Bonds in Passing: The Gao Brothers
As the middle of October had already passed, the nights grew increasingly chilly. Sleeping outdoors now carried a distinct bite in the air. Seo Jun’s party, heading toward Luoyang, traveled along the road that skirted Wangok Mountain at the edge of the Taihang Mountains, passing through Dongyuan County on their way to Jiguan.
Despite having traveled for quite a long time since morning, no suitable town or fortress had yet appeared within their sight. The resentful sun was once again tilting toward the west, making it clear they would have to camp out for the night once more. Seo Jun decided to halt their advance and find a suitable place for the entire group to set up camp before it grew any darker.
He sent several mounted scouts to survey the surroundings while the rest of the party waited in place for their return. After some time, one of the scouts who had ridden out came galloping back and approached Seo Jun.
“My lord!”
“Well? Did you find a decent spot?”
“Yes, sir. Just past the end of that valley and a little further ahead, we discovered a wide clearing surrounded by dense trees. It should shield us well from the wind.”
“Is that so? Then we’ll head there. Everyone, move out again!”
Fortunately, Seo Jun’s group managed to reach the clearing before complete darkness fell. It seemed many other travelers had used this spot before; the fire pits and sleeping areas were already reasonably well-prepared, making it easy for them to begin setting up camp right away.
“Alright! Before it gets completely dark, hurry and start the fires. Gather materials for bedding and lay them out properly!”
At Seo Jun’s brief command, his family and retainers moved with perfect coordination. Before full darkness descended, their preparations for the night were quickly completed.
Clop, clop, clop!
Another scout who had gone out on patrol was returning at a rapid pace.
“My lord! About five li down the official road, a group of roughly two to three hundred shadows is approaching this way along the path!”
“Really?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Hmm…”
Seo Jun took a moment to organize his thoughts on how to respond.
“Women and children, take shelter inside the carriages. Everyone else, prepare for combat in case anything happens and stand ready!”
After issuing the order, Seo Jun advanced about a hundred meters ahead of the group with Xu Huang and Po Cheol, waiting for the approaching party. In front of the carriages and the rest of the group, A-chan and the Yuezhi warriors positioned themselves strategically to protect the remaining members from every angle.
The three who had stepped forward—Seo Jun, Xu Huang, and Po Cheol—waited for the shadowy group to appear. Before long, a large number of silhouettes began emerging from the dim twilight that lay over the official road.
“Elder brother, what if they turn out to be enemies?”
“That’s for the lord to decide, isn’t it? I will simply follow his judgment. While it’s true that I am your elder brother in private, the moment our family chose to leave Yanghyeon and follow you, the highest elder and decision-maker of the Yanghyeon Seo clan became you, Jun. I may speak this way now, but from now on, in front of others, I will always use the proper honorifics. Keep that in mind.”
Xu Huang made his decision clear to Seo Jun once again—the choice he had made back in Yanghyeon when he resolved to follow him. Though he was indeed the older brother and had acted as the head of the family when they were young, it was Seo Jun who had brought new opportunities to the family. Considering their current and future positions, he believed it was best for Seo Jun to firmly establish himself as the family head. In a world where unknown dangers could strike at any moment, he refused to let his own selfish desires create confusion in decision-making and put the family at risk. Even though their clan was still small and insignificant, he reaffirmed his resolve that the new head and highest elder of the newly rising Yanghyeon Seo clan was none other than Seo Jun.
“Elder brother, are you truly fine with this?”
“Of course. It was something I decided the moment I chose to follow you in Yanghyeon.”
While Seo Jun and Xu Huang were engaged in this deep conversation, most of the approaching shadows halted at a certain distance from the group. Among them, five or six riders issued various orders to the rest of the party before slowly riding toward Seo Jun’s group.
As they drew closer, their appearances became clearly visible under the moonlight. The two men leading the way were both quite large in build, their sturdy frames comparable to those of Xu Huang and Po Cheol.
“Do not be alarmed. We are soldiers belonging to the Sili Colonel’s Office, a patrol unit currently inspecting the movements of the Black Mountain bandits throughout Henei Commandery.”
