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To Lü Bu’s surprise, not only was Xiang Yu not angry because he was neglected by his beloved horse but after he suppressed the shock on his face, he calmly stroked Dapple’s neck as it insisted on getting closer to Lü Bu.
His usually stern face even softened by a fraction or two, and the corners of his lips curved slightly as he asked in a curious tone which Lü Bu had never heard before, “Dapple has such an arrogant temper, how did Fengxian tame it?”
It should be noted that while Xiang Yu was a proud man, he had the good cultivation of a nobleman. Except for occasionally bursting into a rage due to hurt pride, he was, for the most part, an iceberg more prone to silence than Han Xin.
Let alone Lü Bu who had been with him for half a month at most, even his own biological uncle Xiang Bo and respected elder Fan Zeng had hardly ever seen him smile.
Although Lü Bu didn’t know just how rare Xiang Yu’s smile was, he had been faced with his frosty expression for more than a few days. As this brainless king’s attitude gentled, he felt as if he was watching a permafrost glacier gradually melt with his own eyes.
Seeing that Xiang Yu was magnanimous and didn’t intend to blame him at all, and recalling that he still had the great merit of killing the King of Chu, the guilty conscience Lü Bu felt for stealing the man’s beloved steed for a ride was easily tossed aside.
“Maybe it’s because Dapple is smart and recognises heroes,” Lü Bu replied brazenly as he pinched Dapple’s ears.
As he spoke, he pinched a bit too hard. Dapple, who had been sincerely flattering him, angrily shook its head, broke free, and ran back to Xiang Yu.
Lü Bu’s face instantly turned ugly.
He’d just praised it! This prissy temper!
Lü Bu had frankly called himself a hero, but Xiang Yu — who was world-renowned for his martial arts and wisdom — didn’t feel it was exaggerated at all, and even agreed. “Not bad.”
With the arrival of a groom leading a horse behind him, the smile on Xiang Yu’s lips withered without a trace.
He leapt onto his horse’s back and looked down upon Lü Bu solemnly from atop the tall horse.
But Lü Bu didn’t notice Xiang Yu’s gaze at all, he was busy staring at the handsomely tall, snow white horse.
Xiang Yu looked at the way Lü Bu couldn’t hide his love for it, then said shortly, “Jade Lion1Likely based on 照夜玉狮子: a horse from Water Margin (the novel is set in c. 1220 AD), described as being white all over without any variegation, able to travel a thousand miles a day, and the best horse to be born in the Western Regions (i.e. Xinjiang region). is for you, follow this king out the city.”
After the death of the King of Chu, Xiang Yu had thoroughly learnt his lesson. He no longer pushed anyone to the throne in an effort to make more trouble for himself, he simply proclaimed himself the overlord and took charge of a king’s duties.
As a result, the Chu army was the most powerful, Xiang Yu had the highest prestige, and Liu Bang, the only one otherwise who came close, had the stigma of ‘murdering his lord for the sake of power’ and had been forced to retreat to Bashu. Although many warlords were jealous, none dared to step out and object first.
From the day he was proclaimed the overlord, Xiang Yu began to call himself ‘this king’.
“Thank you for the reward, Your Excellency!”
Although his words were few, there was not a single one that did not suit Lü Bu’s wishes.
Marvellous! He deserved to be the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, he was really generous!
Lü Bu happily mounted his newly acquired Jade Lion. The horse was surprisingly docile as it lowered its head to allow him on, not at all resisting desperately like Dapple.
Lü Bu was a step slower and had to get used to cooperating with Jade Lion first, so his speed could not be called very fast, but Xiang Yu wasn’t moving at full speed either. With Dapple also occasionally slowing down as it turned its head to sneak a few glances at them, Lü Bu easily caught up to the noble general in front.
Due to the frequent changes of city lords and constant war, the people of Xianyang were full of panic.
Those who could go to other relatives had already left, while those who had to stay all closed their doors tightly and never left their homes unless absolutely necessary.
They were extremely alert even towards Liu Bang, who intentionally spread goodwill; there was no need to mention their attitude towards their mortal enemy Xiang Yu, who had ordered 200,000 Qin soldiers to be buried alive in Xin’an.2After the Qin army surrendered at the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu suspected they might start a mutiny (and the 200,000 Qin soldiers were a liability to his army’s food supply), so he had them all buried alive south of Xin’an City. Wikipedia
In the case of Liu Bang, he very much valued his life, so he would always send generals with superb martial arts ahead as his vanguard. If the army was ambushed, someone would be standing between himself and the enemy.
