The Battle Plan for Daeheung Mountain
The next morning.
It was the first dawn in Nusang Village since my possession.
The village was abuzz with unexpected news brought back by the scouts sent from Liu Bei's volunteer army.
People were busy preparing for the meeting since early morning, while the officers who had just taken their seats whispered among themselves with serious expressions.
Of course, I was among those officers.
To be honest, joining a group of five hundred with forty heavy cavalry in tow—if they didn't treat me well, I'd be pretty disappointed.
There were five people at the officers' table: Liu Bei, who was holding onto the man next to her and talking about something; Gongsun Zan, who had woken up early and was yawning with a tired face; Guan Yu, fiddling with her long hair; me, sitting quietly and waiting; and finally, Zhang Fei, who was analyzing the data sent by the scouts and drawing up the operation plan.
...?
Zhang Fei?
"Hey, Bangyeol. Why are you staring at me like that?"
"No... it's just that you don't look like the type who'd be into this kind of thing at all. I figured Yunchang would be the one making the plans."
After accepting Zhang Fei's apology yesterday and talking things over, we'd decided to drop the formalities since we weren't that far apart in age.
"That's too much! Even if I look like this, my old man made money selling meat and used it to put me through school! Besides, our little sister might look the way she does, but she's only good at slicing people up. Her head for strategy is hopeless."
"Ahem!"
"Ikdeok... Yunchang grew up roughly and never had time to study. If she studied even a little, she'd do splendidly."
"As expected, only big sister understands... that little brother of ours..."
Come to think of it, in the original history, Zhang Fei was said to have been born into a wealthy family.
If that was the case here too, the concept of an educated Zhang Fei wasn't that strange... well, honestly, it still felt a bit awkward.
Zhang Fei, the tactical advisor.
Of course, in an era where there was no clear distinction between military and civil officials, it made sense that he hadn't just learned how to swing a weapon but had studied books as well.
As for Liu Bei, it was well-known that she'd studied under the famous scholar Lu Zhi, so that was easy to accept.
The record that, unlike Gongsun Zan who studied diligently, Liu Bei was more interested in playing than studying was a trap, though...
And Guan Yu... her origins were unclear from the start, so there weren't many records about her.
At best, there were unofficial histories claiming she'd worked as a teacher and enjoyed reading the Spring and Autumn Annals, but even those sources were dubious.
"Alright! Enough chatter, everyone. Take a look at this!"
"Here, this is a map of our country."
"Ikdeok, did you draw this yourself?"
"That's right. What do you think?"
"Hmm... it looks terribly drawn, yet somehow still readable. That contrast is strangely irritating."
"What the hell? What's with that weirdly nuanced critique?!"
"Aigoo, we've dragged people out since dawn and they're already tired. Stop fighting and just finish explaining."
"Hyeonhwa, you yawn even when you wake up in broad daylight! Anyway, remember those merchants who gave us money last time and then left for Liaodong?"
"You mean Lord Zhang Shiping and Lord Su Shuang? Lord Su Shuang went to Xiangyang to sell the goods he traded in Liaodong, while Lord Zhang Shiping was heading back to his main branch when the rebellion broke out, so both ended up returning to Liaodong, right?"
"Big sister's right. But those two had a much larger trading company than we thought. Turns out they kept their headquarters in Chang'an and traded across the entire country, so they were incredibly well-informed. And this here—I drew it based on what they told me before they left."
"The yellow parts mark where the Yellow Turbans started their rebellion, right?"
At my question, Zhang Fei nodded.
"Yep. The completely yellow areas are territories those bastards have fully taken. The half-yellow spots are places where fighting is still ongoing."
"Surprisingly, Youzhou and Bingzhou are still holding out?"
"Youzhou and Bingzhou are lands where the soldiers train because they value their lives. The barbarians raid constantly, so proper soldiers are naturally forged there. It's no wonder they can endure."
"That's exactly right, little sister. Especially in Bingzhou—rumors say Inspector Ding Yuan has been leading his adopted daughter, that woman named Lu Bu, and slaughtering the Yellow Turbans left and right."
The peerless Lu Bu.
I'd wondered when that grandiose nickname had spread. It seemed Lu Bu had taken full advantage of the Yellow Turban Rebellion to make her name known throughout the Han Empire.
Adopted daughter Lu Bu, though?
So in this world, Lu Bu was a woman too.
Well, with both Cao Cao and Yuan Shu being women, it would've been strange for Lu Bu to be born male.
Maybe every famous general with a notable name was a woman?
A girl named Lu Bu, huh.
Since this was an erotic game, it probably wasn't the case, but if she was some muscle-bound, hulking woman whose body bulged with every movement, that would be horrifying.
Then again, you never know.
There were games that turned Diaochan into a muscle trainer-level male character.
...Please don't let that be the case here?
***
"Sister? Why did you suddenly stop? Should I tell the kids to handle those fleeing bastards?"
"...For some reason, I just got the feeling that some son of a bitch was insulting me."
"Come on, who the hell would dare insult you, sister? ...Ahem. Honestly, you've done plenty of things worth insulting, so is there anyone in Bingzhou who hasn't cursed you behind your back?"
"I don't care about being cursed for what I've actually done, but this feels like I'm getting unfairly shit on all of a sudden. ...Ugh, fuck, this is annoying. Hey, I'm heading back. Tell the rest to handle it however they want with Huseong."
