Chapter 1: Under No Circumstance Shall Cao Cao Enter the City!

Winter of the sixth year of Zhongping (189 AD).

Cao Cao led his army from Chenliu toward Suanzao to convene an alliance with other warlords and discuss the grand plan against Dong Zhuo.

As they passed through a county town, Cao Cao suddenly halted.

“Yuanrang, since when did this place become a county town? I remember it as just a small village,” he said.

Xiahou Dun’s face was also filled with curiosity. Having grown up in Chenliu, neither of them could claim to know the region inside out, but the emergence of a new county town should not have escaped their notice.

Moreover, this county appeared prosperous, bustling with people who all looked robust and healthy, a stark contrast to the famished, gaunt faces common in other counties.

The city gate was imposing, flanked by two stone lions over three meters tall, exuding an aura of majesty.

Cao Cao, with his keen eye for wealth, estimated that just the pair of stone lions could be worth millions, perhaps tens of millions in coin.

The walls were built from large blue stones, standing over nine meters high. Looking up at them instilled an almost insurmountable impression.

Even the valiant Xiahou Dun could not help but marvel at the formidable walls: “Even the fiercest generals of our time couldn’t breach a fortress like this!”

Such mighty walls should never exist in this era.

His expression shifted from curiosity to solemnity, then to astonishment.

“Mengde, is this really a county town? I feel that even Luoyang wouldn’t have walls this tall.”

Cao Cao was equally shocked. Having served as an official in Luoyang and counted among the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden, he was well acquainted with the capital.

Although Luoyang’s walls were also over nine meters tall, their core was earth, reinforced with blue stone or brick—a pinnacle of construction for this age.

He never expected to find a county town rivaling Luoyang in scale and height of fortifications.

He had thought Luoyang was the greatest city under heaven, yet here was a county town challenging that notion.

Curiosity fully ignited and with time to spare before the scheduled alliance at Suanzao, he devised a plan.

“Yuanrang, come with me inside. I want to know whose county this is.”

Xiahou Dun, equally curious, quickly gathered a hundred soldiers to follow Cao Cao.

As Cao Cao approached the city gate on horseback, two guards immediately barred his way with spears.

“Lord Lu has decreed that all who enter the city must dismount!”

“How dare you!” Xiahou Dun’s face darkened. “Do you know whom you’re addressing? This is the Colonel of the Imperial Agricultural Office, one of the Eight Colonels personally appointed by the late Emperor! Who is this Lord Lu that dares to raise his voice before him? Step aside at once!”

At this time, Dong Zhuo’s tyranny had not yet escalated into full-blown warlord contention, so generals and governors were scarce; official titles were not handed out lightly, and ennoblement was even rarer. Thus, Cao Cao’s rank as Colonel of the Imperial Agricultural Office carried significant weight.

Yet the two guards were unmoved.

“Lord Lu commands that to maintain order within Lu County, everyone must dismount before entering the city! This is the law of Lu County!

“Lord Lu also declared that before the law, all are equal. Whether general or commoner, as long as one is a subject of the Han, everyone shall be treated alike under the law!”

Xiahou Dun was hot-tempered and had always been the one to dominate others, never the one oppressed.

He could not believe two mere county guards dared to challenge him so. Anger flared as he drew his sabre, ready to strike.

“Impudent! You rustic bumpkins dare compare yourselves to us—”

“Yuanrang!” Cao Cao quickly raised his hand to restrain Xiahou Dun. The guards’ words had struck a chord with him.

Equality before the law—that was the very essence of legal authority and credibility.

In his youth, when he served as magistrate of Luoyang County, he had wielded the five-colored staff to enforce justice, even executing the uncle of the notorious Jian Shuo. His aim had always been to uphold the dignity and integrity of the law.

Lord Lu’s words reminded him of his own earlier deeds, stirring both respect and curiosity. He wished to meet this mysterious Lord Lu.

“If Lu County’s law is so, then let us not make things difficult. We shall dismount and enter.”

Xiahou Dun snorted disdainfully but complied.

Cao Cao dismounted and bowed respectfully before the two guards.

“May I inquire who this Lord Lu you mention is?”

The guards, seeing Cao Cao’s tact, eagerly answered, pride evident on their faces.

“Our Lord Lu is the magistrate of Lu County! Learned and knowledgeable, versed from astronomy to geography, he governs wisely, ensuring peace and prosperity for all. Calling him our second father would not be an exaggeration!

“By the way, I must warn you: once inside Lu County, do not speak ill of Lord Lu, or no one will be able to save you!”

Cao Cao’s curiosity deepened. What deeds had this Lord Lu performed to command such unwavering loyalty from his guards?

Xiahou Dun, however, remained scornful.

It was just a small county with a population of no more than tens of thousands—what right did they have to boast so?

Had they not seen that Cao Cao commanded thousands of troops? With a single order, those thousands could swarm the town and wipe it out in no time.

If not for Cao Cao holding him back, Xiahou Dun was ready to open the eyes of these ignorant country guards.

But Cao Cao was unfazed.

“Thank you for the warning. Hearing such praise only increases my interest in Lord Lu. Would you kindly announce that Cao Cao, also known as Cao Mengde, has come to pay his respects?”

Uttering his name, Cao Cao instinctively straightened his back.

Since first rising to prominence in the third year of Xiping (174 AD), Cao Cao had accomplished many great feats. Executing Jian Shuo’s uncle was but a minor episode.

His exploits, from quelling the Yellow Turban Rebellion to eliminating eunuchs and plotting to assassinate the traitor Dong Zhuo, were legendary—each deed enough to immortalize a man and earn universal acclaim.

Moreover, now he had mobilized his entire fortune and army to overthrow the traitor Dong Zhuo, rallying the warlords of the realm. He was poised to do great things.

With such a distinguished record and now bearing the banner to restore the Han dynasty and defeat the traitor, how could Cao Cao not feel proud?

His name was a golden emblem.

Sure enough, upon hearing Cao Cao’s name, the guards’ expressions changed instantly.

“You say you are Cao Cao, Cao Mengde?”

“The one who raised the righteous army to punish Dong Zhuo?”

Cao Cao stroked his beard lightly, a trace of pride in his eyes. “Indeed, I am Cao Cao, Cao Mengde. Since you know my name, please inform Lord Lu that I wish to meet him.”

This time, success seemed certain.

Even Xiahou Dun straightened his chest, feeling honored to follow Cao Cao in this righteous cause.

Yet the guards suddenly grew stern.

“Lord Lu has already anticipated that someone named Cao Cao would pass by in the coming days, perhaps even request an audience. Therefore, he has expressly ordered—

“Under no circumstances is Cao Cao allowed to enter the city!”