Because our troops were few, we could only form part of the rearguard when we marched with Gongsun Zan’s troops who numbered over 15,000, which made it feel like an actual military campaign. For the sake of explaining the situation with Lu Bu, we had slowed down our pace and were at a more sparsely populated part of the main body.
“Haa?! What the heck is going on?!” Feng Xian answered agitatedly. “I clearly killed Dong Zhuo already, so why is everyone still–”
“That is what I said before, that information was too slow–”
“Oi~ Xuan De? Why are you all so slow~”
Our words were interrupted by Gongsun Zan who was riding at the vanguard and I quickly replied before she came over.
“Ah! It’s nothing! I just want to see how your army is organised!”
I waved my hand and Gongsun Zan also waved happily and didn’t look over thereafter.
“Speak softer! It’s one thing if Gongsun Zan hears it, but if it spreads out then there’s trouble to be had.”
My feeling of helplessness only grew on seeing Feng Xian’s face which showed she clearly didn’t understand.
Honestly Feng Xian, I understand what you’re saying. But this is like when you return to school after summer with your summer homework all finished and when the teacher asks if everyone has done their summer homework and all your classmates say no, how can you say yes?
By the way, Lu Bu and Zhang Liao have temporarily joined my army as my subordinates in our campaign against Dong Zhuo.
“Why do I have to be softer?! If we tell them now that Dong Zhuo is dead, then everyone won’t need to embark on this wasteful campaign right?”
“What about his head then?” Yun Chang asked calmly.
“I didn’t have time to chop it off.”
“Though I don’t want to see it, nor do I feel like chopping off heads is anything interesting, but if you didn’t chop it off then nobody will believe you, no?” I said, louder than I was before.
“There’s no need for that, we just have to spread it. If the feudal lords will put in effort to verify this, then even if Dong Zhuo’s subordinates try to suppress this information, I’m sure the truth will come to light in no time.” Yi De said with ease.
“It won’t be that easy. I get the feeling that the feudal lord coalition is not something so simple.” Yun Chang said as she looked as her broadsword.
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“I know what Yun Chang means. Instead of destroying Dong Zhuo, the true intentions of the participants in the feudal lord coalition is to take advantage of this situation.” I looked at Yun Chang and she nodded in response. And then I looked towards Lu Bu who had a difficult expression on her face, “Each feudal lord hopes to gain honour and glory through contributing in this campaign, which will facilitate the fruition of their future ambitions.”
“Un, what Lord Xuan De says makes sense.” Zhang Liao nodded with an impressed look.
“Un…” But Feng Xian still didn’t get it.
“What’s the matter? Don’t believe me?”
“No I don’t buy it. Because I don’t think that the feudal lords would gather for the sake of something as silly as that.” Feng Xian and Yi De said.
Silly? Perhaps from our point of view, it is so but from theirs…
“Then…” I looked at Yun Chang and Zhang Liao cheekily.
Let’s have a bet.
“Greetings feudal lords! I am Liu Bei Liu Xuan De and I have come with Gongsun Zan.” I ignored Yun Chang and Yi De who tried to block me the moment I entered the large tent for the feudal lords and yelled out. “I am here to tell everyone an important piece of information– That is the fiend Dong Zhuo has been slain by a righteous warrior already!”
…
When I finished, all the ladies and gentlemen in the tent were completely silent. Yi De and Yun Chang also helplessly said in a small voice ‘Big brother, you actually followed through with what you said~~~’
That’s right, this bet was to see their reactions after I told them the truth.
No better way to test if something is the truth than by acting it out.
“Everyone, sorry I’m late– Un? Why is it so quiet?” Gongsun Zan who just walked in blinked and did not understand what was going on.
“Bo Gui~” The one who called out was a woman who looked every inch a rich young mistress who sat right smack in the centre. She held her chin and looked at us with disdain, “As coalition leader, I Yuan Shao shall forgive your tardiness, but why did you have to bring a lunatic with you huh~~~”
(TL: Bo Gui is Gongsun Zan’s courtesy name.)
On hearing this, the tent erupted in laughter.
… Just as I expected.
“Eh? Eh? What’s going on?” Gongsun Zan was still looking around frantically and thought that they were laughing at her. “Is there something comical about my armour?”
The one sitting in the center was Yuan Shao. Her dazzling golden hair was tied in a double ponytail and her eyes held a scornful look beneath her long eyelashes. She held a small folding fan in her hand which was used to issue commands and she wore a set of rare and expensive jade plate armour.
(TL: I have no idea why it’s jade armour, as it is supposed to be for burial purposes.)
From how she acted and her sex, it was basically the same as I expected and predicted.
