[The Three Kingdoms] Golden Sun Exhibition

12 – Teacher Geum Taeyang (1)

“Dongtak relocated to Jangan. This means the dissolution of the Anti-Dongtak Coalition. Can you tell me why?”

I asked Sama-ui. She pondered while sipping her tea, and I looked her up and down.

‘She’s grown a lot.’

The girl who has been here for 2 years seems to have hit her growth spurt as she’s grown quite tall, and with a bit of makeup and shedding of baby fat, she could even be considered a mature woman.

Considering that Sama-ui’s sister has recently been giving Sama-ui special education, she seems to be stepping into the adult world.

“I will answer.”

Now she regards me as a respectable teacher and maintains her propriety.

The presence of other students has something to do with it, but there is also an ego wanting to show off her intelligence.

“It’s about military ration. The Anti-Dongtak Coalition, which involves many armies, had to maintain as much military ration as possible, but with the burning of Nakyang, there was no way to supply military ration.”

“Teacher, I have a question about what Sama-ui said.”

Another boy, a child with the last name Goe, asked.

“What does the burning of Nakyang have to do with the provision of military ration?”

“That’s a good question. Goe-gaya, where do you think a victorious army would get its military ration from?”

“They would receive supplies from the rear, um, obtain it from nearby farmlands, or perhaps…”

“Looting.”

Another student said. He was a boy with the last name Chae, and I nodded in response to his words.

“Typical answer of Chae-ga’s child. Well said. Yes, it’s looting. Although it’s referred to as supplying, it’s a matter of looting from the territory they’ve occupied in the end.”

“But now that Luoyang is burnt, there’s no way to get grain supply!”

“Indeed.”

“But I don’t understand. Why does lack of grain supply lead to the dissolution of the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance? If the grain is insufficient, it should be fine to bring it from the rear.”

Chai Rong spoke sensibly. It was a sensible response, earning about sixty points out of one hundred.

“It’s because the warlords are only trying to save their gains.”

Sima Yi responded instead.

“Most aren’t rich enough to give out their grain supply to feed others. Not to mention, if someone were generous to do so, they’d be continuously asked for grain. Inevitably, the issue of grain would lead to dissolution.”

“That’s true. War is a battle of resources. That’s why there’s a saying – ‘Whoever controls the food, controls the people.’ If the soldiers can’t eat on time, whom would they fight for?”

The disciples nodded in agreement.

Because the state was racked with famine and starvation until last year, they understood the importance of rice better than anyone else.

“There are too many mouths to feed, but not enough grain. Besides, it would be a waste to share the rice that I have. The alliance managed to drive out Dong Zhuo quickly, but the problem is that this coalition has been ongoing for already a year.”

Results were produced.

But as Dong Zhuo moved from Luoyang to Chang’an, the journey became longer than ever.

“Fortunately, the pretext is still there to maintain the alliance. Dong Zhuo deposed the Emperor. It’s called deposing, but in reality, it was killing.”

The disciples all clenched their teeth.

Since most of them were the children of scholarly families in the ministerial state, they started to feel uncomfortable when talking about the contempt towards the royal family.

“That vile man. One day, he will surely receive divine punishment.”

My students nodded heavily at my words. Only Sima Yi chuckled lightly.

-Spoken from the heart.

As if speaking in this manner, but I didn’t change my expression and lifted my head higher.

‘I am confident.’

Because right now, I’m selling ‘education’. It’s only right for me as a lecturer of Shu Jing Academy to feel regretful.

“If you’ll look into the past, the importance of grain is evident. But…you know some of the old stories, don’t you? So, let’s discuss something happening right now.”

Illustrating real-life scenarios.

For aspiring officials facing the trends of the times and slowly rising to office, there isn’t a more entertaining story.

“The anti-Dong Zhuo alliance disintegrated due to the grain issue. Are you aware of the anecdote between Sun Jian and Yuan Shu? Sun Jian, a General Who Both Attacks Bandits and an underling of Yuan Shu, apparently cursed and fought with Yuan Shu face-to-face.”

“Eh? Is such a thing possible?”

Even Sima Yi was startled by my words. I also came to know about this incident recently through a letter, and even my parents have not heard of this etc.

“Everyone would know about the story of Sun Jian, the Grand Administrator of Changsha, defeating Hua Xiong but the one who actually defeated Hua Xiong was someone else, so they say.”

I spread a fan and stood up from my seat. All the students started paying attention to my voice.

“Hey! Has the messenger for Marshal Yuan arrived yet? I’m so hungry that I can’t fight anymore.”

“General! Marshal Yuan seems not to have sent the grain yet! He’s clearly envying us!”

“Tsk, cutting off the grain supply amongst allies. How could this be?!”

Sun Jian sighed. The morale of the soldiers fell, and looking at this sight, Hua Xiong, the general of Dong Zhuo’s army, exclaimed aloud

“hahahahaha! You, the so-called allied forces, after all, couldn’t unite properly, being a motley crew. Listen up, my cavalries from Soryang! Now’s the time to strike Sun Jian! All troops, CHARGE!!”

I spread a large map that I had prepared in advance. Sima Yi let out a sigh on seeing it.

“Who does military studies with ongoing wars….”

What to hide.

This was a map of the battlefield that I had prepared the day before to tell these stories. Essentially, I had illustrated something that could be considered military secrets.

What does it matter what anyone says?

“This is just a story that I heard rumor of on the street.

They say that Hwa Woong’s army clashed head-on with Son Gyeon’s. Son Gyeon was said to have four fully armed men for every hundred, and they held the front line against Hwa Woong. But while a general can be stopped, cavalry cannot! The foot soldiers of Son Gyeon’s army fought fiercely even on an empty stomach, but the tide of battle was gradually tilting. At that point, it is said that a single man ran towards the battle on horseback.”

