My Beloved Guryeokgeo (1)
Due to the urgent situation, we held the wedding in Nanpi and immediately marched the army toward the Liaodong region near Youzhou.
Still, we had enough time for farewells.
"If things are that pressing, I'll head out first and scout the situation. We'll get the troops ready to deploy."
Jeon Ye gave a cheerful thumbs-up.
"Ah, thanks."
It was convenient if Jeon Ye went ahead and prepared everything.
"This is Kim Gong's wedding! Getting to help Kim Gong, who's sworn brother to Lord Xuande—it's an honor for me!"
Jeon Ye's eyes sparkled as he looked at me. As always, showing his inner Liu Bei fanboy side.
But... don't fall for it.
In the end, romance and reality are different. Later on, Jeon Ye would make some excuse and desert Liu Bei's army.
It was like loving an idol group like Liu Bei Boys but tilting your head at the thought of actually joining them.
"Anyway, say your goodbyes and come on!!"
Jeon Ye promptly led his men toward Liaodong.
He'd created this opportunity for me, so at least I should say goodbye to my new father-in-law, Bu Dae-in.
"Elder. I'll protect Bu So-jeo—no, Yong-hwa—with my life."
It was a shotgun wedding, but I still felt responsible. I gripped Bu Dae-in's hand firmly to convey my resolve.
"No. Protecting her isn't enough. Make her happy. And..."
Bu Dae-in stared straight at me.
"When you rise in rank and things stabilize, bring the grandkids to visit."
Bu Dae-in stated it bluntly.
"Hehe. Guess we gotta step it up, huh?"
Bu Yong-hwa blushed faintly, fidgeting coyly as she took my hand. Not just holding it—she was blatantly intertwining our fingers in a flirtatious way. Such a temptress...!
"Go on, then. I won't stand in the way of your path to glory. I'd love to have you stay and rest here, but our ancestors lived like this too. No helping it."
Bu Dae-in sighed.
"We Xiongnu, before being accepted into the Central Plains, fought on horseback, even made babies up there. Don't neglect your family duties just because you're busy."
Bu Dae-in gave what wasn't quite nagging but sure sounded like it.
"Hehe. Guess I'll have to do my best."
Bu Yong-hwa boldly hooked her arm through mine.
After catching up like that, our volunteer unit headed straight to the scene.
Meat...
The pork Bu Dae-in had grilled was vanishing fast among the guests. If there hadn't been an incident, I'd have joined the meat-grabbing frenzy—such a shame.
"Nu-na, let's go."
As the cavalry mounted and infantry donned armor in the bustle, I spotted Guan Yu standing there with a dazed expression. She seemed out of it.
"Ah, yeah..."
Guan Yu's energy was oddly low. How to describe it? Like Guan Yu right before undergoing Hua Tuo's surgery without anesthesia. She looked off.
At that moment, Bu Yong-hwa scurried over to Guan Yu and whispered something.
Guan Yu shot her a hostile glare at first, but Bu Yong-hwa unleashed her signature charm, chattering away with girly gossip right by her side.
"...!"
Guan Yu's face flushed red for a moment, her gaze darting around complexly.
Bu Yong-hwa met her eyes and smiled brightly.
"Ahem!"
Guan Yu cleared her throat awkwardly, then regained her usual dignified poise.
Flutter.
Mounting her horse with her war robe billowing—it was the cool Guan Yu as always.
"Kim! Let's go!"
Guan Yu shouted confidently, somewhat revived.
"What'd you say to her?"
I was curious how she'd convinced the stubborn blockhead Guan Yu.
"Hehe. Girl talk secret."
Bu Yong-hwa grinned.
Hm. Guess girls have their own wavelength. I decided to accept that explanation.
Anyway, glad Guan Yu was back to normal. That was a relief for me.
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While racing madly eastward through Youzhou, my Status Window vibrated.
Save Gongsun Zan.
I'd been worried we might be too late, but thankfully, we weren't.
If you save him late, Gongsun Zan escapes on his own.
That's just the unaltered flow of real history without intervention.
Gongsun Zan, on the verge of starving in the encirclement, charges ahead like a madman, breaking through. His high combat stats reflect that.
And here, we meet Guryeokgeo.
That was the real aim.
There was a stat-farming exploit using a bug with Guryeokgeo, plus an event to recruit him as my deputy. If this world followed game logic, the Guryeokgeo bug should be properly implemented too.
My current soldiers were bottom-of-the-barrel trash. I needed a deputy capable of drilling them through training. Guryeokgeo was perfect for that. Guryeokgeo... an essential talent.
