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At that moment, in the Yuan family manor in Luoyang.
Thud, thud.
A young man strode forward down the long corridor of the expansive manor.
A handsome youth clad in impeccable attire.
His striking features made the passing maids blush the instant they caught sight of his face.
"Y-Young master...!"
Yet the maids frantically tried to stop the young man, addressing him deferentially as "young master."
"If you go any further...!"
"I passed thirty last year, and I'm still just the 'young master' of this house?"
The youth spoke leisurely and politely to the maid blocking his path.
But there was a clear edge to his courtesy, and the maid wasn't dim enough to miss it.
"In this great Yuan clan, am I still just the young master?"
"Th-That's...!"
Let him in.
A frail voice drifted from beyond the firmly shut door.
At the command, the maids parted to either side, and the youth straightened his robes before slowly entering the room.
Creeeak.
As the door opened, the thick scent of burning herbs wafted out.
"Elder."
"Elder, eh. Not the most pleasant title."
The old man lying on the bed looked pallid, as if death were moments away.
"...Well."
"But what else would you call me, if not elder? You've mourned your mother's death for three years, and then your father's for another three."
"..."
"Benchu."
"Yes, Lord Yuan Feng."
The youth, Yuan Shao, clasped his hands neatly and bowed with proper decorum.
"What brings you here, even to the bedside of a sick old man like me?"
"Is it true you're planning to hold a wedding? For my sister."
"Your sister?"
"..."
"Don't forget. She's your cousin."
The elder, Yuan Feng, shook his head firmly.
"You are my brother's son."
"..."
"And as the one in charge of our family's internal affairs, I've made a choice that benefits our clan."
"Do you truly say that old warrior from Bing Province will be of help to us?"
"He's no old warrior. He's just two years older than you."
"But an unmarried bachelor at that age..."
"He leads quite the intriguing life."
Yuan Feng twisted the corner of his mouth in a wry smirk.
"Hard to judge from mere rumors. Whether he harbors ambition, loyalty, or something else entirely—it's not easy to say."
"...However."
"Benchu. Let's speak frankly."
As Yuan Feng propped himself up and beckoned, Yuan Shao approached and bowed his head close.
"Does it bother you so much to see your cousin wed to this bachelor?"
"...I just thought there might be a better match."
"Hahaha!"
Yuan Feng burst into hearty laughter, clapping Yuan Shao on the shoulder.
"I know full well how dearly you cherish your blood kin. But remember this: if I don't decide your cousin's marriage, and I pass without doing so, then Gonglu will."
"Lord Gonglu..."
"Yes. Yuan Shu might end up arranging your cousin's union."
Crunch.
For the first time, raw anger seeped across Yuan Shao's previously somber face.
"Benchu. You're still young. Your emotions show on your face."
At Yuan Feng's words, Yuan Shao quickly schooled his expression.
"Smile. To pursue ambition, you must smile leisurely even before your enemies."
"..."
"Though I had high hopes for Gonglu, you've reached this position on your own."
"Elder."
"Your face takes after your mother so much. That's a blessing."
"..."
"The problem is this heart of yours."
Yuan Feng pointed a slender finger at Yuan Shao's chest.
"Too much affection. One day, it'll hold you back."
"Elder."
"For ambition, you must become iron-hearted. Willing to discard even family. Yes, just like your friend... Cough!"
Yuan Feng hacked dryly.
"Elder!"
"Hah, hah. Mark my words. Your cousin could give you wings. If this marriage goes through, that man will be a powerful ally to you."
Even with trembling eyes, Yuan Feng gazed at Yuan Shao and gripped his shoulder with a frail hand.
"Lü Fengxian. Use that man as your blade."
"..."
"What you need is an iron heart—and a blade you can wield as your own limb."
"..."
"I'm tired now. Leave me."
"Is there... truly no way to stop it?"
"To the end."
Yuan Feng shook his head slowly and lay back down.
"Who knows. If he's not right in the head, truly mad enough to dare refuse our clan's proposal."
"Whoa, it's burning bright."
Whoosh.
