The Symbol of Manhood and Frustration
With Zhang Fei and me at the head of our forces, our army's breakthrough power was formidable in the early stages. Striking at their rear, we tore through the enemy ranks for a time, splitting their center clean down the middle.
But the tide of battle did not reverse itself as easily as turning over a hand. Once cavalry lost its speed, the force of a charge naturally weakened.
Moreover, even with our arrival, our numbers still fell short of half the enemy's, and the damage Wu Lan and Lei Tong had already suffered proved greater than expected—they could not apply proper pressure from the opposite side.
And there was one more critical reason.
These men… are they the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry after all?
The movements of the enemy soldiers blocking our path were of an entirely different order from ordinary troops. No matter how fiercely Zhang Fei and I displayed our martial skill, whirling our spears, they showed not the slightest sign of intimidation—and their own martial arts were outstanding.
What stood out most was the look in their eyes: even with enemies before and behind them, their gaze never wavered. No anxiety, no fear—only a calm composure, and beneath that stillness, a fighting spirit burning in their eyes.
Truly, among Cao Cao's countless armies, they deserved to be called the elite of the elite.
—After Cao Chun's death, Cao Xiu took command of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.
Recalling the historical facts, my suspicion hardened steadily into certainty.
Not all of these ten thousand soldiers would be Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. But the counterattacks that grew fiercer the deeper we drove into their center, collapsing their ranks as we went—this was proof enough that they were no ordinary unit.
Glancing to the side, I caught sight of Yu Eun, holding his own even against these elite troops.
Come to think of it, was this his first battle? Having to face the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in one's debut fight—one might call it unlucky. Then again, it would make for a fine war story over drinks later on.
The common soldiers, however, were visibly beginning to struggle.
And as for Zhang Fei—
"Come at me all at once, you minnows! No, no—the likes of you aren't worth my time. Cao Xiu! Where is Cao Xiu?!"
…
There was Zhang Fei, treating the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry like small fry and taunting them at the top of his lungs. Every time his serpent spear flashed, blood sprayed and screams tore through the air. It was the very image of a war god in his glory.
So once you reach that level, even the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry are just "the likes of them"?
Appreciating Zhang Fei's valorous performance, I ran another of the cavalry through and brought him down. Someday, I vowed, I would reach that same height.
Then it came.
"An enemy unit is approaching from the rear!"
"What?!"
At the report from behind, I swallowed hard. For now, our pincer attack still held the advantage. But the enemy had not broken, and if we were not careful, we would be the ones caught in a pincer instead.
"Jin Cheong, hold the rear! I'll stay here."
"Yes, General. Let's go, Yu Eun!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Yu Eun and I pulled back with the soldiers under my command and gauged the strength of the approaching enemy. Roughly several thousand. And among them, I confirmed the banner flying in their midst.
Protector General Cao Hong
Just as I thought. It was Cao Hong. He must have marched out to reinforce Cao Xiu's rear. A seasoned veteran of a hundred battles, bones hardened on the field of war. There was no time to lament Cao Hong's foresight.
In sheer numbers alone, this was already a desperately unfavorable fight. Once his army joined the fray, the disparity would swell to three or four times our strength.
Only one way to break this situation came to mind.
"I am Pian-general Jin Cheong! Where is Cao Hong?! Come out and fight me like a man!"
Cut down the enemy commander.
My unit and Cao Hong's forces collided. The crash of impact rang out on every side, and in an instant another killing ground was added to the battlefield.
"Cao Hong! Where are you?! Show yourself!"
I kept calling for Cao Hong as I broke through the enemy. With me fighting at the very front, my soldiers did not fall back either—they charged in with fierce courage.
But that alone was not enough to overturn our numerical disadvantage. My forces numbered only a few hundred at best.
To make matters worse, there was not so much as a glimpse of Cao Hong's face. The one silver lining was that these men, at least, were not the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.
"General! We can't hold much longer!"
"What are you saying?! We have to hold. If we give way, the entire army is in danger!"
Yu Eun gasped out the words, his strength failing, but I kept thrusting and thrusting again, cutting down the enemy soldiers swarming at me like a tide of ants.
"General, another army has appeared on the flank!"
"What?! Whose army?!"
To the left, a body of horsemen came thundering into view, kicking up clouds of dust.
We were still barely holding the line. But if another enemy force joined the fray now, defeat would be all but certain.
I checked the banners of the newly arrived army. They read—
General Who Pacifies the West, Ma Chao
General of the Front, Pang De
"Ma Chao of Xiliang is here! All who wish to die, come at me!"
"I am Pang De of Xiliang! Whoever would face my blade, step forward!"
