The Mad Boar of Pengcheng
The moment I saw Guan Yu, I immediately called out to him.
“Uncle Yunchang!”
“Zayul, that was a splendid fight.”
Guan Yu clapped his hands in approval after watching me drive back Zhang Liao’s army. At some point he had already replenished his troops and arrived on the scene.
“Where are Uncle Huang and Master Yide?”
“They’ve gathered their men and headed for Xiaopei.”
“Xiaopei? But that’s the place my uncle said he was going to.”
At that, Guan Yu shook his head with a sigh.
“We also met Chancellor Cao. He told us he would reinforce our troops if we went to Xiaopei, but he himself decided to head elsewhere.”
“Is that true?”
“That’s what I was told.”
What the hell? According to Xun You, Cao Cao had said, “I will go to the city without Lu Bu.” Since Lu Bu had shown up in Pengcheng, I assumed Cao Cao would head for Xiaopei. Instead, Liu, Guan, and Zhang were going to Xiaopei while Cao Cao himself marched straight toward Pengcheng where Lu Bu waited. I couldn’t understand why everything had twisted into this double-layered mess.
“I must reorganize my forces and head to Pengcheng immediately. If you’re going to Xiaopei, I wish you good fortune in battle.”
“Zayul, I wish you the same.”
Guan Yu offered me his blessing, then lifted his Blue Dragon Crescent Blade and led his army straight toward Xiaopei.
With this, Liu, Guan, and Zhang would head to Xiaopei alongside Xiahou Dun, while I marched on Pengcheng.
“Military Colonel, if our lord is in Pengcheng, shouldn’t we rush there at once?”
“We do need to hurry, but if we charge in like this, the cavalry who just fought will be too exhausted to fight again.”
“We cannot afford to worry about that right now. We must run first. Once we reach our lord’s position, we can rest the wounded and recover our strength there.”
Yue Jin’s suggestion made sense.
“Very well. We’ll take a short rest of one geng, then move out.”
“Understood. I’ll inform the men to prepare for the march to Pengcheng.”
I planted my spear into the ground and finally let out the breath I had been holding. Just moments ago I had danced on the edge of death against Zhang Liao. The fact that we both walked away unscathed in a draw was an incredible achievement.
“I really have grown stronger.”
Ever since my defeat at Lu Bu’s hands, the faces of every opponent I had faced flashed through my mind. Zhang Chao, who rebelled and fled only to be hunted down and killed by me. Xu Huang, the master of the axe-spear who had disguised himself as a nameless knight when we infiltrated Chang’an. Yuan Yao, son of Yuan Shu—I had three chances to kill him and missed every single one. Zhao Cheng, the archery expert among Lu Bu’s Eight Elite Guards. And now Zhang Liao. Among those with real reputations, I had faced Lu Bu, Xu Huang, and Zhang Liao.
“I can do this. A rematch with Lu Bu.”
After clashing with Zhang Liao, my confidence had skyrocketed. Once one geng had passed, I pulled my spear from the ground and galloped toward Pengcheng. It was very late that night when we finally reached the encampment.
The situation in Pengcheng was quite interesting.
First, Pengcheng had already been captured by Xu Huang and Yu Jin. Cao Cao’s main force was present, but neither Cao Cao nor Cao Ren had entered the city. The reason was simple: although they had taken Pengcheng, Lu Bu’s army had arrived, set up camp, and was now staring down Cao Cao’s forces right outside the gates.
“Uncle, I have arrived.”
“Well, well. Who do we have here? When I heard Lu Bu had come to Pengcheng, I wondered who would volunteer to rush here. So it was you, Zayul?”
Cao Cao hurried over, grabbed both my hands tightly, and couldn’t stop laughing. Inside the tent, Cao Ren, Cheng Yu, and Dian Wei all welcomed me and invited me to sit.
“So, did anything happen on your way here?”
“I encountered a man named Zhang Wenyuan midway and crossed blades with him once.”
“As expected, it was that Zhang Liao fellow, wasn’t it?”
Cao Cao nodded after hearing the story. Looking at him, I asked the question that had been bothering me.
“Uncle, from what I heard, if Lu Bu appeared in either Pengcheng or Xiaopei, you would take the main force to the one without him.”
“That’s right.”
“Yet Lu Bu came to Pengcheng, and I never imagined your main army would be here.”
“Hmmm. Do you want to know why?”
“I truly don’t. What made you change your mind?”
Since I was genuinely curious, Cao Cao patted my shoulder and explained.
“I told Xun You that and truly intended to move accordingly. But intelligence flew in straight from Xuzhou.”
Cao Cao snapped his fingers, and Cheng Yu immediately approached with a bamboo slip.
“Read it.”
Chancellor, this is Chen Han Yu reporting from Xuzhou. Currently, after the campaign against Yuan Shu, Lu Bu’s army has seized the cities around Huiyin. However, their numbers have been greatly weakened by internal rebellion and the rebel forces from Mount Tai.
The leader of the Mount Tai faction is a man named Zhang Ba. He was originally Inspector Tao Qian’s Colonel of the Righteous and Loyal, but after Tao Qian’s death he became an independent warlord. He maintains a separate force from Lu Bu.
Although tensions between Zhang Ba and Lu Bu have grown severe, upon hearing that the Chancellor is attacking Xuzhou, they have formed a temporary alliance. However, their troops are far weaker than before. If you seize Xuzhou and strike Lu Bu now, this is the perfect opportunity.
