Chapter Thirty: As If an Old Friend Has Come

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No one wished for a good reputation more than Lü Bu did. When, relying on his superhuman martial prowess, he led his troops to defeat the southern-invading Xianbei again and again, felling heaps of barbarian heads, his name—Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian—was praised and sung throughout Bingzhou by the local Han people. In their hearts, he became a hero who protected the weak and resisted invasion.

Lü Bu could never forget the scenes that greeted him whenever he returned victorious from Shuofang Commandery. The warmhearted people of Bingzhou would desperately stuff red dates, mountain fruits, and homemade flatbreads into his arms...

Back then, he had felt that he was the happiest man alive.

But now Lü Bu had an inexplicable premonition, as though those days that had brought him the greatest joy were about to leave him forever...

Just as Lü Bu was growing restless over this baffling feeling, a soldier came to report that a fellow townsman of one of the generals had come to request an audience.

A fellow townsman, here in Luoyang, a thousand miles away?

But when Lü Bu eagerly hurried to the camp gate, the first thing he saw was neither a fellow townsman nor even a person. It was the blood-red steed standing before the entrance—

Its coat shimmered crimson from head to tail, without a single patch of any other color. It resembled the finest Shu brocade, its luster flowing beneath the sunlight. The horse stood eight feet tall and was more than ten feet long. It pawed the earth from time to time, snorted loudly, tossed its head full of vigor, and fixed its large, round eyes on Lü Bu.

The more Lü Bu looked, the more he loved it. He could not help taking two steps forward to examine it more closely, failing to notice the man standing in front of the horse. Only after he had walked past him did Lü Bu realize his mistake. He hurriedly turned back—and discovered that his fellow townsman was none other than Li Su!

It felt as though ten thousand mud horses were galloping through Lü Bu’s mind. There was simply no way to connect the dark, skinny man before him with this magnificent steed. He blurted out, “Is this horse yours?”

Li Su laughed heartily, handed the reins to a nearby soldier, and said, “This is hardly the place for a conversation. General Lü, will you not invite me in for a bowl of water?”

“Of course, of course. Please, please!”

Lü Bu led Li Su toward his command tent. After only a few steps, he turned back and instructed the soldier who was leading Li Su’s horse, “Take good care of it. Oh, and bring it my portion of beans.”

The soldier agreed, then hesitated. “But... if the beans are given to the horse, what will Your Excellency’s own horse eat?”

Lü Bu glared at him. “Why are you wasting so many words? Go!”

After casting one last lingering glance at the great red horse, he entered the command tent with Li Su.

Once they had taken their seats as host and guest, Lü Bu casually asked, “How many years has it been since we last met? What are you doing these days?”

Li Su smiled. “Nothing much. I am merely the General of the Tiger Guards. The title may sound impressive, but I have only a handful of soldiers under my command. Unlike you, my worthy younger brother. Just look at you—strong troops and fine horses. Not bad at all!”

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Lü Bu waved his hand and modestly murmured a few words of denial, but inwardly he thought: General of the Tiger Guards—a position worth two thousand bushels of grain! The monthly salary alone is five thousand coins! More importantly, he can remain close to the nobles at court. No wonder he managed to obtain such a superb horse...

Comparing oneself to others could truly drive a man mad. Who would have thought that Li Su, of all people, would rise so absurdly high?

Li Su suddenly asked, “Ah, judging from what your subordinate said just now, are even the horses’ rations being distributed by quota? Or are these beans you mentioned especially precious?”

Lü Bu colored slightly. “To be honest, my supplies have been somewhat inadequate lately, so...”

Li Su’s expression changed drastically. He raised his voice. “How could that be? General Dong already sent a shipment of grain and provisions to your Governor Ding, did he not? How can you be short of supplies here?”

Lü Bu’s eyes immediately widened. He shot to his feet. “He did?”

“Of course!”

At once, fury surged through Lü Bu. Here, even his rations had been cut, while only yesterday he had gone to Ding Yuan’s camp and been told that there was no grain!

Lü Bu angrily strode toward the entrance, but Li Su seized his arm and held him back.

“Now, now, worthy younger brother, where are you going?”

“I’m going to ask Governor Ding—ask Ding Yuan to explain himself!”

Li Su looked deeply troubled. “Ah, if I had known, I would never have told you. This will only damage the father-and-son relationship between you and Ding Yuan.”

“What father-and-son relationship? My father died many years ago. What does Ding Yuan have to do with any father-and-son relationship?”

Li Su looked astonished. “Is that not what I heard from others? Could it be untrue? Ah, then you must not go!”

“Why not?” Lü Bu asked, utterly bewildered.

Li Su had those nearby withdraw before speaking. “Is it not obvious? Why has Governor Ding withheld your provisions? And why has he been publicly claiming that you and he are father and son?”

Lü Bu blinked. He thought and thought, yet remained completely lost. Frowning, he asked Li Su, “Why is that?”

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“How would you rate your martial skill, worthy younger brother?” Li Su did not answer directly, but countered with a question.

“I would not dare boast of my courage, but amid a hundred thousand troops, I move as though walking on level ground!” Lü Bu could be modest about other matters, but when it came to martial prowess, he was extremely confident. “Hmph!”

Li Su continued, “And what of Governor Ding Yuan’s martial skill?”

Lü Bu burst out laughing. “He is a civil official, is he not? What martial skill could he possibly have?”

Li Su grew solemn. “Then tell me, worthy younger brother: all these years, when you guarded the frontier of Bingzhou and resisted the Xianbei as they drove their herds southward, did you rely on your martial prowess, or on Governor Ding’s literary abilities?”

“Obviously—”

Lü Bu opened his mouth to answer, but stopped halfway. His expression shifted unpredictably.

Li Su’s voice drifted forth like a whisper rising from the depths of the earth. “You have lived in Shuofang for many years. Do you know that the people there have a method of training beasts? One must keep them hungry and never feed them too well. If they grow too fat, they can no longer run... And one must put shackles on them, so they cannot bite their master...”

The veins on Lü Bu’s forehead rose and throbbed violently.

Li Su watched his expression. Then he untied the bundle at his waist, opened it, and tipped everything inside onto the table.

For a moment, the command tent seemed to blaze with light.

Large gold ingots, round pearls, and lustrous jade stones gleamed enticingly, filling the entire tent with a dazzling radiance of wealth.

“...This... this...” Lü Bu secretly swallowed, staring at the treasures. He looked up at Li Su. “How did you come by these things?”

Li Su replied, “To tell you the truth, General Dong specifically instructed me to bring them to you. Oh, and the horse outside—the Red Hare—was also sent by General Dong.”

“He is giving me even the horse? Red Hare... What a fine name...” Lü Bu murmured. Only after a long moment did he recover himself. “But how can I accept this? General Dong and I are not related in any way. One should not accept a reward without having rendered service.”

Li Su smiled lightly, as though the matter were of no consequence. “These are merely vulgar material things. How could they compare with the abilities you possess? Before I left, General Dong told me that the men he admired most in all the world were heroes like himself who fought against the Qiang and other barbarian tribes. These trifling gifts of gold and silver are simply his way of thanking you, on behalf of the people along the frontier, for all your years of hardship guarding the border.

“Besides, General Dong greatly admires your peerless martial skill. He even told us that a man’s talents must be put to their fullest use. How could he allow such a hero to suffer injustice? To confine a man like you to the humble post of clerk would truly be enough to chill anyone’s heart.”