30. Who Will Draw Their Sword First (2)
30. Who Will Draw Their Sword First (2)
The biggest problem with the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition was their lack of solidarity and sluggish movements.
Strike down the traitorous villain Dong Zhuo.
Although the warlords had united under a single cause, their opinions clashed sharply over who should attack the Dong Zhuo forces first, causing the departure date to be pushed back day after day.
"Attack!"
"Let's punish the traitors of Guandong!"
Dong Zhuo was a general with excellent military strategy.
He saw through the enemy's weaknesses and intended to launch a counterattack. Seeing the warlords divided and unable to agree on a course of action, Dong Zhuo immediately dispatched his elite troops.
The fierce generals of the Dong Zhuo army, Li Jue and Guo Si.
And the brilliant strategist Zhang Ji, along with his nephew Zhang Xiu, led the army.
"Keuheok!"
"I-it's the Dong Zhuo army!"
The center of the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition was the Yan Province region, which stood directly opposite Sili Province.
Therefore, they intended to turn Yan Province into a wasteland.
He had his favored generals lead elite troops to plunder and burn down various counties and prefectures in Yan Province, crushing the morale of the coalition forces.
"You traitorous bastards claiming to be a righteous army, how dare you defy the rule of the Chancellor-nim!"
"I will grant a death fitting for you idiots who followed the traitors. You weaklings of Guandong cannot defeat us."
They executed everyone who had joined the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition or participated by transporting military supplies.
First, they killed the Administrator of Yingchuan, Li Min.
To use him as an example to warn the others, they executed him by boiling him alive in a cauldron filled with scalding water.
Realize the terror of our Dong Zhuo army.
You Guandong bastards are nothing but cowards trembling in fear.
"General, isn't this too easy?"
"Why would we have trouble against some ragtag soldiers scraped together from here and there?"
The army of the Guandong warlords reached 100,000.
However, although they had appointed the Prefect of Bohai, Yuan Shao, as their leader, their command structure was not functioning smoothly.
That was the biggest problem.
Because they were busy looking out for their own interests, no one wanted to fight even though the Dong Zhuo army had invaded deep into Yan Province.
"Hahaha! As expected, there was no need for General Hua Xiong to even come."
"How could we mobilize General Hua Xiong? Aren't they just a bunch of bandits?"
The Dong Zhuo army officers celebrated their victory.
After burning down all the counties and prefectures in Yan Province, they raided the cities and villages where the warlords had conscripted soldiers and slaughtered all the civilians.
Villages that colluded with the warlords would not be forgiven.
Perhaps reflecting Dong Zhuo's intentions, any place that showed even the slightest sign of treason was trampled under horse hooves and reduced to ruins.
"You bastards! You traitors, Sun Jian of Jiangdong is here!"
The Dong Zhuo army was in the middle of plundering.
Along with a unit carrying red flags, a man wearing a red bandana appeared.
The force was a small minority, barely numbering in the thousands.
But they were braver than any other unit. The soldiers, composed of men from Jiangdong, struck the rear of the Dong Zhuo army as if catching them off guard.
"Heup!"
The Tiger of Jiangdong, Sun Jian.
He was a fierce general under Yuan Shu who had made a great name for himself in Jing Province. Not only had he been active in many battlefields, including the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but he was also famous for his fiery personality, having killed the Inspector of Jing Province, Wang Rui, and the Administrator of Nanyang, Zhang Zi, under Yuan Shu's orders.
"Keuheok!"
A Dong Zhuo army general fell to the spear thrust by Sun Jian.
The man with the red bandana raised his spear.
Several Dong Zhuo army officers rushed at him, but they couldn't stop Sun Jian, who stood at the front of the red army, and all of them collapsed.
"You uncivilized Xiliang bastards, is this all your skill amounts to!"
Sun Jian provoked the Dong Zhuo army.
Then, the Dong Zhuo army generals rose like a swarm of bees and rushed toward Sun Jian.
"Protect our lord!"
