Chapter 4.
The First Charge (3)
Among the surrendered soldiers, Jeong Gyeom selected those who were fit for service.
Their number came to one thousand three hundred.
With Jeon Ye and Gongsun Gi at his sides, Jeong Gyeom walked forward before the surrendered soldiers.
Several braziers were burning in the middle of the valley.
Perhaps because wet wood had been mixed in, the flames flickered low and belched smoke.
Still, they were enough to drive back the darkness.
Whenever the firelight wavered, the faces of the men appeared red for a moment before disappearing again.
Amidst it all—
Countless gazes turned toward him at once.
Jeong Gyeom slowly removed his helmet, exuding a heavy presence.
A suffocating silence descended among the surrendered soldiers.
Whispers drifted from somewhere.
“Could it be… Cham-baek?”
“…Cham-baek?”
“The commander who blocked our retreat and attacked us… Could he really be…?”
“Isn’t he planning to use us as scapegoats so he can save himself?”
“That can’t be…”
The quiet whispers soon began turning into a restless murmur.
Tsk.
Gongsun Gi clicked his tongue and strode one step forward.
“Silence.”
A razor-sharp aura instantly pressed down upon the valley.
“Do you dare run your mouths carelessly in a place like this?”
Gongsun Gi took another large step forward and spat out his next words in a heavy voice.
“Do you truly wish to die?”
The valley became as silent as if it had swallowed its breath.
Gongsun Gi had been Jeong Gyeom’s longtime comrade, practically a brother to him, but by this point he followed Jeong Gyeom as his lord.
Usually, he was a slick and playful man who joked around and mingled freely with his subordinates.
But once he stood upon a battlefield, Gongsun Gi was the sort of man who could sweep through it with nothing but the savage killing intent in his eyes.
Even Jeon Ye, who wielded a massive battle-axe and stormed across the battlefield like a whirlwind, would lower himself whenever Gongsun Gi truly lost his temper and glared at him.
There was no need to say more.
The valley—
fell into a quiet silence beneath the pressure of Gongsun Gi’s killing intent.
Jeong Gyeom lightly raised a hand.
Gongsun Gi stopped himself before saying anything further, immediately lowered his head, and took a step back.
Then, unnoticed by the others, he gave a quick wink with one eye.
Judging by his behavior—
it seemed his little performance had been intended to establish Jeong Gyeom’s authority.
The corners of Jeong Gyeom’s lips briefly rose before settling again.
Not bad.
Leaving Gongsun Gi’s little ploy behind, Jeong Gyeom climbed onto a raised platform and shouted.
“Some of you already know who I am, while others do not. Those who know will surely be saying to themselves: ‘Traitor.’”
He drew a deep breath and filled his belly with air.
“But! I ask you this—who is the true traitor? Is it not Jang Sun, the very man who deceived us under the banner of acting for the people, who is the true traitor and oath-breaker?”
Jeong Gyeom’s gaze swept across the surrendered soldiers.
“Jang Sun and Jang Geo branded us as rebels, only to become rebels themselves and die as such. Now tell me. Who is the true traitor?”
A few coughs broke out among the surrendered soldiers.
“Now I say this to all of you: Follow me. I, Jeong Gyeom, have taken my stand here in accordance with the will of Lord Liu Yu, the rightful ruler of You Province.”
Jeong Gyeom’s justification rang out from his mouth.
“I stand here to open a path for you to live as human beings. Follow me. I will cast away the stigma of being rebels and allow you to walk and breathe upon this land as heroes. I will make you a source of pride for your parents and brothers, so that when the day comes for you to stand before your ancestors, you will have at least one thing to boast of.”
Jeong Gyeom thrust his fist forward and shouted in a heavy voice.
“I will let you live as heroes and die as heroes.”
When Jeong Gyeom finished his final words, a brief silence followed.
But before long, an earth-shaking roar erupted from the valley.
“Woooooah—!”
“Cham-baek! Cham-baek!”
It was not only the surrendered soldiers.
Even the soldiers who had followed Jeong Gyeom from the beginning joined the cheering.
The echoes shook the valley and disturbed the night air.
