Into the Yangtze's Fog - 1
I needed information.
Guo Jia spoke as if he could see right into the palm of his hand.
Makes you wonder if this whole country isn't crawling with spies.
I can't keep relying on street rumors forever to gather intel. They say modern warfare is all about information warfare, and honestly, it's not that different here in the late Han dynasty.
How to move the troops. Where to move them. What scale our forces should be, and what the enemy's available strength might look like. Guessing at everything feels all wrong.
To solidify my predictions, I figured it was time to burn a little resources.
I could feel the need for an intelligence agency.
A top-notch group that roots out enemy spies and gathers enemy intel.
And luckily, there was this one guy with connections everywhere across the land, rolling into Soyang territory.
This dude lives in a cave like Alibaba, stuffing it with all his loot, and he's always vanishing like a ghost whenever I try to visit.
The connected guy's name is Zhang Lian, leader of some bandit crew I got to know by chance—an insider among thieves.
Zhang Lian was sharper than I'd expected, and after piecing together various rumors, I concluded he was no ordinary man.
"The boss stepped out for a bit on some business."
"Then I'll come back tomorrow."
I visited the cave over and over, with the persistence of the three visits and one refusal.
Every time, Zhang Lian was off somewhere, wasting my time.
Anyway, Zhang Lian was a peculiar guy.
When Liu Bei tried to appoint him to an official post, he refused. So I suggested handing over a cut of the loot instead, but they only took what they'd already swiped.
The rules of the late Han didn't seem to apply to Zhang Lian.
Free-spirited and unpredictable.
Unbound by anyone, he had this magnetic aura that drew people in.
This is the guy, I thought.
To make him a special offer, I kept trekking to this Alibaba cave.
One day. Two days. A week. Two weeks.
I got ghosted every time, but whenever I had a spare moment, I'd head to Zhang Lian's cave.
"Don't you ever get tired of this?"
And finally.
I came face-to-face with the man himself.
"Long time no see."
How many people does he make run around just to catch a glimpse? Hoping it's worth it, I bowed politely.
"Thanks again for last time. I wouldn't have enough even if I gave you everything I own."
Zhang Lian's face was like thirty sheets of iron plating—no sign of remorse for leaving me hanging for over two weeks.
"Nah, nah. You deserved to live, young lady. No need to stand on ceremony with riffraff like us."
"Oh yeah? If that's easier for you, sure."
"Uh...? Alright then. Guess I should be the one bowing now."
I dropped the polite act for a moment, slipping back into my beggar-days Chen Soyoung mode.
Figured money and honors wouldn't sway this guy when it came to convincing him.
So let's just keep it casual. Good for both of us.
"Anyway, I'm here with another request. This one's not too outrageous, which is different from last time."
I could see Zhang Lian, who'd been flustered for some reason, trying to hide it. No plans to poke at it, but it felt off.
"Got something private to discuss, so everyone else, clear out for a bit."
"Yes, boss!"
Zhang Lian sent his men away and we talked one-on-one.
No seats around, but he gestured for me to sit, so I plopped down on the dirt floor.
"If this is about business, now's not the time. We just pulled off a big score, so we can coast for a while."
"It could be business talk, sure. But to be straight, it's about a grand undertaking."
I eyed Zhang Lian, who'd failed to mask his expression, and paused for effect.
Beating around the bush would just annoy him, so hitting it straight on seemed best.
"Zhang Lian, ever heard of a pyramid scheme?"
"What's that...?"
Pyramid scheme.
The structure those voice-phishing outfits love.
A multi-level setup, but secretive.
Lower levels only know their direct superior, while the top knows everyone below.
A secret organization.
That's the tight-knit intel network I want to build—a pyramid of information.
Among the people I know, Zhang Lian fits the perfect profile to make it happen.
"I'm asking you this. Let's do business together."
Zhang Lian reeked of annoyance.
"This is why I avoided you, and now it ends up like this? You kept coming back so persistently, I'm human too, you know? Felt bad making you leave empty-handed every time. But can you drop this request?"
He said it firmly.
"I absolutely need it. To claim the realm, we need capable spies."
"What skills do us riffraff have? You can't use bandits like mercenaries, young lady."
Sure, they're riffraff, but that's exactly why I want them.
How many people have no ties anywhere and can't be bought with money or fame?
I call that integrity. Or chastity—not the splitting kind, but the loyal kind.
That's why Zhang Lian is the perfect fit for my spy network. He's lived like a carefree immortal, playing in the mountains, and wants to keep it that way.
"So please leave. Tangling with bandits only brings misfortune."
