Winds Blowing in Xuzhou
It was spring. Tender green buds had sprouted along the mountain ridges, and nameless flowers occasionally bloomed across the distant fields. Yet none of that spring vitality reached the lands of Xuzhou. The winds remained brutal, and the ruined civilian homes lay collapsed like dead beasts. Fallen thatched roofs. Charred wooden palisades. Severed heads hung grimly along the roadsides. The stench of death still clung heavily to everything here.
Seated atop his horse and gazing down at Xuzhou’s vast plains, Do Gyeom let out a quiet sigh.
“Xuzhou…” he muttered under his breath.
Jo Pyo, riding beside him, nodded and reported, “Yellow Turban remnants, bandit groups, and foreign tribes are still running rampant across the commanderies and counties. We have not yet established exact numbers.”
“Not a single intact region, then.”
“Correct, my lord.”
Jo Pyo’s answer was concise. They had assessed the situation the moment they arrived in Xuzhou, but the province was already half-destroyed. The Inspector of Xuzhou had abandoned proper governance, squeezing taxes from the people to bribe the Emperor and the eunuchs. The official troops meant to defend the province existed only on paper; in reality, they were nowhere to be found. With politics in shambles, starving civilians had begun joining the looting, and chaos spread like wildfire.
Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Xuzhou’s wealth had allowed it to endure. But that balance had collapsed long ago with the uprising.
“Danyang Soldiers,” Do Gyeom ordered curtly.
Thick forearms and savage breathing. They were like wild stallions, more than enough to inspire fear in those around them. Yet at a single word from their master, they instantly reined in their killing intent. One thousand Danyang Soldiers—fierce, arrogant, hellish to their enemies, and unflinchingly loyal to their lord.
Do Gyeom slowly urged his horse toward the commanderies and counties of Xuzhou.
“Our task is simple,” he murmured. “Sweep away the Yellow Turban remnants, execute the bandits, and exterminate the foreign tribes.”
Jo Pyo bowed his head as he followed behind. “I shall carry out your command, my lord.”
Do Gyeom and his thousand Danyang Soldiers advanced into Xuzhou’s territories. He passed silently between burned gatehouses and leaning thatched huts. This land had already been written off in the official records. The few survivors had either fled deep into the mountains or been dragged off by bandits and reduced to slavery. The villages stood empty. There were no sounds of chickens or barking dogs—only the wind knocking over broken palisades.
“……Is this what spring looks like?” Do Gyeom muttered heavily.
A spring breeze brushed his cheek. It should have been a warm season, yet Xuzhou felt only cold.
Jo Pyo spoke in a low voice. “Some merchant caravans have begun moving toward the Taishan region.”
“Taishan?”
“Yes. It seems they would rather pay tolls to the bandits than risk unsafe roads.”
Do Gyeom fell into brief thought. Taishan. A region belonging to Yanzhou. Currently under the control of the Black Mountain bandits—led by a man named Jang Yeon.
“……So those bastards have been collecting tolls.”
“Correct. They are using the chaos as an opportunity to control the merchant routes and reap the profits.”
Do Gyeom exhaled sharply. Stabilizing Xuzhou alone was already overwhelming; he had no leisure to concern himself with Yanzhou.
“For now, stabilizing Xuzhou comes first.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
Jo Pyo bowed his head. Do Gyeom gazed out at the distant plains. At the edge of his vision, he could still see the charred remains of a small village. Walls that had collapsed who-knew-when. Traces of where starving children had once screamed… The old general’s soul, tempered by years of suppressing the Qiang tribes on the Yangzhou border to protect the Han frontiers, began to burn once more.
“Begin the suppression,” he said, turning his head. “It doesn’t matter whether they are Yellow Turbans, bandits, or foreign tribes.”
Do Gyeom’s eyes were icy.
“Having received the court’s decree to pacify Xuzhou, I will not retreat.”
The wind howled fiercely. The thousand Danyang Soldiers trampled the dead fields as they advanced toward the enemy. Though it was spring, the earth remained parched. Over the broken villages and devastated plains, the passing wind stirred clouds of dust.
Do Gyeom quietly adjusted his reins. Before his eyes, Yellow Turban remnants and bandits were tangled together. Some clutched old spears, while others hid behind collapsed walls, gasping for breath.
“Like frightened beasts,” Do Gyeom remarked calmly.
They were once remnants of the Yellow Turbans who had shaken the empire. Now they were nothing but prey waiting to be crushed.