The cheers continued for a while.
Most of the surrendered soldiers pledged to follow Jeong Gyeom.
However, there were also quite a few soldiers deeply scarred by their fear of war and the stigma of being rebels.
Those who were afraid to stand on the battlefield.
Those who valued their lives more than wealth, honor, or glory.
Jeong Gyeom ordered his subordinates to allow these men to return to their hometowns.
He even provided them with a reasonable amount of wealth.
That left twelve hundred soldiers.
Yes… this is quite a harvest.
If he could now comfort and refine these men into a strong fighting force,
and eventually turn them into his personal guards—
would they not be able to establish a base wherever they settled?
For the time being, that was enough.
Once the battlefield had been more or less cleared,
Jeong Gyeom hurriedly moved his troops toward Ji, the seat of government of You Province.
It would not be long before Zhuo Commandery was occupied, and Gongsun Zan would pursue them as soon as he finished securing the city.
Jeong Gyeom stationed his forces near Shimun County, roughly one hundred li from Ji County.
The road there was narrow and winding. If they built even a small earthen fortification, one hundred soldiers could withstand a thousand enemies.
Moreover, the northern road was open, and with only a dozen or so li of movement, they could reach the vast grasslands.
It was an excellent location for training and utilizing the cavalry they had acquired this time.
Of course, it was also an exceptionally good place to conceal troops.
There was a reason Jeong Gyeom had hidden his forces at Shimun County.
What would happen if he went to request a surrender while leading nearly seventeen hundred heavily armed soldiers?
Their mere presence would undoubtedly provoke unnecessary suspicion.
For that reason, Gongsun Gi volunteered to remain at Shimun County and take command of the army.
Gongsun Gi knew the battlefield well and was more than capable of responding to unexpected situations, so he readily accepted without a second thought.
Jeong Gyeom appointed Jeon Ye as his deputy and headed toward Ji County accompanied only by a suitable gift and some of his personal guards.
On the surface, it appeared that he was deliberately lowering himself.
In reality, however, it was a move that left him with options.
Of course, Jeong Gyeom had not acted recklessly, relying solely on his faith in Liu Yu.
Wei You, one of the great clansmen of You Province and a man who had previously held a high office in Luoyang—
was currently in You Province.
More precisely, he occupied one of the province’s most important positions: Bie Jia.
And Wang Jeong happened to know him.
Wang Jeong had been someone who shared Jeong Gyeom’s intentions since their days in Zhuo Commandery.
That connection was now bearing fruit.
Wei You.
Having read Romance of the Three Kingdoms only once or twice in his youth, Jeong Gyeom had no way of knowing who he was.
But there was one thing he knew for certain.
You Province had always suffered from invasions by foreign forces.
And in practice, Gongsun Zan alone had been holding those enemies back.
But Gongsun Zan was not a man whose loyalty to the orders of the provincial government was absolute.
Even if an order came from the Provincial Governor, that formidable White Horse commander and proud man would shake his head if the order did not align with his own wishes.
Then, from the perspective of the provincial government, what was needed was obvious.
Even if they could not replace Gongsun Zan,
they needed a commander who could supplement him.
Therefore, to Wei You, the Bie Jia, Jeong Gyeom could not help but seem like a timely rain after a long drought.
If there were a commander willing to follow the orders of the provincial government who was even half as capable as Gongsun Zan—
Jeong Gyeom tightened his grip on the reins.
…They will never cast me aside.
Liu Yu was in an excellent mood.
As soon as he arrived at the provincial government office, he had not only suppressed the troublesome Jang Sun and Jang Geo, but had also driven the Wuhuan, who had been plundering the surrounding area, beyond the Great Wall.
On top of that, Wei You, whom he had known since his days in Luoyang, happened to be serving as Bie Jia.
Wei You was a wise man, making him well suited to handling civil affairs.
The Xianyu brothers possessed military talent and were useful for defending the provincial government.
The only thing lacking was a suitable commander to guard the area beyond the Great Wall.
And just as fate would have it, someone capable of filling that vacancy had now appeared before him.
How could Liu Yu not be pleased?
