The Sleeping Dragon Greets the Dying - 4
Long lines of torches blazed like a grand feast.
At the center stood a man in scholar's robes.
The Crouching Dragon, clutching his white feather fan, finally rose to his full height and began directing the troops.
'Did you plan even this?'
The decoy blaze strategy that Chen Soyoung had proposed—setting fire to the main camp.
It aligned perfectly with Zhuge Liang's arrival.
When brilliant flames suddenly erupted from the enemy main camp, the foes didn't even suspect a thing.
Though Zhuge Liang's relief force was exhausted from the forced march, their morale pierced the heavens.
They had heard tales from the messengers of the heroic victory Liu Bei's army had achieved at Pakmangpa.
Though Liu Bei's and Zhuge Liang's troops had been in separate commands, soldiers are human—mercy doesn't suddenly well up when killing enemies. To think that five thousand men, whom they'd assumed were doomed, had inflicted near-total annihilation on a massive enemy host and even stalled the follow-up forces?
If there were heroes, they had to be at Pakmangpa.
Xinyang's five thousand were heroes, and when Zhuge Liang learned that the mastermind behind the decoy blaze and ambush was Chen Soyoung, he was swept up in ecstatic rapture.
Yet the fact that his daughter was in the thick of war tore at his heart, and the moment he arrived at the camp, he began berating her in fury.
"Why did you not come to Yangyang? Speak the truth."
Chen Soyoung froze under Zhuge Liang's calm yet rage-filled tone.
No, her body had already reached its limit and was turning to jelly.
But the relief when this man finally arrived!
Overwhelmed by joy at surviving rather than his anger, her trembling legs gave out, and she collapsed with a thud.
Liu Bei, standing behind her, supported her, and soon she was carried into the tent by soldiers. Seeing this, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but feel both proud and dismayed at his daughter's daring recklessness.
"This matter can wait. The mountain of tasks before us is pressing; she'll need to choose her words carefully later."
Zhuge Liang turned his gaze back to Chen Soyoung before reporting to Liu Bei.
"This humble servant has acted on his own. I sent Yuan Zhi to Yangyang to handle the aftermath, and there are no further worries left—only the enemy forces ahead remain."
"We'll hear that story later, Kongming. But I never imagined things would turn out like this... I was half-doubting, half-believing."
"Did my lord doubt this servant?"
Liu Bei fetched a chair from the corner of the tent and offered it to Zhuge Liang before diving straight in.
"That's not it. We'll discuss that after things settle. Wei's massive army is facing off solely against Yun Chang's ten thousand. Do you see the beacon fire on the mountain?"
"Yes. Judging by how fiercely it burns, the battle must still be raging. We shall advance swiftly and eliminate my lord's worries."
Zhuge Liang rolled up his sleeves and stepped out of the tent.
How could a vassal arrive so late when his lord was suffering? Now, at least, he would face the enemy and prove his loyalty.
"Hear me, all units! The enemy's main force is advancing toward Xinyang through Pakmangpa! We shall not meet them at Pakmangpa!"
"Advance! We camp before Xinyang and rest until the enemy main body arrives!"
Liu Bei rushed out of the camp and grabbed Zhuge Liang's wrist.
He was desperate.
With a grave expression, he pressed Zhuge Liang.
"Is that truly fine? Can I trust you, Kongming?"
"I shall end the fight before the beacon dies. Worry not, my lord—sleep soundly."
Zhuge Liang spoke to his lord with bold ambition and audacity, much like Chen Soyoung.
'It's already a won battle; no need for worry.'
Far from fretting over the fight, Zhuge Liang was lost in thoughts of his daughter's achievements.
In his mind, the battle's outcome was already mapped out and concluded.
Even if our army entered Pakmangpa, we lack the numbers, making field battle inevitable.
A straightforward clash of strength it would be.
The enemy's grand scheme had already crumbled.
The moment they failed to swiftly capture Xinyang, victory and defeat were sealed.
Moreover, Shu's four thousand lurked behind them, so Wei—confronted by this sudden host—would surely retreat.
Even if not, our army's morale was at its peak; we need only shatter them.
'But how did my daughter think to set the main camp ablaze?'
Ghostly stratagem indeed. This one move would effortlessly tip the scales.
Even I couldn't deploy such a ploy. It accounted for Yangyang's situation, our army's speed, and the enemy's timing before igniting the fire.
Too perfectly aligned to be coincidence.
Her skill against Xiahou Dun was godlike too—decoy blaze, ambush, fire attack.
How did it match my intentions so precisely, even advising my lord as such?
Just recently, she was a child no soldier knew...
Ak Jin reported to Cao Jin.
