The War Horse of Cao Cao's Army [Romance of the Three Kingdoms] - Chapter 3

After two days of riding, I arrived at a port where a boat was docked.

I needed to find a boat to cross the Yangtze River and continue my journey north.

Among the boats, there was a rather large one, and I saw many people boarding it.

“They’re even loading carts with oxen, so my horse should be no problem.”

I led the horse that had carried me from Wu County toward the boat.

“Where do you come from?”

“I’ve come from Wu County. I’m heading to Guangling across the river. May I board?”

“Hmm, you’re aware that we charge for horses too, right?”

At his words, I reached into my pouch, pulled out a few coins, and handed them over.

The coins I handed over were Wuzhu coins, minted during the Han Dynasty. They were essentially the “reserve currency” of the ancient world, with their influence spreading to northern regions, Southeast Asia, and even the Korean Peninsula.

After inspecting the coins, the boatman gestured with his fingers.

“Didn’t I say that includes the fare for the horse? You’ll need to give me two more coins.”

“Here you go.”

It didn’t matter to me—since I was only making this trip once, I wasn’t too concerned about the cost. Besides, I wasn’t short on travel money, so giving away a couple more coins wasn’t a big deal.

The boatman accepted the coins with a wide grin and welcomed me aboard.

“You can tie your horse over there with the other livestock.”

Following his instructions, I tied up the horse, then sat down on the railing of the boat.

As the boat set off, I looked up to the sky, which was strikingly clear.

The pristine blue sky of China, untouched by pollution, suddenly reminded me of the Yellow Turbans’ slogan:

“The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise.
The year is jiazi, and great fortune will come to the land.”
(蒼天已死 黃天當立 歲在甲子 天下大吉)

Of course, if I had read that slogan out loud, everyone on the boat would have jumped me and beaten me senseless, likely tossing me into the Yangtze River.

“Anyway, what a blue sky.”

I lay back leisurely as the boat moved, waiting until we arrived at our destination.

There were many other passengers besides me. From merchants with carts full of goods to musicians and entertainers carrying various instruments, and even shabby scholars engrossed in reading multiple bamboo scrolls. The boat was filled with all sorts of characters.

To me, this world felt both strange and familiar, like the very era of the Later Han Dynasty from Romance of the Three Kingdoms that I’d seen in media had come to life.

Just then, a shabby-looking man passed by in front of me.

“Hmm?”

His half-tied hair was a mess, and his appearance was shabby, almost like a vagrant.

Yet, the eyes that peeked through his disheveled bangs were incredibly sharp, and at his waist hung a sword.

Not just any sword—the handle and scabbard bore marks of wear, showing signs of long use. He seemed like someone who had wielded a sword for years.

Was he one of those so-called knight errant?

Intrigued, I observed him closely as he sat near me. He, like me, was perched on the railing of the boat, eyes closed, silently waiting for the destination.

There was something about this mysterious man that made me want to strike up a conversation.

And then, breaking the silence, he spoke first, eyes still closed.

“Why do you keep staring at me?”

Even though his eyes were closed, he somehow knew I was watching him.

I flinched for a moment, but then cleared my throat and quietly replied.

“Uh… I was just intrigued by your sword, sir. I’ve never seen a blade so well-worn from use.”

When I addressed him with respect, calling him ‘sir,’ he remained still with his eyes closed, then untied the cord around his waist and lifted the sword.

Without warning, he tossed it to me.

“Wha—?!”

“Then forget about me and examine my sword instead.”

What kind of person is this?

In an era as dangerous as this, where lawlessness runs rampant, what kind of knight errant casually tosses his weapon to a stranger upon first meeting?

Though it was a bit absurd, I decided to examine the sword he tossed to me. I carefully drew it out, and despite the scabbard’s worn exterior, the blade inside was finely honed, shining brilliantly with just a slight pull.

It was clear that this was a weapon wielded by a skilled swordsman over many years.

I could sense that this sword had likely cut down dozens of people in its time.

“A sword forged for chaotic times… it seems like a blade that’s seen long use.”

“Which means you’re calling me a rogue who’s stained his hands with plenty of blood, huh?”

“No, no! I didn’t mean that, sir!”

I quickly apologized to the gruff knight errant who responded so curtly, but just then, a trumpet suddenly blared inside the boat.

“W-what’s going on?”

As soon as the trumpet sounded, the passengers on deck suddenly ran madly into the cabins, hiding themselves.

“Oh no, what in the world is happening!”

“Hey, what’s going on? What does that trumpet mean?”

“It’s river pirates!”

“What?”

“That trumpet signals river pirates! If you don’t want to die, you’d better get inside and hide!”

A man who looked like a merchant hurriedly gathered his belongings and dashed inside.

In that moment, only I and the shaggy-haired knight errant remained on deck.

“Hey, now give me back my sword.”

I quickly tossed the sword back to him.

