Becoming a Master (6)
A few days later.
"Take care, Mun-yak."
I saw Sun Uk off. After several days of rest at Suyeon Academy, she looked much better—her skin even fairer, her complexion brighter. She waved cheerfully at me.
"I'll be careful on the road, Wol-yeong. Give my regards to Director Sima Hui too. And..."
Sun Uk, still smiling, waved at Sima Yi, who was clinging tightly to my side. "Bye, Yi. See you again sometime."
"......Bye."
Sima Yi gave only a curt nod in response. Her hand gripped the hem of my robe hard, as if she thought I might leave with Sun Uk.
"By the time Mun-yak returns home, the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition might be finished. You'll have choices ahead. One is stable but ignores your own will, and the other..."
"It's fine. I've already decided."
Sun Uk shook her head. "I'll stay right where I am now."
"...Chenliu has a good chance of becoming Cao Mengde's base."
"Hee hee, wouldn't that be nice? I'll hear all the news from the coalition and judge accordingly, but... maybe it's easier to talk since we're both women?"
"Deciding based on that alone isn't like you, Mun-yak."
Sun Uk was leaning toward Cao Cao.
"Was what I said strange?"
"Not at all."
"I wasn't trying to recommend Cao Cao."
"Right. It sounded more like you were pushing Yuan Shao. But..."
Sun Uk pulled a bamboo slip from her bosom. It was something I'd never seen her receive.
"What's this?"
"While working at my post, I found something interesting. There's an owner, but he's been absent for ages, and his underlings are managing the land like they're the masters."
"...Ho. A place like that exists?"
"Yes. There was a land deal recently... about five years ago. Around the time you came down to Jingzhou, right, Wol-yeong?"
"What a coincidence."
This woman. Did she know all along and test me?
"Exactly. Sorry for making it seem like I was tricking you. But thanks to that, I realized—you really gave me options for my sake."
"That's..."
"Thank you. You're younger than me, but you showed this lost soul the precise path forward. I can call you Master, right?"
"What have I even done to deserve 'Master'? Please, speak casually."
"Through our talks, you helped me see the best place to serve the imperial house."
A place where Sun Uk could serve the Han imperial house. If her talents were enough, a place that would most deeply appreciate her loyalty.
"I watched Yuan Shao briefly once. He's... not great. Can't say more. And Yuan Shu? Never even considered."
"Then..."
"Yes. Cao Cao."
Cao Mengde. The woman who failed to assassinate Dong Zhuo.
"Do you think Cao Cao will help spread your vision widely?"
"Yes. I'm certain. And that certainty came from you."
"Me?"
I hadn't specifically recommended Cao Cao to her—what was this about?
Sun Uk pointed at me with a grin. "Wol-yeong, you bought some land in Chenliu."
"Misunderstanding."
"Because you think Cao Mengde's going to make it big?"
"I said it's a misunderstanding..."
No. Well, yes.
"Your land already had people on it. No owner, but his retainers were farming it already. Hee hee, seeing you so flustered at the end feels good."
"......Busted completely."
It wasn't just buying land. Over the five years since coming here, I'd hired managers for my land and had them till the fields.
"It's not just Cao Cao."
"You bought land elsewhere too?"
"No."
"Then?"
"I didn't have the money or time for anywhere but Chenliu."
"...Ah."
I'd planned to buy land in four hometowns in my head, but could only afford Cao Mengde's hometown. If I ever went to Chenliu, I'd swagger in like, "This estate's been mine all along." I didn't buy only there thinking just of Cao Cao. It was the only place I could afford. Of course, I do think Cao Mengde will rise big. Not that she's guaranteed to succeed alone.
"I see. Hee hee, got it. Then I'll rise high in Cao Cao's camp and recommend you."
"No offices for me. My goal's to guard my home and live quietly."
"Plenty you can do without office? Like... hee hee, never mind. No need to say."
