The Noble Rascal Recruits His Iron-Willed Commander
The post of Commandant of the Army that Yuan Shu held was actually a fairly high-ranking position. To be precise, it came with real authority and was by no means a lowly office. And who was Yuan Shu? The legitimate heir of the greatest noble house in the Han Dynasty, without question. Naturally, basking in the full glow of his family’s prestige, he had begun his official career from the very start in the respectable role of Commandant of the Army.
Of course, compared to a general’s rank it was still lacking, but that was only natural. A complete newcomer just starting his bureaucratic life could hardly expect to jump straight into a generalship. While some young masters from aristocratic families liked to play at independence, boasting they would make their own way without relying on their clan’s influence, that was never Yuan Shu’s style.
‘A blessed birth and the background of the Four Generations of Three Dukes are mine. Why on earth would I throw that away?’
When a peerless sword is placed in your hand, refusing to use it would be the truly strange choice. Besides, the weapon in his grasp was this ridiculously overpowered! And hadn’t Yuan Shu always gotten along splendidly with the Yuan family? If he soared high, the family that carried him on its back would rise once more. It was a perfect give-and-take relationship. And so, instead of starting from the bottom and clawing his way up, Yuan Shu lived the comfortable life of a proper young master.
Even while performing his duties, he mingled with other high officials, moved freely through Luoyang without restraint, and generally did as he pleased. Some might call his behavior that of a spoiled rascal, but compared to the original Yuan Shu of history, he was practically a saint. That guy had come to the capital and lived like a literal thug, doing whatever the hell he wanted. No wonder his nickname back then had been “Drought Demon.”
The name meant exactly what it implied: a ghost that brought drought. In other words, Yuan Shu had rampaged through the city like a plague, stirring up trouble everywhere, smashing things, and extorting money. Still, he was also praised as a hero in his own way, so perhaps he had done some good. But at the end of the day, he had been nothing more than a proper, fully-backed noble rascal. By comparison, the current Yuan Shu really was a saint.
That said, he was well aware of what he was bad at. He deliberately avoided diving too deeply into the political arena. Thanks to that, both the Empress Dowager’s faction—led by General-in-Chief He Jin—and the Ten Attendants, who currently held the real power in the imperial court, found dealing with Yuan Shu rather awkward.
‘Good thing I chose the commandant post. Experience like this will definitely help me later.’
It wasn’t as if Yuan Shu had only one option available. Given his family’s status, they could have easily arranged several excellent positions for him, and none of them would have been low-ranking. Even though the Yuan family wasn’t at the absolute center of current power, their influence and authority were at a level that no one—except perhaps the Emperor himself—could ignore.
And among all those choices, the one Yuan Shu had picked was precisely the post of Commandant of the Army. He had chosen a military path, and the position also served to fill in the experience he lacked.
‘I’ve beaten down a few bandits and sparred with guys whose strength is second to none, but…’
Surprisingly, Yuan Shu had zero experience actually commanding soldiers. Even during the bandit suppression, it had been Ji Ling and Yuan Shao who led the family troops. Yuan Shu had simply charged in alongside Xiang Yu, Richard, and Choe Jun-gyeong, smashing everything in their path.
Of course, Yuan Shu had long since abandoned modern common sense that claimed no matter how strong one person was, they could never defeat many. How could he think otherwise when he lived every day sparring with that insane trio—Xiang Yu, Richard, and Choe Jun-gyeong—who all possessed transcendent physical abilities? Just one of them could probably shatter an entire army through sheer individual might alone. In truth, it was fair to say each of them possessed power capable of overwhelming an entire legion. And there were four of them, not just one or two!
But war wasn’t only about massive pitched battles. That was why Yuan Shu had chosen the commandant position—to test his own capabilities by personally leading troops.
Perhaps because they were soldiers stationed in the capital, most of them obeyed the legitimate heir of a prestigious family without complaint. Yuan Shu performed his duties diligently, overseeing training and the like, and earned every penny of his salary.
Still, as the saying goes, when five people gather, at least one is trash. With that many soldiers around, there were bound to be a few fearless idiots who tried to climb over him.
“Haha, what cute little bastards.”
Yuan Shu simply removed his rank insignia, challenged them to fair one-on-one fights, and beat them so brutally and mercilessly that military discipline was instantly straightened out. The classic suspicion that a high-ranking officer who had never seen the field and a pampered young master wouldn’t know anything crumbled miserably before overwhelming martial prowess. After all, the simplest way to control hot-blooded young beasts was to thoroughly imprint an insurmountable gap in strength and establish the hierarchy.
And because he had beaten them purely with skill despite the vast difference in status, the majority of the soldiers—who were mostly commoners—became genuinely fascinated by Yuan Shu. After all, people don’t always need some grand reason to follow someone.
Of course, this method only worked because, as a commandant, he commanded a relatively small number of troops. Trying to personally beat sense into troublemakers among ten thousand men would hardly be efficient.
‘Hmm… working like this, I’m starting to realize I don’t seem to have any special talent for commanding large armies. I’m fine as a vanguard sweeping through enemies, though.’
It seemed individual martial prowess and the ability to lead troops were two different things. While the hot-blooded Yuan Shu had come to understand one of his own limits, he didn’t particularly mind.
‘Did Liu Bang beat Xiang Yu because he was better at commanding armies? No. A true leader simply needs to excel in other areas!’
