Seowon Subdues with Martial Might, Yuan Shu Wins with Virtue
Jing County. The air drifting over the walls abandoned by Liu Yao felt like that of a massive tomb. Yet within that silent grave lurked a fierce beast, still baring its fangs and growling defiantly.
Yuan Shu's main camp. Sun Ce slapped his thigh in frustration.
"Brother! How long are we just gonna sit here on our asses watching? That mud wall? Put me at the front, and I'll take it in half a day. Grab that guy by the collar and drag him back—easy!"
"Nephew. Breaking the castle by force is child's play. But if we do that, we'll just end up with Taesa Ja's corpse. Put yourself in his shoes. If someone crushed you with brute strength and forced you to your knees, would you just bow and say, 'Yes, my lord'?"
"Pfft, nonsense. I'd bite my tongue and die first."
"Taesa Ja's the same."
"Then half-kill him till he passes out so he can't even do that!"
I shook my head and pointed at the map.
"Taesa Ja isn't fighting to survive right now. He's looking for his grave."
I picked up my brush and traced the terrain around Jing County.
"Abandoned by Liu Yao, he has no attachment to life. As a general, he's seeking the most glorious way to go down in flames. If you charge in, he'll take you with him in a suicide attack or slit his own throat. That's his idea of a martyr's path."
"So what, then? Just sit here sucking our thumbs?"
At that moment, Zhou Yu, who had been fanning himself idly, chimed in with interest.
"Hmm... To lure a beast from its den, you smoke it out. What if we surround the castle but leave the east gate open? The strategy of wei shi bi que—leave a gap in the siege. Open the rat hole, and won't it try to flee?"
Zhou Yu's suggestion was straight out of the classics. But I shook my head.
"No. Gongjin, that works on someone who wants to live. Taesa Ja has no intention of running."
"Then does General Seowon have another plan?"
Zhou Yu's eyes sparkled. Even the genius strategist had missed it. I pierced the essence of the man called Taesa Ja.
"Change the bait. Not his life, but his sense of righteousness."
I grinned and pointed outside the tent, toward the dark forest.
"He's a chivalrous rogue. He can't stand injustice, holds protecting the weak as his creed. Even after Liu Yao abandoned him, he hasn't surrendered because of the soldiers and people who still believe in and follow him."
I looked back and forth between Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, declaring firmly.
"Tonight, let's put on a very provocative play."
That night, outside Jing County. At the hour when pitch-black darkness had fallen.
"Fire! Fire!"
"Bandits are attacking!"
"Aigoo, please spare my child!"
Screams tore through the air as crimson flames erupted from villages outside the walls. Gongs and drums clamored wildly against the night sky.
Taesa Ja, dozing on the ramparts, bolted upright.
"What's happening?!"
"General! Bandits seem to have hit the villages outside! Taking advantage of our army's chaos to loot!"
At his adjutant's urgent report, Taesa Ja peered down from the walls. In the darkness, countless torches swept through the villages. Women's screams and children's wails rode the wind, pounding his eardrums vividly.
"Those damn scoundrels of this world...!"
Taesa Ja's fists trembled. He was a brave warrior with keen intellect too. He instinctively sensed something unnatural.
"Bandits in these times? Too convenient. Could be a trap to lure us out."
"Th-then shall we close the gates and hold?"
Taesa Ja bit his lip at his adjutant's words. The trap reeked. But the child's cry echoing in his ears held him back.
If it's a trap, I die alone. But... if those are real cries of the people, how can I bolt the gates and save only myself?
That was how Taesa Ja lived. He donned his helmet and gripped his spear tightly.
"The whole army marches out! Even if it costs my life, I'll save the people!"
Kiiiek— With the screech of metal, the firmly shut gates creaked open. It was a tragic roar of a starving beast, knowing it was a trap yet unable to resist the bait.
"The gates are open! Taesa Ja's forces are coming out!"
A scout in ambush reported hurriedly. Hidden in the dark forest, I smiled with satisfaction.
"As expected, his chivalry is unmatched under heaven."
The village commotion was, of course, a show staged by our own troops. Fires lit only in empty houses, screams from our loudest soldiers. Zhou Yu looked at me with admiring eyes.
"Using the enemy's character against him to draw him into the jaws of death... General Seowon's insight amazes me once more."
