Lü Bu Subjugation War (3)
In the midst of the generals converging in one place, a single white horse charged into the fray.
Neigh—!!
The rider on the white steed swung his spear wide, blocking the vanguard's twin iron halberds.
"Zhang Liao!"
"Fall back for now, sirs!"
Zhang Liao whipped his spear around in a hurry, shoving the vanguard away. Already exhausted from battling Lü Bu, the vanguard retreated under the assault, and Lü Bu seized the moment to deflect Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's attacks with a surge of strength.
"Raaargh!!"
With a fierce shout, Lü Bu shoved the two brothers back. The momentum was so overwhelming that the horses they rode reared up in fright.
"Nngh…!"
"Run, Red Hare—!!"
Gripping his Sky Piercer, Lü Bu seized the reins and bolted down the path Zhang Liao had cleared. Red Hare seemed to understand its master's command, leaping forward with a mighty bound to escape the melee. The movement was so swift that Zhang Liao, who had come to his rescue, was left isolated.
"Tch…!"
Zhang Liao yanked the reins hard and gave chase after Lü Bu. Guan Yu moved to block him, but something held him back—he didn't press the attack with his Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
"Hya!"
Zhang Liao broke through in Lü Bu's wake. Cao Cao's troops rushed to intercept, but they couldn't easily halt Lü Bu and Zhang Liao as they raced toward their reinforcements.
"Brother! Are you worn out?!"
"It looks like our horses are more exhausted than we are. Red Hare must've spooked them... They won't budge."
Guan Yu pointed to his own mount. Sure enough, the horse seemed terrified of Lü Bu and Red Hare, refusing to pursue.
"Damn it, our horses are too scared to give chase! What kind of nonsense is this?!"
"That's part of it, but…"
"Did you know him?"
At the vanguard's question, Guan Yu closed his eyes.
"...He seems familiar. Not one of Lü Bu's men, but I wasn't sure. My apologies."
"No need to apologize. Without you two, my head would've been on Lü Bu's spear by now."
The vanguard gave a curt bow of thanks, then pointed toward where Lü Bu had fled.
"One thing's clear: We've won a great victory. Let's go celebrate."
"Hah! Can't have a victory feast without booze. What's your name?!"
"Vanguard. No courtesy name."
"Is that right? Hmph, your moves are so sharp, it's like watching the legendary Hua Xiong! Of course, I'm stronger than Hua Xiong or Yu She! Hahaha!"
Zhang Fei's words—praise or not—drew bitter smiles from Vanguard and Guan Yu. In truth, among them all, Lü Bu had struggled most against Zhang Fei. If anyone in the realm could stand toe-to-toe with Lü Bu, it was probably Zhang Fei alone.
"Yide. We haven't caught Lü Bu yet, so the feast'll have to wait."
"Hmph. Of course, brother. You think I can't hold my liquor that long? Let's go. After Lü Bu. He's probably... headed for Xu Province's capital, right? Damn, we'll have to siege the city."
"Worry not about that."
Vanguard pointed toward Xiaopei.
"Xu Province's capital is already primed for an inside job. Just pursue Lü Bu."
"An inside job…?"
"Indeed. Ever heard of the 'Chen father and son'?"
"If it's them…"
"The son, Chen Deng, marched to battle with Lü Bu's army, while the father, Chen Gui, holds the nearest city in Xu Province. They…"
"Lü Bu's done for now. When he returns to Xu Province's capital, the drawbridge will be up."
Zhuge Liang and I sketched out the big picture while fending off Lü Bu's forces.
"If Lü Bu attacks first, repel him. Then, while he's away, lock the gates from inside the city."
"Once he's being chased by Cao Cao, better to flee elsewhere than fight for a city whose gates are shut by betrayal."
It's like coming home to find the front door locked. A normal person could hop the fence, but a city wall? No such luck.
"But master, I hear Lü Bu's army has a sharp-minded woman. Won't she catch on?"
"You mean the one out on the field right now."
I'd seen her. Beside the one on the white horse who came to rescue Lü Bu, the long-haired woman directing Lü Bu's troops eastward in retreat.
"That must be Chen Gong."
Before Xun Yu, Xun You, and Guo Jia—she was once Cao Cao's strategist. For some reason, she betrayed him and stuck with Lü Bu. The timing lines up with Xu Province's downfall, so Chen Gong must've fled after seeing Cao Cao's brutality.
"I've heard Chen Gong's no slouch. But even the smartest advisor needs someone to listen."
"Like this?"
Clap.
Zhuge Liang clapped her hands into mine. The small, clear sound inexplicably lifted my spirits. Even on this battlefield, it felt refreshing.
"Exactly. No matter how brilliant the strategist, if the boss ignores her, she's useless."
As Xun You once said.
"Lü Bu's troops move more on emotion and violence than strategy. What does that tell you?"
"That the soldiers are a bunch of thugs?"
"That's partly right."
But not the answer I wanted most.
"Chen Gong can't control the troops?"
"Also right."
"...Not quite. Chen Gong can't control Lü Bu."
