Mercy for the Tiger's Heir, the Wolf's Grasp
"Come here, you bastard!!!"
Sun Ce's wrist armor shattered into pieces, scattering everywhere.
'Damn, that armor was tough as hell.' He hadn't intended to kill him, but he'd figured the Nam Un Geom would smash right through it clean.
Still, as the firstborn son of Jiangdong's overlord Sun Jian, of course his dad wouldn't outfit him with cheap crap.
But one thing was certain—he'd landed a solid hit on Sun Ce.
Even to his own eyes, it was a clean wrist strike.
"Kuh...!"
Sun Ce clutched his exposed wrist beyond the broken armor, dropping his weapon. A bit of blood beaded up as a bonus—his hand must've gotten sliced on the jagged edge of the shattered plate.
'Whoa, clean hit.' That's the thrill of a perfect wrist strike—it hits just right, pure dopamine.
His old dojo master back home would've been thrilled, yelling, "You've got it!!" Thinking of the dojo master did make him a tad nostalgic for the old world... Yeah, right. Not even a little.
Shing.
He pointed his sword at Sun Ce's throat.
"...!"
Sun Ce stared at the blade in stunned panic.
Even on a battlefield thick with the stench of death, people forget about dying. Sun Ce probably never imagined death creeping up on him like this.
'If I kill him... I'll really burn bridges with Sun Jian.' They'd half-burned them already, but killing his son was another level. No matter which faction he or Liu Bei's army ended up with, Sun Jian's revenge would come howling.
'And Sun Quan.' He hadn't done much for her, but Sun Quan had taken a weird liking to him. She was his one solid pipeline into the Sun family—not an exaggeration. A successful case of childhood playdate buildup.
If he killed her big brother Sun Ce, that bridge with Sun Quan would collapse too. He'd become her blood enemy.
'And... I gotta repay favors.' Sun Quan had saved his life. Lose that sense of righteousness, big or small, and it ripples into your future moves. That's how the world works. In modern society, you can backstab casually and get by, but in these life-or-death chaotic times, honor matters. People are paranoid, so they stick to the few they trust. That's why rough eras hype up bushido or chivalry—survival strategy, really. Folks back then idolized macho ideals for a reason.
The game mechanics captured it too. Break promises or betray, and your infamy climbs.
Shing.
He sheathed his sword.
Sun Ce is bewildered by your mercy.
Emotional turmoil makes him easier to persuade.
He was primed to spin some bullshit and wriggle out of this logically.
"I've long heard of the fame of Sun Ce, son of Jiangdong's Tiger, Sun Jian."
Time to load up the silver-tongued rhetoric.
"A man's life like yours is worth plenty."
He cleared his throat and stared ahead.
"Kill me...! You think showing me mercy?!"
Sun Ce bellowed, pride wounded. Teens, man. So emotional. He'd been the same at that age.
"This isn't mercy, Sun Ce."
He locked eyes with him.
The Sun family and Jiangdong crew were all about martial worship. They idolized strong warriors and loved bold talk.
Zhuge Liang had used the same tactic on them. While the Suns were ranting about joining or not at Red Cliffs, he'd kicked it off with, "Why's this place crawling with pussies?" and won them over.
"In exchange for sparing your life, guarantee the safety of us here—and the common folk."
Straight-up proposing a bloodless retreat.
'Honestly, I don't see an escape route anyway.' If Tai Shici brought reinforcements, it'd be all-out war. The Xuzhou civilians caught in the middle? Dead meat.
'Could ditch the civilians and bolt...' But Liu Bei would never allow it. So, trading Sun Ce's life for theirs it was.
"What...?"
Sun Ce glanced around in confusion.
Shing.
Hey now. Back to the throat.
"Damn, kid's got a silver tongue. Toss him in water, and he'd float on hot air alone."
Zhang Fei gawked at him in admiration.
"That's...!"
Sun Ce muttered, flustered. He'd come for glory, but letting enemies go meant mission failed.
But his life was in his hands. One thrust, and game over.
"My lord...!"
Tai Shici gripped his halberd, unsure what to do.
After agonizing, Sun Ce decided.
"Fine!!!"
He squeezed his eyes shut and yelled.
"Everyone!! Pull back the troops!!"
Tearfully, he ordered the retreat. Say "fuck off," and he'd lose his head. With his life on the line, complying made sense.
But just complying looked like cowardice. So he'd wrapped it nicely: Sun Ce repays favors like a true man. He'd shown mercy to a mighty warrior, so Sun Ce responds in kind—a manly, sweat-drenched scenario.
"Thank Sun Quan. She spared me, so I'm repaying it."
The perfect ribbon on the package. A clean story: he'd repaid Sun Quan's favor. Mutual feel-good tale.
Persuasion: 64
Good call leveling that skill.
"My lord, but...!"
"Open the way. Our Jiangdong warriors know righteousness. Father won't object to acting on principle."
