28. The Unrivaled Lu Bu (4)
28. The Unrivaled Lu Bu (4)
I defeated a great army of 20,000 with 8,000.
Although I missed Henei Prefect Wang Kuang, I recorded a spectacular victory by killing or capturing many of his subordinate generals.
A battle where the Lu Bu army was deployed alone.
I think it was a valuable first battle that would never be unworthy of the fame of Lu Bu, who would come to be called Unrivaled Under Heaven.
"Gwahaha! Very well done, as expected of my daughter Lu Bu! To think you broke Henei Prefect Wang Kuang so easily, it feels like a tooth that's been aching for a while has finally been pulled!"
Dong Zhuo burst into loud laughter.
Since the Wang Kuang army, which had raised an army in Henei Commandery near Luoyang, had been defeated, there was no longer any need to feel danger in the vicinity.
He sent Li Jue and Guo Si to occupy Henei Commandery.
Having defeated the enemy's 20,000-strong army and even gained Wang Kuang's territory, Dong Zhuo was so happy that he drank excessively in broad daylight.
"......."
Lu Bu kept her mouth shut tight.
She was looking at the hairy pig blathering on about how happy he was in front of her with eyes full of contempt.
After sending Lu Bu back, I took the lead in negotiations with Chancellor of State Dong Zhuo on behalf of the Lu Bu army.
"Our side also suffered considerable damage in the battle, Chancellor of State-nim. I would like to replenish our troops and supplies in Luoyang."
"Good, I will grant you Luoyang's famous veteran soldiers, so incorporate them. Soon, the riffraff from Guandong will come. If you perform well in the great war that will take place in the future, I will bestow upon you high official positions and rewards!"
A great war is coming soon.
A massive army gathering from Guandong. 18 warlords (though not literally 18) will raise the banner of Anti-Dong Zhuo and launch an all-out attack on Luoyang.
Dong Zhuo was worried about that.
18 wolves gathering to target his neck. Although they claim Great Righteousness and the Right Path, they were nothing more than ambitious people coveting the real power of Luoyang.
"I heard the news. Your military strategy was truly excellent, wasn't it? I also heard you are capable in political strategy. I also highly evaluate your ability to draw in imperial officials while keeping the General-in-Chief He Jin and the Ten Eunuchs in check."
Just how much does he know?
At Dong Zhuo's words, which began to list one by one the actions he had taken in Luoyang, Lee Seong-hwi couldn't help but be inwardly surprised while maintaining a poker face.
I sent people to find out about you.
Does he want to brag about that here?
If so, he must have noticed something about Cao Cao as well. I let her go when she was fleeing to Yan Province; there's no way he doesn't know that.
"Cao Cao left after offering me the Seven-Star Sword. But isn't it strange? It would be easy to be misunderstood, yet she came all the way to the Imperial Palace with the Seven-Star Sword in her bosom. If she had told me in advance that it was a treasure to be presented to me, there would have been no reason for misunderstanding."
"Wasn't it a small act of kindness from Cao Cao Mengde, wanting to surprise you, Chancellor-nim?"
Even while saying this, Lee Seong-hwi had to admit that Dong Zhuo's words were hitting the nail on the head.
She came to the Imperial Palace with a sharp blade.
The place where Dong Zhuo discovered Lee Seong-hwi and Cao Cao was a garden located near the Prime Minister's Office. It was possible that she could have come to the Prime Minister's Office with a blade in her bosom; it is not unreasonable to think so.
"Well, nothing happened in the end, so I can't interrogate you any further. If you had made up your mind to strike me, you wouldn't have gone out in person to break the Wang Kuang army."
Dong Zhuo placed his hand on Lee Seong-hwi's shoulder.
He moved his fingers, conveying words containing checks, pressure, and comfort.
"I am infinitely merciful and benevolent to generals who are loyal to me. Moreover, I bestow generous rewards without hesitation upon capable generals. Would the Chancellor of State of the Han Dynasty pettily violate Reward and Punishment?"
I'll let it slide just this once.
Dong Zhuo was saying that to Lee Seong-hwi.
Dong Zhuo had a peculiar habit of speaking.
Overlooking the harm and pretenses committed by his close aides just once was the same as showing that he still trusted them.
But there is no second time.
He doesn't let the same opponent off twice.
If you pull such petty tricks again, next time it's your head. Dong Zhuo was saying that.
"I know that you are acting as the de facto head of the Lu Bu unit. You, who dug into the space between General-in-Chief He Jin, the Ten Eunuchs, and the imperial officials, ended up choosing Lu Bu as your lord? Truly an incomprehensible choice. Why would a talent like you serve someone like Lu Bu... a wench who shows no capacity as a lord."
It's not wrong.
Lu Bu is clearly not suitable to be the monarch of a force.
Her personal martial prowess is excellent, but her ability to employ people is lacking, and she doesn't have the leadership to captivate the masses either. Since she had no particular talent for internal affairs, she is, as Dong Zhuo said, not fit to be a monarch.
But you shouldn't be spouting such things.
As Dong Zhuo criticized Lu Bu, Lee Seong-hwi listened quietly, but inwardly gritted his teeth.
"I will be watching you. Go and earn merit against the rebel army. If you do, I will treat you with appropriate rewards."
Dong Zhuo proposed high official positions.
He offered as if doing a favor that if I brought back the heads of the 18 warlords, he would give me a position belonging to the Nine Ministers or a high-ranking general, whether it be a civil or military post.
He has enough qualifications to rise to that position.
Dong Zhuo was evaluating Lee Seong-hwi's talent and ability very highly.
Although he was someone who had targeted his neck, he thought of him as a talent he wanted to obtain even at the risk of danger, and tried to keep him as much as possible.
