Chapter 31

After the volunteer army joined, the guide became Gu Bu instead of Ma Chong. Although Ma Chong, also from the Paser Army, worked as a military officer and memorized maps, he couldn’t compare to a true native.

Gu Bu had already figured out where Du Ho’s base was. And Du Ho was the same.

As soon as they entered the mountain range, they revealed themselves. Unlike ordinary soldiers, each armed differently, they seemed more like a bandit group than an army.

Identifying Du Ho was quite easy. The one wearing the most flamboyant outfit was Du Ho. He was dressed in silk, as if he truly believed he was a noble.

They occupied high ground and were spread out, so it wasn’t precise, but they didn’t seem to outnumber us.

Did they really reveal themselves so boldly against a regular army? They must have underestimated their combat power after only facing the weak Liu Zhang’s forces.

Wang Ping, though from Tanggeohyun, decided to observe Du Ho’s behavior a bit more, just in case.

“The leader there is said to be that woman Chang-ran! Since the noble Lord Zhongyihou has arrived, show your face quickly!”

His tone was truly that of a bandit. But it might be a tactic to provoke the enemy, so underestimating him based on this alone would be foolish.

Even Ma Dai and Yu En, in their twenties and full of energy, seemed a bit angry but managed to control themselves. Until the next statement.

“Zhang Fei’s eldest daughter is said to be so beautiful, but her wild personality is like a wild foal. If a hero like me doesn’t take her in, which man’s arms will she cry in?”

“Hahaha, as the noble Lord Zhongyihou says!”

“Beauties are for heroes, they say.”

They were really putting on a show.

As the person involved, I just laughed it off, but those around me weren’t so calm. Unlike the initial statement, the officers couldn’t hide their anger.

“General, just give the order…”

Suddenly, a loud laughter echoed, interrupting Yu En.

“Lord Zhongyihou, why break the promise and try to take the lead?”

With such volume, it was almost father-level.

Blocking the front, Du Ho seemed separate from the force that appeared from the side, looking no different from Du Ho. He was a wealthy man who, along with Du Ho, led the Pa tribe and surrendered to Cao Cao, appointed as the magistrate of Padong.

Certainly, Fu Hu’s forces were larger than Du Ho’s. Fu Hu, leading only the Panshunman of the Pa tribe, was called the king of the seven surnames of Panshunman. The seven surnames were Na, Dok, Ak, Do, Seok, Gong, and Fu. Fu was pronounced as Bu and was the largest surname.

Having positioned themselves around Tanggeohyun and coming all the way here, they saved us some trouble.

“To whoever captures Chang-ran, I will give a thousand gold. As the king of the seven surnames, am I not the match for the Heavenly Maiden? Lord Zhongyihou, I will give you a chance after I take her, so wait your turn.”

Wow, this is quite disgusting. Taking a deep breath at Fu Hu’s blatant words, the officers beside me couldn’t hold back.

“I’ll take that guy’s head. Just give the order.”

“I’ll handle the one who first wagged his tongue.”

Even though surrounded on both sides, our morale didn’t break. Of course, we had already anticipated this situation.

Napoleon valued tactics that cut off the enemy’s retreat and seized their rear. I also used scouts extensively to understand the enemy’s advance routes and strike from behind.

And when I discovered Panshunman coming up from Tanggeohyun, with the new guide Gu Bu, I had Ma Chong take some troops to block the enemy’s retreat.

I didn’t expect them to make the first move from that side. They must have rushed from Tanggeohyun without rest, showing how tempting I was as bait.

I was angry too, but my goal was always Wang Ping’s confirmation. Suppressing the Pa tribe was important, but ultimately a superficial reason. Since Wang Ping was the real target, I needed to observe the entire battlefield from the rear and find Wang Ping.

I nodded and unleashed the two fierce hounds.

“Good. Go and bring back their heads.”

“Understood.”

“At your command.”

Ma Dai and Yu En shot off like arrows released from a tightly drawn bow.

As a master of horse riding from Xiliang, Ma Dai rode his horse as if it were flat ground, even in the mountains. The soldiers, unable to bear the humiliation their leader suffered, followed fiercely.