"Too early to be impressed. The real show's just starting. All troops, ready your tools!"
At my signal, the soldiers swapped weapons. No spears or swords—instead, nets, ropes, and clubs.
"Now! Cut off their retreat!"
Waaaaah—! Torches flared everywhere, banishing the darkness. Taesa Ja's army was encircled in an instant.
"Trap! It's the enemy's ploy!"
His adjutant screamed. But Taesa Ja didn't panic. As if he'd expected it, he readjusted his grip on his spear.
"No matter! I came out prepared to die! I'll take the enemy commander's head as my companion to the afterlife!"
Taesa Ja spurred his horse without hesitation, charging straight into the enemy ranks.
"I am Taesa Ja of Donglai! Come at me!"
His momentum was worthy of one against a thousand. Each swing of his spear sent our soldiers flying like autumn leaves in a gale. It was like a black storm raging.
But soon, Taesa Ja sensed something off. The enemy charged without killing intent. They wielded hooked poles, nets, and ropes—no blades or spears.
"Wh-what is this?! Fight with swords! Thrust with spears!"
Taesa Ja bellowed, but Yuan Shu's soldiers silently pressed with shields. Sweat beaded on their faces.
"General Seowon's strict orders! Don't harm a hair on his head!"
"Capture Taesa Ja alive! Trip his legs!"
I watched the battlefield, biting my lip. My command was absolute.
If he dies, the plan fails! Punish severely anyone who wounds him. Capture alive only.
To the soldiers, my order weighed heavier than the enemy's blade. Tame a raging tiger without pulling its claws? This wasn't war—it was life-risking acrobatics.
"Argh! Are you humiliating me?!"
Taesa Ja raged. Treated not as a warrior, but prey. As he swung his spear shaft to shove soldiers aside and break the encirclement—
Whip—thwack! A net flew from somewhere, tangling his spear tip. Taesa Ja tore it apart with a roar of disbelief.
"You rat bastards! Is there no real man here to cross blades fairly?!"
Then. A calm voice from the darkness silenced the battlefield's din.
"Stand down."
At Seowon's command, the troops parted like the Red Sea. Through the gap rode a general slowly on his steed.
Standing eight chi tall, his face chiseled like white jade, exuding uncommon elegance. Heavy black iron armor bore the dignity of countless battles, yet even that crude plating couldn't hide his heroic bearing. His piercing eyes under thick brows shone like stars in the night sky, marking him as extraordinary amid the dust.
It was Seowon.
His shout pierced the chaos like thunder.
"Seowon! At last we meet again!"
Taesa Ja, fierce general of Donglai. But his roar carried unspoken resolve and raw fury unlike before. A last desperate stand from a general abandoned by his lord.
"Ziyi. Been well?"
"Don't wag your tongue! I've resolved to make this my grave today—your head will join me in the underworld!"
Taesa Ja had nowhere left to go. His loyal lord had betrayed him out of jealousy; only his warrior's pride remained. His first clash with Seowon was a lifelong grudge. They'd been evenly matched then, but he'd yielded by a hair.
That day, I was just low on stamina. With this honed spear art, I'll crush him today!
Taesa Ja spurred forward. His charge like a storm, yet somehow precarious. More sorrow and haste than killing intent tipped his spear.
Seowon deflected the fierce thrust with a casual wrist flick.
"Your skill's improved. But—"
Clang—!
"Still a long way."
Seowon didn't swing wide. Just a light tap on the shaft.
"Urk?!"
Taesa Ja's eyes widened in shock. The clash sent a Mount Tai-crushing recoil through his palms.
One exchange. In that instant, indescribable chaos engulfed him.
Impossible! Such monstrous strength!
Last time, they'd traded over a hundred passes, close enough to graze sleeves. Was Seowon holding back then, or exhausted? Taesa Ja's mind reeled.
As the rattled Taesa Ja tried to regrip—Seowon's spear slithered like a snake into his gap.
Swoosh—thud!
"Gah!"
The shaft—not the blade—smashed his side. Bone-crushing pain buckled his torso.
"The spear of a man resolved to die feels so light. Blinded by resentment at your lord's betrayal, you've lost the essence of martial arts!"
"Th-this can't...!"
