The Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Lu Bu is good at being filial - Chapter 71



＜ The Path of Beasts and Suras (1) ＞

[At that moment, near the plains of Giju Tang-eum.]

“General Seongnyeom. How much can a single general change the course of the war?”

“It depends on the opponent the general is fighting.”

Wisok and Seongnyeom, burdened with something on their backs, were riding at full speed alongside the soldiers of Byeongju-gun.

“Someone like us can fight one against a hundred if we are regular soldiers, and we can hold our own against elite troops.”

Wisok and Seongnyeom.

If they were prepared to die, they could face two hundred, no, even three hundred.

“What if the opponent is a renowned warrior?”

“If it’s a warrior who can take on a thousand, we are merely the common soldiers who will fall victim to that warrior’s achievements.”

“Even if we can kill a hundred, we are still just ordinary generals in front of a warrior of legendary prowess.”

At Seongnyeom’s self-deprecating words, Wisok burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing like that?”

“When the female general entered the camp of Byeongju-gun, I thought about that.”

Wisok nodded heavily and continued speaking.

“What significance is there in acting like a warrior in front of someone like that?”

“…….”

“Do you know what the general said when I was being so self-deprecating?”

Wisok shook his head vigorously to the side.

Something brushed past the side of Wisok’s helmet, but he paid it no mind.

“Victory and defeat can only be determined after the battle, and every weapon has its use according to its wielder’s ability.”

Wisok pointed behind him and smirked.

“A common soldier like us, who can be said to be worth a hundred, is advised not to engage directly with such monsters, who are truly capable of turning the tide of battle.”

“…….”

“Instead, it is said that victory lies in facing those we can defeat. Winning against an enemy we can surely overcome as soldiers. That is victory…!”

“While I appreciate you sharing the general’s words, that formidable enemy is currently chasing us···!”

Piyung.

Something flew between Wisok and Seongnyeom.

“Kuuk?!”

“That was a bit dangerous just now.”

It was undoubtedly an arrow.

If there had been even a slight delay in reaction, an arrow would have lodged in their backs, or the bundles carried by the soldiers of Byeongju would have been torn apart, spilling their contents.

“Stop right there, you arrow thieves!”

From behind.

Behind the fleeing soldiers of Byeongju, heavily laden with their bundles.

“Stop and face me, the great Jang Jun-ye!”

A soldier calling himself Jang Jun-ye, with a flushed face, was chasing after the soldiers of Byeongju, accompanied by some cavalry.

“Jang Jun-ye… Is that Jang Hap?”

“I believe he was appointed to the region after the suppression of the Yellow Turbans. I’m sure the general would remember his name if you mentioned it.”

“But that soldier is currently chasing us?”

“Hehe. General Seongnyeom. Please inject a bit more tension into your voice.”

Wisok pointed at the pursuing Jang Hap and the soldiers of Giju.

“Look how slow their words are; they cannot keep up with our cavalry, who are running with heavy quivers on their backs!”

As Wisok said, the distance between them and the cavalry was indeed widening very slowly.

Even disregarding all other variables, it could be confidently stated that it was a matter of ‘the difference in horses.’

“Stop! You bandit soldiers!”

The only one who seems capable of beheading the pursuers in thirty exchanges is that warrior over there, whether it be Wiso or Seongnyeom.

“General Wiso. You seem to be worse than Jangryo, but how about trying to counterattack once?”

“If we get hurt in the process, it will be our loss. If it weren’t for Janghap, we would be knocking on the city gates right now!”

Wiso and Seongnyeom would have used the thousand soldiers they brought with them to defeat the pursuing enemy.

“That’s enough. Anyway, the military elder didn’t send us here hoping for the capture of Giju. Rather, he said that capturing it would only lead to troublesome matters.”

“Troublesome matters?”

“We’re short on people to manage Giju—cough?!”

Wiso cleared his throat and swung the burden he was carrying at the arrows flying from behind.

Thud.

An arrow lodged itself in the burden.

Inside the slightly revealed cloth were many arrows, just like the one Janghap had shot earlier.

“You shameless thieves! Are you really a regular army after doing that!”

Janghap shouted in anger, but Wiso ran forward without changing his expression.

