Luocheng and Pang Tong
Leaving Huo Jun and Wang Wei to hold the rear, Liu Bei's army departed Gaimeng Pass and marched south toward Fu County.
Fu was defended by the generals Liu Gui, Deng Xian, Leng Bao, and Zhang Ren—men Liu Zhang had sent to hold it.
"I appoint Huang Zhong and Zhuo Ying as the vanguard for the assault on Fu."
"Leave it to us."
Receiving Liu Bei's orders, Huang Zhong and Zhuo Ying set out to take the fortress. Still poorly prepared for defense, Fu fell in an instant.
Next came Mianzhu Pass. Defending it were Li Yan and Fei Guan, Liu Zhang's son-in-law. But when Liu Bei's army arrived, they threw open the gates and surrendered.
With Baishui, Fu, and now Mianzhu fallen in succession, Chengdu was thrown into utter chaos.
"M-Mianzhu has fallen as well—what are we to do?"
Among those panicking, none was more flustered than Liu Zhang, the lord of Yizhou. True to his simple nature, he was at a complete loss, and his ministers merely eyed one another, waiting for someone else to speak. The momentum of Liu Bei's army had proven far fiercer than anyone had imagined.
Then one man stepped forward.
"Father, send me. I will teach Liu Bei's army a lesson."
It was Liu Xun, Liu Zhang's son. Unlike his father's dull, vacant eyes, his burned with fierce determination.
"Ah, Xun, my boy. What do you propose?"
"Judging by the path Liu Bei's army has taken, they will head for Luocheng next. Let me take charge of its defense. I will not allow a single one of them over those walls. Grant me your permission."
Luocheng was a strategic stronghold on the road to Chengdu. In short, if Luocheng fell, an assault on the capital itself would be only a matter of time.
Yet Luocheng's walls were high and stout, and generals Zhang Ren, Liu Gui, and the others already stationed there had been fortifying its defenses. It would not fall as easily as Fu or Mianzhu. At the very least, that was what Liu Xun believed.
"V-Very well. Your courage is admirable. Take a relief force to Luocheng at once."
"Yes! I will show Liu Bei what we're made of!"
Then the Chief Clerk Huang Quan also spoke up.
"My lord, I too have a plan. Liu Bei has brought most of his forces this way, leaving his rear exposed. Gaimeng Pass currently holds no more than a thousand men. If we take it, we can disrupt Liu Bei's rear."
"An excellent idea. I accept both proposals. General Xiang Cun, strike at Gaimeng Pass."
Without further deliberation, Liu Zhang accepted both Liu Xun's and Huang Quan's suggestions.
Thus Liu Xun led reinforcements to Luocheng, while General Xiang Cun took ten thousand troops toward Gaimeng Pass—the rearmost stronghold of Liu Bei's army.
"Taking Luocheng will not be easy. Liu Zhang's son is a more capable man than I expected."
Pang Tong said this as he gazed at the towering walls of Luocheng before us. I stood right beside him, holding a shield I rarely used.
Before the assault, Fa Zheng had sent a letter urging them to surrender. Unlike Mianzhu Pass, however, Luocheng showed no intention of yielding whatsoever.
And so Pang Tong himself stepped forward, volunteering to command the siege. According to history, Pang Tong would die during the assault on Luocheng, struck by a stray arrow. That was why I had been on edge from the moment we arrived.
The instant he took charge of the siege, he dashed this way and that, directing the troops with remarkable energy.
In a good light, he was proactive. In a bad one, he was so unpredictable you never knew which way he would bolt next. At least, that was how it felt to me, tasked with guarding his side.
If Zhuge Liang was steady and a perfectionist, Pang Tong was more direct—with a wild, unpredictable streak. That was probably why he had proposed schemes like ambushing Liu Zhang or storming Chengdu.
Of course, watching his command up close, the thought Fengchu is Fengchu indeed rose unbidden.
He never missed a gap that opened among the enemy on the walls. The moment a small opening appeared, he immediately issued orders to the appropriate unit.
Small gaps gradually widened into cracks, and the fierce assaults that drove into them expanded those cracks further still.
But Liu Xun, Zhang Ren, and the others defending Luocheng were not merely standing by. Their skill at plugging the wounds opening across the walls and repelling the onslaught was no ordinary thing. In the original history, the siege of Luocheng had consumed a full year—and I could feel that ferocity firsthand.
"There! Pour the attack on that spot!"
"Advisor Pang!"
Pang Tong once again spurred his horse and rode about, personally designating even the smallest units with his orders, and our army moved as one under his command, assaulting the fortress.
"Advisor, why are you in such a rush?"
Having finally managed to bring Pang Tong back after yet another dash, I asked with a touch of resentment in my voice.
Truth be told, chasing after Pang Tong's heels was killing me. At first I had tried converting a covered carriage into something like a chariot to carry him.