“Forget it forget it, come in and sit– Eh eh eh! I didn’t allow you to enter, all you brigadier generals get out!”
“Then, at least let Xuan De stay.” Gongsun Zan said weakly.
“That lunatic should be the one who should get out the first.”
“Wait!”
This time a clear voice interrupted Yuan Shao, and rendered the tent silent.
“Un? Ah, what is it Meng De.”
Cao Cao!?
I looked in the direction where the voice came from, and saw a white haired young girl. Her eyes were full of vigor and she was smiling confidently as she folded her arms across her chest.
“That Liu Bei Liu Xuan De has the right to sit here. Don’t judge him by how he seems, he has achieved results during the Yellow Turban Rebellion.”
“Hou~ I really cannot tell.” Yuan Shao said with suspicion on her face. “Then… Make some space.”
“Oh, thanks.” I turned to Yun Chang to tell them to exit first after giving thanks.
“Xuan De,” Cao Cao spoke to me the moment I sat down. “When you mentioned that you know Dong Zhuo is dead, may I ask if you have any evidence?”
As expected, Cao Cao is Cao Cao, and is always prudent and cautious with all matters… But does she really not know that Dong Zhuo is already dead?
“I don’t have evidence.” I turned to look at Cao Cao’s face that was brimming with confidence but could not read anything from it.
“We’ll take it as a joke then, please say things when you have proof next time.” Cao Cao smiled as she finished, but the other feudal lords did not smile. “Well then, let’s have a round of introductions, everyone. Some of you may know each other, some of you may not, but let’s have everyone know each other starting from now.”
Most of the generals present were small fries and though a number of them were women as well, it’s not really something that bothers me anymore. What really surprised me was that Sun Jian was actually a man. This important information completely destroyed my theories about this world that I had painstakingly accepted and constructed before.
“I am the Tiger of Jiangdong, Sun Jian Sun Wen Tai. I look forward to working with all of you.” Sun Jian wasn’t old, but he wasn’t a youngster either seeing as he looked to be about 30 years of age. If there’s one distinguishing feature about him– It would be his love of bragging about his children. “I don’t think anyone here knows how lovely my 2 daughters are. I wanted to bring them at first but it can get a bit chaotic and there’s nothing fun here so I didn’t let them come, hahaha.”
What are you taking this for, an overseas trip…
“Haa~~~ Alright alright,” Yuan Shao said as she yawned and clapped her hands a few times. “Let’s leave it at that for today. Tomorrow, we march to Sishui Pass. That is all, disperse disperse~~~”
(TL: Sishui Pass is actually another name for Hulao Pass, but these names are often misunderstood as 2 places, and even the original author of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms got confused over this.)
It was as though everyone was waiting for this moment, and everyone quickly left the tent.
I left the tent as well, and was greeted by the sight of a fuming Feng Xian.
“What do you think? I told you right, that no one would believe it. Even if they did believe it, no one would admit it.” I told Feng Xian sincerely.
“But Xuan De, you did not tell me that Yuan Shao was here too. If I knew, I would have charged in–”
“I was afraid of you charging in and slaying her which is why I didn’t tell you. Don’t be so reckless okay~~~” I smiled to Feng Xian.
Looks like getting Feng Xian to stay outside from the very beginning was the right decision since the accuser Yuan Shao was there. If she had cut down Yuan Shao, things would have been terrible.
“Un… I got it, I’ll bear with it for now.”
“Big brother, what do we do now? Do we follow these feudal lords?” Yun Chang followed up with a question.
“We’ll follow them for now. I want to see how this trainwreck ends… What about you 2, Feng Xian?”
Feng Xian thought for a bit before replying with a helpless smile, “For us, we have nowhere else to go anyway so we will stay here for now as Xuan De’s subordinates. Though it depends on whether Xuan De thinks we are worth the trouble or not.”
“What trouble are you talking about? It was fate that brought me and Feng Xian together.”
I even accepted Zhang Jue.
“Wh, what, do you mean about being brought together by fate…” What was up with Feng Xian? This is the first time seeing her face turn red.
“Un? Speaking of which, where is Hua Tuo?”
“Ah, she went to sleep first, with Yi De.” Yun Chang said as she held her forehead.
… They really are kids huh~~~
“But it’s getting late anyway so we should go to sleep as well.”
“Un, I’m exhausted after these 2 days.” Feng Xian returned one sentence before wearily entering her tent. She definitely hasn’t had much sleep these few days.
“I’m not too tired yet. I’ll be chatting with Wen Yuan for a bit.”
