Enemy Phase - The Letter
“With the rebel horde right at our gates, it is no longer feasible to keep the Son of Heaven in Luoyang. Therefore, I shall relocate the capital to Chang’an.”
Barely a month had passed since the coalition army formed when Dong Zhuo abruptly summoned a court assembly and ordered the capital’s transfer. The Son of Heaven himself, Yu Hyeop, was not even present.
“This is excessive. Hear their demands first; there will still be time to decide.”
“Chang’an has long since fallen into ruin. How can we possibly house His Majesty there?”
“Chancellor, we beg you to reconsider once more.”
The speakers were Situ Yang Biao, Grand Commandant Huang Wan, and Minister of Works Xun Shuang. Apart from Dong Zhuo himself, these three highest-ranking officials of the Three Excellencies risked their lives to voice their honest opposition.
“Did you feel nothing when you saw Wu Bi and Zhou Jing die? Or are you confessing that you, too, are colluding with Yuan Shao?”
“Th-that cannot be! It is only that relocating the capital is not a matter to be decided so lightly…”
“Silence! What are you waiting for? Throw those dogs in prison at once and—”
“Chancellor! Those three are venerable elders of the court. With the enemy already pressing Hulao Pass, executing them as well will shatter the army’s morale.”
It was Wang Yun. Ever since Dong Zhuo seized power, the man had always watched his words and ridden the currents of the times; his sudden defiance left more than a few present stunned.
“Wang Yun, are you saying you share their views?”
“How could I? If you wish it, I will personally oversee every task required for the relocation. I only mean that shedding blood among our own while the rebel faction stands before us is unwise.”
Wang Yun endorsed the move itself yet pleaded that the court ministers not be swept away because of it. When a man of his renown threw his weight behind the transfer, Dong Zhuo’s mood brightened a fraction.
“Very well. I will stop at dismissing the three of them. With the seats of the Three Excellencies vacant, Wang Yun, you will rise to Situ in their place.”
“I am a man of meager talent, unfit for so great a charge.”
“On the battlefield you are as fierce as a bear; in court you always govern with benevolence and righteousness. If not you, who else is worthy of the Three Excellencies? I will not ask twice. Accept it.”
“In that case…”
In the end Wang Yun accepted the post of Situ. The moment the upright faction of the court witnessed it, they began to murmur among themselves.
Has Wang Yun betrayed us? ‘Rebel faction’—just whom is he calling that?
Whenever Dong Zhuo proposed something before, he only kept his mouth shut. He never once offered a proper opinion, did he?
So he never served the Son of Heaven out of loyalty; he was blinded by ambition all along. To think I trusted a man like that… tsk tsk…
Thus Wang Yun was branded completely as Dong Zhuo’s creature. Riding the momentum, Dong Zhuo issued yet another order.
“Li Ru. Arrest Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, Grand Coachman Yuan Ji, and every last member of the Yuan clan. Behead them all, then hang their heads from the walls of Luoyang.”
“Leave it to me.”
Having exhausted every other outlet, he now intended to vent his rage at Yuan Shao by slaughtering the entire prestigious Yuan clan of Runan. Even so, Dong Zhuo turned to Wang Yun for his opinion.
“Lord Wang—no, Situ Wang. Any objection?”
“None… whatsoever.”
Wang Yun forced a smile and voiced his assent. Behind him the court ministers ground their teeth; Dong Zhuo, grinning, led him out of the hall.
“Fortunate that even a Situ has come to his senses. Those men inside think of nothing but driving me and the Son of Heaven out someday.”
“Indeed, just as you say.”
Dong Zhuo poured out his private thoughts as though Wang Yun were already one of his own. The revulsion that had been rising in Wang Yun’s throat was almost unbearable, yet he judged this the perfect chance to win the Chancellor’s favor.
“I hear Yuan Shao has long spoken insolently of the present Son of Heaven. I once thought him a promising young man… I never imagined he would go so far.”
“Hmph! That you failed to see through that black heart only proves how soft you still are, Situ. Yuan Shao cares nothing for righteousness or principle. He is a true villain who frets only over how to climb out of his lowly birth.”
Even so, can he match the man who deposed and murdered an emperor? While that thought hung unspoken, Niu Fu came running and halted before Dong Zhuo.
“You summoned me, Father-in-law—ah, Chancellor?”
“Yes. Chang’an has nothing prepared; once the capital moves, His Majesty will suffer many discomforts. Therefore you will scrape together every scrap of wealth that can be seized in Luoyang and go ahead to Chang’an.”
“What? But where am I supposed to find such things all of a sudden…?”