"What?! Sister! You should at least stay until it's over! Boksun is excited to finally run with you after so long. At least think of him and let him stretch his legs!"
"Fuck, riding such a ridiculously slow horse—how the hell am I supposed to enjoy running?! I'd be faster crawling on all fours than riding this bastard!"
"Aigoo! How can you say that about our poor Boksun! Sister! Did you even think about how sad he'll be when he hears that?! Quick, Boksun, cover your ears. Ah... you can't? It's okay, big brother will cover them for you. There, there. Good boy, Boksun."
"...Hey, you. Did you get infected by Huseong too?"
"No way, sister! No matter how bad I am, would I act like that stallion-obsessed fool?! ...Besides, how many horses in Bingzhou are faster than Boksun? The ones the barbarians ride are stupidly fast, sure. But you know Boksun is a fine steed, yet you're still talking like this."
"Ugh, damn it. ...Anyway, I'm not in the mood to fight anymore. I'm leaving."
"Stubborn as always... Fine. I won't tell the Inspector, so buy us drinks when you get back."
Lu Bu waved her hand roughly in response to Zhang Liao's words and left the remaining Yellow Turban stragglers behind as she returned to the fortress.
That Huseong guy was a bit weird, but he handled his work reliably, so he'd probably take care of it.
Besides, she had Zhang Liao and Wei Xu with her.
If she stayed too, it'd just be a waste of manpower.
That Ding Yuan bastard—if he had no ability, he should at least have no greed. Instead, his greed was enormous, always screaming at everyone to go fight outside.
As if anyone would bother dragging an old man holed up in some corner of Bingzhou all the way to Luoyang?
Those Ten Eunuchs bitches were predictable.
They'd probably just clap once and say, "Oh, our dog is guarding the house well," and that'd be the end of it.
...Tsk. It felt like she'd already sucked all the sweet juice out of Ding Yuan. The problem was, she couldn't see anyone worth switching to.
Was there no one who could pull her out of this backwater?
Her name should carry quite a bit of weight by now. It'd be such a waste to let a woman like her rot under some old fart like Ding Yuan, right?
This Lady Lu Bu wants to leave this village and head to Luoyang.
So hurry up and reach out, anyone.
She'd do whatever it took to grab that hand.
Yes. Whatever it took.
***
When thinking back on the novels she'd read before being possessed by this damn erotic game, the recent trend was that if Lu Bu was a woman, she was portrayed as kind but naive and easily deceived, getting the "washing machine" treatment. Maybe the Lu Bu here was that kind of person too?
Then again, maybe not.
She could be the very incarnation of chivalry, swearing never to betray her adoptive father Ding Yuan no matter what, repaying the grace of being raised by him.
"...Ten! Bangyeol! Are you even listening?!"
"Huh? Ah, sorry. I was thinking about what kind of woman Lu Bu might be... So what were we talking about again?"
"You idiot! Pay attention! Ugh, I was right in the middle of explaining... I'll go over it again!"
"Right, so His Majesty has dispatched suppression forces in these three directions."
Zhang Fei pointed at the lines drawn at the bottom.
"Here, they sent Colonel Zhou Jun. According to Su Shuang, Zhou Jun is from Yangzhou, so he's familiar with the terrain there and has plenty of connections. Looks like that wasn't nonsense. He made some auntie named Sun Jian his vanguard, quickly stabilized Jingzhou, then sent Zhou Jun to Yangzhou and Sun Jian to Yuzhou."
Then he pointed at the line at the very top.
"The one heading toward Bingzhou is Colonel Lu Zhi."
"Really?! Ikdeok, did you just say that my master has become a Colonel?"
"Huh? You know him, big sister?"
"Of course I do! The one who taught me to read and write was none other than Master Lu Zhi!"
"Wow! That's perfect! Big sister, once we finish up in Youzhou, how about we head to Jizhou? Master Lu Zhi helped Ding Yuan wipe out the Yellow Turbans in Bingzhou and then immediately went to Jizhou. The leader of those rebels is a guy named Zhang Jue in Jizhou. He's currently facing their main force."
"Hmm... So Master has taken on a great responsibility. Very well! Once we kill Ding Yuan, we'll head straight to Jizhou to assist Master!"
"Ahem... Big sister. When we get to Jizhou, put in a good word for us with Master, will you? Sure, we gathered together because we hated the look of those bandits, but if we could rise in rank while we're at it, that'd be nice, right? Hehe..."
"Ikdeok... If you lose sight of the bigger picture and chase after small gains, you'll ruin everything."
Even as she said that, Liu Bei's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
That made sense. If it was the Lu Zhi that Liu Bei knew, he wasn't the type to take credit from a talented disciple. Surely some scraps of merit would fall their way?
Of course, if Lu Zhi had remained a Colonel until the end, Liu Bei would have confidently claimed her share of the achievements.
Yes. If he had stayed in that position until the end.
"Anyway, reuniting with Master is something we can only do after stabilizing Youzhou. Ikdeok, the line coming from Bingzhou into Youzhou must belong to someone under Master Lu Zhi, right?"
"That's correct. Master Lu Zhi went to Jizhou, and the ones who entered Youzhou... let's see... Ah, here they are! It's Cao Cao and Yuan Shu, who were working in Luoyang?"
...Yuan Shu and Cao Cao?
What kind of combination was that...?