Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition Army (1)
After wrapping up affairs in Youzhou, daily life back in Pingyuan resumed once more.
"Hubby. Hehe. So we're settling down here in Pingyuan for a while, right?" Bu Yong-hwa sidled right up to me on the porch, flashing a bright smile as she asked.
Maybe because we'd now officially tied the knot, she no longer hesitated to close the distance between us.
I'm going insane here… Bu Yong-hwa was a beauty to begin with, and with that intoxicating scent wafting from her, I felt my mind turning to mush in real time. The atmosphere was pulling me in, making me think we might just end up making a baby right here.
"For the time being, yeah. But who knows. This world's full of sudden changes." I barely pulled myself together and answered her.
We'll have to leave Pingyuan again soon. We were edging into 190 AD now. This was when Dong Zhuo would seize control of the Han court and start his reign of terror as a traitor.
In this world, unless I intervened, events pretty much followed the original scenario.
Working for the central government sounds sweet, though. Chaos was breaking out everywhere in the capital. At this point, the players were Dong Zhuo, the Inspector of Bing Province, and Ding Yuan, the Administrator of Henei in Bing Province. Both were warlords with armies and ambitions for a coup, locked in a battle of wills. If the player sided with Ding Yuan, he'd win hands down. But since I hadn't gotten involved, Dong Zhuo's victory was a done deal. Absorbing fearsome generals like Lu Bu and Zhang Liao was just icing on the cake.
"Hehe. Hubby, you're thinking about something complicated again, aren't you?" Bu Yong-hwa smiled brightly and took my hand.
"Ah…" I tried to pull away, but her hand was softer than expected, leaving me a beat slow on the draw.
"Still, waiting around for a peaceful world forever won't get us anywhere." Bu Yong-hwa gazed at me with fervent eyes, then snuck in a quick peck on the cheek.
That was Bu Yong-hwa for you—straightforward as an arrow. It was the Xiongnu spirit in action, bold and unyielding.
"Let's make a baby while we can enjoy days like this. Okay?" She spoke in a strangely mature tone, gesturing toward the inner quarters.
Right now, the only ones left in the manor were me and Bu Yong-hwa. In a twist of bad luck, Liu Bei was handling paperwork with Jian Yong and Sun Qian, while Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were off training the troops.
No one would barge in for about three hours…
Being a man, the breeding opportunity hit me like a brain melt. Our heated gazes were about to lock—
"Kim!" Guan Yu burst in noisily. Her whole body was caked in dirt and dust from just finishing troop drills.
"Ah, sis." I welcomed her with a smile.
"…Tch. Such a clichéd interruption." Bu Yong-hwa's expression sharpened for a split second, but she smoothed it over when she caught my glance.
"Remember that Wuhuan girl with the big axe we met last time? Guli Ji, was it? She says she has something to tell you." Guan Yu glanced at Bu Yong-hwa, then grinned.
"Ah, Guli Ji." Things were unfolding just as I'd predicted.
If the player personally convinced Guli Ji, she'd request to join their command.
Having a warrior like Guli Ji join our Kim Squad—which was basically Green Camp at this point—would be hugely valuable. At this stage, she was top-tier talent.
"Mm. I'll go meet her right away." I stood up immediately.
"…Hubby." I could've just left, but Bu Yong-hwa looked sulky, so I found myself mumbling awkwardly.
"We'll talk about that over dinner, just the two of us." She'd mustered the courage to say she wanted a child. I had to respect that.
"…!" Her face lit up instantly.
"Yes!! Go on! Hubby!" Bu Yong-hwa waved with a beaming smile.
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Pingyuan's training grounds.
There stood Guli Ji, dressed in Central Plains attire, waiting to greet me.
"Oh, Guli Ji." I bowed toward her right away.
"Mm. Kim Gong. I've come to express my thanks for what happened last time." Her tone had grown surprisingly deferential.
Wuhuan folk are like that. Once they acknowledged someone as stronger, they held genuine respect for them.
"Thanks to you risking your life to persuade me right in the thick of battle, my mind cleared. Your judgment let me protect my entire tribe and avoid the dishonor of joining the traitors." Guli Ji expressed her gratitude for that.
Liu Yu handled most of it. Liu Yu had coolly forgiven the Wuhuan, quelling the rebellion early. Strength alone doesn't solve everything. Gongsun Zan had thrown away thousands of cavalry against a tough foe, but Liu Yu poached them with a policy of appeasement. That highlighted Liu Yu's savvy.
Thanks to that, Gongsun Zan's reputation in Youzhou took a hit. He came off as a musclehead who burned tax money on cavalry. The downside of being a war hero—lose one battle without results, and the hate rolls in.
Even in meetings, Gongsun Zan would glare at Liu Yu like he'd eaten shit, while Liu Yu treated him with half-contempt. Their pissing contest dragged on… but none of my business.
"With that in mind, I'd like to serve under you, Kim Gong, to repay the favor. If that's alright?" Guli Ji asked solemnly.
"Ah, it'd be my honor if you joined our detachment." No-brainer welcome.
She was a free top general at this stage. Zero reason to refuse.
"Hah. Straightforward—I like it. Then I'll swear to fight for you on this axe." Guli Ji raised her intricately engraved axe and bellowed.
"No need for oaths. I'll introduce you to our detachment right away." I led her straight to where the crew was likely patrolling.
They were handling patrols around Pingyuan in my stead, so they'd be nearby.
