Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Me
After the great decisive battle.
Though we had thoroughly crushed Sun Quan and Lu Xun and driven them back to Gong'an, the damage we ourselves suffered was far from light.
The left wing, which had taken the full weight of Lu Xun's concentrated assault, suffered heavier losses than anyone expected. Zhang Nan fell in battle; Feng Xi was wounded. It was only fitting, I supposed, for a man whose strategic brilliance ranked among the very highest even within the Three Kingdoms.
We considered pressing the advance all the way to Gong'an, yet overcoming a city that Lu Xun had resolved to hold looked nearly impossible. It is commonly said that three times the defending force is required to take a fortress, and we simply did not possess those numbers.
Moreover, Xiangfan was still weathering Cao Cao's fierce onslaught, so further widening the front was out of the question. Instead we decided to harden the defenses at Jiangling and dispatch reinforcements to both Xiangfan and Wuling.
"General Pang De has slain the enemy general Zhou Kai near Fancheng!"
Good news arrived amid all this.
With only a handful of men he conducted mobile warfare, harassing the enemy without cease. Because he always rode a white horse, Cao Cao's troops came to fear him as the White Horse General.
"The General of the Front clashed with the enemy general Zhang Liao, yet neither could force a decision."
Perhaps Guan Yu's wounds had not yet fully healed? That might well be so—yet Zhang Liao himself was no ordinary warrior. At least Guan Yu's person seemed unharmed, and for that I was grateful.
Along with word that our forces at Xiangfan were fighting well came news that Zhao Yun in Wuling had joined with Sima Ge, chieftain of the Wuling Man, and was solidifying the defenses there.
A three-way struggle among the powers. It had been the same in Hanzhong, yet I never imagined the Jingzhou campaign would swell to this scale either.
War that had once seemed like a river flowing endlessly onward. Into that current a single small pebble had suddenly been cast, raising ripples. Those ripples held meaning enough to overturn the entire situation.
"Your Majesty the King of Hanzhong. A letter has arrived from Cao Cao."
"Very well. Bring it here."
That pebble was none other than the letter Cao Cao had sent. Watching Liu Bei unroll the bamboo slips, I thought to myself:
Is Cao Cao proposing a truce?
Honestly, I had thought more than once that this war would be better stopped right here. Guan Yu still being alive was achievement enough.
Thud.
The writing must not have been long; after only a brief glance Liu Bei set the slips down upon the table.
"Your Majesty. Might I inquire what Cao Cao has written?"
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked.
"Read it yourself."
I took the bamboo slips from Liu Bei and read them. The contents were even briefer than I had expected.
Xuande.
How about we share a drink after all this time and unburden our hearts? I shall be waiting for you here.
What on earth did this mean? Neither negotiation nor anything of the sort—I could only tilt my head in puzzlement.
Zhuge Liang received the slips next. After a moment's thoughtful silence he spoke.
"Your Majesty, what will you do? It seems Cao Cao wishes to meet you…"
"Mengde appears to have something he wishes to say to me."
This time I asked.
"Your Majesty. Do you intend to go in person?"
Liu Bei nodded.
"It was a long time ago, yet once he and I sat alone, cups in hand, and spoke of the realm. That day comes back to me now. Somehow I feel I must go."
"Your Majesty, it is far too dangerous. It may well be a trap."
"General Jin is right. Should Cao Cao resort to some cunning scheme… Would it not be wiser to select an envoy and send him instead?"
"Exactly, elder brother. Send me. I will settle matters with Cao Cao and return. Or if not me, then Military Advisor Zhuge or Military Advisor Xu are both here. There is no need for you to go yourself."
Zhuge Liang agreed with me; Zhang Fei outright volunteered to go in his place. Yet Liu Bei remained calm.
"No. I do not believe Cao Cao would attempt anything strange at this late hour. He knows Wu has been driven back and has no strength left to advance, and he himself has gained no clear success at Xiangfan. None of the three kingdoms any longer possesses the leisure to continue this war. I believe he means to propose a truce. And if not now, there will never again be a chance for us to speak."
Did heroes truly recognize one another? Liu Bei spoke as though he already understood Cao Cao's heart. In that moment he addressed Cao Cao not as an enemy, but almost as an old acquaintance.
Zhuge Liang, however, remained cautious.
"Even should Cao Cao agree to a truce, we cannot know what Wu is thinking. If you meet with Cao Cao, the place will surely be north of Xiangfan. What if Lu Xun strikes while Your Majesty is away?"