If Yuan Shu had planned to serve under someone else as a general, it might have been a problem. Since that wasn’t the case, it didn’t matter much. A ruler’s job wasn’t to devise brilliant schemes or perfectly command a million soldiers. A ruler’s job was to properly handle the people who could do those things. That was precisely why those qualified to stand above others were special!
While living this way, a story about a certain person reached Yuan Shu’s ears. The moment he heard that person’s name, his eyes lit up. Just as he was pondering how to lead soldiers, the perfect individual had fallen right into his lap!
The story was about a low-ranking military officer in Luoyang. Though he was a commoner and only a junior officer, he was said to be extremely thorough and flawless in his work. Despite being at the very bottom and a mere commoner, he was upright and capable, yet precisely because of those qualities he had apparently offended some high official and had his path to promotion blocked.
The officer’s name was Gao Shun.
The instant he heard the name, Yuan Shu’s eyes flashed and he ran straight to find her.
“I hear that among the low-ranking officers in Luoyang, there is one who handles affairs more flawlessly than anyone else, and her name is Gao Shun. Are you Gao Shun?”
“Yes, Commandant of the Army. My surname is Gao, given name Shun. Born to a humble family, I do not possess a courtesy name.”
“Yes, yes! It really is you!”
Upon confirming Gao Shun’s identity, Yuan Shu broke into a huge grin. It was partly because she was an outstanding talent, but also because she was exactly the person who could reliably manage his soldiers for him.
Gao Shun. Although not much was widely known about her, she had performed great feats under Lu Bu and, along with Zhang Liao, was one of the two strongest warriors under Lu Bu in terms of pure martial ability. Moreover, she possessed exceptional skill in commanding troops. On top of that, she held boundless loyalty toward her lord, Lu Bu. She was the very model of a reliable subordinate.
The elite soldiers she led always kept their armor and weapons meticulously maintained and gleaming. In every battle, there was nothing they could not break through, which was why her unit was called the Camp Crushers. However, that very excellence had earned Lu Bu’s displeasure, so she had never been properly appreciated. A classic case of serving the wrong master.
‘Lu Bu’s valiant generals were known as the Eight Strongest. Yet despite her position and achievements, Gao Shun was never counted among them.’
Excluding cases like Zhang Yan who maintained their own independent forces, Yuan Shu had always wondered why Gao Shun wasn’t included. It seemed the reason was that, unlike the others, she had few personal ties to Lu Bu and wasn’t even from Bing Province. Indeed, very little was known about Gao Shun’s birthplace or background.
“I hear you have talent but have been marked as an enemy?”
“I merely devote myself to my duties.”
“Hahaha! Just looking at you, I can tell you’re no ordinary person! But precisely because someone like you excels without any backing, others feel inferiority and jealousy!”
Yuan Shu, who already knew the full situation of a mere low-ranking officer like Gao Shun, laughed heartily.
“I hate beating around the bush, so I’ll get straight to the point. Come under me! I like you! That road ahead of yours that some narrow-minded bastard blocked? This Yuan Gonglu will clear it properly for you!”
“...Those words are far too generous for someone like me. I do not know if I am worthy of hearing such an offer from the Commandant of the Army… However, despite how tempting it is, I already belong to another post.”
Gao Shun bowed her head in humble gratitude at the mere proposal, expressing her refusal due to practical circumstances. But—
“Right, the affiliation is the problem, huh? Wait here a moment!”
“...Pardon?”
To the reckless noble rascal Yuan Shu, such things were irrelevant! Especially since her superior wasn’t anyone particularly impressive or high-ranking!!
And so Yuan Shu immediately stormed into the office of Gao Shun’s superior.
BANG!!
“Hey! You and I need to have a little talk!”
“Who dares to barge into my office and act so rudely… H-huh…?! Y-Yuan Shu, my lord…!!”
“You’ve got a subordinate named Gao Shun, right?”
“Ah, y-yes… I do, but has that fellow committed some offense…?”
“I’m taking that kid with me! Got it? Handle the paperwork cleanly and quickly, understand?”
“Ah… Y-yes, sir. I understand perfectly… haha…”
And just like that, Gao Shun’s affiliation problem was resolved in an instant.
“There! All settled! No need for any more words. Now that there’s no problem, come under me!!”
“Ah, uh… Y-yes…?”
Gao Shun, momentarily stunned by Yuan Shu’s unprecedented, no-holds-barred problem-solving method, found herself serving under him before she could even properly react. She had refused citing her current affiliation, only for Yuan Shu to solve that very issue in the blink of an eye and return. Moreover, given his status, how could she possibly refuse now?
Yet she felt no particular dissatisfaction. This was the first man in her life who had truly recognized her worth. How could a warrior not be moved by such a person? A warrior gladly offers their blade to one who recognizes their true value. Furthermore, when the legitimate heir of the prestigious Yuan family personally extended his hand saying he liked her, a mere lowest-ranking officer and commoner like Gao Shun could not help but be completely captivated.
“Oi, Gao Shun! It’s almost time to head out. Wrap things up and follow me! Today this young master of the Yuan family will treat you to a proper drink! Hahaha!”
“Understood. I will join you shortly.”
Even though he was of noble birth, the man approached a mere commoner like her without the slightest reservation, laughing boldly and openly. Before she knew it, Gao Shun had already become Yuan Shu’s person.