Heuk San Jeok (3)
Not long after Lü Bu pursued the archer, the Heuk San Jeok appeared in front of us.
“I think I roughly understand their strategy.”
Their plan was to lure Lü Bu away from the army and then attack us in the meantime.
Considering Lü Bu’s significant presence, they must have assumed they could win the battle without her.
The bandits were armed with distinctive weapons, like twin axes and bows.
Without hesitation, the Heuk San Jeok drew their weapons, and we prepared for battle as well.
“Fire at will!”
As the Heuk San Jeok commanded, a barrage of arrows rained down on us from the front and left.
As expected, there was an ambush.
Arrows covered the sky.
“Shield bearers.”
Suddenly, a quiet and calm voice was heard.
Simultaneously, the troops around me flawlessly raised their shields.
The shields interlocked, forming a wall that impeccably protected each other.
It was a formation akin to a feat, an impenetrable wall of shields against arrows.
As our view was obscured, the only sound was arrows bouncing off shields.
About 5 minutes passed?
After some time, the relentless rain of arrows gradually ceased.
As the shields lowered, I looked around to see the ground densely studded with arrows and spoke.
“They ambushed us strangely.”
If the Heuk San Jeok had waited for us to clash with their frontlines and then shot arrows from the side, the damage would have been greater.
But with us prepared for arrows, firing from the front would have been less effective.
The advantage of surprise was lost, and the ambush locations were exposed.
In the end, they were just bandits.
There were casualties, but far fewer than I had anticipated.
Some took cover behind shield bearers, while others used the forest terrain to hide behind trees and rocks, avoiding arrows.
Having fired most of their arrows with little effect, the Heuk San Jeok began to stir uneasily.
The woman who calmly ordered the shield bearers earlier was notable.
In the original history, her unit was called “Hamjin Camp” as it never lost, with “Hamjin” meaning “must conquer.”
She was a loyalist who served only one person until her death.
“Go Soon.”
“Yes.”
I instructed the woman who had her hair twisted up and secured with a hairpin.
“Clean up everything with Jang Ryong.”
“As you command.”
Jang Ryong’s cavalry and Go Soon’s infantry collided with the Heuk San Jeok.
Despite the dense forest, Jang Ryong and her unit maneuvered their horses as if on flat ground.
The Heuk San Jeok ambushing from the left screamed as they spilled blood on the ground.
Some Heuk San Jeok turned to flee but were beheaded by our commanders.
“Run and you die by my hand! Fight till the end!”
“Damn it! How can we win against that! Move!!”
“Thinking you can survive by running…argh!”
Even infighting broke out among our troops.
The commander seemed to be trying hard, but eventually, he was surrounded by other bandits and met his death.
Following him, the Heuk San Jeok on the left completely scattered in panic.
With no leader to stop the retreat, they seized the opportunity to flee.
Such disorganization was typical of bandits driven solely by their desires.
Jang Ryong chased the fleeing Heuk San Jeok, brandishing her spear.
“Even if you run with your back turned, you’ll still die. Surrender quietly.”
Since they would likely return to raiding if released, I had ordered to kill them all if they didn’t surrender.
Humans can’t outrun horses.
Under the relentless pursuit of Jang Ryong and her cavalry, the fleeing Heuk San Jeok eventually disarmed and surrendered.
Meanwhile, in the center, Go Soon’s unit was overwhelmingly pushing back the Heuk San Jeok.
Go Soon’s unit moved simultaneously without a single error, advancing slowly.
Shielding and thrusting with spears, their actions were decisive.
They moved in unison, like a well-oiled machine.
“We should have just run away….”
“Shit…. They said we could win! What are those on the right doing!”
Not a single Heuk San Jeok could penetrate Go Soon’s obsessive Hamjin Camp.
Despite their elite status, the bandits’ feats were futile against her unit.
Eventually, with Hamjin Camp at the core, the Heuk San Jeok’s formation collapsed.
“Now! Follow me!”
Seizing the opportunity, commanders like Weisok broke through their lines.
The Heuk San Jeok, allowing the charge, fell with death cries.
“It’s over.”
