Lee An and Cao Cao
"You sent a mere unit of five—including three peasant soldiers—to seize a Heishan bandit stronghold with over five hundred men? And not for reconnaissance, but for outright occupation...?"
Cao Cao had personally come down to Guancheng to recruit soldiers for the upcoming clash with the Heishan bandits and had just returned to Dongmuyang. She couldn't tell if what she'd heard was truth or a dream.
"Xi Zhichai...!"
Fuming, Cao Cao glared at Xi Zhichai prostrated before her, grinding her teeth. She nearly spat out a crude curse but managed to regain her composure with a deep breath.
She'd left her trusted aides Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong behind and rushed straight to Dongmuyang without rest for one reason alone. On a whim, that insolent man who'd received her beloved Qinggang Sword from her own hands kept nagging at her mind.
The audacious, utterly outrageous man who'd dared ignore Cao Mengde of the realm and spout nonsense. Any other would have been drummed out of camp long ago, but for some reason, Cao Cao found herself oddly drawn to him despite the absurdity.
Even the events of that day haunted her dreams, tormenting her. To deny her feelings at once, she'd come to confront him face-to-face, brainwash herself into seeing him as just a decent dark horse, and convince herself otherwise.
"Five. Five. No matter how skilled in martial arts, what can five men possibly do against hundreds of Heishan bandits holed up in a fortified stronghold!"
What a waste of good talent!
Cao Cao bit her lower lip in frustration. It wasn't some petty regret over losing her cherished Qinggang Sword. She'd sought him out to deny her own heart, but the thought of never seeing him again left her restless and furious—at her own pathetic, insignificant emotions.
Xi Zhichai, sweating profusely, finally spoke.
"M-My lord. Please calm yourself. Captain Lee An has the achievement of slaying two hundred Heishan bandits during the week-long march from Guancheng to Dongmuyang. I merely presumed there was profound intent in your bestowing the Qinggang Sword—akin to your own soul—upon him and forming him into an independent unit..."
Cao Cao cut off Xi Zhichai's excuses with icy finality.
It has to be a lie.
Without even glancing at the woman on the ground, Cao Cao concluded as much inwardly. Her ever-wise strategist, who never stinted on brilliant counsel or flashes of insight, wouldn't shove a mere captain into the jaws of death just to test his prowess.
She reconsidered.
There must be dirty looks and whispers from the Yingchuan scholars behind that pathetic excuse...!
Currently, three massive factions tenuously balanced in Cao Cao's command:
First, the Eastern Army faction led by the scholar Chen Gong. Bolstered by her staunch political backer Bao Xin and local notables from the Eastern Army counties, amalgamated through alliances and mergers.
Second, the Yingchuan faction centered on Registrar Xun Yu. A powerhouse of the era's finest scholars from the prestigious Xun clan of Yingchuan.
And finally, the personal loyalists: the Xiahou clan, the Cao clan, and families like Le Jin's Li clan, offering blind devotion to Cao Cao herself.
Xi Zhichai belonged to the Yingchuan faction, forever shadowed by its influence.
That's why they drove Lee An into the jaws of death as a check on me. Giving him the Qinggang Sword was the spark from the start...
Cao Cao's mind went blank, her legs weakening. By her guess, Lee An was one of Le Jin's retainers. If not—if he truly hailed from beyond Youzhou as a Dongyi tribesman—he was the purest, untainted talent in her army, free from factional chains.
Superb in personal martial might, acknowledged by Xiahou Dun herself... perfect to keep close.
Of course, she couldn't deny personal fondness and ambition, but bestowing the Qinggang Sword was meant to groom him as a pillar of her loyalist faction.
What now...?
Punish Xi Zhichai? Risk feud with Yingchuan over one captain? Cao Cao shook her head. This could all be an Eastern Army ploy to frame Yingchuan.
My head's spinning...
She closed her eyes, pondering the crisis slowly. Then, opening them, she spoke.
"Xi Zhichai."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Mobilize a suicide squad at once to rescue Lee An and his unit from Sermu Mountain!"
"As you command!"
Cao Cao rose, caressing the Yitian Sword at her waist.
"And I will march as well."
"My lord...!"
"No arguments! This all stems from my own oversight. I'll end it myself."
As Cao Cao strode toward the tent flap with grim resolve, a sentry burst in, gasping.
"My lord!! Urgent report!!"
"What is it!"
"From S-Sermu Mountain..."
