The Reunion
I wasn't sure how the Qin side viewed it, but Lady Xinling's move wasn't anything grand. No matter how remarkable she was, she wasn't a god, and there were limits to the conditions she'd been given. From the beginning, the purpose of this battle wasn't to capture Hangu Pass itself, but to instill a sense of crisis in Qin.
Thus, Lady Xinling had selected individuals with exceptional martial prowess and strong sense of purpose—much like Qin's suicide squads—and organized them into a special strike team. Her plan was to scale the walls not with ladders but in the manner of cliff climbers, sowing chaos among the Qin forces.
Modern people often imagine the fortresses of this era, or even the familiar Three Kingdoms period, as stone castles or brick walls. In reality, they were mostly earthen ramparts. For those with plenty of experience climbing mountains, scaling such walls was entirely possible.
Even so, Lady Xinling didn't simply gather the men and order them to figure it out themselves. She provided them with iron pitons and shoes fitted with metal spikes on the soles, like crampons. They were complete sets of equipment designed for cliff climbing. On top of that, the strike team wrapped themselves in cloth that nearly matched the color of Hangu Pass's walls, adding camouflage for protection.
While the other soldiers drew the Qin army's attention with ladders, this team would cling close to the wall and slip into their blind spots. It was a simple plan, but if the strike team performed well, it would be sharp enough to serve as a dagger.
In the gathering of soldiers from the five states excluding Qi and Qin, many volunteered to take part. But Lady Xinling excluded them all and formed the strike team exclusively from her own retainers. Her household, said to be filled with all sorts of extraordinary talents and odd characters. Among her retainers, a man renowned for his astonishing skill at scaling cliffs was appointed as the leader.
The strike team, bound tightly by their reverence for Lady Xinling and their hostility toward Qin, fearlessly began climbing the walls of Hangu Pass.
But I couldn't properly witness the results they achieved at the cost of their lives. My entire mind was focused solely on the reunion with Jing.
The clamor of the desperate battle, the thick stench of blood filling my nostrils, the clouds of dust rising thickly—none of it could disturb this moment. It felt as if the world around us had turned to black and white, leaving only Jing and me in color as we faced each other. The two of us alone, isolated in our own separate realm.
The distance was too great for voices to carry, yet it was more than enough to share our hearts by looking into each other's faces.
We walked parallel lines. Revenge and gratitude. Her righteous desire to claim the world because the world had abandoned her, and my determination to repay the kindness I'd received from those around me and carry on their will—there was no room for compromise. We could only repeat our own assertions.
The conversation of the heart, which had forgotten the passage of time, ended with the sound of the conch signaling the battle's conclusion. Only then did the surrounding noises return, and the colorless world regained its hues once more.
I had only hazy memories of the brief time since the battle began. As the fighting ended and the troops withdrew, I asked how the situation had unfolded.
"…How did it go?"
"Unfortunately, we failed to open the gates."
The one who answered was Yeo Hong-seong. Originally, she had wanted to join the strike team as well, but since it was composed solely of Lady Xinling's retainers, she had no choice but to remain as my bodyguard.
"Surprising the enemy general was good, but that general's skill was quite impressive. I wonder if it might have been better to ignore the general and focus on securing a foothold for the follow-up forces to join. Still, even then, we probably wouldn't have broken through Hangu Pass. In that sense, the strike team was essentially a gamble."
Yeo Hong-seong's cold assessment—that even if they had followed standard tactics by holding a position on the wall and occupying it with the troops climbing behind them, they still wouldn't have reached the ultimate goal of opening the gates—drew agreement from Sima Shang.
"However, capturing the general would have changed the story. If the core of their command structure disappeared, there was a chance we might have reached the gates by luck. Of course, since it failed, it's all just hypothetical."
"I see…."
"More importantly, Dan. You weren't watching at all, were you? Where was your mind—"
"This isn't the time. I need to go see Lady Xinling."
Once again, Lady Xinling had approached the front lines to boost the soldiers' morale. I pulled on the now-familiar reins and urged my horse forward.
"Hey, hey? Wait! You should go with us!"
"So, the Crown Prince saw Qin's Royal Princess, is that it?"
