Chapter 180

“Ha… seems like bad luck has caught up with me in my later years.”

Zhu Gai, the gatekeeper of Guangcheng Pass, lamented his fate while savoring the bitter taste in his mouth.

Zhu Gai had built a successful military career without much trouble until now.

More than 20 years ago, around the 5th year of Jian’an (200 AD), he joined Cao Cao’s forces during the Guandu Campaign. After achieving numerous merits, he rose to the rank of a proper general during the suppression of the Zhenlan Rebellion led by Zhang Liao and Zhang He in the 14th year of Jian’an.

Then, in the 24th year of Jian’an, during the Jing Province siege where Guan Yu swallowed Yangfan, he participated under Xu Huang’s command and was promoted to gatekeeper of Guangcheng Pass due to his contributions.

People around him praised Zhu Gai as a loyal subject of Wei, entrusting him with Guangcheng Pass as a reliable talent. However, Zhu Gai didn’t possess any deep loyalty.

He simply followed the trend. From his perspective, joining Cao Cao after the Guandu Campaign was the right choice. Everything went smoothly as long as he followed Cao Cao’s orders.

Even though Cao Cao faced setbacks at Chibi and Hanzhong, the overall momentum still favored Wei.

Although they lost in Jing Province, it was only up to Yangfan, and Wei’s prestige remained intact.

Becoming the gatekeeper of Guangcheng Pass was in the same vein. Zhu Gai never imagined this place would become a battlefield.

It wasn’t like he was leading new recruits anymore. The soldiers under Xu Huang had long been elite.

Could anyone even break through Xu Huang’s defenses at Wancheng and reach here? Even if Xu Huang fell, the next defensive line would form at Douyang County or Yangcheng County.

Just follow orders. That was his shallow mindset.

But when Guan Yu arrived, he quickly opened the gates, thinking the tide had turned from Wei to Han. He thought Sima Yi had lost.

If Sima Yi lost, it meant Xu Huang and Zhang Pei had also been defeated.

Despite all the talk of Guan Yu being a heavenly figure, Zhu Gai was shocked and opened the gates.

However, as the initial shock wore off, Zhu Gai realized his decision was too hasty. So when Sima Yi arrived, he promptly opened the gates again.

He thought he was wrong. Guan Yu had merely slipped past Wei’s forces through luck or skill, and the intact Wei army would surely capture Guan Yu.

Standing at the gate, pondering how to explain opening the gates without fighting Guan Yu, Zhu Gai noticed another dust cloud approaching.

“General, troops are approaching. What should we do?”

Zhu Gai casually replied to his adjutant.

“What else? Open the gates. The Governor of Henan said General Zhen Dong would come as reinforcements. It must be him.”

Recalling Sima Yi’s mention of Zhang Pei as reinforcements, Zhu Gai waved his hand dismissively.

The decisive battle surrounding Guan Yu would be handled by Sima Yi or Zhang Pei. Zhu Gai was more concerned with how to defend his actions.

But as the dust cloud drew closer, Zhu Gai sensed something amiss.

“But is General Zhen Dong’s surname Zhang?”

Zhang Pei’s surname was Zang, but the character on the flag was Zhang. And the character fluttering on another flag beside it…

“…Lan?”

Combined with the surname Zhang, it formed the name of someone Zhu Gai knew well.

Zhang Lan.

Remembering that name, Zhu Gai recalled the order he had just given to his adjutant.

‘Did I… tell them to open the gates?’

Sure enough, the creaking sound of the gates opening beneath Zhu Gai’s feet echoed like a scream.

“No, don’t open them, close the gates…”

Zhu Gai trailed off, slowly closing his lips.

If Zhang Lan was here, did it mean Han was truly securing Nanyang Commandery and sending reinforcements?

When Guan Yu first arrived, Zhu Gai sensed Han’s momentum. When Sima Yi came, he was sure that intuition was wrong.

But now, with Zhang Lan here, Zhu Gai was utterly confused.

“I don’t know, really. Guan Yu, Sima Yi, Zhang Lan… just let them handle it themselves.”

And so, Zhu Gai opened the gates of Guangcheng Pass for the third time.

§

While the gates of Guangcheng Pass were opening for the third visitor, Sima Yi faced the Luoshui River.

“Luoyang City is safe.”

On the other side of the Luoshui River, the siege of Luoyang by Guan Yu and Wei’s forces continued.

“But even though Xi Zhen must have known I was coming, they’re still sieging… Haha, it seems Sima Yi is being underestimated.”

Xi Zhen was a stubborn foe. They fought to the last man, as if keeping their word.

However, Sima Yi had seen through their strategy. Holding Sima Yi back with just the Yiguan Pass, which had not been repaired after a battle, was impossible.

Xi Zhen charged at Sima Yi, determined to kill him, but it was a bold attempt that ended in vain. Sima Yi passed Yiguan Pass and arrived before Luoyang.

Sima Yi glanced away from Luoyang City, observing a group of Guan Yu’s troops stationed in front of them.

‘They’re not entirely unprepared.’

They must be trying to hinder the crossing of the Luoshui River. While some blocked Sima Yi, the rest continued the siege to take Luoyang. It was a gamble of all or nothing.

Sima Yi snorted at Guan Yu’s response.

“Still clinging to that arrogance. He should have died from it at Fancheng.”

In Sima Yi’s view, Guan Yu’s fate was sealed when he stubbornly continued the siege of Fancheng without knowing when to retreat.

Xu Huang must have kept Guan Yu from focusing on the siege, while Zhao Ren and Man Chong held out with external support.

Once Xu Huang joined forces with the reinforcements Cao Cao sent, Guan Yu, caught between Fancheng and Xu Huang’s army, was as good as dead.