Taesa Ja gnashed his teeth, swinging wildly. Pride wouldn't allow defeat. He was Taesa Ja, proud of Jiangdong's finest prowess. He couldn't fall so pathetically.
"Raaah!"
Storm-like barrage. Seowon deflected all with minimal motion. Sparks flew on clashing metal, but not a thread of his garb was touched.
It doesn't reach. Heart already lost, how could the tip?
Taesa Ja's face ashen. Seowon handled him like a teacher with a child, utterly composed.
"Dismount now."
Seowon swung wide, sending Taesa Ja's weapon flying. Exposed, his chest gaped. In that moment, Seowon discarded his spear, launching from horseback to shoulder-tackle Taesa Ja's chest.
Boom—!
With a cry, Taesa Ja flew from his horse, crashing to the dirt. Dust billowed; silence fell.
Seowon pinned his chest with a boot.
"Ugh...!"
"Last time was entertaining, but today? Such pitiful spearwork."
Seowon's indifferent rebuke shook Taesa Ja's eyes. That equal bout was mere pastime to him. Indescribable misery hit.
"Now! Bind him!"
Soldiers rushed, roping Taesa Ja tight. Drained of resistance, he stared vacantly at the sky.
"Why... why so...?"
More despair than rage as he gazed at Seowon. Realizing he was just an abandoned general.
Seowon raised the fallen spear high.
"Enemy general Taesa Ja captured alive! Those who resist die; surrender and live—drop your weapons now!"
His command echoed thunderously.
In Yuan Shu's main camp tent. Taesa Ja, bound head to toe, knelt. Dirt-streaked, he glared, grinding his teeth.
"Cowards... Is this how you treat a general?! Kill me! Cut off my head!"
His shout brimmed with fury and shame. Dying in battle was honor; hunted like game, pure humiliation.
Sun Ce brushed dirt off beside him, fuming.
"Damn, look at those muscles. Brother, just give him to me. I'll—"
"Nephew, step out."
"Huh?"
"Private talk."
I dismissed Sun Ce and the soldiers. Only Taesa Ja's ragged breaths and I remained.
I approached slowly, kneeling to meet his eyes.
"Taesa Ja. I didn't mean to shame you."
"Shut it! Lured me with tricks, ganged up to humiliate—excuses?!"
"Tricks... If you weren't righteous, would my ploy have worked?"
Taesa Ja faltered.
"You opened the gates not from vanity, but couldn't ignore the people's cries—that righteousness. I coveted that alone."
"..."
I leaned closer, staring into his shaken eyes.
"A true man born to this world must wield a seven-span sword and ascend the emperor's steps, no?"
"...!"
Taesa Ja's pupils dilated. His hidden ambition, unspoken lifelong wish—read like an open book.
"Dying's easy. One slash, done. But Taesa Ja, die pointlessly here, what of your loyal soldiers? Think Liu Yao will protect them? Or greedy officials too busy grabbing loot?"
My words stabbed true. Self-loathing from abandonment, guilt over unprotected men, shattered dreams. He bowed his head.
But pride held him.
"So... become Yuan Shu's dog?"
He spat blood-flecked saliva, growling.
"Yuan Shu has fame but greed and lacks resources. Better a clean ghost than glory under him."
Tough nut. Even betrayed, swayed by Yuan Shu's ill repute.
Hearing's no match for seeing. Show, don't tell.
I smiled wryly, standing.
"Fine. See for yourself and decide."
I pulled back the tent flap. Thick darkness outside.
"Come. Something to show."
I hauled the bound Taesa Ja out, leading to a quiet hill behind the castle. A fresh grave stood there. Before it, a silk-robed man squatted.
Yuan Shu. Pouring wine on the mound, muttering incoherently.
"...?"
Taesa Ja's eyes widened. The mighty Yuan Shu, no guards, pathetically at a grave—surreal.
"Know whose tomb?" I asked softly.
"Han Gyu, the old vassal who became a martyr for our war's cause, slain by Liu Yao."
"Han Gyu... the envoy Liu Yao beheaded and returned?"
Taesa Ja's eyes shook. His lord Liu Yao beheading enemy envoys; enemy lord Yuan Shu digging a grave with his own hands. Stark contrast struck.
