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

Chapter 20

＜ I Am Not the Son of Gong (6) ＞

In the past, I once had a question-and-answer session with my teacher about a certain topic.

“Disciple. What do you think is an unforgivable evil deed?”

“Murder.”

Before I was appointed, I answered about the most terrible crime I had suffered.

“And those who recklessly take the lives of others can be called villains, right?”

“`

In my previous life, I fell from an airplane and died.

Whether it was turbulence or a maintenance error, I can’t say for sure.

I have no way of knowing if it was an accident or murder.

However, in this era, I did not get murdered, but I experienced my family being taken away from me.

My parents were killed by bandits.

Although the time I respected them as parents was much shorter than in my previous life, they truly cherished and loved me.

Having experienced it, I can say even more strongly.

It is a death that can never be tolerated.

“Yes. Murder should never happen. Of course, it shouldn’t. But… there are far too many people in the world who need to be told such an obvious thing.”

My master, who also cherished me with a parent’s heart, told me several times.

“In this era, there are things considered more unforgivable than murder.”

There is a gap between my thoughts and the era.

“What do you think it is?”

“Are you saying there is a crime more serious than murder?”

“Yes. In fact, if you look at it, the punishment for those who commit murder is dealt with more thoroughly and cruelly. Sometimes to the extent of exterminating three generations.”

“Ah.”

I had seen that expression in historical dramas I watched with my father.

“Treason.”

“That’s right.”

Treason. Rebellion.

“Since this country was unified under one dynasty, hundreds of years have passed. During that time, there have been numerous treasons, but the royal family tried to suppress them at the stage of treason.”

“Is it because if it goes beyond the stage of treason, it becomes a revolution?”

“That’s right. Although you shouldn’t say that carelessly… well, let’s just leave it at that. That’s not the important part.”

My master would sometimes overlook my slip of the tongue when it was really important.

“Disciple, do not become a traitor. It will lead not only you but also your friends, family, acquaintances, subordinates, and everyone you love to death.”

“Is it enough to just be careful with my words? So that no one says, ‘That guy is finally revealing his treasonous intentions!’ about my words and actions.”

“No.”

My master denied my words.

“If you pretend not to know the court etiquette at all, everyone will let it slide. Some will try to teach you somehow, as I did, but if you persistently say, ‘I don’t know such things,’ they will eventually give up and just tell you not to cross the line.”

“That sounds convenient.”

“`

“Don’t say you won’t learn at all. Tsk. I’m nagging again. Anyway, what I’m warning you about is not your actions but….”

The master pointed at me.

“You are walking the right and just path, but the beasts who kill people will brand you as a traitor and try to kill you.”

“Are they madmen?”

“What if those madmen are the very high and mighty people you sometimes speak of?”

“…….”

I know.

“It will be difficult. It will be hard.”

That one individual cannot change an entire nation.

“It hurts my pride to say it’s impossible, but I know the reality. If one person’s power could defeat those high and mighty people, you wouldn’t have come here, Master.”

“Hahaha! You’re flattering your master. But it’s also a sad story. This master also had to return to his hometown because of those high and mighty people.”

One person’s power cannot oppose a nation.

“Do you know Xiang Yu?”

“If you mean Xiang Yu, I looked him up and studied him after you mentioned him, Master. You told me not to become like him.”

“Yes.”

Even if such a person existed, it would be impossible in this era.

“Xiang Yu also eventually died. Even if you are more virtuous, kind, and stronger than Xiang Yu, there will still be parts you cannot handle as an ‘individual.'”

No matter how much I train my martial arts, if soldiers come at me with the resolve to die until I die, I will eventually die.

Whether I die from a stray arrow when I’m exhausted.

Or if the enemy wages a war of attrition, preventing me from drinking water or sleeping until I collapse from exhaustion.

In the end, all my subordinates will fall into the enemy’s hands, and I will flee alone on a boat, only to throw myself into the river and commit suicide.

“So you must hide yourself, but in the meantime, build your strength and prepare for the day you can see the light.”

Like a plant that germinates and sprouts underground before it raises its head above the ground.

“The blade hidden in the pocket will eventually be revealed.”

Eventually, I too will have a day when I get entangled with those high and mighty people.