But no matter if it was Xiang Yu or Lü Bu, they were both heroic warriors who could stand alone against hundreds — how could they fear any assassin?
With Xianyang now completely in Chu hands, the two of them rode unimpeded all the way south and soon left the city.
As soon as they passed the city walls, Lü Bu saw that Xiang Yu’s previously restrained demeanour changed drastically, no longer concealing his confusion and anger. He urged Dapple onwards, leaving Lü Bu behind as he galloped wildly towards an open field.
After all, he was a young man in his early twenties, it was impossible not to be frustrated sometimes.
Though he sighed, Lü Bu also felt a little excitement stir up. In any case, he never intended to hide his skills when he joined the Chu army, so he squeezed his horse’s belly to urge Jade Lion to run with all its strength.
Two bolts of lightning, one black and one white, flashed across the lush forest. Wherever the horses’ hooves stepped, they left deep imprints and billowing dust.
Dapple was very happy as it ran and snorted twice. Just as it did so, Xiang Yu, who had been gazing at the distant mountains and forests in thought, heard the sound of hooves thumping behind him.
It was Lü Bu, catching up.
It being the first time Xiang Yu met a master of equestrianism who could keep up with Dapple at full speed, he couldn’t help feeling a little moved.
Seeing that Xiang Yu had dismounted, Lü Bu also turned over and easily landed on the ground.
While Dapple and Jade Lion walked off to look for water, Lü Bu ambled towards Xiang Yu who was standing with his arms folded, thinking about something.
When he was a couple of steps away, Xiang Yu suddenly turned around, and a pair of deep pupils gazed steadily at Lü Bu as he said calmly, “In half a month, I will preside over distributing fiefs to the various lords, then I will lead the army back to our capital, Pengcheng.”
Lü Bu listened expressionlessly, only to furtively wipe bitter tears off his face.
These people, each was more infuriating than the last!
Thinking back, in order to stay in Chang’an,3Raws actually say Luoyang, but according to both historical sources and the Romance the events referenced took place at Chang’an, which was the capital city at the time; see glossary for details; Wikipedia the land of treasures, he could even endure Wang Yun4A politician during the late Eastern Han dynasty; a major figure in instigating Lü Bu to betray his foster father Dong Zhuo. Wikipedia who obviously looked down on him.
But he hadn’t enjoyed it for more than a few days before he was kicked out by Li Jue and Guo Si’s army5Li Jue and Guo Si were followers of Dong Zhuo; after the latter’s death, they formed an army to attack the capital when their request for amnesty was refused which came from nowhere, making him run around everywhere afterwards.
First he worked for nothing, painstakingly using eight hundred cavalrymen to exterminate the hundred thousand bandits of the Heishan Army yet no benefits came to him. If he moved just a little slower, he would’ve been killed! Then he scrambled to Big-eared Liu’s territory and cheated him out of his land, although this only made that deceitful guy hold a grudge against him…
Even so, he hadn’t been able to rest for very long. Cao Cao’s troops overwhelmed his, then his brother-in-law Wen Xu and the other ungrateful bastards tied him up in a flash, and finally a single word from Big-eared Liu resulted in his death.
Compared with his life which was full of ups and downs, it was as if Xiang Yu had been born in a honeypot!
He had so many good places to choose from yet was unwilling to stay in the fertile Guanzhong, which was also easy to defend and difficult to attack, and he instead wanted to go home like a kid showing off his fledgling feathers!
It was a rare moment for Xiang Yu to be willing to take the initiative to share his plans with someone who wasn’t an advisor. Not knowing that the person in front of him had already slandered him from top to bottom, he kept explaining, as if to himself. “Fengxian has made great achievements, but it is not easy to make the true reason for Xiong Xin’s death public. The merit of killing four Han generals is not enough to grant you a kingly title.”
“Fame and fortune are nothing but drifting clouds.”
He had already been a marquis once, as for the throne… he really didn’t care about climbing the ranks three centuries in the past, and besides, with the way the world was changing every day, who knew how long he would be able to keep the title?
Just look at this hegemon-king. He was so majestic right now, but he had only been king for a few short years before he faded from history.
Lü Bu, grinning, waved his hand nonchalantly. “I only hope that Sir can make me a general, so…” The best kind would be someone who could lead troops to fight Liu Bang.