"What are you doing? The traitor is right in front of you!"
Huang Gai, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Zu Mao, and many other generals rushed out to cover Sun Jian.
The number of enemies was too high.
If the Dong Zhuo army hadn't been scattered for the plundering of Yan Province, Sun Jian would have been counterattacked and suffered a crushing defeat.
Sun Jian knew that.
That was why he deliberately attacked Li Jue's army, which was focused on plundering, and struck their rear while they were distracted, inflicting massive damage.
"That bastard Yuan Shu, making me do the most dangerous work! But this battle is enough to make the name of Sun Wentai known!"
The general who was the first to pick a fight with the Dong Zhuo army.
While all the Guandong warlords were busy watching each other, only Sun Jian rushed toward the Dong Zhuo army.
Sun Jian decided to use that.
He was secretly thinking that he should use the campaign to suppress Dong Zhuo, if only to make a name for himself in the world.
"Save Li Jue!"
"There are enemies over there! Kill them all!"
The scattered Dong Zhuo army began to gather.
Guo Si, along with Zhang Ji and Zhang Xiu, and Xu Rong and Li Meng led their troops to attack the Sun Jian army.
It was natural for their military force to crumble.
Front, left, and right. They couldn't hold their ground and collapsed under the attack of the massive army pouring in from all three sides.
But this was enough.
Satisfied with having gained the reputation of being "the general who attacked the Dong Zhuo army first," Sun Jian turned his horse's head and decided to retreat.
"Retreat!"
The Sun Jian army, having finished their mission, withdrew.
Although they had repelled the Sun Jian army, the Li Jue army, having been struck in the rear, suffered great damage as the price for being overconfident in their victory.
Sun Jian is brave but cunning.
Perhaps because he had lived under Yuan Shu, constantly reading the room, he had an excellent talent for judging situations for a mere general.
"Sun Jian! You goddamn bastard...!!"
Li Jue gritted his teeth.
Looking at his allies who had turned into bloody corpses, he had to admit that there were quite a few brave warriors among the warlords.
Among the warlords, one had to be especially careful of Sun Jian.
Xu Rong sent a message to Luoyang warning that they must be careful of the general named Sun Jian.
"Sun Jian, he is definitely a man who will remain a great threat to our army. He was a brave and agile general. To think that such a warrior would be on the side of the warlords."
Xu Rong muttered while looking in the direction where the Sun Jian army had retreated.
The skill with which he had taken down their allied generals was extraordinary.
The damage suffered from the Sun Jian army might be considered very minor when viewed as a whole, but it was very painful considering it was dealt by a small unit.
"Then what should we do now?"
Guo Si asked.
To that, Xu Rong turned around and answered.
"Burn it all."
The Dong Zhuo army burned down every corner of Yan Province.
Chenliu Commandery and Dong Commandery, where the Cao Cao army was stationed, were in the east and did not suffer damage, but Shanyang Commandery and Jiyin Commandery had to suffer devastating damage.
The place where the coalition forces would be stationed would be on top of ashes.
Saying there was no need to show mercy to those who dared to defy heaven, the Dong Zhuo army showed a very ruthless side.
The Lu Bu army remained stationed in Luoyang.
While Xu Rong, Li Jue, and Guo Si were scorching Yan Province, the Lu Bu army achieved the result of driving out the remnants of Wang Kuang's army and occupying the surrounding counties and prefectures of Henei Commandery.
It was a fortunate thing for the coalition forces.
If Lu Bu, who was called Unrivaled Under Heaven, had joined the attack on Yan Province, even Chenliu Commandery and Dong Commandery, where the Cao Cao army was stationed, would have collapsed.
"These guys were acting all high and mighty, but they're completely spineless, aren't they?"
At the news from Yan Province, Lu Bu snorted as if it were boring.
The Guandong warlord army had suffered a crushing defeat.
Hearing the news that Xu Rong and his unit had turned Yan Province into a wasteland and returned, she said that the warlord army was nothing but a bunch of ragtag soldiers who only had spirit.
