No Requiem for Heroes
A full moon rose over Gwangneung Castle. The battlefield, filled with the stench of blood and screams during the day, now echoed only with the crackle of torches and the weary breaths of soldiers. It was victory. A miraculous triumph that overturned overwhelming odds.
In the grand hall of the government office, a modest victory banquet was underway. It wasn't a lavish feast, but the relief of survival was the finest accompaniment.
"General Seowon, take this cup."
Qi Ling struggled to lift the wine jug with his bandaged arm. Normally, he would have tilted his chin arrogantly as Yuan Shu's Chief General, but now his eyes held genuine respect mingled with a hint of shame.
"If it weren't for you... Just thinking about it chills me. Those arrows raining from atop that monster-like siege tower. I've never seen a siege like that in my life."
"We were lucky, General Qi Ling." I humbly drained my cup. But inwardly, I let out a sigh of relief. Taesa Ja's martial prowess was beyond imagination in actual combat. If my sword hadn't been superior, or if I'd been the one defending the walls, I might have been the one defeated.
"Our lord will be pleased too. Thanks to you holding Gwangneung, the supply lines to Ye Province and Yang Province are secure."
The surrounding officers chattered boisterously, livening the mood. I toyed with my wine cup. With Taesa Ja repelled, Liu Biao would cower for a while. Now remained consolidating internal affairs, recruiting Lu Su... and curbing Yuan Shu's impulses while building our forces. Everything was proceeding according to plan. At this rate, I could solidify my foundation amid the chaos of the era.
But chaos always bares its fangs without warning, at the cruelest timing.
"Disaster! Make way! I must see General Seowon at once!"
Chaos erupted outside the hall. The guards' shouts and desperate cries intertwined as they crossed spears to block the intruder.
"What's the commotion? We're celebrating our victory!"
Qi Ling shot to his feet and bellowed. Then the hall's doors burst open, and a mud-caked man tumbled in like he was rolling. His appearance was wretched. His armor was torn, and a clear arrow graze scarred his back. Most striking was the red turban on his head.
"A strategist from Jiangdong...?"
The room buzzed. He wasn't in Yuan Shu army uniform. It was Sun Jian's insignia. I sprang up. A chill premonition slithered down my spine.
"You're... Huang Zu's adjutant, aren't you?"
I recognized him. We'd met a few times during the alliance with Sun Jian. Spotting me, he slammed his forehead against the floor and wailed.
"General Seowon...! Please, save our lord! I beg you!"
The air in the hall froze instantly. The wine haze vanished. I leaned forward, gripping the table.
"Calm down and speak clearly! What happened to General Sun Jian?!"
"It's Liu Biao... The Inspector of Jing Province broke the alliance and blocked our retreat!"
The messenger swallowed blood-tinged saliva and continued.
"Our lord became a target for Yuan Shao and Liu Biao. That bastard Huang Zu sealed the entrance to the Yangtze, desecrated our late lord's remains to provoke him, and in rage..."
"He fell for the petty trick and pursued Huang Zu."
I murmured, and the messenger nodded in surprise.
"Yes... Huang Zu feigned defeat and lured our lord into the narrow ravine at Xian Hill. And there... tens of thousands of ambushers lay in wait."
Gangha, and Xian Hill. A page from history flashed in my mind. Early in the Three Kingdoms, where Jiangdong's tiger, Sun Jian, met his futile end. The site of tragedy where rocks and arrows fell like rain, and the hero of the realm had his skull crushed.
"How long has it been since they were surrounded?"
"It's been exactly two days since I risked my life to break through the encirclement. By then, the main force was on the brink of annihilation, and our lord was shielding the soldiers from behind a rock, struck by five arrows!"
Two days. It might already be too late. No, if history followed the chronicles, Sun Jian was already dead. The messenger clutched my trouser leg and sobbed.
"Our lord... has a final message."
"What is it?"
"He said to entrust the Sun clan to you."
His eyes widened. I bit my lip. That bold, reckless hero had thought of me on death's door.
"'Go to Seowon. He'll save my son Sun Ce and Jiangdong's children. Leave him a debt, and tell him to repay it one day.'"
It was his last will. Entrusting his remaining children and retainers to me, even at the cost of his life—the heaviest of farewells. The hall fell silent. The generals eyed each other warily.
"Xian Hill at Gangha... How far is that from here?"
"Even riding nonstop without changing horses, it's five full days."
"And the enemy is Liu Biao's main army and Huang Zu's forces. At least 30,000 to 40,000 strong. Even combining Gwangneung's garrison, we have fewer than 10,000 we can mobilize immediately."
The advisors' analysis was cold. Physical distance, overwhelming numerical disparity, and the already delayed time. Every factor screamed 'impossible.'
"General Seowon."
Qi Ling spoke heavily.
"It sounds harsh, but we must abandon them. Even if we leave now, we'll arrive to collect corpses. If we even find those. And moving troops without our lord's permission could bring reprimands later."
Qi Ling was right. It was the rational choice. With Sun Jian dead, his faction would crumble, and history would naturally bring Sun Ce under Yuan Shu as planned. I could feign grief here and scheme for the future.
But.
A heat surged in my chest.
Let it follow history? Then why was I dropped into this era?