The men who had approached right in front of the group identified themselves as soldiers of the Sili Army. They were indeed wearing the uniforms of regular troops. Since there were currently no central armies worthy of the name apart from the Imperial Guards, the Sili Army under the Sili Colonel’s Office essentially served as the nation’s central military force.
Seo Jun could sense the disciplined movements unique to trained soldiers in their subtle gestures. However, he could not let his guard down just yet. They could be imposters, and in this chaotic world, even genuine regular soldiers could not be trusted easily. He did not make the mistake of lowering his vigilance.
“We are a family heading to Luoyang to take up official posts after receiving recommendations. May I ask what business brings you gentlemen toward us?”
“Ah, the truth is, the spot where your family has set up camp is one our unit frequently uses during patrols. Since you occupied it first, we came to ask for your understanding in advance. Our soldiers will camp in the area where they are currently resting, but we didn’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings, so we came to speak with you beforehand.”
It seemed that some of the camping traces at the site where Seo Jun’s family had settled belonged to these soldiers. With night fully upon them, finding another suitable location would be difficult, so they had come to politely request permission to camp nearby.
“So you came to inform us in advance. Thank you. I am Seo Jun. My courtesy name is Baekryong.”
From their continued behavior and demeanor, Seo Jun received the impression that these were basically courteous and decent people. Even mid-ranking military officers of the central army would normally display considerable arrogance and haughtiness toward commoners, yet he could detect none of that in them. Their attitude toward his group was remarkably respectful.
“Seo Baekryong?!”
The man in front visibly flinched upon hearing the name. However, the person behind him was so startled that he actually shouted Seo Jun’s name aloud.
“Are you truly the White Dragon Duke, the one called the Black Wind Heavenly General who pacified the rebellion in Jizhou?”
“It is embarrassing, but yes, that is me.”
The man behind him dismounted with an expression of pure delight at unexpectedly encountering someone he had truly wanted to meet. He approached Seo Jun with a bright smile.
“Elder brother! This is the White Dragon Duke you’ve been singing praises about. Stop being shy and come over here quickly.”
At his shout, the man addressed as elder brother paused for a moment before dismounting and walking toward Seo Jun. Seeing them get off their horses, Seo Jun also dismounted, feeling it would be rude to remain mounted. Taking that as a signal, everyone else who had been on horseback also got down.
“Haha! I am Gao Lan, Battalion Commander of the Sili Army. My courtesy name is Jinseo. And this bear-like elder brother of mine is Gao Shun, who holds the position of Deputy General of the Sili Army. His courtesy name is Jinhyeon. We are cousins, but as you can see, he is extremely rigid and lacks any sense of humor. Haha! Please forgive him even if he seems dull, White Dragon Duke.”
Gao Lan? Gao Shun? Wasn’t Gao Shun originally one of Lu Bu’s subordinates? I feel like I’ve heard the name Gao Lan somewhere before as well.
Seo Jun introduced Xu Huang and Po Cheol, who were part of his group, to the Gao Shun and Gao Lan brothers. After the introductions were finished and they had spoken for a short while, he quickly understood why Gao Shun had been so eager to meet him.
Gao Lan is a real chatterbox! His mouth never stops moving.
“My elder brother here is a martial arts fanatic, you see. Recently, both Ye Bongseon of Bingzhou and Seo Baekryong of Jizhou have made tremendous names for themselves through martial prowess. So my brother has always said how wonderful it would be if he could meet either one of you.”
“When did I ever say that all the time!”
The Gao Shun and Gao Lan brothers truly possessed completely opposite personalities. Gao Shun carried himself with solemn dignity, while Gao Lan was a bright, talkative man who would rattle on endlessly about all sorts of trivial matters even without being asked.
“The two of us left our hometown of Guangzong County in Julu Commandery of Jizhou with high ambitions, trusting in our own abilities. But this wretched world refuses to give people of humble origins any opportunities to enter the Imperial Guards and establish proper positions. My brother, as you can see, is a born soldier and says he’ll simply continue as he is. As for me, if I see no sign of a breakthrough by next year, I’m thinking of returning home.”
“We are soldiers. All we need to do is faithfully carry out the orders given from above.”
Even in that single short sentence, Gao Shun’s personality shone through. In terms of temperament, he seemed like an even more serious version of Xu Huang.