Another Story Draws to a Close
The talks concluded safely, and to everyone's satisfaction. On rather favorable terms, at that.
Though the conditions included the return of prisoners such as Cao Ren and Yu Jin, the loss of Xiangyang and Fancheng was a bitter blow Cao Cao could scarcely ignore.
Yet Cao Cao yielded cleanly. His generals voiced their doubts, but somehow I felt I understood his reasons.
Cao Cao knew his remaining days were few. He marched out in person not to reclaim the land, but to save Cao Ren and Yu Jin.
"General Jin. This was your first time meeting Cao Cao, was it not? What did you make of him?"
Liu Bei asked me as we turned our horses back toward Fancheng.
Truthfully, I had never expected to meet Cao Cao at all. In the original history, when Guan Yu pushed north, Cao Cao had briefly considered relocating the capital — he had never led an army out himself.
Cao Cao…
The man I had seen was, how to put it, a small old man. Slight of frame, his back bent. His face was gaunt, heavy with care.
And yet, within that unimpressive exterior, I could still glimpse the bearing of a true hero.
He met Liu Bei — the man he had opposed for half a lifetime — with composure and a show of good faith. Could I have done the same?
Perhaps because death was already near, he seemed to have set many things down. Or perhaps that very nearness made him all the more detached. Something of that feeling lingered as well.
"Well… it was like looking upon a hero of a bygone age."
"Hahaha. Is that truly all you felt?"
"He commands so many talented men as if they were his own limbs — there was majesty in that. And something of a wise old sage about him, too."
It was not a false impression. I simply answered with careful moderation, reluctant to praise or diminish the man too freely before Liu Bei.
"It has been a very long time since I faced him. Much seemed changed, and yet much seemed the same. I thought I glimpsed regret in him as well. When we parted, I watched his retreating back and felt I was looking at a man who had finished his final task and meant to vanish quietly."
I had looked at Cao Cao across the negotiating table through the lens of future knowledge. Liu Bei had looked at him through the weight of his own lived experience.
"Cao Cao seemed rather taken with you."
"Pardon? With me?"
"Yes. Watching you, he seemed lost in thought."
"..."
In truth, I had not paid Cao Cao that much attention. I had been too conscious of Cao Zhang standing right before me, and too busy watching the other generals and soldiers for any untoward movement.
So Liu Bei's words caught me slightly off guard.
"What do you suppose he was thinking?"
"Hmm. Well now. Perhaps he was simply admiring your exceptional beauty?"
"Y-Your Majesty…?"
I stared at him, dumbstruck, and Liu Bei laughed heartily.
"Hahaha. A joke, a joke."
He chuckled once more, then went on.
"Were I Cao Cao, I would have thought, 'Why is such a talent standing over there? That is someone who ought to stand behind me and serve at my side.' And I did worry, you know, that he might try to claim you. His hunger for talent is no less than my own."
"I am here because of Your Majesty. The only lord I will serve is you."
"Good. I find myself thinking that had you not been in this place, I might not be standing here either."
"..."
"You insisted we leave for Xiangyong the moment the Hanzhong campaign ended. And then that whole chain of deeds you performed, from Xiangyang all the way to Jiangling. Honestly, I did not take it so seriously at first. But thinking on it now — had I not sent you here when I did… I cannot help but feel we might have faced a situation beyond all recovery."
"I merely did what needed to be done."
"You always say that. I have heard the full account from Guan Yu and Xu Shu. Once again you showed an insight no one else could match, and you brought me this result."
"..."
Surely he won't ask how I predicted it all? I can hardly say I already knew.
"I am curious, of course — but if the answer would put you in a difficult position, you need not give it. There is one thing, however, I would very much like you to answer."
"Ask me anything, Your Majesty."
"Will you continue to stay by my side and be my strength?"
I bowed my head and spoke.
"Of course. I will always be Your Majesty's strength."
"Good. Thank you."
"It is I who should thank you, for placing such trust in me."
From Xiangyong all the way here — a journey short in distance yet long in every other sense — there had been no shortage of hardship. But speaking with Liu Bei, all of it seemed to melt quietly away.
One question, however, still remained. A doubt that lay beyond the reach of my insight — which was, in truth, future knowledge. I had no choice but to borrow someone else's judgment.
"There is one thing that concerns me, Your Majesty."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Will Cao Cao truly keep his word and withdraw his army?"
We had poured nearly every force we possessed into this war, but Cao Cao could still draw troops at will from the vast territories of the north. I could not help worrying he might reverse himself.
"Ah. So that is what has been troubling you. And what do you think?"
"I do not believe he will break the promise — but the unexpected has a way of happening."
