Enemy Phase - King Liu Chong of Chen
In the late spring of the first year of Chuping (March 190 AD), in Yangxia County of Chen State in Yuzhou.
King Liu Chong of Chen was stationed at Yangxia as a member of the coalition army alongside Chancellor Xu Chang of Chen.
Liu Chong was one of the few true imperial princes who had managed to defend his own fief during the Yellow Turban Rebellion six years earlier, when so many other princes had been mercilessly cut down. Not only that—he had continued to rule with benevolence, enriching his state until the praises of his subjects never left their lips. He was a true sage king.
Then last year, Dong Zhuo—though merely a subject—had committed the unprecedented treason of deposing Liu Bian. Enraged, Liu Chong had been among the first to join the coalition. He styled himself the Grand General Who Protects the Han, established a camp at Yangxia, and watched the enemy’s every move with the eyes of a hawk.
“With successive defeats, everyone’s grown cautious. Wang Guang is one thing, but Cao Cao’s pathetic loss was far too big a blow.”
Liu Chong clicked his tongue and shook his head. Barely two months after they had raised their banners with such high spirits, even Cao Cao—who had made a name for himself with the assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo—had been utterly crushed by Xu Rong. The coalition’s morale had plummeted into the dirt.
“Victory and defeat are common in war, so we should wait and see a little longer. That aside, how is the matter of the crown prince’s marriage progressing?”
Chancellor Xu Chang asked. With already so much on his mind, the addition of family troubles made Liu Chong’s neck stiffen.
“There’s a suitable young lady I plan to match him with. Honestly, I’m not too worried about that boy—it’s the other one that’s the problem.”
“The other one? You mean the princess? Isn’t she renowned as the greatest beauty in all of Chen State? I assumed marriage proposals would be lining up.”
“Plenty of people lining up, yes. But I raised her too much like a tomboy—she has no bridal training whatsoever. I’m constantly fretting that if I accept a proposal rashly, it might damage the prestige of the royal house. Look at her now. She’s not even a scout, yet she’s running over in such a hurry.”
Liu Chong pointed with a disapproving eye at a woman racing toward the camp. It was the princess of Chen, Liu Eun, striding with a fierce gait that completely belied her refined appearance.
“Your Majesty! I have something to report!”
Liu Eun arrived and immediately clasped her fists in salute to the two men. Liu Chong shook his head and pointed out her demeanor.
“This is not the royal palace—it is the front lines. How can you not know that if someone of a princess’s standing rushes about, it startles the soldiers?”
“I-I’m sorry. Your daughter’s thinking was shortsighted.”
Despite her valiant stride, she cowered at a single word from Liu Chong—every bit the noble lady. Xu Chang smiled gently and interceded.
“Perhaps Her Highness was simply that urgent? Your Majesty, please be lenient.”
“Tsk tsk… Fine. What is it today?”
“Lately, this sort of thing has been circulating in the marketplace.”
What Liu Eun held out was a leaf from some plant. Both Liu Chong and Xu Chang tilted their heads, completely unfamiliar with it.
“What is this?”
“The soldiers say it resembles hemp leaves. But it’s different from the kind used for making clothes.”
“There are many similar plants, so that could be. But it’s not something worth bringing to me, is it?”
“That’s not so. When one chews this leaf, breathing becomes rapid and tension eases, producing an effect like drinking alcohol. Moreover, the effect is so quick and potent that if chewed frequently, one becomes addicted beyond the ability to quit.”
“A leaf that gets you drunk without drinking? I’ve never heard of such a thing in my life.”
“I hear that in the neighboring village, there are already many young scholars addicted to these leaves. Instead of studying as they should, they’re spending all their money buying them—someone is surely using these leaves to amass a fortune.”
“...?”
Hearing Liu Eun’s words, it did seem suspicious. The leaf was not a monopoly item like salt or iron under government control, but if the source was a single place, they were definitely raking in money.
“Your Highness, do not worry. This humble servant will inform the county magistrates of the village and Yangxia to investigate.”