“You dense fool. Dig up the tombs of the previous emperors. And since we cannot be certain no one inside Luoyang is colluding with Yuan Shao, cut every last one of them down and confiscate their property.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Even for a father-in-law, how can he give such an order without batting an eye? Niu Fu tilted his head and withdrew.
This man has truly gone mad…
Wang Yun clicked his tongue at Dong Zhuo’s tyranny and broke into a cold sweat. Oblivious, Dong Zhuo watched Niu Fu’s waddling back and clicked his own tongue.
“Tsk tsk… How did I ever take such a dullard for a son-in-law? What possessed me to entrust the Dong family’s private affairs to that creature?”
“Come to think of it, has it not been quite some time since you lost your wife? Why not take a new bride and continue the line?”
“Ahh… only you, Situ, ever think of my welfare. It is not that I have no desire for a new wife. But somehow… there is no one who gives me that sudden spark, if you take my meaning.”
“…”
He refuses a new marriage for a reason that petty? A lecher who rapes palace maids and even the princesses of the imperial clan is suddenly so particular?
“Might you… have any particular preferences?”
Yet the question left Wang Yun’s lips before he himself realized it. Instinctively the alternate name of Loyal Filial Deity had activated.
Loyal Filial Deity
Intelligence +10 when dealing with rebels
“Once a woman passes twenty-five her amniotic fluid begins to rot and she reeks like some old hen. I have loved the arts since boyhood, so I go mad for a woman who can play instruments and dance well. And being a man of Liangzhou, I do not even regard a woman with small breasts as female. Yet Liangzhou girls ride horses from childhood, so their skin is dark… Ah, is there nowhere a maiden white and glossy as porcelain glazed with oil?”
“…”
Was it only his imagination? Somehow the conditions Dong Zhuo listed matched someone he already knew perfectly.
No—perhaps Heaven itself had sent her down for this very moment…
“Chancellor! Why will you not send me into battle?”
Before Wang Yun could finish arranging his thoughts, Lü Bu strode up and planted himself before Dong Zhuo.
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard Xu Rong has already marched. How can you entrust Cao Cao—of all people—to that woman?”
Lü Bu’s fury was simple. Do Yeop and Xiahou Yuan, both sent by that same Cao Cao, had already made a thorough fool of him; now Dong Zhuo was snatching away even the chance for revenge.
“I have other work for you. Go help Niu Fu dig up the imperial tombs and slaughter every rich man in Luoyang.”
“Th-that is work anyone can do! I offered you the entire Bingzhou army, yet you—”
“Out! Who do you think you are talking back to? Get out of my sight!”
“…”
Lü Bu withdrew in silence. Wang Yun, unable to understand such coldness, asked:
“Why do you treat Lü Bu so harshly, Chancellor? I hear he is the greatest cavalry commander under heaven.”
“And what of it? Born a man who cannot even offer the lightest pleasure. Arrogant beyond belief. Worse, he is needlessly handsome; I do not even want him near me for fear of comparison.”
“…”
For a reason that petty? Has this bastard truly lost his mind? Yet in that instant Wang Yun’s mind began to race.
This… a path may open from a place I never expected.
“You called for me?”
Chosun answered Wang Yun’s summons and left the palace for a short while. Wang Yun first inquired after the Son of Heaven.
“How is His Majesty?”
“He is weeping. He swore he would rather die than go to Chang’an; it took a long time to persuade him.”
“Still a child, after all. He knows he will never enjoy the same comforts once he reaches Chang’an.”
“…”
She wanted to say that was not the reason. Yu Hyeop was a far finer sovereign than Wang Yun imagined; Do Yeop had already opened her eyes to that truth.
The real reason Yu Hyeop refused to leave Luoyang was Do Yeop himself. The person she had believed she would soon meet was once more being torn away from her; how could she not weep?
“Is that all you summoned me to ask?”
“Not exactly…”
Wang Yun’s eyes flicked over Chosun’s figure. The enormous breasts on that slender frame. Skin like porcelain, a beauty refined by city life.
And long before she ever came to him she had already mastered every instrument and dance. Was she not the perfect woman for Dong Zhuo?
He shook his head hard.
What am I even thinking? Chosun may be my tool, yet I have raised her like a daughter for years.
The coalition had not even properly engaged Dong Zhuo yet; he could not throw her into danger so soon. Wang Yun changed the subject.
“Having to tend His Majesty in the palace every day must be dull.”
“His Majesty graciously grants me rest from time to time.”
“Is that so? Then have you been meeting some man?”
“Wh-what are you saying? I dedicated this body to the Han long ago.”
“Haha! I am not accusing you. I only feel sorry that a girl in the flower of her youth is made to do nothing but menial work. Even you are a woman; surely someone catches your eye now and then?”
