Interlude

Speaking only of the battle’s outcome, although we were victorious, the Wei army managed to retreat without much trouble.

Ma Chao, who had pursued Cao Cao, ultimately failed to break through Xu Chu and let Cao Cao escape. I inflicted quite significant damage on Cao Zhang, but it wasn’t enough to be a fatal wound. Cao Zhen, who rushed in to rescue Cao Zhang, also took a sword strike, but not enough to be fatal.

Although Liu Bei attacked as a follow-up force, they were able to avoid complete collapse thanks to Xu Huang, who was at Yangping Pass, arriving in time on their side.

Despite our situation becoming more advantageous, Liu Bei didn’t let go of the tension until the end.

Perhaps because he had just witnessed firsthand the disaster caused by a moment’s carelessness, he only began to formally incorporate Hanzhong into his sphere of influence after hearing the news that Cao Cao had retreated across the Qinling Mountains to Chang’an.

Now that even Cao Cao had been defeated, there was no one left in Hanzhong to stand in Liu Bei’s way. Liu Bei, who took Nanzheng County in a day, soon subjugated the entire Hanzhong region.

Though it wasn’t until the new year, Liu Bei, who started the year with the conquest of Hanzhong, seemed to be in a great mood. He opened the granaries of Nanzheng County to distribute to the people and soldiers, while also holding a grand banquet to award merits.

“Hahaha! Cao Cao held out quite well, but how could he defeat us? Isn’t that right, gentlemen?”

Indeed, Cao Cao did hold out for a long time. Especially considering he had hastily gathered troops and set out after Cao Hong’s death, and then came down to Hanzhong without even resting in Chang’an.

Even in the original history, he held out for over three months, but this time he dragged it out for nearly five months. Having lost Cao Hong and Zhang He too, his desire for revenge must have been much greater.

Still, as soon as Cao Cao retreated to Chang’an, he showed that he was still going strong by dispatching reinforcements to Cao Ren to crush Hou Yin, who had raised a rebellion in Jingzhou.

It was a bold military operation typical of Cao Cao, who becomes even more daring in times of crisis.

Thanks to this, Guan Yu, who was planning to raise troops riding on the momentum of the consecutive victories in Hanzhong and Hou Yin’s rebellion, hesitated and began to observe the situation again, but anyway.

Just as the atmosphere of the banquet had heated up appropriately and talk of awarding merits was about to come up, Huang Quan stood up and said to Liu Bei:

“My lord, I humbly suggest that it is premature to discuss the awarding of merits.”

“What do you mean? Hasn’t Cao Cao already left?”

“Although Cao Cao has retreated to Chang’an and the Nanzheng area has been subjugated, Xicheng, Shangyong, and Fangling still remain. Only after we have taken all of these into our fold can we say that the war has truly ended.”

“Not only that. Doesn’t Cao Cao’s relocation of the people of Wudu acknowledge that he can no longer defend it? We should rightfully take Wudu County as well.”

At the words of Huang Quan and Fa Zheng, the mood of the generals, who had been excited at the thought of receiving rewards for their merits, visibly dampened.

Seeing the generals clearing their throats to hide their embarrassment, Liu Bei agreed that the two were correct.

“Then it would be good to relay this to Jingzhou as well and pressure them from both sides.”

“Recently, in Wancheng, a righteous man named Hou Yin raised an army against Cao Cao but was suppressed. Also, with the appointment of Zhen Yi, who achieved great merit against the barbarians in the north, as Governor of Nanyang, things are unsettled, so wouldn’t it be better to leave Jingzhou as it is?”

When Liu Bei suggested a way to increase efficiency, Fa Zheng carefully expressed an opposing opinion. Despite the rebuttal to his words, Liu Bei focused on the name Fa Zheng mentioned rather than being displeased.

“Is Guoyang coming?”

Zhen Yi Guoyang. This hidden great general of the Three Kingdoms is now a general of Wei, but his first appearance in history was when he sought refuge with none other than Liu Bei.

And that was during the time of Gongsun Zan, when Liu Bei was no better than a stray dog.

For Liu Bei, who lacked nothing in terms of eye for talent and ambition, how much of a sore spot must Zhen Yi have been?

“Then we’ll leave Jingzhou as it is. In that case, we need to send someone with weight on this side. The General of Pingxi can take care of Wudu County, and for the rest…”

It was at that moment when Liu Bei’s gaze turned towards my father.

“I will go.”

“Ran, you? Hmm… you must be tired from fighting since the start of this war, don’t you want to rest this time?”

Judging from the fact that he didn’t mention anything about lacking weight, it seems my reputation has definitely grown significantly now, which made me feel quite good.