On the other hand, Yu En dismounted and charged on foot. “I’m still more comfortable on foot than on horseback,” he said, rushing with speed not inferior to Ma Dai.

“Attack!”

“Capture Chang-ran alive!”

“Spare no one else!”

Fu Hu and Du Ho’s subordinates clashed head-on with us, strength against strength.

‘But my troops are on a different level from the likes of Liu Zhang’s forces you’ve faced.’

Right after the collision, they realized how far their thoughts were from reality.

“These guys are different from last time! Ugh!”

“What, what kind of monsters are these?!”

Yu En swung his True Sword like a branch.

With each swing of the massive sword, nearly a meter long, several enemies fell, spraying blood.

Like the elite Doppelsöldners of medieval Europe, who used greatswords to break spear shafts and disrupt formations, Yu En’s ferocity was explosive, reminiscent of those masters.

Against the Pa tribe soldiers who recklessly charged, Yu En, who had achieved great feats against the powerful Wei army, was like a moth flying into a flame.

‘That side will be taken care of quickly.’

Ma Dai was somewhat inferior to Yu En in martial prowess. Historically, his notable achievement was chasing and beheading Wei Yan during a rebellion.

In the novel, he showed martial prowess comparable to Ma Chao, but from what I’ve seen, his skills are decent but not outstanding.

‘That’s why I placed Gu Bu under him.’

Ma Dai alone might not suffice, but with Gu Bu, who rivaled Wang Ping, they would have stronger breakthrough power than Yu En alone.

As I expected, on Fu Hu’s front, Ma Dai and Gu Bu, like a double-headed eagle, pushed back Panshunman’s soldiers from both sides.

And chaos erupted in the enemy’s rear. Ma Chong appeared. Confirming the battle and the enemy’s push, Ma Chong didn’t just block the path but led his troops to attack the rear.

Already exhausted from rushing from Tanggeohyun, Panshunman, despite holding high ground, crumbled like a sandcastle.

Fu Hu, their leader, who had been so bold earlier, now urgently urged his soldiers, panicking.

Yet, one place held firm, maintaining a solid defense. If there was such talent among the enemy, it could only be one person.

“There you are.”

I smiled and pulled the reins.

The battlefield would be cleared even without me. I needed to reap the rewards of this battle.

“I’ll break through! Follow me!”

My horse riding skills were still lacking for breaking through mountain paths. In such narrow spaces, with soldiers tangled and obstacles like trees, a sword was more suitable than a spear.

Bang!

Dodging and slashing through the spears and swords thrust at me, I kicked away the enemy’s shields. Unbelievable strength. The tightly formed shield wall, relying on each other, had its limits due to the small number of soldiers.

A dam with a hole collapses in an instant. As I breached the enemy’s defense line, the soldiers following me rushed in and completely destroyed it.

Collapse. An irreversible catastrophe.

“Drop your weapons and surrender. We will spare those who surrender.”

Realizing they could no longer hold out, Pa tribe soldiers threw down their weapons and prostrated themselves. But not all.

From the start, I had ordered to prioritize capture over slaughter, so the soldiers left those who had lost their will to fight and only dealt with those still resisting.

Among them, one stood out like a crane among chickens. Even as multiple soldiers attacked simultaneously, his calm defense remained unshaken, and his counterattacks, exploiting the soldiers’ inexperience, were sharp.

Just as a flashing counterattack was about to behead a soldier, my sword intercepted.

Clang!

As I twisted my sword to disarm him, he let go and rolled away, picking up another sword from the ground.

His leadership in rallying the disheartened soldiers to form a defense line, solid martial skills, and quick situational judgment. It had to be him.

“Just as expected.”

The young man before me was Wang Ping.

Contrary to the records stating he couldn’t read and imagining him as dull-looking, Wang Ping had quite a pleasant appearance.

In fact, considering that the past valued appearance more than the present in evaluating individuals, Wang Ping’s above-average looks were not surprising, given his rapid promotions after defecting to Liu Bei.