The rough battle cries of the two fierce generals washed over me like clear spring water, sweeping the tension from my heart.
"General, they're on our side!"
"Yes—everyone, hold on! Reinforcements have arrived!"
"Waaah! Waaah!"
As our unit's fighting spirit blazed anew, the cavalry led by Ma Chao and Pang De smashed into Cao Hong's flank.
The breakthrough power of Ma Chao and Pang De—who had once commanded mighty cavalry forces in the northern lands of Xiliang—was without peer. Watching the tip of that charge unfold right before my eyes, a cry of pure admiration escaped my lips unbidden.
Enemy soldiers who met them screamed as they were hurled into the air.
With a single collision that left a great gash in Cao Hong's flank, Ma Chao and Pang De began to display their martial arts in earnest.
Wherever Ma Chao's spear passed, crimson blood sprayed and enemy soldiers tumbled to the ground; every time Pang De's blade flashed, a headless corpse was produced.
Ma Dai, though somewhat less skilled in martial arts than the other two, used his superb horsemanship to thrash through the enemy ranks.
As Cao Hong's formation fell into heavy disarray, I finally found him.
A single general clad in splendid armor and helmet. That man was Cao Hong!
Without a second thought, I spurred toward him.
"Cao Hong! Can you face Jin Cheong?!"
His face twisted slightly, but Cao Hong was a warrior and fierce general who had spent half a lifetime on the battlefield. He immediately raised his great blade and met me head-on.
Clang!
"How dare a woman brazenly step onto a battlefield of men?! I'll teach you some manners, you—ugh…!"
Crack!
Struck by my spear, his helmet scattered a brilliant flash of light in every direction as it flew far into the distance.
"You insolent—! My helmet… ugh…!"
When I sent his spear flying after the helmet, he hastily wheeled his horse about and fled.
"Is that all the spirit a man can muster?!"
"…"
Struck dumb as a mute who had swallowed honey, he began falling back toward the rear, and I pursued him, running through every soldier who tried to bar my path.
In the meantime, Yu Eun cooperated with Ma Chao's forces to half-encircle Cao Hong's unit and hammered them without pause. Casualties on Cao Hong's side mounted steadily.
Behind us, Zhang Fei, Wu Lan, and Lei Tong were likewise pincering Cao Xiu's army and had nearly broken it.
Our numbers were few, but with generals of the caliber of Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, and Pang De on the field, the offensive power was nothing short of terrifying.
"Sound the retreat loud and clear! Cao Xiu's army must withdraw as well!"
Though he had lost our brief duel, he had not forgotten his duty as a commander.
"Cao Hong! Turning tail in fear, are you? Shouldn't we finish this properly?!"
"Enough noise. I am a soldier, not a brawler. Quickly—blow the horns louder!"
The long blast of the retreat horns rolled across the field. Cao Hong's and Cao Xiu's armies began their withdrawal in earnest.
"I am not so easily frustrated as this. We'll settle it next time!"
In the end, his judgment was sound. Had he not chosen to retreat here, he would have suffered a far greater frustration.
Before the damage could grow worse, Cao Hong's army fell back, and Cao Xiu's forces likewise began extracting themselves from the battlefield with the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry at the front.
Though they had to weather the assaults of famous fierce generals from every side, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were still the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Maintaining their ranks and morale as best they could, they succeeded in withdrawing from the field.
What remained behind was the victory cry of our army.
Afterward, our reorganized army remained at Xiabian and continued to face off against Cao Hong's forces.
Zhang Fei took a portion of the troops and tried to provoke Cao Hong, but having already been thoroughly beaten in the first engagement, Cao Hong holed up in his camp and refused to accept the challenge.
We did not force an attack either. We simply did not have enough troops to break an enemy so thoroughly committed to defense.
But this, too, was what we wanted. Our purpose from the start had not been to crush the enemy, but to draw their attention and buy time.
Turning what should have been the battle in which Wu Lan and Lei Tong fell into a victory was already a considerable achievement.
In the meantime, we waited for word from Liu Bei, who had led the main force. Ma Chao, for his part, made contact with the Qiang and Di tribes with whom he was on friendly terms.
Time passed, and the movement we had been waiting for appeared. Cao Hong's army withdrew deeper into Hanzhong.
Then a messenger arrived from Liu Bei, who had gone to strike Yangping Pass, and delivered the news we had been waiting for.
"His Lordship has taken Yangping Pass."
Liu Bei, leading the main army, had brought Yangping Pass down. For reference, the figures attached to the main force alone included Pang Tong, Fa Zheng, Huang Quan, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Guo Jun, Liu Feng, and more.
Now all that remained was for these forces to be fully committed and take Hanzhong in earnest.