The Silver Tiger's Chaotic Descent
"Don't come any closer, I said!"
My heart sank at the sudden sounds of fighting in the dead of night.
I worried that maybe Sun Jian had seen through our inner defenses and was betting everything on scaling the walls... but no, that wasn't it.
Claaang!!Thud!!Claaang!!
A chaotic battle was unfolding right before Xu Province's gates.
Or maybe "battle" wasn't quite the right word.
It felt more like a massive wave crashing down, sweeping away Yuan Shu's and Sun Jian's forces indiscriminately.
"Yuan Shu!! You dared to chase me out in front of the gates!!!"
A silver-haired female general roared in fury. Flanking her were two more: one with orange hair, the other green.
They were striking beauties, but their impact was so memorable I recognized them instantly.
"Yeo Po's forces?" No way—the cavalry got here already?
"Stop that bastard!! Sun Jian!!" Yuan Shu's panicked shout rang out.
It seemed Yuan Shu and Sun Jian, who had been setting up camp at the entrance to prepare for the siege of Xu Province, had run into a natural disaster.
"Hm. An opportunity."
Liu Bei watched for a moment before immediately ordering mobilization.
"Kim. Yideok, Unjang, Zhao Yun. Take your troops and drive Yuan Shu's army out at once."
Liu Bei issued swift commands. He lacked Cao Cao's genius, but he had the basics of a commander: quickly reading the battlefield's mood. Considering how field battles often hinged on momentum, Liu Bei was more than capable as a field commander.
I had no idea why Yeo Po was suddenly rampaging here, but since she was tearing into our enemies, the plan was to seize the moment and gain the upper hand.
"Understood!!"
The gates flew open, and Liu Bei's soldiers charged into the fray like madmen.
Night made visibility poor, but fortunately, Yuan Shu's troops wore eye-catching golden-yellow uniforms, while Sun Jian's were a bright red that stood out even in the dark.
"Charge!!!"
I drew my fully repaired Nam Un Geom and bellowed from the vanguard.
Claaaaaaang!!Clang!Claaang!!
At that moment, Sun Jian's elites—Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and Huang Gai—were desperately holding off Yeo Po alone.
'If we lose here, I won't have the face to meet the late Jo Mu...!'
With that resolve, Huang Gai swung his iron mace until his arms nearly broke, trying to push Yeo Po back.
Cheng Pu and Han Dang were doing the same, envisioning Jo Mu's ghost.
All three saw the same eerie hallucination: a translucent, hazy Jo Mu waving them over, endlessly repeating "Come here" like a parrot.
Even with numerical superiority, all three sensed death looming. Ally or foe didn't matter—one slip, and they were done. They all shared that certainty.
Claaaaaaang!!
Yeo Po's Fang Tian Hu Ji swept horizontally at meteoric speed, shattering Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and Huang Gai's stances in unison.
The next clash would kill them. They all sensed it.
Sun Jian's men had hoped for reinforcements from Yuan Shu, but his army was already fleeing madly, Qi Ling—his chief general—in tow.
The one who had pinned down all of Sun Jian's generals? Yeo Po alone.
That meant the tigers Zhang Liao and Go Sun were free to roam.
"For our lord!!" "Kill them!!"
Zhang Liao and Go Sun relentlessly slaughtered Yuan Shu's and Sun Jian's troops alike, cornering both allied forces.
"Die!! Yuan Shu!!!"
To make matters worse, the gates opened, and Liu Bei's army joined the fray.
"Hyaah!!! Han Dang!! Huang Gai!! Cheng Pu!! Fall back!!! You handle the retreat!! This one's mine!!"
Then, a man wearing a helmet woven from tiger hide galloped in on horseback. Sun Jian himself.
'Fuck.'
Sun Jian cursed inwardly. Given Yuan Shu's army size, taking Xu Province hadn't seemed like an impossible expedition—but who could've foreseen this catastrophe? Losing over half his forces already was beyond expectations.
"My lord!!!" "I'm strong!!!"
Sun Jian roared and swung his sword.
Claaaaaaang!!
Yeo Po parried the hefty strike with her halberd.
"Oh. So you're the strongest, huh?"
Yeo Po smiled sweetly as she met the blow.
"Yeah. Tiger of Jiangdong. Let's see what you've got."
