Baibo Bandits (2)
"Less than a month since we fought Dong Zhuo at Luoyang, and here we are marching off to war again."
"Well, that's an age of chaos for you."
I gave my easy agreement to Zhang Liao, who rode at my side. She handled her horse with practiced skill, the crescent blade held loose in one hand. A beautiful woman really did make everything she did look like a painting. Even the simple act of riding was enough to leave me watching with a foolish, contented smile.
"Um... when you stare at me that openly, it's rather embarrassing, sir..."
"Ah. Sorry."
Zhang Liao had noticed my gaze, her cheeks coloring faintly as she spoke. Nice going. I just did something shameless without even realizing it. Had I pulled the same stunt on an ordinary woman, whatever curses came my way would have been well deserved.
Seo Yeo, who had watched the whole exchange, said nothing at all — she simply fixed me with an unreadable stare. That was Seo Yeo for you; not the type to call me out to my face, but more than willing to voice her opinion indirectly. And what a stare it was. My back prickled as though her gaze alone were drilling into it. Could a warrior of her caliber actually exert physical force through nothing but eye contact?
Thank heavens Lü Bu wasn't beside me just now. If she had been, there would have been one more glare boring into me. As it was, she rode at the head of the column, leading the soldiers onward with overflowing energy, visibly thrilled at the prospect of a fight.
Watching her bound along like that, Zhang Liao spoke up. "Can battle really be that enjoyable for her?"
"That's part of it. But there's something else, too."
"Something else...?"
I paused, wondering how best to put it, then organized my thoughts and answered as I urged my horse along. "Lü Bu got herself a new horse recently, remember?"
"...Ah."
Zhang Liao nodded in understanding. Red Hare — the crimson steed Dong Zhuo had sent to win Lü Bu's favor. A famed horse said to cover a thousand li in a single day, and that burning red coat suited Lü Bu perfectly. To put it in modern terms, she was probably as giddy as a gearhead who'd just taken delivery of a brand-new sports car.
"A great general matched with a magnificent steed," Zhang Liao mused, her interest plainly stirred as her eyes drifted toward Lü Bu at the front. "I do wonder what she'll show us."
There was, in fact, one thing I had left out — and out of respect for Lü Bu's dignity, I decided to keep it that way. The moment she racked up any achievement, she would come straight to me, practically radiating expectation, as though she wanted something. She pretended otherwise, but whenever I praised her exploits she glowed with delight. Material rewards she treated with utter indifference — hadn't she once handed the goods right back, insisting they be spent somewhere they would do more good? That Lü Bu, asking for nothing material at all and happier over my praise than over any treasure — every time I witnessed it, I found myself wondering whether this Lü Bu really was the same Lü Bu.
Just then, Lü Bu's Red Hare stopped dead at the head of the column. Naturally, when the point rider halted, the rest of us behind her pulled up as well. Zhang Liao, staring ahead, let out a puzzled murmur.
"Who is that?"
"No idea."
Where all that confidence came from I couldn't say, but a lone figure was blocking our army's path. The road narrowed at the foot of the mountain, and planted right there in the pinch point, the figure was impossible to miss. One glance was enough: a person swathed in a suspicious robe — clearly meant to conceal their identity — with a huge, murderous-looking axe resting across one shoulder.
...An enormous axe?
Hold on. I think I know who that is. Someone from Sili, famous for wielding a giant axe, with ties to the Baibo Bandits. No matter how I turned it over, it had to be that person. That person.
"I'll be right back."
"Yes, my lord."
Leaving the soldiers in Zhang Liao's hands, I spurred my horse toward the front. Even from here I could see Lü Bu growling low, and if I left things alone the two of them would unmistakably end up trading blows. Even if it was the person I suspected, I didn't much like their odds against a bloodthirsty Lü Bu at full killing intent. I pushed my horse harder.
"If you don't answer me this time, you die by my hand."
"..."
"Speak. Who are you, and why are you blocking the road?"
We had closed to within earshot of one another, and Lü Bu's growled questions carried clearly to the figure on the road.
"Hold it right there!"
"...Jeong Reung?"
Lü Bu's tone had dropped dangerously low — her patience clearly worn to its limit — and I hastily cut in between them.
"...Whew."
At my interruption, the figure blocking the road heaved a sigh that sounded distinctly like relief. Noting my hurried approach, Lü Bu smiled a little. "Relax. Sure, that one's got the nerve to block a road and lord it over people — but they're still no match for me..."
"Of course I believe you could take them. But that's not why I stepped in."
