07. Bloodshed in Luoyang (2)
07. Bloodshed in Luoyang (2)
I need someone to join my plan.
I don't stand a chance on my own.
Even if countless imperial officials like Minister of Education Wang Yun, Grand Master Xun Wuga, and Secretariat Sa Son-seo led their private troops to join the fight, they were nothing more than civil officials.
Expecting anything from them would be ignorant.
Fighting is something for military officers, after all. I couldn't entrust a battle to civil officials who only know how to wave their brushes around.
That is why I,
came to find the person who made a name for themselves in the Three Kingdoms as an ignorant brawler.
Bing Province, Taiyuan Commandery.
Qi City.
I rode my horse from Luoyang and arrived.
Using the names of imperial officials, I entered the military camp of Ding Yuan, the Inspector of Bing Province, who was stationed in Bing Province.
"Why are there so many bandits?"
"With such a strong army, what on earth are they doing...?"
The military officers who followed me grumbled.
I gave a bitter smile at their words.
The reason there are so many bandits? Because the Black Mountain Bandits, who have coiled themselves up in Bing Province, are in a secret alliance with Ding Yuan.
Government troops holding hands with bandits.
Isn't it ridiculous? I've heard of collusion between politics and business, but hearing that government troops were holding hands with bandits was truly laughable.
"Welcome. Thank you for your hard work coming all the way from Luoyang."
Ding Yuan, the Inspector of Bing Province, came out personally to greet me.
Perhaps it was because I came using the name of Minister of Education Wang Yun, who is ostensibly in an alliance with General-in-Chief He Jin. Ding Yuan came out personally to greet the guests from Luoyang.
Perhaps a special order had been issued to He Jin.
Ding Yuan was eagerly waiting for the day he could invade Luoyang, neck-stretching longingly.
"I have come under the orders of Lord Wang Yun and the General-in-Chief's Office."
"A-are we finally... entering Luoyang?"
Ding Yuan made a rash statement.
At those words, I realized that Ding Yuan was a shallow person lacking deep thought.
To speak of such a secret so readily.
He must know what it means to enter Luoyang leading an army. I never expected him to speak of treason so easily.
'That just shows how doomed he is. To the point where a general guarding the border openly talks about leading an army to enter the capital.'
I gave a bitter smile at Ding Yuan's words.
Afterward, I walked around the military camp with Ding Yuan and chatted.
"I was told to take a look at the Inspector of Bing Province's army. And the General-in-Chief added that I should convey that the time is not far off."
"Understood."
The troops led by Ding Yuan were at least 20,000 strong.
If those 20,000 troops were to strike Luoyang, the capital of the Han Dynasty would be reduced to a ruin.
These guys are dangerous.
Furthermore, some of Ding Yuan's troops are of barbarian origin. They are slaughter-maniacs who know nothing of etiquette. They were closer to a group addicted to looting and rape.
"May I see the generals of the Inspector of Bing Province?"
"Go ahead."
Ding Yuan nodded readily.
Rather, he showed us the troops from Luoyang as if he wanted to show off the military power he possessed to the fullest.
"Lu Bu! Where is Lu Bu?"
Ding Yuan shouted and called for the military officers.
Lu Bu, who is called the Flying General!
Lu Bu among men, Red Hare among horses. It is no exaggeration to say that I came here to Bing Province to see her.
That's not all.
I also came to see Zhang Liao, as well as Gao Shun of the Hanjin Camp and the Eight Jian Generals under her command.
"Inspector of Bing Province-nim."
A black-haired woman approached.
The woman, whose white armor stood out, was an older beauty who exuded a very mature feeling.
Pure white skin and clear, bright blue eyes.
She had such an elegant beauty that it was hard to believe she belonged to an army in such a remote countryside.
"Mun-won, where is Lu Bu?"
Ding Yuan asked.
From his question, I could tell that the beauty in front of me was Zhang Liao.
Was Zhang Liao a subordinate general of Lu Bu?
I knew Lu Bu to be one rank higher than Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, and the Eight Jian Generals.
"It seems she has gone out for a moment."
"What? She left the military camp without even reporting to me! This is desertion! This is grounds for a court-martial!"
Ding Yuan made an extremely angry expression.
He revealed his rage to the point where his wrinkly face turned red.
Did he think she ignored him?
He must be thinking he was humiliated in front of the guests from Luoyang.
Is Lu Bu a lawless character here too?
She must be incredibly tough to handle. Since she is the owner of a personality that is truly a wild horse itself.
'Lu Bu had a unique skill called Rebellious Bone. A ridiculous ability that has a high probability of betraying the master every single year.'