Both the master and I thought so.

“Moreover, you are not just a blade, but a spear, more than that.”

“Someone will eventually accuse me of treason. Even if you haven’t done anything wrong. Is that correct?”

“Yes. In their eyes… they will probably think so.”

The master pointed to the sky and the ground respectively.

“In the flow of this era. Perhaps in the turbulent times to come. Those who do not follow their order are those who go against the natural order, and that is treason.”

“…….”

“Treason must not happen. Not only for yourself, but even more so if you get involved in treason.”

When he said those words, the master’s voice trembled faintly.

“No matter how much you cry out in injustice, even if you have no shame before the heavens, in the end, they will wield their swords under the name of treason and kill everyone.”

At that moment, the master looked quite lonely and especially sad.

“Then, Master. If following the natural order spoken by the powerful leads to the killing of innocent people, what should be done?”

“There are two ways.”

The master taught me.

“One is to accept it as the natural order, the way of the world, and reality.”

Hoping that I would not choose this path.

“The other.”

Hoping that I would walk the path he could not.

“Is to wield overwhelming power to the extent that you overturn the world they believe in and lead the order yourself.”

Overwhelming power.

“Teach them that the beasts who kill people and call us traitors are not the order, but those who go against justice.”

With that power, the master wished one thing from me.

“To pursue good and cry out for justice, and to walk the path of righteousness and chivalry that you hold in your heart, so that you may protect the order of all things in the universe.”

Promote good.

Punish evil.

“May no wicked beast dare to harm you and your family.”

* * *

“Let go, you wretched scoundrel!!”

The curses echoed.

“You ungrateful wretch! Let go! Why should I, why should I be treated like a prisoner!”

Cursing should never be done recklessly anywhere, but considering this is the imperial palace, it’s quite something.

“Let go, I said let go! Can’t you even recognize your own father!”

Judging by the words, it feels like I’m some kind of unfilial son.

“Your words are excessive.”

I asked the old man, who was wearing a sword that looked like it belonged in a prison in the folklore museum, as I pressed him down from behind.

“Why do you claim to be my father?”

“You, you?! Has this man truly gone mad?!”

“The mad one is you, Lord Jeongwon.”

As Jeongwon, with blood flowing from his mouth, tried to rise, I stepped on the broad sword fastened to his neck and pressed him down.

“Ugh!”

“Let me ask you. Where is this place?”

I pointed left and right, preventing Jeongwon from standing up.

“In the past few days, countless eunuchs have died in this very spot.”

This is an execution ground.

Located in the most deserted part of the imperial palace, it is a place where countless people have been beheaded over the past few days.

“Since the day of the rebellion, countless eunuchs and their followers have been beheaded here and their heads displayed in the market. The Ten Attendants and their followers, and even those who worked under them, all of them.”

On the day of the rebellion, countless eunuchs died.

And after their deaths, there were no families to hold funerals for them.

Their families, too, were dragged here and killed for sharing the same blood.

“Until yesterday, the number of people who died here matched the number of people who died on the day of the rebellion.”

The execution ground is filled with the smell of blood.

Rain from the sky might wash away the smell of blood, but instead, the stench is as if the blood has pooled and rotted.

A foul odor.

Today, only one person is to die here, yet the stench is overwhelmingly pungent.

“Listen, criminal Jeongwon.”

“Who dares to call me a criminal! How dare you, to call me, the Governor of Byeongju and the Commander of the Guards, a criminal!!”

“By the Emperor’s decree, I declare your crimes.”

There is no need for someone else to recite them.

“Under the pretext of mobilizing soldiers for the court, you disguised soldiers as bandits to kill, burn, and loot innocent civilians.”

These crimes are not memorized in my head, but are boiling in my heart.

“How could I follow someone who committed such atrocities as my superior?”

Throughout history, the massacre of civilians has been an unforgivable crime.

No matter what justification is attached, it always comes with the question, ‘Was it really necessary?’ And you committed such acts to gain power in the capital.

“Governor Jeongwon. You betrayed our Byeongju army of seven thousand, and all the people of Byeongju.”

Jeongwon is the person responsible for Byeongju.

“Now, a bloody wind will blow in Byeongju. Orders will be given to track down and kill Jeongwon and his followers who committed treason.”

