Gongsun Zan's Defeat and the Wuhuan Peace
Gongsun Zan, who had been stranded in the vast Youzhou plains, miraculously broke through the encirclement and rejoined us.
'His appearance is a mess.' He had been the picture of a refined handsome man before, but now he looked utterly disheveled. The dark circles under his eyes were no joke.
"Now's the time!! Chase down the enemy!!!!"
Gongsun Zan drew his sword, his eyes gleaming with rage and madness.
"…."
However, the remnants of his cavalry looked completely exhausted.
'No, not even cavalry anymore.' There were no horses left. Beyond the encirclement line lay the half-dismembered carcass of a horse, its entrails spilling out. They'd survived by eating their mounts.
"Brother, let's reorganize our formation first. We can't pursue recklessly from here."
Liu Bei immediately made a sensible proposal.
Yeah. Marching with these ragtag beggars wouldn't be an advance—it'd be like noobs endlessly chasing a shuttle bus. They wouldn't catch anything anyway.
And if the Wuhuan tribesmen launched a counterattack, it would be game over.
"Xuan De, has it come to you giving me orders?"
Gongsun Zan's expression hardened in an instant.
Ah. Gongsun Zan's mask slipped a bit.
"…!"
Zhen Yi looked slightly surprised at the sight.
Still, it wasn't something to say to Liu Bei, who had led his army tirelessly to rescue him.
Noticing that gaze, Gongsun Zan's expression shifted.
"Hm. Right. Let's reorganize for now."
Gongsun Zan said that and glanced at his few remaining subordinates.
His 3,000 cavalry had been wiped out. This was an enormous loss.
'Cavalry in this era are like tanks or fighter jets—better, even.' Horses eat a ton, proportional to their size, and require constant care on top of that.
Plus, training cavalry costs a fortune. Losing 3,000 was a massive blunder.
'In game terms, it's like losing high-tier units.' The kind that devour population and resources, wiped out in one go.
"Let's head back for now."
Gongsun Zan mounted his horse with a sullen expression. It seemed he hadn't eaten his own.
And so, after a historic defeat, Gongsun Zan's army slunk back to Youzhou like defeated remnants.
That was probably when it started. Gongsun Zan's life began to unravel bit by bit.
In truth, the rebellion of Zhang Jue and Zhang Shun had entered a stalemate. Though they began large-scale plundering in Youzhou and Ji Province, the defending forces managed to hold them off somehow.
From there, Gongsun Zan brought up another expedition.
"This time, it went wrong because I took only a small cavalry force. If I deploy a full 10,000 cavalry at once, I can sweep the enemy away in one fell swoop."
Gongsun Zan was fixated solely on crushing the Wuhuan now. His pride had taken a serious hit.
Yeah, yeah, sure, very manly.... That might fly for personal matters, but the issue was the people's livelihood.
He'd already lost his tanks and planes. Now conscripting another 10,000 cavalry?
That was synonymous with stripping every last grain from the farmers, whether they had it or not.
'Supporting Gongsun Zan here would tank my reputation.' This was where Gongsun Zan failed to transcend being a mere warlord. He couldn't envision long-term, gradual taxation that considered the people's lives.
Just smash the enemy when they come—that mindset kept him from seeing the bigger picture, and Yuan Shao devoured him for it.
"Brother, the Wuhuan have burned and plundered Youzhou lands. Even releasing grain from the granaries to stabilize the people isn't enough—deploying a large cavalry force would burden the common folk greatly…."
As expected, Liu Bei voiced immediate opposition.
"General, he's right. Let's observe the situation first. The Wuhuan's morale has plummeted, so they won't invade for a while."
Zhen Yi, too, opposed Gongsun Zan since wrong was wrong.
"How dare you wag your tongues!!"
At that, Gongsun Zan erupted in anger.
No one had expected such a outburst from someone who played the magnanimous lord so convincingly. Everyone fell silent like they'd swallowed honey.
"…."
Liu Bei watched Gongsun Zan with a slightly disappointed look.
"The people's lives matter, of course!! But isn't everything we do ultimately for the people? Driving out the Wuhuan and securing safety is also for the people!!"
Sacrificing the few for the many. It sounded good.
But knowing Gongsun Zan's inner drive prioritized personal glory over the people was a bit grating.
As everyone sat in heavy silence,
"Hm. Must we resolve this through battle?"
A man slowly entered the command tent.
"Who's in the camp…."
The guard at the entrance was about to glare when his eyes widened.
"Governor of Youzhou!!!"
The Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yu, had arrived. Everyone cupped their fists in salute.