An outlaw who follows no one.
It is Rebellious Bone that turned such tendencies of Lu Bu into a skill.
A Flying General who lives by betrayal and dies by betrayal.
Even if she serves Cao Cao as her master, she betrays; even if she serves Liu Bei as her master, she betrays. She even betrayed often when the player was the lord.
There is only one way to keep such a Lu Bu under your command.
Either buy her favor by giving her an enormous amount of funds as a reward (bribe) every year, or take all the treasures possessed by other generals and give them to Lu Bu.
There were only those two options.
Despite having a simple and ignorant personality that loves to fight, her greed stat is at the absolute MAX, so you have to give her money by just pouring it on her.
'There's no way that's possible in the early game. That's why the standard procedure was to either kill Lu Bu immediately upon capturing her, or keep her alive until the late game and then recruit her.'
A way to use such a Lu Bu in the early game.
It is to serve Lu Bu as your lord and operate within the Lu Bu army.
If you slowly build up favorability like that,
someday you will be able to conquer Lu Bu and make her your wife. I know that very few players have attempted this because she doesn't betray easily once you take her as a wife.
'But could you easily conquer that elementary school-like personality of Lu Bu? Looking at what was posted on the community, it was said to be insanely difficult. There was even talk that it was as hard as Cao Cao, who has a cold-blooded personality.'
My plan depends on Lu Bu.
I intended to use one of the skills I possess, 『Eloquence』, to incite the low-intelligence Lu Bu to kill her lord Ding Yuan, and then enter Luoyang leading the Bingzhou army, which would be reborn as the Lu Bu army.
"Ahem! Take a look at the faces of our outstanding military officers, aren't they very reliable? They are more than enough to carry out the great undertaking."
Ding Yuan burst into a hearty laugh.
But I could see it in my eyes.
The anger that had risen to the brim and could not be hidden even with laughter. Ding Yuan was greatly enraged because he had been humiliated because of Lu Bu.
"......."
A man with a scar on his face stood there.
Unlike the other generals who were trying hard to look good to me, who came from Luoyang, he stood bluntly and maintained an expressionless face.
What is this, a mannequin made of protein?
How can a person stand without even the slightest movement?
"I am Gao Shun, a general of the Bingzhou army."
With that, Gao Shun did not open his mouth.
He continued to maintain a position of immobility.
Seeing the broad-shouldered man with his hands behind his back made my heart feel reassured.
"I am Zhang Liao, courtesy name Mun-won. A military officer of the Bingzhou army."
Her voice was like rolling jade beads, just like her face.
Should I say she is a beauty who wouldn't be lacking anywhere?
Although I couldn't see Lu Bu, I felt grateful to have seen such a beauty.
Such a beauty would be rare even in Luoyang.
Seeing such a lovely woman who could outshine the countless beauties of the capital, my eyes felt like they were being treated.
"I am Gate Guard Colonel Lee Seong-hwi."
We might end up doing business(?) together someday.
So I readily reached out my hand to Zhang Liao and asked for a handshake. Zhang Liao took my hand and we shared a brief handshake.
My ideal type is a beauty like Zhang Liao.
A wise mother and good wife type who is full of dignity and seems like she would treat her husband well.
Cao Cao?
Her chest is small, and her character is also small.
I didn't want to end up like Lü Boshe, so it's a personality I don't really want to get close to.
"It is a very excellent army. I was told to convey that the handling of matters at Mengjin was also very excellent."
"Ahem. I am honored that you see it that way."
So that Ding Yuan would not suspect me,
I hinted at a secret that only a very few of the generals under He Jin knew.
Then Ding Yuan let out a hearty laugh.
Perhaps he had some doubts about me, but when I brought up the story about Mengjin, he finally seemed relieved.
'Mengjin. The place where the incident occurred where Ding Yuan, disguised as Black Mountain Bandits, intentionally slaughtered the people of Luoyang. You damn old man, did your mom eat seaweed soup after giving birth to you?'
How can you be a human and do such a thing.
Although I am someone who thinks that sometimes you shouldn't be picky about means and methods, I felt contempt for the crazy bastard who planned to massacre civilians by disguising himself as bandits.
And also for Yuan Shao, who planned it,
I came to feel an indescribable hatred and contempt, just like for Ding Yuan.
"Then I will convey your words well to the General-in-Chief."
"Are you leaving already? I have prepared a liquor table, so don't rest yet. I will hold a large banquet, so stay here for the night."
"No. The great undertaking is urgent, so I must stop by other places to deliver the news."
"I see. The great undertaking... the great undertaking is important."
