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

Chapter 34

＜ There Cannot Be Two Fathers Under Heaven (1) ＞

The horse gallops.

I am not riding alone.

“General, Hanei County has now completely become part of Bingzhou.”

Gahu rides alongside me, reporting.

Fortunately, it seems the discussions with the Sima clan have gone well.

“With the increase in inns, it won’t take long to travel from Bingzhou to Luoyang.”

“If we depart in the morning, we should arrive by that evening. Perhaps even sooner.”

I didn’t intervene in the practical matters, but I believe they did well.

After all, I had already heard everything explained once before entering the snake den, and the results were as expected.

“Teacher Gahu.”

“Yes, General.”

“Setting aside the mountain paths, what should we do about the waterways?”

Before I knew it, the Yellow River.

Swoosh─!

The fierce current rushes down.

It wasn’t just fierce; it was rampaging as if a wild dragon were thrashing about.

“General. I will look for a nearby port. No matter the hour, there must be someone with a boat—”

“That’s fine. This Yeobong has a few hidden tricks that I haven’t revealed to others. We can use them later when devising a plan.”

You want me to cross that with a boat?

You might as well be saying to flip over and die with the boat.

“Look closely.”

I dismounted and gripped the Hwaguk tightly with both hands.

“In exchange, do not tell anyone.”

The waters of the Yellow River are swift.

The winter Yellow River is cold.

But it’s not like it’s an ocean; if it’s the Yellow River, it’s not impossible to cross.

‘My master once said.’

Though both are like seas, there is a significant difference between the Yangtze River (Jiang) and the Yellow River (He).

“Hoo—”

Breathing deeply from below to above, I moved forward.

The Yellow River still raged violently, but this much was entirely possible.

I had already done it once over a decade ago, up there in the northwest of Bingzhou.

“General!! Ahead is a cliff!!”

Splash.

Kwah─!

* * *

[In the eastern part of Luoyang, by the lake next to a villa in the forest of Xinjing.]

“I’ll get straight to the point. Lord Shunwu, will you become my eldest son?”

“I refuse.”

As soon as Yuan Shao made the proposal at the villa he had invited Shunwu to, he was met with rejection.

“…Then why did you come all this way?”

Yuan Shao gestured around.

“This villa is only accessible to those of the Yuan family. It is quite far from the city of Luoyang.”

“That much is evident.”

Shunwu casually looked outside.

“The authority of those managing this villa seems overwhelmingly strong. Almost like soldiers.”

“What a frightening thing to say. Are you suggesting that soldiers are being trained privately near the capital?”

“Yes. When they wield wooden swords during their breaks, it is merely personal training, I suppose.”

“…Knowing that, you still refuse my offer?”

Yuan Shao pointed to the tranquil lake.

It was so still that one could drown without anyone noticing.

“Shunwu. My friend, right now….”

“Lord Jinlin, please step aside. I have matters to discuss with Lord Yuan.”

“You…!”

“Lord Jinlin. Just a moment, alone.”

Jinlin attempted to persuade Shunwu, but instead, he was rebuffed by both Shunwu and Yuan Shao and retreated.

“Very well. Let us talk, just the two of us. Why do you refuse? What is lacking in me, Yuan Shao?”

“Lord Yuan is not lacking.”

“Then why?”

“Lord Yuan, if I, Shunwu, were to serve you as my lord, I would first offer this counsel.”

Shunwu clasped his hands together.

“Do not think of yourself as the smartest. You are indeed a clever man, but there are those who can see through your strategies even more deeply than you can from your seat.”

“And that is precisely why I invited you here. You.”

Yuan Shao’s expression hardened.

“Why on earth? Is it because my mother was born a servant? Or could it be that Yuan Shu is the legitimate son? Surely, you do not look down on the Yuan family.”

“Nothing at all.”

“Then? What is the problem? You must know that the current court is facing a significant issue!”

“Your contributions are great, but isn’t the blood spilled in the process far too much?”

“…Ha!”

Yuan Shao slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

“Are you not just like the eunuchs who only talk without action?”

“…….”

