For the Sake of Family (1)
At that moment, in Wenyang Village of Henei County, the Sima family manor was in an uproar as servants bustled about in panic.
"What’s the situation?!"
"It’s no use, my lord. The Black Mountain Bandits are everywhere. There’s no way out."
"Damn it, how can this be…!"
Sima Bang, the head of the Sima clan, gnawed at his nails and ground his teeth.
"Black Mountain Bandits showing up at a time like this. Why in the world…?"
The Black Mountain Bandits had long terrorized Bingzhou, Jizhou, and Qingzhou provinces. Despite repeated crackdowns by the imperial forces, they showed no signs of diminishing.
"The empire’s great generals have launched campaign after campaign, yet these bastards keep crawling out of the woodwork endlessly!"
Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had once launched full-scale purges, capturing or killing tens of thousands. But give it a little time, and they’d reappear, plundering villages, blocking roads to extort tolls, or arbitrarily levying taxes. No matter how many you killed, they never stayed dead—they just reformed their bands. No one had the resources to spare for Henei County.
"What about the garrison?!"
"…You know the answer to that."
"Right… Cao Cao and Yuan Shao control the troops. No one else to turn to. Damn it all!"
In truth, the Henei magistrate lacked the military authority to suppress the bandits. With the magistrate barely managing the county as it was, there was no hope of mustering an army for a proper campaign.
"How many bandits are we talking this time?"
"…They say twenty thousand."
"What? Twenty thousand? Not ten, but twenty? Ha… haha…!"
A force that size could potentially topple all of Henei County. "These rotten scum. They should be tilling fields instead of playing bandit…!"
"What should we do, my lord? If they come for the manor…"
"The bandits won’t attack the city itself. Their goal is to dig in, collect tolls, and raid nearby villages. …At the very least, they won’t touch Sima lands."
"But then we can’t deliver this letter."
"That’s the real problem."
Henei had no strength to fend off the bandits on its own. It might be better to formally submit to Yuan Shao or Cao Cao and beg for aid.
"Damn it, I told you to pick a side—Yuan Shao or Cao Cao—immediately! What’s the magistrate doing?!"
"He’s barricaded the walls and posted guards."
"Ha! When he should be marching out to crush them…!"
"Won’t Cao Cao or Yuan Shao send help? Yuan Shao’s just three days’ ride away, and you have your eldest brother with Cao Cao."
"Who knows. If they cared about Henei, they’d have stepped in long ago."
The Sima clan had long proposed handing Henei over to a powerful warlord, but none had bothered. With Luoyang burned and fallen, Henei was just a convenient route to the old capital—nothing more. It was prime bandit territory, far from the warlords’ gaze.
Suddenly surrounded by this swarm of bandits, Sima Bang trembled, clutching the letter in his fist.
"Sigh… What are we to do? Yi must be waiting."
"Father, shall I go?"
"Nonsense. They killed our family courier knowing full well who he was. If a servant goes, they’ll take him hostage for ransom—and probably kill him anyway."
"Th-that’s…"
Sima Bang sank into anguish. His daughter, the clan’s hope, had finally received the long-awaited marriage approval—only for it to be undeliverable. What kind of absurd nightmare was this?
"Something’s off. Black Mountain Bandits appearing out of nowhere like this. It’s too suspicious. Why now, just as this letter—the marriage consent—is meant to head to Jingzhou? It’s like someone’s trying to stop it."
"No way that’s happening. It’s just coincidence."
"It had better be. Anything else would be too horrific."
Sima Bang gritted his teeth. "These aren’t ordinary Black Mountain Bandits. They’ve set up a base and planted themselves firmly. That’s the move of bandits who don’t fear the garrison—who scorn it. There’s definitely someone backing them."
"A backer? You mean someone’s disguising themselves as bandits?"
"Possible. Or more likely, someone’s turning a blind eye, letting the bandits run wild."
Sima Bang groaned, staring at a map of the Central Plains. "Cao Cao? Or Yuan Shao? Who’s using bandits to squeeze Henei?"
"Cao Cao and Yuan Shao?"
"Both stand to gain from tormenting Henei with bandits. Son, what land can Cao Cao claim in the north right now?"
"…Just this—Henei."
All of Hebei had fallen to Yuan Shao, especially the routes along the Yellow River.
"From Cao Cao’s view, Yuan Shao’s hogged every northern route. Seizing Henei lets her eye Ye City as a base."
