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

Chapter 16

＜ I Am Not the Son of Gong (2) ＞

Bingzhou is a place I tried to make as livable as possible after I was appointed, but fundamentally, it is a frontier.

Literally, a frontier.

It has everything, but it’s a rural backwater with nothing truly significant.

That ‘nothing’ includes the path to success.

Most of the young men full of vigor head to the capital, and the young men of Bingzhou also used all means, including academic connections, regional ties, and blood relations, to go up to Luoyang.

They went to Luoyang with dreams of success, but not everyone succeeded.

There are only a handful of people who have succeeded like Jang Yang—excluding the already dead Ten Attendants—by rising to the position of Sima.

Among those who left Bingzhou, some had lost contact, while others returned to their hometowns to quietly plow the fields and dig waterways.

“It’s been a long time, my friend!”

The man in front of me, who looked like a rat, was also someone who had left Bingzhou. His name was ‘Lee Sook.’

“Re-relax your expression. It’s been a long time since we met like this, shouldn’t we catch up?”

He spread his arms, trying to hug me with his small frame, but—

“How dare you, you swindler.”

Huseong blocked my way and pushed Lee Sook’s shoulder away.

“Hey, Huseong. It’s been almost eight years since we last met! Don’t be so harsh…!”

“Brother, should I kill him?”

“Eek?!”

“Calm down, Huseong.”

Huseong lost his temper.

“To be honest, I also want to half-kill him, but it seems he came here as someone’s subordinate, not as a swindler.”

To be honest, I almost lost my temper too, but I decided to hold back.

“First, let’s clarify our relationship.”

“Relationship…?”

“I am not your friend.”

Lee Sook’s mouth dropped open at my words.

As if struck by lightning, his body froze.

“Even if we were from the same hometown and once fought bandits together in Bingzhou, the ending wasn’t good, so we can’t be called friends….”

“Please spare me, Brother Yeo!”

Lee Sook knelt down.

He immediately called me brother.

“O-other people already know me as Brother Yeo’s friend!”

His desperate cry left me speechless.

“Did you swindle again?”

“N-no! This time, I am careful with my words and actions! But the lord asked if there were any people from Bingzhou…!”

Ha.

This damn connection.

“I, my ‘Lord’ has heard about General Yeo and wishes to speak with him, and he has entrusted me with that task! Because we are from the same hometown….”

“Brother. This guy, he must be bragging again.”

At Huseong’s words, Isuk bowed his head even lower.

“He says he’s close to you, just like he tricked people and took bribes from refugees.”

“Th-that’s not true! I’ve reflected a lot since then!”

Well, it’s a common story.

He deceived people by saying ‘I’m close to so-and-so’ and took bribes from outsiders trying to settle in Byeongju.

“He must have boasted. That he knows you well because you’re from the same hometown. That he once drank and rode horses with you.”

“Th-this time is different!”

Among those who left Byeongju for the capital, there were some who were expelled from Byeongju.

“I’m really wronged! Please, think of it as saving a life and believe me!!”

That’s Isuk.

“Brother! Please! For the sake of old times in Byeongju, please think of it as saving this nobody’s life…!”

“Who sent you?”

I pulled Huseong’s shoulder and stepped forward.

“By whose order did you come to see me?”

“Brother.”

“Huseong. It’s okay.”

I know these kinds of people better than anyone.

“…It’s like a carrier pigeon. What’s the point of talking to a swindler?”

Isuk still hadn’t changed his ways.

A swindler always says they won’t cheat anymore but then cheats again.

Just because we met after a long time doesn’t mean I can trust him.

“Ahem. Speak, Isuk. Who sent you?”

“I-I came under General Dongtak’s orders.”

Isuk opened his mouth with a somewhat lamenting face.

“I work under General Dongtak.”

“Dongtak, huh.”

I thought it was about time to send someone, but I never expected it to be Isuk.

“Did Dongtak have any message for me?”

“Th-that is. I’m planning to hold a banquet, and I hope you will accept the invitation….”

“Is that really all?”

“Y-yes! Brother Ye! Please come with me. I beg you. If not, I will die!”

“Brother. Should we just kill him halfway?”

Huseong kept urging from the side.

“If we send him back with goodwill, he will surely go back and boast about his success. Dong Zhuo will keep sending him whenever he needs to send someone to the general.”

“That would be the case.”

“Let’s just break his legs so he can’t come back. I’ll do it.”

Huseong was already gripping his spear, licking his lips.

‘Huseong has had a hard time.’

Because of Isuk’s blunder, we had to temporarily use an unfit person as an official.

-After doing such a lousy job, how dare he keep asking to be used!!

The person who suffered the most from this was Huseong.

Huseong scolded the person recommended by Isuk so harshly that even I felt embarrassed listening from the side, and eventually, that person left for another place.

Anyway.

“Calm down. Unfortunately, you must tell General Dong Zhuo that he cannot meet me for at least three days.”

