The Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Lu Bu is good at being filial

Chapter 19

＜ I Am Not the Son of Gong (5) ＞

The commander’s exclusive tent in Byeongju County.

Originally, Jeongwon should have occupied this place, but now it is where I stay during my duty.

“Neat.”

The one who called himself Iyu looked around the tent with his hands behind his back.

‘No matter how I look at it, it’s strange.’

The texture of the skin is different.

The color of the face and the back of the hands is quite different.

Most people wouldn’t notice, but once you start paying attention, everything looks strange.

Like a suspiciously attached beard to appear cunning.

Or the feeling that the area between the chin and the neck is slightly lifted.

‘It looks like a fake face.’

Isn’t there something called an “invisible mask” in martial arts?

A face skin meticulously crafted to look like someone else.

I haven’t seen it yet, but if it actually exists and has the sophistication beyond modern technology, wouldn’t it be what this person in front of me is wearing?

“Hehe. It seems you have something on your mind.”

“Who are you?”

“As I mentioned, I am Yi-Yu, working under General Dong Zhuo-“

“I don’t know if Yi-Yu is your real name, but it’s certain that this isn’t your true appearance.”

“…Hmm.”

Yi-Yu’s expression changes.

“How did you know?”

“Instinct.”

“Instinct?”

“It’s like something that doesn’t bother you if you don’t notice it, but once you do, it keeps bothering you.”

“Hmm….”

The man looked me up and down as if he was sizing me up.

“The General is indeed an interesting person. This is getting more and more intriguing, considering he’s already at the center of chaos.”

The man sat down at the upper seat and placed the imperial edict on the table without even unrolling it.

“Would you like to hear the edict first, or have a chat with this nameless guest?”

“The content of the edict must be urgent enough to dismiss the Governor of the Garden.”

“The urgency is for the Governor of the Garden. The content itself is nothing special. Hmm….”

The man stared at me for a long time.

“General Ye. Stay in the court and become the tutor of Prince Jinliu.”

“……?”

“That’s the first content of the edict. Now that I’ve delivered the edict, let’s have a chat with this nobody.”

“……???”

The man suddenly stood up from the upper seat, leaving the edict as it was, and pointed to the seat.

“The formalities of delivering the imperial order are over, so now I will treat you as a guest who has come to see the General.”

“……What’s your scheme?”

“There’s no scheme, I just want to have a conversation. It will never harm the General.”

“……This is troublesome.”

It really is troublesome.

“There have been people who came to Bingzhou and asked me to use my head. But you are quite different from those people.”

“What kind of person do you see me as?”

“Well. I usually judge people by their faces, and your face looks like that of a notorious traitor.”

“Face, leather.”

The man scratched his neck with an awkward smile.

“Well, it was expensive to get it made. Don’t worry about it. Wearing the human skin mask is not to hide my identity, but to walk around with this face.”

“……?”

“The reason. I am the son-in-law of General Dong Zhuo.”

The man tapped his face.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t come to the court due to illness, but someone named Li Yu has to show his face around the court to make an impression.”

“Are you saying you are acting as Li Yu’s proxy?”

“Proxy. That’s appropriate. I am currently acting as Li Yu. The son-in-law needs to make achievements, but the person himself couldn’t come.”

The man was hiding himself, but he was only wearing a leather mask, not hiding his true self.

In fact, he seemed to want to take it off immediately if he could.

“So, how do you feel different from others?”

“Enjoying the situation.”

“Enjoying the situation?”

“Being able to pull out at any time, while directly involving myself in the court’s affairs and enjoying it.”

“……Hehe. Ah, this is funny. I keep getting up when I laugh too much.”

The man pressed his cheeks with his hands.

Rather than pressing his cheeks, it seemed more like he was trying to keep the mask from falling off.

“I would love to chat with the general all day, but the current situation in the court is not good, so let’s get straight to the point.”

The man held up three fingers.

“There are currently four factions in the court. The remnants of Empress He and He Jin. The new military faction led by Yuan Shao. General Dong Zhuo’s Liangzhou army.”

“Four factions, you say?”

“And one more. The Qingliu faction, which has no power but a loud voice.”

