Gyeonseong Battle: Black Mountain Bandits Extermination (5)
Aaagh!! Screams echoed from every direction. The sturdy city gates that were supposed to protect them had shattered in an instant, and now cavalry charged straight through the breach in unison.
The advantage of defending a city lay in keeping enemy melee attacks at bay and forcing the attackers to suffer massive losses just to get inside. But those advantages evaporated in a heartbeat.
"Damn it all!!"
The bandits rushed to form ranks in the streets before the gates. Armed only with swords, they grabbed whatever they could—crude spears, wooden shields—to mount some kind of defense.
"N-no, stay back! Uwaaagh!!"
But against heavily armored cavalry, it was all for naught. No matter their numbers, sword-wielding bandits couldn't beat spearmen on horseback.
"Haaah!"
The lead heavily armored cavalryman swung his spear wide. As if to demonstrate what "sweeping away leaves in the autumn wind" truly meant, he cleaved through the bandits one-armed while holding his spear.
Clang!
An arrow aimed at his face ricocheted off the steel shield in his other hand. The heavy cavalryman—Cao Ren—spurred his horse toward the shooter, slamming down his arm-mounted shield.
Splat—
The bandit's head crushed instantly. Cao Ren sliced the man's throat with the blade at his shield's edge as he rode on, then gripped his spear two-handed and swung it wide again.
"They should've built the gates stronger instead of piling up those walls!!"
Cao Ren swung his spear, decapitating a bandit in one stroke. His horse trampled the ruins of the gate and charged ahead, while he spun his spear, skewering the thieves one by one.
"Heh, they said it'd take five days to breach the walls, but we did it in under three."
Cao Ren clicked his tongue at the massive object before him. Four shattered wheels. A body shaped like a hornet's. Wooden pillars at the tip, still holding their form despite the breakage—like a stinger. The standout feature was the thick iron stinger, more than capable of smashing an old gate like this.
"So this is a battering ram."
Cao Ren was deeply satisfied with how the broken gates had cost them almost no losses. Like the gates, the ram's undercarriage was completely wrecked, but its job was done. Just as a hornet stings and shatters a gate, Cao Cao's army had pierced Gyeonseong's defenses in one blow. The gate hadn't even resisted the massive, sturdy stinger before splitting apart.
Waaaaah—!!
Pouring in were horses swinging their tails side to side and stalwart men stabbing ahead with sharp spears.
"This is almost too easy a victory. Makes you wonder if it's even right. Haha..."
Cao Ren chuckled, slinging his spear shaft over his shoulder.
"If Gyeonseong weren't a bandit den, this would've been a civilian massacre, not a bandit purge. Ugh."
He shuddered, gripping his spear tight.
"...Right. They're all bandits. Vermin that need killing. Ahem! Orders to the whole army! Slay everyone in the streets! Not a single one left alive!!"
Cao Ren thrust his spear swiftly at two soldiers blocking him. Two precise stabs to the throats, and the pair crumpled forward. He smiled contentedly at the cavalry pouring in behind him, trampling the gates.
"No need to micromanage. The rear's handling it all. Heh heh..."
Seo Hwang, Ak Jin, and the others had already scattered to different sectors, commanding their cavalry to sweep the bandits inside.
"My deputy! You head over the—"
"The lady said go there! Should I head somewhere else?!"
"No! Spot on! Go!"
"Woooah!!"
Cao Ren's deputy was already charging to the exact spot he'd planned to send him. Same with Seo Hwang and the others.
"...Cavalry rampaging through the city without colliding once."
A thrill of excitement ran through Cao Ren. They weren't charging down a single main avenue but scattering every which way—yet no friendly collisions, only precise strikes on the enemy.
"Heh heh heh. Looks like Myo Jae won't have much to do from now on. Alright, let's push in! Purge these bastards quick and head back to Heodo!"
""""Woooaaah!!"""
Cao Cao's army roared as they hacked and stabbed the bandits of Gyeonseong. If even one civilian had been present, it might have slowed their momentum slightly... but.
"This is bandit central! Every last one here's a Black Mountain thief!"
The soldiers had no reason to hesitate.
* * *
"Hah, hah."
Suho abandoned everything and fled into the woods. The moment the enemy entered Gyeonseong, he'd slipped away alone.
What did he care about being the Black Mountain Bandits' chief? His life was what mattered. Even if all these followers died for him, as long as Suho survived, there were no problems.
"Hah, haa...! Yeah. Just survive... that's all that counts...!"
Suho burst through the forest and reached the riverbank, hastily washing the blood from his face.
"Damn it, who knew Cao Cao's army were such mad dogs...!"
He scrubbed the grime from his face. It didn't change much, but he yanked at his beard with a dagger, starting his disguise.
"Can't get caught. Heh, right. Change the name too. From now on, I'm 'Huego.'"