"Oho… An elite detachment led by the great warrior Kim Gong. This'll be exciting." Guli Ji grinned, her Central Plains speech a bit rough.
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About ten minutes later.
"Hoho. Just call me Old Bok comfortably." The old man trembled as he bowed in greeting.
"Ah, I'm Gwang Yeom! Clothes give me hives, and I've got a bad iron allergy, so I go without. Don't mind me." A young guy stark naked except for underwear in broad daylight, bald head gleaming.
"Um, I'm… Chun Seol." A disheveled beauty with long, unkempt hair mumbled in a tone devoid of any social graces.
"Mm. These are your generals?" Guli Ji asked cautiously, probably assuming three generals with squads under them.
Still a total noob on Liu Bei's army.
"No, this is our entire detachment." It was more like a club than a unit, but given Liu Bei's scale, it was plenty big. Like going from a sloppy small biz with a handful of staff to having three direct subordinates. Solid rank.
"Everyone, say hello. This is Guli Ji, our new drill instructor." I introduced her to the crew.
"Ah, hello…" Guli Ji looked stunned.
"Guli Ji, you're an excellent warrior with deep battle insight. Could you train our squad on the grounds for a bit?" I asked her directly.
"Ah… Training, you say." Her eyes turned serious. She had that straightforward vibe—give her a task, and she'd pour her all into it.
"Mm. I leave it to you." I checked her status window right away.
[Guli Ji]
Affiliation: Han Dynasty
Level: 18
Perfectly average stats befitting level 18.
But the trait caught my eye.
[Training 1: Training efficiency for allied soldiers +10%]
Solid but modest Training 1 trait attached.
Not a standout trait, honestly, but useful at this stage. Similar freebies like Guan He and Wu An Guo filled the same newbie general support role early on.
"Mm. Then… let's run a training session." Guli Ji drew her weapon without showing her surprise, lining up the crew.
Training's yours. I mentally cheered her on, then headed back to the manor.
My personal troops needed to grow if they'd be reliable for defecting later. Work hard, but always keep an exit strategy. That was surviving as a noob. I was living it.
Back at the manor… time to jog some memories.
Things were ramping up, so I needed to plan for artifacts and opportunities available now.
The big event at this point: the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition Army.
They had a killer artifact up for grabs.
The Imperial Seal—a cursed item that wrecked you with debuffs but exploded all your stats. Pure poison apple.
You could luck out as a Won Sul player, sucking honey from it despite the curses, but it had another trick.
Get the seal first and destroy it. Destroying the artifact yourself granted a cheat trait. That was my target. Tricky to snag and smash it first, but nail the timing and it was doable.
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While Guli Ji trained the crew and we handled patrols and bandit hunts, keeping busy with daily routines—
The promised urgent dispatch arrived from Gongsun Zan's army.
"Lord Xuande! Have you heard the news from Luoyang?" Zhan Yi himself rushed in to greet Liu Bei.
"Luoyang, eh." Liu Bei frowned, having heard bits already.
"Dong Zhuo's seized Luoyang with his army, become Prime Minister and Grand Master, plunging the Han court into misery—you've heard that much. But the righteous always speak up. Cao Mengde's drafted a call to arms for righteous militia, circulating it across the Central Plains!" Zhan Yi continued excitedly.
"Hoho… Is that so." Liu Bei perked up a bit.
"Yuan Shao, scion of the Four Great Clans and famed Qingliu scholar, has taken the alliance leader role, rallying feudal lords from everywhere. Heroes like shooting stars by name alone are gathering!! General Gongsun's already declared he'll join immediately!"
"Hrm. Righteousness lives on in this world." Liu Bei's eyes gleamed faintly, spotting his chance for fame.
"Lord Xuande! Why talk like it's someone else's business? This is your shot to spread your name across the realm!" Zhan Yi grabbed Liu Bei's hand, grinning.
"Fame's secondary… But punishing the traitors toying with the Han? Count me in." Liu Bei cleared his throat modestly.
"General Gongsun's eagerly awaiting your joining! Mobilization in a week—prepare by then!" Zhan Yi beamed as he delivered the message, then mounted up and sped off.
"Everyone!!" Liu Bei bellowed to his generals.
"Prepare for mobilization in one week!! It'll be a perilous campaign! Steel your resolve!" Liu Bei raised his fist high, stern-faced.
"Ooooh!!!" The Liu Bei troops, itching from too much peace in Pingyuan, roared in response.
No complaints from me. To snag the Imperial Seal, we had to join the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition anyway. Plus, their quests gave fat XP. Suck up all the XP from the coalition and Battle of Jieqiao, then bail—that was optimal.
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Slipping away while the Liu Bei crew hyped their youth rally, I snuck back home. Yeah, honestly, that vibe's a bit intense. Zhang Fei force-feeds booze. Guan Yu's been getting touchy lately—bad for the heart.
Above all, heading out on a major expedition (500 men), I should tell Bu Yong-hwa. Even if the marriage was sudden, she was my wife.
The moment I entered our room, my breath caught as I stared at Bu Yong-hwa.
Western-style candles filled the room with a dubious, pinkish glow—like a love hotel vibe.
And in the center, Bu Yong-hwa—clad only in a sheer, see-through gown—bowed toward me.
"My lord. Tonight, let me serve you." She lifted her prettily made-up face to gaze at me.
Crisis detected on all fronts. Couldn't specify which kind, but crises aplenty.