What if I saved Sun Jian? If I revived Jiangdong's fierce tiger, indebted to me for his life?
It wasn't just saving one general. It would turn Jiangdong—a massive shield and spear—against Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in the future. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, those prodigies, as my allies. An opportunity no amount of gold could buy.
Above all, abandoning the man who staked his final hope on me wasn't Seowon's way.
I closed my eyes, deep in thought. When I opened them, hesitation was gone.
"General Qi Ling."
"Speak."
"I entrust Gwangneung's defense and cleanup to you. Taesa Ja's momentum is broken; he won't return soon. I'll send a letter to Lord Yuan Shu myself."
Qi Ling's face hardened.
"No, General Seowon. You're not thinking of going yourself? Assembling the main force would take time..."
"Not the main force."
I looked to Ju Chang, my loyal bodyguard and adjutant standing in the hall's corner. His steadfast gaze was already resolute. He'd read my intent.
"Ju Chang."
"Yes, General!"
"Select 1,000 light cavalry. The fastest and nimblest only. We depart in one ke."
"O-One thousand?!"
Qi Ling leaped up. A wine cup shattered on the floor.
"Are you mad? Huang Zu has tens of thousands! Breaking that encirclement with a mere thousand? We'd need 5,000 at least!"
The other generals gasped in shock, murmuring. Charging a mere thousand into tens of thousands was like shoving your head into a tiger's maw.
But I spoke calmly and firmly.
"Five thousand would be too slow. A large army would alert Huang Zu, tightening the noose. We must strike their flank faster than the wind."
I stared straight at Qi Ling.
"And a thousand is enough. Better a thousand resolved to die than ten thousand half-hearted. Our goal isn't victory in battle. It's piercing their weak point to extract General Sun Jian. For that 'variable,' a sharp awl of a thousand suffices."
I helped the messenger to his feet.
"Rise. Your lord awaits."
"General... you're really going...?"
Tears streamed from the messenger's eyes.
"Yes. If our positions were reversed, Sun Jian would march for me. That's enough! Ju Chang! Lightest weapons, breastplates only. Water for the horses. From now to Gangha, nonstop."
"Understood! This Ju Chang will follow you to the ends of hell!"
Ju Chang's booming reply shook the hall. The night air was cold, but the drill ground burned hot. The selected 1,000 elite cavalry— the swiftest and toughest from the Yuan Shu army that felled Hua Xiong and repelled Taesa Ja. I'd worried about morale, but their eyes already gleamed with killing intent. Horses snorted white foam, stamping hooves. Saddles bore only minimal rations, water, spears, and quivers. The thousand cavalry's aura was as sharp as tens of thousands.
I mounted my white steed and looked down at the soldiers. In the darkness, a thousand riders stood arrayed. Their gazes burned hotter than the torches.
I slowly drew my sword, pointing it south into the night sky.
"Listen."
My low, chilling voice sliced the drill ground's silence. A thousand eyes fixed on my lips.
"From now, no sleep. Eat and shit from horseback. If horses fall, run on foot."
The soldiers didn't stir. Their silence was resolve unto death, not assent.
"Our destination is a deathtrap. Tens of thousands wait like demons with jaws agape. No guarantee of return."
I paused, scanning them. Then, in a lower, heavier growl:
"But remember. Southward now, the realm's hero Sun Jian bleeds. Trapped by the cowardly schemes of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, who fear fair fights!"
I gripped my sword tighter.
"Who shed blood first for us? Who led the charge, beheading foes? Sun Jian!"
My voice rose, resounding across the ground.
"Sun Jian's death is our Yuan Shu army's 'tomorrow' dying!"
"If Jiangdong's fierce tiger falls, their blades turn on us next. His fall shatters our shield, snaps our spear!"
Bloodshot eyes glared among the soldiers. I bellowed my finale:
"Shall we let the tiger be torn by mere hounds? We're not going to die today. We're going to save a dying history!"
"Cling to life, and die. Embrace death, and victory is certain! All troops, follow me!"
"Waaaaah!"
Not a thousand men's roar, but a thousand beasts' howl shook Gwangneung's night sky. Fear vanished. Only advance remained. Soldiers clashed swords on scabbards in reply. Clang, clang. A thousand metallic heartbeats thundered.
By the gates, Qi Ling stood grim-faced to see me off. He approached, grasping my reins.
"Seowon."
He called my name, not my title, for the first time.
"Come back alive. I still owe you debts. And... if you break through tens of thousands with a thousand, I'll call you brother for life."
"Haha, don't forget that promise. I want to hear it once."
I grinned. Qi Ling sighed, unfastening a dagger from his belt and handing it over.
"A family heirloom. Take it as a talisman."
"Gratefully."
I pocketed it and yanked the reins.
"Open the gates!"
Creak—the heavy gates parted, revealing endless darkness. Southwest, Gangha. There, Sun Jian battled death.
"Ride! Full gallop!"
Thud thud thud! A thousand hooves thundered like lightning, kicking up dust to veil the sky. We plunged into the night. Wind lashed my face.
Hold on, General Sun Jian.
I spurred my horse harder.
I'm not ready to let you go yet.
The reaper gripping Sun Jian's lifeline raced ahead. I cracked the whip fiercer. In this race, defeat was unthinkable.