TKTWC 20

Chapter 20

The Great General Dian Wei

“My name is Dian Wei. Saving you was merely to repay a favor for someone else,” the man replied.

“Dian… Wei?” Liu Yi was momentarily stunned, and the revulsion she had felt from Liu He instantly vanished.

Dian Wei?!

“As in the ‘Dian’ from ‘citing classics and records’?” She was afraid she’d misheard.

“I suppose so… is there any other ‘Dian’?” The man looked at her, puzzled.

Liu Yi was now completely certain—the name, the build, the appearance all matched the historical records. This man was none other than Dian Wei, the future great general under Cao Cao!

She never expected to run into him in a place like this. In over a decade of being in the late Han, this was the first time she had encountered someone recorded in the history books.

Unlike many generals born into noble families who excelled at tactics and formation, Dian Wei was a man of humble origins who carved out his reputation purely through martial prowess and courage. He was known as the “E’Lai of Old”—a reference to a legendary warrior of great strength.

According to historical records, when Cao Cao was locked in a stalemate with Lü Bu and couldn’t break through, he was forced to recruit a “suicide squad” from his army to breach the enemy lines. Dian Wei was the first to volunteer. Leading a few dozen soldiers, he tore through Lü Bu’s defenses, securing a great victory for Cao Cao and rising to prominence as his personal bodyguard.

In ancient warfare, the mortality rate was extremely high—even hiding and cowering could get you killed by a stray arrow.

A “suicide squad” was essentially a death sentence. Those who dared to sign up were anything but ordinary. Those who survived and succeeded were truly extraordinary—possessing both courage and strength in equal measure!

But how could such a man be in Liu He’s army?

And on whose behalf was he repaying this favor to her?

“So it’s Brother Dian!” Liu Yi quickly pulled herself together. “From your accent, Brother Dian, you don’t sound like a native of You Province. How did you end up in the You Province army? And on whose behalf are you repaying this favor to me?”

But Dian Wei still seemed indifferent, even disinterested.

“You don’t need to know all that. In any case, I’ll ensure your safety throughout this journey. Once we reach Guangyang, all debts and favors will be settled.” With that, he stretched his limbs and walked back toward the camp.

Liu Yi hurried to follow.

Having Dian Wei as a bodyguard—enjoying the same treatment as Cao Cao—certainly felt good!

But who could have asked Dian Wei to do this? It probably wasn’t her parents or the Qian family—otherwise, they would have told her in advance.

She feigned distress and tested the waters: “But if I don’t know whose favor it is, then they still owe me. If I see them in the future, I could still ask them to repay it.”

“That won’t do!” Dian Wei spun around abruptly, his aura overwhelming.

It seemed this person was indeed very important to him.

Liu Yi only came up to his shoulder. Under such pressure, she felt like a quail.

“Just joking, just joking!” She quickly said. “I was only teasing!”

“In any case, I won’t let that happen!”

Dian Wei didn’t seem to find it amusing at all. He strode over to a tent, threw open the flap—

“You lot—out!”

Several soldiers were lying inside, fervently discussing the scene of Liu He running out bare-assed covered in cow dung. At Dian Wei’s roar, they scrambled out meekly and went to find other quarters.

The tent was now occupied by Dian Wei alone…

Liu Yi felt that if she followed him in now, she probably wouldn’t be kicked out, and she might even be able to pry more information out of him. But after some consideration, she decided against it.

Liu He, having been attacked without warning, would surely suspect her and know that someone in the army was protecting her.

If cow dung could be thrown, couldn’t spears and swords be thrown too?

Just now, Dian Wei could have taken Liu He’s life with ease.

So as long as Dian Wei remained hidden, and Liu He feared for his life, he wouldn’t easily make a move against her on the journey.

But if she got too close to Dian Wei and Liu He found out, a squad of a few dozen men could easily capture them both.

Keeping her distance was more important.

So Liu Yi did as she had done the previous nights—found a tent with fewer people and squeezed in with the others for the night.

The night passed peacefully, and Liu He never came to cause trouble.

The next day, the grain convoy was to enter the mountains. Liu Yi woke up half an hour earlier than the main force to scout the mountain paths.

This mountain range connected Yuyang and Shanggu commanderies. It wasn’t too steep, but the paths were narrow and winding. The narrowest sections could barely fit a single grain cart, leaving no room for even one person to guide it.

More importantly, the morning mountain air was heavy with moisture. The higher they went, the more slippery the roads became. Even ordinary marching was difficult on muddy sections—transporting grain would be even harder.

After assessing the situation, she determined that the carts with modified wheels should be able to pass, but the others definitely wouldn’t.

Having scouted the terrain, she quickly returned to camp.

Before she even reached the entrance, she saw many people moving about the perimeter—some darting through the brush, others standing on rocks scanning the distance. They seemed to be searching for something.

A man spotted her from afar and shouted, “Found him! He’s here!”

Frowning, Liu Yi approached. Liu He stormed out furiously.

“You dare desert!” He slapped her with a false accusation right out of the gate.

Liu Yi was speechless. He was clearly projecting his own guilty conscience—waking up and not seeing her, he must have assumed she’d fled out of fear.

“Reporting to Master He, your subordinate was scouting the path ahead,” she said flatly. “Besides, you know better than anyone whether I would desert.”

After all, Yuyang was still in his hands.

Seeing this, Liu He’s anger did indeed subside somewhat.

Last night’s cow dung incident had truly frightened him. He had tossed and turned all night, feeling sure it had something to do with Liu Yi. He had wanted to interrogate her first thing in the morning, but she was nowhere to be found.

His concern wasn’t really the grain—it was that if Liu Yi had fled, the assassin who threw the cow dung might have no more reservations and come for his head in the dead of night.

After all, someone who could slip into a guarded, patrolled military camp alone, throw cow dung, and escape without a trace was clearly a formidable adversary.

“So, what did you scout?” he asked.

“I was just about to report to you,” Liu Yi replied. “The mountain air is damp and the ground is muddy. We can’t set out at the usual time today. We need to wait at least an hour and a half, until the sun rises and dries out the moisture, before we can depart.”

“Likewise, we need to set up camp early in the afternoon to avoid traveling in the dark when the roads become difficult and suitable campsites are hard to find.”

Liu He was displeased at once.

“An hour and a half in the morning and an hour and a half in the evening—that cuts three hours off our travel time!” he said. “We’re already slow enough—marching only six hours a day—and you want to cut that in half? At this pace, will we even reach Guangyang by next year?!”

“I appointed you as transport officer to solve problems, not to cower and avoid them!”