I was already grinning at the thought of sucking every last drop of value from him.
Near the Great Wall and Liaodong outpost, Jeon Ye had already organized the troops in advance.
"General Jeon! What's the situation?"
Liu Bei greeted Jeon Ye loudly.
"It seems the general crossed the Great Wall and advanced like a hot knife through butter."
Jeon Ye understated it, but inwardly acknowledged the recklessness.
He explained they'd cut down enemies madly en route and won battles, but now seemed isolated in the Liaodong plains. A month without return had tanked the outpost's morale.
"Let's go save him first!! If the siege drags on, we can't guarantee Brother Gongsun's survival!!"
Liu Bei declared firmly, gazing beyond the Liaodong plains.
"Hm. If we charge fast and break the encirclement, General Gongsun will respond."
Coming from Jeon Ye, the barbarian specialist, it carried weight. He had all sorts of bonuses for non-Han dealings. Stick behind him, and victory was easy.
Just farm some Wuhuan tribe mooks with a relaxed mindset.
And so, we crossed the Great Wall straight into the Liaodong dungeon.
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We galloped madly across the Liaodong plains.
Liaodong, huh...
Keep going, and you'd hit Goguryeo, right? I'd love to see it. Natural to wonder how our ancestors lived.
In the game, a dedicated Korean modder even made a Goguryeo mod. Quality was iffy, but fun.
Anyway.
After half a day of hard riding, we finally reached the site.
A small woodland in the wasteland—that's where the trouble was.
Wuhuan soldiers surrounded the forest in a dense encirclement.
Seemed like Wuhuan were winning, but it was a mutual-loss siege. The Wuhuans looked exhausted too.
And... there he is?
I immediately scanned for my fated target, Guryeokgeo.
Worried about game differences, but sure enough, there he was. A massive bearded man with an axe, mounted and staring ahead. My beloved Guryeokgeo.
Clop.
That's when I sidled my horse toward Liu Bei.
"Lord Xuande. I hear the Wuhuan chieftain is a general named Guryeokgeo. Leave him to our detachment?"
I pitched it straight to Liu Bei.
I had to handle Guryeokgeo myself. If they just killed him, the stat-farming chance would vanish forever.
Guryeokgeo dies surprisingly easily.
"Hey!! Kim!! You've racked up enough merits already!!! Leave some glory for me!!"
Zhang Fei whined immediately.
"I don't want to kill Guryeokgeo. As a fellow barbarian, I get it. Kill the chief, and the Wuhuan go berserk. That just empowers Zhang Ge and Zhang Shun. I want to persuade him so the Wuhuan don't oppose our imperial forces."
Everyone probably wanted a peaceful resolution. I appealed to that.
It works.
Yes. With sufficient persuasion stats, it does. Guryeokgeo's actually wavering between Zhang Ge and Zhang Shun factions. Persuade well, and he surrenders instantly.
Downsides like raising Youzhou Governor Liu Yu's affinity but lowering Gongsun Zan's were minor. Low affinity didn't make Gongsun Zan hostile anyway.
"As expected of Kim... a man of benevolence."
Liu Bei smiled warmly.
"Yide. War isn't just about earning merits. Ending it quickly is best."
Liu Bei admired me openly, then asked,
"But can you persuade him?"
"I'm barbarian-born too. Confident in persuasion."
I played up my origins.
"Hm. Then Guryeokgeo's yours, Kim Gong. We'll handle the rest."
Liu Bei approved my plan immediately.
Thus, the first condition for the Guryeokgeo bug grind was met.
"Buk No-in. And Chun Seol. Gwang Yeom. Follow me."
I called my Kim Squad members.
"Maintain formation and single-point breakthrough to Guryeokgeo's position."
I issued the order.
"T-to the enemy commander's spot...?!"
Chun Seol trembled in panic at the insane strategy. Yeah, her mental was low. Already in combat debuff.
"Hohoho... This old man's blood is boiling."
Buk No-in laughed, shivering with excitement.
"Mm!! I trust Kim Gong!"
Baldy Gwang Yeom nodded in his underwear getup. Dude, not cold?
Anyway, the Kim Squad's first major op began.
Wipeout... nah, probably not?
They were faces I'd met; it'd feel off if they died.
"You guard Bu Yong-hwa."
I roughly patted Jiralma's mane, then dismounted.
"Charge!!!!!!"
I roared, drew my sword, and charged.
My squad followed without hesitation.
Let's go!! Kim Squad!!! I hyped myself up inwardly.