Avalanche from a Thoughtless Snowball: Claiming Huang Zhong and Wei Yan
Among the events during the pacification of the Four Jingnan Counties, the most pivotal was undoubtedly Liu Bei acquiring Huang Zhong and Wei Yan.
In the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Yan is a self-made ace who rises through the ranks. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he's the classic rebel trigger.
I decided to treat him as the former.
I didn't want to get stabbed in the back if I treated him like the latter. No point giving him any reason to. I'd be his yes-man forever with Wei Yan.
"Tell me. What do you plan to do?"
Wei Yan replied boldly.
"I'll go to Changsha and open the gates. Please let me convince General Huang, and send Han Ho with me."
That meant giving them free rein. But why drag Han Ho into it...?
Fine, whatever. No need to nitpick and risk derailing things.
"Alright. So, exactly how do you plan to pull this off?"
Wei Yan spoke with utter conviction.
"General Huang will surely change his mind."
I was baffled.
"Huh? How can you be so sure?"
"I'll tell him the lives of our 10,000 troops hang in the balance... And as for us... what should I call you?"
"Just Secretary Chen is fine."
"I'll say we fell perfectly for the trap Secretary Chen laid."
...???
"What the hell does that mean?"
"I'll convince him that since we were captured without a fight by her scheme, this war is pointless. If he surrenders Changsha, Secretary Chen will treat him generously, and the people will be safe."
Hmm... okay, sure.
"Got it. I trust you!"
I don't trust you at all, actually.
Xu Shu and Ma Liang saw my enthusiastic act and jumped to their own conclusions.
"I see... So even Huang Zhong, defending the city, must have bad blood with Han Hyun."
"That's why Secretary Chen is so confident. What else could this be but the grand plan?"
Ma Liang nodded.
"Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. Fight only when you are prepared to win, and you have already won before the battle."
"Surrender without bloodshed... Easy to read about, hard to execute."
That's not it. Sure, history has Wei Yan and Han Hyun surrendering, but that wasn't because of anything I did.
I gnawed at my nails, thinking that.
"I did consider the enemy might surrender..."
Xu Shu's eyes lit up.
"Oh? And what comes next?"
His intense gaze made me look away. Beats me.
"I'm counting on General Wei Yan to make it happen."
Just pumping up Wei Yan's ego.
"To receive such trust..."
Wei Yan's eyes reddened.
Han Hyun must've really made his life hell.
*
Han Ho and Wei Yan set off toward Changsha.
"General Wei, you boasted so confidently, but do you really think it's possible?"
"General Huang is deeply loyal, so it won't be easy. But if handing over Changsha ends this war, he'll accept."
The two trudged on.
Changsha's main citadel.
Before the firmly shut gates stood Huang Zhong, poised for defense.
A soldier's urgent report rang out beside him.
"General! Generals Wei Yan and Lord Han Ho have arrived outside the gates!"
"What? The vanguard and main force already back? Where are the troops?"
Huang Zhong hurried up the walls and peered down.
Caked in dust, Wei Yan wore a grim expression, while Han Ho looked dejected, head bowed. Just the two of them.
"Open the gates, quickly!"
As the gates swung open and the pair entered, Huang Zhong bellowed.
"Wei Yan! Lord Han Ho! What in the world happened? Where are the troops—why are you here alone?"
Wei Yan stared at Huang Zhong with a stony face.
"We lost, General. It was a fight we could never win from the start."
"What nonsense is this?!"
"It's true... General Huang..."
Han Ho, pale as a ghost, chimed in beside him.
"Liu Bei's army has a demon. A strategist who toys with the battlefield."
Huang Zhong's wrinkles deepened.
"A demon? You mean Liu Bei's advisor, the military strategist Kongming?"
"No."
Wei Yan stepped forward instead of Han Ho.
"There's a cunning woman. Our army was thoroughly surrounded and captured."
Huang Zhong couldn't believe his ears.
A woman? A woman...? But more importantly, how does an army of 10,000 get captured like that?
Doubt clouded Huang Zhong's face.
"10,000 men, you say. What kind of absurd talk is this? I trusted you. Trusted you."
"You know us—why would we deceive you? General, that's why I'm here. Why not offer Changsha to Liu Bei and end this war?"
Huang Zhong's beard trembled.
"That's not the point! How do 10,000 men get captured without swinging a sword?!"
Wei Yan ignored the question and cut to the chase.
"General. How about surrendering?"
"You bastard Wei Yan! Instead of answering, you dare suggest surrender to my face? You're in league with them!"
As Huang Zhong raised his voice, so did Wei Yan.
"This is our only way to survive! General! The enemy's advisor never intended to spill our blood from the start!"
Wei Yan had never raised his voice to Huang Zhong before.
This was the first time—and from the man more loyal than anyone Huang Zhong trusted.
