About Cao Cao's reincarnation as the emperor's uncle

Chapter 21 The Pledge of Allegiance at Hongchi Pond

The green-curtained cart rolled over the icicles at the street corner, the wheels grinding against the stone slabs with a soft, rustling sound.

Yin Duan slightly bent his fingertips, and the corner of the green bamboo curtain was lifted half an inch, and the cold wind rushed to his graying temples.

"Lord Feng, are we two—one a guilty official, the other an unknown soldier—truly capable of accomplishing such a great task?"

Feng Xu handed Yin Duan two bronze tokens, on which the character "方" could be faintly seen.

"After passing through the Vermilion Bird Gate, take this talisman and clap your hands three times at the southwest corner tower. Someone will then open the side door to meet you. As for what comes next..."

He pulled his sleeves up, and the loose threads at the patch on the cuffs swayed in the wind.

"Does Prefect Yin know why I am wearing this patched shirt?"

He raised his hand to brush away the patch on his lapel. "There's a high-ranking official in the palace whose men have the utmost contempt for well-dressed officials..."

It is often said that a clean cuff cannot hide dirty deeds, or that the dirtiest things in the world are often hidden in the most tattered clothes.

Feng Xu's voice suddenly lowered, and the sound of patrolling soldiers' hooves came from outside the carriage window.

"A chaotic era is about to begin, and we are all but ants, but..."

"Who knows if even a ragged ant in this turbid world can't overturn the chessboard of the court officials?"

Yin Duan gazed at the bronze tally in his hand, recalling Zhang Huan's secret letter...

It turns out that the coded message of "Qiang flute urging the army" was not only calling him back to camp, but also luring him into a trap... a trap more dangerous than the battlefield.

At noon, the sound of bells and drums came from the watchtower, and the muffled thuds made the brass rings on the carriage shafts tremble slightly.

Yin Duan let out a barely audible sigh, but his knuckles clenched the talisman until they turned white.

"Giddy up!" The driver cracked his whip, and a long neigh shattered the thin ice at the street corner.

The sound of wheels rolling over the snow faded into the distance. After watching the vehicle disappear from sight, Feng Xu turned and headed towards the Tiger Guard Camp...

It's time to bring those young men back into the fold.

Zuo Feng hunched his neck and emerged from the shadows in the corner, following closely behind Feng Xu.

"My lord, is this Yin Duan trustworthy?"

Feng Xu raised his hand to brush aside the branches of the old tree at the alley entrance, and snow fell softly onto his patched shirt.

"He had no choice..."

"What's more..."

His fingertips brushed against his cuffs.

“Someone will make them understand the meaning of the word 'square'…”

"What does it really mean?"

……

Yin Duan lifted the curtain and looked up at the city wall. The armor of the soldiers guarding the battlements gleamed faintly in the weak sunlight. Suddenly, he heard a "clang" and the copper bell on the carriage shaft rang inexplicably.

When the driver turned his head, he saw two moles under the other man's eyebrows, which was the mark of the "responder" that Feng Xu had just mentioned.

"Does Sima Yin still remember those days in Yunzhong County?"

The driver suddenly spoke in a low voice, his voice no longer hoarse, but rather carried a hint of familiarity.

Yin Duan was startled. That voice... it was clearly that of a scout who had once served under his colleague, Dong Zhuo...

Looking at the driver's hand holding the whip, the calluses on his thumb and forefinger are shaped like arrowheads, a result of years of drawing a hard bow.

Zhang Ji?

"But Zhang...Ji'an?"

Zhang Ji lifted the burlap covering his face and nodded to Yin Duan.

"Minister Yin, be careful. The wind in Luoyang is much colder than in the borderlands..."

After that, the car fell silent again.

As the carriage reached the southwest corner tower, Zhang Ji gently tapped the carriage shaft three times and turned to look at Yin Duan.

Yin Duan understood, got out of the car and clapped three times.

The side door creaked open, and half a hand peeked out from the crack, with a faint "square" character drawn on the palm.

Seeing this, Yin Duan handed over the bronze talisman. The hand took the talisman, checked it, and then returned it to Yin Duan.

Immediately afterwards, several laborers carrying buckets of manure walked out of the gate, their waists adorned with ring-pommel knives wrapped in strips of hemp cloth.

Zhang Ji shoved a knife into Yin Duan's hand and whispered:

"I will go to Hongchi Pond and wait there. These people will be left to Yin Sima."
-
Hongchi Pond, also known as Hongchi or Hongchi, is an important lake and marshland in the eastern suburbs of Luoyang City, located at the hub of Luoyang's waterway.
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"There are Hu people's clothes in the bucket. South of the pond, there is a reed marsh, where a black-awning boat is moored, with half a broken lotus lantern hanging on the bow."

