Battle of Gyeonseong - Black Mountain Bandits Extermination (1)
"Hey, boss. Aren't we really in danger here?"
"What?!!!"
Su-go's mouth gaped wide as he bellowed.
"Danger? Why the hell would we be in danger!"
"Eek, boss! They'll hear us! Keep it down!"
"Shut up! They haven't even shown up yet!"
Su-go smashed his fist into his subordinate's head. The blow was hard enough to make the man dizzy and nearly topple over. Snorting in fury, Su-go jabbed a finger at the forest where they were hiding.
"Look! Does this look like some bamboo grove to you? The canopy's so thick down here you can't even see the sky. How can a man call himself a man with all that worrying?"
"Forget being a man—when your life's on the line, nobody's tough! Even Lü Bu begged for his life like a coward, didn't he? Life's precious!"
"Keh heh heh, sure it is. But our lives aren't flying off anywhere, are they?"
Su-go smacked his lips and fiddled with his broad cleaver.
"Listen up. The more Cao Cao's troops we kill, the richer we get. You know Jinyang over there? If we smash Cao Cao's army, we'll basically rule that whole area."
"Won't Yuan Shao boil us alive later? Like Han Xin?"
"Listen to this ink-stained punk. I don't know jack about Han Xin!"
Su-go just gripped his cleaver tighter and hunkered down deeper in the underbrush.
"But you know this: cavalry coming into a forest? Scare the horses, they fall right off. Heh heh, just let 'em try. We'll give 'em a hot welcome."
"Won't we be the ones getting burned?"
"Why are you so damn negative? Hey, you think I came up with this plan?"
Su-go pointed west.
"It came straight from that great man's bag of wisdom. Not from roughnecks like us or bookworms like you—from someone who's actually fought on the front lines."
"Right, that Gu—"
"You little shit."
Smack.
Su-go's palm cracked against the back of his subordinate's head.
"Don't call her by name. She's got nothing to do with us. Got it?"
"But just now you..."
"Kid's got no sense. No sense at all. How'd you work with me for nearly ten years and still not get it?"
Su-go fell silent as a subordinate galloped up from afar.
"We're just genuine bandits, no ties to Yuan Shao's army. Got it?"
"......."
"Ten thousand cavalry? Heh heh, in a forest, they're useless."
Su-go drew a deep breath, mouth agape, and roared.
"From now on, hold your breath—until the enemy enters the forest—!!"
Haah!!
* * *
I've been quietly supporting Cao Cao's forces for a long time now. It started with Sun Uk, then Xun You, and later I responded to letters from Cao Cao herself, helping her army a great deal.
And now, with my wife serving in Cao Cao's ranks, I've become a guest general for them directly.
"Dear."
"Yes?"
"You sure this is okay?"
"Of course."
I don't need to ask what she's referring to. We're married; she gets it without me spelling it out.
"Once I take office, we'll spend less time together with Master. But distance in body doesn't mean distance in heart."
"That's what everyone says right before it falls apart."
"Comparing me to those mortals? Prepare yourself tonight."
"......."
Ever since becoming my wife, Sima Yi's taken to teasing me like this even in front of others, leaving me flustered.
"Prepare for what tonight?"
"Oh my. You need to sharpen your sword before bed, don't you? Don't worry—I'll grind it nice and smooth so it slides into the sheath easily."
"This is about a sword, right?"
"Of course. A sword."
Her smiling delivery forced me to glance around, while our followers struggled to keep straight faces.
"And Master wouldn't just sit idle if we grew distant. You'd come check if my heart's strayed, wouldn't you?"
"If I can't come to you, you'll come to me?"
"Naturally. If Liang or some other woman tried to hold you back, I'd shatter the chains and drag you away. Worst case... your ankle."
Sima Yi beamed nonstop.
"Now I get why others think that way. So this is how it feels...? Yeah, I want to take you to Heodo."
"......Leash and all?"
"I'd love to if I could. Allowed?"
"No."
Her vibe was so serious my legs suddenly felt chilly.
"Joking. How could I dare mishandle Master's noble form?"