Jang Ryong had dealt with those ambushing from the left, and the remaining Heuk San Jeok, unable to break through Hamjin Camp, collapsed.
I turned my head towards the right side of the forest.
The direction Lü Bu went.
Somehow, from that direction, the faint smell of blood seemed to drift.
──────────
“Crazy… she’s like a monster….”
“That’s a bit harsh!”
Bang!
“Aaaah!”
Jang Yeon screamed as he was knocked down by Lü Bu’s Fangtian Huaji.
“Is this… even possible…?”
Jang Yeon’s eyes trembled wildly as he hit a tree while flying through the air.
An unbelievable sight.
“I told you. You guys are really bad at fighting.”
The 1,000 bandits prepared to capture Lü Bu.
“It felt like slaughtering animals. They’re bandits, so they’re animals, right?”
The unit that was supposed to join the main force and attack the right flank after capturing Lü Bu,
“Anyway, now the only one left is you?”
was annihilated by just one person.
“You’re the mighty one. Now that there’s no one to hide behind, come out.”
Lü Bu started to mock Jang Yeon, who was just trembling.
“What are you doing? Scared?”
Jang Yeon gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Do you really think a monster like you will be accepted by other humans!”
“What? Have you gone mad?”
Lü Bu was slightly taken aback by Jang Yeon’s sudden outburst.
“You’ll end up dying alone like a dog!”
“……”
“Even the one you’re following now will eventually…”
At that moment, Lü Bu’s Fangtian Huaji moved, and Jang Yeon felt his right leg missing.
Jang Yeon’s right leg was severed.
“Aaaah!”
“Shut up.”
Lü Bu coldly watched Jang Yeon scream in pain.
“Barking like a dog is your job.”
Left leg.
“That’s enough!”
“Really. Someone might think I’m the bad one.”
Right arm.
“Save m──”
“People praise you as mighty, and you think you’re something?”
Left arm.
“I’m sorry. Please, I beg y─”
“You’re just a leeching bandit who preys on the powerless.”
With all limbs severed, Jang Yeon gasped as if about to lose consciousness.
“You said I would die like a dog?”
“Keh, keh──”
“Go on, die like a dog.”
With a cold smirk, Lü Bu turned her back, leaving Jang Yeon alive.
Jang Yeon gasped
in surprise, regaining his senses.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“……”
“Save me! I’ll do anything, just save me!”
Jang Yeon begged like a worm on the ground.
“Damn it! What do you want? Money? Is it money!!”
“……”
“You damn bitch──!! If you’re going to leave me like this, just kill me───!!!”
As Lü Bu walked away, Jang Yeon’s pleas gradually faded, and soon, his voice was no longer heard.
Caw─ Caw─
The place Lü Bu passed.
Only corpses remained there, with the cries of crows and wild animals the only sounds.
──────────
After defeating the Heuk San Jeok and waiting for Lü Bu, I was startled by her appearance.
“What happened, why are you covered in blood?”
“……”
Her entire body was drenched in blood.
The nauseating smell of blood made some faint-hearted soldiers step back in fear from Lü Bu.
“Did the horse you were riding die? Are you hurt?”
“……”
“That’s why I said it was true that you were being luredㄲ….”
“Over there.”
As I nagged Lü Bu for acting recklessly, she spoke to me.
“Huh?”
“Aren’t you bothered at all?”
“Talking nonsense again.”
I wiped Lü Bu’s face with my sleeve.
It felt oddly soft and addictive.
“Ew, what are you doing?”
“That’s enough.”
Lü Bu’s face, previously covered in blood, regained some color.
Not perfect, but better than before.
“Now I can see your pretty face.”
“……”
Looking into her sparkling red eyes, I smiled slightly.
“I don’t know what you’ve been told, but you don’t need to worry about it.”
Typical tough exterior, soft interior.
Lü Bu always seemed anxious and restless whenever she heard something, constantly checking my reactions.
“It looks like you caught Jang Yeon?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Those bandits must have some treasure, right?”
“…Obviously. Let’s go quickly.”
Lü Bu’s voice, slightly subdued in my question, returned to normal.
I’m glad she seems alright.