"It can't be helped. Even if you call her the leader, she's just a figurehead in the end; the ones holding the military power are the warlords. No one would want to entrust their life to the Leader-agassi."
The person with the highest reputation among the warlords was the Prefect of Bohai, Yuan Shao.
However, she had no experience commanding in battle.
She had never been active in the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and only had the experience of serving as a staff officer under the General-in-Chief He Jin.
To such a Yuan Shao, who would want to entrust their life?
The possibility that the warlords with dark intentions would sincerely fight for the Han imperial family was very slim.
'In reality, the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition collapsed on its own without even getting close to Luoyang. But in the game story, they fight a fierce battle at Sishui Pass. I wonder which way it will unfold... As for me, I do want to fight the warlord army once.'
I muttered, clenching my fists.
The gathering of numerous warlords who raised an army in Guandong.
The Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition was a very major event in the Three Kingdoms, and it served as the starting signal that announced the beginning of the era of warlords in earnest.
The duel between Guan Yu and Hua Xiong.
The confrontation between Lu Bu and the three Liu-Guan-Zhang sisters.
And even the bravery of Sun Jian and the performance of the Sun Jian army that shone at Sishui Pass.
If you're a Three Kingdoms enthusiast, you can't help but look forward to it.
Even though it was a matter of life and death, the desire to see those historical scenes just once stirred within me.
"Then is it our turn to step up?"
Lu Bu asked, her eyes shining.
She was only looking forward to the time when she would go out to the fierce battlefield with her Painted Halberd on her shoulder.
If the warlord army started to advance, they would surely clash at the Sishui Pass front located between Luoyang and Guandong. Since Sishui Pass is the gateway that blocks the army coming from Guandong, the Dong Zhuo army would surely try to defend Sishui Pass as well.
However, the battlefield where we will fight is not Sishui Pass, where the eyes of all the warlords in the world are focused.
"Lu Bu, follow me."
"You're just calling your lord's name like that? How insolent."
"Since you're my wife, please consider this level of rudeness as cute."
"Who's your wife."
Pretending not to be interested when she actually likes it.
At my words, Lu Bu grumbled but followed behind me like a chick trailing after a mother hen.
"Dong Zhuo will definitely be surprised by the might of the warlord army and try to flee to Chang'an. If it were Dong Zhuo when he was a great warlord of Xiliang, he would have tried to fight to the death, but Dong Zhuo, who has occupied Luoyang and is now the one above ten thousand people, will be terrified and try to flee to the west."
"Fleeing to Chang'an without even fighting? If it were before I knew the guy called Dong Zhuo, I would have said that's nonsense... But considering the character of that pig, it's plausible."
Lu Bu nodded.
Saying that my words made sense, she spoke about the possibility of the Dong Zhuo army fleeing to Chang'an.
"Then, a question here. What should we do now?"
Lu Bu frowned.
There was a mix of dissatisfaction as if asking why I was suddenly posing a question instead of just explaining it clearly.
She made a sulky expression.
Looking at her face that had turned sulky, I was able to confirm once again that the lord I serve is an infinitely cute woman.
"Dong Zhuo, who will flee to Chang'an, will destroy everything in this Luoyang and forcibly relocate the people. In that process, the people who fall behind will be killed by soldiers, and the imperial tombs will all be dug up and turned into a wasteland."
Our Lu Bu army's mission is to stop the atrocities that the Dong Zhuo army will commit in Luoyang.
I could not stop Dong Zhuo's appearance.
After the General-in-Chief He Jin was murdered by the Ten Eunuchs, I led my troops desperately and moved proactively, but in the end, I had to watch with my eyes wide open as the Dong Zhuo army occupied Luoyang.
"Just as I cherish my own life terribly, the people of Luoyang must be the same. I know that what I'm trying to do is meddlesome... but I can't abandon Luoyang. I've already failed once, but this time, I really want to protect this Luoyang."
I want to protect Luoyang.
I revealed my one and only mission in front of Lu Bu.