Chapter 195

“Uwahahaha! At that moment, Commander Wei shouted, ‘Now is the time!’ and I dashed out like lightning to save this guy, Takbal Yeokmi, didn’t I?”

Dobbapilgo had already repeated the story of how he saved Takbal Yeokmi in the battle against Zhao Chang more than ten times.

“What is a Heavenly Maiden? Now, everyone, we must first address the worship ideology between our Xianbei tribe and the Central Plains people…”

Takbal Yeokmi, who was being chewed up as Dobbapilgo’s drinking companion, was holding onto the soldiers of the Lanling Army who had followed me and was giving a lengthy speech about what a Heavenly Maiden is, which had already lasted an hour.

It was clear that there was a lot of alcohol. What Dobbapilgo brought alone would have been enough, but Takbal Yeokmi also brought alcohol in preparation for the banquet.

Especially since the other Central Plains natives, apart from me, couldn’t handle the strong liquor well, most of it was consumed by me and the two Xianbei leaders. I didn’t refuse the drinks they offered and drank them straight, and they had to match my pace.

There was a reason why those two were acting so drunk.

Perhaps because he was young, Dobbapilgo’s drinking capacity was stronger than the two leaders. He drank about as much as I did and was still holding up, so he was no ordinary drinker.

‘Am I starting to feel the strain too?’

I, who had never lost in a drinking contest, even matching Zhang Fei’s capacity, wasn’t exactly a frequent drinker, but the fact that I could outdrink Takbal Yeokmi and Dobbapilgo already put me above the average drinker.

“Commander Wei! Let me pour you a drink~!”

Although his speech was slurred, Dobbapilgo’s voice still retained its original form. Dobbapilgo, who had taken the seat next to me, pushing his father aside, offered me the bottle, and I eagerly held out my cup.

Though I thought I should stop drinking soon, seeing Dobbapilgo’s eyes made me want to avoid refusing. Perhaps because he hadn’t fought alongside me, the way Dobbapilgo looked at me was far from that of a comrade or superior.

But perhaps I looked uneasy. Kang Yu, who had been periodically checking on my condition, intervened and pushed Dobbapilgo’s hand away.

“Commander Wei, you’ve had enough. The two Xianbei leaders are also heavily intoxicated, so let’s end the banquet and retire for the night.”

Feeling ignored, Dobbapilgo suddenly stood up and pointed at Kang Yu.

“Who do you think you are, interrupting between me and Commander Wei? If you’re a subordinate, you should quietly wait for your superiors…”

Though his judgment was clouded by alcohol, this was crossing the line.

I clenched my fist and slammed it down on the table in front of me.

BANG!

The table split in half with a loud crash, and the banquet hall fell into silence.

“That’s enough. As Baek Yak said, if we drink any more, it might lead to an unfortunate incident that could harm our camaraderie. Let’s end the banquet here.”

Seemingly sobered up by the sudden turn of events, Dobbapilgo realized what he had said and turned pale. I’ll use this later to squeeze more military support out of Dobbapilgo.

With that unpleasant conclusion, we ended the banquet and headed back to our quarters.

I, unable to walk straight and staggering, was supported by Kang Yu, to whom I said,

“Baek Yak.”

“Yes, General.”

“Are you upset?”

“It’s fine. Since you got angry on my behalf.”

Kang Yu had been planning to make a public issue out of Dobbapilgo’s remarks to properly punish him, but it seems that won’t be necessary.

“Baek Yak.”

“Yes, General.”

“Can we win?”

A question that didn’t need a subject. Kang Yu was silent for a while.

And just as we were almost at my quarters, he answered with a question.

“Do you want encouragement, General, or persuasion?”

Emotional empathy or rational analysis.

“I want to hear both.”

“Both… Then first, let me persuade you with the reasons why we will win.”

Kang Yu began to explain step by step.

“Although Sun Quan has declared himself emperor, his authority is not solid. This war is also a test of whether Sun Quan dares to declare himself emperor. Therefore, the troops Sun Quan can mobilize will not be many.”

“Also?”

“Cao Cao is the same. He has suffered too many defeats and losses. And until recently, he was fighting against Wu, so his troops and supplies have been greatly depleted. Cao Cao will also have significant limitations on his troops. In contrast, our country is in a better position, so in terms of troop size, it will be similar.”

Indeed. No matter how rich Wei is in resources and productivity, holding the fertile lands of the Central Plains and Hebei, there are limits.

Our boldness in waging war against both Wei and Wu was based on the analysis Kang Yu had just outlined, making it a winnable battle.

