TKTCJ 07

Chapter 7

Grassland War (1)

“As one who receives a stipend from my country, how could I hear such a disturbance and simply pass by? Take us there at once.”

Jeon Ye answered without hesitation and immediately followed the screams.

When they arrived, an astonishing sight unfolded before them.

A young man dressed in a faded hemp robe was, unbelievably, wielding a spear against more than a dozen bandits without retreating even an inch. Jeon Ye looked him over in surprise. Around his waist was a worn leather strap, with a small pouch and short knife hanging from it, both swaying and making faint sounds as he moved.

At the young man’s feet, more than a dozen bandits already lay sprawled in pools of blood.

And every time his heavy spear cut through the air, another of the remaining bandits screamed and fell.

Jeon Ye and everyone accompanying him stared wide-eyed.

Who would have expected to encounter such a sight deep in the mountains?

The leader of the escort cautiously approached and asked,

“May I step in and assist?”

Jeon Ye shook his head.

“Leave him be. From what I can see, this will be settled shortly.”

Wang Mun spoke with admiration on his face.

“Though I, Wang Mun, pride myself on having some strength, I dare not compare myself to that young man. Even if the mighty Fan Kuai himself were to return from the dead, I doubt he could match him.”

Just then—

The bandits, realizing that the tide had already turned against them, dropped their weapons.

“P-Please spare us!”

One after another, they fell to their knees, and not a trace of their former willingness to resist remained.

The young man lowered his spear and quietly caught his breath.

Soon, his gaze slowly turned toward Jeon Ye.

After their eyes met for a moment, he raised his spear and gave a light salute.

“I was dealing with those who were disturbing the roads. I apologize if I startled you.”

Jeon Ye’s eyes glimmered faintly.

Even his bearing was anything but ordinary.

Jeon Ye pointed toward the bandits with his chin and asked,

“What will you do with them?”

He was asking how they should be dealt with.

The young man answered without hesitation.

“I apologize, but how could a mere commoner such as myself presume to pass judgment on them? Please deal with them, General.”

Jeon Ye nodded.

“You speak rightly.”

He then turned to Wang Mun and ordered,

“We will escort them to the nearest county seat. Bind them and gather them to one side.”

“Yes, sir.”

Wang Mun immediately acknowledged the order.

Leading several guards, he bound the bandits and herded them together.

Watching this, Jeon Ye asked with a deeper look in his eyes,

“What is your name, brave warrior?”

The young man calmly answered,

“I am Zhao Yun, Zilong, from Changshan.”

Jeon Ye urged his horse forward and asked again,

“What brings you all the way here?”

Zhao Yun withdrew his gaze and replied,

“I was searching for a stolen horse. While doing so, I heard that bandits were causing trouble in this area, and my path brought me here.”

Jeon Ye looked at Zhao Yun for a moment before speaking in a gentle tone.

“I am Jeon Ye, Guk-yang, a clerk serving General Jung-gyeom, the Northern Route Commandant. Judging from your attire, it seems you have yet to find someone to whom you can entrust yourself and have been wandering about. Am I right?”

Jung-gyeom’s courtesy name was Jung-gyeom.

It was a name personally bestowed upon him by Liu Yu when he appointed him Northern Route Commandant.

Zhao Yun silently looked over Jeon Ye and the mounted men following him.

He immediately recognized that Jeon Ye was no ordinary man, but he could not determine his identity.

Yet the moment Jeon Ye revealed that he was a clerk under the Northern Route Commandant, Zhao Yun found himself nodding instinctively.

Jung-gyeom’s name had already spread throughout Youzhou.

He was the commander who had suppressed the rebellion by beheading Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju, then received an official post and troops from Inspector Liu Yu and now guarded the Great Wall against foreign enemies.

If this man served under such a commander—

His bearing made perfect sense.

Zhao Yun respectfully saluted Jeon Ye and replied,

“Your words are correct, General.”

“General? That is far too grand a title. I am merely a clerk under the Northern Route Commandant.”

Jeon Ye looked at Zhao Yun for a moment before speaking.

“Brother Zhao. Looking at you, I have no doubt that you are destined to become a peerless warrior whose name will resound throughout the realm.”

It was a short statement, but it was almost a declaration of certainty.

“Come with me. I will recommend you to my lord and see that you are put to great use.”

There was a strange tremor in Jeon Ye’s voice.