"That's correct."
Since I was wearing a helmet and positioned behind Mong-o, the others hadn't noticed Jing's presence. In truth, it was remarkable that I had recognized her at all. Silver hair and golden eyes were characteristics of Qin's royal family, but not everyone had them, and they occasionally appeared even among collateral branches. There had been no military banner symbolizing her, so who would have thought that the next in line for the throne, the Royal Princess herself, would come all the way to this distant battlefield?
"But even if we know that, what meaning does it hold? This alliance army ends here anyway. If you're about to suggest we continue the siege because the Royal Princess is present, I'd advise against it."
At Xiang Yan's words, Bang-nan clicked his tongue.
"Living in some backwater of Chu, no wonder you don't understand."
"What?"
"The current Royal Princess of Qin shares a very special relationship with the Crown Prince of Yan."
"With the Crown Prince of Yan?"
A glint appeared in Xiang Yan's eyes.
"Ahem. Allow me to explain in more detail. Both the Crown Prince of Yan and the Princess of Qin were once hostages in Zhao, and at that time…."
"Enough of that!"
Xiang Yan cut off Shin Won-yeon's attempt to explain and shouted.
"Then are you saying the Crown Prince of Yan plans to use their old friendship to strike some kind of deal with Qin's Royal Princess?"
"A deal might be too much. But if we suggest a meeting, she will likely agree."
I turned my gaze away from Xiang Yan, who seemed about to say more, and made a proposal to Lady Xinling.
"If we withdraw like this, the end of the alliance army will appear to have been halted by Hangu Pass. That can't be helped. The benefits gained from advancing all the way here were greater. However, if we hold a proper meeting with their leadership before withdrawing, we can conclude this with a negotiated peace."
It would still be only a half-victory for us, but it was a far cleaner conclusion than simply disbanding in disarray.
"Indeed, there's nothing for us to lose. Very well. Dangjeo, send an envoy to Hangu Pass. Tell them we wish to hold talks."
With the approval of the supreme commander, Lady Xinling, Xiang Yan no longer pressed the matter and sat down. Shin Won-yeon and Xiang Yan expressed concern that the other side might refuse, but their worries proved unfounded.
The envoy who returned from Hangu Pass brought back Qin's acceptance of the meeting.
The next day.
At the midpoint between the alliance army, which had pulled back, and Hangu Pass, both sides faced each other. Per Qin's request, only two people from each side were permitted to enter the simple tent serving as the meeting place.
Considering that the one who had accepted this meeting on Qin's behalf was Jing, it meant they would only allow myself and Lady Xinling from the alliance army. Lady Xinling understood the implication and chose me as her companion.
"Nervous?"
"…It would be a lie to say I'm not."
Although we had confirmed each other's presence during the siege and shared a wordless conversation, that had inevitably been nothing more than a fragmented exchange of information. Meeting again close enough to exchange actual voices was on an entirely different level.
"They're coming."
Unlike us, who had arrived first and were waiting, the Qin side emerged exactly on time. An old man and a young girl. Just as expected.
I didn't even manage to get a proper look at what Mong-o looked like, my eyes fixed only on Jing.
She had changed considerably since we parted. She had grown nearly two spans taller, easily surpassing 150cm, and her once sharply alert eyes had settled somewhat. The impression she gave had shifted from sharp to dignified.
With a graceful gait learned during her time as a hostage in Qin, Jing approached and stood tall directly across from me, meeting my gaze.
"Dan."
"…Jing."
After calling each other's names, neither of us could continue. What should I say? What topic should I bring up? All the words I had prepared while anticipating this moment of reunion had turned blank.
"Both of you, stop staring blankly and sit down. You too, General Mong-o."
"This is the first time seeing you up close, Lady Xinling."
"Indeed. Since it seems we've both come for similar reasons, shall we proceed quickly?"
"There's no reason to refuse."
The conversation between Lady Xinling and Mong-o was extremely brief. They stated their respective demands, both sides refused, and the meeting concluded just like that.
In reality, it was no different from a complete failure with no results whatsoever. Yet none of those gathered in the meeting tent showed any sign of rising. They all knew the real discussion was only just beginning.