Qingzhou Soldiers
Qingzhou Soldiers.
The Qingzhou Soldiers — a force composed of the Yellow Turban rebels Cao Cao had subdued in Qingzhou.
They had served him for twenty-eight years until his death, and upon his passing they disbanded of their own accord: private troops of Cao Cao, in all but name.
And now I was locking spears with their commander. This had never been part of my calculations, so at first I could not help but feel shaken.
But as I dueled with Zang Ba, I gradually steadied my mind. Right — this was a battlefield, so the unexpected could happen at any time. First I had to deal with the enemy before me.
I had been briefly forced onto the defensive early on, but once I collected myself I turned the tables and poured on the offense. If this was a bond forged in grudge, then I would sever that bond right here.
"You wench. So it wasn't mere luck that you killed Sun Guan. Good — that way his death will have meant something."
Even as he was pushed back, he never stopped showing his hatred for me. His momentum was fierce, but how could a fight be decided by momentum alone?
Clang!
Once more the two spear blades sparked.
"Ugh!"
Seizing the moment he swallowed a groan, I thrust at another opening.
Clang!
As Zang Ba frantically blocked, I twisted my shaft and sent his spear flying. I moved to finish him, but he dodged nimbly.
I tried to pursue him as he fled backward, but the Qingzhou Soldiers swarmed in like a hive of bees, and I had no choice but to face them.
"Qingzhou Soldiers or Tiger and Leopard Cavalry — come at me, all of you!"
Wherever my spear moved, blood sprayed, and one by one the Qingzhou Soldiers fell. Individually, their combat ability was clearly inferior to the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.
But their ferocity exceeded even that, and they were skilled at close-quarters fighting, charging me without hesitation. It was like watching the difference between Gan Ning's men and Ling Tong's elite troops.
As I fought them and looked around, Zhang Fei was still displaying peerless valor — but our own soldiers were being pushed back.
Our unit had already been exhausted from fighting three successive forces, and the Qingzhou Soldiers rampaged savagely as they charged our men.
"I'm coming again! I won't retreat until you give me that head of yours!"
Zang Ba, having snatched a spear from a subordinate beside him, charged once more. That persistent bastard!
I was starting to grow anxious.
Had reinforcements gone to Xiahou Yuan's side as well? If we withdrew now without having taken Xiahou Yuan or Guo Huai, we would have failed to achieve our original objective.
Thud-thud! Thud-thud!
Then — vibration and noise from behind me. Had yet another unit crashed into the battlefield? If the enemy reinforced us further in this state, we truly would not hold.
"Seyoung! I've come to support you!"
A familiar voice eased my sense of crisis.
"Father!"
Father, leading the personal guard, charged toward the Qingzhou Soldiers. The Qingzhou Soldiers were rough and tenacious, but the unit Father led was Liu Bei's personal elite guard — the finest of our army. With them here, we would at least not lose.
Indeed, though few in number, the guard displayed skill far superior to ordinary soldiers and began driving the Qingzhou Soldiers back.
Father especially—
"You dogs! Do you know who Jin Do is? Come at me all at once!"
As commander of the personal guard whose first priority was Liu Bei's safety, he rarely fought on the front lines himself — but once he faced the enemy, his usual dignified manner vanished without a trace, and he was showing his valor without reserve.
A few swings of his blade, and three or four Qingzhou Soldiers crumpled in an instant. No wonder the records linked him with Zhao Yun!
"I'll take you on myself!"
"Who the hell are you? I've no business with you — get out of my way!"
"Shut up! You won't lay a finger on my daughter!"
Father even intercepted Zang Ba as he charged at me and pressed him hard. Zang Ba was hard-pressed just to block Father's attacks.
Catching my breath, I looked around. The Qingzhou Soldiers' morale was high, so crushing them instantly looked difficult — but they were definitely being driven back.
But wait… if the personal guard had come this far—
"His Lordship has arrived!"
"It's our lord!"
Along with the soldiers' cheers, I saw Liu Bei on the far side, dual swords in hand, personally commanding a unit.
Liu Bei's very appearance was enough to boost the soldiers' morale. Men who had been on the verge of collapse found strength again and faced the enemy.
But did this mean the situation had grown so desperate that even Liu Bei had to take the field in person?
"Personal guard — form a wall and hold the enemy! General Zhang Fei, fall back first!"
While Liu Bei's personal guard faced the Qingzhou Soldiers, Zhang Fei and I began withdrawing, rallying our exhausted troops as we went.
"This is enough. Fall back to the main camp!"
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Liu Bei gave the order to withdraw. Continuing the fight would only increase our losses, and more enemies might arrive — so his aim seemed to be preserving the army for now.
And when the personal guard also showed signs of pulling back, the enemy fortunately stopped fighting and began to withdraw as well.
We made it out of the battlefield and arrived safely at the main camp.
But Xiahou Yuan — what had become of Xiahou Yuan? We hadn't even caught Guo Huai.
"The enemy is fleeing. Pursue them!"
"General Zang Ba, wait. We must stop the pursuit."
Yun Li, a deputy commander, restrained Zang Ba as he was about to chase the Liu Bei army that had just begun to flee.
"What are you talking about? This is our chance."
"Our own forces are exhausted from the long march. If we push deeper into the night, we may fall into a trap. We have rescued our allies — reorganization must come first. General Cao Hong has ordered as much."
"Damn it."
Zang Ba clicked his tongue and watched the Liu Bei army retreating up the mountain. Jin Cheong, the one he had been targeting, had already withdrawn some distance.
It rankled, but Yun Li was right. He set aside his grudge for the moment and began fulfilling his duties as a general.
"Call off the pursuit. Priority is recovering our own forces."