The man raised his pinky finger and then stopped.

“Have you ever met the Qingliu faction?”

“No.”

“I thought so. They must be unsure of their judgment. But as long as the general maintains his current stance, the Qingliu faction will support him.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the general is the most loyal person in the court, incomparable to anyone else.”

“……Sigh.”

Loyal subject.

“I am merely fulfilling my duty as a soldier.”

“And?”

“Now that the great bandits have been eradicated, I wish to return to Bingzhou immediately and fulfill my duty as a soldier.”

“Hehehe.”

“Why are you laughing so slyly?”

“If the scholars of the Qingliu faction were here, they would be dancing with joy.”

The man spread out all four fingers except his thumb.

“Empress Dowager He. Yuan Shao. Dong Zhuo. And the powerless officials of the court. You are now the focus of these four. Especially, you are receiving immense love from the Qingliu faction.”

“Describing it as love makes me somewhat uncomfortable.”

“But it is the most appropriate expression. Would you like to hear why you are receiving such love, one by one?”

“…There is no need to list them all.”

I lightly tapped the table with my hand.

“Empress Dowager He needs military power to protect her son, the Emperor, but her string has been cut, so she needs a new spear.”

He Jin is dead, and his soldiers are being absorbed by Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao.

“Whether it is the court or the provinces, if Yuan Shao or Dong Zhuo join forces with our Bingzhou army, it would be like gaining a thousand troops.”

In the power struggle between the central and provincial armies, we can exert enormous influence.

“The Qingliu faction must have been waiting for a loyal general who is devoted to the imperial family for a long time. A loyal and righteous man who does not covet power, is faithful to the imperial command, and does not indulge in luxury and pleasure.”

The Qingliu faction is simply hoping for a hero.

“In the end, it is because they find it convenient to use me as they please.”

“You hit the nail on the head. Exactly.”

“Whether the arrow is aimed at a traitor, a prey, or a target for training, what they ultimately want is a well-forged bow and arrow.”

“Then whose bow and arrow will you be? Ah, excuse me. Was it too much to ask?”

“It is not an offense.”

The man’s expression hardened.

“I am a soldier working for this country and its people. My arrows are aimed at bandits who plunder and murder.”

Although he was wearing a mask, I could roughly gauge his feelings through his eyes.

“If you are sincere, I must say this before I leave.”

“What is it?”

“There are countless people who want to possess you. If you do not choose a faction, they will eventually lead you to ruin.”

“Destruction.”

“It may be obvious which side will be broken, but isn’t it unpleasant that someone is wielding a sword at you?”

“……Let’s hear your opinion.”

This man.

“Is there a way that I won’t be used by anyone, the soldiers who came here with me won’t die unjustly, and the people of Byungju can live a more prosperous life with the help of the court?”

Something, I can believe in once.

At least, it’s not the look of those who want to use me, but the look of those who expect what choice I will make.

“I rebelled against the governor of Jeongwon for that path. Soon, the governor of Jeongwon will hold me accountable for overstepping my authority.”

“What path did the general find?”

“I had this in mind to some extent, but I must ask for the Empress Dowager’s help.”

I pointed to the decree in front of me.

“His Highness the King of Jinryu has shown interest in me, and the Empress Dowager also intends to use me as a martial officer to protect His Highness the King of Jinryu.”

The prince came here late at night.

It is impossible without the permission of the Empress Dowager.

“Like others, they will try to use me, but if they try to use me, I will use them too.”

“Hoho. The general already has a plan. Are you thinking of using the Empress Dowager to eliminate Jeongwon?”

“…Originally, I intended to do it moderately, but seeing the situation today, I made up my mind. Until now, I respected him as an elder, but I can no longer call him an elder.”

The decision was made.

“When an old man becomes not just an old man but an old fool, respect and honor are already over.”

“…….”

The man grabbed his face with one hand and trembled.

“Why so?”

“No, just. Haha, it seems Jeongwon is walking the hardest path, leaving the easiest one.”

“The easiest path?”

“If he had earned your respect and acted like an elder, he would have walked the most splendid path. Now he is walking the path of burning flames.”