Huang Zhong's momentum faltered for a moment.
"Our way to survive? Speak quickly. There must be a reason the enemy let you live. Are you traitors?"
Wei Yan exploded as if unleashing pent-up emotions.
"No treason. But listen, General! Will you shed blood for a corrupt tyrant like Han Hyun, or end this meaningless war and save Changsha's people? If you don't yield, we'll have to fight our own allies!"
Huang Zhong felt suffocated.
"What trick did that woman use to crush 10,000 men without a fight?!"
Wei Yan was a traitor. He must be working for Liu Bei now.
No other explanation for 10,000 troops surrendering without battle.
"Lord Han Ho. Are you in on it too?"
"General, to save the people, this was the best way. You know how you look at the soldiers."
Wei Yan added fuel.
"Lord Han Ho did well. Liu Bei's advisor is Secretary Chen—she respected his wishes, which is why we're here."
Huang Zhong's shoulders shook.
"Is that truly your intent?"
He hesitated briefly, then drew his sword.
The loyalty he'd upheld his whole life.
But its object was Han Hyun.
Betraying Han Hyun was like betraying the Emperor.
Huang Zhong closed his eyes.
What was true loyalty?
"You've colluded with the enemy and betrayed us. I have no choice but to punish you."
Wei Yan declared solemnly.
"Then... kill me. If it's the sword of the general I've admired all my life, I'll meet it gladly. But have you truly thought of what comes after? General, you must consider Changsha's people."
Huang Zhong held his blade to Wei Yan's throat.
One swing, and there was no turning back.
"If you have last words, speak them."
"...Live long and prosper."
Huang Zhong's hand trembled.
If he held back now, he'd be played for a fool by the enemy. Yet his hand wouldn't move.
His resolve crumbled helplessly.
"What is this commotion?!"
The irritable shout came from Han Hyun.
He couldn't contain his rage at the sight of Wei Yan and Han Ho.
"You bastards! What are the vanguard leaders doing here? Why did just the two of you sneak in?!"
Wei Yan stared at the ground as he replied.
"Annihilated. We fell into the enemy's strategist trap and were all captured."
"What?! 10,000 men captured overnight? You... you damned cowards! You surrendered out of fear before even fighting!"
Han Hyun was right.
Not out of preemptive fear, but still.
"General Huang! Execute these traitors at once! They're colluding with Liu Bei to ruin everything! What are you waiting for? Drag those two out!"
In that moment, Huang Zhong's eyes flashed.
"......Hah."
A deep, heavy sigh.
"General Huang! Hurry and cut their throats—what are you doing?!"
"Prefect."
His tone was ice-cold.
"Wh-what?"
Huang Zhong gripped his sword tightly.
Its tip pointed at Han Hyun.
Han Hyun's face drained of color.
"You've lost your mind, old man! What are you lot doing? Seize him!"
Not a single soldier on the walls moved.
They were fed up with Han Hyun's tyranny too.
Plus, with news of 10,000 troops captured overnight, morale was long gone.
"Prefect, we'll meet in the afterlife. I'll apologize then."
Huang Zhong's hand moved.
"What?! What are you—aaah!!!"
Slice—!
A short, dull sound, and Han Hyun's head flew through the air. Thud.
A pathetic end.
Han Hyun's body crumpled to the ground.
Seeing it, Han Ho's legs gave out, and he collapsed.
Huang Zhong gazed silently at the rolling head, then closed his eyes deeply.
When he opened them, no hesitation remained.
His heavy voice echoed over Changsha.
"Open the gates and prepare to welcome Liu Bei's army."
*
Huang Zhong strode out the gates with a stern face. Wei Yan and Han Ho followed.
Up front, Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun flanked like escorts. In the center stood strategists like Xu Shu and Ma Liang.
The one at the very center.
That's... the woman?
Huang Zhong held his breath, staring at her.
She looked nothing like he'd imagined.
Clad in plain white hemp robes, holding a scholar's feather fan.
And facing the wide-open gates, she seemed utterly flustered—brows furrowed, mouth agape in an awkward gape, like a startled child.
She looked so young and delicate, like a flower; even if she had a granddaughter, she'd seem older.
Facing Liu Bei's army at last, Huang Zhong bowed his head.
"Huang Zhong, the old warrior of Changsha, kneels before your wise eyes and begs to surrender to Liu Bei's forces!"
"For real?"
No sooner had the woman spoken than Wei Yan hurried over to explain.
"General, he has made a grave decision. Please value him highly. He's remarkable beyond his years."
Huang Zhong disliked Wei Yan's flattery but appreciated it inwardly.
"The spoils of war!"
Wei Yan smugly untied the bundle containing Han Hyun's head.
"Kyaaaaah!!!"
"Wha—whoa! Are you okay?!"
What in the world...
This was the woman who took Changsha bloodlessly... Chen Soyoung.