Yeo Po grinned ferociously and thrust her Fang Tian Hu Ji wildly.
Claaang!!Clang!!Claaang!!
How could a human block lightning? Sun Jian boasted considerable martial prowess, but he couldn't fend off Yeo Po's onslaught.
'Ah... Ce. Quan.'
As death loomed, Sun Jian thought of his children. That's how dire it was.
"My lord!!!"
Then, a man blocked Sun Jian's path.
"Ha, Han Dang...!!"
He'd ordered a retreat, yet here was Han Dang, boldly standing before him with his signature greatsword.
"My lord. Now's the time to repay your grace."
Han Dang's face was serious, then he cracked his signature lame joke.
"Han Dang's sacrifice is Han Dang."
It was utterly unfunny, but the resolve behind it made Sun Jian swallow tears.
"Kuuh...!!"
Tears streaming, Sun Jian wheeled his horse around.
Spurt!!
The crescent blade of the Fang Tian Hu Ji flashed, bisecting Han Dang at the waist in a spray of blood.
"Raaargh!!!"
Sun Jian let out a tiger-like scream, tears in his eyes, as he began his retreat.
Half his army gone, plus the loss of an excellent subordinate like Han Dang—this was a devastating blow.
With that, Yuan Shu and Sun Jian's alliance to take Xu Province crumbled.
Once the chaos settled.
"P-Please... spare me..."
Yeo Po approached a Yuan Shu soldier who had dropped his weapon and surrendered while fleeing.
Slash!!
Yeo Po swung her Fang Tian Hu Ji with evident glee, severing the prisoner's head.
Splurt!!Stab!!
The Western Liang soldiers were similarly executing surrendering prisoners brutally, venting stress—and looting to boot. These Western Liang guys were pros at stripping corpses. Plunder-hardened veterans, through and through.
"Please!! I have a wife and kids at home!!"
Yeo Po whistled as she approached a certain dull sergeant.
"Oh yeah? But the guys you were trying to kill had families too, right? Only yours matter, huh?"
Yeo Po muttered indifferently, then raised her blade high.
"Kuhh..."
The soldier wept, squeezing his eyes shut.
Whoooosh!!
As the sword descended, I blocked the halberd's strike with my own blade.
Claaaaaaang!!
Yeo Po's weapon clashed with my Nam Un Geom.
Kikikik.
It was an attack that drained my strength on impact, but my training at Sang San hadn't been wasted. I could put some real force into blocking this time, unlike before.
Swordsmanship: 84
Strength: 80
Proficiency increased after just one clash with Yeo Po.
Just one exchange with Yeo Po, and a status window popped up with rising proficiency. As expected from her—top-tier performance.
"...?"
After clashing blades with me, interest flickered across Yeo Po's face.
"...Hmm? Kim. You've gotten stronger."
Yeo Po smiled at me. She could tell from one clash? True masters were on another level.
"These guys are just conscripts dragged into this. What'd they do wrong? Killing on the battlefield's one thing, but executing prisoners feels off."
I liked slicing people too, but carving up the unresisting? That crossed a line.
"Hmm."
Yeo Po looked bored.
Our eyes met, and Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu moved to my side, glaring at Yeo Po.
Clink.
Zhang Liao and Go Sun, done chasing stragglers, returned to Yeo Po's side.
The air crackled with tension—one signal, and the generals would brawl.
"Bongseon."
Then, a frail man behind Yeo Po cleared his throat. Chen Gong.
Yeo Po glanced at him, then grinned and lowered her halberd.
"Ahaha! Why the hostile vibes? Got it!! This is Lord Liu Xuande's land, so we follow his righteous ways!!"
Yeo Po clapped laughingly.
"Lady Yeo Po Bongseon... Your name echoes across the realm. 'Fiercest Among Men, Red Hare Among steeds,' they say. Haha."
Liu Bei stepped forward, offering a fist salute to Yeo Po. His smile was gentle as a breeze, but his wariness was clear.
"I see the famed Lord Liu Xuande."
Yeo Po returned the salute crisply.
Bowing to foes from the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition? Yesterday's enemy was today's friend, indeed.
Then Yeo Po dropped to her knees and prostrated dramatically.
"Lord Xuande!! Please spare this Bongseon!!"