“B-brother! So harshly…. Three days?”

“Yes.”

Facing Isuk formally, I held up three fingers.

“I’m a bit busy.”

“But, the banquet prepared by General Dong Zhuo….”

“It’s not that I simply don’t want to meet, but I already have prior engagements for the next three days.”

“Prior engagements…?”

“Yes. You should have come about an hour earlier.”

About an hour ago, someone other than Isuk had come to see me.

“For some reason, General Dong Zhuo is not the only one who wants to meet me right now.”

* * *

[At that moment, in the garden of the Yuan family mansion in Luoyang.]

Jungwon was in a very good mood.

He had met with several officials over the past few days, but today he was scheduled to meet someone particularly remarkable.

“Welcome, Master Jeongwon of the Jipgeumoh.”

“Haha, how did you know I became the Jipgeumoh?”

“When you stay here, you tend to hear various stories, haha.”

Jipgeumoh.

The head of the royal palace guards. Effectively the chief of defense.

Jeongwon was appointed to the position of Jipgeumoh just yesterday.

He hasn’t resigned from his position as Byeongju Jasa, but at least until he can place his own person in that role, he will hold both positions for the time being.

“General Won is waiting for you. Please come this way.”

“Alright.”

Guided by the servant, Jeongwon crossed the main gate, his robe fluttering.

A luxurious building incomparable to any in Byeongju.

“Indeed, this is the renowned house of Sase Samgong, haha.”

“The buildings of the Won family are everywhere in the world. The lord has expressed his wish for you to visit the main house of the Won family someday.”

“Haha. Thank you, there… is the protagonist.”

Jeongwon approached a handsome young man among those walking towards the banquet hall and greeted him with a bow.

“Isn’t this the loyal subject who quelled the rebellion of the Ten Eunuchs, Won Boncho?”

“Governor Jeongwon.”

Won So bowed lightly to Jeongwon while glancing behind him.

“Where is General Yeopo?”

“Ha, haha.”

Jeongwon’s lips twitched as he was asked about Yeopo before even exchanging greetings after being invited to the Won family’s manor, but he quickly corrected his expression.

“General Yeo is currently out suppressing the Black Mountain bandits in the Maengjin area.”

“Hmm… Just a moment.”

Won So called a servant and whispered something.

The servant immediately bowed and left for another place, and Won So pointed towards the inside of the banquet hall.

“Please come this way. From now on, I will attend to you.”

“Ah, yes, please do. Hahaha.”

Jeongwon cheerfully followed Won So into the banquet hall.

Every table neatly arranged on either side was filled with all kinds of delicacies, and the aroma of the wine, which was rare in Byeongju, hinted at its high quality.

Especially, the scent of the women seemed to straighten Jeongwon’s posture.

“Heh heh. It’s like a victory banquet.”

“It’s a good day, isn’t it? The eunuch faction that cast a shadow over the court for so many years has disappeared.”

“Indeed. Heh heh. Thanks to Lord Won’s decisive action, all those eunuchs have fallen.”

“…….”

Won So received the wine cup brought by his attendant and took a light sip while standing.

Seeing Won So hastily empty his cup, even though it wasn’t customary to drink while standing at a banquet, Jeong Won was slightly taken aback.

“Heh, heh heh. Is there something urgent?”

“Where is General Yeopo?”

“……Why are you looking for Yeopo?”

“Well.”

Won So lightly bowed his head and smiled at Jeong Won, who was visibly uncomfortable.

“Lord Woneo has commanded me to deliver a message directly to General Yeopo.”

“Tell me. I will convey it.”

“Haha. It’s a matter of great importance to the family.”

“A matter of great importance?”

After a moment of silence, Won So reluctantly opened his mouth.

“I understand that General Yeopo has not yet married.”

“Hmm. That’s true.”

Jeong Won’s eyes narrowed.

“Is the Won family planning to arrange a match?”

“Although my sister is already betrothed, there are still many women of marriageable age in the Won family.”

“Then I will convey it. Let’s go inside.”

“General Jeong Won.”

“If we are to discuss such an important matter.”

Jeong Won swallowed and pointed ahead.

“As I am like a father to General Yeopo, it is right to discuss it with me! Heh heh heh.”

“……This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“General Yeopo doesn’t like to talk about such things publicly.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

Won So turned and pointed towards the banquet hall.

“Understood. Please come this way. We have prepared ‘Yozu’ from Bokyang, which I believe will suit your taste.”

“Haha, the name of the drink is quite short, isn’t it?”

“Does a good drink for a good day need any embellishment?”

“Hahaha! Indeed. Right!”

Jeongwon chuckled as he walked inside.

“Lord Yuan Shao, I have something to tell you.”

“We are in the middle of a banquet. Is it urgent?”

“I will be brief.”

“Very well. Jeongwon, just a moment.”

“Ah, go ahead! Hahaha!”