Suho—no, Huego—rinsed his face once more, mounted his horse, and rode off. No longer the typical bandit, he now looked like a rogue with a backstory.
"Time to escape—"
"Where do you think you're fleeing to?"
The voice from afar startled Huego.
"Guo, Master Guo?!"
"Yes, it's me. What the hell is this?"
The civil official pointed irritably at Huego's disheveled state.
"You look like you're ditching solo."
"N-no, that's not it! I was heading to ask him for help! Aren't you his advisor?!"
Huego shouted desperately.
"Master Guo Tu!!"
"Oh dear, is there a Guo Tu here? No, right, General?"
"Just call me Mun Chwi."
A fierce-faced man emerged behind Guo Tu. His mere presence on horseback exuded overwhelming menace, making Huego scream in terror.
"U, uwaaah!! You bastards! You tricked me! You planned to use me from the start!!"
"Use you? If we'd succeeded, Jinyang's lands would've been yours. But failure changes everything."
Guo Tu wheeled his horse. At the same moment, Mun Chwi charged like a ghost.
"I-I'm Suho! Successor to Su Baekto and Jang Yeon, Black Mountain chief worthy of—"
Slash.
The spear blade flashed once. Suho's mouth gaped wide as his head flew, tumbling to the ground.
"Even in death, his mouth stays open."
Guo Tu tsked, pointing at the head for his subordinate to retrieve.
"Bag it. We'll display it as our army's trophy. Anyway..."
"What's wrong, Master Guo?"
"Truly tragic. Don't you feel sorrow, General? They were our people too."
Guo Tu blinked, smiling with tears welling in his eyes.
"Classic Cao Cao's army. Brutal and savage. Heh heh, easy to spin for the people. 'They're turning Hebei into Xuzhou.'"
Guo Tu laughed.
* * *
A great victory. Cao Cao's army claimed a great victory. Breaching the gates had been my role, but afterward, Sima Yi took command, freely directing the ten thousand cavalry. Not a single clash among Cao Cao's forces during the street fighting inside. It clearly left a deep impression on Cao Ren.
"Do you like cavalry, by any chance?"
"I love them."
"How much?"
"Second only to my husband."
Sima Yi loved handling cavalry. Back when she'd faced Noe Paek and Jin Ran, she'd even led Huang Zu's cavalry alongside them, riding with her horsemen herself.
"What do you think cavalry are?"
"The flowers of the battlefield."
"Exactly! Nothing more beautiful on the field. Riders charging with spear and sword—how cool is that? Ah, but you're a woman, so maybe you don't get the appeal—"
"I love riding too. When you're at full gallop on horseback, your chest just swells with thrill."
"Ooo...!!"
Sima Yi was genuine about cavalry, and Cao Ren seemed equally passionate about leading them.
"Ahem, you. Victory's not sealed yet, but... mind a personal request after?"
"Form a cavalry unit for General Ja Hyo? Or petition to hand Ho Biao Qi command to you over Cao Cao?"
"That's tempting too, but when the staff talks shop, let me lead the cavalry. Yeah?"
Sima Yi nodded lightly at Cao Ren's proposal. In just one battle, they'd recognized each other's talents and were already pondering the future post-Gyeonseong.
When war came against Yuan Shao or other warlords someday.
"You'll likely be cavalry staff from now on, so I gotta impress you to get command, right?"
"Your praise is too much."
"Too much? Ak Jin and Seo Hwang agree. If you weren't staff, I'd make you cavalry captain. But your skills are greater, so you'll snag command too."
Sima Yi would recommend Cao Ren—not Xiahou Yuan or others—for cavalry general, and Cao Ren would pick Sima Yi as his cavalry chief of staff.
"Hey, teacher. They just deciding ahead like that?"
Seo Hwang, head wrapped in a cloth, sidled up slyly. Fascinated by weapons—he'd personally driven the hornet-tail battering ram—he'd grown friendly with me this battle.
"Cao Cao picks personnel, but generals can strongly request. Plus, staff can suggest to Cao Cao. If Sima Yi asks to send someone specific, Cao Cao'll consider it."
"Even so, will the lord approve?"
"If it's Jungdal's suggestion, absolutely."
She'd suggest exactly who Cao Cao would choose anyway.
Sima Yi wouldn't make a proposal Cao Cao could refuse. Thus, he'd accept gladly—and it might even let her pick her own supreme commander.
"Heh, never seen a woman this sharp. Smart enough I could be cavalry general."
"Most female staff command archers from the rear or issue orders."
Sun Uk, Xun You, Guo Jia. Cao Cao's prior strategists had personal prowess but mostly directed from behind.
But Sima Yi was different. She could lead cavalry herself, her understanding unmatched—prime for commanding in Cao Cao's future wars.
"What's your secret? How do you ride so well?"
"Hm. Well..."
Sima Yi pressed a finger to her lips, glancing at me with a wink.
"Daily training on horseback. You get good whether you want to or not."