Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Red Comet
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Even after the messenger departed, a suffocating silence hung inside the tent.
Zhang Yang's face had drained to a ghostly white. He slumped into his chair with the hollow expression of a man who had lost his country.
"It's over... We're finished now."
Zhang Yang's voice cracked weakly, dry as a dead leaf.
"For the Governor to come in person... it means he doesn't trust us—especially you. He's marching here to Saibang to punish us himself."
Unlike Zhang Yang's despair, a cold smile played on my lips. I calmly drained the last of the water from my bowl.
"Heh, General. Didn't I call it? The Governor's coming to claim our victories as his own. The banquet's host has just arrived."
"Banquet? This is an execution ground! He's coming to chop off your head and mine!"
Zhang Yang nearly wailed it out.
"General, what good does fearing it now do? We're in the lion's den—either we kill the lion or get eaten. And I'm not one for the latter."
"...Hah."
At my unflinching words, Zhang Yang fell silent. He merely hung his head and let out a deep sigh.
A few days later, word arrived that Ding Yuan's force of ten thousand had reached the outskirts of Saibang.
We assembled our troops to greet him. The three thousand soldiers moved with crisp discipline, but a tangled tension permeated the camp.
The men felt a mix of anticipation—"We'll finally get our rewards"—and anxiety—"What'll happen when we fall under those lofty lords?"
"Sigh, looks like our wild hunts are over."
Wei Sok grumbled from his mount as we rode.
"Once we're under those high-and-mighties, it'll be nothing but orders and hassles. They'll shove us to the front lines again, no doubt."
"What's wrong with leading the vanguard? It's our job anyway."
"No problem, sure, but it pisses me off! They reap all the glory, we spill the blood! Argh, the more I think, the madder I get!"
As I listened to Wei Sok's complaints, Ding Yuan's army came into view in the distance—a long, serpentine line. Their might dwarfed our three thousand.
My grip tightened on the reins.
Ding Yuan's army loomed like a colossal city wall.
Endless ranks of soldiers, thousands of banners whipping in the wind, polished armor and spear tips gleaming under the sun.
It was all arranged to overwhelm and intimidate us.
As we reached their formation, the vast host parted to open a path. At its end, atop the highest dais, sat Ding Yuan in resplendent armor, gazing down at us.
It was like a king's procession.
"...Gulp."
Zhang Yang dismounted, his face slick with sweat. He couldn't muster a word to me, just swallowed dryly.
I gave his back a light pat and strode toward Ding Yuan without a flicker of expression.
As we neared the dais, Zhang Yang rushed forward and dropped to his knees.
"Fierce Attendant Officer Zhang Yang pays respects to the Governor!"
"Chief Clerk Lu Bu pays respects to the Governor!"
I followed suit. But Ding Yuan said nothing. He merely sat there, staring us down coldly.
A choking silence fell.
—Whiiish!
With thirteen thousand watching, only the northern wind's howl brushed our ears. I could see cold sweat trickling down Zhang Yang's back.
This was my moment.
"Chief Clerk Lu Bu begs forgiveness from the Governor!"
My sudden shout stirred murmurs among the soldiers. Under their stares, I dropped to one knee and bowed my head.
"The Governor appointed me as strategist to aid the Fierce Attendant, but my failings left me no choice but to take the field! I violated sacred orders and deserve to lose my head to uphold their sanctity!"
My voice echoed across the ranks. Silence returned. All eyes fixed on Ding Yuan.
Then he rose and burst into booming laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha! Chief Clerk Lu! You've gone and painted me as some petty villain before the world!"
Grinning broadly, he clapped as he descended the dais. He approached, personally lifted me by the arm, and proclaimed for all to hear.
"Behold! This Chief Clerk Lu defied my command and charged into battle! But beasts threatened our people, so he took up his blade! With every swing, hundreds of barbarians fell. Is that a crime worth death!?"
The soldiers roared amid the charged air.
"No!"
"It's worthy of reward!"
Ding Yuan surveyed the thirteen thousand with satisfaction before speaking.
"Thanks to Chief Clerk Lu's cunning and valor, we took seven thousand beast heads and restored peace to Saibang! The people praise me for sending Lu Bu to pacify it—what greater fortune!"
His artful deflection of credit was masterful. The old fox excelled at bolstering his prestige.
"As Bing Province Governor, I heed the people's cries and honor these two heroes who achieved this feat! Hear me! Fierce Attendant Zhang Yang led valiantly and earned great merit—I award him a golden badge!"
Cheers erupted at his declaration.
"Huzzah! Long live the Bing Province Governor! Long live! Long live!"
The roar spread to our men. Zhang Yang could only bow, flustered.
Ding Yuan glanced at him, then turned to me with a smirk.
"Heh, Chief Clerk Lu. Do you wish to wield arms in battle?"
The clamor died. All eyes locked on me.
