Surviving as Guan Yu in the Three Kingdoms

“Uncle Hude, there are the Yellow Turbans!”

Hude, who was acting as the leader of the hundred men here, observed the dust rising in the distance and shouted.

“Wait a bit longer! We’ll flee after they get a bit closer!”
“But, Uncle! If those Yellow Turban dogs catch us, we’re all dead! We don’t stand a chance with this number!”

Although the Yellow Turbans are said to be idiots with nothing in their heads but plunder and murder, we here are also just a ragtag bunch without proper weapons.

The enemy outnumbers us by ten to one, so if we’re caught, we’ll obviously die.

No matter how uneducated the people of this era might be, they naturally possess such basic common sense.

Hude shouted at those causing unnecessary commotion.

“Shut up, you idiots! Don’t you know that if we move recklessly here and lose, not only the other villagers but also your families will all die?”

At those words, everyone here fell silent as if they had something in their mouths.

“Did that Liu Bei woman ask anything unreasonable of us? She just told us to lure the Yellow Turbans while running away. If you say you can’t even do that, you don’t deserve to be men, I’ll cut off your balls right here and now!”

Looking around, it seems the atmosphere has been firmly controlled.

Now, should I add my two cents?

“Uncle Hude, you’re right. So I, Guan Yunchang, will follow at the very back when we flee.”

At those words, everyone’s attention turned to me.

“My friend, will you really be alright?”
“If you die there, it’s all over.”

While the fiercest battles occur at the vanguard when facing the enemy head-on, the most intense fighting happens at the rear when fleeing from the enemy.

Moreover, since we’re fleeing without properly forming a battle formation, it’s likely to result in heavy casualties, so they’re worried even though I’m an outsider.

“Don’t worry, I’m quite confident in my abilities. Despite how I look, I’m quite experienced in killing Yellow Turbans.”

Since being incarnated as Guan Yu, I’ve already killed 9 Yellow Turbans, and in Three Kingdoms games, I’ve killed so many Yellow Turbans that I can’t even count them.

As we were chatting briefly, the outlines of the Yellow Turbans started to appear in the distance.

Except for the yellow turbans on their heads, they all wore quite distinctive attire.

Some wore pieces of armor stolen from government troops, while others wore tattered clothes and charged at us with cheap weapons or farm tools.

Someone among them spotted us disguised as a merchant caravan and shouted.

“There’s a merchant caravan over there! Let’s make a big score!”

As soon as the Yellow Turbans heard the words “big score,” they started charging at us like mad dogs.

“Stop right there, you filthy bastards!”
“Donate to the righteous Yellow Turban army!”
“The Blue Sky is dead, the Yellow Sky will soon rise!”

You guys also lived your whole lives being exploited by corrupt officials and rebelled because you couldn’t live like that anymore, so why are you trying to exploit other poor people?

It’s laughable to see such people going around saying they’ll take over the world and make it peaceful.

Seeing them coming quite close, Hude shouted urgently.

“It’s the Yellow Turbans! Yellow Turban thieves! Everyone, throw away the heavy stuff and run!”

As if they had been waiting for that order, everyone grabbed the carts and started running for their lives.

“We’ll die if we’re caught! We’ll really die!”
“Just look ahead and run! Run, you idiot!”

Everyone here ran looking only forward with all their might.

While fleeing, we dropped things like sacks of rice or cloth that the Yellow Turbans would like.

Those dropping these things forgot that this was part of the strategy and desperately pleaded.

“Eat this and leave us alone! You sons of bitches!”

Of course, the Yellow Turbans who got a taste of the rice and cloth chased us with even more bloodshot eyes.

“You pig-like bastards, stop right there!!”

As we fled like this, the rear of our group pulling the carts was almost caught up by the Yellow Turbans.

“You pig-like merchant bastards, hurry up and donate your wealth!”
“Help! Save us!”

At that moment, I stopped at the very back and gripped my crescent blade.

Faced with dozens of them visible right in front of me, they laughed at me.

“Do you think you can handle us alone?!”

If I were Kim Woojin living in Korea, I couldn’t.

But I am Guan Yu, who has fearlessly faced tens of thousands of troops without flinching.

I will never lose to those who have lost both justice and cause, blinded by the plunder of powerless people who were once in the same situation as themselves.

“We’ve got a hero here! Die!”

They swung their weapons at me.

Despite dozens of them charging at me, it wasn’t threatening at all.

“This bastard, he dodged all of that?”

Starting with the neck of the one who uttered those words, I began cutting down those thieves one by one.

Every time my crescent blade drew a line in the air, the Yellow Turbans fell like autumn leaves.

After a while, even though they greatly outnumbered me, they flinched and stepped back.

“Mo-monster!”

Did they rush in without even considering that they might die in return if they try to kill people and steal things?

What incredibly stupid thieves.

Still, I need to buy even a little time for those behind me to escape, so honestly, it’s better if they’re intimidated by me right now.

Should I use this opportunity to raise my reputation a bit?

I struck the ground once with my crescent blade and declared.