“When everyone was terrified of the eunuchs, I—”

“Black Mountain Bandits.”

At Sun Wu’s calm words, Yuan Shao froze.

“Zhengyuan. Mengjin. Weizhang. Black Mountain Bandits. Localities. Warlords. Hanjin. Gathering.”

“…….”

“It’s not just Zhengyuan that has risen; Dong Zhuo has also come to Luoyang. Do you really think Dong Zhuo has been unaware and hasn’t reported on Yuan Gong until now?”

“……What?”

“Yuan Gong. If I were under Dong Zhuo, I would have done this.”

Sun Wu mimicked grasping something and swayed it gently.

“Let’s use the evidence that Yuan Shao instigated Hanjin to execute the Weizhang Black Mountain Bandit strategy at the most crucial moment. Whether it’s a letter or a person, let’s hide it and conceal it as much as possible.”

“…….”

“The situation in the court is so chaotic, and we cannot provoke the blood-soaked hero Yuan Shao right away. We should strike when his bloodlust has subsided and people have calmed down. When Yuan’s power weakens and they can present that evidence with some persuasiveness. When the Qingliu faction supporting Yuan withdraws their support.”

“Ha.”

“Now, it aligns with the reason why Yuan Shao came to see me. The Qingliu officials are beginning to distance themselves from Yuan Shao, and since public opinion is not favorable, you are trying to gather officials who do not get along well with the court to build a faction, aren’t you?”

“Impressive. Truly impressive, Sun Wu.”

Yuan Shao gritted his teeth and clapped his hands.

“Then why do you not use that wisdom for me? A person so clever.”

“I do not wish to be someone’s Zhang Liang; I want to be this country’s Xiao He.”

“…….”

Yuan Shao glared at Sun Wu with half-sunken eyes.

“I apologize. The conversations I often had with Jin Lin Gong tend to go this way. Using historical analogies might be disrespectful to some.”

“Is it because you think it would be difficult to become a chancellor like Xiao He if you follow me? Are you dismissing me?”

“It’s not dismissal. Rather, I believed. I thought that if it were Yuan Shao, you would understand even if I expressed it metaphorically. Very well. Recently, I’ve been exchanging letters with an acquaintance, and borrowing his way of speaking…”

Sunwook cleared his throat, seeming quite awkward as he adjusted his collar and opened his mouth.

“To put it bluntly, even if I offer my counsel, it’s clear that at the most crucial moment, the lord will ignore my words and act according to his own will.”

Ta-ang!!

“Are you saying I’m stubborn!”

“Not at this moment, no. But someday, it will be so.”

“To the point of cursing…!”

“Not curses, but rather, a discerning eye for people, I would say.”

Despite the lord’s threat, Sunwook spoke calmly.

“I came here today to discuss this. That the lord is not safe at this moment.”

“…….”

“I believe the price for being invited here has been sufficiently paid with this. Fortune—”

“Your Grace─!”

One of the subordinates rushed up to the pavilion in a hurry.

“What is it? Making a commotion in front of our guest.”

“Th-that’s… it’s urgent….”

“…Speak.”

“Lord Wonsul has….”

The lord gestured towards his ear, and the subordinate covered his mouth with his hand and whispered to him.

“…….”

“Lord Sunwook.”

The lord stood up from his seat.

“I have urgent matters to attend to, so I will take my leave.”

“……Yes. Please do.”

Sunwook rose and offered his respects, but the lord left the pavilion without acknowledging the gesture.

“Hmm.”

Sunwook quietly sat back down in the pavilion.

“…If being invited here entangles me with the Wonga, it would be a great misfortune. By the way.”

Sunwook glanced at the empty table and smacked his lips.

“Not even offering refreshments to a guest means that from the very beginning, they have no intention of serving anyone who isn’t their own.”

Sunwook tilted his head back and laughed heartily.

“What good is it for me to offer wisdom for the sake of the ball? Hahaha!”

Thud.

“First, I must flee to my hometown, to Yeongcheon.”

Soon-wook immediately packed his belongings and swiftly moved outside the villa.

* * *

[At that moment, in the Taiwei Department of Luoyang.]