Sima Yi’s prediction had been accurate in the original history.

The only miscalculation was his assessment of Zhang Lan.

He hadn’t expected her to mobilize troops so swiftly, matching his own speed.

‘But the Zhang Lan who saved you in the past is busy fighting Eastern Wu in Jiangxia. This time, I’ll cut your stubborn life short.’

Though Guan Yu had tried to block Sima Yi, his efforts seemed clumsy to Sima Yi.

Despite the lack of time, building a defensive line with deer antlers was commendable, but Sima Yi found it insufficient.

“If you were truly desperate, you should have been harsher.”

The complacency of protecting the people’s admiration.

The arrogance of believing you could handle anything.

That was what would kill Guan Yu today.

“Gather all the boats in the area. Don’t distinguish between fishing and merchant boats.”

Guan Yu left fishing and merchant boats untouched to avoid harming the people, but Sima Yi was different.

If necessary, he could be endlessly ruthless. That was Sima Yi. For the great undertaking, the people’s losses were trivial.

By connecting boats to make a floating bridge, they could cross the Luoshui River in a single morning.

Guan Yu had made rafts, but Sima Yi had no intention of doing the same.

For the state, it was the people’s duty to follow. Sima Yi even mobilized civilians to connect the boats and build the bridge.

Seeing civilians working instead of Wei soldiers, the Han troops hesitated, aware of Guan Yu’s policy of not harming the people.

Only later did Zhao Lu order an attack, but the timing had already passed.

Sima Yi’s troops swiftly crossed the floating bridge and struck Zhao Lu’s camp. It was a sudden assault, leaving Guan Yu no time to send reinforcements.

“It’s over.”

As Zhao Lu retreated, Sima Yi muttered with satisfaction after fully crossing the Luoshui River.

Although Guan Yu had more troops for the field battle, combining the soldiers in Luoyang and those coming from Hangu Pass under Guanqiu Jian would give Wei the numerical advantage.

Guanqiu Jian was a competent general in both offense and defense, and Luoyang had Xiahou Shang leading the troops.

Sima Yi found Xiahou Shang troublesome not because he was under surveillance or because he was from the Xiahou family, which had ties to Zhang Lan.

It was because he was capable. Sima Yi had promoted Yu Ye to overshadow Xiahou Shang.

Xiahou Shang’s abilities rivaled those of the first-generation generals who assisted Cao Cao.

Among the relatives, only Xiahou Shang could match the likes of Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan.

Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen couldn’t compare to the previous generation, but Xiahou Shang could.

With Xiahou Shang and Guanqiu Jian attacking Guan Yu from three directions, even Guan Yu couldn’t withstand it. Unless it was Guan Yu in his prime, cutting through enemy lines to behead their general.

And the battle situation unfolded as Sima Yi had predicted.

Having already coordinated with Luoyang, Guanqiu Jian rushed over as soon as he heard Sima Yi had crossed the Luoshui River.

Viewing Guan Yu, the Han general who killed his father, as a sworn enemy, Guanqiu Jian aggressively closed in on Guan Yu’s troops.

Luoyang also responded. Bolstered by reinforcements, Wei’s troops in Luoyang intensified their defense, and Xiahou Shang took advantage of Guan Yu’s waning momentum to charge out of the city gates.

To the east was Luoyang, to the north Xiahou Shang, to the west Guanqiu Jian, and to the south Sima Yi.

Surrounded on all sides, Guan Yu formed a solid defensive formation against Wei’s forces, impressing even Sima Yi.

“Truly Guan Yu. Worthy of being called a peerless strategist. But this is as far as you go. How can a mortal, not an immortal, maintain such prowess into old age?”

This is the end. Guan Yu will die here today.

Liu Bei will mobilize all the nation’s strength to avenge Guan Yu, engaging in a bloody battle.

Wei will rely on passes like Hangu, Yiguan, and Guangcheng to wear down Han’s strength.

When Han finally shows signs of poverty, we’ll coax Sun Quan to attack Jingnan and Nanjing, while we strike from the north and Guanzhong, reclaiming the region.

The reason Sima Yi was willing to take losses to kill Guan Yu.

It was to crush Han over the next decade.

The world is not yet Han’s.

The opportunity still remains for Wei, and Sima Yi intended to prove it with his own hands.

‘I wanted to kill Guan Yu in Nanyang and reclaim Yangfan to use as a defensive line, but I’ll have to leave Nanyang to them for now. Without Yangfan, there’s no land to cross. If we prepare to attack from Wuguan, Shangyong, and Yangfan, our losses won’t be insignificant.’

Sima Yi’s best plan was to trap and kill Guan Yu in Wancheng and reclaim Yangfan, but the current situation wasn’t the worst.

It wasn’t the best, but it was closer to success than failure.

Even if slight, success is success. Sima Yi aimed to conclude this with minimal losses and prepare for the next phase.

But who was truly complacent?

“General! Troops have appeared in the rear!”

“Deng Ai, your stutter is worse today. Why so flustered? We knew Zhang Zhen Dong was coming. Rather than coveting military achievements, it’s better to safely take Guan Yu’s head with Zhang Zhen Dong. Hmm… but he’s faster than expected. Did he cross mountains like Guan Yu?”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

This time, Sima Yi didn’t dismiss it lightly.

At Deng Ai’s desperate cry, Sima Yi sharply turned his head. His body remained still, but his neck twisted unnaturally.

But what Sima Yi found truly bizarre was the sight before his eyes—the troops approaching and the characters on their banners.

“How… how is that woman here!”

The Lanling Army had arrived (Lan Lai Lai).