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

Chapter 17

＜ I Am Not the Son of Gong (3) ＞

Archery (弓矢), that is, shooting a bow, is one of the etiquettes.

Fundamentally speaking, it is ultimately hunting to shoot and kill the enemy.

However, as you can often see in movies set in Joseon, the king is often seen shooting a bow.

Archery is considered a basic skill that high-ranking people should have.

It is the same here.

“So, you are asking me to teach you archery?”

“Yes! …That’s right!”

King Jinryu’s words mixed with formal and informal speech.

“Your Highness.”

The gaze from behind was quite piercing.

The young eunuch serving King Jinryu could hardly hide his discomfort.

Did I unknowingly break etiquette?

Because the prince spoke to me formally?

Or perhaps the soldiers of the Byungju army gathered around the barracks, though not armed, their presence was menacing?

“General Lu Bu. His Highness said that your archery skills are extraordinary. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

The opponent is a eunuch.

I don’t mean to disrespect the eunuch, but I know that my rank is higher than his.

“His Highness wishes for General Lu to teach him archery.”

“To me…?”

“To be more precise….”

“Show me once!”

The prince handed me his bow, his eyes sparkling.

“Once more!”

“Once more, you mean….”

Perhaps he was referring to the moment when I saved the carriage by hitting the tip of the spear.

“It was just an ordinary skill.”

“Are you saying it was a coincidence?”

“Not a coincidence.”

A moment of disappointment flashed across the prince’s face.

“Just an ordinary….”

“Ah, ordinary….”

“…….”

He probably thought my archery was just a stroke of luck.

‘I can’t stand this.’

They say it’s luck or coincidence because it’s archery, but if it were a billiard hall-

-Oh, fluke. Lucky, aren’t you? Looks like I’ll be buying jjajangmyeon today.

It’s the same as hearing that.

It’s a bad word.

Therefore, the meaning implied by that word is clear.

Was the archery skill I showed then just a coincidence?

‘Even humility has its limits.’

Indeed, the Byungju way of solving things seems to be the best.

“Your Highness, the female general is….”

“Would you give me the bow?”

As I reached out my hand, the prince carefully handed me the bow.

“It’s a good bow. It’s well-maintained. It seems a bit large for Your Highness to practice with, though….”

The bow itself was a masterpiece, but it was not the right size for the Jinryu King.

“It doesn’t seem like you’ve used it often. Does this bow have a story?”

Although there were some traces of someone’s touch, the Jinryu King’s hands did not have any calluses.

“It was my brother’s… bow.”

“…….”

For a moment, I almost gripped the bow tightly without realizing it.

To put it nicely, it could be said that it was ‘inherited,’ but the prince’s eyes did not seem to hold any fond memories of the bow.

It was literally inherited.

Then, from whom?

“Your Highness.”

I drew the bowstring towards the horizon.

“I always think this when I shoot an arrow.”

“What do you think…?”

“This arrow will definitely hit.”

“……?”

“Do you see that crow over there?”

It might be hard to see in the dark night.

Even with a child’s eyes, the darkness was so thick that it would be hard to see even if they squinted.

“It’s okay if you can’t see it. You can hear it, and you can identify it by the tail feathers of this arrow.”

“Ah, are you talking about that?”

The prince came closer to me and pointed ahead.

The eunuch’s face turned pale as the prince approached without hesitation, but the prince was staring at the crow I was aiming at with wide eyes.

Should I move away now to ease the eunuch’s anxiety? Or should I put down the bow?

If I turned the bow to the side in an instant, it could be considered an attempted murder of the royal family.

“Over there, it looks like something is on the ground eating.”

Only the prince was smiling and talking while looking at the crow I was aiming at.

Even though the crow was quite far away, its form could be faintly seen thanks to something glowing red in the darkness.

“Oh my, Your Highness…!”

The eunuch stomped his feet in panic.

Like a guardian watching a child who had fallen into a lion’s den at the zoo, hoping the child would be safe while trying not to provoke the lion, his face turned pale.

Just as I wondered why he was so flustered when I wasn’t going to eat anyone.

