Battle in the Abandoned Building
"The enemy's hiding in that building! Seize them!"
Dozens of enemy soldiers who had been scattered about came swarming toward the building where we were concealed, like a nest of hornets.
Damn.
In my haste I loosed a few arrows. Several of the foremost enemy troops crumpled and fell, but there were far too many for archery alone to handle.
"Get inside! Grab anything you can find and barricade the door!"
I went into the building with my men and we set about sealing the entrance.
We jammed a spear shaft into place in lieu of the broken door latch, but that alone was nowhere near enough.
The soldiers snatched up wooden planks from inside the building, along with every piece of furniture and scrap of junk they could lay hands on, and piled them against the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the meantime the enemy troops, who had already reached the threshold, hammered at the door. The whole building seemed to shudder under a vibration even greater than before.
Thud!
"Hup—!"
Zheng Sui leapt back in pure terror. A blade had punched straight through the door panel and stopped just short of his nose.
The soldiers put their backs to the door and shoved with everything they had, but it was only a matter of time before it gave way. I had never expected the pursuit to come this far. I had assumed they would chase us a reasonable distance and then turn their attention to storming Jiangling.
Damn it. What now?
Then one idea rose to the surface.
Take the commander first.
Even a small unit like this would have an officer in charge. Rather than drag this out into a war of attrition, it would be better to strike where they least expected it.
"Lord Ma Su. Lord Ma Su."
"Yes?"
Ma Su's head appeared through a hole in the roof.
"Is there anyone among them who looks like an officer?"
"Give me a moment, please."
His face vanished briefly, then reappeared.
"At the very rear there's a large man wearing a horned helmet. He appears to be their commander. About four men are with him as escorts."
"I see."
I ran the calculations quickly.
"Loose fire arrows!"
The enemy was not idle either. The sound of arrows thudding into the wooden walls of the building came from every direction.
"Yu Eun, listen carefully. Here's what we'll do…"
I laid out the plan that had just come to me. Yu Eun's eyes went wide when he heard it, but he seemed to conclude there was no other way, and he nodded.
"It has to be done without a single mistake."
"Yes. You be careful as well, General."
While Yu Eun went straight to the soldiers and gave them a brief explanation of the plan, I moved to an inconspicuous corner of the building. There I hid myself inside a large basket that had been left standing.
A short while later, Yu Eun began leading the soldiers out through the back door.
"The enemy's fleeing through the rear!"
"Break through! Break through and get out!"
There must have been a few enemy soldiers at the back as well, for shouts rose and the sounds of a brief clash followed. But their numbers could not have been great; Yu Eun dealt with them at once and began his flight with the men.
Crash! Crunch!
With a splintering roar the front door burst wide open, and—
"After them! Capture that woman and promotion and reward are as good as yours!"
More than a dozen enemy troops poured in, then stampeded out through the rear door Yu Eun had used, raising a great clamor as they went.
Fortunately I was tucked tightly into my corner and went unnoticed.
The moment the last of them had gone out the back, I wasted no time climbing from the basket. Then I too hurried out through the rear door. Sure enough, far ahead I could see the enemy soldiers hard on the heels of the fleeing Yu Eun and his men.
And at the very rear of the pursuit, I spotted the officer in the horned helmet and roughly four escort guards.
"General! There's an enemy behind us!"
"What?"
One of the escorts, whether by instinct or luck, had called out.
"That—could that be the enemy general—ugh!"
I hurled my spear at the soldier who was pointing at me and shouting. It punched through his chest and he toppled backward.
"It's that general! Shoot! Shoot her!"
The escorts loosed arrows at me, but I ran sideways and dodged them all. Several shafts thunked into the ground where I had been standing.
I dropped low, slowed my pace, and nocked an arrow to my bow. My boots scraped the earth with a harsh hiss.
I loosed two arrows at once, and two of the escorts fell almost simultaneously.
"Wh—what?"
While the enemy reeled in confusion I drew my sword and charged the last remaining escort. I cut down the man whose hands and feet had tangled and who had dropped his bow, then swung straight for the commander's throat.
Clang! Clang!
"Y-you—!"
He managed to turn aside a few of my blows, but he was no officer of any real ability. He did not last long before my blade sent him to join the dead.
"I, Jin Cheong, have taken the enemy commander's head."
"Ah—!"
I wrenched free the spear still lodged in a fallen soldier's chest and fell upon the enemy from behind.
Sword in one hand and spear in the other, I danced among them, stabbing and cutting throats in a frenzy. Deprived of their commander, the enemy soldiers panicked and could not properly meet my assault; they went down one after another.
Then Yu Eun, who had been fleeing, turned back and attacked, and the enemy found themselves caught between us, under assault from both sides.
"Fight! They're few in number!"