Back at the main camp, I first set about finding out what had happened.
The greatest cause of the drastic shift in the situation was that Cao Cao's reinforcements had arrived faster than expected.
In the original history, Cao Cao had not sent reinforcements immediately when the Battle of Mount Dingjun broke out, but had lingered in Chang'an for several months. Only after Xiahou Yuan's death had he moved his relief force.
That idle time wasted in Chang'an was often cited as a cause of his defeat in the Hanzhong campaign — and here, that factor had vanished completely.
And Xiahou Yuan…
"Regrettably, he is said to have escaped."
"Ah…"
The enemy reinforcements that had arrived consisted of two units: Yan Xing as the right vanguard and Zang Ba as the left vanguard.
I learned a little later that Cao Cao had appointed Yan Xing, a general from Xiliang, and Zang Ba, commander of the Qingzhou Soldiers, as his left and right vanguards respectively, and had arranged for them to reach us in short order. Both specialized in rapid troop deployment, so they had arrived on schedule.
Until they came, the operation had been proceeding smoothly.
When Zhang Fei and I attacked Guo Huai, Xiahou Yuan had sent half his force as reinforcements. Seizing the gap left by that half, Huang Zhong and the others had attacked Xiahou Yuan's main camp and set fire to the deer-horn fortifications.
Xiahou Yuan had come out in person to repair the fortifications, only to be surrounded by our prepared forces and subjected to a fierce assault.
Up to that point, both sides had been moving according to a script on a carefully prepared stage. The ones who had destroyed the stage we had so carefully refined were none other than Yan Xing and Zang Ba — names that had never been written into the script at all.
When Yan Xing rescued Xiahou Yuan and Zang Ba rescued Guo Huai, Liu Bei had to respond.
Zhao Yun, who had remained at the main camp as a reserve, was sent to face Yan Xing, so Liu Bei himself had led the personal guard to support us.
Xiahou Yuan's army had suffered near-annihilation, but from Wei's perspective it was fortunate that he had managed to slip away and flee. Had the reinforcements arrived even an hour later, he would have struggled to keep his life.
Even worse news: Cao Cao's main force would arrive soon.
Upon arriving in Hanzhong, Cao Cao immediately surveyed the situation and met with Xiahou Yuan.
"Your Highness the King of Wei. I have no face to show you. We have suffered a great defeat. Please punish me."
Looking at Xiahou Yuan bowing his head and begging for punishment, Cao Cao smiled faintly. I was worried, but I have not lost you yet. Yes — as it should be.
"Victory and defeat are the ordinary of war. Defeat is repaid with victory — that is all."
"Yes! This humble officer will offer his life to Your Highness."
After encouraging Xiahou Yuan, Cao Cao stepped outside the tent.
And he looked up at the towering Mount Dingjun. Already that place was filled with the enemy's banners. Among them, one flag stood out above all.
Liu Bei. I still remember that day clearly. I said there were two heroes under heaven. But this land of rivers and mountains needs only one. I will show who the true hero is.
I was watching Cao Cao's army arrive in successive waves from atop Mount Dingjun. My feelings were mixed. Where had things gone wrong?
There were a few consolations, at least. Xiahou Yuan's main force was nearly annihilated, and Guo Huai's army had been cut in half as well.
Moreover, Mount Dingjun and a considerable number of high-ground positions and key strongholds were already in our hands. For now, the terrain advantage was ours.
According to spy reports, Cao Cao had even brought his sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhang to this war.
In the original historical records, there had been no mention of those two participating in the Hanzhong campaign.
This historically unprecedented speed of movement, plus the participation of Cao Pi and Cao Zhang… Something major must have shifted in his heart. Was the defeat at Red Cliffs the cause?
Whatever the cause, the present situation was…
"Cao Cao has come grinding his teeth in earnest."
Pang Tong smiled faintly, and Liu Bei nodded.
"Yes. I knew it would come to this eventually. Hasn't it turned out well, in a way? We will settle it here. I will make Cao Cao regret coming in person."
But Fa Zheng, who had planned this operation, hung his head somewhat dejectedly.
"I am deeply ashamed, my lord. In waiting for the right moment, I have instead let the moment slip away."
"It is not your fault. Achieving results of this magnitude alone is remarkable. I look forward to whatever ingenious plan you will devise next."
Having comforted Fa Zheng, Liu Bei began issuing orders to his generals.
"Huo Jun, Wang Wei. I entrust you with the defense of Yangping Pass."
"Yes! Understood."
"Not even an ant will cross Yangping Pass!"
Huo Jun and Wang Wei — the gatekeepers who had so splendidly held Gaimeng Pass. Next, Liu Bei looked at Ma Chao.
"General Ma Chao. How go the contacts with the Qiang and Di tribes?"
"Yes. I have already received word that support forces are on their way here. The moment they arrive, I will take Cao Cao's head."
"Leave it to us. We will avenge our grudge from Xiliang right here."
Ma Chao, close with the foreign tribes, and his right hand Pang De answered in turn.
Liu Bei smiled with satisfaction and looked over the generals gathered here.
Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Liu Feng, and the rest.
All of them veterans who would bring victory in this war.
And Jin Cheong.
Since Cao Cao's reinforcements had arrived, she seemed to have grown much more thoughtful. Even ordinarily it was hard to tell what she was thinking, but this time even more so.
Perhaps she looked as if she were blaming herself — even though she had made not a single mistake in the previous battle.
But in the battles to come, she would become a sharp blade and strike the enemy. Of that much, Liu Bei was certain.
He looked down at Cao Cao's army and thought.
I once said there were only two heroes under heaven. Now the time has come to decide which of us is the greater.