“……!”

The guard who followed the prince.

The soldiers surrounding them.

A situation on the brink of explosion, with everyone placing their hands on their weapons.

‘Damn.’

No matter how much it was a practice bow, in the hands of an adult, especially a soldier, it becomes a lethal weapon.

There was only one way to resolve this situation.

‘Handle it quickly.’

As naturally and swiftly as possible, under the pretext of just showing off, I shot the arrow.

“Your Highness. Watch closely. Three, two, one.”

Thwack.

As soon as I shot the arrow, I raised the bow upwards.

It wasn’t to show off, but rather a signal to the prince that I was putting away the weapon.

“Wow─!”

The prince clapped his hands and exclaimed.

“You hit the neck exactly! Amazing, General!”

“…….”

Again, the honorifics.

The prince looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

A small stature that didn’t even reach my waist.

It wasn’t like he grew up in the outskirts of Byeongju without proper nutrition, so this height was actually proof that he was growing well.

A young child around ten years old.

Even though he was a prince, for now, he was still a child.

“Your Highness.”

I took two steps back from the Jinryu King, knelt on one knee, and presented the bow with both hands.

“This bow is certainly a good bow, but it seems a bit too big for Your Highness to practice with.”

“…….”

A fleeting look of disappointment crosses the prince’s face.

His emotions are immediately visible on his face, making me wonder if he thinks I’m refusing.

“Instead, Your Highness needs a bow that fits you.”

“A bow that fits me?”

“Just as clothes are tailored to the body, so too should weapons be.”

I emphasize the word “weapons.”

Whether the prince realizes it or not, it’s important that I said this.

“It’s getting late. Next time, I will serve you in a brighter place.”

“……Understood!”

The prince grins broadly and grips the bow tightly with both hands.

“You promised, General Ye!”

* * *

After the prince, the eunuchs, and the guards have left.

“That was dangerous, wasn’t it?”

“It was dangerous.”

“As expected.”

I immediately called for Zhang Liao to ask for his assessment of the situation, and his judgment was similar to mine.

“If it had come to it, the guards were ready to draw their swords against you, General.”

“It feels like walking on thin ice. Every moment.”

The prince’s actions.

He may have come simply to see my archery skills, but though his body is light, his steps are never light.

“The bow. It hasn’t even been a year since the previous user put it down.”

“…….”

“It must have been the bow used by the current emperor. When he was a prince.”

The current emperor and the prince are half-brothers.

And according to the information we have, their age difference is less than six years.

“If the prince were the current emperor’s son, it would be easier to deal with.”

“If that were the case, we could be having a drink by now. We would have made a good impression on the next emperor.”

“It’s troublesome. Even without this, the two empress dowagers are keeping each other in check, and now it will look like I’m siding with my half-brother, the prince.”

“…….”

In the power struggle, even a trivial action can determine the outcome.

It’s the same wherever people live.

In small gatherings, clubs, or even local sports associations, factions form and people nitpick over every little action.

The royal court is no different.

In fact, it might be worse.

“Do I have no choice but to make a decision?”

“General.”

“It’s embarrassing for me to say this directly, but let me ask you one thing.”

It’s both embarrassing and awkward.

“Can you die with me?”

“…It depends on the path you take to your death, General.”

“Huh.”

I mustered up the courage to set the mood, but Zhang Liao’s words suddenly deflated whatever was building up inside me.

“Well, I did teach you well.”

“General. Will you accompany Prefect Zheng Yuan on his path to death?”

“……Continue.”

“Prefect Zheng Yuan is using you and the Bingzhou army.”

Zhang Liao lifts the cloth on the table in the tent.

“As if he could wield a spear against the court if necessary.”

Under the cloth.

On the table was a map drawn in ink on wood.

“If Prefect Zheng Yuan gets into a conflict with other warlords.”

Mengjin Port and Luoyang City.

“To seize military power, he will use us to eliminate the soldiers of other warlords if necessary.”

The arrows on the schematic drawing point to the soldiers of other warlords stationed around Luoyang City from our camp.