"I only wish to slay more mute beast whelps."
Ding Yuan laughed heartily, louder and freer than before.
"Ha ha ha! That's the spirit of a true man! He reminds me of my younger days! Such spirit and valor guard our Bing Province!"
He clapped my shoulder and shouted anew.
"I grant Chief Clerk Lu the concurrent rank of Unit Commander, to lead my personal guard! Any objections?"
—Unit Commander of the personal guard.
A blatant declaration to keep me close and under watch.
"Huzzah! Saibang's Martial God Lu Bu! Bing Province Governor! Long live! Long live! Long live!"
The cheers shook the plain.
The soldiers thrilled at the young hero's rise and the Governor's generosity. Ding Yuan savored it, eyeing me with a gaze that said, "No matter how you rage, you're in my palm."
"Had you just obeyed, how would the people of Saibang sing my name so? Well done."
With a satisfied look, he made his final proclamation.
"Hear me! These two heroes quelled barbarians in Saibang and brought peace to the people! As the Emperor's servant, I vow to drive the raiders beyond the passes and pacify the frontiers! Will you take up arms for kin and brothers!?"
"Huzzah! Death to the beasts! Death!"
Weapons thrust skyward in a roar. Ding Yuan commanded with relish.
"Good! Army, prepare to march! Fierce Attendant Zhang Yang and Unit Commander Lu Bu will lead the vanguard as our sharpest spear!"
Zhang Yang paled, but my lips curved nearly to my ears.
"The Governor trusts me so—how could I refuse the vanguard and beast-slaying?"
'Hmm, maybe he's worth a little taming after all?'
He minded the eyes around him, prioritized face over feelings, and grabbed his share.
Humans gonna human. What's wrong with a bit of ambition?
Ding Yuan and I might forge an unexpectedly amicable bond.
—As long as he doesn't cross the line.
"Army, advance!"
At Ding Yuan's order, the thirteen thousand stirred to life.
He smiled contentedly, watching the vanguard kick up dust at the fore. There rode the old general Zhang Yang and the young wolf Lu Bu.
'Saibang's Martial God? Laughable nonsense.'
Frontier hicks might swallow it.
Ding Yuan himself had swung blades against beasts in his youth, making a name. Whatever merits that pup earned were just frog-in-a-well bravado, untested against real armies.
The true aims of this campaign weren't mere Wuhuan subjugation.
First: Flaunt his might across the realm with this grand host.
Second: Shove the sly wolf pup and doddering old fool into the deadliest spot to be shredded by beast blades.
Their deaths solved problems; victory brought him all glory. Win-win.
'Rampage all you like. Your graves are dug.'
Ding Yuan sipped leisurely, fixing cold eyes on the pair's backs.
How far had we marched?
As Ding Yuan grew bored, a scout galloped in madly from afar.
He tumbled from his horse, knelt before Ding Yuan, and cried out desperately.
"Report! Enemies ahead! A massive Wuhuan cavalry force!"
Tension rippled through the rear. Ding Yuan didn't blink.
"Numbers?"
"Th-they're too many to count precisely! Endless beyond the hills! At least thousands of cavalry!"
Thousands. The officers' faces hardened.
Too much for our three-thousand vanguard. Yet Ding Yuan smiled with satisfaction.
'Perfect. Now they'll break and get ground to dust.'
He watched the field leisurely.
The horizon choked with black dust clouds; the ground trembled faintly.
If vibrations reached their ten thousand here, how vast the horde beyond?
Ding Yuan cast a icy glance at Lu Bu and Zhang Yang.
'This is your graveyard.'
At last, the armies clashed.
Thousands of Wuhuan cavalry surged like a tidal wave toward the three-thousand vanguard. Outmatched, certain to melt away—or so Ding Yuan thought.
Then a red speck at the vanguard's fore flashed forward like lightning. Lu Bu.
What Ding Yuan witnessed wasn't battle. It was a streak of red thunder piercing a massive thunderhead.
Each swing of Lu Bu's spear traced crimson arcs, from which barbarian limbs sprayed like fountains. Thousands couldn't halt one man; their lines tore apart absurdly.
"...."
Lu Bu wasn't breaking their ranks. He was erasing them. In his wake flowed a river of corpses.
Ding Yuan shot to his feet, gaping blankly.
All the rustic boasts and exaggerated tales he'd dismissed fell short of this overwhelming might.
His younger self? Laughable comparison. This was no human martial art. It was calamity incarnate.
The wolf he'd thought to leash was a dragon beyond his grasp.
"I-impossible! How can one face thousands...?"
"Wh-what in the..."
As officers cried out in shock, Ding Yuan clutched his jaw with trembling hands and muttered barely audibly.
"Th-that... How can that be human martial prowess?"
His arrogant schemes shattered before one man's might. The old fox's face twisted in shock and primal terror, witnessing it live.