She launched into full theatrics.
"N-No! Lady Bongseon!! What's this all of a sudden...?"
Liu Bei faltered at her attitude.
"Take me as your guest, I beg!!"
Yeo Po cut to the chase with crocodile tears.
"No!! Lord Xuande!!"
I cut in immediately.
"Right!! Big brother!! Yeo Po's infamous!! She beheaded her foster father Ding Yuan herself and carved up Dong Zhuo too!! Looks like she got run out of Chang'an and came here—give her an opening, and she'll stab you in the back!!!"
Zhang Fei objected too. "She's the bitch who cozied up to traitor Dong Zhuo. It'll tarnish your name, brother."
Guan Yu opposed. Zhao Yun looked ready to follow suit.
Mok Lan flinched at the mention of her past, trembling. Good thing Yeo Po wasn't paying her much mind.
"Unless you all strip naked and kowtow flat, no dice!!"
I piled on. Fuck, show some real sincerity—even naked prostration.
"Whoa, strip naked and kowtow...? Kim Gong, that's too extreme."
Liu Bei stared at me, dumbfounded.
Yeo Po was a no-go...!!! She'd reveal her ambitions for Xu Province the moment we let her in.
Some might think, 'Can't we charm her with virtue and make her a right-hand?' But the system made it impossible.
Yeo Po's loyalty maxed at 50, no matter the treatment. Investments wouldn't push it higher—she could bolt anytime. The game's rules decreed her a backstabber.
Best to filter her out. Even marriage to max loyalty often ended in betrayal.
I wanted a peaceful life in Xu Province under Liu Bei before bolting.
"Hmm. But she saved us, didn't she? And she has nowhere to turn... Sending her away—is that righteous?"
Liu Bei asked.
Fuck. Liu Bei... I sighed involuntarily.
It wasn't pure hypocrisy—he truly valued righteousness—but the real reason was talent lust and stabilizing Xu Province.
Liu Bei had charmed Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun with virtue and charisma. Why not Yeo Po? He had that confidence. Woo her, and Zhang Liao or Go Sun would follow. Treat her with utmost sincerity and patience—nothing was impossible. That was Liu Bei's creed.
Second, enemies eyed Xu Province: Yuan Shu on one side, Cao Cao on the other. Yeo Po made great propaganda. Use her as a guard dog, and foes would hesitate to invade.
I wasn't reading his mind, but Liu Bei was surely weighing all that.
'Still, pretty cool.'
I personally liked Liu Bei's heavy regard for people and his ambitions to match. Coming from hellish Korea, where leaders chewed through folks like tools, this felt fresh.
Anyway.
"As expected of Lord Xuande, the paragon of benevolence!!"
Yeo Po gazed at Liu Bei in feigned感動.
'Gotta watch Yeo Po myself.'
Can't trust Zhang Fei-types... I'd tell Liu Bei to put her under my watch. Any shady moves, and I'd lead soldiers to crush her.
'I'll turn her into a restless ghost haunting Xiaopei forever.'
While I tied her down there, Liu Bei could slowly apply the Takhyeon Mountain hypnosis app. Fine after I bolted, but not while I enjoyed newlywed bliss here—no way I'd let her rampage.
"Alright. Everyone, to Xu Province—let's celebrate today's victory!"
Liu Bei smiled, ushering Yeo Po's forces inside.
'...'
I glared daggers, radiating vigilance.
"...?"
Yeo Po met my gaze, then winked playfully. That bitch?
At that moment, the straightforward Yeo Po misunderstood my stare at Kim.
'Heh. Can't take his eyes off me.'
Yeo Po was quite proud of her beauty and naturally assumed Kim was smitten.
'Fallen for an older woman's charms, huh? Troublesome.'
Yeo Po flicked her silver hair and smirked. Yeah. That was the tragedy. She saw herself as a mature big-sis type, but to everyone else, she was just a overgrown kid. A metacognition gap.
'Well, he's got some interesting swordplay. Train him in spars, and he'd make a fine stud...'
Yeo Po eyed Kim arrogantly.
'I'll add him to my husband candidates.'
With that intent, she winked at Kim.
Blissfully unaware that Kim was plotting to subdue her.
The gulf of misunderstanding was terrifying.