“Father-in-law, shall we kill Yuan Shu?”

“…….”

Dong Zhuo dropped the piece of meat he was about to eat.

“Who are we killing?”

“Yuan Shu, of course.”

The steam rising from it was freshly boiled pork, even in the cold winter.

“I’m talking about Yuan Shao, son-in-law.”

“Yuan Shu. Yuan Gonglu. I’m referring to the heir of the Yuan family, Father-in-law.”

“Speak sense!”

Dong Zhuo hurled the pork towards Li Yu.

“Do you not understand that capturing Yuan Shu is the work of Yuan Wei, the head of the Yuan family, and is meant to suppress Yuan Qi!! The head of the Yuan family and Yuan Shu’s brother!”

“I know. But aren’t we going to kill them all anyway? The head of the family who is on the verge of death, a brother whose name I’ve never even heard, and then Yuan Shu followed by Yuan Shao. We’ll cut off the roots of the Yuan family completely.”

Li Yu kicked the piece of pork that had fallen to the ground and approached Dong Zhuo.

“Father-in-law. If not now, there won’t be another chance. When spring comes, Lü Bu will arrive.”

“Ugh…!”

“Fortunately, all the strategies to win over Lü Bu are already prepared. Once Lü Bu arrives, everything will be over.”

“Mm….”

To win over Lü Bu.

It’s not an easy task, but at least all preparations for him are complete.

“Some of the Qingliu faction, including Chae-ong, are supporting you, Father-in-law. They still believe we are of the same kind as Lü Bu.”

“That’s true.”

Dong Zhuo turned his gaze to the silk hanging on the wall of the Taiwei Department.

“While we’ve been playing with ink and discussing the heroes of this land, it’s only natural they would think that way.”

There, various figures of the Qingliu were displayed in elegant calligraphy.

“Such useless things are given as gifts. Why not just show some of the treasures you have? Tsk.”

Loyalty to the nation, and all that.

“Just because the Qingliu faction supports us, can we really push Yuan Shao out?”

“Yuan Shao has already lost his credibility. Especially after the brutal display he made.”

Li You mimicked stabbing his own throat with his thumb.

“How many eunuchs did he kill along with his soldiers? It’s said that the remains of those corpses are still being found all over the capital.”

“That’s just a rumor.”

“The very fact that such rumors are circulating means Yuan Shao has lost support. Once, Qingliu sent their backing to Yuan Shao, but that’s no longer the case.”

Li You firmly extended his hand forward.

“The Qingliu folks are quite amusing. When they called Yuan Shao the young blood of Qingliu, that was one thing, but now that he’s killed all the eunuchs, they’re backing off saying, ‘Oh, this is a bit much.'”

“With their hands behind their backs, they all act like that.”

“Yes. But those guys are still following us for now, aren’t they, my father-in-law?”

Li You stepped a bit closer.

“Politics is much like love. One must be close in body for the heart to be moved. At first, distance makes the heart grow fonder, but when the beloved doesn’t cross the cold winter Yellow River…”

“Are you saying that Lü Bu is distancing himself and instead clinging to Dong Zhuo? Don’t use such metaphors when you can’t even handle romance properly.”

As Dong Zhuo pointed to the wine bottle with his chin, Li You immediately lifted the bottle with both hands and poured wine into a cup.

“My father-in-law. Yuan Shu killed the official. This is a clear fact. It was an accident caused by his drunkenness, but this very accident could be our opportunity.”

“…What about Zhang Jue and Fan Chou? What happened to the soldiers?”

“They are already on standby.”

Li You drew a circle on the floor and poked at various spots with his finger.

“Zhang Jue is waiting in the northwest of Luoyang, in Pingying, and Fan Chou is in the north of Luoyang, in Mengjin. Yao and Guo are over there in Hongnong.”

“Hmm.”

“Passage is not allowed. Three days ago, you ordered it in the name of the Grand Commandant. The restriction on passage.”

“That’s right. The poisoning aimed at the deposed Ha family… heh heh, they strengthened public order under the pretext of an attempted poisoning.”

A few days ago.

