Battle of Wancheng (1): The Warlord
Zhang Shu. Li Jue and Guo Si, Zhang Ji and Fan Chou. He was the cousin of Zhang Ji, one of Dong Zhuo's Four Heavenly Kings.
He was a warlord in his own right, with an independent force, who had suddenly inherited his faction after Zhang Ji's abrupt death. He was depicted as utterly pathetic, but he actually had some ability.
Under him was a strategist named Jia Xu, and Zhang Shu himself managed to command a considerable army around Wancheng, establishing himself as a threatening warlord. The mere fact that Cao Cao had chosen not to kill him but to take him as a subordinate showed the man had some backbone.
Later, in both the official history and the novel, he made great contributions to subduing Yuan Tan, a remnant of Yuan Shao's forces, and rose through the ranks within Cao Cao's army.
'Not an easy opponent.' He was tough enough that Cao Cao himself would lead troops against him... And yet, Cao Cao seemed intent on subcontracting it to us, Liu Bei's army.
'They've decided to prioritize conquering Wancheng over reclaiming Xuzhou.' With Lu Bu at our side instead of taking Xuzhou as he should have, and Sun Jian having seized it, Cao Cao's judgment had shifted accordingly.
It looked like he wanted to secure Wancheng before striking Sun Jian, who had firmly established himself in Jiangdong, to stabilize his rear.
Moreover, Cao Cao conveniently had us, Liu Bei's high-quality manpower. He planned to use us as a subcontractor, turning us into cannon fodder.
"Ah. I've heard that traitor has brazenly seized Wancheng and is playing king there," Liu Bei said.
"Mm. I'd like to entrust the subjugation to you, brother Xuande." With that, Cao Cao patted Liu Bei's shoulder.
"My son Cao Ang and my cousin Cao Anmin will go with you as well. I leave it in your hands, brother Xuande. Heh. Heh." Cao Cao chuckled slyly as he retreated from the seat.
After enjoying that sweet-and-sour tea time with Cao Cao, Liu Bei returned to base.
"Kim Gong. What should we do about this?" Liu Bei immediately asked me.
With no proper strategist in Liu Bei's inner circle, it felt like he was turning to me every time. It was like he was using me as a Kim GPT or something.
From Cao Cao's perspective, he intended to deploy us on tough missions to wear down our forces. Having lost the Jingzhou governorship, our military strength had no room to grow, so he planned to grind us down through various campaigns until we were stuck under him indefinitely.
But...
"We have to do it." No choice. If ordered, we obey.
"The Prime Minister will likely secure an imperial edict from His Majesty. When it's the Emperor's command, we must follow, right?" Cao Cao held the legitimacy anyway.
'Not a bad deal, surprisingly.' As a gamer, I knew the Battle of Wancheng wasn't a bad opportunity.
'We might even snag Jia Xu.' Yeah. Zhang Shu had the Three Kingdoms world's top-tier brain, Jia Xu, attached to him. Getting her would make even Zhuge Liang nothing to envy. If we played our cards bigger, we could take Zhang Shu or even Lady Zou.
'Lady Zou? Why her?' Some might wonder, but surprisingly, Lady Zou wasn't a bad pick for manpower.
She had the 'Seduction' skill. It gave massive bonuses to persuasion and recruitment against men—a cheat skill exclusive to certain female characters. Using her as a recruitment agent wasn't a bad choice.
'Some players targeted her just to romance her.' Yeah. Plenty aimed to seduce Lady Zou. The game flopped, but her pretty screenshots circulated online.
Of course, seducing her tanked relations with Zhang Shu...
Whatever. I made Liu Bei an enticing proposal.
"If using our full forces feels wasteful, we could subcontract it ourselves." Outsourcing. Subcontractors have their own subs, after all.
"We have Lu Bu's Xiliang troops, right? Dispatch a small elite from our side and preserve as many forces as possible." Use the Xiliang soldiers. With Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, Go Sun, and the rest, plus a token from us, we could minimize losses.
"...Ahem. It's an imperial decree—we must commit fully, we can't..." Liu Bei briefly looked tempted before pulling off a loyal subject WWE performance.
"We can't stay here forever anyway. The Prime Minister is wary of you, Lord Xuande." I scratched the itchy spot under his mask.
"...True." "To find a decent excuse to leave, we need military strength. Send the Xiliang troops."
Lu Bu's army was invaluable in battle. If not now, when?
"As expected of Kim Gong. I have no words for your keen insight." Liu Bei grabbed my hand tightly. Whoa. Cut it out, that's creepy.
"Mm. Then, Kim Gong, I'd like you to command this operation." So that was the lip service before dumping the job on me.
"...Understood." I had gains to make in Wancheng too, so I accepted.
"Aren't you and Lady Fengxian close? Please... keep the Xiliang troops in check." Liu Bei's personnel choices had their reasons.
"Mm. Got it." I returned his fist salute and agreed.
"A fight? It's been ages since we had a real battle?" When I explained Liu Bei's plan, Lu Bu grinned eagerly.
"Yeah. You, the Xiliang troops, Young Master Cao Ang, and Cao Anmin—we hit Wancheng together."
"Fighting alongside Kim after so long..." Lu Bu seemed bored stiff and welcomed my words. With Zhang Liao, Go Sun, and the other Xiliang soldiers, we'd have a solid lineup.
"Speaking of... Zhang Shu. I know the guy." Lu Bu smirked. Ah, right—she'd been in Dong Zhuo's army back then. She must have crossed paths with him.
"He's weaker than you, Kim. No need to worry." Lu Bu laughed and slapped my shoulder.