Ding Yuan's eyes lit up at the word 'great undertaking'.
It seemed he was greedy to enter Luoyang soon and rise to a high-ranking official position. It seemed like if General-in-Chief He Jin rose to be above ten thousand people, he would properly eat the rice cakes and shake things up.
'This is why you die at the hands of your own subordinate.'
A guy who only goes crazy for his own power.
The more such a guy is, the more he doesn't look around and just runs solo.
It was natural to buy the antipathy of those around him.
Then, eventually, he is killed by Lu Bu, and none of his subordinate generals follow him, leading them to join Lu Bu.
Lu Bu.
I came here to meet her.
I hurried on the way back to Luoyang.
It is quite a long distance from Bing Province to Sili Province.
Furthermore, because fierce bandits are rampant at every pass, it was clear that time would be further delayed.
"Cunning bandits might be setting up camp."
"Yes!"
I passed through the trail with the Colonels.
While running, spurring the horses that were galloping, as soon as we entered a narrow valley, fierce-looking bandits appeared.
Scars on the face were basic,
there was even a burly giant with scars all over his body.
They had not only spiked maces,
but even held heavy iron rods in their hands that looked like they could burst a person's head like a watermelon.
Fuck, we ran into the wrong guys.
"You bastards! Do you know who we are!"
The Colonel at the front shouted.
But perhaps the bandits that appeared were not from the Black Mountain Bandits, as they did not care even when told that we had come to see the Inspector of Bing Province, Ding Yuan.
"Kikikiki, if you came to see the Inspector of Bing Province, that means you're of noble status, right?"
"I wonder how much the ransom will be. Since you've seen our faces, shall we start by gouging out your eyes? Or just sell you to the barbarians for a cheap price."
Are they some Black Mountain Bandit underlings?
As they started to approach slowly, I and the Colonels drew our swords.
The opponents were over 100 people.
In contrast, we were not even half that number.
Even though this is a worldview originating from a game,
it was virtually impossible to cut them all down alone. After all, fighting is done by numbers.
But now,
a 'monster' who lightly transcends such common sense appeared.
"I knew it!"
A woman appeared, fluttering her blonde hair.
She was wearing armor that was entirely red.
Voluptuous breasts that couldn't be hidden even by armor and a slender body, plus fierce red eyes.
She was like a bursting flame itself.
A ferocity that seemed to combine the violence and cruelty of the battlefield. I felt an indescribable fear and awe from the woman.
"Hey, you guys from Luoyang. I, the Flying General Lu Fengxian, will personally step up and protect you. If you don't want to die, get back."
Is that the Painted Halberd? The woman, who identified herself as Lu Fengxian, was holding a heavy weapon that was too burdensome to swing with two hands.
Painted Halberd,
I never knew it was such a tremendous weapon.
It looked like a slaughter machine born from sharp blades gathering and intertwining.
"Hey, whose neighborhood are you causing trouble in? Did you even get my permission?"
Lu Bu is the general representing Bing Province.
At her threat, the 100 or so bandits showed that they couldn't move.
"Hey, you guy from Luoyang."
"Yeah."
Lu Bu turned her head and looked at me.
When I faced her red eyes, I felt my whole body stiffen.
Is this what pressure is?
It seems that pressure actually exists.
To think I would tremble just by meeting her gaze. As expected, is the person who will be called Unrivaled Under Heaven different from ordinary people?
"I will accompany you to Luoyang on the condition that I protect you safely. Do you understand? Since the Flying General Lu Bu is personally stepping up, accept it gratefully. Seeing you, you seem quite quick-witted."
"It sounds like you're using a pretext to run away from home."
"Shut up."
Perhaps because I hit the nail on the head.
The smile on Lu Bu's face, who was smiling fiercely, became even deeper.
Ku-gwa-a-ang!!
She swung the Painted Halberd and struck the ground.
Then, with a faint vibration, dust rose thickly.
Is that a person or a monster?
To think such monstrous strength comes out even though she swings it with one arm.
"Come at me, you minions."
Lu Bu stood in front of the bandits.
At that, I also drew my sword and stood next to her.
"What is it, Luoyang bookworm?"
"I don't think it's right to leave it to one woman and stand with my hands behind my back. I have guts, even if I look like this. Of course, I have balls too."
"...Is that something you say to someone you're seeing for the first time?"
"I have a timid personality that becomes quiet whenever I stand in front of a woman, so I just tried making a joke."
The bandits rushed in at the same time.
Perhaps gaining confidence from their overwhelmingly large numbers, they rushed toward me and Lu Bu, swinging their weapons.