Finally Meeting Guan Yu
Leaving Cao Hong and Liu Feng behind, I arrived at Yancheng, where Guan Yu was waiting.
It had been a journey both endless and fleeting. This was the moment I had been waiting for since the days at Xinye — to meet Guan Yu alive once more.
Leaving Xu Shu behind, saving Pang Tong, bringing Pang De over to our side — I had rewritten history in countless ways, and though the path had been hard, it had also been deeply fulfilling.
And through all of it, one single purpose had never left my heart:
Stop Guan Yu's death.
The spark that set Shu Han on the road to ruin. The chapter that made so many first-time readers of the Romance hurl the book across the room.
I could say, without exaggeration, that I had set out on this entire journey to prevent that death.
I had expected to be overcome with emotion the moment I stood face to face with the living Guan Yu. Instead, one detail seized my attention and froze the color from my face.
"I have come at the summons of the General of the Front, leading a relief force. However…"
"Indeed. It has been some years. I hear you have been made Pingdong-general. Congratulations on your promotion."
"Thank you. And congratulations to you as well, General Guan, on your elevation to General of the Front. But that arm of yours…"
My eyes were fixed on Guan Yu's arm, tightly bound in bandages. Guan Ping and Liao Hua, standing at attention on either side of him, wore equally dark expressions.
"This, you mean? I took the wound fighting that dog Xiahou Yuan. It is nothing worth fretting over — put it from your mind."
"Yes… Still, I am grateful it is no worse than this."
From what he told me, Xiahou Yuan — his path cut off by the flood — had led a small force in a desperate last stand. Guan Yu had captured and beheaded him, but not before taking an arrow wound in the process.
That wound was supposed to have come from Pang De. I had brought Pang De over to our side precisely so this would never happen. And yet Guan Yu had still been struck in the arm by an arrow. Was it simply his fate — that no matter the circumstances, his arm had to be pierced?
Once again, I regretted not finishing Xiahou Yuan at Hanzhong.
Still, this had to be the end of Guan Yu's injuries. The worry that his fate might be something I simply could not change was real enough. If I failed, twelve years of effort would turn to nothing but foam on the water.
"But what of Liu Feng? It was him I originally requested as relief."
Liu Feng was Liu Bei's adopted son and the overall commander at Xiangyong. Given the coolness between the two of them, Guan Yu seemed to be expressing his displeasure that Liu Feng had not come in person.
Fortunately, I already had my defense prepared.
"We set out together, but along the way we encountered Cao Hong's army. General Liu Feng is currently engaging him, and so I came on alone. Without General Liu Feng, I would never have reached you at all."
I thought of Liu Feng, still facing Cao Hong even now. Was he holding up? I had given him a plan for dealing with Cao Hong — a way to harass him and stall his advance, even if he could not win outright.
And if he managed to link up with Pang Tong, who was coming up behind, he might even take the victory. Crushing Cao Hong would dramatically improve our chances of saving Guan Yu.
"I see. So Cao Hong was there. But can Liu Feng face him alone? Had you remained with him, there would be no concern — but as things stand…"
"Do not trouble yourself, my lord. He may not win, but I do not believe he will lose."
"Very well. That is fortunate, then. The Hanzhong campaign has only just ended, and yet you have come all this way — you have worked hard. And I hear the young master — no, His Highness the Crown Prince — has come as well?"
"Yes, that is correct. He should be disembarking even now and making his way here."
As Guan Yu said, I had ultimately brought Liu Shan all the way to Yancheng. I had considered leaving him at Xiangyong, but Xiangyong was hardly perfectly safe, and Liu Bei had entrusted him specifically to me. So I had decided to bring him this far.
The fact that we had faced no real danger on the journey was a blessing beyond measure.
The first hurdle in saving Guan Yu — meeting him — was done. Now the real work began.
I remained at Yancheng for a time, joining Guan Yu in the campaigns against Fancheng and Xiangyang.
Fancheng was currently held by Cao Ren and Man Chong; Xiangyang by Lü Chang. Yu Jin and his thirty thousand troops, who had come as reinforcements, had surrendered and been sent on to Jiangling.
What remained now were Xiangyang and Fancheng.
"Cao Ren of Fancheng, hear this! Yu Jin has been taken captive, and Cao Hong has been defeated and driven off. No further relief is coming — surrender at once! Do so, and your lives will be spared!"
At first we tried calling for their surrender. To men who had been clinging to the hope of reinforcements, the news must have struck like a bolt from a clear sky. The shadows on the faces of the soldiers manning the walls grew deeper by the day.
Even so, Cao Ren chose stubborn endurance, and in the end we had no choice but to concentrate on taking the city by force.