Sima Bang was already schooling his son, assuming war between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.
"From Yuan Shao’s side, Cao Cao’s taken everything south. Henei becomes a springboard to Luoyang—and from there, split forces east and west. Yes, its value as the closest pass to Luoyang hasn’t changed."
"Both want Henei for the advantage—why not come now?"
"That’s just it. With Lü Bu and Gongsun Zan gone, they finally have breathing room to face each other."
"Then why bandits…?"
"Even with leeway, they can’t move troops recklessly. They need a pretext."
Sima Bang trembled with rage at the pair. "Bandit suppression! Who’d complain if they exterminate the Black Mountain Bandits and station troops here? ‘More could appear, so we’ll manage the land’?"
"With real bandits about, they’d have every justification to garrison Henei."
"Exactly. And plant their banners here."
Sima Bang let out a deep sigh. "Where the hell did these bandits even come from?"
"Raaargh!!"
The man bellowed, mouth agape. The mountain of gold and jewels before him was enough to stun anyone speechless.
"This is truly from ‘Her’?!"
"Yes, General. She was most pleased with your accomplishment of several merits."
"Hahaha!!"
The man—Xu Kun—laughed uproariously, thumping his chest. "Of course! Tell Her that Xu Kun toils day and night without rest in Her service! Hahaha!"
"Then I’ll take my leave…"
The civil official bowed to Xu Kun but hesitated as he turned to go. "By the way… have you found ‘that one’?"
"Hm? You mean the one from last time?"
"Yes. The one with blood we must investigate most discreetly."
"We’re searching high and low. But clues are scarce."
Xu Kun grimaced, pointing to a map of Bingzhou on his desk. "It’s been nearly thirty years since the disappearance. Witnesses are all dead, and there’s a good chance of a switcheroo."
"Please find them. She seeks this person desperately."
"Sigh, I can’t fathom it. Is it some bastard child She bore in her youth?"
"…If you think it that important, I’m grateful."
"Heh. Terrifying business."
Xu Kun clicked his tongue at the official’s secretive words. "To think Henei holds such a secret."
"Nothing’s certain yet. They’re combing Ye for leads too, but the surest bet is questioning locals from Henei."
The official stroked his beard. "If anyone from Henei turns up, ask. Any clue, no matter how small, must be reported."
"Got it. You can count on Xu Kun! Hahaha. …But honestly, I’m curious."
Xu Kun pointed vaguely at his hair, beard, and groin. "Does a man with golden hair really exist in this world?"
Ptuu. A chill? My spine tingled suddenly, sending shivers down my back.
"Teacher?"
Sima Yi took my hand and smiled brightly. Her mouth curved up, but her eyes didn’t crinkle in the slightest. Scary.
"It seems the notables of Yangyang Castle owe you a great debt, Teacher. They even sent urgent word the moment we entered the city. Should we just sit idle?"
"Yi?"
"Let’s go right away. My hometown’s under siege by bandits—how can I stand by?"
"Calm down, Yi. Is this about your family in danger, or the marriage certificate?"
"Teacher."
Sima Yi placed a hand on her chest. "Do you really think I’d get this worked up over some scrap of paper?"
"Of course not. My Yi’s such a dutiful daughter. You’re worried the bandits might harm the Sima clan, right?"
"Naturally. I’m innocent, after all."
Sima Yi stood tall, chest out, radiating confidence for all to see. "How could I sit idle while my parents are in peril?"
"Right! Let’s hurry and help. But let’s think coldly."
Behind us, Zhuge Liang licked her lips like her mouth itched. To keep Sima Yi from snapping, I cut in first. "Twenty thousand bandits. Where do we get troops?"
"…Teacher, there are ways."
Sima Yi pondered deeply, then sidled up to Zhuge Liang. "What if we do this…"
"…Not bad, but then I’m the only winner."
"Family comes first. And we need firm commitment anyway."
"True. How about this instead?"
They whispered furiously, exchanging ideas. Sima Yi returned, proposing boldly. "Teacher, I have a request."
"What?"
"Come to Heodo with me."
Sima Yi giggled, pointing north. "We’ll get troops from her."
"Who?"
"Her, obviously."
"‘We need to suppress Black Mountain Bandits near Henei to deliver the marriage consent’? How much time? Who to assign? Just say the word."
Surprisingly, Cao Cao agreed readily.