Liu Bei stroked his beard.
"One can never fully know another man's heart. But the Cao Cao of today, I believe, will keep his word. He once returned Yunchang to me, after all. I do not think he is the sort to go back on his own word now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
His words brought me a measure of relief.
We rode on side by side. Before long, Fancheng came into view.
"I will remain in Xiangyang to settle affairs. Would you go to Jiangling and help with the finishing work there?"
"To Jiangling?"
"Yes. The Military Advisor will have begun negotiations with Wu by now. We may well have to release Gan Ning and Ling Tong, whom we hold as prisoners. You are on friendly terms with both of them — it would be good if you looked after them until they depart."
"Yes. I shall do as you command."
And so I parted from Liu Bei in Xiangyang and returned to Jiangling.
"General Jin. Welcome back. You must be weary from such a long journey."
"Yes. And you as well, Military Advisor Xu."
Back in Jiangling, I was reunited with Xu Shu.
"How did the talks with Wu go?"
"Do not worry. Kongming is handling them well."
From Xu Shu I learned all that had passed in my absence.
...
Just as expected, Sun Quan had requested a ceasefire.
On our side, Zhuge Liang met with Lu Xun of Wu to conduct the negotiations.
"We will withdraw our forces. In exchange, we propose the return of Gan Ning and Ling Tong, whom you hold as prisoners."
Zhuge Liang answered Lu Xun's proposal.
"Then return Gong'an to us. If you restore Gong'an, we will gladly send both gentlemen back."
"That is…"
Lu Xun's brow furrowed. The seizure of Gong'an was about the only achievement Wu could claim from this war — and now even that would have to be surrendered.
But he had received word that Wei's forces, having concluded their own ceasefire, were preparing to withdraw. Even now the two sides stood at a stalemate; if Liu Bei's army in Xiangyang joined the fray, any chance of victory would vanish entirely.
Left with no choice, Lu Xun agreed to return Gong'an in exchange for Gan Ning and Ling Tong.
So ended the campaign for Jingzhou. Liu Bei had gained Xiangyang and Fancheng. Sun Quan had gained nothing at all.
...
The talks with both Wei and Wu were finished, and the fighting was over — yet much work remained.
First, preparations had to be made to send back the captive generals and soldiers. Still, it was far easier than when the battles had been ongoing.
Xu Shu, Ma Su, and the others arranged the return of Yu Jin and the Wei troops, while Zhuge Liang and I handled Wu.
Of those, I took particular care with the two generals, Gan Ning and Ling Tong.
"General Gan Ning. How is your health?"
"Much improved, thanks to your concern. I am grateful."
"That is thanks to Military Advisor Xu's help."
I visited their quarters often to ask after them. In my absence, Xu Shu had, at my request, provided Gan Ning with physicians and medicine. Thanks to that, Gan Ning's condition seemed much better than before.
Even so, he was living past his original lifespan. I did not say it aloud, but I could not shake the feeling that his time might nearly be up.
"You will be returning to Wu soon."
The date of their repatriation had been set for tomorrow; by then, both men would leave this place behind.
"Ling Tong. Aren't you a little sorry to go back?"
Gan Ning asked in a teasing tone, and Ling Tong's face went stiff.
"...What nonsense is that? Stop talking rubbish."
"I only mean you've had it easy for a while — isn't that a shame to leave behind?"
"...Keep spouting absurdities and I will kick you. Aren't you worried at all? You've been stuck here since the start of the war, unable to do a thing."
"That's one thing, and this is another."
"For heaven's sake, show some vigilance."
The two still bickered, but they no longer seemed as bitterly at odds as before. I smiled faintly and said,
"Well then. If there is anything else you need, please let me know."
"You have my constant thanks."
The next day arrived. I bid farewell to Gan Ning and Ling Tong and sent them on their way.
"Generals. May you both keep well after your return."
"Yes. Thank you. We will take our leave now."
"Captivity was not so bad, as it turns out. Haha. If fate allows, we shall meet again."
With those parting words, the two men departed.
I heard that Yu Jin and his soldiers were on their way back to Wei as well.
Watching the two figures grow small in the distance, I let myself sink into reflection for a moment.
More than ten years in this world, and all the things I had planned and schemed for. Unexpected variables had arisen more than once along the way — yet Guan Yu lived, and we had even taken Xiangyang and Fancheng.
"It's all over. Shall we head back?"
Yu Eun's simple words struck something deep in my chest.
Yes. It was all over.
Of course, it was only one story that had ended. There were still many left to write. No — from here on was the real beginning. One great variable had been overturned, and the number of things I could still predict would only shrink further.