"...Huh? Then what for?"
Brushing past Lü Bu's bewildered face, I drew up before the figure. "It seems you were waiting for me. May we speak now?"
"...My thanks. I very nearly died just now."
With her gratitude, the figure lowered the axe she had been carrying to the ground. The giant thing was worth every ounce of its looks — even set down slowly, it met the earth with a ponderous boom.
"I'd hoped to leave a striking first impression, but it seems I didn't even break even."
Far from the stern, taciturn figure I'd expected based on the original history, she seemed surprisingly good-humored. ...Well, taciturn was at least half right?
"I thought myself someone who had gone far in this world, but beside the Peerless Under Heaven, I was a mere child."
"Lü Bu is simply too strong, that's all."
"...Kind words. Thank you."
The woman whose orange hair peeped from beneath her hood gave a faint smile. "I am called Xu Huang, courtesy name Gongming. I humbly ask for your guidance."
Watching Xu Huang offer a respectful cupped-fist salute, I thought: Bless you, Baibo Bandits. I'll at least see you off without pain.
Xu Huang, courtesy name Gongming.
In the original history, she was counted among the five great commanders known as the Five Elite Generals of Wei. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the novel, gave her the distinction of wielding a mighty great axe, while in the official histories she rose to fame under Cao Cao, piling up feat after feat on the battlefield.
Personally, whenever Xu Huang comes to mind, one anecdote surfaces before all others — the words she hurled at her soldiers directly in front of Guan Yu during the siege of Fancheng. It is recorded that Xu Huang and Guan Yu had talked together since years past, their bond of friendship cultivated deep.
"To the one who brings me back Lord Guan Yunchang's head, I shall pay a bounty of a thousand jin of gold."
Yet the moment she faced Guan Yu on the battlefield, Xu Huang ordered her men to strike off the head of the very Guan Yu she had long counted as a close friend.
"Elder Brother! What are you saying?!"
Guan Yu, who had all along held Xu Huang in respect and warm affection, cried out in pale-faced shock — and to those words, Xu Huang returned only a curt dismissal.
"This is a matter of state."
As this makes plain, Xu Huang drew the line between public duty and private feeling with unfailing thoroughness. After entering Cao Cao's service, there was scarcely a single battle in which she failed to earn distinction. Considering that she was, like that Zhang He, a shrewd general possessed of strategic cunning on top of her martial talent, it was little wonder she proved exceptional enough to command the favor of no less a lord than Cao Cao.
And that general was now here beside me.
"This is a map of the Baibo Bandits' home strongholds, which I have been clearing out single-handedly. This place in particular..."
Drawing the map from her robe, Xu Huang briefed us on everything she knew about the bandits. The faintly mischievous air she had shown in glimpses had vanished without a trace, replaced by utter seriousness, and I found myself nodding along. Ours was, of course, nothing more than a temporary alliance for the sake of exterminating the Baibo Bandits — but my goal was to coax her around, sooner or later, into entering my service.
Finished with her explanation, Xu Huang looked over the soldiers I had brought and let out a breath of admiration. "You brought only your finest elites, fearing that a great host would only send the bandits fleeing."
"That's right. With numbers this small, they'll figure they can handle us and come rushing out first."
Chasing down the ones who scatter in every direction is a chore in itself — and we might well let some slip through our fingers.
"The Baibo Bandits are no more than a disorderly rabble. A force of this size will defeat them with room to spare."
"I appreciate your saying so."
Xu Huang had told me to speak with her comfortably, so informal speech it was. As she put it, for now she was merely a guest commander standing beneath me, and there was no need to raise her with honorifics. The more I saw of her, the more she won me over.
"The Baibo Bandits don't yet know we've come. Let's open with a surprise attack."
"Agreed."
"Their stockades lie some distance apart from one another, so we should begin with the ones on the outside..."
I nodded along as Xu Huang's plan unfolded without a hitch. Lü Bu and Zhang Liao raised no objections, offering no word to the contrary. I'd expect as much from Lü Bu, who knew nothing but headlong charges — but if even Zhang Liao voiced no counterargument, then Xu Huang's plan must have been flawless.
Having heard her plan in full, I looked around at the others and spoke. "Anyone have objections to Xu Huang's plan?"
At my words, Lü Bu and Zhang Liao answered.
"None."
"None from me."
"Then it's settled."
I rose from my seat and declared, even and unhurried:
I'd long since gotten the hang of this bandit-hunting business. Time to wrap this up quick and get back to hunting Dong Zhuo.