episode_0068

Yellow River.

It was the lifeline that gave birth to Chinese civilization and a source of deep nostalgia for the people of Central Plains.

As can be guessed from the fact that the character for river, Ha (河), was the original name of the Yellow River and it became a common noun, the Yellow River was an important place in the long history of China.

The scenery of the Yellow River at the end of August was incredibly beautiful.

The wild chrysanthemums in full bloom along the banks of the Yellow River combined with the deep ocher color of the Yellow River created an indescribable beauty, and the spicy earthy scent rising along with the cool sound of the water of the Yellow River mixed with the scent of flowers made people’s hearts flutter.

But unfortunately, not everyone shared the aesthetic view.

This was especially true for the soldiers of Chu under the Song Dynasty.

Chu dynasty.

Among the descendants of the six kingdoms, those who enjoyed the most unique and heterogeneous culture were the people of Chu.

Before development began in the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, Chu was a huge jungle area.

A majestic woodland with dense forest. A barbaric land close to the jungle.

A place where the sounds of animals and the smell of grass so thick that it makes you dizzy fill your lungs.

An unexplored land where now-extinct Chinese elephants and rhinos roam.

That was the power area of the Chu Dynasty.

For the people of Chu who grew up in such a place, the Yellow River region, where there was more dark red clay than trees and more chattering people than jungle animals, was truly a different world.

“Different. It’s so different.”

The soldiers of the Chu Dynasty under the Song Dynasty lived with such words in their mouths.

The people of Chu seemed equally alien to the northerners, that is, the Han Chinese.

The Chu people were smaller and weaker than the Han Chinese.

Mu Hui Guan (沐猴而冠).

It was not for nothing that the old idiom deriding the people of Chu, calling them monkeys wearing crowns, was widespread in this era.

However, the Han Chinese could not just laugh at the Chu people.

“Daecho (大楚)!”

The people of Chu are united in pride and patriotism for their country.

Their unity and tenacity could be called madness.

The fiery nature of the Chu people was also one of the reasons why the Han people looked down on them.

However, the biggest obstacle was that they could not understand each other.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m dying of frustration.”

The people of Chu could not help but feel frustrated when interacting with the Han Chinese.

Because of Qin Shi Huang’s unification, they were bound by the great bond of the Central Plains people, but in reality, the people of Chu and other peoples of the six countries were closer to barbarians.

Unlike the other six kingdoms that were based on the Yellow River civilization and shared similar script and language, the script of the Chu Dynasty at the time was similar to that of the southern ethnic groups.

There is also a theory that it is more similar to the language of Thailand than the language of the Central Plains.

“Of course, the only ones we can trust are the people of Chu.”

“Only you can lead us to victory.”

This heterogeneity further spurred the unification of Chu’s soldiers.

Opponents who are clearly different from themselves.

Wake, a powerful general who leads them.

The less skilled soldiers are, the more fascinated they are by the commander’s powerful power.

And it was difficult to say that the soldiers of this era were highly skilled as the Warring States Period had ended and there had been no proper battles for nearly 30 years.

For this reason, Maengjiang, like Hangjeok, was the most powerful tile at this time.

It was common for majors to be polarized depending on the presence or absence of the appendix.

The popularity of the wake, which literally destroyed the Jin army that was persecuting them, was truly beyond imagination.

Her height also contributed to her charisma.

In history, Xiang Yu is often described as an eight-ship general.

If calculated by modern standards, which estimates the length of a ruler to be about 30cm, it would be a giant of 240cm.

For this reason, many people think that the description of Xiang Yu’s height is a typical Chinese exaggeration.

However, this was a misunderstanding due to a change in units.

At that time, one ship was about 23cm. The height of the wake was about 184cm.

Even by today’s standards, she was tall enough to be reminiscent of a model, but to the people of Chu, who were short even by the standards of the time, she looked like a giant.

Her height, along with her mesmerizing beauty and beautifully curvaceous body, made her appear as something other than royalty.

However, despite the blind loyalty and envy of these soldiers, Hangjeok could not be happy.

‘Damn inspiration!’

Haengjeok looked at a man with burning eyes.

The person standing where her gaze was directed was her superior, Commander Song Yi, who was the commander-in-chief of this army and held the title of deputy general.

Song Yi was chatting with the Chu nobles gathered around him with a sly smile on his face.

*****

Song Yi was already over fifty years old.

Although he was extremely old at the time, even the passage of time was not enough to stop his burning desire for power.

‘Feel so good!’

Song Yi smiled with a satisfied expression.

As the rumor spread that he had taken power by enthroning King Chuhoe, Song Yi’s clans scattered throughout the empire flocked like a swarm of ants.

As Song Yi was a noble family of the Chu Dynasty, the number of people gathered reached 2,000. 3000 including the number of slaves.

In these difficult times, the number of people was a very important asset, and that asset soon led to power.

The nobles of Chu who saw Song Yi’s prosperity flocked to him like flies and showered him with words of flattery.

“Of course, Song Eui! There is nothing wrong with calling him a master of strategy!”

“The leader in the revival of the Chu Dynasty will be Song Yi!”

The nobles whispered sweet words and offered their loyalty to Song Yi.

