Pacifying Jiangdong (2)
The news that Yan Baihu had captured Ze Rong and thrown him in a cell made Sima Yi perk up at once.
"The cleanup can wait—let's go see that man's face first."
"Uh... do we really need to do that?"
Setting everything else aside, she wanted to check the face of a mere bandit. Was that really so important? Having gauged my reaction, Sima Yi let out an adorably exasperated sigh.
"There's that look again. The one where you're thinking something strange."
"……"
"Think back carefully, my lord. What justification did we give when we first marched on Jiangdong?"
I did as she asked and racked my memory. When I submitted my memorial to Her Majesty the Emperor... what happened again...?
"Hmm. You mean to strike the lands below first, rather than Hebei?"
"Yes. We have reports that the mastermind behind the recent assassination attempt is in Jiangdong, so I intend to use him as the pretext..."
"I see."
Her Majesty was already nodding along before I'd even finished my explanation.
"Hwahyeon."
"...Yes."
"That mastermind—if he still draws breath, capture him alive and drag him before Us. No matter what it takes."
And the way she smiled as she said it—how exactly was I supposed to describe that? Honestly, it sent a faint chill down my spine.
"We shall see to Our own preparations in the meantime."
What on earth was She planning, that the word preparations even came up? Whatever it was, I could tell it would be nothing mild.
Having finished my recollection, I opened my mouth to Sima Yi, who was still studying me intently.
"...We marched to find the assassin's mastermind and drag him back?"
"Yes. And pacifying Jiangdong along the way is a bonus."
Hearing my answer, Sima Yi explained it calmly. ...But pacifying Jiangdong was a bonus? Her scale of values seemed to be seriously skewed.
"A bonus..."
There, see that? Even Yan Baihu, standing nearby, had his eyes narrow slightly at the word. Honestly, considering how his people had been swept aside the instant they clashed with us, it wasn't a strange thing to say. Still, saying it to his face like that was a bit much. I chastised Sima Yi for blurting out words that could so easily give offense.
"There you go again, saying strange things. How many times have I told you not to belittle people?"
"Ubbbgh—! Leth go oh meh, I said...! (Let go of me...!)"
"Ah-ah. Not a hint of remorse."
I punished her thoroughly, reaching out with both hands to grab and knead Sima Yi's cheeks. How long did that go on? By the end, the plump, baby-soft cheeks of the still-young Sima Yi had flushed a deep red.
"Uuuugh..."
"Learned your lesson now?"
"...I've learned my lesson, so please stop already!"
Doesn't sound like it. What on earth was I to do with this prickly little thing?
Then, still watching Yan Baihu out of the corner of my eye, I spoke up.
"Let me apologize for what was said just now. Your kin were, without question, truly formidable."
"Ah. I, I am grateful for that..."
Fortunately, he didn't seem particularly offended. After all, if the Shanyue Tribe hadn't been a genuine threat, I would never have racked my brains over them in the first place. ...That said, if you asked me whether Sima Yi was wrong to call it a bonus—well, she wasn't exactly wrong either. Strength is, in the end, relative. The Shanyue were strong, it was true. Our army was simply far stronger.
Just as I was sighing inwardly at Yan Baihu's reaction, a voice drifted over from behind.
"Fufu. That is what happens when one persists in saying such odd things—one earns a scolding from our lord."
"I'd rather not hear that from someone who sits around giggling suspiciously all day."
Oh no. Water and oil had met again. The moment Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi laid eyes on each other, the bickering began.
"You shouldn't disparage measured conduct taken in service of governing a realm."
"Hmph, moderation, you say? Surely you mean machination—quietly brewing schemes in the depths of one's heart."
They say when a dragon meets a tiger, the strong tear into each other—and that was precisely what was unfolding before me.
"……"
Yan Baihu, watching from a short distance away, warily edged back a step or two. Doesn't the word tiger sit right there in your own name? What are you so frightened for?
Even as Yan Baihu cowered, the two little strategists' spat raged on.
"With speech and conduct that flighty, it is little wonder not a soul stays close to you."
"And have you noticed people avoid you too, because you're an unreadable little brat every single day?"
"The only person who does so to me is someone like you—someone whose heart is not in the right place."
Now they were stabbing at each other's personal relationships. ...Not that arguments were ever anything else.
"My lord...! I've finished everything you asked of—Eeek?!"