“Un, recently all I talk about with Yun Chang is Lord Xuan De. The more I learn about you, the more I feel that Lord Xuan De’s side is where I and my lord belongs.” Zhang Liao said to me, and seemed to be in high spirits.
“Haa, that’s great.”
I think that if Cao Cao were to hear that line of Zhang Liao’s, she would pribably cry.
(TL: In the original, Zhang Liao surrendered to Cao Cao after Lu Bu was defeated and became one of Cao Cao’s greatest generals.)
After seeing off Yun Chang and Zhang Liao, I decided to take a walk myself as well, when–
“Oi, Xuan De!~~~”
“Un? … Meng De? Why are you here?”
Turning around, I saw Meng De walk over slowly, with a smile on her face.
“I couldn’t fall asleep. How about it? You have some free time?”
“Un, I don’t have anything pressing at hand.”
“Then accompany me on my walk. I have something to discuss with you.” Meng De grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
Cao Cao was looking for me… What could it be?
“I don’t know where you got wind of it, and I don’t know whether you knew what you should have done. Whatever the case, how could you have charged right up to everyone and told the truth?” Meng De complained to me.
“… So in the end you did know. About Dong Zhuo’s death.”
“Maa, I knew it only this morning. But the fact is, the things that have been set into motion cannot be stopped. That is the conclusion I have arrived at.” Meng De smiled as she held her chin with one hand and counted the stars with the other.
“So everyone here has their own goals in joining this campaign?”
“Maa, you don’t have to put it in such a bad light. If it couldn’t achieve their goals, who would participate in such an arduous and thankless task.”
… That is to say, Meng De knew this but still gathered the feudal lords?
“And you? Did you issue a call to arms to advance your own goals?”
“No, I issued the call to arms with the intention of saving the Han royal family.” Meng De’s smile faded as she said this, before reappearing with a tinge of helplessness. “Bit who knew that Dong Zhuo would be killed shortly after I did so. What a joke this is.”
I think so too.
“But Xuan De is quite the general huh~~ To have gathered such excellent subordinates.” Meng De said with a meaningful smile.
“Ah, I’m not that impressive.” As I said so, I remembered the letter from Cao Cao that day. “… Meng De, just how much do you know?”
(TL: The letter he received from Cao Cao that led to him being Prefect of Anxi.)
Even if Meng De was nearby then, to have investigated my name and predict my movements in such a short time…
“Keke, I know as much as you think I do.”
“…”
“Don’t worry don’t worry, I don’t mean anything by that. Just a whimsical reply… Don’t look at me with such obvious probing eyes.”
“… Then do you know who killed Dong Zhuo?”
“About that…” Meng De’s pace seemed to have been interrupted by this question as she didn’t reply immediately. “Could it be that Xuan De has an idea of who it could be?”
Which means she doesn’t know, not that it’s strange. Feng Xian was only an unknown warrior before the battle at Hulao Pass. Moreover, it looks like there won’t be a battle at Hulao Pass here.
“About that, I have an idea of who it is if you think I do.” I replied her in the same fashion as her.
Meng De looked at me quietly, before laughing.
“Kekeke, you really are interesting. … Good, I like you.” As she said those meaningful words, she tied up her soft, smooth white hair into a ponytail. “Whatever the case, let’s not talk about Dong Zhuo’s death for now and take one step at a time.”
(TL: This like is not the love kind. Cao Cao, here and in the original, greatly admires talented people. Despite being a paranoid person, he has always placed great emphasis on recruiting and retaining talented subordinates.)
“I was thinking of that as well.”
“Keke.” Meng De laughed. “It’s pretty late, let’s go to bed. We still have to march tomorrow.”
“Un, good night.”
“Good night.”
As I looked at Meng De’s back disappear into the night, my anxiousness from before was no longer there and was instead filled with calm.
Oh well, we have a long way to go.
The next day, we arrives in Sishui Pass.
And on the walls of the city at Sishui Pass were very alarming words written in large font– Revenge for the death of Grand Master Dong.
(TL: Grand Master is a court rank. I can find translations for most court ranks but military ranks are difficult to find so I use modern ones if I have to.)
On seeing this, I instinctively looked towards Meng De who realised that I was looking at her and gave me a stiff smile.
I then turned to look at my little sisters and Feng Xian and Zhang Liao, who also returned helpless looks and stiff smiles. Only Hua Tuo was asking what was written on the walls.
Hua Xiong!! You bastard, now you’ve done it! Why did you have to do this!
(TL: Hua Xiong is a general serving under Dong Zhuo, and is the first one to be sent to Sishui Pass to defend it against the coalition army.)
— Take one step at a time.
Just like Meng De said, is taking one step at a time all we can do?