"I shall leave the Military Advisor here; even if Lu Xun attacks, you will be more than able to hold him. And in my judgment, Wu too must by now be thinking of a truce."
As the war dragged on, the losses suffered by all three powers had grown immense.
We had suffered, yet the enemy's accumulated damage must have been no less severe. Wei and Wu fielded greater numbers than we did, yet in every engagement the exchange ratio had favored us. Continuing the war further seemed unlikely to change the situation in any meaningful way.
For all the resources they had poured in, Wu had taken only Gong'an, and Wei had lost Xiangfan.
I agreed that neither Wei nor Wu any longer possessed the strength to press the war immediately. Precisely for that reason, however, caution was essential. One misstep, one blow to the back of the head, and everything we had gained could crumble.
"Wu struck the moment General Guan left Jiangling empty. I believe we must first observe Wu's movements, then decide."
"Very well. As General Jin says, we shall wait a little longer. Wu too must by now be thinking of a truce."
Just as Liu Bei had predicted, Lu Xun of Wu soon sent an envoy of his own. The two sides dispatched messengers at almost the same moment; I could not help wondering whether the two powers had already conferred.
Wu's envoy brought far more concrete terms than Cao Cao's letter.
"Our lord wishes to conclude a truce with your state. I have come to propose that a date be set for talks."
A council followed, and the conclusion was reached that Wu's offer of truce was genuine.
"Wu has calculated that if this stalemate continues, they alone will suffer the losses."
Zhuge Liang raised no objection.
"Wu has stated that Lu Xun himself will attend the talks. We must set a date and meet him. If we handle these negotiations well, we can end this war."
"Then, Military Advisor, I leave the negotiations with Wu in your hands. I myself shall go north to meet Cao Cao."
Liu Bei left Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu behind in Jiangling and resolved to travel up to Xiangfan to meet Cao Cao.
"Yide. Come with me. And we shall take Yunchang as well."
"Yes, elder brother! No matter what happens, I will not let them lay a finger on you!"
It seemed Liu Bei meant to bring all three sworn brothers to face Cao Cao.
"General Jin. You come as well."
And so I was to accompany them. My father, commander of Liu Bei's personal guard, would of course go too.
Some opposition still followed, yet Liu Bei held that since Cao Cao was coming in person, it was only right that he himself appear. In the end I chose to trust Liu Bei's insight. Of course, my father and I intended to make Liu Bei's safety our absolute first priority.
Come to think of it, Cao Cao's remaining lifespan cannot be long. I will at least see his face once before he dies.
When blood flew in battle.
When we broke free from the heart of the enemy lines.
When I beheld the countless heroes I had only ever imagined.
Ever since I came to this world there had been no shortage of moments that set my heart racing. Yet this journey brought a tension of an entirely different kind.
Cao Cao. A hero without whom no discussion of the Three Kingdoms is complete. How could I not tremble at the prospect of meeting him?
Thus I set out for Xiangfan together with Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and my father—to meet Cao Cao.
Cao Cao was encamped at a point midway between Fancheng and Xinye.
"Your Majesty. Must you truly go in person? If it is merely a truce negotiation, could an envoy not be sent in your stead?"
Xu Chu asked anxiously at his side. And with good reason—Xu Chu was deeply worried for the aged and frail Cao Cao. Simply coming out this far to the front had already been a great strain. Yet Cao Cao would not be moved.
"No. If I miss this chance, I fear I shall never see him again."
"This subordinate does not understand. Is Liu Bei not the enemy? A man little better than a sworn foe—yet somehow Your Majesty seems to long for him."
"Heh. Does it appear so? Well, I suppose it would."
Even Cao Cao himself could not fully grasp his own feelings by logic. He only knew that he wished, this once, to meet the man.
Is it the same emotion I felt when I tried to bring Yunchang under my banner? No—similar, yet different. He is one with whom I once discussed the realm. Before I go, I ought to meet him at least once.
Hair turned pure white. A face lined with wrinkles. In that guise Cao Cao waited for his rival.
"Your Majesty. Liu Bei has arrived."
At the long-awaited news Cao Cao's face brightened.
"So. At last he has come. Bring him to the place prepared. I shall go at once."
As Cao Cao rose, Xu Chu followed immediately. Wen Pin, Zhang Liao, and Cao Zhang were with them as well.
In the meeting place prepared beforehand, Cao Cao was able to see them once more—Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. The three sworn brothers.