Peace Before the Storm
After the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition disbanded, life in the plains settled into a leisurely rhythm.
The dream of uniting everyone to restore the Han Dynasty had long since faded. Now the world had entered an era where every man was for himself.
The only thing that mattered was building up my own strength to survive. It seemed Liu Bei had come to the same realization.
"Everyone!!! Line up in rows of five and ten!!!"
In the training grounds, Zhang Fei was diligently drilling the soldiers alongside Liu Bei. The original volunteer members had that non-commissioned officer vibe, while the new recruits from the plains looked like fresh greenhorns.
"Hup!! That flank is wide open!!"
Guan Yu was also busy training the other soldiers through sparring sessions. The guys sparring with her were dropping like flies, but it would definitely toughen them up.
Me?
I was pretty busy myself.
I trained the Kim Squad while also securing the local area, killing two birds with one stone.
"Grah!!! It's the imperial army!! Run!!"
"Run for it!!!"
A band of Wuhuan thieves were in the middle of stealing horses from the stables.
Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, had already declared cooperation with Guli Ji, so most of the Wuhuan tribes had allied with us. But there were always a few die-hard rebels.
We're the true warriors who carry the spirit of the barbarians. We won't bow to you Central Plains folk. That was their mindset, and they kept up the armed resistance. Naturally, they devolved into bandit gangs, giving us more opportunities to hunt them down.
Armed resistance or not, it was just theft of innocent people's property. Horse thieves, plain and simple.
"Guli Ji!! Gwang Yeom!!! Bukroin!! Chun Seol!! Fire the crossbows now!"
Thanks to the money I'd made, I decided to put my new weapon to use.
The crossbow. Similar to a regular one, but instead of pulling the string by hand, it used a windlass mechanism for much greater power. Plus, it was easy to aim—just pull the trigger and shoot.
When the enemies were far off, I had them fire in volleys. We'd practiced on straw dummies, so the power was there.
These guys suck at close combat anyway. Fact. Excluding Guli Ji, none of them were A-rank fighters. That's why I drilled them in ranged tactics for efficiency despite their weakness.
Yeah. This was the way. Look at Oda Nobunaga in Japan—he armed his ashigaru with matchlocks and had them fire in volleys, creating the strongest army. Similar idea.
Pfbtbtbtboom!!!
The bolts slammed straight into the fleeing Wuhuan thieves.
"Khek!!"
"Gahk!!"
Half dropped dead, some missed, and the rest took wounds to their armor.
"Everyone, weapons up and charge!!!"
I gave the order and rushed forward.
Shring.
My gleaming double-edged sword spat blue flames. Time to test my new beloved blade, Nam Un Geom, in real combat.
"Urraaaah!!!"
I charged like a madman, sword raised high.
"Shit!!! It's the Ghost!!"
"Ghoooost!!"
"Ghooooost?!!"
The Wuhuan thieves screamed at the sight of me.
That was the nickname these Wuhuan bandits had given me. Because I fought while letting out eerie wails.
Funny nickname. As payment for the laugh, I'd send them off painlessly.
Spluuuurt!!!
Nam Un Geom's blue edge gleamed briefly before a Wuhuan thief's head went flying. Eastern swords cut well enough, but Nam Un Geom was on another level. It sliced through flesh like tofu.
"Hrut!!"
Gwang Yeom and Bukroin efficiently bashed the Wuhuan with swords and clubs.
"Hyap…!"
Chun Seol threw her weight into a spear thrust, jamming it into a Wuhuan's gut.
"Hiihiihiiing!!!!"
I'd worried the bolts might hit the horses, but they were fine. Protecting the common folk's property while driving off bandits—that was the fine print of hero work.
Honestly, I barely get any EXP from these guys. They were too weak.
But the others could steadily rack up experience. That's how you build strength, step by step.
"Oh my!! General Kim! Thank you!!"
"Thank you!! If they'd taken the stable's horses too…."
As I led the horses back, the stable folk tearfully expressed their gratitude. Your typical ranchers—horse and cattle herders by trade.
"Uncle!! Thank you!"
The rancher's little daughter ran up, beaming at me.
Ah, I knew this kid. Saw her around the neighborhood a lot. She was the funny girl who always chatted me up relentlessly. A bit too mischievous, though. Name…? Forgot. She'd insisted I remember it. Sorry, kid.
"It's the Ghost for real!!"
"Ghost!!"
The boys' eyes sparkled as they waved sticks like swords at me.
"Uncle Kim, is yours big?"
Then the girl grinned and asked me that.
"…What."
She was always dropping these awkward lines.
"Hehe. I mean the size of your ambitions."
The girl stuck out her tongue and scampered off.
-------
After doing some good deeds like that and wrapping up work, there was more business.
