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

Chapter 10

＜ Spring in Luoyang (4) Battle of Anyi ＞

Although I hold the position responsible for the training and nurturing of the Bingzhou army, the military authority fundamentally lies with Jing Yuan.

It is only natural.

Jing Yuan never relinquished military authority.

From the beginning, he knew that it was his only authority and lifeline in Bingzhou.

I didn’t particularly try to take it away either.

I never thought of taking it away.

If Jeong-won recklessly uses the soldiers I have painstakingly trained and gets them killed.

Or if he fails to issue the order to dispatch troops at a crucial moment.

And thus, if the day comes when we cannot win a battle we could have easily won, or save those we could have saved.

Then, that will be the day Jeong-won takes off his official robe or gets his head cut off.

But at least, not yet.

It might be soon, but Jeong-won is not that clueless yet.

“General Yeo.”

“Don’t talk while running. You’ll bite your tongue.”

“If a soldier bites his tongue while riding, he should get off the horse.”

“I agree.”

Huseong and Jangryo follow.

“The enemy is five thousand Heuksan bandits. Our troops are fifteen hundred cavalry.”

“Not confident.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not confident in losing.”

The situation?

Absolutely favorable.

They have more numbers, but we have cavalry.

If we just charge in, we will mostly win.

Of course, many will die in the process.

“Huseong. Is the reconnaissance report accurate?”

“Yes. They knew how to deal with government troops.”

The enemy is not entirely foolish.

“Pikemen in the first line, archers in the second. Their weapons in the center.”

“They are bandits trying to imitate an army.”

“Yes.”

“The formation?”

“Square formation.”

Square formation (方陣).

Drawing a picture in my mind.

Infantry tense at the sight of cavalry.

Aiming spears and bows at the cavalry.

The cavalry charges straight ahead, piercing through like an awl.

Retreat?

Losses?

I can survive.

The cavalry following behind?

“Divide the troops into three.”

I pointed left and right to Huseong and Jangryo.

“Huseong on the left wing, Jangryo on the right wing. At my signal, spread out to the sides and split in half.”

“What about the central army?”

“As always.”

Nodding deeply towards Huseong and Jangryo, I raised the military flag wrapped around the halberd high.

“Break through at one point.”

Bwooo!!

Huseong took out a horn and blew it, changing direction.

“General, good luck!”

Facing the enemy head-on, Huseong and Jangryo each led the cavalry to the left and right.

The front formation.

Piercing from the front, striking from the sides.

Never looking back.

“Cavalry of the main army.”

I could already feel the cavalry following behind me.

“As always, I will go first.”

“General!”

Faster than the cavalry following behind.

Rushing towards the enemy camp at full speed.

* * *

Wangdang, the leader of the [Wangdangchae] group of Black Mountain Bandits, who were active around Hain County in Sayeju, was dumbfounded.

A vast plain.

A dry wasteland where not a single blade of grass grows properly.

The only thing visible was the shadow of a mountain rising high beyond the horizon, and dust was rising from the east.

“Boss. It looks like something is coming over there.”

At his subordinate’s words, Wang Dang tilted his head.

“Coming?”

“Yes. It is coming.”

“Not running away?”

The wind does not blow.

The fact that dust was rising meant it was an artificial phenomenon, and in his experience, there was only one case where that much dust would rise.

“Do you think the ones who ran away would raise that much dust?”

“Should we chase them?”

“No, no. If we chase them, more dust will rise. …What is it really?”

Wang Dang retraced his experiences several times.

“Did we miss a lot?”

“How could that be? Our mission was to annihilate the villagers who wouldn’t even listen to us properly.”

“That’s right.”

Wang Dang and the captain turned their heads back.

The rear where they had set up camp.

The village was burning, and the subordinates were coming out of the warehouse with rice and valuable trinkets, while the bodies of those who bled and died trying to stop them were strewn on the ground.

Although a few people had fled quickly at the beginning of the raid, they hadn’t missed enough to raise that much dust.

Later, they would hear something-

“Wait.”

Wang Dang retraced his thoughts.

“Bringing it?”

Dust, bringing it, ‘coming?’

“Hey. Doesn’t it look like it’s getting closer?”

“No, boss. Didn’t I tell you from the beginning? Something is coming.”

“…….”

Wang Dang picked up the spear he had strapped to his back again.

The blade was smeared with blood, but there was no time to wipe it off.

Gugugugu.

Slowly, the vibrations seemed to be getting closer.

“Isn’t that the government army?”

Government army?

No way.

“The Han army shouldn’t be coming here now.”

There was already some sort of ‘agreement’ with the government army.

Of course, that secret agreement wasn’t made with the high-ranking officials over there, but-

“No, even if they were coming, shouldn’t they be coming from the west, not the east?”

If there had been any sign of the government army coming, someone would have secretly sent word.

“Captain. They’re getting closer.”

“I see them too.”

They were kicking up dust as they ran.

The ground they stood on seemed to shake, and Wang Dang felt a chill down his spine for some reason.

“That is….”

The moment the outline slowly came into focus.

“Cavalry! It’s the cavalry!!”

They could see.

Who were the ones kicking up the dust.