Jo Pyo spoke softly beside him. “The enemy numbers fewer than five hundred. Half are bandits, the rest Yellow Turban remnants.”
“That is more than enough.” Do Gyeom issued his orders dispassionately. “Split the Danyang Soldiers into two wings. Jo Pyo, you will lead the left wing. I will personally command the right.”
“I shall carry out your command, my lord.”
Do Gyeom stepped forward before the Danyang Soldiers. Their fierce eyes gleamed as they surrounded him—rough and merciless, yet utterly obedient to his commands.
“The enemy is exhausted. They have no will left to fight,” Do Gyeom’s voice was low, yet it rang clearly across the ranks. “We will not leave a single one of these vermin alive.”
The Danyang Soldiers bared their teeth in smiles. The smiles of beasts before a hunt.
Mounting his horse, Do Gyeom shouted one final command.
“Charge! Do not leave a single one alive!!”
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud!
The thousand Danyang Soldiers surged forward as one. The Yellow Turban remnants and bandits plundering Xuzhou screamed and scattered the moment they saw the advance. A few tried to resist with their spears, but the Danyang Soldiers swallowed them like a crashing wave.
The clash of metal. The snap of breaking bones. Short, final screams followed.
Do Gyeom drew his sword at the head of the right wing. With a single swing that belied his age, an enemy’s head flew off, spraying crimson blood across the air.
“Don’t let them escape! Kill them all!” he roared as he cut down the foe before him.
The Danyang Soldiers split left and right, forming an encirclement. Jo Pyo’s left wing wrapped around the enemy while Do Gyeom’s right wing pierced their formation like a spear. Some Yellow Turban remnants desperately tried to build a defensive line, but it crumbled like a sandcastle before the Danyang Soldiers’ charge.
Swords decapitated. Hammers crushed skulls. Do Gyeom did not miss any opportunity. He poured out attack orders without giving the enemy room to breathe.
“Left wing, advance! Right wing, sever the enemy’s waist!”
The Danyang Soldiers moved like machines. Jo Pyo’s left wing, which had been maintaining the encirclement, charged forward. Do Gyeom’s right wing tore through the enemy lines and completed the full encirclement.
“Move faster!” Do Gyeom had no intention of dragging this out. The Danyang Soldiers had been forged in bloody battles against the Qiang cavalry on the Yangzhou border. They never let fleeing enemies escape.
The Yellow Turban remnants and bandit groups were already on the verge of collapse. Brief resistance, futile struggles, and merciless suppression. From the front, Do Gyeom shattered their formation and looked down at the battlefield with cold eyes.
“Left wing, press the enemy forward! Right wing, cut down every single one who tries to flee!”
Do Gyeom’s commands were concise. The left wing under Jo Pyo drove into the enemy’s exposed flank and swept away the rest. The right wing, having already pierced the center, beheaded those attempting to break through the encirclement.
Trapped by the Danyang Soldiers, the enemy began collapsing rapidly. There was no path of escape. Some Yellow Turban remnants desperately raised their spears, only to be crushed beneath the soldiers’ blades and shields.
The sound of spears piercing flesh. Heads exploding against shields. Jaws shattered by hammers. Do Gyeom watched the vermin fall with bated breath. The heavy thud of boots on earth. The cold clash of metal. The short death cries. Everything was rushing toward a single conclusion called death.
“Leave none alive!” Do Gyeom shouted mercilessly.
Both wings closed in at once. The Yellow Turbans and bandits shoved each other in their panic to flee, but the encirclement tightened around them like a giant, cruel hand.
“Spare us!”
“We surrender!”
Even their screams begging to become prisoners held no meaning before the sword tips. The Danyang Soldiers did not kill indiscriminately without orders. Yet any who resisted, held weapons in their hands, or showed even the slightest defiance in their eyes were slain without hesitation.
The sword flashed. Blood dyed the desolate earth crimson.
The battle was over. Xuzhou’s winds swept away the bloody mist. Only fallen corpses and kneeling prisoners remained on the field.
“Bind them all,” Do Gyeom ordered Jo Pyo.
Jo Pyo gave a short nod and moved to carry it out. The surviving prisoners trembled, bound with ropes. Pale faces. Split lips. Bodies caked in dirt and blood. Do Gyeom slowly surveyed them.
“You will now stake your lives on telling the truth.” His voice rang coldly. “Where you committed your crimes, whom you followed, what you targeted… If even one of you lies, I will have your head.”