“If the troop numbers are similar, the outcome will depend on the generals leading them, and in this regard, our country is superior to theirs, so our victory is obvious.”

“Are we really better in terms of high-quality personnel?”

“Absolutely. Our past records prove it.”

His firm answer left me with no retort.

“Is this persuasion?”

“Correct.”

“Then what about encouragement?”

I had intended to tease Kang Yu a bit with his confident demeanor, but he didn’t hesitate to speak.

“It’s okay to not do well. Even if we don’t win, it’s fine.”

“What?”

“You, General, have achieved success at a young age. It’s okay to take a step back, or even stand still and rest. More opportunities await you in the future. So, there’s no need to be too tense. Even if we falter a bit in this war, someday you will achieve the great undertaking of unifying the land. I am confident of that. The Commander Wei I know will surely accomplish it.”

Kang Yu poured out these long words without a single breath out of place.

I stopped in my tracks, pondering his words.

I am still young, so I don’t need to be too fixated on today’s events. That seemed to be the meaning.

Yes. I am still young. So young that I’m almost immature.

Just twenty-five. By the end of this winter, I’ll be twenty-six, but even then, I’m not yet at the age Confucius considered self-established.

Liu Bei didn’t enter Shu until he was over fifty and became emperor at sixty. Compared to Liu Bei’s life, I still have decades ahead of me.

Thinking like that, I felt a sense of tension release.

“Feeling a bit stronger now?”

“…Yeah.”

“That’s good.”

We started walking again. After that, we walked in silence until we reached my quarters. The support ended here. As Kang Yu turned to leave without entering the room, I said one last thing.

“Still, it would be better to win.”

From behind me, as I opened the door and entered, Kang Yu’s voice followed.

“I hope so too.”

§

The day after the banquet, Dobbapilgo’s attitude was even more submissive. It seemed he had heard about Dobbapilgo’s mistake.

Anyway, my instructions to cooperate in the upcoming war were immediately accepted. They had already become enemies with Wei by helping us. From their perspective, there was no reason to refuse helping us defeat Wei. With past events added to that, Dobbapilgo’s enthusiasm was exceptional.

Seeing Dobbapilgo like that, Takbal Yeokmi clicked his tongue and said,

“Bringing a young brat for nothing.”

Let’s ignore the fact that the age difference between that brat and me is almost negligible. It wasn’t said directly to me, and I only heard it indirectly.

Anyway, after securing support from Hatu, I connected them with Ma Chao. They wouldn’t be involved in the attack on Luoyang but would be drafted to follow Ma Chao in attacking Wei’s Bingzhou.

After wrapping up matters in Hatu, I moved to Yongyangzhou. I was also an envoy sent by Liu Bei to Ma Chao. Delivering Liu Bei’s edict and the seasonal gifts to Ma Chao, I reunited with old acquaintances.

Ma Chao and Bang Deok, of course, and unexpectedly, Wang Sha was also there.

“So, is Seungjong also following General Pyo?”

“Haha, that’s how it is. With Sima Yi, the Governor of Liangzhou, and Seomak, the Governor of Yongzhou, here, there won’t be any issues with governance and supplies even without me.”

Liu Bei’s orders to Ma Chao.

When spring comes, lead the tribes to attack Wei’s Bingzhou.

Due to the low agricultural population, there was no need to wait for sowing. The troops from Yongyangzhou and Hatu would attack Wei in advance to disperse the enemy’s forces. It was a prelude to the main battle.

“Don’t worry. I’ll send Seungjong back safely.”

“Worry? With General Pyo as the commander, how could I worry?”

“Hahaha! Is that so? Then it might be good to go all the way to Ye this time. Don’t be too late. I might monopolize the credit for capturing Ye.”

Well? It won’t be easy.

Due to Hahu Mu’s betrayal, we had temporarily forgotten about those connected to Liu Bei or me, but in Wei’s north, there was a famous general named Zhen Ye holding the line.

The combination of Jian Chao and Zhen Ye would make it difficult for even Ma Chao to avoid a tough fight.

“Be careful of Zhen Ye. He once served under His Majesty, and His Majesty said his talent rivals that of our top generals.”

“Hmm, I see. Zhen Ye, Zhen Guoliang, I’ve heard his name a few times. I’ll keep that in mind.”

After staying in Yongyangzhou for a while, I returned to Chang’an City.

When I returned to Chang’an City after a long mission, winter was almost over, with the Great Cold just around the corner.

And as I waited, training with the Lanling Army without any major incidents, spring arrived.

The beginning of spring.

The season that would open the curtain on the great war that would significantly change the course of these chaotic times.