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The human heart is the most complex thing, like a shadow each person carries. Even without sunlight, it hides beneath, transforming into various shapes. Wanting to control it temporarily is possible, but wanting to control it forever is very, very difficult.
Lü Bu hadn't originally wanted to think about these things. But damn it, there were always people, always things poking and prodding him from one side or another, making the fire in his heart impossible to quench, burning him with unbearable discomfort.
He was originally from a small frontier town, from Jiuyuan in Wuyuan Commandery.
The mountains there were clear, the waters beautiful. The grass was plentiful, and the people were poor.
That year, when he secured a military position in the commandery through his martial prowess, he thought it was the peak of his life. But he never imagined that after climbing one mountain, there would be another.
That month, the splendor of Luoyang suddenly arrived, irresistibly crashing into Lü Bu's heart, hacking away at his remaining shreds of pride, leaving him battered and disoriented.
That moment, clutching the few scattered silver coins in his sleeve, Lü Bu stood on the streets of Luoyang, at a loss, bewildered like a newborn lamb just separated from its mother.
What he had once believed he could be proud of was shattered in that instant.
He realized he was so poor that all he had left was the strength in his body.
As for the rest...
He was worth less than he thought.
Just as he was disheartened and ready to leave, Dong Zhuo suddenly laid out a ladder to the clouds beneath his feet!
In one step, he reached the sky!
To take that step, Lü Bu didn't hesitate to bloodily push aside the stones blocking his path.
He trampled them underfoot.
But after reaching the sky...
After the initial excitement and joy faded, he suddenly realized that he hadn't become the person he imagined he would in Luoyang. He even found that though he could now drink wine and eat meat, he no longer had the simple happiness he once felt while digging wild yams across mountains and plains in Bingzhou.
The road to the sky seemed eternally long, never reaching its end.
××××××××××××××
Hu Zhen was a great man of Liang Province, from a powerful local family.
From the Yongkang years onward, he had followed Dong Zhuo, nearly twenty years now.
Fighting the Xianbei, fighting the Qiang, fighting the Yellow Turbans—slashing through all that blood and rain, Hu Zhen had forgotten how many battle knives he had used. He only remembered that when one dulled, he'd swap it out. When one notched, he'd swap it out. And then, from a young man, he'd been hacked into a middle-aged man with gradually graying hair.
And then, General of the Household.
General of the Household...
Fine!
Nothing wrong with that.
But why could that newcomer also become a General of the Household?!
On what basis?
What gave him the right?
What qualified him to act like a big shot in front of me?
What qualified him to disobey my orders?
What qualified him to give me dirty looks?
Who does he think he is? On what basis?!
Martial skill? Ridiculous. What does martial skill matter amidst ten thousand troops?
No matter how strong, one against a hundred, fine? Then send a thousand. He'd still be minced into meat paste and eaten stuffed in flatbread.
Martial skill alone is useless. It's about experience, about command!
Hu Zhen looked up at the sky. "Men, pass the order. Increase speed, the whole army. We must reach Guangcheng today and set up camp."
South of Luoyang City lay a vast plain. Within it, there was an area that had long been enclosed by the imperial family as a hunting ground: Guangcheng Marsh. Within Guangcheng Marsh were mountains, water, forests, bamboo, birds, beasts, insects, and fish. The species were abundant, the terrain varied. With Ruzhou hot springs and marsh water, its water and soil resources were plentiful, and its landscapes were ruggedly beautiful. It was also favored by some Daoist practitioners, with many living in seclusion there.
Hu Zhen's idea was to set up camp near Guangcheng. First, it would bring them closer to the front line, facilitating the subsequent offensive. Second, the abundant trees in Guangcheng, the wild game, and even the water supply, among other things, would be convenient for use, benefiting the army's rest and reorganization.
Now, commanding five thousand infantry and cavalry, though they were all regular troops with strong combat ability, their consumption was also high. And in the current situation, Hu Zhen himself wasn't sure how many days they would need to fight. So regarding military provisions, being able to seize an area that was easier to replenish—at least sending a hundred men each day into the mountains to hunt, adding some meat to the pot—was a good thing.
But Hu Zhen's intention was good, without considering that from their current position to Guangcheng, it would still be at least four hours of forced marching. For troops who had set out early in the morning and hadn't stopped since, this was somewhat tough and arduous.
And most importantly, arriving at Guangcheng didn't mean they could sit down to ready-made food, then rest and sleep. They still had to set up camp, pitch tents, and only then cook, eat, and sleep.
Thus, at the earliest, they would have to wait until midnight to truly get some rest.
Ye Xiong beside him also spoke: "General, if we all advance together, it will likely be late by the time we reach Guangcheng. And we still need to set up camp. This..."
"Hmm, you have a point," Hu Zhen said, thinking. If they set up camp now, it would be too early. And between here and Guangcheng, there really wasn't any more suitable place for a camp.
Therefore, they had to camp at Guangcheng.
So...
Hu Zhen glanced to the side, then called a messenger: "Order Cavalry Supervisor Lü to lead his troops to Guangcheng ahead, select a site, and set up camp!" Cavalry were faster, and marching on horseback didn't expend much energy. This was a practical adaptation.
The messenger trotted off.
Lü Bu came storming over.
"Protector Hu! The cavalry can't set up camp! That's the infantry's responsibility!" Lü Bu's tone was brusque. He had never heard of cavalry dismounting to set up camp when infantry were present!
This wasn't just about the status difference between the branches, but also about the soldiers' builds.
To ensure the horses' combat effectiveness and endurance, cavalry generally weren't big, burly men. Otherwise, weighing the horses down would exhaust them after two charges. How could they fight?
So cavalry tended to be leaner, more agile. And after long periods of riding, they often developed bow legs. Thus, they were quite a different build from the sturdy, heavy sword-and-shield infantry. So having these leaner cavalry dismount to cut wood and set up camp was inherently an unreasonable demand. Most generals wouldn't give such an order.
But given the special circumstances, it wasn't as if the infantry could double-time it thirty li. The cavalry would be there in no time, but infantry running that distance would likely have men collapsing.
If it were a Liang Province man, Hu Zhen might have offered some explanation. But seeing Lü Bu, his face involuntarily darkened, his eyes glared, and he couldn't be bothered to explain further. "Cavalry Supervisor Lü, are you intending to disobey orders?"