Sun Ce told Tai Shici with a grim face.
"Heh. What a hero."
Yeah, take the hero label. He winked at Liu Bei.
"Everyone!! Follow this Xuande!!"
Liu Bei led the soldiers and civilians out of the encirclement.
Thus, Liu Bei's army escaped burning Xuzhou mostly intact.
He half-worried someone might change their mind and chase, but no pursuit came.
"As expected of Kim Gong!! You handled it wisely!!"
Liu Bei praised him immediately.
Yeah. Clean work, even by his standards. Lucky Sun Ce was still young. A battle-hardened version would've chosen differently.
"Anyway, decided on our next stop?"
They couldn't return to the Pingyuan area— Yuan Shao's turf now. Needed a new spot.
Two options: Cao Cao's army from Ye, or Liu Biao.
'Cao Cao's tempting.' Despite clashing over Xuzhou, after Lu Bu stabbed him in the back, Cao Cao welcomes Liu Bei gladly.
'But...' Cao Cao gets overly suspicious, probes Liu Bei endlessly, and blocks escape routes.
Option two: Liu Biao.
'But of all people, Sun Jian.' No direct war, but they're in a cold standoff over Jingzhou interests.
Liu Biao hated trouble. Taking in Sun Jian's enemies could bring bloodshed to Jingzhou.
'Sigh. Liu Bei, Liu Bei...' Dude's life was one refugee stint after another.
"Brother. Let's go back to basics—seize some village and live as bandits again."
Zhang Fei said. Bandits, basically.
"...!"
Guan Yu stayed silent.
'Lord... now's the time. Slip away and seek shelter with Yuan Shao or someone.' Jian Yong whispered ventriloquist-style to Lu Bu, who ignored it.
"...!"
Liu Bei pondered. Fine for just them, but civilians had tagged along. Too many mouths—time for a call.
"Head somewhere safe first... let everyone rest."
Liu Bei sighed.
Then—
Clop clop!! Clop clop!!
Dust and hooves rose ahead on their path.
Clank!
Liu Bei's men gripped weapons, staring forward. Incoming troops in this mess? Enemies, obviously.
Fighting now would be disaster. As he steeled himself—
"Hey! Brother Xuande!!! Sorry I'm late!!"
Cao Cao approached with a small cavalry squad.
Cao Cao. The Xuzhou-wrecking bastard.
Liu Bei could've cursed him out, but they were tapped.
"Hiiiek!! R-red armor...!!"
"Kyaaak!!"
Xuzhou civilians trembled at Cao Cao's sight alone.
"Lord Mengde."
Liu Bei eyed him stiffly.
Cao Cao brushed it off casually.
"Lord Mengde? Call me Brother Mengde. We're brothers, no?"
Cao Cao laughed heartily, playing friendly.
"Heard late about your beef with that Sun Jian punk... Looks like he gobbled Xuzhou whole."
Cao Cao dismounted and clapped Liu Bei's shoulder.
'Cao Cao... fast mover.' Sent troops the moment he heard? Nah, time lags. He'd dispatched on news of Sun Jian's move—predicting their loss. Scary guy.
"Shame."
Cao Cao sighed.
"Didn't you have your fun in Xuzhou too? Saying that now?"
Zhang Fei glared. He spoke his mind—that was Zhang Fei.
"That was... grief over Father's death blinded me. Sorry."
Cao Cao was slicker. Casually cited justification, apologized clean, neutered the beef.
"...!"
Liu Bei blocked Zhang Fei's retort.
"Anyway, got a place?"
Cao Cao cut to the chase.
"The realm is vast. A hero finds room anywhere—that's what this Pi believes."
Liu Bei smiled. Humble situation, but no groveling.
"Classic Xuande!! This Mengde always welcomes heroes!"
Mengde laughed heartily at Liu Bei.
"How about it? Come to Xu Chang—no, Xu Du—with this Mengde."
Cao Cao pitched the pickup.
"His Majesty's there too. You're imperial kin, Xuande. He'll be thrilled we saved family."
Cao Cao chuckled. Wipe the slate, come on over.
"And we'll help smash those Jiangdong rats."
Cao Cao stared at Liu Bei.
"...With such generosity from Brother Mengde, I hardly know what to say."
Liu Bei smiled blankly.
"This Mengde doesn't do that for just anyone. Means I rate you high, brother."
Cao Cao laughed and slapped Liu Bei's shoulder heartily.
"Then... I accept. I'll repay this favor."
Liu Bei settled on Cao Cao as the new host.
"Ha!! Let's go!!"
Cao Cao boomed a laugh, ordering troops to escort them.
His speed sealed it—they headed to Xu Du.
Not ideal, but game-wise... not all bad.
'Key events in Xu Du.' Yeah, stuff to gain there. Regrouping and powering up wasn't terrible.
That's what he'd tell himself. Had to, to ease the gut churn. And he'd kept the whole family safe—that meant something.