“One man alone, you say?”

“Who was he? Surely it couldn’t have been Won So’s twin blades, right?”

Sama-he sighed again, as if to say ‘So this is how it goes with men, huh’.

In spite of herself, she had started to shudder from the moment she began talking about the cavalry. If the rebel coalition had seized victory with their cavalry, and they were alone, they would have been thrilled to say, ‘The cavalry is indeed the best!’

But it would be impossible not to be shocked at hearing this story. After all, I was too when I first heard it.

“He rode his horse in a straight line and met Hwa Woong’s gaze.”

“Hwa Woong was taken aback. A burly man, whose face was as red as a tomato, and whose beard reached down to his thighs, challenged him to a duel. The leaders were defeating Son Gyeon’s four generals with combined strength, that it was downright hilarious when an unknown soldier threw himself in! Do you know what happened next?”

“That…”

There was a sign of Chae’s child raising his hand. Judging by his sheepish look, it seemed like he had something to add that would spice up my story.

“Speak up.”

“That…didn’t Hwa Woong die? By any chance…?”

“That’s right! Hwa Woong is dead. His throat was cut by the weapon wielded by the nameless general. He had a very unusual weapon. It was a moon-shaped blade attached to a heavy spear handle, and he died from a single strike of this weapon named Eun-Wol-Do. Yes, it was a single blow.”

All of the disciples became quiet.

They probably won’t believe it, but that’s the truth.

“Really… Is that possible? Wasn’t Hwa Woong the second strongest in the Dong-Tak army after Yeopo?”

“Yes. I too initially found it hard to believe. However, a thought crossed my mind. Even if there was Yeopo, there would surely be one person with the military power as powerful as Yeobong-seon in the rebel alliance. Well, even if he was not as strong as Yeopo, at least stronger than Hwa Woong.”

That was the man with a long beard.

“There’s a saying that I’m sure you’ve heard, but probably don’t understand yet- one against a thousand! Can one general really take down a thousand soldiers? Is that realistically possible? I don’t know. But maybe you, or perhaps your future children, maybe your future comrades in arms could be that one. So remember this well. All the military tactics we know may become useless in the face of such crazy individuals.”

Dang, Dang, Dang.

The bell rang. I folded the map with a regretful expression.

“That’s it for today. We’ll end the class here. Everyone, remember well what we discussed today. There’s no homework.”

“Waaahh!!”

The disciples let out a cheer. I nodded my head, collected my things, and returned to my room.

“Chae, did you know how Hwa Woong died?”

“No…I didn’t know that too. Our master is really amazing.”

“Huff, I should tell my father! My God, such a warrior existed.”

“It would really be nice if he worked for us.”

“Yes, let’s go. We need to report today’s lessons to our parents.”

Several children from influential families rapidly dispersed, exchanging knowing looks. I watched them from afar and couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Yes, go tell your parents.’

As crazy as it may sound, the Su-Kyeong Academy probably knows more about Zhong Yuan’s political situation than anyplace in the province.

‘They want to shut down the academy? Not a chance. Here’s your dose of the latest battlefield news.’

Having a child who attends the Su-Kyeong Academy is akin to having detailed knowledge of the Zhong Yuan political situation.

As a result, the nobles of the province naturally take a keen interest in Su-Kyeong Academy, and both my reputation and that of my fellow instructor, Kim Tae-yang, are on the rise.

For the families who have children attending Sukyung Academy for long periods, we provide more teachings and stories, and for those who donate more, we provide premium information.

Maybe I can even recommend the source of my premium information, Soon-wook, to them…?

“Master.”

“Yes, what is it, Uiya?”

Sima Yi packed his belongings and approached me.

“I have a question.”

“…Let’s go to the room.”

“Yes!”

Sima Yi approached me with a smile.

“There were in fact many other solutions apart from military provisions, but I refrained from saying them.”

“Sum them up.”

“The anxiety of warlords having left their own territories vacant for a long time. Mutual distrust. The unease of not being able to garner reputation. The selfishness in thinking that all advantages eventually fall on the leader of the coalition, Yuan Shao. The pressure of covering the distance to Chang An. And…the collapse of the imperial power.”

Sima Yi mentioned what he couldn’t say in front of the other disciples all in one breath.

“Dong Zhuo arbitrarily killed and replaced the emperor, isn’t it feasible to establish a rightful heir from a royal lineage as the new emperor?”

“You would have been dead by now if you had spoken up then.”

“We’re in front of our Master, so I dared to speak.”

“That’s right. It’s fortunate, but there’s a member of the Yu family in You Prefecture.”

“You mean Yu Yu, a relative of the royal family?”

“Yes, if I were Yuan Shao, I would make him the emperor.”

It’s too hard to go to Chang An, defeat Dong Zhuo and establish the emperor.

“That would probably be the best bet for the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition…Hmm?”

“Sir, a letter for you.”

“You are from Wen Yao… Well done, you arrived safely. Is Wen Yao in good health?”

“Yes, but I must apologize for my rudeness. The sender wishes that you check it immediately and reply.”

“…?”

Wen Yao is not someone to do this kind of thing.

The urgency I feel from the letter’s envelope is puzzling.

“What on earth happened…?”

“Master, what’s going on?”

“I was wrong. We were all wrong. I thought too politically.”

Why didn’t I think irrational during these irrational times?

“Son Ken has run away with the imperial seal.”

“….That I did not expect.”

Truly, these are troubled times.