“I, Guan Yu Yunchang, am not afraid even if thousands of thieves like you swarm me! Only those who wish to die, step forward!”

At those words, some of them trembled in fear despite their much greater numbers.

Such pitiful beings, standing on the battlefield without even being prepared to die…

As a brief standoff continued and I was about to run to join my companions, a cavalry soldier rushed out from the Yellow Turban ranks.

“You dare insult our Yellow Turban army!! Die!!”

The mounted man charged towards me at high speed.

The sound of hooves hitting the ground, the vibration of a horse several times heavier than a person, the killing intent emanating from the rider.

That unique pressure that an unmounted person cannot handle came crashing down on me.

Is this why Three Kingdoms generals always fight on horseback?

“Hah…”

But I can’t turn my back here.

Focusing and listening to every movement and breath of the man charging towards me…

‘Now.’

“Die!!!”

I deflected that attack with my crescent blade and struck off the neck of the mounted man.

The man’s head flew high like a home run ball, spraying blood.

“……”

Was it because I, unmounted, had severed the head of the mounted Yellow Turban with a single strike?

All the surrounding Yellow Turbans froze.

I wanted to shout loudly that I had beheaded the man here too, but if I’m caught by the Yellow Turbans swarming behind, it would be dangerous even if I am Guan Yu.

Regrettably, I should retreat now…

“Only those who wish to die, follow this old man!”

After making that threat, I mounted the now riderless horse and joined my fleeing companions.

**

Meanwhile, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei were waiting in the back with the rest of the troops.

“Elder Sister Xuande.”

Liu Bei responded to those words.

“What is it, Yide?”
“Can we really trust that long-bearded guy? He’s a bit strange, isn’t he?”

In the Later Han, where even neighbors backstabbing each other was commonplace, a person from another region was absolutely not to be trusted.

Especially for a beautiful woman like Liu Bei.

“He might have been spouting nonsense, aiming for your body, sister. We’ve encountered so many horny men talking such nonsense that we can’t even count them on our fingers, right?”
“That’s true.”
“And that story is suspicious too. Why would a man who was offered a salary of 400 shi by someone becoming a county magistrate come to serve you, sister, who doesn’t have a penny to your name?”

Liu Bei had initially thought to scold Zhang Fei for badmouthing Guan Yu.

However, everything she said made sense.

As Zhang Fei said, there had already been dozens of corrupt officials, rich men, and horny men who had approached her with designs on her body.

Although she harbors great ambitions in her heart, she currently has nothing and is penniless.

Considering all this, Zhang Fei’s resistance was very natural.

“You’re right, it certainly can’t help but look that way.”
“Even if you think about it again, sister, doesn’t it seem so? I’m telling you, that bastard is a con man. Just a con man with a nice beard and face.”

However, contrary to Zhang Fei’s expectations, Liu Bei shook her head.

“But Lord Guan is not a con man. If he were after my body, would he voluntarily take on such a dangerous role?”

Hearing those words, Zhang Fei trailed off.

“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Also, Lord Guan knew as soon as he saw me that I had ambitions for the world. He said that to share food despite being in poor circumstances, one must harbor great ambitions in their heart.”

Besides Zhang Fei and Gan Ning, who wasn’t here due to other business, there was no one around Liu Bei who understood and sympathized with her ambitions.

That’s because even if Liu Bei harbored the ambition to unify this chaotic world while having nothing, it was an unattainable dream.

That’s why she had always felt anxious and lonely.

Although Zhang Fei and Gan Ning were by her side, what Liu Bei was challenging was the hegemony of the world, something completely out of reach for a mere mat seller.

In the midst of this, Guan Yu, who had heard rumors about her and actively supported her ambitions…

Although they had just met barely a day ago, he had become a precious subordinate and support.

“I felt very comforted hearing those words. And I decided to trust him. That person is definitely not a scoundrel after my body, but someone who will look in the same direction as me.”

When Liu Bei spoke with shining eyes, Zhang Fei sighed.

“Trusting people too easily is a disease too, sister.”

Liu Bei chuckled at those words.

“Despite how I look, I’m confident in my ability to judge people. So don’t worry, Yide.”
“If I didn’t trust your judgment, sister, I would have kept him by my side to watch him during the strategy meeting because I couldn’t trust him. Still, it’s too early to trust him completely. I’ll judge whether he’s trustworthy or not after seeing what he does this time.”
“I’m sure Lord Guan won’t betray my expectations. Just by looking at him, he seemed to have excellent martial arts skills and a very firm resolve.”
“Indeed, just by looking at him, he didn’t seem like an ordinary guy. His aura was no joke.”

Although she didn’t say it in front of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei had momentarily thought that he might be on par with her or slightly stronger.

‘I’ve never met anyone who seemed like they might be stronger than me until now.’

As the two were chatting like this, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei also saw the rising dust.

“Looks like Uncle Hude is back. Then I’ll go command the guys on the left side. Let’s meet after we win, sister.”
“Alright, Yide.”