The prisoners hung their heads. Some wept. Others squeezed their eyes shut.
Do Gyeom turned to Jo Pyo. “Investigate everything thoroughly. There are surely more groups behind these men.”
“I will keep it in mind, my lord.”
Jo Pyo adjusted his helmet and approached the prisoners. A blood-red evening glow stretched long across Xuzhou’s plains. And Do Gyeom’s war had only just begun.
Darkness had fallen over Xuzhou’s plains. Once the bloody dust settled, the prisoners were dragged forward and forced to their knees before Do Gyeom.
“Reporting, my lord.” Jo Pyo bowed his head quietly behind the kneeling prisoners. “One hundred and fifteen prisoners in total. Thirty are Yellow Turban remnants. The rest are all from bandit groups.”
Do Gyeom looked down at the prisoners in silence. Men bound in iron shackles. Swollen eyes. Torn lips. The faces of those who had survived in the most pathetic way possible.
“Begin the interrogation.”
At the short command, Jo Pyo nodded and called over one of his subordinates. The first prisoner was soon dragged forward.
“…Mercy… please show mercy!” The bloodied man slammed his head against the ground, wailing. But Do Gyeom did not move a muscle.
“Speak.” Do Gyeom tapped his fingers. “Whose orders did you follow? What did you plunder? Where is the rest of your group?”
The questions were simple. There was no choice. Lie and die. Tell the truth and your chance of survival was still only fifty percent.
“……W-we…!” The man’s eyes bulged. “We were led by a man named Jang Woo! He was originally a Yellow Turban remnant!”
Jo Pyo scribbled briefly behind him.
“Main base?”
“…South, in Wu County of Pengcheng Kingdom!”
“Near Yuzhou.” Do Gyeom nodded quietly. “Next.”
The command fell. Another prisoner was dragged forward. Do Gyeom’s interrogation continued without end. Deep into the night, only the prisoners’ sobs and screams echoed across Xuzhou’s plains.
Do Gyeom watched the process in prolonged silence. Some prisoners clenched their teeth and hid the truth until the end. Others, trembling with fear, revealed the locations of their remaining groups.
“They said some of their numbers fled north,” Jo Pyo summarized on a sheet of paper and handed it to Do Gyeom. “There are still groups remaining in Yangdu County, Jigou County, and Zeng County of Langya Kingdom.”
Do Gyeom smiled chillingly. “Good. The cleanup is complete. However, I never said I would spare them.”
He quietly waved his hand. The Danyang Soldiers drew their swords in silence.
Shiiing.
The prisoners fell once more onto the red earth.
“Trash not even worth keeping alive,” Do Gyeom said, turning to Jo Pyo. “Starting tomorrow, we will clean up the Pengcheng Kingdom region. Leave none alive.”
“I will keep it in mind, my lord.” Jo Pyo answered firmly.
That night, Do Gyeom sat inside a small room within a temporarily occupied county town. He scanned the list of Yellow Turban remnant bases recorded on paper, committing each one to memory. In his mind, the route for the upcoming campaign was already taking shape.
“Xuzhou is in chaos,” he murmured quietly. “The Danyang Soldiers alone will not be enough to stabilize it. I need to gather more useful men.”
Do Gyeom set down his brush, gripped his sword once more, and cut through the cold night air. The war to pacify Xuzhou had only just begun.
Xuzhou. Wu County of Pengcheng Kingdom.
Passing through fields thick with black smoke, Do Gyeom entered the county town with heavy steps. One thousand Danyang Soldiers and several hundred newly joined retainers followed behind him.
Xuzhou is a land of chaos, Do Gyeom thought as he surveyed the town. Ruined government offices. Burned civilian homes. Starving people. Yet some were cautiously poking their heads out. They had hidden grain, and some former official troops, upon seeing Do Gyeom’s banner, began picking up weapons again.
“My lord.” Jo Pyo approached. “People have arrived from the local gentry and the Xiapi Army as well.”
“What is their business?”
“They offer two hundred retainers, along with provisions and equipment.”
Do Gyeom paused for a moment.
“……They will want something in return.”
He murmured lowly. The gentry sending private troops, food, and equipment was not simple goodwill. They were moving to secure their place in the new order. Do Gyeom was not naïve enough to miss that.
“Accept it.”
“I shall carry out your command, my lord.”