What a damn pig bastard.
Having left Dong Zhuo's Prime Minister's Office, I cursed inwardly and spat on the ground.
'I thought he was just a pig full of greed and vanity, but as expected, a warlord is a warlord. I had forgotten. That Dong Zhuo is a traitor belonging to the Mang Zhuo Cao Yi.'
Wang Mang. Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao. Sima Yi.
They are called the greatest traitors of the Han Dynasty, but they were by no means incompetent figures.
Isn't that something you can tell just by looking at Cao Cao and Sima Yi? Wang Mang performed the feat of splitting the Han Dynasty's state altars in half, and Dong Zhuo is a figure who did not miss the opportunity to lead an army into Luoyang and seize power.
Dong Zhuo is not incompetent.
He was a figure overflowing with competence, lacking nothing as a warlord.
"Oof!"
While walking, lost in deep thought,
I bumped into a girl with pigtails.
The girl fell on her butt.
She seemed to have fallen hard, as she was in enough pain for tears to well up in her eyes. Seeing the girl like that, I hurriedly reached out my hand.
"Are you okay?"
"Where are you looking when you walk, you damn bastard! I'll tell my grandfather to kill you dead!"
She's a girl with a very foul mouth.
I think I've seen kids like this a lot in Korea. It's a level of rudeness and impudence that reminds me of the brats active on the internet.
If I saw them in front of me in reality, I would want to beat them up.
To keep my promise to myself, I rapped the girl, who knew nothing of manners, on the head.
"Ow! You, you hit me...?! You hit me? Where is there a place to hit someone as cute as me!"
There are plenty. And very much so.
I barely held back the urge to slap her.
Education is very important from a young age.
Just as parents ruin a child's education if they spare the rod, if they fail to teach manners, it's easy for them to grow up as brats who can't tell right from wrong.
You can tell by looking at Korea.
Looking at the brats these days, I feel like picking up a steel pipe.
"Who is your grandpa? Looking at you, he seems like he doesn't even have the strength in his jaw, so he probably eats while drooling food everywhere."
The one who grew up to be that brat is me.
A Korean young man with excellent talent for personal attacks and character defamation against others. In Korean society, you end up learning profanity naturally.
"You insulted my grandfather! Don't be surprised! My grandfather is Dong Zhongying, the Chancellor of State-nim of this Luoyang! A guy like you will be beheaded immediately, beheaded! I'll tell him to tear off your limbs like a fly and kill you!"
"......."
The situation became very serious.
I felt cold sweat starting to flow down my spine.
Why did it have to be Dong Zhuo?
If it hadn't been Dong Zhuo, I would have had the confidence to just ignore it and move on.
I had dealt brazenly even in front of Dong Zhuo's fierce generals Li Jue and Guo Si, but Dong Zhuo, who could be called the symbol of a tyrant, was the only opponent I felt uncomfortable with.
"What is the matter, Young Lady."
A bald giant approached.
It was Hua Xiong.
A physique that greatly overwhelmed people and a fierce face that seemed impossible to get along with a child. There couldn't be another person like this in Luoyang.
A brave general of the Dong Zhuo army who is said to always wear armor even when sleeping on a bed. It was definitely Hua Xiong, who was in charge of guarding Dong Zhuo's safety along with Xu Rong.
"Uncle, he hit me!"
The granddaughter whined.
It was a cunning action, as if to show that the person who cries first wins.
At that, Hua Xiong's gaze shot at me.
To make someone flinch just with a gaze, is this that invisible pressure? My spine chilled as if a beast was staring at me with both eyes.
"Young Lady, please endure it. That person is someone favored by the Chancellor of State-nim. If you forgive him with a generous heart, he will surely repay you with a great reward."
"Grandfather favors him? Who is he?"
Am I your friend?
I wanted to rap that girl on the head right then and there, but I decided to hold back because I felt like I would be lifted up by Hua Xiong and then vertically dropped to the floor.
"I am General of the Feathered Forest Lee Seong-hwi. Hasn't the Chancellor-nim mentioned me often?"
"Ah! That cheeky bastard?"
Did your grandpa say that about me? It's not wrong.
I had tried to kill Commandant of the Imperial Carriages Dong Min.
Not only did I block Xu Rong's vanguard to take over Luoyang, but didn't I also try to go to the brink of physical conflict with Cao Cao?
The seizure of power almost failed because of me.
If Dong Zhuo was holding a grudge about that, it was natural.
"You tried to kill Great-Uncle, and you tried to block Uncle Xu Rong's army by yourself! And what else was it......."
"A while ago, I led troops and returned after defeating the Wang Kuang army, which amounted to 20,000."
"Yes, that's right! The rumors are all over Luoyang that you won with only 8,000!"
The granddaughter shouted at Hua Xiong's words.
As if she had heard everything about me without missing anything, she knew it thoroughly.
She looks young, but she is very clever.
When I was that age, I showed a stupid side, struggling because I couldn't even distinguish between a cucumber and a duck.
"They say you're smart and good at fighting! Then who would win if you fought Uncle Hua Xiong?"
The granddaughter asked.
At that, I looked at Hua Xiong.
"......."
Did you bring Cro Cop or something.
Even so, does it make sense to bring a Croatian person into the Three Kingdoms worldview, which is Chinese history.
"He is the adjutant of the Unrivaled Under Heaven Lu Bu. There is no way he is not skilled in martial arts. Since he also possesses the courage to block Xu Rong and his unit, it will not be an easy match."
"Really?"
The granddaughter—Dong Bai—made her eyes shine.
The gaze looking at me was distinctly different from before.
The girl with gray pigtails.
This girl, who had adorned herself with luxurious clothes and accessories, began to show deep interest in me.