"Bandits? I don't see it that way."
Zhang Lian looked baffled.
"Then what? Soldiers? Guess I did fight bravely at Changban."
There's a word for people who kill without hesitation and stand firm in their beliefs.
"You're a xia— a knight-errant."
"A knight-errant?"
"What else would you call someone who charges head-on into the era's massive currents to realize their cause?"
Zhang Lian, maybe impressed or embarrassed, untied his headscarf and ran a hand through his hair.
Shaking his head side to side, he calmed down and looked at me.
"What a fucked-up world, huh?"
"Right? A world run by lunatics."
Zhang Lian burst into booming laughter.
"Hah hahaha! Now I'm curious what scheme you've cooked up this time, coming back to us lowly thugs. Tell me your pitch."
"That business talk from earlier? Glad you're open to hearing it."
"Yeah. Feels like it's not the usual business I know. My gut says it's the kind of story money can't buy. And my instincts are spot on, so trust me."
Zhang Lian's instincts did seem dead accurate.
"How about becoming the head of the realm's most secretive spy network? No one knows your identity, but you pull the strings on world affairs from the shadows—that's the role I want to hand you."
First-class citizen Uga lived tending to his deranged mother.
Lately, her sane days had increased, but she never voiced her sorrows.
Whenever her mind cleared, she'd clutch her bamboo slips dearly, murmuring the names of her sold-off children.
"My son... how you've suffered all these years for this worthless mother."
The family had declined after Father's death. Six mouths including Mother, and she'd pawned off five to survive.
Mother's mind snapped the day the second son was sold.
"No more suffering now. I'm a first-class citizen, so even if the sky falls, there's a way through."
The county office was established, and Chen Soyoung arrived as magistrate. Daughter of a great house.
No more starving, but the lost family never returned. He resolved to hide it from everyone and live out his days that way.
"You. Come here."
"Who are you?"
"I'm first-class citizen Sojin."
First-class citizen Sojin wore a massive short sword at his waist.
One of the local thugs, but his gang never touched fellow Soyang folk, so no real fear.
"Why do you want to see me?"
"Nothing much."
Sojin slung an arm around my shoulder. Thought maybe mischief, but he wasn't gripping the sword, so probably not.
"Not the place for this talk... mind sparing a moment?"
I hesitated.
Everyone knew thugs drag people to secluded spots for shakedowns.
Was about to shake him off when a thought hit.
"You're a first-class citizen?"
"Yep. Soyang-born and bred."
No harming fellow Soyang folk.
Sojin flashed his first-class citizen slip. Feeling safe, I decided to go along.
"Alright, I'll follow."
Midway through the dim woods, Sojin got to the point.
No idea why the secrecy, but whatever.
"No guarantees on finding your family, but you might get the chance to search the whole land."
...?
"What'd you just say?"
"Asked if you want to find your sold-off kin."
My heart dropped.
"You're really saying that? I'd love to know if they're even alive! Mother's illness stems from that too! I'd die a hundred times over to find them!"
"Then you're fifth-class now."
"...Fifth-class what?"
The nonsense almost made me laugh, but delivered so deadpan, it carried weight. How'd he know about the lost family? Couldn't read his intentions, but decided to hear more before overthinking.
"From first-class to tenth, but can't tell you details. I'm sixth-class Sojin, so I'll be your superior from now on."
Couldn't make sense of it. First-class, tenth-class—what gibberish? Superior? Sixth-class? Why listen to this crap?
Because Sojin swore he could find my family.
"I'll teach you martial arts and skills. And weren't you first-class? Scout capable fourth-class folk like I did with you, same as before."
No clue what his cloudy words meant.
But instinct screamed to listen. My heart urged it. No reason, but "family" echoed huge. Grasping at straws, I believed the promise.
"Explain in detail. If it's real, can we find my kin?"
"Slowly expand the layers, and all the realm's intel will flow to us."
Couldn't grasp what organization this was.
"Who's the boss?"
"Dunno. I only know my direct superior, seventh-class. Same boat as you."
"Fine, whatever. As long as it finds my family?"
"How many times? Once we hold the realm's info, we'll naturally pinpoint your kin's whereabouts."
Hearing that, I grabbed Sojin's hand. Imagining finding family, cold sweat broke. Thinking of grief-stricken Mother, something boiled in my chest.
"I'll do it. Teach me martial arts. If I can find them... if Mother regains her senses... I'll do anything."
"It'll be harsh and grueling, but you'll manage. Do it alongside first-class duties, undetected by anyone. This secret dies with you."
"What if it leaks?"
"I'll kill you. If I can't, my superior will."