Jo Pyo bowed. Do Gyeom gazed at the distant plains where a red sunset was settling. Pengcheng Kingdom, Xiapi Army, Langya Kingdom. The scattered Yellow Turban remnants and bandits were being swept away day by day. Public sentiment was still chaotic, yet within that chaos, small buds of hope were sprouting.
“We must stabilize Xuzhou,” Do Gyeom said calmly. “The Danyang Soldiers, the retainers, and the remaining official troops… We will unite them all to pacify Xuzhou.”
“I will keep it in mind, my lord.” Jo Pyo prostrated himself firmly.
A few days later, near Pengcheng Kingdom.
The representatives of Xuzhou’s merchant guilds gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves.
“I hear the bandit groups have almost disappeared now.”
“Even so, we still have to pay tolls to Taishan.”
“It’s ridiculous. Xuzhou has stabilized this much—why should we keep filling the pockets of those Taishan bandits?”
“Exactly! Don’t we have General Do Gyeom right here in Xuzhou?”
Their voices gradually grew louder.
“Wouldn’t it be better to use the main road leading to Yanzhou instead of Taishan?”
“Are you insane?! The interior of Xuzhou may be stable, but Yanzhou’s main road is still in chaos from the campaign against the Yellow Turban remnants! They say battles break out every day—do you want to be robbed blind?!”
“But if we find another route instead of Taishan, the bandits won’t be able to run as wild!!”
After much heated debate, the Xuzhou merchant representatives finally reached a conclusion.
“Let’s go!”
“We shall convey our will to General Do Gyeom!”
“For the sake of Xuzhou, we must correct the problem of the Taishan bandits.”
On the surface they claimed to act for Xuzhou’s benefit as merchant representatives, but inwardly each was calculating his own advantage. The struggle to protect their profits. The desire to lean on the newly emerging power. Their steps slowly turned toward where Do Gyeom was staying.
Temporary office inside Pengcheng County government hall.
Do Gyeom was looking at a map spread across the table. Organizing Xuzhou’s disordered commanderies and counties and restoring the broken order was no easy task. Jo Pyo and several trusted aides stood quietly at his side.
“The representatives of Xuzhou’s small and medium merchant guilds have come regarding the Taishan toll issue,” a civil official in official robes reported carefully.
Without even turning his head, Do Gyeom asked, “How many?”
“Roughly fifteen. They are not from the major guilds, but they represent the smaller and medium ones.”
Do Gyeom exhaled shortly. “Send them in.”
“Understood, General.”
The official left. Soon after, heavy footsteps announced the merchant representatives entering in a line.
“This lowly one is Gwak Chung, representing Xuzhou’s smaller merchant guilds. Greetings, General.”
“This one is No Gwang. Greetings, General.”
“This one is Ju Maeng! Greetings, General!”
Each gave their name and bowed, but Do Gyeom simply looked down at them indifferently.
“State your business.”
At Do Gyeom’s single sentence, the representatives exchanged glances. The middle-aged merchant named Gwak Chung stepped forward.
“General. We are all deeply moved that you have stabilized Xuzhou to this extent.” Gwak Chung began with flattery. “However… the bandits continue to impose tolls on merchant caravans traveling to and from Taishan.”
“And?” Do Gyeom asked expressionlessly.
“Since you have already stabilized Xuzhou, we humbly request that you resolve the issue of the Taishan bandits as well.”
“……”
Do Gyeom looked down at him without a word.
“General, the Xuzhou merchants have already paid enormous tolls to the Taishan bandits.”
“The cost of living in Xuzhou is fluctuating wildly because we are forced to pay tolls to bandits!”
No Gwang and Ju Maeng added their voices after Gwak Chung. Do Gyeom quietly tapped his fingers on the table.
“I understand your intentions.” His voice was quiet, yet it carried an aura that sent chills down everyone’s spine. “However—”
Do Gyeom slowly leaned forward.
“Stabilizing Xuzhou is my duty. However, Taishan belongs to Yanzhou.”
The representatives flinched.
“The reason I am currently pacifying and stabilizing Xuzhou is because I received a decree from the court. If I interfere with Yanzhou’s affairs, it may invite the court’s suspicion.” Do Gyeom continued indifferently. “Is paying tolls to bandits more precious to you than your lives?”
A tense silence fell. Gwak Chung hurriedly lowered his head.
“Of course we will follow the General’s will! We merely…”
“Merely?”
Do Gyeom gave a cold smile. “I understand what you want. However, I cannot recklessly interfere with the tolls paid to bandits. That said…”
Do Gyeom stood up.
