C Chapter 73

Chapter 73

 

Dongbaek smiled brightly and made a friendly suggestion.

“Please, just call me So Saryang. No, please do call me that.”

“….So Saryang, you seem much more easygoing than you appear.”

“Haha… I get restless if I sit idle for too long. Yuan Benchu, on the other hand, is just as composed as he looks. I greatly admire you for your impeccable conduct as a nobleman, something I lack myself.”

As Dongbaek spoke, she removed the crude helmet typically worn by regular soldiers, revealing her light ash-brown hair cascading softly.

Yuan Shao, caught off guard by her blatant goodwill, fell silent for a moment. Dongbaek’s words were flawlessly polite, leaving him with no opening to rebuff her outright. Before he could gather his thoughts, Dongbaek swiftly continued.

“By the way, I heard you’re close with Mengde (Cao Cao). I’ve heard many stories.”

“What? Yes. Ah, we used to hang out in our younger days…”

Caught off guard by the sudden mention of Cao Cao, Yuan Shao found himself responding to Dongbaek’s words before he knew it. His mind was filled with questions about what kind of relationship Dongbaek had with Cao Cao and what they might have said about him.

Pretending not to notice Yuan Shao’s inner thoughts, Dongbaek smiled with downcast eyes. She intended not to satisfy his curiosity right away.

“I’m very pleased to have this opportunity, as I’ve been curious after hearing Mengde praise you so much. Please be generous with my foolish questions, despite my youth and inadequacy.”

“How did you come to know Mengde?”

Unable to contain his curiosity as Dongbaek continued to speak indirectly, Yuan Shao asked outright. Dongbaek carefully broke down Yuan Shao’s defenses.

“We crossed paths a couple of times in the palace. Later, we happened to meet in the marketplace and bonded over a few drinks. He’s quite a lively person.”

“That sly Mengde—he’s as cunning as a snake, yet there’s a certain naivety about him. But if you’ve shared drinks with him, So Saryang, you must hold your liquor quite well.”

“I can hold my own enough not to spoil the mood.”

“Haha, I’ve never met anyone who says that who wasn’t a heavy drinker. Looking at So Saryang, I would have thought you only drank tea… Don’t you enjoy tea?”

“I’ve learned about tea ceremony as much as I have about drinking.”

The topic shifted from Cao Cao to tea. Yuan Shao’s eyes suddenly sparkled, suggesting he had an interest in tea.

“Oh, is that so? As it happens, I have some excellent tea leaves in my tent… Ah, what is it?”

Yuan Shao, who had been speaking enthusiastically despite his initially reserved attitude, noticed a centurion lingering nearby and asked what was wrong.

It turned out to be the 7th captain whom Dongbaek had asked earlier to prepare a meal. Sure enough, he was holding food.

“Commander So hasn’t eaten yet…”

“What, you haven’t eaten yet?”

“Ah, yes. Somehow, time just got away from me.”

Dongbaek smiled as if it didn’t matter. A growling stomach was nothing compared to the importance of easing relations with Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao’s face reddened slightly as he realized he had been chatting away with Dongbaek, who had just returned from reconnaissance.

“I-I apologize. You must have wanted to rest.”

“Not at all. It was an honor to have such an enlightening conversation with you, Yuan Benchou. If you’re concerned, you can treat me to tea another time.”

“Of course!”

Yuan Shao’s handsome, noble face lit up.

As she had learned later, Lu Zhi wasn’t particularly fond of tea. His reasoning was that there was no luxury for brewing tea when resources needed to be conserved on the battlefield. Of course, while one could drink tea alone, it wasn’t the same as having someone to enjoy it with. So it was natural for Yuan Shao to welcome Dongbaek. Moreover, Dongbaek was modest and had a gentle personality. She was perfect as a tea companion.

For Dongbaek as well, this satisfied her intention to build a closer relationship with Yuan Shao, making it a satisfactory outcome for both parties.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

While Dongbaek washed her hands with water placed beside the bed after entering the tent, the centurion set the table. Dongbaek glanced over the side dishes and asked with mild surprise,

“Why is there meat? I’m sure I asked for a normal meal.”

Usually, her meals were prepared the same way as other generals’, but today she missed mealtime.

Given that they had to prepare a new meal, if Dongbaek were to eat meat dishes, it would create extra work for everyone below. That’s why she had asked them to serve the same meal as the common soldiers…

“Oh, it’s nothing special. Earlier, while we were on standby, a rabbit suddenly hopped by, and one of the subordinates shot it with an arrow. We thought to serve it to you, Commander. If anything, we apologize for offering such a humble thing as rabbit meat…”

“What’s there to apologize for? I’m grateful, rather.”