"Don't say that behind my back. Every night I think a tiger's prowling."
"Unavoidable force majeure."
"Good grief."
These chats with Sima Yi embarrassed me a bit, but they let me openly flaunt her as my woman to everyone around. This is my wife. Petty bragging, sure, but anyone with her would boast too. The cat-like girl from Suykyung Hall had grown into a tiger. Proud of her.
"So now you're Sima Yi of Cao Cao's army."
"Yes. I've thought about it for a while."
"Yeah. Back during the Shouchun battle when Pang Tong handled Yuan Shu's forces, and you picked Cao Cao's side—I figured then."
Sima Yi's strategies meshed well with Cao Cao's style. Not identical, but her ideas, relayed through my letters, were adopted by them more than any others. Just because Xun You was her teacher? No. Sima Yi might've been destined for Cao Cao's ranks from the start. If she'd hidden out somewhere fitting instead of Suykyung Hall and returned to Henei upon adulthood, she'd probably be serving alongside her brother Sima Lang by now.
She'd held off on office for my sake alone. Now that I'd shattered that mental barrier, it was like giving wings to a tiger—she could unleash her brilliance freely.
"You've had Cao Cao's army in mind from the beginning. Family names like Yuan or Cao didn't matter; you forged your own path. Just one thing I'm curious about."
"Why not Liu Biao? Right?"
"Exactly."
She's my wife, alright. After nearly a decade together, she knows my every thought.
Zhuge Liang read my intentions through sheer intellect; Sima Yi just knew from our shared history.
"Obvious. To rise high, serve beside the one who holds the Emperor."
"You remember what I said?"
"Of course. Who nurtured my dreams of high office from childhood?"
Sima Yi leaned her horse closer, smiling faintly.
"All to feed and house Master."
"Music to my ears."
I felt pitying glares from behind, but I stood tall.
"Should I take office too?"
"Oh, don't. That'd be a huge loss for the realm—and the Central Plains."
"Why?"
"One more official if you serve, but thousands—tens of thousands—from you staying at the academy."
Classic Sima Yi. She knew just how to soothe my worries sweetly, affirming I wasn't some idle house husband but a cultivator of officials—silencing those stinging stares.
"Rising high in Cao Cao's ranks means racking up merits."
"True. That's why I volunteered as staff officer—to earn them."
Sima Yi lightly twirled her black horsetail whisk, nudging her helmet with its tip.
"Clean up these Black Mountain Bandits quick, join the staff proper. That's step one."
"You two chatting so sweetly is fine, but..."
Clop clop.
"It disrupts discipline. Mind your words and deeds."
"Commander-in-Chief. My apologies."
The overall commander rode up front himself.
"Don't get complacent. We're Cao Cao's elite—the swiftest, fiercest of the Ho Biao Qi."
"Understood. Honored with her strongest troops, we'll return to Heodo without losses."
"Can you?"
"Yes. I know this terrain well."
Clop. The horses halted in unison.
The open plain ended; forest loomed ahead. Sima Yi pointed gravely.
"The path to Gyeonseong, the bandits' lair, is thick with woods—tough for cavalry. And forests scream ambush. See that flock? It's not flying. Means men's already in the trees. Plus... anyone knowing the lay would plant troops there."
"...Hm."
Cao Ren grunted, eyeing the woods.
"Turning back's tricky. Staff officer! Propose a plan. I'll judge your worth by this."
"As you command. But Commander—even if I propose one, will you accept?"
"If it's sound!"
Sima Yi grinned at Cao Ren's growl. His deputies—Yu Jin and Xu Huang—loomed too, but she boldly thrust her whisk forward.
"No path? Make one."
"What?"
"General."
Sima Yi rode ahead of me. Her face, as always, smiling.
"Set the forest ablaze. Clear a path?"
"......."
"Ho Biao Qi practice mounted archery? Perfect targets—why not drill?"
Why did Cao Ren and the deputies pale? She spoke so casually.
And.
That's why she chose Cao Cao's army.
Burn the forest.
"Loose fire arrows—!!"
Cao Cao's army gets it done.