The man made a fist salute towards me.

“Although I came here as General Dongtak’s man, this conversation is as an anonymous guest, not for any reason. Since I also received grace from General Dongtak, let’s have a public conversation.”

The man cleared his throat and changed his voice.

“General Dongtak hopes that General Yeopo will join him in creating a coalition of local warlords to oppose the court’s powerful officials. Will you join us?”

This is, a question of reason.

“I wish to return to Byungju.”

I raised my voice, speaking loudly enough for those outside the tent to hear.

“We have eradicated the great bandits of the nation, so there should be no more bandits appearing. Therefore, I only wish to return to where we should be, to eradicate the bandits attacking our home, our hometown.”

These words will be conveyed to others as well.

Although the Byungju army is all settled outside the tent, those who wish to use me will try to extract information somehow.

“That’s all.”

“Very well. In that case, this nameless guest, along with my humble opinion… will remove an obstacle blocking the general’s path.”

This is the man’s question.

“Would you like to hear it?”

“I will listen.”

“Good. The method is simple. The method has been here from the beginning.”

The man pointed to the decree in front of me.

“Would you like to solve it yourself?”

“…The Empress Dowager’s decree?”

“In fact, the Empress Dowager has issued one more order.”

“?”

“She instructed that General Lu Bu should open the decree you wrote himself, instead of me reciting it.”

“Then the content from earlier….

“Of course, I know the content. Because the order itself was issued by the Empress Dowager based on the information I discovered.”

“……?”

“Open it. I transcribed the Empress Dowager’s order myself, so it should be easy to understand. Hehehe.”

I unfolded the decree.

“…….”

Although there were some difficult Chinese characters that even some in Byungju had never seen, the characters used were written as simply as possible, to the extent that even children of the Jinliu King’s age could understand to some degree.

A slightly considerate choice of words.

But among them, there were irreplaceable words, and I racked my memory to recall their meanings.

“……Teacher. Is this word what I think it is?”

“Teacher?”

“Let me ask you one thing.”

My head hurts.

This is not a headache caused by not knowing the meaning of a word.

It’s not at all like the Chinese characters that my high school Chinese teacher, who wore a brown traditional school uniform, made us memorize by saying, “You’ll get hit once for every mistake~.”

“I just can’t understand for a moment if the words I learned from my teacher when I was young match the content of the words written here.”

Because I simply can’t believe it.

“What this edict is saying.”

My thoughts are racing.

“Hajin. Secret order. Maengjin.”

Like blood rushing to my head in front of bandits, thoughts and memories flash by quickly.

“Jeongwon. Heuksanjeok. Arson instructor.”

Words I didn’t want to understand, but ended up understanding.

“So, Jeongwon disguised as Heuksanjeok and burned down Maengjin Port?”

“I heard the general likes summaries in three lines. Ahem! This nameless guest will summarize the edict in exactly three lines for the general.”

The man held up three fingers.

One.

“Hajin gave Jeongwon a secret order to disguise as Heuksanjeok and burn down Maengjin Port. To add, there was a political motive.”

Two.

“General Dongtak secured evidence and reported it to Empress Dowager Dong, and she grasped the detailed circumstances.”

Three.

“I will convey the Empress Dowager’s command.”

The man walked up to me, clasped his hands politely, and bowed nearly 90 degrees.

“Yeobongseon, gather the soldiers of Byeongjugun and arrest the traitor Jeongwon. His crime is disguising as a bandit to massacre and plunder the people, and hiding his evil deeds by disguising as Heuksanjeok.”

“…….”

Traitor, Jeongwon.

“It is the imperial command.”

The edict already had a larger seal, different from that of Empress Dowager Dong.

“You don’t need to doubt the authenticity of the evidence. The evidence is already overflowing, and it was thoroughly investigated for a day in the Empress Dowager’s palace….”

“That’s enough.”

I already had some suspicion.

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“The person who hurriedly came to report to Jeongwon was wearing clothes that Heuksanjeok usually wear.”

“…….”

The soldier who came to deliver the news of Hajin’s death.