The enemy tried to recover their wits and counterattack. At that moment—
"General! New soldiers have appeared over there!"
Ma Su, still hidden on the roof, poked only his head out and shouted from behind me. What—another enemy force?
"Whose troops are they? Are they hostile?"
"Wait—they don't seem to be the enemy. Ah! Could it be Gou Fu? It is Gou Fu!"
Vitality flooded Ma Su's voice. Gou Fu—our own side had arrived!
"Gou Fu! Over here, over here! It's me, Ma Su!"
Ma Su bounced up and down on the roof, waving both arms.
"Allies have come! Hold on!"
Gou Fu, who had himself been under pursuit, joined the fight with a small band of soldiers, and the enemy at last could not hold. They broke and scattered.
"Lord Ma Su. Come down at once."
"Y-yes."
Ma Su climbed down the ladder and, the moment he saw Gou Fu, threw his arms around him.
"Gou Fu! You're safe! I've been worried sick ever since we were separated."
"Yes. I'm glad you're unharmed as well, Lord Ma Su!"
The two of them had apparently gone about as a pair even in Jingzhou; they seemed quite close.
"I saw a fire over this way and came to look, only to find a battle already underway. I never expected General Jin Cheong to be here as well."
"Well, you arrived at just the right moment. We've had a bit of a situation."
The building we had occupied was burning from the fire arrows the Wu troops had loosed. The flames had not yet grown fierce, but they would soon be roaring.
"We'll talk later. We leave this place at once, before another pursuit party arrives."
"Yes. Everyone prepare. We move immediately."
With the soldiers Gou Fu had brought, our company now numbered roughly forty. A few had taken light wounds in the fighting, but mercifully none had been killed.
"Sun Quan seems to have a real venom in him. The forces of Jiangdong gathered at Lukou and are now advancing on Jiangling. Still, most of our troops who were at Gong'an appear to have escaped safely and reached Jiangling."
I was able to gather the information from Gou Fu as we marched. At this rate I needed to get back as quickly as possible. If Jiangling fell after I had come this far, all the hardship we had endured might come to nothing.
I quickened my pace toward Jiangling with the newly joined Gou Fu. Please hold out until I arrive.
The Kingdom of Wei.
Ever since word had reached him that a fierce battle was raging at Xiangfan, King Cao Cao of Wei had waited without cease for news of victory.
How stunned he had been to hear that Yu Jin had been taken alive and Xiahou Yuan beheaded.
And when he learned that even Cao Hong, whom he had trusted and dispatched, had been driven back not long ago, the dark shadow over him only grew deeper.
Yet the tidings he awaited never came.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Zhang Ji came gasping into the palace.
Judging by that face, more ill news has arrived.
Cao Cao thought as much even before the report was delivered.
"Your Majesty. I beg leave to speak, though it grieves me—Xiangyang and Fancheng have both fallen into Guan Yu's hands…"
Zhang Ji reported in a voice heavy with sorrow, and Cao Cao closed his eyes. Just as I feared…
He had prepared fresh reinforcements and supplies, hoping they might hold out a little longer, but hope had betrayed him. He had not been entirely unprepared for this after hearing of Cao Hong's defeat and of Pang Tong, Ma Chao, and others joining the enemy ranks—yet still…
Cao Cao asked with his eyes still shut.
"What of Cao Ren and Man Chong?"
"Man Chong barely broke through the encirclement and escaped as far as Wan, but General Cao Ren was wounded and fell behind. Precise word has not yet arrived, but it appears he has been taken by the enemy."
"I see…"
It was not the news he had waited for, but at least it was not a report of death. He supposed he should count that a small mercy…
Cao Cao remained lost in thought a moment, then opened his eyes. And he rose to his feet in a single motion.
It had been only a brief span of time, yet the air about him had changed. Life returned to eyes that had been aged and worn with fatigue; his once-limp beard stood stiff and glossy once more.
"Xu Chu. Bring me my sword and armor. I will take the field myself."
Xu Chu started at the words and flung himself flat upon the floor.
"Your Majesty! There is no need for Your Majesty to go in person. Preserve the imperial person!"
Zhang Ji prostrated himself as well and tried to restrain him.
"Indeed. The strength of our Wei is still great, and we have no shortage of talent. It is enough to select a single great general and send him."
Cao Cao shook his head.
"No. Having already lost Miaocai—Xiahou Yuan—I cannot lose Zixiao—Cao Ren—as well. I am sorry for Miaocai, who went before me, but Zixiao I must keep at my side a while longer."
Both Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren were his own kin, precious men who had followed him like his own hands and feet from the day he first raised his banner. He could not simply stand by and watch. How deeply had he grieved at the news of Xiahou Yuan's death?
His ministers pleaded with him, but Cao Cao would not yield. He donned his armor and buckled on his sword.
This will be my final campaign.