Chapter 51

At the Battle of Zhengjun Mountain, Liu Bei’s army achieved an unbelievable victory by completely annihilating two commanders of the Wei army, leaving them unstoppable.

We marched straight to Nanjing. Although Guo Huai attempted an ambush beyond the Han River, he couldn’t stop us from systematically crossing the river after reorganizing our troops.

Upon arrival, Nanjing quickly fell into our hands.

It wasn’t a bloodless entry. Although Guo Huai, the current commander of the Wei army, chose to abandon Nanjing County and guard the path leading to Chang’an, remnants of the Wei army still remained in Nanjing County.

The boy right in front of me was one of them.

“Haa… haa…”

The boy, who had already fought a battle, was panting with injuries all over. His handsome appearance and neat attire clearly indicated his noble origins.

But he was just a teenage boy. Unless he was an irregular like me, he would have been dealt with by ordinary soldiers.

No, even I would have been killed without a doubt if I had fought one against many at that age.

Yet, why was this boy still standing? It was because of his lineage.

“Did you call for me?”

“Yes… Even though he is an enemy, he is a relative of the general. How could we deal with him recklessly?”

Right. The boy’s name was Xiahou Ying.

He was the fifth son of Xiahou Yuan and my fifth cousin.

Although Ma Chong made this decision out of consideration for me, it was a clear violation of military law. Unless the enemy surrendered, they should have been killed or captured immediately.

But Ma Chong couldn’t have been unaware of this, so he must have taken the risk for my sake.

‘Excessive loyalty is burdensome.’

However, now that it had come to this, it was hard to ignore. I walked past the soldiers and stood before Xiahou Ying.

“You…!”

“It’s our first meeting, Uncle. I’ve seen the second uncle before.”

“…I have no intention of being called ‘uncle’ by a subordinate of Liu Bei! I won’t beg for my life, so go ahead and kill me!”

How great is the resentment of a son who has lost his father?

Xiahou Ying was different from Xiahou Pa, whom I had met before. Xiahou Pa looked at me with pity, missing his mother, but Xiahou Ying’s gaze was filled with nothing but hatred.

“I have completed the funeral rites for my uncle.”

“My father’s…”

“I will entrust the funeral procession to you.”

The funeral rites involved washing the body, dressing it in burial clothes, and wrapping it in a shroud. The funeral procession meant transporting the body. In other words, I was letting him go.

Xiahou Ying, who had been known for his intelligence since childhood, understood my intention and lowered his sword.

In an era where filial piety was prioritized over loyalty, it was considered a greater virtue to retrieve a parent’s body than to fight and die for the country.

I didn’t know what dangers sending Xiahou Ying, a prodigy, back to Wei would bring. Moreover, Xiahou Ying was a late-born child and had never met his mother.

Still, I didn’t want to kill him.

The petty excuse of trying to win Xiahou Pa’s favor and hasten his surrender was a lie. This was my selfish atonement for knowing about Xiahou Yuan’s death and doing nothing.

“Why…?”

Perhaps because he was still young, Xiahou Ying couldn’t hold back his emotions and finally shed tears. Not shedding tears until the end must have been his last bit of pride.

“We are family, sharing the same blood…”

Fifth cousins are close. Even in the 21st century, you can occasionally see people maintaining close relationships with their fifth cousins.

In this era, where even distant relatives are considered family, fifth cousins must be very close.

But I had a closer family.

“My father is Zhang Fei.”

“That was a foolish thing to say. Forget it.”

I glanced at the people supporting Xiahou Ying from behind and changed the subject.

“Are those behind you your family?”

“They are servants.”

“I will allow them as well. I will arrange for them to take your uncle’s body.”

After saying that, I turned my back on Xiahou Ying.

I had done all I could. Anything more would have been too much even for me, whose standing had risen after this great achievement.

Even though Liu Bei, upon seeing me return with Zhang He’s head, carried me on his back, saying I was like Huo Qubing, there are limits. This decision was also quite risky.

Returning Xiahou Yuan’s body was something my father would have approved of, but sparing Xiahou Ying was a different matter.

“Deoksin.”

“Yes, General.”

“Don’t do this again from now on. Follow military orders.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

I decided to take the blame for Ma Chong’s mistake this time.

Having warned him once, Ma Chong wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.

Liu Bei followed my decision. Xiahou Yuan’s body was handed over to Xiahou Ying, and he silently left Nanjing, heading towards the Wei army’s camp.

Afterwards, Liu Bei focused on soothing the public sentiment in Nanjing County. He acted as if he had completely occupied Hanzhong.

Well, it wasn’t wrong. Even if Cao Cao came, it would now be impossible to expel Liu Bei from Hanzhong.

The deaths of Zhao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, and Zhang He didn’t just signify defeat.