"Maybe it's the expensive wood—seems to burn even better. Don't you think, Wei Xu?"
"I wouldn't know anymore, General."
Wei Xu tossed a bamboo slip forward.
Not just a casual flick—he supported the side with his left hand and pushed lightly with his right.
"Hey now. That's not how you do it. I told you, the left hand just steadies."
"But it went in, didn't it?"
Plop.
The bamboo slip Wei Xu threw dropped straight into the brazier.
It bore elegant calligraphy inside, but now it fueled the flames alongside other slips turned kindling.
"True. Burns great. Really roaring now."
The burning wood would turn to charcoal, its heat warming the room cozily.
"Watching it makes my own heart burn up—enough to give me a fit of anger."
"What're you saying? Next slip, you."
"Orders are orders."
Wei Xu grabbed another slip, checked the cord, and peered inside.
"Burn this one too?"
"Why?"
"This one's from the Yuan clan in the capital, isn't it?"
"Ah, that one."
Unlike the random nobodies, this proposal came from a major house.
"Burn it."
"No archiving?"
"Copied the contents and stored them separately. No point keeping the slips—they just take up space. Better as firewood, right?"
It's the message that matters.
Confirmed the contents, made copies for safety—slips can burn.
Can't recycle them anyway.
"Weather's cold enough as it is."
"Spring's almost here. You gonna use them for firewood then too?"
"Hmm. Send 'em to the smithy for the forge?"
"Still, it's the Yuan clan. The ones who've produced Three Dukes, right?"
"Yep."
The Yuan clan.
I know of them.
"Heard the bastard son there is quite the filial one?"
More precisely, the Yuan clan has a famous paragon of filial piety, and tales of him reached even Bing Province, piquing interest.
"Impressive. For a concubine's son from a house of four generations of Three Dukes to observe three-year mourning twice."
Truly, a model of filial piety.
So it stuck in my mind.
"Yuan Shao."
"They say Grand General He Jin has his eye on him for promotion."
"...You're quite tuned into court gossip."
I reached toward the back of Wei Xu's head as he stoked the fire with the proposal—but stopped.
"Why not just tell me to head to the capital myself and beg to serve He Jin?"
"Would you? With you as his man, it'd be smooth sailing."
"Spare me."
I patted Wei Xu's back lightly.
"Guh!"
"...Such a baby."
"No, it really hurts."
Wei Xu grumbled, pretending to shrug off his armor to show his back.
"With that strength, no dreams of becoming Grand General..."
"You little."
"You don't know your own power, General."
"I do."
At twenty, my master already called me Bing Province's best.
Still am, naturally. Top warrior in this rough land—should make some name in the capital too.
Attaining fame and glory.
Tempting, sure.
"Wei Xu. The court is full of jackals. Can't win on strength alone."
"Then..."
"Politics or battlefield, both are thin ice. One brushstroke can kill. At least on the field, we overcome death with force. In court, power's blade severs heads under the guise of execution."
"Did your master tell you that?"
"Something like it."
Though the nuance differed.
My master questioned me, I answered. Then he refined it into a lesson.
My master was a true scholar.
- Your thoughts are extraordinary, but the era won't easily accept them. Try saying it like this. In that case...
If I spouted modern knowledge clumsily, he'd grasp the principles and polish it so I could speak smoothly.
"Get tangled in court, and you'll be used as a hound, then..."
"Discarded like a worn-out shoe?"
"Exactly. Eaten and tossed. We should excel where our strength lies. Bandits still roam Bing Province, don't they?"
"Understood. But if the proposal senders complain later, no regrets then."
"If I regretted it, I wouldn't have burned them."
Whoosh.
"Bing Province hick refusing their proposals—they'll make a fuss."
"Planning to marry some amazing beauty, huh."
"Expect it. I'll take the fairest maiden in all the Central Plains as my wife."
"Sure, sure."
Wei Xu chucked the remaining slips into the fire.
"Oh, right. Time's about up—let's go check."
"Check what?"
"That kid Hou Cheng was supposed to scout."
"Ah, the Ma County brat. The one who speared dozens of bandits alone."