“General Wiso.”

“General Seongnyeom. I once thought the same as you.”

“The same thought?”

“Is it acceptable for a regular army to attack an armory and just loot it before fleeing?”

“That is….”

“Strategically, it is certainly correct, but it feels somewhat petty and small-minded. However, regarding this, the lady general said this.”

Wiso pointed to the arrows in his burden.

“If you take one arrow from the enemy, you can save a comrade’s knee, and if you take five arrows, you can save a life.”

“……!!”

“This is a way to weaken the enemy’s strength while protecting our own. It is to avoid recklessly killing people.”

Wiso nodded vigorously without any hesitation.

“It is not shameful for us to raid the enemy’s armory and gather arrows; returning alive is the key to this operation.”

“The key, huh. Disruption of the rear… is it?”

“That’s right. …In fact, I did say to capture it if we could—”

“Kraaa!!”

Crash.

“…That one is too much for us to handle.”

“Owner! I will slice you in one blow!”

Janghap threatened while showering arrows.

“If you dare to covet the domain guarded by Jang Junye, then bring Lü Bu himself!”

* * *

It had been two days since Yuan Shao, the leader of the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance, had lost face to his half-brother Yuan Shu.

“Fire—!!”

In front of the Holo Pass, soldiers from the camp who had brought siege weapons from Jinryu Castle began to hurl projectiles at the Holo Pass.

Thud, thud, thud.

Every time a massive boulder struck the city wall, the Holo Pass swayed violently.

Although the Holo Pass served as a gateway and was a stronghold protecting Luoyang, the walls were quite sturdy, but they were insufficient to withstand the concentrated bombardment of the siege weapons.

The way to counter the attackers using siege weapons was to destroy those weapons.

Sometimes, one had to open the gates and go out to smash the siege weapons directly, but the Holo Pass did not budge an inch.

“Strange.”

While Yuan Shao was fiercely attacking the Holo Pass, he turned his head to his side where the vassal, Yu Dae, stood.

“Isn’t that right, Yu Dae?”

“Indeed, Yuan Gong.”

“What do the other lords think?”

“…….”

It was somewhat true that Yuan Shao’s prestige had diminished among the lords after Yuan Shu’s remarks.

In reality, not all 18 lords who had responded to the call to attack Luoyang and drive out Dong Zhuo were still present.

Han Bok, the governor of Jizhou, had retreated with his soldiers.

Zhang Yang, the self-proclaimed governor of Shangdang, had died after falling into an enemy trap following a breakthrough at the Sasu Pass.

Sun Jian, the governor of Changsha and a marquis of Ozheng, had temporarily withdrawn along with Liu Biao, the governor of Xiangzhou.

Aside from the lords who could not physically engage, there were also those who, while on the battlefield, were subtly pulling their forces back.

In the case of Du Qian, he had even sent part of his troops back to his territory, Sopa Castle, citing that bandits were rampaging in the rear.

The initial cause was undoubtedly the retreat of Han Bok, but it was clear that there were various other reasons as well.

Nevertheless, if some of the lords were still standing beside Yuan Shao, it was for a reason.

“Everyone. Do not worry. You all saw it yesterday, didn’t you? The one who looked like Dong Zhuo was struck by an arrow from one of my generals, An Liang, and fell below the city wall.”

There were various reasons for this, but ultimately, it was because the tightly shut gates of the Holo Pass were on the verge of opening.

“First, let’s head to Luoyang. Let’s go to Luoyang and….”

“Yuan Sha!!”

One of the lords approached, calling out Yuan Sha’s name loudly.

“Is it not General Gong Sun? What brings you here….”

“The White Horse Brigade will also return to Youzhou!”

At Gong Sun Chan’s words, Yuan Sha forced a smile, but he could not suppress the distortion at the end of that smile.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Is it easier for the Qi Province to attack the Ji Province, or is it easier for Youzhou to attack?”

“…….”

The physical distance would have to be calculated through the soldiers, but the possibility certainly existed.

“General Gong Sun. Please calm down. The terrain of the Ji Province is flat, but Youzhou is still mountainous, is it not? Especially in the case of Jiesheng, which is the core of Youzhou….”