“At first, I thought it was a disguise to avoid the eyes of the Heuksan bandits. I thought he came in such a hurry to deliver the information that he disguised himself as a Heuksan bandit. …Was it because I wanted to believe that?”

Maybe I wanted to think that way.

“It seems that wasn’t the case. It was a situation urgent enough for someone who was a Heuksan bandit to come and deliver the information.”

Common sense told me that it couldn’t be.

“Sir.”

My body is already standing up.

“Where is the traitor now?”

* * *

In front of the Empress Dowager’s palace.

Below the dozens of steps leading up to the Empress Dowager’s palace, several tents were set up, musicians plucked their strings, and court ladies danced to the music in a grand banquet.

“Heh heh….”

Jeongwon sat right next to the seat of honor, and laughter naturally came out as he looked at the soldiers lined up on both sides.

On one side were the Byeongjugun.

The thousand Byeongjugun who came in with him.

And on the other side were the country bumpkins who came in matching that number.

They just needed to maintain their formation as they usually trained, but look at them, unable to stay still as if they were forced to wear military uniforms despite being in the Empress Dowager’s palace.

It doesn’t matter.

It’s rather what I wanted.

The more they show such disarray, the more my Byeongjugun will shine.

And the more I, who leads the Byeongjugun, will shine.

“Ha ha ha, thank you for inviting me to this banquet, Empress Dowager.”

Jeongwon bowed deeply towards Empress Dowager Dong, who was sitting in the seat of honor.

“…Thank you for coming to the banquet.”

Empress Dowager Dong turned her eyes towards the opposite side of Jeongwon with a slightly indifferent, but somewhat stern face.

“Today’s banquet is prepared for those who have traveled a long way to threaten the court, so feel free to enjoy yourselves.”

Jeongwon was very pleased.

Whether the Empress Dowager was sincere or not, she had invited him to the palace and held a banquet for him.

“I, Dong Joongyeong, am deeply moved by the Empress Dowager’s kindness.”

The unpleasant part was that she had also invited that pig-like thief.

If it weren’t for that guy, it would have been him protecting the Emperor.

He could have joined hands with Empress Dowager Ha, the Emperor’s mother, instead of Empress Dowager Dong.

Although there is some regret, he still feels relieved.

Because he can show who the stronger warlord is in this place.

Since they came to this banquet fully armed, he could also attend the banquet at Empress Dowager Dong’s invitation without worry.

The court is a dangerous place to walk alone, but with the Bingzhou army of Ilcheon, there is nothing to fear.

“General Jeongwon. I’ve heard that the Bingzhou army is very strong, but who is the strongest warrior in the Bingzhou army?”

The pig thief chuckled, his fat shaking.

“This Dong Zhuo has a man named Hua Xiong. He is the strongest warrior in my camp. I want to show off his martial prowess here. Is there anyone who can face Hua Xiong?”

“Ha. Where is Liangzhou compared to Bingzhou?”

“…It’s not Liangzhou, it’s Yangzhou.”

Jeongwon inwardly rejoiced at Dong Zhuo’s stiffening expression.

He tries to wield power through force, but isn’t this the Empress Dowager’s palace?

“Enough.”

The Empress Dowager raised her clenched left fist.

Dong Zhuo immediately bowed with a hardened expression, and Jeongwon couldn’t help but laugh.

But that gesture.

It seems like she’s giving some kind of order…?

“The reason I called you all here is….”

Creak.

“…I wonder if I shouldn’t have arranged this place. I was just trying to buy some time.”

As the door of the Empress Dowager’s palace, which had been closed for the banquet, opened, the Empress Dowager let out a hollow laugh and put down her cup.

Thud.

The music stopped.

The court ladies who were pouring the wine, the dancers who were dancing, and everyone gathered in the banquet hall all stopped.

Step, step.

Only one person.

A man who opened the door of the Empress Dowager’s palace by himself was walking along the path that split to the sides.

“You, you…!”

Jeongwon pointed at the man and raised his voice.

“How dare you! In the presence of the Empress Dowager…!”

Jeongwon couldn’t continue his words.

Even if he tried to speak, he couldn’t.

“Ke, keheok?!”