Values (1)
"Truly magnificent!! To think you brought down Sishui Pass itself — I can scarce find words enough to praise your deeds, young lords!!"
Seated in the place of honor, Liu Xie lauded the lords who had formed the vanguard, her jewel-bright eyes sparkling as she looked them over, though her voice still carried a trace of youthful awkwardness.
She had not yet undergone her coming-of-age ceremony, so her tone fell short of full courtly formality — but her intent to honor the lords of the vanguard filled every word to the brim.
The lords who had no deeds of their own to show wore sour expressions, and Yuan Shu's face in particular had soured beyond even the pretense of composure.
'Dumb bastard.'
After a private snort of contempt for Yuan Shu, I turned to Liu Xie and spoke.
"We are unworthy of such praise, Your Highness."
Sun Jian, Cao Cao, Bao Xin, and I — the four who had stepped forward as the coalition vanguard and brought Sishui Pass down — bowed our heads in unison, as though deeply moved by her commendation.
"Yet, Your Highness — though our army's struggle won us this battle, the fighting was not without its mournful deaths."
At my words, Bao Xin's head sank lower still, his face drawn and haggard, as though he hadn't the face to hold it up.
His younger brother Bao Zhong had died at the hands of Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Bandits.
No one was truly to blame. Bao Zhong had been the one to swagger out, intent on claiming an enemy general's head, blind to Zhang Yan's martial might — and he had been cut down for his recklessness on the spot.
Bao Xin merely mourned his brother; he blamed not a single one of those who had stood in the vanguard.
"...Ah. I'm sorry."
Liu Xie, who had been so caught up in the excitement of handing out praise that she had spared no thought for the sacrifices war demands, apologized at once — but Bao Xin frantically waved her off.
"N-no, the fault is mine, Your Highness. The tide of battle always flows in directions no one can foresee — please, don't let it weigh upon your heart."
"...I'm grateful to hear you say so, Chancellor of Jibei."
Beneath Liu Xie's sunshine-warm consolation, Bao Xin looked genuinely touched.
So the prince had praised the vanguard lords with her own lips, yet Liu Bei went unmentioned — her standing was merely that of a guest general under Cao Cao's army.
'I cleared it with Cao Cao in advance, so Liu Bei's feelings shouldn't be hurt... right?'
At this point in time, Cao Cao found Liu Bei intriguing and rather likable, and so had little reason to view her with any great suspicion.
After the battle of Sishui Pass wound down, I floated the idea that I might be the one to bring up Liu Bei's merits — she being neither a regional official nor a woman of much voice — and Cao Cao's reaction was pure, unclouded delight.
'This should be fun.'
She looked thoroughly entertained by the prospect of watching how the lords — men blind with the lust for fame and advancement, all wrapped up in the packaging of loyal service — would carry themselves once a mere guest commander like Liu Bei won merit and drew Liu Xie's praise.
"...Your Highness. Your humble general has a matter to report."
"What is it?"
"In this battle for Sishui Pass, Liu Bei, leader of the volunteer militia, and her sworn sisters rendered illustrious service in breaking through the pass."
Liu Bei visibly faltered at the sudden mention of her own name.
"What is more, one of those sworn sisters, Guan Yu, achieved the great feat of slaying Zhang Yan, chief of the Black Mountain Bandits who had been such a thorn in the court's side."
I heaped praise upon their merits, making particular mention of how Guan Yu had cut down Zhang Yan, the leader of the Black Mountain Bandits.
"Oh? Is that so?!"
"Yes, Your Highness. I believe it only fitting that you reward them with your own hand."
Liu Xie, too, had heard plenty about the notorious savagery of the Black Mountain Bandits, and she rejoiced greatly.
Destroying the chief of that bandit horde — the imperial house's single greatest worry — was a deed of the first order.
Liu Bei, by contrast, grew flustered and fidgety when I began speaking of the merits she and her sworn sisters had earned. She had apparently expected their achievements to go unrewarded and be buried away, just as they had been during the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
"General Liu Bei, please come forward."
At Diaochan's word — she who stood in attendance upon Liu Xie — the Liu sisters, who had been waiting far from the head of the hall, shuffled forward, their court etiquette noticeably clumsy and their bearing that of women with no idea how to conduct themselves in an official setting.
As Liu Xie praised the sisters' deeds, she was visibly delighted to find that they, like herself, were born of imperial blood.
I had two reasons for deliberately thrusting the Liu Bei sisters into the spotlight.
The first was to treat them kindly, extend them favors, and build genuine rapport over the course of the coalition — to lay the foundation of an enduring friendship.
'Personally speaking, Guan Yu used to be my favorite, back in the day... though that changed after I was reborn into this world.'
I harbored no real ambition of my own, so if Liu Bei's devotion to the Han was sincere, she would prove a far sturdier ally than the lords here who were all mouth and no substance.
'Of course, Liu Bei has ambitions of her own, so if she ever shows signs of turning dangerous, I'll write her off as an enemy and kill her then...'
For now, though, forging a good relationship would serve me far better down the road than keeping her at arm's length.
The second reason was those bastards.
The moment I began exalting Liu Bei — a militia commander who should never even have had a place in this hall — for her merits, the gazes of the lords who held the ranks of warlord and regional governor turned distinctly ugly.
"...A mere militia commander, of all people..."
"With the lords of all under heaven assembled here, how dare she..."
Just as I'd expected. These warlords, wrapped in the mantle of loyal ministers and steeped in the Han gentry's peculiar elitist sense of superiority, shot venomous glances at Liu Bei — who led a mere band of volunteers and was imperial kin in name only — all because she had been singled out above them.
They could not stomach a woman from so distant a branch of the imperial house basking in Liu Xie's favor.
