Prime Minister a few days ago; you should take some time to send a congratulatory memorial—keep it discreet, and do not sign your name."