“There is absolutely no such person…”
Can I truly say there is none? She had no leisure to cultivate a lover as Wang Yun suggested, yet it was true that one particular man occupied most of her private thoughts.
“Your silence tells me there is someone. Can you not tell me?”
“It is nothing of the sort. The question was simply so unexpected that I hesitated.”
“Come now, do not be like that… Eh? Surely it is not that bastard?”
“Whom do you mean?”
“Whom do you think? The thrice-damned dog who entered under Cao Cao’s orders and completely deceived both you and me.”
Wang Yun instantly guessed the man’s identity and flared into rage. Chosun could not accept the words.
“He has no connection to Cao Cao whatsoever. Moreover he risked his life to cut down Dong Zhuo—how can Father speak of him that way?”
“The way you openly take his side shows how thoroughly you have been bewitched. Very well, let us say he does not serve Cao Cao. Still, to lose your heart to a mere pawn—how will you ever accomplish great things?”
“He is no mere pawn… In any case you are mistaken. I feel no private emotion toward him whatsoever.”
“See that you keep that promise. Haa… If the coalition wins, Dong Zhuo will die before he ever reaches Chang’an. Once peace returns, I will find you a husband worthy of you—a proud young man of high rank and blood.”
“…”
Chosun gave no answer. For the first time in her life she felt a quiet resentment toward Wang Yun, who dismissed Do Yeop as a low-born pawn without knowing the first thing about him.
Meanwhile Xu Rong entered Xingyang. While waiting for her troops to assemble she sent scouts in every direction to gather terrain intelligence.
“Is this not too much? Far more forces are gathered at Sanzhao than we ever had in Henei, yet now they give us a mere six thousand?”
Xu Rong’s subordinate officers vented their dissatisfaction at Dong Zhuo for reducing the army’s size from the previous campaign. Xu Rong shook her head.
“What choice is there? The losses last time were too heavy; the Chancellor no longer trusts me.”
As she said, even victory had cost them considerable casualties. Had the original plan to swallow Wang Guang whole succeeded, it would have been a true triumph; Do Yeop’s sudden appearance had ruined everything.
Does the Chancellor… want me to lose?
No other explanation made sense. The sole reason she could still hold the vanguard without ever entering Dong Zhuo’s bedchamber was her undefeated record.
Once that single advantage vanished, Dong Zhuo would cast her aside at once. In the end, to survive she might have to go to him herself and untie her sash.
Anything but that…
Sleeping with Dong Zhuo once would be easy. Breaking the conviction she had guarded until now was more hateful than death.
The weight of the name “Undefeated.” Crushed by a pressure no one else could imagine, Xu Rong was slowly walking toward her own end.
“General! A letter has arrived.”
“…?”
One of her officers appeared holding a sealed missive. Xu Rong broke the seal at once and read.
“…”
Her expression was anything but ordinary. The officers could not contain their curiosity.
“What does it say?”
She set the letter on the table, deciding there was no need for secrecy, and at the same time revealed an astonishing fact.
“It offers to tell me the whereabouts of Do Yeop—who tried to assassinate the Chancellor—and of Xiahou Yuan.”
To the Undefeated General Xu Rong,
I am Chen Gong, wife of Lü Boshe of Chenggao. Cao Cao murdered my husband and violated me. For the sake of vengeance I wish to aid you. I know the present location of the white-haired assassin Do Yeop and of Xiahou Yuan—both of whom the Chancellor most desires dead. If you will strike them down, my husband’s spirit may finally rest.
— Chen Gong
“I-is that true?”
Amazingly, the letter named the two men Dong Zhuo most wanted dead. The real question was who had sent it, and why.
“Who could have written this?”
“It is signed at the bottom. She claims to be Chen Gong, wife of Lü Boshe of Chenggao, and says she wishes to help me avenge the husband Cao Cao murdered and the violation she suffered.”
The sender was none other than Chen Gong. To verify the claim, the officers sent men among the soldiers to find anyone from Chenggao.
“It is certain. Lü Boshe’s entire household was massacred, yet his wife Chen Gong vanished without a trace; everyone has been wondering what became of her.”
One of the soldiers confirmed her existence. Xu Rong reconvened with her officers.
“Could it be a trap? How could a woman slip past Cao Cao’s watch and send a letter like this?”
“Yet they say when a woman nurses a grudge, frost falls even in midsummer. If she set her mind to it, a single letter would be nothing.”
Opinion among the officers split. Still, roughly seven to three favored trusting the letter’s authenticity.
“…”
Xu Rong paid their debate little heed. She only stared at the letter as though she would burn a hole through it, searching for her own answer.
At last she reached a conclusion. Turning to her officers, she spoke in a voice full of certainty.
“I will trust this letter.”