“I will personally guarantee the safety of merchant caravans traveling within Xuzhou. Whether you choose to trade with other provinces through Taishan is a decision you must make yourselves.”
The representatives’ faces hardened.
“Trade freely within Xuzhou under my protection.” Do Gyeom drove the point home firmly. “However, I will not take responsibility for whatever happens on the roads leading outside Xuzhou.”
At those words, the merchant representatives could only nod with stiff faces.
“We will keep it in mind, General.”
“We will keep it in mind… General.”
Once outside the government office, the merchant representatives looked at one another, holding their breath.
“……In the end, he’s telling us to trade only inside Xuzhou.”
“Then we must abandon the route through Taishan?”
“But if we cannot send goods to Yanzhou or the Capital District, the profits will be small.”
“There is no choice for now. Either circulate goods only within Xuzhou, or pay the bandits and go outside anyway…”
They closed their mouths bitterly. The Xuzhou merchants, for whom even the tolls were painful, began redirecting their trade networks to either within Xuzhou or toward Qing Province.
Do Gyeom watched the scene of the merchant representatives moving from beyond the window. His cold gaze never wavered.
The wind was cold.
I stood at the southern edge of Taishan and looked down below. Beyond the thick clouds of dust, small processions stretched out in lines. They were minor merchant groups.
“……”
I bit my lip hard. Lately, the number of merchant caravans crossing Taishan had noticeably decreased. Even those that did come were no longer large-scale guilds but merely ragtag groups of porters.
“Boss.” Yu Byeok, standing beside me, spoke cautiously. “We have received reports that the merchant groups from the Xuzhou side have stopped passing through Taishan. They are either trading internally or opening routes toward Qing Province.”
I stroked my chin lightly.
So Xuzhou is stabilizing faster than I thought.
Only one name came to mind.
Do Gyeom.
“Ha, fuck.”
I spat out the curse.
As expected of that son of a bitch. The rumor that he crushed the Qiang tribes in Yangzhou wasn’t just empty talk.
I laughed quietly.
“Once Xuzhou stabilizes, the merchants naturally have no reason to risk coming to Taishan.”
Yeon So-yeon spoke from the side. “It seems Do Gyeom is quickly organizing Xuzhou and trying to bring the merchants under his control.”
“Control is secondary. He’s trying to isolate us,” I replied. “The reason we took Taishan was because of the toll income. But if the Xuzhou merchants pull out completely?”
I snapped my fingers.
“In the end, only the starving beasts will remain in Taishan.”
Both Yu Byeok and Yeon So-yeon wore hardened expressions.
“……What will you do, Boss?” Yu Byeok asked.
I remained silent for a moment.
Clashing with Do Gyeom right now is out of the question.
Xuzhou was beginning to stabilize, and Do Gyeom was absorbing the commanderies, counties, and local gentry. We only had Taishan. In terms of raw numbers we might be able to challenge a Xuzhou that had only just found stability, but the elite troops Do Gyeom gained from defeating the Qiang in Yangzhou could not be underestimated. Their equipment was overwhelmingly superior to ours as well.
“Don’t rush for now,” I said calmly. “Do Gyeom probably doesn’t want to stay rooted in Xuzhou right now either.”
“What do you mean?” Yeon So-yeon narrowed her eyes.
This was something only I, who knew the original history, could guess.
“Originally, Do Gyeom gained fame by suppressing the Qiang tribes in Yangzhou. And lately, bad news has been coming from Yangzhou.”
The Qiang had already risen in rebellion again in Yangzhou, and the famous Bian Zhang and Han Sui were leading armies to invade. If my memory was correct, in the eighth month of this year the court would appoint Minister of Works Zhang Wen as General of the West to form a punitive force. Naturally, Do Gyeom would be dragged along with it.
What I needed to do was help Do Gyeom a little so that history would flow as it originally did.
I smiled.
“Fuck, if a tiger opens its mouth in front of you, just throw another bastard as meat.”
Yeon So-yeon and Yu Byeok still seemed unable to grasp my meaning and tilted their heads. I tapped my scabbard and explained my plan to the two of them. Their expressions gradually changed, and by the end Yeon So-yeon’s face had turned deathly pale.
“Lord Jang Yeon! You intend to meet Do Gyeom in person?! That is too dangerous!!”
Meanwhile, although Yu Byeok’s face had stiffened somewhat, he had yet to speak.