“He boasts that he interacts with various court officials and treats the Bingzhou army as his own limbs.”

Speculation?

No.

“The soldiers who have already entered the garden are doing so. They are exerting their power under the pretext of searching for the remnants of the eunuchs.”

The thousand soldiers of the Byungju Army who entered Luoyang with the garden are moving as if they have become an occupying force.

“General. Whose army is the Byungju Army?”

“It is the army of this country.”

“As a soldier, and as someone who has learned from the general, I can offer my advice.”

Jangryo takes a bow and lowers his head.

“No matter who the general fights, if you are not ashamed of yourself, I will gladly fight alongside you with my life.”

“……Sigh.”

Suddenly, I felt a boiling sensation inside.

It wasn’t that I felt uncomfortable or anything, but it was a feeling I couldn’t quite adapt to.

Something I had only seen in books or movies.

“…I have no choice. If this continues, seven thousand innocent men will die because of me, branded as traitors.”

I stepped outside the barracks.

“Byungju Army.”

Outside the barracks.

Not only Huseong but also the cavalry captains and the soldiers guarding the camp were all armed and waiting.

“As you may have felt, this place is different from Byungju. I felt it more clearly.”

Following the path made by the soldiers, there was a podium in front.

Torches were blazing on both sides, but the night air was cold.

“One good deed alone cannot survive in Luoyang. The logic of Byungju that we have built does not work in this land.”

It is now slowly entering summer.

“Luoyang is colder than we thought. We haven’t even entered Luoyang yet, and it’s already this cold.”

Especially today, the air is so chilly it feels like it could cut through the skin.

“People like Isook, who left Byungju, always said such things when they left. That living kindly is a sin.”

Reality is harsh.

“But, does that mean we have to gain something by giving up that life?”

It is harsh, but that is why I want to ask again.

“My father said. Just live kindly and righteously.”

My father before reincarnation, the father who raised me in this land, said.

“As long as you don’t harm others, that’s enough, he said. But.”

The father who raised me, my teacher, said.

“As you felt in Byeongju, if you are only kind, the world will try to take advantage of such people.”

If you are only kind, you will only be taken advantage of like a fool.

“Listen, soldiers of Byeongju.”

“Yes──!!”

The shout echoes throughout the camp.

“We will not be used by anyone, nor will we raise our spears for the ambition of an individual.”

Everyone’s eyes waver for a moment.

“What moves our spears is loyalty (忠) and righteousness (義).”

We did not come to the capital for someone’s lust for power or to advance in the central government.

“Disobeying the words of my deceased father is unfilial (不孝). How can one who does not even follow his father’s words speak of loyalty and righteousness?”

I clenched my fist and raised it towards the sky in front of everyone.

“Rather than becoming unfilial, I will return to a place where I can practice filial piety! To our land of Byeongju, which follows righteousness and cooperation!”

Retreat.

It is not something that can be decided lightly.

“The rebellion in the capital has been settled, and there is no need for 7,000 soldiers of Byeongju here.”

It may be a necessary number for someone, but that necessity is certainly not ‘suppressing bandits.’

“Let the affairs of the court be handled by the court.”

I realized that we should not get involved recklessly.

If we do get involved, I also realized that we must be prepared for it.

“However, if someone must stay and do something for Byeongju.”

I pounded my chest with my fist.

“I will stay here and secure support for you and your families.”

“General!”

Huseong dismounted and knelt.

“I will also stay with the General!”

No, wait. Don’t do that-

Thud, thud, thud!

“…….”

Starting with the cavalry commander, other soldiers also knelt together.

It wasn’t even my order, but everyone knelt down and bowed their heads, making something inside me boil even more.

“Soldiers of Byeongju, rise.”

Everyone stood up in unison, but they did not unclasp their hands.

“Although we are addressing the soldiers of Byeongju, the intention in our hearts converges into one. Huseong, what is it?”

“Righteousness and chivalry.”

“Indeed.”

When I first took office, I shouted like in the martial arts novels, but now I can declare it with certainty.