"Precisely! You saw it too, right? That supreme strength. Even from way back here, I was scared that Sky Piercer might fly over and skewer us."
The man who shot an arrow into the tip of a halberd from a hundred paces away! In Jingzhou, everyone chanted Lü Bu's name like a legend, but seeing him for real confirmed everything I'd said wasn't exaggeration.
"I get it now. Those three are stronger than Gan Ning."
Gan Ning, who crushed Yuan Shu's army, was intimidating enough to make my legs shake. But witnessing the world's greatest duel? The world looks different now.
"I see why people crave the strongest warriors. No amount of strategists matter if your army has no one to counter them—tactics become pointless."
Like how Xiang Yu terrorized Liu Bang right up to encirclement, supposedly slaughtering sixty of his generals in one go.
One hero can turn the tide. I'd witnessed it with my own eyes.
That there's always a sky above the sky.
"Still."
Zhuge Liang squeezed my hand and pointed to the battlefield.
"They're human in the end. Time will age them, wear them down, and topple them from their peak."
"What about their kids? Will they be just as strong?"
"Sun Jian's son, Sun Ce, is said to surpass his father now. Who knows."
"......."
Chilling words. We don't know how strong their offspring will be, but if they inherit that spear-wielding fury, they'll shake the chaos as famed warriors once more.
"They give strategists headaches. Having to plan around those beasts."
"But master, isn't this board laid out accounting for that very strength?"
"Yes, indeed."
Pin Lü Bu down with beings of matching might.
"Lü Bu's shown countless weaknesses. Unlike his unmatched prowess, he flees at the slightest whiff of death."
From Chang'an, against Li Jue and Guo Si. From Puyang, against Cao Cao. And more escapes leading to Xu Province.
"But what if there's nowhere left to run?"
Cross the sea? North or south?
"Beasts are hunted by loosing hounds all around for the drive."
History teaches how to subdue a beast.
"Even Xiang Yu died encircled. Why would Lü Bu be different?"
Cao Cao's army had planned for Lü Bu's flight too. The final siege would trap and smother him—a lone path left.
"Especially as a traitor."
The 'certain' intel I'd acquired. Refugees from Yuan Shu's forces in Yeonan, fleeing to Jingzhou, sold out their old master's secrets to prove their worth. Some reached my ears.
Using that, I ensured betrayal inside Xu Province, aiding Cao Cao to corner Lü Bu.
To save Liu Bei.
"Helping Lü Bu makes you a traitor too, but who wouldn't grab a lifeline?"
I'd thrown myself into what might've been Cao Cao's scheme. After Lü Bu's defeat and flight, he'd see just one sight.
"The drawbridge... is up?!"
Lü Bu stared at Xu Province's capital bridge in disbelief.
"What in the world is this, Chen Gong?!"
"...Looks like that man's betrayed us after all."
Chen Gong pointed to the old man atop the walls.
"Chen Gui! Open the gates at once!"
"You bastard! Is that how you speak to your elders?!"
"Wh-what…?"
Lü Bu was genuinely stunned.
"When I left you in charge, you bowed and scraped with honorifics…?!"
"Shut your mouth! Even speaking politely to scum like you is a disgrace!"
"You…!"
No matter how he raged, the drawbridge stayed up—no way into the city.
"H-hey! Chen Gui! What's this about all of a sudden?! If it's a joke, it's gone too far! Your son, Chen Deng…"
"Chen Deng's already fled."
Chen Gong's words drained the color from Lü Bu's face.
"What?! And you just watched?!"
"He went to Xiaopei and hasn't returned. That was barely an hour ago."
"Damn it, I'll catch that bastard and…!"
"My lord! Cao Cao's army approaches from the rear!"
"Damn...! This is maddening! Chen Gong! I'm sorry! Open the gates! I swear I won't mouth off again!"
"...General, it's no use."
Chen Gong bit her lip, glaring at Chen Gui.
"He's Cao Cao's lackey already. Ever since he went to the capital for the Inspector of Xu Province post and got promoted."
"What…?"
"Hah. Of course. I'm a man born and raised in Han. How could I…"
Chen Gui bellowed.
"...Serve a criminal who tried to wed his family to the traitorous Yuan Shu as my lord?!"
"Liang. What's the way to peel Lü Bu's forces from Xu Province?"
"Traitor hunt. That's the answer. And reality."
Zhuge Liang offered her thoughts.
"No proof, right? I heard Lü Bu plundered Yuan Shu's army."
"Proof doesn't matter. The fact it came from Yuan Shu's people does. Ties to Yuan Shu alone gives the pretext."
Zhuge Liang gazed at the field calmly.
"If traitors ruin the realm, eliminate them."
We're just aiding hands. On a pre-set board. Zhuge Liang merely added 'traitor subjugation' to Lü Bu's hunt.
"...That way, Liu Bei steps up aggressively against traitor Lü Bu, and Cao Cao won't kill him."
To save Liu Bei.
I wonder if that man knows.
"...Huh?"
That man. Why's he coming toward us…?