I Am Zhang Fei of Yan!
I hid behind the brush and watched Zhang Fei fighting from a distance. Sure enough, he stood alone, barring the bridge and holding Cao Cao's cavalry at bay. Holding my breath, I settled in to witness the majesty of the man who would write the legend of Changban Bridge single-handed.
Zhang Fei had already made a showing of his skill. A dozen or so enemy soldiers lay sprawled before him. By the time I arrived, he had finished off most of the first wave and was in the act of bringing down the last of them.
He drove his Serpent Spear through the remaining man and flung him high into the air. Armor and all, the soldier rose as lightly as a scarecrow before being slammed back down to the earth. After that unexpected short flight, the pitiful enemy collapsed and did not move again.
The spectacle must have been vivid enough, for the cavalry dared not charge him. They held their distance, standing in awkward, half-hearted hesitation.
Zhang Fei's roar came flying at them. It was a shout so tremendous it stabbed painfully even into my ears, hidden far back in the brush. So this was what people meant when they said a man breathed thunder from his mouth.
"You bastards! Come on already! You came to fight, so why are you just standing there rolling your eyes? Huh? Charge! Charge like real men!"
Zhang Fei goaded them, thrusting his weapon forward. Moonlight ran blue along the edge of the spear, and their faces went blue right along with it.
"Have you all gone deaf as a pack?! If this is how it's going to be, why the hell did you even come to a battlefield?! Go wrap yourselves in blankets and sleep it off!"
Zhang Fei's roaring kept splitting the night air, but they only kept glancing around, at a loss for what to do. Wouldn't some brave soul step forward?
Zhao Yun and Jin Cheong had already swept through them once and broken their momentum. On top of that, Zhang Fei's display had struck another blow against morale that was already half shattered.
The longer his roars and provocations went on, the colder the air circulating among the cavalry became.
Zhang Fei drew in a great breath and let it out—with a shout greater than anything he had loosed so far.
"You—lot—have no guts at all—huh?! Ang! Is there truly no one among you who dares face this Zhang Fei—?!"
No one—?! No one—?! No one—?!
A roar so monstrous one could believe fire and thunder were pouring from his mouth crashed over the cavalry, and their shoulders hunched even further. Spines went cold. Cold sweat ran down.
"Heeheeheeeing!"
At that moment, one officer's horse suddenly reared onto its front legs and screamed. It was only a single mount, but among the stiffly frozen cavalry that movement stood out sharp as a blade.
"W-what's wrong with this horse?"
Xiahou Ba was considerably startled when the mount beneath him reared without warning. It seemed frightened by Zhang Fei's thunderous roar.
He tried to soothe it by hauling on the reins, but in his panic the motion was rough and clumsy, and instead of calming the animal he only startled it further.
"Huh? Huh? Listen to me, horse…!"
He tried somehow to settle it, but the horse was losing its reason more and more.
In the end the thoroughly terrified animal completely ignored its rider's intentions and charged straight forward—right toward where Zhang Fei stood.
Oh no…!
But that motion, to the cavalry's eyes, looked like nothing so much as a valiant general charging out to pick a fight.
The atmosphere that had been cooling rapidly flared hot in an instant, as if it had met open flame. The cavalry raised their spears high to the sky and cheered.
"Yes! Show them our fighting spirit!"
Zhang Fei saw him and curled one corner of his mouth into a grin.
Yes. A real man ought to come out like that.
Compared to himself, this was a very young officer. His movements were clumsy and full of openings—but Zhang Fei thought that rather fitting for a young man's spirit.
That horse's gallop was also a gallop that briefly carried Zhang Fei's thoughts back into the past.
Was there a time when I was that young too?
His youth. The oath of brotherhood he had sworn with the three of them. From the Yellow Turban Rebellion onward, the countless crises they had weathered until now. And even the fight with Lü Bu, who had been called the Flying General.
Now that he was older, much of that recklessness had died down—but sometimes he still recalled those days when he had been full of spirit and youthful fire. Wasn't this the very moment to show the spirit of a body called a match for ten thousand men?
Filled with competitive fire, Zhang Fei whirled his Serpent Spear above his head. The force of it was so fierce one might have wondered if a whirlwind were rising.