“Wherever you are in the world, if you wield your spear with righteousness and chivalry in your heart, we will be comrades fighting under this sky.”

If there is no righteousness and chivalry in this land, I will show clearly what it means.

“Soldiers of Byeongju, listen.”

But mere words are empty, so practical measures are also necessary.

“We will divide the troops into two. The first group will cross the Yellow River, patrol Byeongju, and eradicate bandits. The second group will stay here and eradicate bandits in the Maengjin area.”

Although we call it eradicating bandits, it is a suitable justification.

“There is no need for many to remain in Luoyang. When we came here, we brought 7,000, but there is no need for 7,000 to stay here.”

Already, 1,000 have entered Luoyang.

“Huseong, as a soldier of Byeongju, how many bandits must one be able to face and return alive?”

“One soldier must be able to defeat ten bandits and return safely to be called a soldier of Byeongju!”

“Then, the calculation is simple.”

Whoosh.

The wind blows.

As dawn slowly announces its arrival, I raised the flagpole high towards the sky.

“From now on, only 700 will remain in this camp! The rest, pack your belongings immediately!”

700 is enough.

Neither too many nor too few.

“I will stay in Luoyang! Go to Byeongju, to protect our homeland!”

I will remain here.

“General.”

The cavalry commander approached the podium.

“I will follow your orders, but there are two issues.”

“Go on.”

It might sound strange if someone else said this, but this man is only asking realistic and natural questions.

“Who will you entrust with the selection of the 700?”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“…….”

“The overall responsibility for the retreat will be entrusted to Hoseong. You will select the 700 who will remain in Maengjin with Jangryo. However, if there is something to be clear about.”

I drew my own neck.

“They must be those who are prepared to be unjustly branded as traitors and face execution without being able to return to their hometowns amidst the power struggles in the court.”

“Their skills….”

“Ha!”

I deliberately raised my voice.

“All 7,000 of the Byeongjugun are elite, so how can we distinguish the elite among them!”

Never.

It’s not because I will remain, or because that guy is less skilled than me but was chosen as the elite, that we will argue and hurt each other’s pride.

“I trust you will select them well.”

“Yes, sir.”

The cavalry commander nodded his head once, greatly.

“And the next question. Rather than a question, actually….”

“Why are you acting unlike a cavalry commander? Speak up, boldly.”

“……This.”

The cavalry commander asked.

“Is this something that has been discussed with Governor Jeongwon?”

“…….”

“……General. Just in case, we also share the same intention as you. However-“

“I know, I know well.”

Someone has to be the advisor, and someone has to speak harshly.

“Discuss it with Governor Jeongwon. If it hasn’t been discussed, will you refuse my order?”

“…Governor Jeongwon is currently away in Luoyang, so in this urgent situation, General Ye is my superior. General. Your orders.”

“Good.”

Since the cavalry commander has also clearly expressed his intention, the rest is up to me to decide.

“At dawn──!”

With a grand gesture, he swung the military flag, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Urgent news has arrived!”

No one has seen it, and no one has heard it, but I have received the urgent news.

“Black Mountain bandits are rampant in the Byungju area! Those cowardly thieves! Hearing that we crossed the Yellow River to save Luoyang, they are making grand preparations to attack Jinyang Fortress!!”

Whether such a thing will actually happen, I do not know, but even if it doesn’t, those scoundrels should be making such preparations.

“Although Songheon and Wisok are defending, it is clear that staying here will certainly bring danger!”

Byungju’s?

Or, Byungju Army’s.

“Immediately after breakfast, everyone except the 700 who will be stationed at Maengjin will cross the Yellow River and head to Byungju! To General Jeongwon…!”

This is.

“In an urgent situation, there is no time to send people! Even at this moment, our brothers are fighting the thieves and bleeding!”

What a subordinate can do for a commander.

“First, save Byungju! Move!”

The most extreme act.

“I will personally inform Magistrate Jeongwon!!”

So-called.

Take action first. Report later.

“I will take all responsibility──!!”

＜ I Am Not the Son of Gong (3) ＞ End