Since Jeongwon committed treason, it is clear that he did not act alone.

“How many will die? Aren’t you curious? Some might raise such suspicions.”

If we are to engage in political scheming.

“Oh, all 7,000 soldiers of Byeongju were involved in the treason, so kill them all to show the severity of the national law.”

“That, that is…!”

“Why. Do you want to die together? No, do you want to kill us together?”

The leader of the treason.

And his 7,000 minions.

“Are you trying to say that our Byeongju soldiers are actually your private soldiers, and that they are traitors loyal to Jeong Geon-yang personally, not to the country?”

Even if Jeongwon does not say so, those who see us as a thorn in their side will say so to kill us.

It could be Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, or perhaps another force.

The Byeongju soldiers are strong, but they are loyal to the country, not to any other private organization, so from their perspective, we might appear as another force.

“We are not your private soldiers.”

“Ku, kuoo…!!”

“We are soldiers who move according to the orders of the one and only Emperor of this country, not you.”

Crunch.

“Why should we die with you? We did not participate in the treason.”

“Krr, kraa!!”

With a slight exertion of force on his foot, Jeongwon’s body, kneeling, seemed to crumple slightly.

“If we had known from the beginning that you harbored treasonous intentions and planned to raise an army, none of our Byeongju soldiers would have followed you.”

I did not come here to become a traitor and die on the execution ground.

Neither did Jangryo, nor the 6,000 Byeongju soldiers.

“Aren’t you sorry? For the thousand Byeongju soldiers who followed you in vain.”

The Byeongju soldiers were divided into two.

One is the 6,000 soldiers outside the capital that I manage.

The other is the 1,000 who entered the capital with Jeongwon.

“Among them, there might be those who truly harbored treasonous intentions following your will.”

Among those 1,000, there might be traitors who share Jeongwon’s will, but there would also be those who simply followed orders, seeing Jeongwon as the governor of Byeongju.

“Aren’t you sorry for those who entered the capital to make a name for themselves, to succeed in the capital and achieve fame?”

“Shut up…!!”

Jeong-won, with veins bulging in his neck, spewed his anger at me.

“I chose you! If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have even entered Byeongju County!!”

Is it because we are at the execution ground?

Is it because I am kneeling like a condemned criminal at the execution ground?

“You’ve lost your mind.”

Slowly, I can see the human named Jeong-won falling apart.

“Ah, yes. I certainly acknowledge that.”

In the life of the soldier Yeobongseon, the beginning as an official is certainly related to Jeong-won.

Jeong-won recommended Yeopo.

The beginning of the official Yeopo must be like that.

“Of course, it’s a story from over ten years ago, but the reason I was appointed to Byeongju was not only because it was my hometown, but also because my master was alive when I was appointed.”

I chose Byeongju, not Jeong-won.

“If my master had told me to go elsewhere or if my master had passed away, I would have become Yeobongseon of Giju County or Yuju County, not Byeongju County.”

“What, what?!”

“Yuju. It’s a decent land.”

If I had crossed over to Gye, I would have worked under Yeo-eon, who was the governor of Yuju at the time.

And if I didn’t like Yeo-eon, I would have joined forces with like-minded warriors to lead a volunteer army and sweep away bandits.

“Is Byeongju the only place one can be appointed? Or do you think I could have risen this far only because it was Byeongju? Of course, I acknowledge that I worked harder in Byeongju than anywhere else.”

I worked day and night to cultivate the barren land.

That was not for Jeong-won.

“You were mistaken. The reason I was appointed to Byeongju was not to fight under Jeong-won, but to show my master, in his later years, that I was appointed and harmonizing with the world.”

My master worried about me until the moment he died.

When I was appointed, he worried I might cause trouble.

I wouldn’t get beaten to death somewhere, but he worried I might rebel against high-ranking officials.

He worried I might act in ways that seemed to go against the order and principles of this era.

“My master passed away after seeing me live as a soldier without any trouble.”

If a disciple is called a child.

“Helping my master close his eyes with peace of mind, without anxiety, was the duty of a disciple and the way to repay my master’s grace.”

My master passed away reassured, seeing that his child had laid the foundation to live a life following his teachings and not dying unjustly.

