Chapter 72
Peaceful daily life on the plains continued for quite some time.
"Hehe. Hubby, it's so peaceful."
Bu Yong-hwa smiled as she stroked her belly. It looked like she was pregnant or something, but in reality, she still wasn't with child.
'Damn... We've been timing it for my fertile days... Why the hell not.'
I often heard her muttering stuff like that, but I just played dumb and ignored it.
"Huuuuh!!"
In the courtyard of our base, Guan Yu thrust out her wooden spear.
Tiiing!
Using the principles of the Taiji Sword, I lightly deflected the blade and reset my stance.
It was training we did after patrols when there was nothing else going on. Guan Yu's side overwhelmingly outclassed me, so it always ended in my defeat—but she knew that and went easy, matching my level.
It was like a kind of WWE match. We exchanged a few scripted moves under an unspoken agreement, testing techniques on each other.
"Alright!! My turn next!"
Zhang Fei laughed as he bounced around energetically.
And so, I was sparring against Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, grinding up my swordsmanship proficiency.
'It levels slower than real combat, though.'
That was just a limitation of this game's sparring system, but it was still better than nothing.
In this era, there was no other way for me to stay alive. I had to build my strength. All I could do was diligently train my sword skills within my limits and raise my own value.
I didn't dream of becoming the number one swordsman of the Central Plains or anything grandiose. But I needed to get good enough to make a living with my blade.
"I hope times like this keep going forever," Bu Yong-hwa said wistfully.
"...Yeah."
I knew things wouldn't flow that smoothly forever, so I could only look at her with a touch of bitterness.
'The Jieqiao Battle is right around the corner.'
Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao, who had been in an uneasy standoff, were finally clashing. It was a battle people often overlooked due to the grander ones like Guandu, but in truth, it drastically altered the course of the Three Kingdoms.
Yuan Shao would defeat Gongsun Zan, seize Jizhou, and claim the top seed for unifying the land.
Yuan Shao was the giant of Hebei's previous generation's successor. Then Cao Cao inherited that Hebei giant, leading to the Three Kingdoms story we all know.
With the battle approaching, I could farm experience and opportunities there. I wanted to get strong enough to stand out.
'I've saved up money.'
Thanks to fencing stolen goods and Chun Seol's increasingly suspicious past, I'd amassed a decent fortune. Enough to buy horses and a carriage. Escape preparations were coming along steadily.
'Sucks that I can't play cuju with Zhang Fei and Liu Bei, though...'
But I couldn't risk my life on cuju. No matter how fun military cuju was, nailing myself to one army was a different story. Same difference.
About a month later.
In the government office in Pingyuan, the entire Liu Bei force sat together eating.
Liu Bei was right there among them, wolfing down barley rice with the rank-and-file soldiers.
'This matches the official histories.'
There were records—not just in the Romance, but in the actual histories—of Liu Bei eating and sleeping alongside his troops during his time as magistrate of Pingyuan. In this authoritarian era, showing that kind of humility was pretty remarkable.
Once everyone had roughly finished eating, Liu Bei cleared his throat.
"Everyone. Allow me to share some important news at this time."
His slow, deliberate speech had a mysterious power that made us all lean in.
"General Gongsun Zan has declared war on Yuan Shao."
"What?! That guy's at it again...!"
Zhang Fei voiced what everyone was thinking.
Gongsun Zan was technically our superior, but he treated us like underlings and worked us hard, so the Pingyuan crew was a bit fed up.
"Jizhou Governor Han Fu... General Gongsun and Yuan Shao agreed to divide Jizhou as spoils after taking him down," Jian Yong added by way of explanation.
"Eh? Han Fu?"
"Wasn't he an ally from the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition?"
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu looked displeased.
"Indeed."
Liu Bei sighed.
Attacking a perfectly fine official and splitting his land? Righteousness had already gone to the dogs.
It was the snowball effect from the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition. The coalition made it crystal clear that all the lords had different dreams. Grand causes meant nothing anymore. Power was everything. We all tacitly accepted that reality.
Even Dong Zhuo, whom everyone cursed, had ironically become the lords' role model.
The problem was that the chunk of Jizhou Han Fu held was just too tasty a morsel.
Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, lacking solid bases but boasting big forces, teamed up to take down Han Fu.
"Righteousness has fallen to the earth," Guan Yu said with a frown.
Yeah. The apocalypse was nigh the moment they decided to hit an official Han Dynasty bureaucrat.
"Under Han Fu, General Guo Yi opened the gates to side with Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao took Jizhou, wiped his mouth clean, and attacked Brother Gongsun outside the walls. Hit him right in the back of the head," Liu Bei explained.