“Captain!”

“Don’t panic. We’re not idiots holding just one sword.”

Wang Dang calmly pointed ahead.

“Those with spears, move forward. Even if it’s cavalry, if you thrust the long spears forward, they’ll be skewered without being able to move.”

“Spear bearers, move forward!!”

At the lieutenant’s shout, the bandits hesitated but moved forward.

They had already experienced several victories against the government army.

“Think of yourselves as a spiked turtle. Just hold firm and steady.”

No matter how many cavalry there were, how could they easily break through when the spearmen were thrusting their long spears forward with all their lower body strength?

“Hey. What about the bows and arrows we got when we raided the barracks last time?”

“I’ve gathered all the kids.”

“Have the archers stand by at the back.”

“But, we are not good at shooting arrows!”

“Even blind arrows will do! Just don’t shoot the kids in the back of the head!”

“Understood! Kids! Pull your bows up! Shoot as soon as they come!”

The command was clumsy, but the bandits drew their bowstrings and waited for the signal.

“Whew.”

Wang Dang laughed inwardly.

Jang Yeon’s words flashed through his mind.

-Although we started as bandits, it wouldn’t be strange to call us generals now.

General.

-We are bandits now, but someday we will be soldiers of a unit. This is just a rehearsal for that, so do not be afraid.

We are not regular soldiers yet, but someday we will be.

Although he still didn’t know what Jang Yeon’s plan was, he would find out the day Jang Yeon invited him to the ‘real Heuksan.’

Who Jang Yeon, known as the leader of the Heuksan bandits, had allied with in the court.

Yes.

It won’t be long now.

The day the one Jang Yeon allied with takes control of the court, they too will throw off these black clothes and become proper soldiers-

“General!!”

“Don’t make a fuss. …What?”

“Th-that!!”

The deputy pointed straight at the approaching cavalry.

“I said don’t make a fuss. Are we going to run away from the cavalry in this plain?”

“That’s not it!! Th-that flag!!”

“What about the flag? It’s the government army, so of course, they have a flag.”

As the enemy cavalry approached, Wang Dang trembled slightly.

“No matter what the flag is, all we can do is form a solid formation….”

He couldn’t read the characters on the fluttering military flag, but he knew the symbol well.

-If you see a flag similar to the character ‘井’, run away immediately.

The leader, Jang Yeon, had said so.

When asked who they were, Jang Yeon replied.

Byung (幷).

– They are the Byungju Army.

The cavalry runs faster than arrows, and the infantry is as solid and heavy as a rolling boulder.

Even before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, their power was immense, and even the leader, Jang Yeon, always avoided fighting the main force of the Byungju Army.

Rumor.

There is an undefeated monster.

And such enemies are now in front of us?

“Steady your legs!! Do not shoot the arrows yet!”

Was it because he was flustered?

While Wang Dang bit his tongue once, a few arrows flew weakly over the spearmen and stuck into the wasteland.

Swish.

The cavalry scattered to the left and right.

Like water splitting when it meets an obstacle, they split to the left and right.

“Turn your body to your direction! Aim the arrows at the ones coming from the sides…!”

“General!! They are coming!”

“They will come!! I know!”

“No, there, straight ahead───!!”

When he looked in the direction the deputy pointed.

“……One?”

A single warrior was riding towards them.

At the end of the spear, slightly lowered to the side, were sharp crescent blades in pairs.

– Especially, beware of one monster.

Fear is contagious.

– Beware of the one whose hair flutters like antennae.

Jang Yeon described the monster, clearly terrified.

He laughed.

Back then.

But the moment he realized where that fear came from, Wang Dang almost dropped his spear without realizing it.

The sensation he felt when he encountered a large tiger in the mountains flowed through the cold armor.

But.

In that sensation, there is only one thing visible.

Yes.

One.

“Th-the enemy commander is… charging towards us alone!!”

All eyes focus.

The cavalry scattered to the left and right have no time to pay attention, all their nerves are focused on the single cavalryman charging straight at them.

“Align, aim your spears forward!!”

“C-captain?!”

“He’s just a man! Just one person!!”

One person.

No matter how famous he is, one person cannot fight like that.

“Let’s unhorse the monster! Aim for the horse! Stab the horse with your spears and make it fall!”

That seemed like the best option.

“Shoot the arrows!! Just shoot! We’ll think about hitting him later, just stop him from coming!!”

If we rain arrows, he might retreat.

After pretending to charge alone from the center, the spearmen scattered to the left and right would pour in.

If that’s what he’s thinking, we need to give orders to the soldiers on the left and right wings.

“He’s coming!!”

Why can’t we take our eyes off that monster?

Why does it seem natural that the horse he’s riding is drawing an arc and changing direction?

Is it just a bluff?

No.

Before the horse could turn sideways, the monster was already trying to dismount.

Ta──at.

He turned his body greatly from the saddle, holding his weapon, and jumped off the horse, then started running quickly on the ground.

As if the horse was just a means to get here faster.

“No.”

Wang Dang wanted to ask sincerely.

“If he was going to do that, why did he ride the horse─”

BOOM!!

With the explosion, three or four soldiers are hurled into the sky.