As if the governor himself had shown up.
"Governor."
Gongsun Zan, looking uncomfortable, still cupped his fist toward Liu Yu.
"The Wuhuan aren't the root problem, as I see it. Nor is killing them. The key is suppressing the rebellion and letting farmers focus solely on their livelihoods until the next harvest, wouldn't you agree, General Gongsun?"
Liu Yu smiled, noting Gongsun Zan's sour expression.
"The Wuhuan were merely duped and incited by Zhang Jue and Zhang Shun's words. I've already issued a proclamation: bring me their heads, and their crimes will be pardoned."
Liu Yu stared straight at Gongsun Zan as he said it.
"What…!"
Gongsun Zan looked flustered. His chance for glory was slipping away.
"This was inspired by the noble act of a frontline hero."
Liu Yu said, then glanced my way.
'Ah.'
The story of me persuading the Wuhuan chieftain Guli Ji had spread.
"In these chaotic times, I was moved by the righteous man's desire to resolve matters through dialogue and issued the proclamation myself. Thank you, Kim Gong."
Liu Yu, the Governor of Youzhou, bowed politely to me.
"Ooh…. As expected."
Liu Bei grinned and patted my shoulder, exuding pride like this guy's one of mine~.
"As expected of Kim. Smart guy."
Zhang Fei nodded vigorously in admiration.
"Yeah…. Cool."
Guan Yu stared blankly at me, mumbled something, then flushed red.
"Negotiating with traitors will lower morale!!"
Gongsun Zan immediately objected.
"Losing to reckless cavalry deployment also lowers morale, doesn't it?"
Liu Yu countered with cold fact.
"Kuh…."
Gongsun Zan stormed out of the tent without even saluting Liu Yu, fuming.
This was the signal: in Youzhou, one had to choose between Liu Yu's faction or Gongsun Zan's.
Affinity toward Liu Yu +5
Reputation +3
And in less than a month, the rebellion was quelled just as Liu Yu predicted.
Guli Ji personally brought the heads of Zhang Jue and Zhang Shun.
The Wuhuan who spoke fluent Central Plains tongue prostrated themselves and surrendered.
Their story was simple: It was all Zhang Jue and Zhang Shun's scheme; we were foolish and got dragged in. Forgive us.
"Hm. I knew your crimes weren't grave."
Liu Yu smiled as if he'd been waiting and took Guli Ji's hand.
"From now on, you Wuhuan must stop plundering and live in peace, trading with us. You can even settle in Youzhou if you wish."
Liu Yu said with a smile.
"Ah…."
Guli Ji looked moved that things had worked out so well.
Liu Yu's inherent benevolence played a part, but there was calculation too. Youzhou had been ravaged by the rebellion, and its vast lands were underpopulated—a key weakness. Incorporating Wuhuan into the fringes as taxpayers was the smart move.
Fate Points +1!
[Rescued Gongsun Zan.]
Fate Points +1!
[Suppressed the Zhang Jue and Zhang Shun Rebellion.]
Deliciously earning 2 Fate Points was a bonus. That brought the total to 7. Filling to 10 would grant a chance to alter my Heavenly Mandate later.
Due to influence from persuading Guli Ji, affinity toward Gongsun Zan -10.
Gongsun Zan seemed to dislike me now, but whatever.
He was delisting stock anyway. From this point, Gongsun Zan was just anti-Dong Zhuo alliance networking fodder and experience shuttle for intrigue battles.
While Kim and his cheerful(?) comrades busily smashed Wuhuan and quelled the rebellion, the rest of the world churned chaotically too.
After the Han Emperor's death, tensions escalated daily between the He clan outer relatives and the Ten Attendants over the successor.
Then, Grand General He Jin, tricked, was assassinated by the Ten Attendants, sparking a eunuch revolt to seize power.
Yuan Shao, from He Jin's faction, immediately mobilized troops to crush the Ten Attendants and eunuchs. Luoyang, the Han capital, became a hellscape of corpses and ashes in the brutal extermination.
The crown prince fled barefoot from the chaos. The imperial authority had long been a sad joke.
Up to there, one might generously say it was fine—but someone who'd been waiting for this moment proved the fatal mistake.
There was one woman who could lead a massive army to the capital under the pretext of quelling the unrest and maintaining order.
"Kids, let's go."
A voluptuous beauty with purple hair sat imperiously atop a red horse, smiling. It was Dong Zhuo.
Dong Zhuo's Xiliang troops marched on Luoyang in perfect formation, as if they'd been waiting for this exact moment.
This was the instant Dong Zhuo penetrated the heart of power.