Midnight Raid and Desperate Flight
Suddenly, in the dead of night, Sun Jian's Jiangdong army launched a mad assault.
And while Mok Lan and I were sharing a frank conversation as superior and subordinate, we ran headlong into the detachment led by Huang Gai.
Clatter!! Barely mounting the horse led by Mok Lan, we decided to hightail it back to Xuzhou for now.
'Fuck. Warring times.' This world offered no time to catch your breath!
We could've just ignored the foot soldiers and galloped past, but unfortunately, the enemy general was charging straight at me with fire in his eyes.
"Halt right there!! Kim!!"
Huang Gai swung his iron mace wildly, his rage on full display.
Creeeeang!!!
I had no choice but to block the strike aimed at Shitma's flank. If Shitma got hurt and threw me, our escape was done for.
"Nngh.... Huang Gai. Weren't we comrades roaming the same battlefields? For old times' sake, let me go this once?"
I tried talking him down immediately.
Persuasion: 45
Intelligence: 30
Yeah. Predictably, it failed.
"What nonsense is that!!! That tone of yours, like you're subtly above me!! It pisses me off!!"
Huang Gai didn't hesitate, roaring in fury as he swung his iron mace like a maniac.
Creeang! Clang!! Creeclang!!
Astride my horse, I calmly parried his strikes with the Namun Sword. Every attack carried raw emotion. Why does this guy hate me so much? Did I do something wrong?
"Chase them!!" "No choice now that we're spotted!!"
The Jiangdong soldiers panicked briefly but quickly gained momentum and pursued us.
"Nngh...."
Mok Lan clicked her tongue, drawing a composite bow from her waist and nocking an arrow.
Oh. That rare skill known only to a few nomad experts: mounted archery.
Fwoooosh!! Fwip!!
The arrow Mok Lan—formerly Dong Zhuo—loosed flew straight at the Jiangdong soldiers.
Thuk!! Pffuk!!
The lead soldiers toppled one after another, struck by arrows.
"Die!!"
But the Jiangdong troops showed no sign of faltering, charging madly to capture us.
'Look at that fighting spirit.' Maybe it was from battling endless bandits and warlords since enlisting. They boasted insane tenacity.
But I had to leave the grunts to Dong Zhuo.
Clatter!!
Huang Gai caught up beside me, swinging his iron mace solely at me.
Creeeeang!! Creeang!! Creeclang!! Clang!!
I steadily blocked with the principles of Taiji swordplay, somehow maintaining my balance.
He was strong, worthy of the title Jiangdong's fierce general.
'But...'
I'd grown too strong myself.
Ever since that trip to Mount Sang, I'd felt a massive power-up.
Training in the Sang Mountain Sword Style and various external martial arts had boosted my strength, agility, and stamina across the board.
Creeeeeang!!
I could block his mace head-on like this and shove it back with raw power.
Kiggit.
While galloping side by side, I repelled the mace with overwhelming force.
"This bastard.... What kind of power.... How'd you grow this much in such a short time?"
Huang Gai muttered, eyes widening in shock.
Ah. The surprised expression on this dark-skinned beauty.... Pretty. She had a prim charm different from Guan Yu's. As that thought crossed my mind—
"But.... I'm resolved to be my lord's fierce general!!! I've grown plenty too!!"
Huang Gai suddenly flew into a rage, repelling my sword and swinging his mace wildly. It was flashy martial prowess that leveraged the weapon's weight without sacrificing speed.
The shonen manga trope of awakening power in crisis fired me up, but.... This late Han apocalypse wasn't for shonen manga.
'Gotta get back to Xuzhou quick.' No intention of a hot duel with Huang Gai here. Fighting wouldn't change anything.
Duels deciding victory? That's Three Kingdoms game talk. Mok Lan and I were retreating as a pair anyway. Safe retreat was my win.
"Die!! Kim!!!"
The moment Huang Gai swung, I memorized the attack's trajectory.
A common mistake emotional swordsmen make: narrowed vision. Aiming for the head blinds you to everything else.
Exploiting a narrowed field of view was easy.
Shring.
Mid-defensive stance, I slashed downward instead.
My target: Huang Gai's horse.
Spluuurt!!!
The Namun Sword neatly severed the muscle on the left foreleg of Huang Gai's mount.
"Hiiihihihing!!!!"
Huang Gai's horse screamed and thrashed wildly on the ground.
"Kuhat!!!"
Huang Gai tumbled to the dirt in panic.
"Kuhk!!"