"And now Brother Gongsun is in peril. Our duty is to go aid him."
Liu Bei's position was awkward too. With Gongsun Zan giving the order, we had no choice but to go.
"...Ever since he started clashing with Governor Liu Yu, I felt he was crossing lines bit by bit. Do we really have to clean up his unjust mess?" Guan Yu cried out, her scholar's sense of justice inflamed.
Slosh.
Her body shook with her words, sending her ample breasts jiggling with tremendous force. The weather had turned chilly lately, and her thin clothes only made the bounce more pronounced. Nowhere to look. This was awkward.
"If we don't obey, Gongsun Zan will attack Pingyuan. And he'll replace the magistrate with someone else. We're just hunting dogs raised in Gongsun Zan's kennel, sis."
I said it straight to Guan Yu.
"Ugh..."
Guan Yu fell silent at that.
Fuck, what could we do? We had no power. We were mercenaries bounced between organizations. Like the expendable grunts in crime dramas or noir flicks. Coldly speaking.
"Since we have to go anyway, let's make the most of it here."
We just needed to show we'd fought hard. Saving Gongsun Zan was all that mattered.
"We'll have plenty more battles ahead anyway. Think of it as gaining experience." That was my mindset.
"Mm. Kim Gong is right. We're like leaves in a storm now, but if we steadily build our strength, we can uphold our own righteousness one day." Liu Bei nodded, then turned to Guan Yu. "Brother Gongsun has abandoned righteousness, but that's his righteousness. Haven't we benefited from his grace in our own way? Let's just focus on repaying that."
Liu Bei spoke with a warm smile.
He was right. Without Gongsun Zan's connections, we wouldn't even have Pingyuan.
"As expected of Brother Liu..."
Guan Yu was hooked by the talk of righteousness.
Liu Bei then smiled at me.
"As expected of you, Kim Gong. Even in this situation, you're thinking of building inner strength. I see this campaign as an opportunity too."
And suddenly, Liu Bei launched into unlimited trust-building mode.
"From now on, consult with Kim Gong on anything important. Our thinking aligns closely enough."
This sudden endorsement was putting me in a tough spot.
Liu Bei's Favorability +4
"Ooh... As expected of Kim. Sharp kid."
Zhang Fei nodded vigorously. No, dude, don't just go along with the vibe.
"Anyway, everyone, gear up and head to Xin Do. General Gongsun is pinned down at Jieqiao. Let's hurry and rescue him."
At Liu Bei's words, the soldiers let out spirited shouts without a hint of complaint.
You could see it as Liu Bei's righteousness at work—helping Gongsun Zan despite his folly because of past debts—but I saw something else.
'You're timing your exit perfectly, Liu Bei.'
I could read the subtext: Liu Bei had ghosted the peak of Gongsun Zan's fall and was pondering his next move.
As usual, we left the rear to Jian Yong and Sun Qian, and the entire Liu Bei force mobilized.
"Feels like we're just guard dogs watching the house..."
I overheard Jian Yong muttering sadly, but honestly, there was nothing he could do in battle anyway.
"Hubby. Let's go."
Bu Yong-hwa was already mounted, her chest armor propping up her breasts.
"No need to come along..."
Yong-hwa was my wife too—if she died, it'd break my heart.
"Ahem. Riding through battlefields is how you birth a healthy child."
Yong-hwa trotted out another of her enigmatic Xiongnu customs. Even rooted in the Central Plains, her mindset was pure barbarian.
"Fine. Fine."
Whatever. I'd just protect her. I sighed and accepted it.
We advanced along the road from Pingyuan toward Xin Do, heading for Julu.
The biggest clash was at Jieqiao, so we planned to provide moderate support to Gongsun Zan's army there.
'Julu.'
It was the must-pass point for our Liu Bei force to reach Gongsun Zan—and a prime hunting ground.
This wasn't some RPG where you just farmed mobs. But the Julu battle was different.
Enemy commander Sun Wujing had scraped together a massive army of grunts, so there were tons to kill. Fight hard there, and you could skyrocket your combat experience. Plus, looting supplies from routed soldiers and corpses was a bonus.
Sun Wujing the fierce general needed caution, but just have him duel Zhang Fei or Guan Yu.
'Makes my mouth water.'
I licked my lips without thinking.
"Hubby, your lips look dry. Want me to help?"
Bu Yong-hwa suddenly leaned in and kissed me, then started licking my lips furiously.
Hey, we're at war—what the hell? A bit embarrassed, I still went deep into the bird kiss with her.
"Ahem."
Guan Yu cleared her throat, but I pretended not to notice. No, sis. Can't be helped with a wife now.