“If a man is born with such martial prowess—should he not, at least once, make the name Zhao Zilong resound throughout the realm?”

Zhao Yun could not answer immediately.

Instead, he raised his head and looked straight at Jeon Ye.

Jeon Ye, Guk-yang.

The sworn younger brother of Jung-gyeom, the Northern Route Commandant, and a man whose reputation was gradually beginning to spread as one of Youzhou’s foremost warriors.

The renowned Jeon Ye—

Was astonishingly standing right before Zhao Yun’s eyes.

I intended to go to Beiping once I recovered my horse, yet I have encountered Jeon Guk-yang here.

Gongsun Zan and Jung-gyeom.

There was no need to think long about it.

Compared to Gongsun Zan, whose name had already resounded throughout the realm, Jung-gyeom’s reputation was still confined largely to Youzhou.

And yet Zhao Yun could not bring himself to immediately reject Jeon Ye’s offer.

That was simply how things were.

First impressions mattered in everything.

Jeon Ye was proof of that.

But—

The reputation of those who followed Jung-gyeom was only now beginning to spread.

Seen from the front, their bearing was anything but ordinary.

Their subordinates clearly obeyed orders without question, and their attitude toward Jeon Ye carried both military discipline and trust.

Just by watching them move a few steps, one could tell how elite these men were.

If a force possessed this level of discipline and could maintain such morale, it would not be long before its name resounded throughout the realm.

Should he pursue the reputation available to him now?

Or choose the glory that awaited him in the future?

Zhao Yun’s eyes quietly settled.

The answer had already been decided.

“I will follow you.”

Zhao Yun’s arrival was an extraordinary blessing for Jung-gyeom.

After all, this was the renowned general who would later be counted among Shu’s Five Tiger Generals, a peerless commander whom Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang would trust and rely upon.

Even in old age, his martial prowess would never fade, and he would make his name immortal through his loyalty.

When Jeon Ye brought Zhao Yun before him and said,

“I have brought you the greatest warrior under heaven. You must surely make full use of him.”

Jung-gyeom was inwardly stunned.

Zhao Yun.

Without hesitation, Jung-gyeom made Zhao Yun one of his personal guards, having him remain constantly at his side alongside Jeon Ye.

Zhao Yun bowed deeply.

How could he not be moved by such generosity from a man to whom he had yet to render even a single service?

As for Wang Mun, Jung-gyeom placed him under Jeon Ye so that he could gain experience.

To Jung-gyeom’s surprise, Wang Mun possessed considerable knowledge of military strategy and displayed enough ability that he could be entrusted with commanding an army.

Jung-gyeom could not have been more pleased.

Jeon Ye had gone out just once and returned with men of such caliber.

It was enough to make Jung-gyeom wonder—

Should I send him out one more time?

Two months passed swiftly after that.

Jeon Ju sent spies throughout the grasslands to monitor the movements of the Wuhuan while persistently investigating what Nurpan had done in Xiongnu territory.

And finally—

The truth came to light.

Jung-gyeom’s eyes slowly darkened.

“…That bastard made a much bigger mess than I expected.”

After finishing his report, Jeon Ju clenched his lips tightly and spoke with an expression filled with anger.

“Yufuluo threatened Administrator Gongsun and demanded passage. They say he is now just about to cross the Wuhuan border.”

Gongsun Zan had yielded to threats and opened the way?

Hmm.

That was simply absurd.

There must have been some major secret bargain behind the scenes.

Both Jung-gyeom and Jeon Ju looked grim.

“First, send a memorial to Inspector Liu Yu. We will decide whether our forces should intervene after we assess the situation.”

Jeon Ju spoke with a stern expression.

“Should we not inform the Wuhuan as well? According to what our spies have learned, the chieftain seems to know nothing about this.”

Jung-gyeom gave a short nod.

“Of course.”

His gaze turned into the distance.

If Dapdon had known, he would never have been so excited about the trade that was only a few days away.

The feast that had nearly been completed had just been covered in sand.

“I am scheduled to meet the chieftain soon, so I will tell him personally. You send the memorial to the seat of government, and dispatch a messenger to Shimen as well to inform Deputy Commander Gongsun of this matter. We must also make sure the merchants remain calm.”

“Understood.”

Jeon Ju accepted the order and left.

Jung-gyeom let out a long sigh.