Especially worth watching were Liu Dai and Qiao Mao, the two who had taken Cao Cao's cue and moved proactively to bring the coalition into being.
One an imperial clansman, the other the scion of a house of renowned scholars — even short of Yuan Shu's degree, they were surely men who judged others by their birth.
'The exact opposite of the original story.'
In the Romance, the exploits of the Liu sisters won them the lords' open recognition and praise. This — envy, resentment, division — was reality.
A coalition that splintered over jealousy of one another's merits, each member warily eyeing the rest. Even in the original history they had torn themselves apart fighting amongst themselves in the end, so that said everything that needed saying.
Liu Xie promised that once Luoyang was retaken she would petition His Majesty for official rank, and bestowed rewards upon the vanguard — wine and meat among them.
After that, the prince delivered one lengthy address after another, voicing her hopes for the coalition's continued efforts to reclaim the Emperor.
'...Anyway.'
Quietly, I cast a frosty glance over the lords who had been so reluctant to step into the vanguard.
'According to Xu Huang, they tried to curry favor by bringing bribes to Liu Xie...'
Exactly as I had anticipated.
While we were busy driving back the Black Mountain Bandits, the gentlemen of Luoyang's Clear Stream Faction had come calling on Liu Xie with bribes in hand — only to be thrown out, thanks to the incorruptible refusal of Xu Huang and the innocent yet resolute rejection of Liu Xie herself.
Which left the lords, anxious that they might have blotted their copybooks, with precisely one option.
"Your Highness. We will take the vanguard in the next battle."
"Indeed. General Han and the other warlords have won their glory — grant us the chance to crush the rebel host as well."
'They've even won a battle they were guaranteed to win... Very well. Let me sit back for a while and watch the coalition embarrass itself.'
This was a war against rebels, yes — but I also meant to take these ambition-drunk lords down a peg, so I intended to sit out the next battle and observe rather than lead the charge.
For I knew exactly who would be coming out at Hulao Pass.
'Fa Zheng's stratagem can be put into motion after those bastards have been beaten...'
It made no difference to me whether their generals lived or died. If the Clear Stream lords perished along the way, so much the better for what lay ahead.
"General Who Pacifies the West."
Just then, Liu Bei — fresh from receiving wine, meat, and other rewards from Liu Xie — approached me as I sat pondering strategy for the next battle.
'Another woman?!'
Watching Liu Bei approach with that gentle smile, Ma Chao scowled inwardly, her face settling into a sulk.
"What can I do for you?"
"May I ask why you spoke up for us — why you mentioned the merits we earned?"
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Bei had piled up merit upon merit, only to walk away with nothing better than a county magistrate's post about as rural as posts came — so she had assumed she would be shortchanged again this time.
"You rendered distinguished service, so receiving rewards is only natural, is it not?"
The vicious Ten Attendants had bought and sold offices until the whole world's sense of right was warped out of shape, but it had always been simple justice that those who earned merit be rewarded for it.
Officers and soldiers who receive their due are emboldened to repay the state upon the battlefield — such is the truth of things.
Even the soldiers Ding Yuan had won over in Luoyang chafed at the corruption of their senior officers, and gave their loyalty, quite naturally, to whoever put wealth and rewards into their hands.
"Does that answer your question?"
At my answer, a flicker of surprise lit Liu Bei's eyes; then, with a discreet cough, she smoothed her voice and spoke.
"...Um, forgive me, but there is something I would like to ask you privately. If it isn't too much trouble, might you join us for a meal? We've received rather more in rewards than the few of us can manage on our own."
"Sister Xuande?"
"You sure about this?"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei drew close, whispering into Liu Bei's ear, but she nodded as if to reassure them that everything was fine.
...
When Liu Bei pressed her invitation on me, I deliberated for a moment before giving my answer.
'...A good chance to learn what sort of person Liu Bei really is. All the more reason to take her up on it.'
In the historical records, opinions of Liu Bei were as divided even in the modern era as opinions of Cao Cao — so this was a fine opportunity to learn about her firsthand.
"Yes. Gladly. If you're inviting me, then the honor is mine."
"Haaah..."
The moment I announced I would be dining with Liu Bei, Ma Chao heaved a deep, long-suffering sigh.
'It's not what you're thinking, all right...'
While the other lords bustled about, scrambling to claim the vanguard and win themselves merit, Liu Bei and I had arranged to withdraw somewhere private and share a meal.
Ding Yuan accepted, for now, the terms Lü Bu had laid down, and reined in every last one of the bands that had been plundering the populace.
The menace radiating from her utterly hollowed eyes left no doubt about what would happen should he break his word.
'Still, with Lü Bu dispatched to Hulao Pass, I can rest easy for the time being. Time to start weighing my next move...'
"My lord, we have a crisis!!"
Just as Ding Yuan was weighing his countermeasures against the coalition, a messenger came sprinting in to deliver his report.
"What is it?!"
"From the west — the Liang Province army has seized Hangu Pass and is marching on Luoyang!! As we speak they are taking Hongnong Commandery and the commanderies and counties of Sili!!"
"Wh-what did you say?! How does that make any sense?! Han Yeong is away in Guandong — how could the Xiliang army possibly move?!"
With Han Yeong gone east to join the coalition, Ding Yuan had naturally let the western defenses slack, massing his forces toward the eastern front.
But that was precisely the snare Han Yeong had laid, and he had stepped right into it — frittering away Hangu Pass, the gate that guarded the west, along with commandery after commandery besides.
Foaming with rage at the host that had materialized in the west, Ding Yuan took counsel with Zhang Yang and hastily hurled the White Wave Bandits under Guo Tai at it.