It was a secret letter sent by Chen Gui—father of Chen Deng—acting as Cao Cao’s spy inside Xuzhou. After reading it, I understood why Cao Cao had rushed here.
“After seeing this, I came straight here to confirm it myself.”
“They said Lu Bu brought fifty thousand, but it seems he barely has thirty thousand at most.”
After hearing Cheng Yu’s explanation, everything clicked. Cao Cao had originally planned to strike Xiaopei first upon hearing Lu Bu was in Pengcheng. But the Chen father-and-son duo inside Xuzhou sent this secret letter revealing the true weakened state of Lu Bu’s forces. So Cao Cao immediately changed his plan and came here in person.
“Even in a game of Go, if you capture the king, it’s over. I thought this was the perfect chance.”
“Elder brother, but this is Lu Bu we’re talking about. No matter how greedy and stupid that wild boar is, his martial prowess is unmatched under heaven.”
“True. Even a tiger can be badly wounded if a mad boar charges. That’s why we need a hunter who can hold him down.”
Cao Cao nodded at Cao Ren’s words. No matter how much the soldiers’ morale had fallen, this was still Lu Bu.
“The good news is that we have already taken Pengcheng. Xu Huang and Yu Jin are inside the city holding Lu Bu in check, while our main force remains outside. We can coordinate a pincer attack.”
In other words, while someone charged Lu Bu head-on and tied down his main force, the rest would slaughter his surrounding troops and wear him down. It meant someone had to play matador against that insane boar and keep riding the rodeo.
“I will do it.”
“Zayul, you just fought Zhang Liao and your cavalry isn’t in perfect condition, are they?”
“On the contrary, fighting Zhang Liao let me gauge the rough strength of Lu Bu’s army. Besides, since we already hold Pengcheng, the generals and troops inside can open the gates at any time and strike Lu Bu from behind. Doesn’t that mean someone has to act as bait?”
Cao Cao nodded at my words.
“But this is Lu Bu. One mistake and you could die or be gravely wounded.”
“My lord, allow me to go instead. They say that bastard is the greatest under heaven. I’ve wanted to test myself against him for a long time.”
Dian Wei cracked his knuckles, looking restless with fighting spirit. But this was something I had to do myself.
“This is the perfect time to wash away the humiliation I suffered at Puyang.”
“You truly intend to step forward?”
“Isn’t this the surest way to conquer Xuzhou?”
I declared my resolve to Cao Cao, and he accepted it.
The next day.
“Cao Cao! You sly fox! You dare set foot in Xuzhou to target me?”
Lu Bu atop his red-maned horse looked as imposing as ever. He seemed ready to charge at any moment and turn our army into ashes, making everyone even more tense. From now on, I had to hold this madman in place while our forces raided his camps one by one and whittled down his numbers.
“You pathetic worms under Cao Cao! Who among you dares to swing a spear at me? None of you can, right? You’re all terrified of this Fengxian of Wuyuan. Hahahahaha!”
When he openly taunted us to send someone out if we had the guts, I gripped my spear tightly.
“Zayul, listen well. I will be watching from here. The moment the retreat horn sounds, you must immediately disengage from Lu Bu and return to the main camp.”
It meant stall for time against Lu Bu, but retreat the instant the horn blew.
“Understood, Uncle.”
“Then I must move to the flank.”
When Cao Ren stepped forward, I spoke to him.
“Uncle Zixiao, before arriving here I met Zhang Liao midway. He was leading three thousand cavalry. He could appear again at any moment to fight in Lu Bu’s place. Keep that in mind.”
“Mm, I heard that story yesterday as well. I understand perfectly.”
Cao Ren set out to attack Lu Bu’s camps one by one while keeping an eye out for the unpredictable Zhang Liao.
“Young Master Zayul, I wish you good fortune. If you feel yourself being pushed back, this humble one will immediately rush out to assist.”
Dian Wei still burned with the desire to fight Lu Bu himself. With that, I led the reorganized three thousand cavalry and prepared to charge toward Lu Bu and his massive army.
“Lu Bu! You stupid boar! Even after the situation has come to this, you still only know how to bark loudly!”
“Who is that fellow over there?”
“I am Cao Xiu of Qiao County in Pei Kingdom! The one who cut off your topknot at Puyang that day!”
“So it’s you. One of Cao Cao’s brats. I showed you mercy when you came as an imperial envoy, yet here you are, rushing to your death!”
Both Guan Yu and Lu Bu had the same absolute confidence in their strength, the attitude of “You dare fight me? Do you want to die?” And in Lu Bu’s case, it wasn’t mere bravado—he truly was that strong.
“You slave who used the surname Lu in Bingzhou, Zheng in Luoyang, and Dong in Chang’an! Today it won’t be just your topknot—your real head will fly!”
At that moment, Lu Bu charged first, leading his cavalry.
“You son of a bitch! I’ll cut off your head and rip out that tongue of yours first!”
“Looks like I struck a nerve!”
The phrase “slave with three surnames” must have been incredibly insulting, because Lu Bu charged ahead. My heart pounded wildly, a chill ran down my spine, and my mind crackled like electricity. I had to face the legendary Lu Bu charging straight at me on horseback.
“Charge!”
Instead of waiting, I spurred my horse forward from the army and met Lu Bu head-on with my spear raised.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
From that single exchange alone, I understood.
This truly was the unmatched Lu Bu among men.