The boy—no, youth—I'd recruited.
Instead of returning to his ruined home, he'd said he'd root himself in Jinyang Fortress.
More precisely, provide space for his family in exchange for enlisting as a soldier.
"Had a noble air about him."
"Noble air? My hands got shredded sparring him."
"Not just hands."
I reached to pat Wei Xu's back again but grabbed his shoulder instead.
"Raise him well, all three of you. Who knows? He might become a Grand General commanding the realm one day."
"Not you, General?"
"After me, maybe?"
"...I'll check if he has general's talent, at least."
Wei Xu shook his head with a displeased look.
"Give him a bit more growth, and no one in Bing Province but you could match him."
"Probably. That's why raise him. As a general."
If this world valued martial prowess and valor above all, I'd have trained him as a warrior.
Into a fighter dubbed Bing Province's Spear Master or Azure Dragon Divine Spear.
But the era calls for generals, not mere warriors.
Yet in this chaos.
With the central court unable to extend its authority, people turning bandit, wielding swords over hoes.
What was needed weren't lone monsters, but generals who could lead, unite soldiers, and rule with discipline.
"Oh, yeah. What was the kid's name again?"
"You forgot? It's..."
"Liao, sir."
In the training grounds of the barracks.
Hou Cheng lay sprawled, drenched in sweat, while his opponent, the youth, had sweat only at his hairline.
"Impressive. Holding your own against Hou Cheng like that."
"General, don't say it like that."
Wei Xu sidled up and whispered to me.
"I'm the strongest of the three, you know."
...So he wanted to save Hou Cheng's face.
"You three are all about equal anyway. Song Xian's a sheet of paper's difference."
"...Still."
"Enough. Leave his training to Hou Cheng."
"Pardon?"
"He's the best of you three at handling soldiers."
"True, but..."
"Whatever. So, your name's Liao?"
"Yes."
The youth, Liao, bowed lightly to me—but
"Hey."
"...!!"
He flinched and stepped back.
"Sizing me up, are you?"
"I-I."
"Good spirit. Any warrior must gauge if they can take their foe."
I stepped forward and clapped the youth Liao on the shoulder.
"But sizing up who you can kill at whim—that's a beast's way. We're men. We know better than anyone when to draw the blade and when not."
"...Yes."
"So, your full name?"
"Pardon?"
"The family name, the family name."
"Ah, well."
The youth averted his gaze with a complicated expression.
"Sounds like there's a story. Need to hide your surname?"
"It's just."
"General."
Hou Cheng rose, sweating profusely.
"Is this guy the sort whose name should be spread far?"
"Isn't he?"
"Then keep his surname hidden."
"Why?"
"It'll cause trouble if it gets out."
"...So call him just Liao forever?"
"...General."
The youth bowed to me.
"Won't you give me a surname, General?"
"What?"
"I'll tell you about it someday."
"Reveal it, and your family's in danger?"
"...Yes."
"I see."
Tricky.
"Naming someone is weighty enough. A surname, even more so. But mark this."
I met the youth's eyes.
"You don't cast aside the surname from your parents lightly."
"...!!"
"That would be unfilial."
Surnames aren't to be discarded lightly.
"But if shielding your family requires dodging that danger temporarily, calling it unfilial would be excessive."
"..."
"Sharing a surname symbolizes one family. If it's so perilous you must hide it, then for your kin's sake, set it aside for now."
"For now...?"
"Succeed. Grow strong enough, build power and influence, until you can proudly declare your surname."
"..."
"Temporary, until then. Right. Since fame as a general is quickest—how about Jiang for general?"
"Jiang..."
General Jiang, Liao.
Shortened to Zhang Liao.
"What do you think?"
"...Well."
Zhang Liao opened his mouth cautiously.
"If I may, usually Zhang for general means the Zhang character..."
"!!"
As he traced the character in the air with his finger.
"Oh."
"...!"
Wei Xu's eyes gleamed.
Hou Cheng especially—eyes wide, smacking his lips.
"You."
I gripped Zhang Liao's shoulder firmly.
"Work with me."