He had agreed at first, but the moment he took command he decided to run about like a wild stallion, and the carriage became useless. In the end I had no choice but to carry a large shield and constantly race about at his side.
When he threatened to stray into arrow range, the best I could do was block him in a hurry.
"A siege, if you think about it carefully, is the worst of the worst options."
Once I finally caught my breath, I spoke with Pang Tong. Undertake a siege only as a last resort—I had read that in the military texts myself.
"A siege is something to avoid whenever possible. And yet here we are, attacking this fortress. Do you understand why?"
Whenever he had a moment to catch his breath, Pang Tong would share various lessons with me—mostly on military strategy and command.
"Because there is no other way?"
"Exactly. Right. The highest strategy is to win without fighting—as Li Yan and Fei Guan did when they surrendered Mianzhu Pass. The enemy refused to yield even to Fa Zheng's urging. And we cannot simply go around Luocheng."
"Yes. Without taking Luocheng, we cannot reach Chengdu. Even if we did, we would take a blow to the back of the head."
"There are other methods. Surround the fortress from a distance and cut the supply lines, waiting until the enemy's morale and provisions run out. But that approach is difficult for us now as well."
"The enemy has Liu Zhang's son Liu Xun fighting among them, bolstering their morale. And with ample support from Chengdu, their supplies will not run dry easily. Besides, we don't have enough troops to thoroughly block every supply route."
Pang Tong nodded and smiled faintly.
"Good, you understand well. Moreover, Gaimeng Pass is under attack right now. Kongming is said to be bringing reinforcements, but who knows when they will arrive. And in the meantime, Cao Cao or Sun Quan might set their sights on Jingzhou. If we drag this out, we are the ones who lose."
I could understand why he was hurrying.
In truth, from Gaimeng to Mianzhu he had not been nearly this diligent. He had seemed more like an idle wanderer than a military advisor, taking his ease. But the moment we reached Luocheng he transformed, moving more tirelessly than anyone. The type who lounges about in ordinary times, then works himself to death when it truly matters, I suppose.
"You there! Your unit falls back now. A fresh unit is going in. Move, move!"
"A-Advisor...!"
Pang Tong abruptly spurred his horse forward again and began issuing orders to the soldiers, and I hurriedly followed. With no way of knowing when or from where an arrow meant for him might fly, it was truly a living hell.
Even the mere sound of an arrow nearby left my mouth bone-dry.
Don't you go doing anything reckless yourself.
Suddenly the words Zhuge Liang had spoken to him before we came here rose in my mind. Had he foreseen something like this when he said that? Surely no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't be unable to stop fate… would I?
I had not loosed a single spear thrust or arrow, yet the tension was greater than at any other time. And so another day drew to a close.
Nearly a month had passed since the siege of Luocheng began. A month, and Pang Tong's command remained as sharp as ever.
But Luocheng's resistance was visibly dwindling. They still shoved ladders away and poured scalding water to hold us off, yet the force behind it had clearly diminished.
"Yes! That's it! Just a little more pressure and we'll have them. Give it everything!"
A battering ram was now hammering at Luocheng's gate, and Pang Tong was shouting with more spirit than ever.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The soldiers clinging to the ram shielded themselves from the arrows raining down from above and strained with all their might to break through the gate.
Crash! Crunch!
Then came the sound of something giving way, and the gate swung inward.
"We've done it! Now! Get inside and plant our banners!"
"Waaaah!"
Our soldiers roared and surged toward the interior. But the enemy had not given up yet.
"Hold them! Not a single step of the enemy shall enter!"
Shield-bearers had already formed ranks just inside the gate. And the archers positioned behind them loosed arrows at our charging troops.
The advance of our forces into the fortress momentarily faltered.
"Don't stop—push through! Once we clear this, Luocheng is ours!"
Pang Tong spurred his horse forward once more, and of course I followed. In that instant—
Whizz-whizz-whizz!
A ripping sound tore past my ears. I lifted my head toward the direction of the noise.
Sure enough, several arrows were flying our way—aimed squarely at Pang Tong.
"Advisor!"
With a cry that was nearly a scream, I threw my arms around Pang Tong's shoulders and thrust the shield out to cover his body.
Thud-thud-thud!
Several arrows struck home, a heavy pain slamming through me—but I did not lower the shield.
"Advisor, are you all ri—?!"
"Neeeigh!"
Then Pang Tong's horse bolted. I could see a stray arrow buried in its flank.
"Ah!"
In that instant I kicked free of my own mount and caught Pang Tong's body as he tumbled toward the ground. He and I hit the earth almost together.
"Ugh!"
I had managed to grab him just before the fall and cushion the impact. Though we landed nearly at the same time, my body was naturally sturdy enough that the shock was nothing serious. Pang Tong, however, had taken quite a jolt—and lost consciousness.
"Advisor? Advisor? Come on, wake up."