Jeongwon, who was approaching the banquet table with a broad smile, did not notice the courtesans clinging to his sides.

“Father.”

Yuan Shao, with no expression on his face, fiddled with an empty cup as he listened to his retainer’s report.

* * *

“This ruins the taste of the drink.”

“Eek…!”

Dong Zhuo, lying heavily on the bed, spoke, and Lee Suk, bowing his head, trembled in fear.

“Enough. I have agreed to the invitation in four days, so we can discuss it then. You may leave.”

“Thank you, my lord!”

Lee Suk immediately stood up and bowed deeply.

Then, he retreated backward, resembling a eunuch.

“Tsk.”

Dong Zhuo clicked his tongue as he reached out to the table in front of him.

“I use him because there is no one else, but perhaps I should have sent someone else….”

“If you had done that, it would have been a disaster.”

A bearded man in a robe approached and greeted Dong Zhuo.

“Isn’t this Dr. Li Yu! Hahaha.”

Dong Zhuo waved his hand at the man while lying down.

If he had been standing, he would have welcomed him with open arms.

“Are you calling me that again?”

“Thanks to your wisdom, I was able to enter Luoyang and lie down with pride. How can I not call you a doctor!”

“Although I was neither in the Taehak nor held the position of a doctor in the court…”

The man scratched his neck and shrugged lightly.

“As your strategist, I will help as much as I can, on behalf of the one who could not come here.”

The man lightly covered his face with his hand and smiled faintly.

“So, how did it go?”

“As the doctor predicted. Isuk was neither a friend nor anything, and Lu Bu said he would come in four days.”

“That’s good news. Now we can ‘identify’ their tendencies.”

“Identify?”

“Near ink, black. Isuk is a dark-hearted person, but Lu Bu kept his distance from Isuk. Lu Bu is a person who is infinitely close to white.”

“Hmm…”

Dong Zhuo groaned and withdrew his hand from the table.

“It’s troublesome. If Isuk is completely different from me, isn’t he also different from me?”

“They are opposites. The general is gray, but isn’t he close to black?”

“What should I do?”

“No matter how white the general wears his coat, he cannot wash the black inside, so he must dye it black. If not by personal connection, then by academic connection, if not by academic connection, then by blood connection.”

The man put his hands together.

“The surest way is to become his adoptive father, but according to the information I gathered, he does not even consider Zheng Yuan as his adoptive father.”

“Is that so?”

Dong Zhuo tilted his head.

“I heard that Zheng Yuan goes around saying that Lu Bu is his son?”

“That’s why I said it’s good news.”

“…?”

“If we exploit that error, we can find out the discord between them.”

The man laughed lowly as if he found it amusing.

“I will use a stratagem. For that, I need information first.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Just wait leisurely for three days. Ah, there’s something most important.”

The man took a step forward and lowered his voice.

“Pillage, arson, murder. No ‘black’ deeds.”

“…….”

“The moment you act as you did in Yangzhou, Bingzhou will become your enemy.”

“No?”

Dong Zhuo smacked his lips as if he was genuinely disappointed.

“Really no?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

Dong Zhuo pouted his lips as if he was upset, but the man shook his head as if it was out of the question.

“Instead, enjoy wine and women for three days.”

“Ugh….”

“I will handle the soldiers well. Fortunately, since they are the elite troops who rushed to the capital, they will not easily break military discipline and act privately.”

“What about those behind?”

“…If you mean the reserves of Li Jue and Guo Si stationed in Tianshui, we should inform them as well. General, you are now at a crossroads of whether to make the White Mountain Army your enemy or at least keep them as an ally, even if they are not your people.”

“Not an ally?”

“You and that person are like oil and water. They can never mix, but… they can stay together in one container, maintaining their properties.”

“Oil and water.”

Dong Zhuo smacked his lips.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone who pursues virtue to such an extent. There have been many who claimed righteousness, but it’s the first time I’ve seen someone with such power.”

“Do you want to keep him by your side?”

“What would you do? If you were in my position.”

“I cannot be in your position, General.”

The man just shrugged lightly.

“I just want to live long and thin until I die.”

“For someone like that, you seem to be having a lot of fun right now.”

“…I should, but in such an interesting place, it’s not easy for me to put down my excitement.”

The man laughed low and kept scratching his neck.

“I will come up with a plan to separate Yuan and Lü Bu within three days. With that, I will clear all the grace you have given me, General.”

“Alright. Please, even if Lü Bu is not my man, take care of him.”

Dong Zhuo laughed fiercely.

“Until I have him, no one else can.”

“…….”

The man did not say anything, he just responded with a smile.

* * *

Late at night.

Another guest visited the military camp.

“Uh, uh…!”

“…….”

“General Ye!”

A very young, little guest.

“Your Highness.”

“Please become my teacher!”

“……?”

“No, I mean, please do so!!”

The little guest, King Jinryu, appeared before me with a bow in his hand.

＜ I Am Not the Son of Gong (2) ＞ End