I thought things were going rather smoothly, but trouble was bound to come eventually.

The Grassland War was brutal.

Yufuluo, the leader of the Southern Xiongnu, and Quluju, the leader of the Wuhuan, clashed day after day, each leading their cavalry into battle.

At first, neither side could have imagined that the conflict would grow into such a massive war.

It was supposed to end as it always had.

After several clashes, they would seize some sheep or horses and withdraw.

Even if a few powerless tribes disappeared in the process—

It would ultimately have ended there.

But this time was different.

Blood called for blood.

Revenge gave birth to revenge.

Before anyone realized it, the conflict had become a war from which there was no turning back.

Then—

Gongsun Zan appeared on the grasslands, leading his White Horse Riders.

He turned his horse toward the Wuhuan and shouted,

“The barbarians are disturbing the frontier. How could I possibly stand by and watch?”

He raised his spear and declared firmly,

“The Wuhuan are the root of this conflict—so today, I shall drive them from the grasslands and put an end to this brutal war.”

Gongsun Zan’s declaration was no empty boast.

That day, Quluju lost more than half of his cavalry and barely managed to retreat, grievously wounded himself.

If they clashed only a few more times like this—

The Wuhuan would be annihilated.

This was bad.

The grasslands had to remain the grasslands.

If the Wuhuan collapsed, the Xiongnu would grow far too powerful.

And that meant the balance of power throughout the frontier would collapse.

There was no way Gongsun Zan was unaware of this.

Then why—

Why was he supporting the Xiongnu and attempting to drive the Wuhuan from the grasslands?

There could only be one reason.

Gongsun Zan must have reached some sort of agreement with the Xiongnu.

After hearing the intelligence report, Jung-gyeom spoke with a grim expression.

“If we leave things as they are, the balance of the grasslands will eventually collapse. But if we help the Wuhuan, it will look as though we are opposing Administrator Gongsun.”

He looked around at those on either side of him and continued,

“How should we… handle this matter?”

A brief silence followed.

Jeon Ye was the first to speak.

“If the Wuhuan collapse, the Xiongnu will become far too powerful. If that happens, the edge of the Xiongnu’s blade will eventually turn toward us.”

He continued without the slightest hesitation.

“We cannot confront Administrator Gongsun head-on, so we need to create a justification for stopping the fighting. At the very least, we must buy the Wuhuan enough time to hold out. Besides, Brother Dap is our sworn brother, is he not? We cannot simply stand by and watch him fall.”

Jeon Ju carefully added,

“But if we move rashly, we may arouse Administrator Gongsun’s suspicions. For now, I believe our first priority should be to send a memorial to Inspector Liu Yu and establish a proper justification.”

It was a cautious opinion.

The atmosphere inside the command tent grew heavy.

No one could easily speak.

This was not merely a battle.

One wrong step, and they would turn Gongsun Zan into an enemy.

Yet if they simply stood aside, the balance of the grasslands would collapse.

Jung-gyeom silently tapped his fingertips against the table.

Then—

His hand suddenly stopped.

A single thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

“I heard that remnants of the Yellow Turbans have been ruthlessly pillaging the counties around Qingzhou… Is that true?”

The atmosphere in the tent shifted subtly.

It was an unexpected question.

But soon—

The expressions of several men changed.

Jung-gyeom continued.

“The grain stores of Youzhou—Youbeiping—are currently empty. Because Administrator Gongsun has left Beiping.”

At that moment.

The faces of those who understood his meaning visibly changed.

Beiping and Youbeiping were different names, but in practice they were nearly one and the same region. And of course, it was also under Gongsun Zan’s influence.

Jeon Ye let out a low breath.

“…If Administrator Gongsun were to learn that he has left his post and that Youbeiping has been left exposed—”

He did not finish the sentence.

There was no need.

Jeon Ju soon nodded and added,

“He cannot simply surrender the grain stores. He will have no choice but to return.”

No one objected.

The board had already been laid out.

All that remained—

Was to let the information flow naturally.

Jeon Ju remained lost in thought for a moment before raising his head.

His eyes gleamed sharply.

“Lend me Zilong.”

It was a short statement.

“I have an idea.”

Jung-gyeom’s gaze turned toward Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun merely stood there in silence.

Yet within that silence was already an answer.

Jung-gyeom slowly nodded.

“Good.”