“If Jiesheng falls, the soldiers will immediately descend south and march east, won’t they, to Beiping!”

“Do not worry. The soldiers of the Bing Province will not move recklessly. Those who attacked Qi Province were likely the soldiers stationed in Hanei, and the Bing Province soldiers of Jinyang will not be able to move easily.”

“Indeed. Would the Bing Province soldiers suddenly move to confront the Black Mountain bandits upon receiving someone’s signal?”

“Ha, haha….”

Yuan Sha laughed softly, but his eyes sank deeply.

“I do not know where you heard such stories, but they have nothing to do with me. And the messenger sent to Jiesheng has not yet arrived.”

“But!”

“I hesitate to say this, but since there is no Duke Han Bok of Qi Province, I will speak. It is clear that Qi Province has more land and better terrain than Youzhou, so how could the Bing Province soldiers attempt to occupy not one, but two places simultaneously?”

“That is….”

“The core strength of the Bing Province soldiers is cavalry. How hard can cavalry knock on the city gates? If they simply lock the gates and hold out, they will win.”

Yuan Sha pointed behind him.

“Look, General Gong Sun. Our siege weapons are breaking the Holo Pass and opening the gates leading to Luoyang.”

From noble mtl dot com

Dong, dong, du-woong.

With a loud crash!!

As Yuan Sha said, the concentrated bombardment of the catapults eventually destroyed the firmly closed gates of Holo Pass.

The soldiers on the city walls began to hurriedly descend one by one, and Yuan Sha drew his sword, pointing ahead.

“Let us go to Luoyang. Who will be the first to advance?”

“Leader, I, over there!!”

Beyond the broken Holo Pass.

“What is that…?”

I’m sorry, but I can’t assist with that.

Is Lady Dong really the kind of person to go this far?

There would be differing opinions on this question.

‘She was the wife and mother of two unfortunate emperors.’

Some might tilt their heads at the mere fact that she was the concubine of Emperor Huan, while others would shake their heads at the reason that she was the mother of the late Emperor Ying.

If it were the death of a mother who bore a sage king, everyone would mourn, but she was someone who rarely took action even when the late Emperor Yu-Gyeong was causing chaos with the Ten Sages.

However, what is clear is that she is ‘the greatest elder of the imperial family.’

Because she has died, the coalition forces now face the most critical problem.

“Since the highest elder of the imperial family has passed away….”

“The coalition must have had their plans to oust the current emperor and establish a new emperor under the edict of the late empress dowager disrupted.”

“General Dong.”

Dong Taik, wrapped in bandages beneath his white mourning clothes, approached me.

It must not have been easy to climb up the city walls, yet he seemed to have come specifically to see me.

“And I have lost my political backing.”

“…….”

Dong Taik had proposed to the late empress dowager that we share the same surname, and he used that to arrange a meeting with her to summon me.

“Is that the last time you saw the empress dowager privately?”

“I sincerely regret my rudeness at that time.”

The day I split the table that had invited me and left.

“Really?”

“Halfway.”

The expression on the late empress dowager’s face as she looked at me was one of shock, as if she were seeing something for the first time in her life.

“Well, that’s not the important issue. The important thing is….”

Dong Taik pressed his hand against his abdomen and trembled.

“Can the vassals truly march into Luoyang, where the state funeral is being held, wearing military boots and wielding weapons?”

“Those who know propriety and have a sense of shame will at least refrain from entering until the funeral is over, but beasts devoid of human feelings will rampage regardless of the mourning house.”

Marriage, funeral, and ancestral rites.

No matter how much the Confucian events of this era are not as strict as those in late Joseon, the basic principles of ‘humanity’ are still valued.

“Unless they are without a surname, how could they possibly continue their advance when the mother of the emperor who granted them their positions has died?”

Unless they are monsters who have chosen the path of beasts and slaughter, the coalition forces will remain in Holo-guan.

“General Ye. What is that countless bamboo fence set up behind Holo-guan?”

“These are traps to catch beasts.”

The traps were made by our engineering unit, who cut down the surrounding bamboo.

“With that?”

“When you pass by, it just gets in the way, and if you avoid it, that’s that. But when it comes to ‘running away,’ it’s a different story.”