Looking at Jeong Gyeom, who was kneeling with his head bowed before him in the main hall, Liu Yu spoke in a dignified voice.
“Though you once joined the ranks of rebels, you ultimately turned away from the wrong path and set yourself right. You then quelled the rebellion with your own hands and brought me the heads of Jang Sun and Jang Geo. This is a merit sufficient to wash away your crimes. As it is written in the Records of the Grand Historian, ‘Those who correct their faults and return to goodness are worthy of respect.’ You are a man who embodies those words.”
Liu Yu’s tone softened.
“From this day forth, I hope you will devote yourself wholeheartedly to this land and its people.”
Jeong Gyeom was deeply moved by Liu Yu’s dignified bearing and gentle manner of speech.
At last, I am looking at a true elder.
Just as history recorded, Liu Yu was clearly a gentle and upright man.
Jeong Gyeom almost wanted to confess immediately to the crime of diverting the wealth and reveal the troops he had hidden at Shimun County.
But he soon calmed himself.
This was a moment to have his crimes covered by his merits, not a moment to reveal all the cards in his hand.
A sword that had once been drawn had to be sheathed until the moment it was needed.
Jeong Gyeom bowed his head even deeper.
His heart was burning,
but his mind remained cold.
Just then, Bie Jia Wei You stepped forward and spoke.
“I have heard that Jeong Gyeom has a close relationship with Dapo, the Wuhuan military commander. Therefore, if Your Excellency were to appoint Jeong Gyeom as Beiro Duwi and have him station a force at Yeongji County, he would be of great help in communicating with the Wuhuan and stabilizing the surrounding region. I humbly ask that Your Excellency permit this.”
When Wei You finished speaking, the main hall fell silent for a moment.
Liu Yu did not answer.
He simply looked at Jeong Gyeom, who remained kneeling before him.
This man has a close relationship with a Wuhuan commander?
If that was true, it was not something that could be taken lightly.
If there were even the slightest possibility that this man could pacify the Wuhuan…
then the lives of the common people suffering from foreign invasions might improve as well.
At first glance, there was no reason to believe Wei You would have reported this carelessly.
And yet, simply deciding to employ him…
Wasn’t Jeong Gyeom, by birth and origin, still someone who had come from the ranks of the rebels?
What should I do? Should I give him a chance?
Liu Yu lightly tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingers.
A brief silence followed.
The atmosphere in the main hall subtly sank.
“Is it true that you have ties with the Wuhuan?”
It was a short question.
But the weight contained within it was anything but light.
Wei You’s gaze subtly shifted toward Jeong Gyeom.
With a single answer, Jeong Gyeom’s position would be decided.
How will you present yourself?
After taking a brief breath, Jeong Gyeom calmly opened his mouth.
“I humbly report that the Wuhuan are not a people who move on the basis of trust. They move when there is profit to be gained and withdraw when there is none. However, it is certainly true that I have spoken with their military commander. If Your Excellency grants me even a minor position and orders me to serve, I will certainly pacify them and prevent them from crossing the Great Wall.”
When Jeong Gyeom finished speaking, the main hall fell silent.
Liu Yu and Wei You were inwardly impressed by his words.
The way he spoke was not that of some ignorant country bumpkin.
Wei You narrowed his eyes as he looked at Jeong Gyeom.
Until just moments ago, he had thought they had merely acquired a brave general who would make a useful pawn.
But now that he looked more closely—
didn’t this man seem to possess both civil and military abilities?
His ability to read the situation was by no means ordinary, either.
This man is no ordinary fellow.
After studying Jeong Gyeom for a moment, Wei You spoke.
“For the words of a mere countryman, there is considerable reason in them. Have you ever studied the classics?”
Jeong Gyeom inwardly swallowed a sigh of relief.
Everything was proceeding exactly as he had intended.
He already had his answer prepared.
With his head bowed so deeply that his forehead nearly touched the floor, Jeong Gyeom replied.
“I was born into a humble family, but my father once held a minor official post in Gaomi. From a young age, I learned my letters from him.”
Wei You’s eyes lit up at the mention of Gaomi.
“Gaomi?”