Bonus: an embarrassing yelp as she sprawled with legs splayed wide, revealing leopard-print panties under her armor.
'Leopard print after all.' Guan Yu with her similar vibe loved leopard undies too.... Do tanned beauties all favor leopard print by setting?
"Kim!! Stop right...!!"
Huang Gai sprang up from the ground and grabbed her mace again.
'Damn, tough body much?' She could've died from a broken neck. Instead, she did a handstand spring with arm strength alone.
'People in this world are built different.' Game-based Three Kingdoms? Average strength and durability were high.
Anyway.
With the sole mounted pursuer, Huang Gai, down, infantry couldn't match horse speed.
The fearless Jiangdong advance faltered hard. Mok Lan sniped any who got in range, teaching them fear.
"Straight to Xuzhou Castle!!"
Hurry and warn them of intruders!
"Got it!"
Mok Lan seemed to grasp the gravity, whipping her horse mercilessly.
------
As we raced toward Xuzhou Castle, the pursuing Jiangdong detachment gave up the chase. They were a small elite infantry unit for stealth infiltration near the castle—no way they could catch committed cavalry.
At the castle gate, as feared, it was half-open. Night merchants wandered, so leaving it ajar was routine.
"Hey!! You there!!"
I bellowed at the gate guards.
"Let me and Mok Lan in and shut the gate!! Enemy raid!!"
"E-Enemy raid, sir?"
The soldier panicked at "raid."
"Now!!"
At my shout, they scrambled.
Rumble rumble rumble.
As the gate shut, I galloped toward the main keep, yelling.
"Enemy raid!! Raid!!"
Wake the kids.
Bedtime for most, but rouse them for armor at least. Block any night siege.
'Sun Jian's Jiangdong army.' Sun Jian—underrated due to early death—was a siege master. Leading the ragtag anti-Dong Zhuo coalition, he'd solo-rushed and taken Hulao Pass.
"Kim. What's going on?"
Liu Bei rushed out of the keep.
I ignored the bite marks on his neck, ears, whatever. Honeymoon phase.
"What!!"
Zhang Fei burst out, bottle in hand.
"We were just attacked by Sun Jian's army. Ran into his general Huang Gai on patrol."
Quick report.
"Ah.... Mok Lan was missing, so you were on recon!!!"
Liu Bei's eyes gleamed.
Yeah. Details complicated.... Simplified it.
"Oho."
Zhang Fei nodded.
"Bad feeling, so patrolled outskirts. Sure enough, Sun Jian's here."
Damn. Crushing the seal gave huge rewards, saving Sun Jian indirectly, but now this bouncy bullshit. Regrets.
'Sun Jian never leaves Jiangdong normally.' Busy fighting warlords. Who expected this northern push?
"Heard he was tied up in Jiangdong. Reason to hit Xuzhou?"
Liu Bei asked.
With countless game runs, I linked it to Xuzhou's issues.
"Yuan Shu and Sun Jian are tied, right? Yuan Shu might've called him for invasion."
Usually they sour early, but delayed Jiangdong pacification turned Sun Jian north.
"...Troubling. Xuzhou's barely rebuilt."
Liu Bei's face soured.
"Anyway, what now."
FM Guan Yu indeed. Armored with Green Dragon Crescent Blade, ready to sweep at Liu Bei's word. Aura of dominance.
"Hubby. Your armor."
Bu Yong-hwa brought mine, bundled.
"Thanks."
I kissed her lips, smiling. Good wife. Her over-eager baby-making was tiring, though.
Donned armor roughly, checked walls.
"Again, another.... mess...."
Mi Fang on wall duty looked pissed. Yeah, I get it. Military life—sudden shit makes you curse the world.
"Assess first."
Locking walls forced noisy moves from attackers.
Sure enough, infantry massed sloppily at the gate. Planned silent night infil with no torches, but quick gate-shut foiled the ambush.
'Closer than thought.' Open gate? Instant breach. Scary. Xuzhou was a hollow shell—minimal garrison, recent repairs.
"Loose arrows. Warning shots."
Maybe talk it out. Ordered Mi Fang.
Sssshiiiip!!
At his command, wall archers volleyed skyward. Unknown arrows at night? Terrifying for them.
Sun Jian's detachment raised shields, retreating from main castle range.
'...' Self-congrats: Mok Lan and I spotting Huang Gai's unit by luck averted disaster. That's the story.
'Time to bail.' Plotting escape from Liu Bei again. That guy's ears like black holes for trouble. Tired of inevitable incidents.