"..." Zhang Shu aside, Jia Xu was under him. She was the real wildcard. A mind that could out-scheme Cao Cao with her plots. I'd boosted my intelligence under Cai Yan, but I wasn't confident I'd spot Jia Xu's tricks.
Still, we had the strategic edge. With Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, and Go Sun, what was there to fear? Just overwhelm with raw power and snatch Wancheng quick.
After a simple briefing, we prepped the Xiliang troops and marched from Xuchang toward Wancheng.
The day of departure.
"Kim Gong!! Great to meet you! I'm Cao Ang, the Prime Minister's eldest son." A man approached with a crisp fist salute and a forthright tone. Cao Ang.
"Ah, Young Master. Pleasure." I returned a polite greeting.
Born to a concubine but adopted by Lady Bian, Cao Cao's proper wife, he was effectively the confirmed heir. His bond with his adoptive mother was ironclad, and records showed excellent relations with other Cao generals.
Had he not died in the Battle of Wancheng, he'd have succeeded without issue. Cao Cao doted on him greatly.
"I've heard much of your fame, Kim Gong!" Cao Ang smiled brightly, his tone respectful. Yeah, that smile screamed goodwill.
'Let's get friendly with Cao Ang.' Stuck under Cao Cao for now, befriending his heir wasn't a bad move.
I'd profited from bonding with Sun Quan when escaping Sun Jian's army. Same potential here. I started looking forward to it.
"I'm Cao Anmin. Honored to meet you, Kim Gong." Cao Anmin beside him greeted me too. The other generals followed suit.
"Oh, that's Kim?" "The warrior who slew a tiger with one stroke at the hunt..." Despite Lu Bu and the elite generals around me, all eyes were on me. My reputation had ballooned pointlessly.
"That silver-haired red-eyes... Lu Bu." "The one who nearly killed our lord..." "She looks terrifying." The gazes toward Lu Bu bordered on terror. As the one who'd rebelled in Yan Province and opposed Cao Cao, she wasn't viewed fondly.
Stares drilled in...
But Lu Bu ignored them completely, eyes only on me. Her mental armor was impenetrable.
Anyway.
"Let's win this battle!!" Cao Ang shouted with zeal, mounting up and charging ahead. He was the vanguard, with Lu Bu's army in support.
Maybe because it was his first real subjugation after garrison duty—eagerness lit his face.
Meanwhile, in Wancheng.
News of Cao Cao's army marching on Wancheng had spread fast.
"C-Cao Cao...!" Zhang Shu glanced around in panic.
"That lowly cur who groveled under Dong Zhuo is stirring up trouble like he's somebody!!" Zhang Shu muttered with deep hatred and contempt for Cao Cao.
In his memory, Cao Cao was forever the failure who'd botched Dong Zhuo's assassination and fled. For such a man to become Prime Minister and suddenly issue a decree against them—it was infuriating.
"Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, Go Sun, Kim, and others have mobilized too," reported a silver-haired beauty with striking yellow eyes in a low voice. Zhang Shu's knees buckled.
The reporter was Jia Xu, the strategist who'd followed him after Dong Zhuo's death.
"L-Lu Bu...!! That bitch. What a long life she has!!" Zhang Shu sighed, shaking his head. Having served under Dong Zhuo together, he knew Lu Bu's strength well. Facing such foes, it was hell for him.
He'd quietly taken over his late brother Zhang Ji's forces in Wancheng to live peacefully, but now that seemed doomed.
"Lady Jia! What should we do?" Zhang Shu asked.
"Hmm..." Jia Xu pondered, gazing at her painted nails.
"The best plan is one: hold out as long as possible, then surrender."
"Hold out and surrender?"
"Yes. Surrender too easily, and Cao Cao will deem us worthless and execute us. We're former Dong Zhuo men—traitors don't need sparing."
"Wouldn't holding out change nothing?"
"Make Cao Cao's army suffer maximally, and they'll agonize. With enemies everywhere, pouring grain and men into Wancheng will pain them. Cao Cao's real targets are Nanyang with Yuan Shu and Xuzhou under Sun Jian. Wancheng is just for rear security."
"I see."
"In a war meant only for rear stabilization, if we drag it into a quagmire and then surrender, Cao Cao will welcome it. Plus, we showcase our talent. They'll likely recruit us." Create the "lost but fought well" narrative—that was Jia Xu's best strat.
However... Zhang Shu had pride.
"No way to win besides surrender?" He didn't want to lose his hard-won base.
"Cao Ang, Cao Cao's son commanding this—his first campaign. We can exploit his ambition for victory." Jia Xu raised two fingers, her sultry, languid tone laced with allure.
"Leave minimal troops for a token siege defense in Wancheng, ambush the main force in the woods behind. When they breach and enter, set the city ablaze to sow chaos. Then crush them with the ambush—easy win." Use Wancheng itself as bait.
"That's solid!" It meant torching his base, but repelling Cao Cao cheaply? Zhang Shu adopted the middle strat.
Watching him, Jia Xu flashed a meaningful smile.
'My lord. You'll choose the best plan anyway.' Tactics might startle them, but the power gap was vast. Cao Cao would take Wancheng, and Zhang Shu would surrender after a hard fight—the best path.
Pretend to offer the middle option as an alternative, steering to the best. That was Jia Xu's game.
'That Kim general sounds useful. Looking forward to it.' Loving heroic types, she'd heard of Kim Gong. She'd wanted to meet him—and fate delivered.
'Hope he's the type I can bend to my will.' Jia Xu hummed softly, lost in thought.