"K-Kim Gong…. This way…."
Chun Seol was already packed and ready to go.
"Yeah. Got it."
Yeah, the loot we'd grabbed from looting Luoyang. We'd handed half to Liu Bei as military funds, but I kept the other half as my personal slush fund.
A bit shady, sure, but I needed my own independent capital.
Truth be told, gems and precious metals were hard to fence in this game. In the post-apocalyptic Han end times with a collapsed currency economy, haggling was tough. You had to sell in prosperous, stable cities where money still circulated to turn a real profit.
And above all, finding a broker willing to buy stolen goods was the real hassle. Sell through officials or wealthy clans, and they'd gouge you hard. Straight-up robbery. Note to self: officials in this era were just armed bandits.
But surprisingly, Chun Seol had been a big help here.
"Th-This guy's the one who'll buy the stuff…."
Chun Seol had an uncanny knack for finding fences in Youzhou. She'd already helped me offload half the loot through her contacts.
What's this girl's deal? Even back in Luoyang, she'd packed only the lightweight, high-value stuff—smelled like a thief.
"Ah…. Um…. Too much staring…."
Chun Seol mumbled, head bowed under my gaze.
"Oh. Sorry."
Right. Staring down a shy person was rude. Basically torture. I looked away.
From behind a shabby hut emerged a one-eyed man, smiling as he approached.
"Who would've thought…. Muyoung. You're back in action."
The one-eyed man grinned at Chun Seol.
"Muyoung?"
Muyoung? What the hell?
"Ah, you don't know? Heh heh. Youzhou's infamous thief…."
Before the one-eyed man could finish, Chun Seol yelped and cut him off.
"Pl-Please…. Just help us fence the goods…!"
Chun Seol's outburst halted him.
"Something about a thief…."
"Y-You're hearing things!!! I was gonna say you're the thief who stole my heart!!!"
Chun Seol shouted. Wait, she'd tried to cover and ended up saying something even more embarrassing?
"…."
Chun Seol hung her head, looking like she wanted to die.
"Anyway, here's the stuff we want to sell."
I showed the fence the goods.
"Heh heh. Yeah…. I can take these off your hands."
The fence was about to get down to business.
"W-Wait a sec…."
Then Chun Seol stepped in with a meaningful glance. She wanted to handle the haggling.
I waited outside, and soon she came back grinning ear to ear, arms full of goods. Universal stuff like silk and cloth, plus Han paper money and coins. Better deal than I'd gotten before, so I kept bringing her along to sell.
Anyway, I was living a fulfilling daily life—working under Liu Bei's command in the plains while building my nest egg.
And when evening came and I returned home, an odd sight awaited.
"Uhahat. Guan sis, you're so clumsy."
"Sh-Shut up…."
My wives, Bu Yong-hwa and Guan Yu, were sewing together. They were always hanging out these days. And Guan Yu was doing girly stuff like needlework.
"You two have really gotten close."
That was unexpected. They'd been at each other's throats before.
"Gaga. We've always gotten along with Guan sis."
"Y-Yeah. No reason not to."
Bu Yong-hwa and Guan Yu said in perfect sync, like they'd rehearsed.
"Uh…. Yeah. Okay."
Fine. If they got along, that was good for me.
"Then Gaga. Tonight too…. Let's work hard on making a baby…."
Bu Yong-hwa was starting to say something when—
Thud.
Something hit my back.
A leather ball.
"Kim!!! Let's round up the kids and play ball today too!"
Zhang Fei came running up with an innocent grin.
"Yidek. Got the kids gathered."
Liu Bei cleared his throat awkwardly.
Lately, the hottest entertainment in Liu Bei's army here in the plains? Footvolley. One of the modern games I'd introduced. Simple and addictive: bounce the ball with your feet and send it over to the enemy side so they can't return it.
It had become a staple activity for Liu Bei's forces in the plains. Even Liu Bei played in earnest, ears flapping as he ran.
Male instinct: give 'em a ball, and they're in heaven. Held true even in the late Han apocalypse.
"Drinks after!"
Zhang Fei rolled the ball casually as he said it.
"Uh yeah…."
But Bu Yong-hwa's glare was burning holes.
Still, there are times a man can't back down from a fight.
"Scared?"
Zhang Fei stroked his beard and provoked me.
"Come at me. I'll make you puke just looking at the ball."
I chased after him.
"Uhihihit!"
"Nuhihihit!"
We bolted across the field together. Hanging with these guys made me feel like a kid again.
Bu Yong-hwa's glare was intense, but…. I'd apologize properly tonight.
Like that, I played a full two-hour match with Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and the other volunteers.
By the time I got home at dawn, soothing the sulking Bu Yong-hwa took forever. I didn't get any sleep in the end.