With a swift motion, he caught it effortlessly, drawing the blade with a sharp glint in his eyes.

“I had hoped to no longer play the butcher who takes lives….”

The fierce aura radiating from him sent a chill down my spine.

Instinctively, I too drew my sword.

One by one, the river pirates began climbing aboard, their grappling hooks securing the ship.

“Hehehe, would you look at this? Oxen, horses—this ship’s loaded with all kinds of loot!”

“Boys, we’ve hit the jackpot! Get up here, all of you!”

“You lot, hand over everything you’ve got—”

Swish—

In an instant, the wind whistled past, and the head of the river pirate who had just climbed onto the deck flew off.

“…Huh?”

The severed head spun through the air before landing with a thud, rolling across the deck.

Splaaash—

Blood gushed from the headless pirate’s body, spraying everywhere, some of it splattering onto my face.

“Ugh!”

“You bastard!”

Enraged at the death of their comrade, the other pirates charged at the swordsman.

But even as several pirates rushed at him, the swordsman’s blade danced effortlessly, as if their numbers posed no threat.

Slash—

“Aaaargh, my arm! My arm!!”

The second pirate swung his sickle at the swordsman, only to have his arm severed, sickle still in hand.

After cutting down the second pirate, the swordsman spun and thrust his blade into the chest of another pirate who had tried to ambush him from behind, driving the pirate back to the edge of the deck.

“Guh—! Cough, cough!”

With his sword still lodged in the pirate’s chest, he shoved him further, splattering blood across the deck. As he withdrew the blade, a fountain of blood erupted from the pirate’s chest.

“Hmph!”

The swordsman shoved the third pirate off the deck and into the river. The remaining pirates, now blinded by rage, charged at him with even more ferocity.

“Sir, it’s dangerous!”

I couldn’t just stand by any longer, so I drew my sword and charged in as well.

This was a fight where life and death were on the line. Hesitation would mean my own demise. I had fought not only tigers and bears in the mountains near Wu County, but also bandits who had tried to set fires in the woods.

As the swordsman continued cutting down numerous pirates, I faced off against one blocking my path.

“Do you scum even know who we are?!”

“What does it matter? Even if you’re from the 18 River Pirate Clans of the Yangtze, it won’t save you!”

The pirate swung his axe at me, and I barely managed to dodge, twisting my head just in time.

Had I been a split second slower, my head would’ve been cleaved in two.

“You rat, dodging like that….”

As the pirate swung again, I spotted an opening and slashed with my sword.

Swish—

“Urgh!”

The strike was solid. The pirate clutched his abdomen, staggering, before toppling into the river.

As I felled my first pirate, my hands trembled, and my heart pounded as if it would burst. But I gritted my teeth and turned my sword toward the next pirate.

Just as I prepared to engage him, the pirate I had targeted was suddenly cut down from behind by the swordsman. He collapsed to the ground, blood spurting from his mouth.

Thud—

The body of the pirate collapsed onto the blood-soaked deck, staining the ground at my feet.

“Hoo….”

The pirate in front of me, who had been trembling in fear, now lay motionless. He was dead.

“That was the last one.”

“…Ah!”

He had single-handedly taken down over a dozen pirates, and now, with his face splattered in thick blood, he looked at me. His white clothes were soaked with crimson, and his wild eyes peered through his disheveled hair, giving him the fearsome appearance of a true knight errant.

Just then, the door to the cabin creaked open behind us.

“Heek, heeek!”

“There are bodies on the deck!”

The boatmen, who had only just come out, were trembling in fear at the sight of the carnage.

I let out a long sigh and called out to them.

“You’ll need to take care of these pirates’ bodies, right?”

At my words, they quickly began cleaning up the corpses.

The moment we arrived in Guangling, my legs gave out beneath me, completely drained from the ordeal.

The swordsman wiped the blood from his blade and quietly prepared to disembark.

“Wait, hold on a moment!”

“What is it? I’ve already dealt with the pirates, haven’t I?”

“I wish to know your name, esteemed knight errant.”

“A butcher who kills men has no name worth knowing. Just go your way.”

“Great sir, I am Cao Xiu, courtesy name Wenlie, from Wu County. I must know more about you.”

As I persisted, he let out a long sigh before speaking in a low voice.

“Just know me as Xu Jia. Is that enough?”

“It is an honor to have met Master Xu, a true master of the sword…”

Wait, Xu?

An extraordinary swordsman with the surname Xu… A name suddenly came to mind.

“Could you be the esteemed Xu Yuanji?”

“You… How do you know that name?”

Oh, my goodness, it’s true!

The Xu family from Yingchuan.

His real name was Xu Fu, courtesy name Yuanji.

But to those familiar with Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was better known as Xu Shu. In his youth, he was renowned as a knight errant, and this was indeed the very same Xu Shu.

This was an incredible stroke of fate.