Return to Xu and the Western Gambit
After escaping the pond and staying in Wan Castle for about two days, everyone set off back to Xu Capital, basking in the glow of victory and nursing hangovers.
Surprisingly, Lady Cui had followed with her household servants. That was noteworthy.
Cao Cao would lose his mind if he saw her. She was exactly his type—a stunning beauty. He'd definitely make a move.
...Still, it felt like a waste to hand such a woman over to another man, but I had no regrets about last night's decision.
"Kim Gong." Just then, Lady Cui, riding up behind me, smiled as she called out.
"Ah, Lady Cui." She was still the benefactor who'd generously given me the horse tack. For the record, I'd immediately fitted that new tack on Jijalma. Maybe because of it, the beast was thrilled.
Anyway.
Has this strengthened Cao Cao's forces even more...? At this point, Cao Cao was starting to emerge from Yuan Shao's shadow. After securing the Emperor for legitimacy, he was steadily swallowing up the lands under Hebei lords like Yuan Shao, bulking up his power base.
It left a bitter taste, feeling like we'd just bolstered Cao Cao—a man far more likely to become an enemy than an ally.
But what can you do? Right now, Liu Bei's army was basically living off Cao Cao's goodwill. We had no choice but to do as told.
Life felt so twisted all over again. I turned to Jia Xu, who was riding beside me, our horses close.
"Lady Jia."
She was my biggest gain. In game terms, a brain with Intelligence 95+ had finally joined the Kim Squad.
"No need for 'Lady.' Just call me Jia Xu, my lord." She smiled brightly.
This "my lord" business still felt awkward.
"Jia Xu, what should we do next?" With Cao Cao's army ahead, it seemed smart to discuss sensitive matters under the cover of marching noise.
"Hmm. First... Cao Cao will strike Xuzhou next. That'll spark clashes between Yuan Shu of Nanyang and Sun Jian."
I nodded along as she gazed ahead with a languid expression.
"Yuan Shu will probably lose. But he has forces he's built up till now. It'll take Sun Jian at least six months to fully subjugate him."
"Meanwhile, Cao Cao will play both sides for a fisherman's profit—striking Yuan Shu first, then Sun Jian."
She had the flow down pat.
"Even if he takes Xuzhou, he won't hand it to Liu Bei. Cao Cao won't give Liu Bei any real position with actual power."
She saw right through Cao Cao's intentions.
Yeah. He'd clip Liu Bei's wings one by one, slowly absorbing him into his own faction.
"What if we join the subjugation campaigns against Yuan Shu or Sun Jian as an excuse, then snatch Xuzhou first...?" I still had lingering attachment to Xuzhou, my sort-of second home.
"Cao Cao would immediately muster troops and crush Liu Bei and our group for sure. Even he, who values talent, wouldn't tolerate that."
Right. Couldn't follow Yuan Shao's playbook. Liu Bei had tried that and gotten schooled hard.
"Liu Bei's force is essentially a mercenary band at heart. We need to focus there and secure our foothold."
She explained patiently, facing me.
"The optimal path is to embed ourselves in a group that needs military strength and aim for advancement."
"Liu Biao of Jing Province or Liu Zhang? What about them?" Family ties might give us a shot. In the game, Liu clans started with high affinity. If we headed to a safe spot beyond Cao Cao or Yuan Shao's reach...
"Neither's ideal. Liu Zhang's slightly better, but we won't raise our value much either way."
"Why?"
"Liu Biao has no major enemies right now. Sun Jian in Jiangdong's just checking him, nothing more. No reason to take in a big-name, high-reputation mercenary unit. Plus, he's propped up by the Cai and Kuai clans—powerful families with heavy influence. We'd look like thieves stealing their rice bowls. We'd waste time getting hammered by the clans and Liu Biao alike."
"Liu Zhang..."
"Same issue. Outside Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, no real threats. We'd just be treated as guests at best."
Her words cut to the core. Our Liu Bei force was conceptually a mercenary outfit. Places not needing mercs would snub us.
True. Liu Biao and Liu Zhang courted Liu Bei later when they needed his strength—mid-to-late game, when Cao Cao was swallowing Yuan Shao and pushing for unification, making them feel the security threat.
Flip that: right now, we weren't needed.
"So who should we go to?" Sigh... This was the Shu route. Forced hard mode. We needed to feed Liu Bei's army and my retainers somehow.
I just wanted to roam the open-world Three Kingdoms freely...
"There's an easy path." She stared straight at me.
"The easy path!!!" Easy it is!
"Abandon Liu Bei. Take just your retainers and—"
"Go!!!" No way. People form bonds.
"Find a way where Liu Bei, I, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and the rest all survive."
No helping it. Relationships were set; I couldn't just cut ties casually.
"Hm... I figured you'd say that, my lord." Jia Xu elegantly brushed back her hair with a bright smile. Ooh, that advisor poise...!
"Then... Ma Teng of Liang Province. That's the better bet." She sighed.
"Ah, Ma Teng." The warlord dominating around Yong and Liang, a legendary figure.
His son was none other than famed Ma Chao. Brothers like Ma Dai, and generals like Pang De—late-game powerhouses, the Three Kingdoms' undertakers.
Even mighty Dong Zhuo had clashed once with Ma Teng and Han Sui's alliance and gotten thoroughly thrashed. Ma Teng's crew was just that strong.
In this game—80% Romance, 20% Records—the Ma clan was formidable. Just hard to befriend due to their clannish nature.