"What?! Sermu Mountain? Is it Captain Lee An?!"
The sentry nodded.
"Y-Yes... Captain Lee An has returned from completing his mission, bringing about sixty people with him..."
At the name Lee An, Cao Cao's heart plummeted.
"Lee An!!!"
Shouting his name, she tore through the tent flap and dashed outside.
Lee An, is it truly you? Thank the heavens, truly! Just surviving and returning is a miracle...!
Imagining him collapsed in blood, she raced on. Xi Zhichai followed, flustered.
"My lord...!!"
Please come back whole, limbs intact... Even if you abandoned the mission, I won't call you coward. As long as you're safe, I'll use you greatly...!
Cao Cao sprinted to the camp entrance without pause. Spotting him, she rushed forward.
"Huh? Hold on, my lord! How'd you get here so fast?"
"Lee An...?"
Cao Cao couldn't hide her shock. Contrary to her nightmare visions, a fresh-faced Lee An—not a drop of blood on him—greeted her at the gate.
She turned to the panting Xi Zhichai who'd caught up.
"Xi Zhichai... Didn't you say Lee An went in with just five, himself included?"
"Th-That's right, but..."
"Then who are all those people behind Lee An...?"
What met her eyes was far too many for one unit: a crowd of at least fifty, bound Heishan bandit prisoners being dragged along obediently, and a mysterious female general towing them and a wooden cart with iron halberds in both hands.
"......"
Cao Cao was sure she was hallucinating.
I've worried myself into a daydream. As if Lee An not only survived a stronghold of hundreds but smashed it on his way back?
The man she'd fretted over stood utterly unscathed, like he'd just strolled to market. Rubbing her eyes, she stared at him. He met her gaze, cupped his fists, and kept looking, a bizarre silence settling over the camp entrance.
Cao Cao spoke first.
"Lee An..."
Words piled up, but she strode to him, suppressing the urge to embrace, and continued.
"You did well."
Lee An grinned in reply.
"Mission complete, my lord!"
Current Yuanbao Holdings: 3,400
Clearing two quests had piled up a massive fortune in no time.
Time to try summoning generals.
With gear needs mostly met, it was turn for the gacha's true flower: pulling armed heroes.
And I've got that guaranteed Wei general pull ticket too.
The reward from the official post quest. A free SSR-rank Wei general—worth its weight in gold.
—Whoooosh!!
Why was the wind so fierce today?
That's when it happened.
"Captain! Danger!!"
Huh? The sky darkened—I looked up to see the camp's massive command banner plummeting right at my head.
I could've dodged easily, but if I did, Xi Zhichai walking beside me might take the hit.
As I reached out in haste, someone else's hand suddenly appeared, propping up the banner.
"You okay, Oniichan?"
"I'm fine."
It was Dian Wei, holding the banner steady with one hand.
"Don't let your eyes wander when walking. Watch ahead, Oniichan."
"R-Right."
Soldiers rushed up, gasping, to help her as she held it expressionless with one arm.
"Nngh...!"
Six burly men clung desperately to raise what Dian Wei had shouldered alone. I resolved to tell Cao Cao not to slack on soldier training.
"Good heavens... She held the Ya Gate Flag single-handed?"
Cao Cao muttered in astonishment.
What's a Ya Gate Flag?
"I could hold a banner like that too."
"Don't be reckless, Lee An."
Feeling miffed, I told Cao Cao, only to get scolded. But it's true... I'm stronger than Dian Wei... I beat her in our duel...!
Pouting as we walked the camp, Cao Cao spoke up.
"More importantly, that warrior you brought."
She's talking about Dian Wei, right?
"She called you 'Oniichan' or whatever."
"Pardon?"
The wind swallowed Cao Cao's words, so I asked again without thinking.
She frowned, stepping close. A pleasant orchid scent enveloped me.
I reflexively bent my knees slightly, and she leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"O-Oniichan."
Ah! That's what she meant?
I gave a quick rundown of the stronghold events.
"So Dian Wei became my sworn sister, and I wanted to introduce her to you, my lord."
"Hmmm... I see?"
The fine lines creasing Cao Cao's brow melted away like magic.
"Not blood kin or betrothed—just sworn siblings united by will?"
"Yes, but...?"
"Good enough!"
She whipped around and strode ahead. What the...? Looking around, everyone stared oddly.
"Why the weird looks?"
"Nothing at all, Oniichan. Just watch where you're going, Oniichan."