"Alright, you bastard! You're not unworthy as an opponent for this Zhang Fei of Yan!"
"No! No, I'm not!"
Xiahou Ba's scream was buried under Zhang Fei's roar and the cheers of the cavalry supporting him from behind.
"Come! Come on! Let's see you take one of my strikes!"
In the eyes of the horse carrying Xiahou Ba, the spear spinning in fierce circles was reflected. As if being sucked into a whirlpool, the animal that had lost its mind charged straight toward it.
When Xiahou Ba came within arm's reach, Zhang Fei hauled on his reins. The horse beneath him reared high on its front hooves.
"Heeheeheeeing!"
"Ugh?!"
Xiahou Ba looked at Zhang Fei. The massive horse with its front legs raised high. Zhang Fei's face like a demon's. The spear about to be swung. To Xiahou Ba, that sight felt like a mountain collapsing.
Whoosh!
Zhang Fei swung his Serpent Spear horizontally, adding the force of a downward strike as well. The spear's edge flashed in a single stroke of light.
Crack! The sound of a spear breaking.
Crash! Clatter!
"Eeheeheeeing!"
"Aaaagh!"
Splash….
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Just before the blow reached his head, Xiahou Ba barely managed to raise his spear and block Zhang Fei's strike. But the price of stopping that heavy attack was a broken shaft, and the spearhead that had lost its place flew up into the sky.
The owner of that spearhead tumbled across the ground several times with his horse and fell into the river flowing beneath the bridge. A splash of water rose once, and leaving only bubbling foam, Xiahou Ba's figure vanished without a trace.
From Zhang Fei's mouth and from the cavalry's, dazed sounds spilled out at the same time, as if by prior agreement.
"Huh?"
Zhang Fei froze with his spear flung out to the side. The cavalry froze with their spears still raised high. As if a painting had been drawn with Changban Bridge for a backdrop, they remained like that for a while.
Spinning, spinning—thunk.
The spearhead that had briefly taken flight into the sky stuck into the ground. Starting from that, the people in the painting came back to life and began to move again.
"Tsk tsk. Couldn't even handle thin gruel. Completely deflated."
Zhang Fei clicked his tongue as he withdrew his spear.
For Zhang Fei it was a somewhat anticlimactic affair, but the cavalry felt a bone-chilling terror. The heat that had briefly flared up cooled even faster than before, as if ice water had been dumped over it.
One cavalryman opened his mouth hesitantly.
"G-General Xiahou Ba, in a single strike…"
He had been young, but a promising next-generation fierce general with a bright future. They had expected him to put on a rather splendid fight—but what was this?
Then Zhang Fei shouted, full of swagger.
"Hey! Doesn't your boss feed you? How do you plan to fight when you're so weak and sickly you came out to a battlefield looking like that!"
At his provocation, the cavalry didn't know what to do with themselves.
"Are you deaf? Or mute? Give me some kind of reaction, damn it! Huh! Does your boss only eat the good stuff himself and starve the rest of you? Or get your asses over here right now! Let's have a real fight."
The cavalry weren't unaware that the "boss" Zhang Fei was talking about was their lord Cao Cao. Even though their lord was being insulted right in front of them, they had no particular desire to move their bodies. Rather, the more Zhang Fei's curses piled on, the further their morale and self-respect fell.
It was while Zhang Fei was in full swing with his cursing that a new voice cut in.
"What are you all doing! Do you mean to disgrace our army's name!"
From behind them, a group of riders approached.
Cao Chun and the several dozen Tiger and Leopard Cavalry he led. Cao Cao's bodyguard, Xu Chu. And between them, their lord and Chancellor—Cao Cao.
"L-Lord…"
The cavalrymen's faces turned the color of dirt.
Cao Cao opened his mouth.
"First, reorganize the ranks."
"Yes!"
Cao Cao's mere presence alone bestowed considerable weight upon them. Following the commands of Xu Chu and Cao Chun, the cavalry formed ranks, and the disorder quickly settled. There was still no one who immediately tried to charge out and face Zhang Fei, though.
Then Zhang Fei shouted.