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“I wanted to mourn for three years, but my master refused.”

I stayed by his side until the moment he passed away.

“He told me not to mourn at the grave for three years, but to go where I needed to be. He told me to save those I could protect during that time.”

So, as a soldier of Byeongju, I eradicated bandits and saved countless people.

“In accordance with his last will, I will save those I can protect.”

I raise my spear.

“Jeongwon.”

I aim my spear.

“By killing you, I will save myself, 7,000 soldiers, and the people of Byeongju.”

“You, you scoundrel!!”

Jeongwon screams in anger.

“You b*stard! I treated you like a son and cherished you! I granted all your requests! I even ordered the soldiers to dig a well in the dry land and mobilized them to build houses for the refugees at your request!”

“…….”

“Do you know how many times I had to humble myself to my subordinates to fulfill your absurd requests?! Even though I didn’t give birth to you or raise you, I supported you and carried you to this position after you became an official!!”

“…….”

“If you had just obediently followed my words, by now you would be…!!”

“Is that your last will?”

There is no need to say more.

“I, Yeobongseon, will honor you on your final journey out of respect for our past relationship.”

Whiiing.

The wind blows through the execution ground.

“A new magistrate will come to Byeongju. Someone much younger, much more communicative, much more virtuous, and much more renowned than you will protect Byeongju.”

“Ku, kuhe…!!”

He glares at me with bloodshot eyes and growls.

“Byeongju will become a better place to live. Although it is on the frontier, it will become a place where everyone wants to live.”

I will make it so.

“I will stay in the palace for a while and, by the order of Empress Dowager Dong, I will become the archery teacher of His Highness the Crown Prince. The soldiers will stay in the military camp in Luoyang and will be mobilized for the restoration work in the Mengjin area that you burned down.”

“Ha…! You, in the end, you just want power…!”

“Because in this situation, that is the only way we can survive.”

Because of someone.

“I don’t want to die as a traitor alongside some great person, so we must find a realistic way to survive.”

“…….”

“Tsk. They say the one who commits the crime is separate from the one who cleans it up. That’s the way of the world.”

Jeongwon said no more.

“No one in Byeongju will remember your name. Everyone will wave their hands and cheer fervently for the new magistrate.”

“…….”

“Your name will no longer be called on this land. So….”

He raised the halberd high.

“Let me ask you one last time. What is my name, the one who will execute you?”

“You, damn, b*stard Lu Bu…!”

“Lu Bu. Yes.”

He gripped the halberd with strength and imbued it with his will.

“I am not the son of Gong.”

“……!!”

“I am not Zheng Bu, but Lu Bu. Why would I call you father!”

Jeongwon’s body trembled.

“To serve Gong as my father is an insult to the fathers who gave birth to and raised me. How could I commit such unfilial conduct!”

As if struck by an arrow to the head, his eyes rolled back and he trembled violently.

“Farewell….”

Thud.

Jeongwon collapsed sideways, hitting his head on the ground.

The movement was so natural that it seemed he wasn’t pretending to faint but had truly fallen.

“…Did he faint from exhaustion? Fainting won’t extend his life….”

Jeongwon stopped breathing.

His eyes were open, but he did not move at all.

“…….”

Dark red blood flowed from his slightly open mouth.

* * *

In the year 189. During the time when there was much talk about changing the era name from Guangxi to Souning.

After the rebellion of the Ten Attendants.

Governor Jeong Won of Byeongju.

Disguised as a Heuksan bandit, he set fire near the capital, causing a disturbance, and was arrested by Yeopo and dragged to the execution ground.

The cause of death was anger.

Was it divine punishment?

Or was it the grudge of the people of Maengjinhang who died unjustly?

Or perhaps, was it a revelation from the heavens, worried that Yeopo’s spear would be tainted by the blood of someone like Jeong Won?

Just before the execution.

Jeong Won died.

According to unofficial history.

Just a few seconds before Yeopo swung his spear, Jeong Won collapsed without even leaving a proper will.

Later generations speculate that it was a cerebral hemorrhage caused by high blood pressure.

Jeong Won, deceased.

It was summer.

＜ I Am Not the Son of Gong (6) ＞ End