"Ma Teng's currently in a bloody feud with his former sworn brother Han Sui. Powers evenly matched. He desperately needs mercenaries. Head to Liang Province, offer to aid Ma Teng. Prove our strength, and we'll secure a foothold there."
"Hm. Sounds good." Decent opportunity to bond with Ma Teng's people. Not bad.
And Yong around Ma Teng was basically no-man's-land post-mid game. Perfect to build strength quietly till the storm passed.
Bing, Yong, Liang areas were half-abandoned by the state. Barren, low taxes, but constant barbarian raids meant garrisons were needed. Nationally, they were money pits. So instead of dispatching officials (and their salaries), they let local warlords handle it. Cheaper.
"I'll talk to Lord Liu Bei later." I decided on that plan.
"Hehe. And I'll arrange our path to Liang Province."
"Yeah, handle that." Leave convincing Cao Cao to her.
Jia Xu! So reliable! I lived for open-world vibes, not big-picture stuff. Seemed versatile, but really a one-trick fight pony. Her presence was invaluable.
"...By the way, my lord." She eyed me curiously, then murmured softly.
"You're not mentioning sheltering with Yuan Shao. May I ask why?"
"Ah."
It was an option I'd subconsciously ruled out.
"Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will clash soon. No thanks to shrimp backs exploding in whale fights. Cao Cao helped us, so leeching off his enemy would be dishonorable."
Bloody civil war brewing between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. Weaklings like Liu Bei's force caught in the middle? Splattered.
"...You knew Cao Cao was targeting Yuan Shao." She looked mildly surprised, then chuckled.
Romance knowledge. Yeah. Who'd predict Cao Cao's wild gambit otherwise?
"Hehe. As expected, wise, my lord." She gave a courteous fist salute. No, it's cheating via prior knowledge. Don't hype me up; feels guilty.
A few days later, we all returned to Xu Capital.
"Father. We slew Wan Castle's generals and captured their Liang Province troops as prisoners. Wan is yours now." Cao Ang reported with a fist salute.
"Mm. Well done, Cao Ang." Cao Cao shed his usual ruthless expression, beaming warmly at his son.
"Overpraise. Without Kim Gong spotting the ambush, I'd be dead." He turned to me gratefully.
"And thanks to Advisor Fengxian and Liang's fierce generals, it went smoothly." He thanked the other commanders too.
"Uncle Anmin desperately held the fortress under arrow storms. I just added a spoon to the pot."
He praised others first.
Shrewd. Boosting subordinates' morale like a pro. Credit team over self. Lordly vibe. Better than Cao Pi, in my eyes.
"Ooh, Kim Gong!! Thanks!!" Cao Cao laughed heartily, gripping my hand tight.
"Ah... overpraise."
"See, Cao Ang? Commanders are nothing without generals and soldiers. I'm glad you've realized that." Cao Cao grinned happily, subtly glancing at the Emperor.
Xian, catching the hint, forced a smile and praised us. Poor Emperor, eating glances for dinner...
"With the rear secure!! Time to strike Xuzhou!!" Cao Cao pushed forward aggressively, then paused.
"But first, rest up. Military matters next time." Surprisingly, he respected work-life balance.
The Cao army saluted gratefully and filed out swiftly.
Thus ended the council—more like a solo act by Cao Cao.
Han's prestige was in the gutter. The Emperor hadn't uttered a word.
Anyway, I headed straight home. Liu Bei should be there; gather him and the crew for a strategy meeting on next moves. Introduce Jia Xu too.
Upon arrival, a bizarre scene: Yonghwa, Guan Yu, Cai Yan, and Diaochan all together. Lady Cui was warmly introducing herself amid smiles.
"..." What? Women welcoming the new recruit?
"Ah, Kim Gong." Lady Cui greeted me with a smile and nod.
"Lady Cui." Figured she'd follow, but not stay here.
"...I heard Kim Gong never turns away lost wanderers—a beautiful reputation. If I may impose, could I stay here too?" She smiled brightly.
"Ah... sure." Hey, hot lady nearby? Thank you very much.
"Hehe. Thanks." She flashed a coquettish smile, then dove back into chatting with the women.
Meanwhile, Lady Cui inwardly bristled with wariness.
What, why are there so many beauties...! Yonghwa and Guan Yu aside, even Cai Yan and Diaochan—not yet Kim's wives but hovering—were drop-dead gorgeous. Tough battlefield for her.
Surrounded by such young, perky girls... No wonder he doesn't see me as a woman! Lady Cui steeled her resolve to seduce Kim no matter what.
At that moment.
Cao Cao sipped tea with Xun Yu and blurted out,
"...That Kim I want to heavily promote."
"Yes, my lord."
"Honestly, his women tempt me." Seeing Kim's ladies had ignited Cao Cao's lust.
"...My lord, don't ruin things over women."
"Haha, kidding. Kidding. Sigh. Kim's one lucky bastard..." He laughed it off, but his eyes burned with desire.
Our lord's gonna cause trouble. Xun Yu felt a vague unease.
"Speaking of, that Lady Cui from Wan."
Cao Cao stroked his beard, eyeing Xun Yu.
"She's staying at Kim's base, but he hasn't formally taken her as concubine... If I make a move first..."
"My lord!!" Xun Yu reined him in. Normally sharp as a tack, but women clouded Cao Cao's judgment—Xun Yu worried suddenly.
Either way, one more reason for Kim to flee Cao Cao's faction.