His bright, shining eyes were calm even as he faced me directly. Wang Ping, unyielding even in such dire circumstances.

“Surrender.”

“Even though Lord Fu Hu is arrogant, I cannot betray the kindness I’ve received.”

Having been orphaned at a young age and raised by his maternal family, and having lived in military units since childhood, it was plausible that Wang Ping had some connection with Fu Hu.

“If I promise to spare him, will you surrender?”

“…Why are you so intent on making me surrender? You could kill me anytime.”

“Because I want your true allegiance.”

A glint appeared in Wang Ping’s eyes. For the first time, his face, which had remained unchanged even as the defense line crumbled, showed a flicker of emotion.

“…I have fulfilled my duty to Lord Fu Hu. Let me witness your strength.”

“Good.”

My most recent real combat was the Hanzhong Rescue Battle. While fighting off pursuers to rescue Ma Chao’s family, I gauged how much I could achieve in one-against-many situations.

But one-on-one, against a strong opponent, was uncertain. Sparring with my father would have easily resolved this, but I never had the chance.

Personally, I believe there are few who can push my martial prowess to its limits. My father, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, Pang De, and perhaps even Jin Dou.

Even though it was just sparring, I defeated Wei Yan. I wondered how strong Wang Ping really was. I was looking forward to it.

“Here I come.”

Stepping forward, our swords crossed. Drawing Wang Ping into my attack range, I rolled on the ground.

Drawing power from my heel, through my legs, waist, shoulders, and to my wrist, I unleashed a slash imbued with the essence of rotation and explosive force, aiming to crush Wang Ping.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Wang Ping blocked my sword. Not because he wanted to, but because he couldn’t dodge. Choosing defense as a last resort, his straightforward and simple sword technique was too slow.

Having inherited Zhang Fei’s physical prowess, my small frame held unbelievable destructive power. This meant I could unleash a second, third strike in succession.

Crash!

Pushing Wang Ping back forcefully, my second slash split the air. Wang Ping, staggering, showed remarkable focus, attempting to deflect the blade. But with his posture disrupted, it was hard to fully absorb the impact.

Clang!

The sword, already chipped from the first strike, couldn’t deflect the impact and broke.

“The blade…”

Though the sword broke, Wang Ping avoided injury. His calloused hands didn’t even bleed. Though trembling slightly, he could still continue the fight.

“Your sword isn’t good. I’ll give you time. Fetch another sword.”

As I sheathed my sword, Wang Ping looked at his broken sword for a moment, then tossed it aside.

“I surrender.”

Wang Ping knelt on one knee and bowed his head. Then, clasping his hands, he raised them above his head. His tone had completely shifted to utmost respect, but I pressed further.

“What is your true intention?”

“I’ve heard that Han people give their lives for those who recognize their worth. Though I have Panshunman’s blood, do I not know the utmost duty? Since you truly desire me, I will serve with all my heart.”

I laid my sword flat and lightly touched Wang Ping’s shoulder with the blade. It was an unconscious action, seeing his posture reminiscent of a knighting ceremony. Thinking I might as well do it properly, I spoke with a firm voice.

“Though we met as enemies, having accepted your true heart, you are now reborn as a loyal subject of the Han imperial family. I hope you remember this day for the rest of your life.”

“I will engrave it in my bones.”

Right after Wang Ping’s surrender ceremony, the officers returned as if waiting. Each held a severed head in one hand.

They had perfectly fulfilled their words. The heads they held were those of Fu Hu and Du Ho. And Gu Bu, following Ma Dai, also brought a head—none other than Yuan Yue, who had surrendered to Cao Cao alongside Fu Hu and Du Ho.

With this single battle, we had completely decapitated the Pa tribe’s leadership and shattered their forces.

“General, a great victory.”

“Congratulations.”

“All of this is thanks to the General’s perfect decoy strategy.”

“Haha…”

If it weren’t for the last part, I would have enjoyed it too. Yu En, I’ll remember this.

But still, I felt good.

“Let’s return.”

It was time to return in triumph.