There was an assassination attempt against the deposed emperor and empress in Hongnong.

The identity of the perpetrator has yet to be revealed.

“Yes. No one will be able to move freely in the Luoyang area. Not without a pass.”

Li You lightly shook the wooden token at his waist.

“For the past few days, we’ve been pretending to bring soldiers into the capital, increasing their numbers. Coming in during the day, leaving at night.”

Lee Yu moved his hands back and forth, grinning.

“If we include the soldiers still stationed in Luoyang and the Yangzhou army in Hongnong, it’ll be at least 4,000. This is doable. They probably think our Yangzhou army is around 10,000 strong.”

“…….”

“Just let the Empress Dowager know in advance. Setting everything else aside, I’ll make sure to target only the Yuan family who wield their swords toward the imperial palace.”

“Hmm.”

Dong Zhuo downed his drink in one gulp.

“What’s the state of control? Are we at our limit?”

“Yes. Three to four days is the limit. The merchants in Luoyang have already begun to voice their discontent.”

“In that case, it’ll be soon. People will start moving, and rumors will begin to spread.”

Whether it was the effects of the alcohol or something else, his eyes gradually reddened, and his blood surged.

“What about Yuan’s private soldiers?”

“They’re gathering to protect the main house in Luoyang, but some are slipping out. It’s laughable that they even brought ‘private soldiers’ into Luoyang in the first place, but that’s the authority of the Yuan family, I suppose.”

“There shouldn’t be too few of them.”

“However, it’s fine for now. I’ve found out that they sent some of their private soldiers back to their hometowns for the winter. It seems… the rumors are true.”

“Rumors.”

As Dong Zhuo jabbed his chopsticks into the boiled meat, the fat soon split apart.

“The Yuan family will divide along the Yellow River, north and south?”

“The Yuan families in the south are following Yuan Shu. However, there have been reports that Yuan Shao is sending people to Jizhou to establish a stronghold. Even among the Yuan family, they’re turning against each other, aren’t they? They’re already under the illusion that the court is their world.”

“But didn’t they join forces during the eunuch rebellion?”

“They allied because the eunuchs were the enemy. But even that alliance fell apart after all the eunuchs were killed. Right now, they’ve let their guard down.”

“What about the remaining private soldiers?”

“Only Yuan Shu’s private soldiers.”

“Not Yuan Shao’s army, then. Tsk.”

Dong Zhuo poked at the useless fat with his chopsticks.

Just fat, with no flesh whatsoever.

“Father-in-law. Since we’re at it, let’s deal with Hongnong as well. Only those in Hongnong know our true situation. If we eliminate the former emperor and the Empress Dowager, no one will know how we gathered funds from Hongnong.”

“Should we kill them too?”

“How about we pin it on the Yuan family? The assassination attempt on the former emperor was actually orchestrated by Yuan Shu…”

“You little brat.”

Dong Zhuo struck Lee Yu on the head with his hand, which was as large as a pot lid.

“Do you think people will believe it if we force it all onto them?! Instead, spread the rumor that Lü Bu wishes to be the Emperor!”

“If we claim that, how will they respond?”

“Ha, that son-in-law of mine…”

“We’ll just kill them all and see. That’s our way, isn’t it?”

Despite having been struck on the head, Yi Yu filled his cup to the brim without a care.

“Father-in-law, we can think of the justification after we act.”

“Ha…”

“You ruled Yangzhou like that. How can the dead speak?”

“And if we keep killing?”

“In the end, only those who obey will remain. The ones who can’t speak will bow their heads.”

“Hmm…”

Dong Zhuo nodded lightly.

“Well, we aren’t the kind of people who just walk around with ink stains on us. Blood is a different story.”

“I will prepare. I will move in a way that the Yuan family can’t even respond.”

“And if the Yuan family shows no reaction?”

“We’ll eliminate one brutal heir and leave them with a fatal weakness.”

“A weakness, you say.”

“No matter how much of a wastrel they are, those beasts will turn their backs on their own children for the sake of their clan.”

Yi Yu grinned slyly.

From noble mtl dot com

“Who doesn’t hate beasts?”