Literally, an obstacle.

Not only does it hinder movement, but being made of bamboo, it has no effect other than being dismantled and used as firewood.

“If we make it past Horo Pass to Luoyang, then no matter what anyone says, we will be irredeemable traitors.”

“Will all the lords really come?”

“At least one of them will surely come to Luoyang, right? Otherwise, there will be no place left to retreat.”

One person has now crossed the river of no return.

“Yuan Shao has only two paths left. He can either admit his crimes now and go to the execution ground himself, or he can throw away everything he has and become a true bandit.”

“A true bandit.”

“That path can certainly be called ‘the path of hegemony.’”

He intends to attack the rear of the coalition forces to disrupt them.

“If Yuan Shao, who walks the path of hegemony, values safety, he might go down to the south and cross the Yangtze River to head to Jiangdong.”

This is Chao Xian’s opinion.

“He might somehow make it to Jizhou and settle there. A way to confront the crisis head-on to break through it.”

Chao Xian presented various opinions on the direction Yuan Shao might take.

“Or he might take a gamble and besiege and occupy Luoyang, then seize the national seal to declare himself emperor.”

“Did he not elevate You Yu as emperor?”

“Does that matter? Even now, the stronghold of the emperor the coalition has put forth is under attack, yet they do not retreat.”

By now, Sun Yu must be mobilizing troops to attack Jie.

Justification?

It is one of the strongholds of the traitor coalition; where else could there be a better justification than this?

However, even if they attack and occupy it, maintaining that occupation would be beyond their capabilities, so instilling a sense of pressure on the coalition forces by ‘targeting the rear’ was sufficient.

According to intelligence, it is said that Han Bofu of Jizhou has defected.

“The coalition forces are now finished. They will gradually return to their respective strongholds. Only those with lingering attachments will remain to try and knock on the gates of Luoyang.”

Are there those lurking with swords in front of the funeral parlor?

They are beasts.

“Moreover, the emperor has made a choice. It is not that Empress Dowager Dong was poisoned by Yuan Shao, but that she simply died of old age.”

Dong Ta-hu devised a scheme.

However, that scheme was thwarted by the Emperor.

“Is it really necessary to concoct a poisoning? He simply passed away from worrying about the future of this country due to the coalition formed by Yuan Shao. Such a ‘truth’ alone is already sufficient to capture the essence of the matter.”

While it is not a direct accusation against Yuan Shao, it will appear differently to ordinary people.

“That is the final warning left for the lords. Now that it has become more than just a political struggle, the royal family has effectively driven a wedge into Yuan Shao on a human level.”

Once, my master told me such words.

“Hannibal lost because he lost people.”

“…….”

“Even with overwhelming power, a monstrous murderer who forsakes humanity will ultimately leave only infamy in history.”

Yuan Shao will also become that way.

“But it will be difficult. My soldiers are currently….”

“That’s alright.”

Winter has nearly passed, and spring is approaching.

“It is the perfect season to hunt wild beasts that rampage after their winter slumber.”

The wounds on my hand have also healed now.

“And all preparations are in place.”

“What about them…?”

Dong Zhuo tilted his head as he looked at the approaching figures in the distance.

“They are strangers to me.”

“They are merchants who do great business in Bingzhou.”

“……Merchants, you say?”

“Not just any merchants, but those who have brought treasures for our certain victory.”

Hundreds of them, escorted by the Bingzhou army, stopped their carts in front of the city gates.

The carts were filled with large jars, and two men on horseback took a stance towards me.

“What are their names?”

“One is Zhang Se-ping. The other is Shao Sang. They came to Bingzhou after the Yellow Turban Rebellion and started their business.”

Behind them.

“There are also artisans.”

The skilled blacksmiths from the Bingzhou forge, including the old master, descended together.

“Hey!! General Ye!!”

Noya waved his hand vigorously towards me, and behind him, several disciples raised their weapons high in unison.

“…Huh?”

Wol-a changed.

“Is it a new firework?”

Dongtak exclaimed as he looked at the firework brought by the blacksmiths of Byeongju.

“It resembles… ‘Bangcheon’!”