At the same time, blood splashes high in the opposite direction.

“Move aside──!!”

Wang Dang leaped forward.

“I’ll take care of this!!”

“Captain!!”

Holding a spear, he runs forward.

“Fool who jumped off his horse!!”

Why would a general ride a horse?

Of course, it’s advantageous to take the higher ground.

“This Wang Dang will take you on──!”

Following the command of the general he saw when he was young, Wang Dang slashed through the spearmen and charged towards the approaching warrior.

“Foolish one!”

Wang Dang put strength into his lower body, gripped the spear with both hands, and thrust it downward.

If he could stab between the armor of the one who was turning while cutting down three other soldiers at the same time, he could use the height difference to slam him into the ground.

Clang!

It was.

“?!?!”

His eyes couldn’t follow.

He barely managed to hold onto the spear, but he couldn’t understand why his spear was deflected.

He didn’t know why the polearm that was being swung at another soldier was now aimed at him.

“Ugh?!”

Wang Dang instinctively tilted his head back.

But as he felt his body tilt backward, his legs gave out and he fell down.

Neigh!!

He fell off his horse.

But he was still holding onto the spear, so he quickly tried to regain his posture-

Crunch!

“!!”

The blade of the spear and the halberd collide.

The crescent moon of the halberd glistens right in front of my neck.

Instinct moved first, blocking my neck with the spear. If not, the halberd would have cut my neck.

“Ho.”

The monster looks down at me with an indifferent face.

Gripping the halberd with one hand, it chokes a soldier with the other, staring only at me.

“You must be the captain.”

“You, monster…!!”

I rise, putting strength into the spear to struggle against the halberd.

To make up for the lack, I grab the front of the spear blade with both hands and push.

Creak.

“What, is this…!”

Even with both hands, it’s tough.

It’s hard to hold and endure like a short spear.

The moment my hands lose strength, the spear will fall, and my neck will be cut.

No.

I didn’t fight this hard to die here.

I didn’t live to be cut by the blade of a halberd just three steps away.

“What, what are you…!!”

“…….”

“What are you…!”

“I am.”

The monster throws the soldier aside and places its remaining hand on the halberd.

“A soldier of this country, loyal to the nation and its people.”

Thunk!

Along with the spear, the blade of the halberd pierces my shoulder.

The world flips, spinning around.

“Commander────!!”

The last thing I see is the faces of my subordinates looking at me as my vision soars high into the sky.

“We defeated him─────!!”

That face, perhaps, is filled with the same fear as mine.

* * *

“Still the same as ever.”

After beheading the bandit who charged at him with a spear, Huseong clicked his tongue and urged his horse forward.

“What should I call that?”

He catches his breath.

He had already taken down over 100 soldiers, and the other soldiers were being swept away by the cavalry.

He had a moment to catch his breath, but-

aaah───!!

“That, no matter how many times I see it, I can’t imitate it.”

A person flies through the sky.

The soldiers in armor roll on the ground, and those without armor, holding only swords, fly and roll across the battlefield.

Even a tiger rampaging wouldn’t be like that.

With one swing of the halberd, three bandits spew blood and collapse.

With two thrusts of the halberd, five soldiers are cut down and slump to the ground.

The one called the enemy commander had already fallen.

At the start of the battle, the general had taken down the enemy commander, and all that remained was the massacre of the bandits fleeing in despair.

“Sp-spare me!!”

One bandit falls to his knees.

Unfortunately, he spoke to him, so the other cavalrymen glanced at him and went to capture other bandits.

“I have a wife and children at home!”

“How many have you killed?”

“Pardon…?”

“How many have you killed while banditry?”

“Th-that…”

Wh-ooosh!

“Ugh, ugh…?!”

“No matter how many, just being with them is already a death sentence.”

Blood splattered as a long cut ran from the soldier’s shoulder to his waist, but Huseong lightly swung his spear to shake off the blood.

“Tsk.”

Huseong clicked his tongue.

“Swing it with internal energy… How do you even do that, really.”

Is it the realm of monsters?

In the era of the Chu-Han contention, did all those countless generals leave their names behind because they could fell soldiers like autumn leaves with a single swing of their weapons?

“Really, even though I serve him, he seems like a monster.”

He swings his spear more diligently than anyone else.

As if killing one more person would mean one less person dying.

“Under this sky, is there anyone else like the general?”

I don’t know.

The general always says it, but while he may be the best in Bingzhou, it’s uncertain if he’s the best in the world.

“Truly….”

One against a thousand?

Unstoppable?

The best in the world?

Indeed.

“Peerless (無雙).”

There will be no one to compare.

aaah───!!

“…….”

Or not.

Seeing the young general in charge of the right wing rampaging as if he were a little Lü Bu, maybe he could be said to be the same.

“Please, let those two be overwhelmingly superior in the world.”

Huseong rubbed his neck and took a deep breath.

“Bingzhou cavalry, annihilate the enemy with the Martial God (武神)──!!”

Flap.

“The Mandate of Heaven (天命) is with our Bingzhou army──!!”

＜ The Spring of Luoyang (4) Battle of Anyi ＞ End