“There’s no need. The situation on the front lines is already unstable—how can we busy the officials further? I will investigate it myself, Your Majesty.”
“You are a princess of a nation. How can a princess personally involve herself in such trivial matters?”
“But…”
“I’ll leave it to the Chancellor here, so you withdraw. Leave the front lines, return to the palace, and receive bridal training from your mother.”
“...”
Liu Chong dismissed the matter lightly and forbade Liu Eun’s investigation. Once he set his mind on something, he never changed it, so she had no choice but to give up and withdraw.
But the “giving up” here was only regarding persuasion. Liu Eun slipped out of the camp unnoticed and headed not to the palace, but to the village known as the origin of all this.
Meanwhile, Chosun was exchanging final farewells with Yu Hyeop before the emperor departed for Chang’an.
“Must you really stay?”
Yu Hyeop knew full well she had no power to stop the journey to Chang’an. Yet when Chosun also informed her she would remain in Luoyang for a while, it was enough to drive her mad.
“Do not worry, Your Majesty. Since Dong Zhuo has entrusted the relocation of the capital to my father, once that is settled I too will follow within a couple of months.”
“Sob… Why must I leave Luoyang? I am the master of the realm—how can I not even take you with me? Sob…”
Yu Hyeop clung to Chosun like a child, lamenting her own plight. Even wearing the crown of the supreme ruler, she could not utter a single word of protest against Dong Zhuo—a miserable life.
Yet she had endured until now because of the precious people around her. But Do Yeop had unavoidably left Luoyang, and now she had to part temporarily even from Chosun, her sole remaining support.
“I am only sorry I cannot grant your wish. Instead, when I go to Chang’an, I will surely bring news of him.”
“Whom do you mean? Surely not that traitor Do Yeop?”
“T-traitor? Do Yeop has never betrayed Your Majesty.”
“But didn’t you report last time that Do Yeop had long since left Henei to marry Xiahou Yuan?”
Around the time Do Yeop joined Cao Cao’s army, Yu Hyeop had once again sent Chosun to Henei. But what returned was the shocking news that he had excitedly followed Cao Cao with marriage in mind.
“I merely relayed what Yuan Shao’s subordinates were saying. Nothing is certain, so please do not worry.”
“But I’ve heard the eunuchs and palace maids talking. There’s a rumor circulating that the two are already deep lovers. Didn’t they actually escape the palace together?”
“Do not be misled by rumors. Do Yeop only learned that day that Xiahou Yuan had infiltrated—what could have happened between them?”
“But you saw Seol-i (Xiahou Yuan) too, didn’t you? The head palace maid said that in decades working in the palace, she’d never seen a maid of such beauty. Do Yeop is a man—wouldn’t he naturally be smitten?”
“...”
Chosun had met that head palace maid too. Even at the very moment she was disguised as Yu Hyeop’s palace maid.
And yet, after clearly seeing Chosun, she called Xiahou Yuan the greatest of all time? That was a bit insulting, wasn’t it?
“I-if Do Yeop had truly become intimate with Xiahou Yuan, why would he stay by Liu Bei’s side and fight Xu Rong? There must be some circumstances.”
“Haa… I know that heroes are fond of beauty. But if he’s so lost in Xiahou Yuan that he’s completely forgotten me…”
Do Yeop had even rejected her all-out advances, hadn’t he? He clearly saw her as a child.
If she had competed fairly and lost, that would be one thing—but not even making it into the candidate pool was the most heartbreaking.
Though she said that, she still missed him. She didn’t know when they would meet again, but when that day came, she hoped he would see her at least a little more as an adult…
At the same time, in the Chancellor’s residence.
Having defeated Cao Cao, Xu Rong returned to the Chancellor’s residence to report the victory. Dong Zhuo, forgetting even his position as Chancellor, lounged in a chair wearing only a single animal skin.
“You won even though I gave you fewer troops than last time? And with almost no casualties. Does that mean Cao Cao is even worse than Wang Guang?”