Dongbaek sat at the table with a smile as the centurion trailed off. She picked up her chopsticks and arranged them neatly on the table with light taps.

“Who was that soldier?”

“Ah, it’s Yue Jin, from the seventh unit. The one I mentioned before…”

“Ah yes, I remember well. Tell him I’ll enjoy the meal.”

“Hehe, I will.”

The 7th captain answered while scratching his head. At Dongbaek’s gesture to leave, the centurion repeatedly bowed while saying, “Have a pleasant meal, Commander!” before swiftly slipping out through the curtain.

“Well now… Let’s try this rabbit that Yue Jin caught.”

She was in such a good mood that she found herself humming.

‘His thoughtfulness probably means I’m not too bad as his superior. Hmm, does this mean I can consider Yue Jin as one of my own? No, So Dongbaek. You shouldn’t divide people into ‘mine’ and ‘yours’ like that. But someone like Yue Jin, once he gives his loyalty… Well, he’s not the type to switch allegiances easily once he’s committed. So maybe it’s okay to think of him as mine?’

Dongbaek kept moving her chopsticks while carrying on this internal dialogue. Before she knew it, the rabbit meat was cleaned to the bone.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

The morning sun rose.

The dawn light seeping through the tent gaps rather than the windows was faint, but enough to pierce Dongbaek’s eyes.

Rising from her bed, Dongbaek got dressed. Her clothes from yesterday had been taken by a subordinate to wash, and since she had no plans to survey the mountains today, she wore her usual attire.

Despite the early hour, the camp was bustling. Everyone was lining up for breakfast. Usually, she would have eaten alone in her tent, but somehow, today, she wanted to eat among them. Dongbaek casually took her place at the end of the line.

“..C-Co… Co… Commander—!”

“Commander So, why are you here in line?”

Some soldiers who had emerged from their tents, yawning as usual, lined up behind her, then jumped in shock when they realized who was in front of them. The regular soldier in front of her also startled awake when he realized who was behind him.

Meanwhile, their superior, who had suddenly appeared, seemed puzzled by what the problem was.

“I thought I’d join everyone for a meal for a change.”

“Hahaha… It’s already too much that you’re eating the same food as us, we can’t have you waiting in line. Please, go to the front!”

The soldier directly in front of Dongbaek bowed deeply, his feelings of ‘Please go to the front!’ clearly visible. Seeing the heads bowing like a wave behind him, Dongbaek sighed.

‘This isn’t what I came here for.’

She felt she hadn’t thought this through. If she’d considered it more carefully, she would have known this would happen. Dongbaek twirled her grayish-brown hair that fell below her shoulders with her finger in embarrassment.

“Then I’ll eat first.”

Dongbaek moved forward, pushed by her subordinates’ gazes. The regular soldier’s hands trembled as he passed her the bowl. The quartermaster’s hands also shook as he served her something like porridge. Until Dongbaek finished getting her food, the whole area was as silent as a mouse.

“Everyone, please eat.”

Dongbaek spoke in a modest voice. But as it was the only voice in the silent space, the soldiers’ hands finally began moving hurriedly.

The 500 soldiers Dongbaek had brought was quite a small number. Lu Zhi had no intention of giving her more soldiers, and Dongbaek hadn’t particularly wanted more either. As a result, Dongbaek’s force operated somewhat separately from the other units.

This wasn’t entirely bad, though. It meant freedom. In fact, Dongbaek only reported her movements to Lu Zhi without waiting for approval.

Meals were taken by the unit. Like high school lunches, they received food one unit at a time. Though this system was unfamiliar to Han, everyone was satisfied once they got used to it.

Although there were 100 people in each unit, the atmosphere was rather cheerful as they ate together instead of in a disorganized manner.

Dongbaek’s steps headed toward a predetermined place—where the seventh unit was. When the seventh captain realized she was coming their way, he smiled broadly and made a fuss.

“Commander So is coming to our unit!”

He was as excited as if he’d been chosen by the Emperor. The seventh captain was particularly cheerful and quick-witted. He hastily steered the mood in this direction before others could become uncomfortable with Dongbaek’s approach.

“How is everyone holding up?”

“Haha, we’re managing well so far.”

Dongbaek asked as she placed her bowl right in front of the centurion. The captain responded cheerfully. The person who had been sitting in front of the centurion gradually moved aside to make room.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-