As the old aristocratic forces came together, Song Yi’s power swelled like never before.

‘I don’t need that puppet anymore.’

Song Yi thought.

puppet. King Huai was established by Song Yi simply because of his natural blood. Song Yi no longer had to hang around her.

King Huai had already fulfilled his usefulness by raising the army of Chu and gathering the forces of the old nobles in line with his name.

That was Song Yi’s judgment.

‘You can just do things like advance into the Jin Empire.’

Song Yi thought so with a dark smile on his face.

For Song Yi, nonsense stories like the revival of the Chu Dynasty were good.

Song Yi’s only purpose is to restore the river area of the old Chu Dynasty, and to live comfortably in the river area that he occupied.

His desire for revenge against the Qin Empire or avenging the Chu Dynasty were already outside of his interests.

‘What is needed to maintain this power…’

Song Yi looked at the entire map of the empire in his barracks and pondered it.

‘It’s Qi. There is nothing but Qi!’

The place he occupied was Qi.

The Qi Dynasty rose again after the Jin Empire’s ruling power weakened.

However, the place was now experiencing terrible confusion due to internal strife.

This was because the general, Jeon-tan, who was virtually in control of the Qi dynasty, died unexpectedly in a battle with Jang Han.

The Qi Dynasty is in shambles due to a power struggle.

If that place can be brought into Song Yi’s sphere of influence, Song Yi will become the undisputed loser of the south.

If the power is solidified, even if the Jin Empire destroys all other powers, it will not be able to easily overcome the power of Song Yi.

‘But who will go?’

Song Yi continued to worry about the person who could consume Qi.

His concerns were resolved by the advice of a man named Gao Lingjun, who was from the Qi Dynasty.

Gaolinggun, who was Jeon-tan’s subordinate, was well-versed in the situation of Qi, and although he weakened after Jeon-tan’s death, he still showed off his strong influence.

“Song Yi, please allow Song Yi’s son Song Yang to become the prime minister of Qi.”

Emperor Gaoling prostrated himself and advised Song Yi.

“My son Song Yang-gun?”

Song Yi looked at Gaolinggun with surprised eyes.

“Yes, if you are General Song’s son, you will be able to calm the chaos in Qi. Also, out of fear of General Song, the treacherous officials of the Qi Dynasty will not be able to treat your son easily. There is no better plan for the stability of my country.”

It was an appropriately embellished remark, but the gist was simple.

King Goreung was trying to sell his country.

After Jeon Tan’s death, Go Lung no longer had any patriotism for the Qi Dynasty, which alienated the generals who had been with him and began to struggle for power arbitrarily.

‘That’s right! ‘It was possible!’

Song Yi felt like hitting his knees.

However, it is also against etiquette to take the bait right away.

Song Yi repeated appropriate rejections, as was customary in the Continent, and eventually accepted Gaolinggun’s offer.

Qi will soon be in his hands.

For Song Yi, the reason for assisting the Yugye army’s advance was completely gone.

*****

September.

Song Ui’s army arrived at a street called Anyang.

This is an area located in today’s Johyeon, Shandong Province, less than five days away from Pengseong.

Song Yi sat there and did not move.

Although the streets of Anyang were bustling, it was only a small city.

There was no way they could feed the soldiers of Chu in a place where there were no food warehouses for the Jin Empire.

‘The soldiers are starving.’

Wake’s impatience grew stronger.

However, her anxious mind was not just due to the soldiers’ worries.

‘I can’t help Yugye.’

She suffered day after day from the numb feeling that was constricting her heart.

Her lover, her love, the only man who recognized her.

Unable to help Yu-gye and stranded in this small city, she struggled with a burning thirst.

She wanted to run to Yugye’s side right away.

I wanted to hug and kiss Yugye and soothe her aching heart by rolling around with her.

Therefore, Haengjeok constantly urged Song Yi.

He advised the army to march and leave the city immediately.

“General Cha, you only know one thing and don’t know the other.”

Song Yi answered in a slow tone.

“You may be better than me at fighting in armor, but I am better than you when it comes to strategizing. Now is the time to be patient. It is best to attack when Pei Gong shakes the main camp, the Han Xin army disrupts the rear, and the Zhao Dynasty takes away Jin’s strength. We must be patient.”

Song Yi said so and rejected all of Haeng Jeok’s demands.

The thirst for wakefulness grew deeper.

Haeng Jeok did not give up and persuaded Song Yi.

I knelt down.

He pleaded with Song Yi in sorrowful words.

He even put down his high pride and begged Song Yi.

She endured all indignities to run to her lover’s side.

However, the only thing that Song Yi returned to the request for such a wake was an edict distributed to the entire army.

An ultimatum pointing to a wake.

Song Yi mocked Haeng Jeok and coldly refused her request.

“…”

Haengjeok quietly closed his eyes.

‘I’m sorry, Yugye.’

A single tear fell down Haengjeok’s cheek.

‘I am a foolish woman.’

Haengjeok repeated a confession he could not reach to his lover who was far away from her.

‘I only know this way.’

Wake whispered.

‘But I will use this method at least to get to you.’

Wake opened his eyes.

“Wait, Yugye.”

Haengjeok pulled out his sword, Woohee.