“That wouldn’t be the case. Fortunately, there was a turncoat on Cao Cao’s side, allowing an easy victory.”
Xu Rong immediately explained about receiving the letter from Chen Gong. Dong Zhuo nodded and set the report on the table.
“If there’s such a woman, no need to expose her to Cao Cao. That aside, you captured Xiahou Yuan alive and unharmed, yet let her escape—what on earth happened?”
“It was this servant’s negligence. I captured her and imprisoned her before even attacking the enemy, but while I left the camp to strike Cao Cao, she killed the jailer and escaped.”
“Interesting. Normally when something like this happens, you’d behead the one who failed to manage the prisoner properly—but the guy just happened to die, so there’s no one to take responsibility?”
“...”
A cold sweat dripped down the back of Xu Rong’s neck. She had expected a reprimand, but given what she had done, it felt as uncomfortable as sitting on a bed of thorns.
“But you know… according to other news I’ve heard, even that’s not true?”
“What… do you mean by that?”
“You insolent bitch… Dare you deceive me? The last one to interrogate Xiahou Yuan was you, wasn’t it!? You let Xiahou Yuan escape through your own mistake, yet why are you blaming some random jailer!?”
“...!?”
Amazingly, Dong Zhuo had long since planted a spy within Xu Rong’s unit. An icy chill settled on Xu Rong’s back.
“P-please forgive me. I was ashamed of having let the great traitor escape by briefly looking away, so I lied.”
“I can’t believe it. Of all people, you making such a mistake? You didn’t deliberately let her go, did you?”
“That is not so! After the battle, I intended to escort her to Luoyang immediately. But during the final interrogation before departing…”
“I don’t want to hear it!”
Thud!
Dong Zhuo grabbed the report from the table and threw it. The bamboo slips struck Xu Rong’s forehead precisely, then the string snapped and they scattered across the floor.
Trickle…
At the same time, a stream of blood flowed from Xu Rong’s forehead. Dong Zhuo shot up from his seat and strode toward her.
“Since when? Just when did you start colluding with the enemy?”
“That is not so! If this servant had colluded with the enemy, why would I have defeated Wang Guang and Cao Cao for the Chancellor?”
“Defeated? What did you defeat? At Henei you surrounded the enemy yet failed to catch Wang Guang. This time the enemy even colluded for you, yet you let Cao Cao escape. And on top of that, you released that bitch who tried to assassinate me? How can I trust you after this?”
“That is…”
For Xu Rong, it was frustrating enough to make her jump. The reason she couldn’t capture the two despite cornering them was because Do Yeop appeared each time to interfere with her.
But she couldn’t utter his name in front of the thoroughly enraged Dong Zhuo. Besides, the fact that she had released Xiahou Yuan with her own hands was true, wasn’t it?
“Please believe me. My loyalty to the Chancellor remains unchanged.”
“What can’t you say with that mouth of yours? Fine. I’ll give you the next order, so handle it without mistakes this time.”
“Command me anything. If you wish, I’ll cross to Henei right now and take Yuan Shao’s head…”
“How am I supposed to trust you enough to send you to the front lines again? Funds are short because of the capital relocation. I’ll give you a list—take soldiers outside the city, exterminate the clans of those who colluded with the enemy, and confiscate their property.”
“...”
It sounded nice as fundraising for the capital relocation, but this was just ordering plunder, wasn’t it? Of course, local procurement was essential in ancient China, but what madman ordered local procurement in his own territory?
Yet having already fallen under suspicion, she couldn’t refuse even that order. Xu Rong immediately took the list and left the Chancellor’s residence.
“Hehehe…”
Dong Zhuo watched Xu Rong’s frightened retreating figure and let out a sinister laugh. In truth, he had long known she wasn’t the type to betray him.
But it was a bit strange that the thorough her had let Xiahou Yuan escape. Still, it didn’t matter much.
If she didn’t lose in battle, he could just break her in other ways.
