Byeongju
“Hang Lian, the grandson of Hang Yan, led a separate force and conquered the city of Yangcheng. During this, the residents of Yangcheng put up a desperate resistance, causing significant casualties. In a fit of rage, Hang Lian buried 5,000 people alive in a pit. He also forced the surrender of Zhang Han, the leader of the Qin army’s main force, effectively dismantling the Qin military. Heading towards the Qin capital, Hanyang, Hang Lian buried 200,000 Qin prisoners alive in Luoyang, Henan Province, for being an obstruction to his march. With an army of 30,000, he brutally slaughtered 560,000 soldiers. Terrified generals and soldiers fled, resulting in the massacre of 100,000 more in the eastern regions of Goksu and Sasu, and another 100,000 in the south at Susu, filling the rivers with corpses to the point where water could not flow.
Dismounting from his horse, Hang Lian faced the pursuing force of 5,000 cavalrymen led by Guan Ying, single-handedly slaying hundreds. The warriors of the Chu kingdom were unmatched, their cries shaking the heavens and earth, and the soldiers of other feudal lords feared none. Having already broken the Qin army, Hang Lian summoned the feudal lords’ generals, and they all crawled on their knees into his presence, none daring to look up.
I closed the ‘Records of the Grand Historian’ by Sima Qian, sweating coldly. Do you feel something strange? That’s right. It’s not Hangjeok but Hang Lian. Why am I reading about this now?
“By the way, I still don’t know Seoyo’s real name. Keep it a secret and tell me the name you didn’t share last time?” I asked Seoyo, who was guarding me as usual.
“My real name is Hangjeok,” Seoyo replied without hesitation.
“What did you say?”
“Hangjeok.”
That was a reckless question. What did I expect by pressing that bomb switch unknowingly? What use is it to know if I’ll always call her Seoyo anyway?
Finding a discrepancy in the ‘Records of the Grand Historian,’ I realized that what should have been Hangjeok’s achievements were attributed to Hang Lian. Hang Lian… was he Hangjeok’s uncle in the original history? I couldn’t remember.
Despite the surprise, I had no choice but to believe Seoyo, as she isn’t the type to lie. Her real name could have caused quite a stir if others heard it.
“Have you told anyone else your name?” I asked, concerned.
“Only you know my real name,” Seoyo assured.
“That’s a relief.”
I understood why Seoyo hid her name when I first took her in. The Hang family – if heard and taken lightly, it would be a lie. If her lineage were discovered in this era where bloodlines are crucial, it would lead to troublesome complications. As long as Seoyo doesn’t openly wreak havoc under the name of rebuilding the Chu kingdom, her true identity should remain a secret.
“Let’s keep it between us then.”
“Only between us… Understood,” Seoyo nodded, her tone slightly uplifted.
“What would you have done if I had kept my distance?” I asked.
Seoyo replied, “I would have ended my life.”
Shocked by her words, I turned to look at Seoyo. Her expression was as usual, calm and collected.
“A life already saved once. Better to end it myself than be a burden.”
“No, there’s no need for that. Stop.”
Seoyo’s words weighed heavy on me. Was she really the same Hangjeok who once thought, ‘I must take that throne’ while watching Qin Shi Huang’s procession? Considering her martial prowess during the duel with Lü Bu, she must be. Yet, the thought of her taking her life at my command was distressing.
——-
Orphaned at a young age, Lü Bu was left alone in a vast world. People were not kind to her. With blood-red hair and eyes, they said, ‘It’s an ominous color,’ ‘Don’t get close,’ ‘You might be swept up in a disaster.’
It’s not hard to understand. In a world where one never knows when and how death might come, people are wary of anything unusual.
In a world where the powerless can only hope for another day’s safety, people naturally cling to superstitions and distance themselves from what they fear. Lü Bu was well aware that her blood-red hair and eyes were not pleasing to the eye.
Her only asset was her physical prowess, and her only known skill was combat. In these tumultuous times, Lü Bu found plenty of work, dealing with persistent threats and receiving payment from fearful locals. This life of constant struggle took a toll on her spirit, but she had no choice. With no other skills, how could she survive if she stopped fighting?
One day, an unusual man approached Lü Bu amidst the stench of blood from those she had slain. Unlike others, he didn’t look at her with fear but with bright, curious eyes. Lü Bu, unaccustomed to such attention, found herself unexpectedly responding to his inquiries. The man, unaffected by the situation, introduced himself with a smile.
This was the beginning of Lü Bu’s relationship with Ding Lu. Displaying her martial skills, she was soon leading troops under the sponsorship of the Bing Province Governor. Her strategy was simple: she would break through the enemy lines first, followed by her soldiers. This approach left enemies scattered like fallen leaves. However, something changed. Lü Bu now had loyal soldiers who admired her and Ding Lu, who warmly welcomed her return from battle.
One day, Lü Bu returned slightly wounded. Ding Lu, fussing over her, treated her wound with gentle hands, chiding her for not visiting a physician first. Lü Bu, aware that she had intentionally sought treatment from Ding Lu, remained silent to avoid upsetting him.
Their interactions resembled that of a couple, though Lü Bu tried to dismiss such thoughts. When Ding Lu finished bandaging her arm, she felt a tinge of sadness as his warm touch vanished.
Their conversation shifted to recent unusual events. Lü Bu mentioned a strange saying people had been reciting: “The blue sky falls, and the yellow sky rises.” She couldn’t explain it, but it gave her a bad feeling. Ding Lu assured her of his trust, comforting Lü Bu, who was not used to being believed and cared for.
As Lü Bu struggled with her feelings, wondering why her thoughts kept veering towards a romantic direction, Ding Lu looked on, puzzled by her behavior. Seoyo, standing guard behind Ding Lu, observed Lü Bu with an inscrutable gaze.