“Me, you, and… Lü Bu. But son-in-law, was this your scheme?”

“Oh dear, Father-in-law. I’m not that young anymore. I have to come up with at least this much cunning. This is the plan I’ve been devising for the past six months, a once-in-a-lifetime strategy.”

Yi Yu grinned slyly again.

“Surely you don’t think I’m so incompetent as to take advice from someone whose identity I don’t even know and then relay it to you, do you? This Yi Yu is quite capable. I’m not that inept.”

“Ugh. I’m sorry. I think I’ve been too careless with you.”

Dong Zhuo tightly grasped Yi Yu’s shoulder and shook him.

“Yes! You need to come up with this level of cunning to justify your place here! Let’s make sure those who look down on you know it!”

Yi Yu grimaced at the rough grip, but he felt relieved and pointed outside at Dong Zhuo.

“Let’s go. We need to move before he arrives.”

“Are you talking about Lü Bu?”

Dong Zhuo scoffed.

“Haha, Yi Yu. My son-in-law. How could you possibly cross that cold Yellow River in this winter? Hmm?”

“However…”

“That’s an excessive worry. Of course, if that person shows up and says, ‘Do not fight!’ then all the movements of the soldiers would be in vain. If you are urging me to act quickly because of him…”

Smack!

“It has been a full day since you locked Yuan Shu in prison. Now it’s the second day. It’s not like a bird flew over the Yellow River to deliver news, so how could Lü Bu possibly come from the commandery to Luoyang?”

“Th-that’s true…? Ha, haha.”

“Still, if that guy really can traverse the land, then we should move quickly. Even if…”

He grinned.

“Even if Lü Bu comes to aid Yuan Shu, we have Dong Bai on our side.”

“……Hehe.”

“I hear…”

Dong Zhuo rubbed his fingers together and laughed.

“I heard Lü Bu rejected the marriage proposal from Yuan Shu? Hehe. Of course. He has lived as a bachelor all this time just to meet our Dong Bai.”

Clap, clap, clap.

“Now I can finally call Lü Bu my son!”

“Congratulations, father-in-law.”

“Yes, yes. It is indeed a matter to celebrate. If Lü Bu becomes our ally…”

Dong Zhuo clenched his fist tightly.

“We can surely expel Yuan Shu from Luoyang.”

“Of course. And even if it’s not Dong Bai, as long as this exists, Lü Bu will inevitably become an enemy of Yuan Shao.”

Yi Yu took an old pouch from his bosom.

“Father-in-law. Huan Jin called for us to come up here.”

“That’s right.”

“He also commanded us, did he not? To disguise ourselves like the Black Mountain bandits.”

“Because we did not do that, Lü Bu did not aim his wrath at us.”

The exterior of the old pouch was embroidered with the character ‘Ha’ (何) in golden thread, representing General Huan Jin.

“We did not disguise ourselves as Black Mountain bandits to plunder the common folk. Isn’t that right?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Haha.”

Dong Zhuo snatched the pouch and put on his coat.

“What reason is there to disguise ourselves as those pesky Black Mountain bandits while plundering? We can just do it without anyone knowing.”

“Heh heh heh.”

“Reason. I said something before I called you to the capital. Do you remember what it was?”

“My father-in-law said.”

The reason touched beneath his own face with his hand.

“If no one knows, it’s not a crime.”

“Right. …Hah. Let’s go.”

As Dong Zhuo exhaled deeply, the intoxication that had filled his face vanished in an instant.

“We will drive out the Yuan clan and seize control of the court. To create a world under the Dong clan.”

* * *

[Northern Luoyang. Military camp near Mengjin Port.]

“Stop!”

The general in charge of the traffic around Mengjin Port, Ban Zhao, shouted towards the approaching black shadow from the water’s edge.

“If you’re a monster, back off! If you’re a person, show your pass!”

With the scent of earth, a figure resembling a water ghost emerged, dripping water as it walked.

With each step, steam rose from its body, something that was clearly beyond what a human could do.

“A pass?”

The water ghost growled.

“There’s no such thing.”

＜ You cannot have two fathers under heaven (1) ＞ End