Using this incident as a pretext, he would order her to plunder several times. Not only removed from the front lines, but if her human decency was tested daily, eventually even that solid mental fortitude would crack.
In the end, she would tearfully strip before Dong Zhuo of her own accord.
“...”
Meanwhile, having parted from Yu Hyeop, Chosun had already arrived at the Chancellor’s residence. Hiding her body behind a beam without anyone knowing, she eavesdropped on every conversation between the two.
Xu Rong captured Xiahou Yuan yet let her go? That she, who had even dismantled Do Yeop’s strategies, would make such a trivial mistake was suspicious.
Could there have been some other reason?
Grrr!!!
A scene of hell beyond human imagination was unfolding. The forces led by Xu Rong came out of Luoyang and attacked villages indiscriminately.
They plundered every wealthy clan they could find, then exterminated the entire families. Black smoke blanketed the sky, and flocks of crows gathered to peck at the corpses.
“...”
Xu Rong watched from afar the hellscape she had created in silence. Where exactly had it gone wrong?
She had merely tried to keep a promise. Do Yeop had justly captured her yet saved her from Cao Cao’s greedy clutches, and Xu Rong had responded as a warrior in kind.
But what returned was Dong Zhuo’s suspicious gaze, and the harsh order to turn her capable subordinates—who should be fighting on the front lines—into monsters mad for slaughter.
Tweet… tweet…
A flute sound that made the tragic scene even more pitiful drifted over. Xu Rong’s soldiers, already beyond human decency, each suffered from the flute and shed tears.
Xu Rong also turned her head to identify the source of the flute. A woman wearing a wide-brimmed white hat was mounted on a horse, playing the flute.
Clop clop…
By the time the performance ended, the woman had somehow approached right in front of Xu Rong. Xu Rong tilted her head and asked her.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was just passing by when I happened to see smoke rising from afar. Before I knew it, my feet carried me here, and a melody suddenly came to mind. If it was rude, please forgive me.”
The flute’s owner was Chosun. Having eavesdropped on Dong Zhuo and Xu Rong’s conversation, she had something to confirm and secretly followed her.
“You seem to be a daughter of a prestigious family—why have you come here alone?”
“I have a lover I am waiting for. But it seems he will not come today either.”
Chosun’s words were like grasping at clouds. But perhaps because her mood was unsettled, Xu Rong continued conversing with her.
“Why did you part from your lover?”
“He did something arrogant, claiming he would risk his life for the country. Since fleeing Luoyang, I haven’t even heard news of him.”
“Having a loyal subject as your lover, that sincerity will be rewarded someday.”
“Is General Xu also worrying for the country?”
“You knew who I was?”
“I saw your march when you entered Luoyang recently. And I heard you won a great victory over Cao Cao at Xingyang not long ago. Come to think of it, there are two criminals on Cao Cao’s side who deserve the wrath of heaven and earth, aren’t there? Did you… capture them by any chance?”
“Do Yeop and Xiahou Yuan, you mean? Regrettably, I let both escape.”
“...”
Chosun silently mulled over Xu Rong’s answer. Using the expression “both” meant that Do Yeop had indeed been there.
“People who love spreading rumors say this, don’t they? That Do Yeop and Xiahou Yuan have been betrothed for a long time, so if you catch one, the other will definitely come to the rescue?”
“Just a rumor. The one who comes to the rescue is always only one side.”
“You speak as if you’ve met them.”
“Wouldn’t one face them at least once on the battlefield?”
“It may be a funny question, but won’t you hear me out once? If General Xu could catch only one of the two, whom would you choose then?”
“...?”
Chosun’s questions had long since crossed the line. But for some reason, Xu Rong had no hesitation in answering.
“Do Yeop.”
“May I ask the reason?”
“Because I can’t catch him.”
“...?”
Giddyup! Xu Rong left with that single remark and departed first. Chosun blankly watched her retreating figure, and without realizing it, a resentful feeling rose, making her bite her lower lip.
What’s with her acting like she knows everything about him?