Breaking Xiangfan after the flood was no easy task. Water still blocked the approach routes, forcing us to attack by boat. And with Cao Ren and Man Chong as the defenders, the fortifications were formidable. That they continued to hold out even with their men's morale so badly shaken was almost astonishing.
Still, our steady assaults were producing results.
The critical issue was supply. We were not desperately short, but neither were we comfortable — and that weighed on me.
Then again, Xiangfan's situation had to be worse. Completely surrounded, cut off from outside supply, with a great deal of their grain already spoiled by the floodwaters.
And what I most wanted to know was, of course:
What has become of Jiangling?
In the midst of the grinding siege, two pieces of news arrived — one from the north, one from the south.
The northern report ran as follows:
Military Advisor Pang Tong has routed Cao Hong's army. He is dealing with the remnants, gathering supplies, and will proceed in this direction.
Yes! At last.
Pang Tong had come with Ma Chao, Pang De, Ma Dai, and other generals. Even a simple relief force would have been more than welcome — but a roster this brilliant? And he had already driven Cao Hong into retreat. For the time being, things here would be fine.
The problem was the south.
Guan Yu had nodded at the northern report. But the message Xu Shu sent from the south sent him into a towering rage.
"That dog Mi Fang has committed an act of treachery! Advisor Xu stopped him, and for that I am grateful — but that wretch! First he burns the military stores before a campaign even begins, and now he tries to hand over the city itself. That rat was after Jiangling!"
Just as I expected…
"Then Lord Sun Quan of Wu was targeting Jiangling?"
"Sun Quan is one thing — but Governor Mi Fang of Nan Commandery was truly about to betray us?"
"He was. He must have been waiting for the moment I left the city empty."
"Jiangling does not have many troops. This is grave."
Guan Ping, Liao Hua, and the other subordinate officers were thrown into confusion by the unexpected news, at a loss for what to do.
The shock plunged the command tent into chaos in an instant.
In the midst of that disorder, I quietly let out a breath of relief. Judging by the information, Jiangling had been in danger — but it had not fallen.
Mi Fang had apparently burned military stores even before the fighting began, but Gou Fu had responded in time and prevented the worst of the damage. Thanks to that, our supply situation was not entirely desperate.
I was right to recommend Gou Fu!
Xu Shu had put out the immediate fire, but Sun Quan was not the type to give up. He might well send a larger army to make a second attempt on Jiangling. It seemed the time had come for me to go there myself. With Pang Tong on his way, Guan Yu would be fine left here.
"General, please compose yourself. I believe Sun Quan of Eastern Wu will continue to set his sights on Jiangling. If you will send me, I will harden its defenses."
"Very well. I can trust General Jin with this. Go and teach that rat Sun Quan a lesson."
"I will do everything in my power."
I set out for Jiangling with my subordinate officers, Liu Shan, and two thousand troops. Even so, the efforts of Xu Shu and Pang Tong left me somewhat reassured.
Hurrying south to Jiangling, I met with Xu Shu.
"Advisor Xu! It has been far too long!"
"Indeed. I am glad to see you in good health, General. I have heard news of your exploits. Only a few months ago you were fighting at Hanzhong, and now you have come all this way by way of Xiangyong and Xiangfan. It seems General Jin is the busiest person in our entire army."
Roughly two years since we had last seen each other. Looking at his still-cheerful face, the fatigue of the long journey seemed to melt away.
"Hardly. You are the one who has worked hard, Advisor Xu — holding Jiangling all this time."
After a brief exchange of courtesies, we stepped into the official residence and lowered our voices.
"Lord Mi Fang attempted to collude with the enemy. Frankly, had you not mentioned it, General, we might have been caught completely unawares. How on earth did you know?"
"…Ah, I'll explain that later. So — what is the situation now?"
Xu Shu's account was as follows.
Xu Shu, Ma Su, and Gou Fu — who had arrived in Jingzhou ahead of time — had quietly kept Mi Fang under watch. Xu Shu had so much central administration to handle that the surveillance had fallen mainly to Ma Su and Gou Fu.
Ma Su, with his thick skin and easy manner, had been particularly well suited to the task. He had approached Mi Fang naturally, acting as though he wanted to win the man's favor — but Mi Fang's responses had been oddly cool, as if he were hiding something.
Then they discovered a letter in which Mi Fang was colluding with Sun Quan's forces. Xu Shu turned the discovery to his advantage, pretending to fall for the scheme and drawing the Wu army in. Once they had let their guard down, he ambushed them and drove them off.
And that victory had brought me a rather surprising result.
"We repelled the Wu army and captured their generals — Gan Ning and Ling Tong."