Their deaths meant the complete collapse of regional defense, and Liu Bei, having secured key points in Hanzhong, only needed to set up a defense line and hold out.

The rugged Jin Ling Mountain Range limited supply routes, and Cao Cao would have to retreat, exhausted.

Yet, Cao Cao moved.

Not out of confidence in victory, but because he couldn’t afford to retreat.

Zhao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, and Zhang He were dead, and Hanzhong had been taken.

Even knowing victory was unlikely, Cao Cao had no choice but to come to Chang’an and do something.

It was a matter of pride and justification.

And deep down, Cao Cao’s sense of superiority over Liu Bei and the extreme anger from losing relatives one after another.

Cao Cao had no choice but to advance on Hanzhong, both rationally and emotionally.

This was the same Cao Cao who, in his anger over losing his father, turned Xuzhou into a living hell.

Would such a man remain idle after losing two relatives who had been with him from the start? That would no longer be Cao Cao.

Even with the news of Cao Cao’s advance, Liu Bei remained composed.

“Hanzhong is already mine. What will change even if Cao Cao comes?”

Liu Bei’s words were filled with confidence. Unlike the banquet at Yangping Pass, there was not a hint of wavering in his firm resolve.

Separately, Liu Bei withdrew his troops from Nanjing. He judged it more advantageous to hold key points like Yangping Pass and Zhengjun Mountain than to stay in Nanjing.

On the other hand, Cao Cao surged forward.

Starting with the remnants gathered by Guo Huai, Xu Huang, Zhao Yu, and Zhao Jin joined Cao Cao’s main force, swelling its size. By the time they faced off at Yangping Pass, Cao Cao’s forces numbered 70,000.

Our forces, with the additional reinforcements sent by Zhuge Liang and scattered troops gathered from everywhere, barely reached 50,000.

Exaggerating slightly, Cao Cao’s forces, 1.5 times larger than ours, were hastily assembled. Given more time, he might have brought 100,000 instead of just boasting.

This was the mobilization power of the Central Plains. The fact that he could easily draft such an army while dealing with Guan Yu in Jing Province, Sun Quan in Yang Province, and northern barbarians was chilling.

“But the quality will inevitably drop.”

Cao Cao must have known the weaknesses of the Wei army. Thus, he had to seek a quick victory.

However, as Sun Tzu’s Art of War says, “Anger and haste can be exploited.” A general who values only anger and speed is bound to be humiliated, and Cao Cao’s fate would be the same.

Cao Cao, who had mastered Sun Tzu’s Art of War and even annotated it himself, stepped onto the path of confronting Liu Bei, enduring all the adverse conditions mentioned in military strategy books.

A cavalryman from the Wei army, holding a white flag, approached our camp. He was a messenger. The messenger sent by Cao Cao was immediately guided to Liu Bei, who met him among his generals.

“I am Yang Su, a messenger sent by the King of Wei.”

Yang Su, the brain behind Cao Cao’s third son Cao Zhi, remained calm even when facing Liu Bei, who had risen to prominence.

Impressed by his demeanor, Liu Bei said,

“Indeed, Cao Cao has many talented people around him. Yang Su, was it? Well, what does Cao Cao want to say to me?”

“He wishes to discuss the aftermath of the Heroes’ Meeting at noon tomorrow.”

The Heroes’ Meeting where Cao Cao spoke to Liu Bei about the heroes of the world. There, Liu Bei had dropped his chopsticks and acted cowardly to escape Cao Cao’s scrutiny.

But Cao Cao’s foresight wasn’t wrong. Countless warlords had fallen, and now only three remained. And at this moment, those two were undoubtedly the protagonists of the era.

“Understood. Convey that.”

“Then, I will take my leave.”

Yang Su promptly returned to the Wei army’s camp.

When the sun reached its zenith the next day, Cao Cao and Liu Bei, accompanied by only a few guards, walked to the center between the two armies.

Liu Bei’s guards were my father and Zhao Yun. Naturally, he chose the most trusted and renowned figures.

On the other side, Cao Cao was flanked by Xu Zhu and Xu Huang. Their lineup was equally impressive.

“What will happen?”

With eyes fixed on Liu Bei, Bu Chuan asked in a tense voice.

The leaders of each faction, accompanied by only two guards, were holding a meeting. It wasn’t just Bu Chuan whose nerves were on edge.

“Ultimately, they will fight, right?”

“Correct. Cao Cao has lost too much. If he returns empty-handed after losing so much, his control over the Central Plains will be severely damaged.”

As Wang Ping and Ma Chong suggested, it was too late for both sides to resolve things through dialogue and part ways.

When Liu Bei safely returned, our conversation became reality.

“Prepare for battle.”

The order from Liu Bei’s mouth signaled that the decisive battle with Cao Cao was imminent.

Thus began the second act of the Hanzhong Campaign.