Sun Uk covered her mouth, laughing. "I'll handle the office part."
Her words were so loaded that Sima Yi's grip on my collar tightened even more.
"Farewell, Wol-yeong. Oh, that land of yours in Chenliu... mind if I help manage it? No refusals."
With that, Sun Uk left.
"...Master."
Sima Yi murmured, clutching my collar tight.
"Henei has lots of land too."
"......"
I stroked Sima Yi's head.
"Tell me more?"
After Sun Uk left, quite some time passed.
In that interval, the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition achieved some results. Dong Zhuo moved the capital to Chang'an—closer to his western base—with the emperor in tow. Before leaving, he burned Luoyang to the ground, dug up countless tombs for gold and jewels, and fled. Luoyang's people could only burn to death, follow to Chang'an having lost everything, or scatter.
Luoyang turned to rubble in an instant. The coalition recaptured it but withdrew their army after Dong Zhuo's brutality erased it from the map. Only one pursued him and got smashed—Cao Cao, they say.
I get the sentiment, but tone it down a bit.
If you die, my land prices tank!
The Chenliu land was bought solely betting on Cao Cao. Her reckless moves would turn my investment to shit.
Dong Zhuo's army, now rooted in Chang'an, kept pushing east. The coalition blocked them, leaving the war in stalemate.
While the coalition shouted "Down with Dong Zhuo," my daily life barely changed. Mornings: prepare breakfast for Sima Yi and Sima Hui. Morning: Farming with Sima Yi while discussing the trends of the world. After a hearty lunch: pore over classics and stratagems. Evenings: light games with Sima Yi.
"Yi, you really love cavalry."
"Cavalry are the flowers of the battlefield."
War game. We used wooden pieces inscribed with infantry, cavalry, archers, etc., for mock battles called "soldier play."
"Why are the imperial troops stronger than Yellow Turbans? Cavalry power."
"Right. Cavalry are mighty. Well-trained horses give mobility and breakthrough that shred infantry easily."
I rearranged the infantry.
"But Yi, cavalry aren't always omnipotent, right?"
"Can't use in mountains, or rain. Less flexible than infantry. Double the food issues with horses too."
Sima Yi knew cavalry flaws better than anyone.
"Still gotta increase their numbers?"
"Yeah. Because cavalry are..."
Sima Yi's eyes gleamed, entranced.
"The flowers of the battlefield."
"Flowers on the field of battle. Battlefields are too cruel for romance, but for those finding life's meaning there, maybe."
I can't relate, but for peak talents, her words make sense. Even without the phrase, we'd seen cavalry dominance via Dong Zhuo—his forces heavy on them. Xiliang horses rival or outrun Central Plains ones; battle-hardened.
"But Sima Yi. Didn't you want to be a strategist?"
"Yeah."
"For mobile warfare, you'd ride too?"
"Sure, ride with them. Signal with colored flags from horseback? Everyone rides; can't be the only walker."
Sima Yi pointed at her pieces with both hands.
"If I command soldiers, I'd charge with them."
"Commander charging? Your aides would drop like flies."
"Me as supreme commander?"
"You'd climb there easily."
She's talented, cornering me like this.
"Played this in Henei?"
"No. First time here."
"I see. Heh."
"Why?"
I'm scared. Scared of seeing others' talents.
"Yi. Your standout talent is definitely military strategy."
Not a common gift for girls.
"In Henei, I studied Lives of Virtuous Women. Everything else? Just watched over brother's shoulder."
"Yeah. That's it."
"Lucky you came to Suyeon Academy. Met me—blessing. A matchless strategist almost ended as a chaste widow."
Matchless in statecraft—like Han Xin.
"I'm Han Xin?"
"Near that level."
"Then I'm not Han Xin."
Sima Yi grinned confidently.
"I'll be greater than Han Xin."
"Who? Zhang Liang? Taigong Wang?"
"No."
Sima Yi declared with brimming confidence.
"Sima Yi."