"Yes. Our lord... dug the earth himself with a shovel for this vassal who died by his command. Retrieved the body, washed and salted it, piled the mound. All alone, no help."
"Old man. Read history books today too? The ones you said lords must read... Spring and Autumn Annals, right?"
Yuan Shu slurred drunkenly, tilting his bottle.
"Didn't get a damn thing. Shit... Need you nagging beside me to learn. Alone, I'm blind as a bat. So get up and teach me... No more slacking, I'll study hard. Huh? Old man..."
Yuan Shu pressed his forehead to the stone, sobbing. No trace of the ambitious world-conqueror. Just a late-bloomer fool clinging to his departed mentor.
"Liu Yao fled, abandoning you to save his skin and treasures."
I whispered in Taesa Ja's ear.
"But Lord Yuan... might crave honey water and have a foul temper, but he doesn't abandon his own. How many lords dig all night for a dead retainer?"
Taesa Ja's eyes quivered violently. Unthinkable sight. The greedy Yuan Shu's raw, grotesque sincerity—opposite Liu Yao's slick villainy.
The lord who abandoned me... the lord weeping for his dead vassal...
Cracks formed in Taesa Ja's iron walls—ones logic couldn't breach. Yuan Shu was crumbling them.
Then Yuan Shu sensed us, turning. Dirt-smeared face streaked with tears and snot. He wiped with silk sleeve.
"Oh? Seowon?"
His hollow eyes scanned bound Taesa Ja.
"What's with the rope mummy? Ah, the Taesa Ja you mentioned?"
Yuan Shu staggered over, reeking of booze. Nose-to-nose, he stared, then blurted,
"Hey."
"..."
"You eaten?"
"...Ha?"
Taesa Ja gaped, dumbfounded. First words to a captive enemy general: food?
"Chased bandits, huh? Must be starving."
Yuan Shu rummaged, pulling a dirt-specked, dried jerky chunk—leftovers from the offering.
"Eat. Blessed by old Han Gyu—good fortune meat."
He forced it into Taesa Ja's bound hands.
"Eat up, get strong. Let's conquer the world together. You fight well, right? Join family, won't let you starve. And..."
Yuan Shu grinned, teeth flashing white.
"If you die, I'll bury you myself. Promise."
Crude, ignorant—yet hotter than any eloquence. Taesa Ja stared at the dirtied meat. Overlaid Liu Yao's fleeing back with Yuan Shu's grimy smile.
A swift steed runs for the one who knows its worth. Liu Yao treated him like a cart horse; this filthy lord offered family.
Plop. A fat tear dropped, wetting the jerky.
Slowly, very slowly, Taesa Ja knelt. Willingly this time.
"...Taesa Ja, Ziyi. Defeated general... greets my lord."
He bowed deeply. Rising, his eyes burned with fierce resolve.
"But one promise."
"What?"
Yuan Shu sniffed.
"If you ever abandon the people like Liu Yao... my spear turns on you first. Want me? Swear never to forsake them."
Unthinkable for a surrendering general. Blasphemy warranting death.
Seowon's face hardened. But Yuan Shu stared blankly, then burst into booming laughter.
"Hahaha! Yes! Deal!"
He slapped Taesa Ja's shoulder with filthy hands.
"Abandon people, die by your hand! But cherish them, you swing that spear by my side forever. Fair?"
"...!"
Taesa Ja's eyes widened, then filled with profound conviction.
"You swore it, my lord."
Maling, Liu Yao's base, fell into Yuan Shu's hands. Word spread like silk road—from Chang'an to Hebei, northward.
In Ye City's inner courtyard, Yuan Shao clutched a document with trembling hands.
"Gonglu... that bastard drove out Liu Yao and swallowed all Jiangdong."
His lifelong composure cracked. He crumpled the letter in denial, but boiling jealousy and unease churned uncontrollably. The inferior brother now threatening his shadow—panic and rage swirled.
Meanwhile, under Xu Chang's candlelight, Cao Cao pored over strategies laced with doubt and wonder.
"Killed Huang Zu, sank Liu Yao with Jiangdong's rivers and terrain... too fast."
One scene haunted him: Yuan Shu's cavalry trampling walls, banners falling with his power, wealth, name.
The vivid vision burned brighter than the flame. That night, sleep evaded him.