He suddenly looked up at the corner tower, where the iron eaves jingled.

"Make sure you are in ambush there before Shenshi (3-5 PM). After the deed is done, head southeast to look for beacon fires... Three long and two short signals are the coded message for the rendezvous."

Yin Duan nodded, feeling the talisman in his palm burning hot, and whispered a few words to Zhang Ji in his ear.

When Zhu Jun looked back, he saw a clerk in black robes standing in the shadow of the corner tower, looking down at bamboo slips, half a piece of blue satin peeking out from his sleeve. This was also one of the people who had been granted the title of Feng Xu.

……

The sun hung high in the sky above Hongchi Pond, but offered no warmth whatsoever.

The ice surface was frozen blue, with a small, hidden current flowing beneath.

Yin Duan led the group forward, stepping on the frozen, withered grass, when suddenly they heard the rapid sound of horses' hooves behind them.

Yin Duan stiffened, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, only to see Zhu Jun shake his head slightly at him.

As I turned around, I saw several riders galloping across the thin snow, the jade pendant at the waist of the lead rider gleaming in the sunlight.

This is... a member of the Imperial Guard?

"Hey! What are you barbarians doing here?"

The knight drew his sword, and the gleam of the blade made Yin Duan squint.

His mind raced, then suddenly his legs went weak, and he rolled into the snow, cursing loudly:

"Take it if you want! We barbarians have long since lost our place in this Han territory!"

He rolled twice, and when he looked up, his face was covered in snowflakes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the knights exchanging glances.

The lead knight dismounted, his sword sheath striking Yin Duan's chest, but he lowered his voice and said:

"I am Xu Feng, a close attendant under your command. There are eyes behind you, so please do not make a fuss."

As he spoke, he began to pretend to question Yin Duan, and while bending down, he subtly slipped a secret letter into Yin Duan's arms.

Her fingertips quickly traced across his palm, as if drawing a square.

Yin Duan felt a chill run down his spine, recalling Feng Xu's words about "hiding dirty things in tattered clothes".

In Luoyang City, it truly is... every scene is a play, and every place is a bait.

Xu Fengzheng, acting on Liu Fang's orders and taking advantage of the arrangements left by Xu Rong, used the title of Yulin Lang to solidify the identities of the group as Hu people.

After the knights had left, Yin Duan touched the secret letter in his bosom, and stomped his boots on the ground, making a soft cracking sound as the dry grass crunched.

Zhu Jun leaned closer, and the two exchanged a glance, both seeing a resolute look in each other's eyes.

They knew they were now in a situation beyond their control, living on the edge of a knife... and a pledge of allegiance was necessary.

This secret letter contained the final plan... to intercept and kill Xia Yu.

He was the former Sima under Duan Jiong, the governor of Beidi who had just won a great victory against the Xianbei and was returning to the capital to claim his credit.

The sun hid behind the clouds, the fog gradually thickened, and the awning boat slowly glided into the distance.

Yin Duan led the group to hide among the reeds, watching the sails gradually appear on the water in the distance.

……

Black banners billowed in from the waterway, and two rows of personal guards stood solemnly behind Xia Yu, their armor gleaming in the sunlight.

He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The beast-face patterned mouthpiece under his breastplate rose and fell slightly with his breath. Gazing at the approaching shore, he felt a sense of unease...

Logically, he should have come from the west, but he received an order from Duan Jiong to return to the capital immediately, so he changed his route and traveled by water.

On second thought, I'll be in Luoyang soon, and all I need to do is meet the emperor to be promoted and receive a higher rank. Maybe I'm overthinking it...

Once the boat docked, everyone mounted their horses, and the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves rose into a yellow mist on the shore.

As we rounded the bend in the bluestone path, the cawing of crows suddenly came from the willow grove beside the road.

Just as Xia Yu was about to crack the whip, he suddenly heard his deputy shout:

"My lord, there are wet footprints in the willow shadows!"

　Note:

　　【Vermilion Bird Gate】

　　The main gate of the Northern Palace in Luoyang during the Eastern Han Dynasty was also the most prestigious gate in the palace.

　　Zhang Ji

　　He was Zhang Xiu's uncle, and Zhang Xiu was the one who, along with Jia Xu, caused Cao Cao to lose Dian Wei and Cao Ang.

　　I won't go into details here.

　　【Character】

　　① Yin Duan's courtesy name was Zhengze.

　　② Zhang Ji's courtesy name was Ji'an.

　　There is no relevant record in historical materials.

　　This was fabricated based on the character-based system of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)