Xiang Yu had exactly this intention.
He had always cherished talents, not to mention that recent events had proven Lü Bu to be unparalleled in the world. Amid the huge Chu army, Lü Bu was one of the people he admired the most.
Seeing that Lü Bu was open-minded, calm, and truly didn’t care about not receiving a kingly position nor was he boasting of his achievements, he immediately liked him even more.
Lü Bu directly asked for the rank of a general. In Xiang Yu’s eyes, this was only natural for someone who had the brains and skills that he did.
He nodded slightly in satisfaction, brushing away the agitation caused by Xiang Bo’s secret communication with Han, then simply offered the position he thought of before. “I wish to grant Fengxian the rank of Left Marshal6Previously translated as Major of the Central Army, what is your opinion?”
Lü Bu’s eyes lit up.
Compared to the trashy lian’ao which he had never heard of, the title ‘Left Marshal of the Central Army’ had both the words ‘marshal’ and ‘army’, this was obviously someone who could lead troops!
Before he could open his mouth to ask, Xiang Yu had recalled his ignorance of military ranks and the way he bluntly asked questions last time, so he simply added, “When the main commander of the central army is not present, or matters are urgent, the left marshal can take over and independently lead soldiers into battle.”
Upon confirming his guess, Lü Bu was even happier.
Who cared about rewards or whatnot, it was good as long as he could command people!
But before he agreed, he still remembered to ask, “May I ask, the central army’s main commander is…”
He remembered that bastard Xiang Bo was the Minister of the Left, he definitely wouldn’t let himself fall into his hands.
He just didn’t know if it would be the barely passable Zhongli Mo, or that idiot Ying Bu who couldn’t do things properly and always ran his mouth…
After all, Lü Bu only came to the Chu army not long ago, and his only thought was of killing Liu Bang quickly then washing his hands of them — of course he wouldn’t care who the generals of the Chu army were. At most, he asked Han Xin about it a few times once he realised killing Liu Bang would be a long term job.
Other than these two, he only knew of Long Qie, who sounded like someone highly regarded by Xiang Yu.
“The commander of the central army,” Xiang Yu said proudly, “is me.”
The central army was more important than the left and right armies, its commander had always been the King of Chu himself.
Now that there was no King of Chu, the hegemon-king naturally took over himself.
Xiang Yu’s arrangement wasn’t only due to his love for talent, it was also to compensate Lü Bu for not being able to be honoured as a king who had made great achievements in an open and aboveboard manner.
It was a pity that Lü Bu didn’t appreciate it.
After hearing his statement, the smile on his face petrified.
Damn, I knew fate didn’t have good things in store for me!
If he really became the Left Marshal of the Central Army for this blockhead, wouldn’t his life be as hard as Gao Fuyi’s!
In fact, he would be far unluckier than Gao Fuyi — at least Gao Fuyi could follow a wise and powerful hero like himself who didn’t care even if he couldn’t spit out any useful strategies, while he had to get along with a foolish tyrant!
When he thought of the days to come, Lü Bu shuddered.
Not only would he have to run back and forth for the brainless king all day long, most importantly, he would have to return to his hometown Pengcheng with him. How would he be able to guard Hanzhong and catch Bang’s rat tail!
Translator:
Lü Bu has an overly inflated view of himself but that’s half the fun.
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- 1Likely based on 照夜玉狮子: a horse from Water Margin (the novel is set in c. 1220 AD), described as being white all over without any variegation, able to travel a thousand miles a day, and the best horse to be born in the Western Regions (i.e. Xinjiang region).
- 2After the Qin army surrendered at the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu suspected they might start a mutiny (and the 200,000 Qin soldiers were a liability to his army’s food supply), so he had them all buried alive south of Xin’an City. Wikipedia
- 3Raws actually say Luoyang, but according to both historical sources and the Romance the events referenced took place at Chang’an, which was the capital city at the time; see glossary for details; Wikipedia
- 4A politician during the late Eastern Han dynasty; a major figure in instigating Lü Bu to betray his foster father Dong Zhuo. Wikipedia
- 5Li Jue and Guo Si were followers of Dong Zhuo; after the latter’s death, they formed an army to attack the capital when their request for amnesty was refused
- 6Previously translated as Major
Ashes says:
Thanks for the chapters!!<3
5 October 2023 — 11:52