Pang Tong, who had come scampering toward me on adorable little feet, jolted in fright the moment she spotted the two little strategists. The way she startled was just like a baby bird. Should I call that fitting of a phoenix or not?
"Eee..."
While I was still musing on this, Pang Tong darted deftly behind me and clutched tight fistfuls of my robe. I smiled at the adorable sight and patted her head over her little hat, and—
"...Heehee."
—the fear melted from her face in an instant, replaced by a silly, unguarded grin. This was strangely addictive. It felt like raising a pet.
"……"
"……"
Catching the scene, the two Little Strategists abandoned their quarrel and stared fixedly at us. What. Now what?
"No matter how I look at it, that doesn't seem deliberate..."
"Then it's unconscious...? Perhaps that is all the more threatening, then..."
What on earth were they going on about now?
"...?" Pang Tong, still clinging to my sleeve, and I could only regard the pair with open bewilderment.
I had originally planned to make a full circuit of Jiangdong, speaking with the region's powerful clan leaders along the way, but the emphatic requests of everyone around me forced me to retrace my steps. I couldn't fathom what was so special about this Ze Rong fellow that everyone was so desperate to see his face right away. After all, even if we saw him a few days sooner, he'd still be rotting in a cell until we hauled him off to Luoyang.
The moment I set foot inside, a hoarse voice rang out from deep within the prison up ahead.
"You barbarian bastard──! After giving me your word, what is the meaning of this──! Release me this instant, won't you──!!"
Yan Baihu's face stiffened at that tremendous volume.
"Eek... He's been locked in that cell for days, and he's still this full of life... What on earth is his body made of?"
"You ignorant fool──!! Did you think I couldn't hear you──?! I can hear every word──!!"
...Had someone been feeding him well? Normally a man behind bars grows weaker by the day—that was only natural—but this Ze Rong seemed to possess a constitution of iron, just as Yan Baihu said. The problem was that such an iron constitution had been spent plundering defenseless commoners. Well, those days were over for good, so it no longer mattered.
"Yan Baihu──!! It's not too late yet──!! If you free me now and join me...?"
By the time we drew close enough to make out each other's faces, Ze Rong had stopped his bellowing. Seeing that, I opened my mouth.
"Go on, keep going. If he helps you, then what?"
"...Huh?"
The burly, rough-featured man behind the bars went wide-eyed the instant he laid eyes on me. The moment Ze Rong recognized my face, all the color drained from it, and his voice began to quake.
"Y, y, you..."
"What's this? You know who I am?"
Well, that would make this conversation quick. I smirked and strode toward the cell where Ze Rong was confined. One amusing detail: the closer I got, the faster Ze Rong scrambled backward, matching me step for step.
"Uuurgh...!"
Naturally, the cell wasn't all that spacious, so there was a limit to how far he could retreat. I watched Ze Rong for a moment—so gripped by terror that he seemed about to stop breathing—then whipped my head around.
"That's enough. We can't have a conversation like this."
At my words, Seo Yeo and Lü Bu, who had been walking behind me, flinched.
"……"
"Oops... busted?"
The same thing had happened in Luoyang not long ago. Did they think I wouldn't notice? Meeting my knowing look, the two of them seemed to realize their mistake and glanced subtly away.
"Huuah... hah..."
"So his skill doesn't quite live up to his appearance, it seems?"
He'd looked formidable enough—big frame, muscle stacked everywhere you looked. Turned out he was just an empty vessel. Or maybe the days locked in that cell had simply worn him down, body and mind alike.
I spoke in an even voice to Ze Rong, who was still laboring to catch his breath.
"I haven't come for anything special. I simply came so you could prepare yourself."
"Prepare... prepare myself?"
"That's right."
At my nod, Ze Rong threw the question back at me.
"Prepare for what, exactly? Am I meant to brace myself for death?"
"Hm... more or less?"
"What kind of bullsh—"
At my flippant answer, Ze Rong started to curse—then snapped his mouth shut. Well, well. So he did have at least a shred of sense. I'd half expected him to swear carelessly again and end up trembling like before.
"...Excuse me."
"Hm? What is it?"
"May I take charge of managing his imprisonment for the time being?"
A question mark floated up in my mind at Sima Yi's sudden offer.
"I don't mind, but... why?"
"There's something I need to take care of."
Sima Yi answered my question, then added:
"Don't worry."
How should I put it—the way she glanced toward Ze Rong as she spoke...
"...No one will die."
She looked utterly, terrifyingly ruthless.