"The enemy general is Guan Yu, leading a detachment in response. Rest easy, Commander."
"With no rear threats, our army advances straight to Xinyang!"
Guan Yu. The man Mengde had countless times tried to win over, only to fail.
Because he couldn't shed his arrogant pride, Guan Yu would die at Pakmangpa today.
"This seems to be the last ridge, General!"
Cao Jin's massive army crested Pakmangpa's ridge with minimal losses.
Thus, Cao Jin issued orders.
"Xinyang is just ahead! Advance in the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation!"
At Cao Jin's command, the soldiers formed a circular array. It was the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, called heaven's fortress.
At a glance, it seemed easy to breach. Enemies fixated on the general flag at the center itched to charge the seemingly thin lines.
But it was a trap.
The moment foes were lured inside by the sweet temptation, they were skewered like meat on spits.
Cao Jin was a cautious commander.
Capturing Xinyang was priority, yes.
But he wanted to guard against any possible ambushes.
Cao Jin advanced in formation to deter the enemy from even thinking of engaging.
"General! General! Urgent report!"
Cao Jin gently encouraged the troops, seeing the messenger's urgency.
"What is it? Have the enemies fled, leaving Xinyang empty?"
"No, General! Rather, an enemy host has appeared! Roughly ten thousand strong!"
!!!
Cao Jin hurriedly exited the formation and scanned Xinyang from the vanguard. Flames indeed raged there.
But beyond, small fires—dozens, hundreds, thousands...
Cao Jin's jaw dropped.
"A sight to make ghosts wail."
Dragged to a private tent, I woke from sleep.
I hadn't slept long. In truth, just two days without rest.
I finally got why special forces train to sleep in wartime—even when desperate for it, the thought never crossed my mind.
Uncle Kongming had arrived, the tension snapped, and it felt like mind control yanked control from my body in an instant.
So I was tossed into the tent, and now I'm awake.
Outside was quiet. People were surely fighting for their lives somewhere, but no great worry stirred.
'He'll surely win.'
My consciousness had faded right after hearing Uncle Kongming had seized Yangyang.
...Right! Things are going well!
I don't know what move he used, but something huge happened.
But... impressive as that is, something even more important looms.
He's finally here.
The relief force has arrived...!
Thanks for coming. No, you had to come.
I won't ask why so late.
My limbs are shaking. With the whale generals at war, what could shrimp Soyoung do?
I hid it, but every word felt like my soul scorching.
Dozens, hundreds of times, I doubted: Is this right? Am I doing this right?
Even cockroaches spike to IQ 400 at death's door; shrimp Soyoung's tiny brain went full throttle and somehow wrapped things up.
"You're awake, young lady."
"Ah. Uncle Zhao Yun."
Silk wrapped around his bare skin where he'd shed his armor—yep, injured as expected.
'Wait... shed his armor?'
In wartime?
"Can I ask like last time?"
"Speak."
"Did we win?"
"We did."
...!!!!
Ah. Joy.
Euphoria surges.
Catharsis hits as I flop onto the bedding; Zhao Yun plops onto a nearby mat.
His grin radiates even here.
"A great victory. The strategist showcased brilliant tactics, shattering Cao Jin's Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation; the enemy retreated at once."
"As expected."
"Not the end. The enemy fell back right into the ambush you ordered, suffering heavy losses in the chaos."
"That was just luck..."
"Too perfectly timed for luck. Guan Yu's beacons rallied our scattered forces. We converged on Pakmangpa's peak in response and spotted the retreating enemy head."
Uncle Zhao Yun sounded like a kid reciting a hero tale, all excited.
Bandages on his head—maybe frontal lobe issues?
He was that uncontrollably emotional.
That passionately, without hiding his thrill... he praised my merits.
"We blocked their head. Cao Jin sent a detachment to clear the rear threat, but that became his fatal mistake."
I just nodded along, murmuring "I see."
"You've earned immense merit, yet why that displeased look?"
"Feelings exist, you know. Ever hear 'middle is best'?"
"First time."
"Screw up, get chewed out; succeed, get worked harder. I did nothing. For real."
I'm shaking now.
Bipolar? I was so happy earlier—why this slump, this weakness?
I earned no merit; someone else can have it.
"Truth is, Master Kongming reads the future. Stargazing shows it all. I just followed his lead."
"Hard to imagine."
"Right? I did zilch. Anyway, I'll sleep more..."
Uncle Zhao Yun laughed.
"Rest well. Lord Huangshu anxiously wishes to see you but spares you by not coming here. He seemed terribly on edge—shall we go now?"
"I feel like I'm dying—weak, no energy."
"Then go once the death-sickness passes."
I rolled over.
Ah... damn... why's the vibe so off???