"Right. They say even a tiger comes when you speak of it—so you've finally arrived."
Once the chaos was more or less settled, Cao Cao addressed Zhang Fei.
"Is that not Lord Zhang Fei? Yes. How have you been faring all this—"
"How the hell am I supposed to be faring well because of you bastards, and you're asking after my health?! Stop flapping your useless mouth and crawl out here and fight me!"
Zhang Fei cut Cao Cao's words right off.
"Th-that bastard! What kind of manner of speech is that before the Chancellor!"
Beside him Xu Chu shouted in rage, but Zhang Fei didn't so much as bat an eye.
"Chancellor, my ass. Once my spear punches through your skull you're all just the same heads—so drop the dogshit talk and come out!"
Xu Chu's face turned red and purple by turns.
"Chancellor! Send me out! I'll take his head in a single stroke!"
But Cao Cao raised one arm and restrained Xu Chu. It seemed Zhang Fei was up to something.
"Why the hurry? Calm your heart a little and let us at least talk…"
"Talk, what talk! After causing every nuisance under the sun, with what face do you want to talk about anything! Crawl out right now and take this elder's spear. What? Are you scared? Are you the descendant of some eunuch who had his balls cut off, so you've got no guts or anything? If that's the case, then you go cut off your balls too and crawl to His Majesty the Emperor to serve him!"
Cao Cao clenched the scabbard of his Heavenly Sword tightly.
That—that bastard, with his open mouth, dares…
"Or kneel under our Elder Brother Liu Bei. Our generous Elder Brother will take good care of you. Hahaha!"
Cao Cao, who had been about to draw his Heavenly Sword and charge at any moment, stopped at the sound of Liu Bei's name.
"Chancellor. I can endure no more! I'll go tear that bastard's mouth apart and come back."
Having instantly regained his composure, Cao Cao shouted.
"Halt! Xu Chu. Since when have you not followed my words!"
Xu Chu, who had been about to charge out with his great blade, flinched at Cao Cao's rebuke.
Having restrained Xu Chu, Cao Cao calmly sank into thought.
In the middle of this, he's deliberately provoking me?
If it were simply blocking the road, that would be understandable. But no matter how one looked at it, this was deliberately goading him to come in.
Cao Cao looked at the faintly visible brush beyond Zhang Fei's shoulder.
Liu Bei is surely behind there.
Liu Bei. A man one could not let one's guard down around.
When he first met him, he had felt goodwill. An unusual yet handsome appearance, splendid yet formal attire. Disciplined and courteous bearing.
Strategists like Guo Jia and Cheng Yu had advised that Liu Bei was not a man to serve under another, and should not be left alone. At first Cao Cao had thought so too. This man was not so easy to handle.
But the actions Liu Bei showed gradually changed Cao Cao's mind.
Pretending to be a lowly farmer. At drinking parties, pretending to be frightened and dropping his chopsticks. Leaving the fighting only to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei while he himself watched from a distance.
This series of actions gradually dismantled the sprout of suspicion that had been growing in Cao Cao's chest. If he kept this man completely under him, wouldn't he be useful?
And when Liu Bei left on the pretext of suppressing Yuan Shu, Cao Cao finally realized that he had been deceived.
Liu Bei had been sharpening a hidden dagger while hoeing, hiding his ambition while acting frightened, and concealing his ability while pretending to watch the fighting from behind.
What have you hidden behind you this time, you big-eared bastard.
Then something caught Cao Cao's eye. Across the river, the dense brush was rustling gently, and light dust was rising.
An ambush?
It was possible. Looking at Zhang Fei still bellowing curses at the top of his lungs, the speculation turned into conviction. If so, approaching rashly with this level of force might lead to disaster. In the end Cao Cao gave the order.
"We withdraw."
"Chancellor!"
"As long as we make no mistakes, there will be plenty of chances to catch him."
Liu Bei was already driven into a corner. Believing this was his last desperate struggle, Cao Cao ordered the retreat without hesitation.
The cavalrymen who had been anxious that they might be sent out to fight breathed a sigh of relief at the retreat order.
From behind came Zhang Fei's mocking laughter.
"Kehehehe. You seem awfully scared."