As I was about to persuade Liu Bei, someone was faster than me. It was Fa Zheng.

“My lord, please approve it.”

“Even you, Xiaozhi?”

“While everyone knows of the General Who Maintains Vigor’s efforts and military achievements, in truth, the final attack was the general’s independent decision. This goes against military orders, so please order her to attack Shangyong to make up for it.”

I did rush out saying we should deceive our own troops before deceiving the enemy. It was wrong to go out without seeking Liu Bei’s permission. It was glossed over because the result was good.

However, Liu Bei didn’t seem to think so.

“I have already given orders to Ran’er and a few other generals that they may move first if the situation is urgent. Thinking that way, I don’t see any problem with Ran’er’s attack.”

“That was meant for dealing with enemy attacks, not for recklessly launching preemptive strikes. While the good result is of course important, we must never neglect the process, my lord.”

“Xiaozhi’s words are right too.”

From Fa Zheng’s perspective, he probably intended to use my military service as a punishment to maintain military discipline, but for me, it was nothing less than supporting fire.

Liu Bei no longer opposed when even Fa Zheng stepped forward to provide justification.

“Then I will send 5,000 troops, adding soldiers under her command, with General Who Maintains Vigor Zhang Ran as the commander. We’ll proceed with awarding merits after we’ve completely gained Hanzhong.”

“My lord! Please send me too!”

Suddenly, Liu Feng rushed out and knelt before Liu Bei, shouting.

“Gongzhong, you too?”

“Yes, my lord. I wish to join the reinforcements.”

“Hmm, what do you think, Mingxing?”

Liu Feng, huh. Originally, the eastern part of Hanzhong was finished under the leadership of Liu Feng and Meng Da. In that sense, I was also taking away the achievements that Liu Feng would have gained.

There’s no need to stop him, and someone of Liu Feng’s caliber should be able to pull his own weight. Since Liu Bei has publicly declared me as the commander, there won’t be issues like with Meng Da where the chain of command isn’t clear, causing problems, so it should be fine.

“Yes. An Assistant Army Commandant should be sufficiently helpful.”

“Good. Then I will have the Assistant Army Commandant serve as a lieutenant. Is there anyone who objects?”

This is the conclusion reached by Huang Quan, Fa Zheng, me, and Liu Bei. With no further objections, Liu Bei nodded and raised his cup.

“Now then, let’s enjoy the banquet!”

§

The eastern part of Hanzhong that had not yet become Liu Bei’s. Among them, Fangling, which is the easternmost, was where Gui Gui, Zhuge Liang’s brother-in-law, had established his own power base, while Xicheng and Shangyong were where the brothers Shen Tan and Shen Yi had built their own forces.

These men, who had formed independent powers caught between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, had been watching from a step away during the battle for Hanzhong. Upon hearing of Liu Bei’s complete victory, they fell into contemplation.

Should they submit to Liu Bei, or should they resist?

The reactions shown by the Shen Tan-Shen Yi brothers and Gui Gui were opposite.

Surprisingly, Gui Gui, Zhuge Liang’s brother-in-law, chose to resist, while the unrelated Shen Tan and Shen Yi chose the path of surrender.

After conveying their intention to surrender and receiving a reply from Zhang Ran accepting it, the brothers were waiting for Zhang Ran in Xicheng, which was closer to Nanzheng County.

“This is the right path, isn’t it, brother?”

To his younger brother Shen Yi’s words, Shen Tan replied as if there was no other choice.

“Didn’t even Cao Cao lose?”

“I’m still not sure. Can Liu Bei really defeat Cao Cao? Isn’t it just one victory so far?”

“Hey! Watch your words.”

Now that they had decided to join under Liu Bei, they needed to be careful with their words.

“From what I see, the tide is flowing towards the Illustrious Lord. Look. When has the Illustrious Lord lost since Chibi?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Moreover, they say the one coming now is the General Who Maintains Vigor. How could we win against her?”

Shen Yi looked glumly at Shen Tan, who was calling Liu Bei the Illustrious Lord and Zhang Ran the General Who Maintains Vigor, and grumbled again with a disgruntled voice.

“If we rely on the city walls, it’s not impossible.”

“Hey, I told you to stop saying such things.”

Though he spoke like this, Shen Yi also agreed with his brother’s intentions. That’s why they were waiting with the city gates open to surrender like this.

However, Shen Yi felt uneasy about surrendering without doing anything.

At that moment, finally, an army appeared in the distance. Seeing the army appearing while raising a cloud of dust, Shen Yi narrowed his eyes and said:

“That must be her.”

The female general leading Liu Bei’s army on horseback.

Wearing a mask covering her lower face, she had become one of the most famous generals in the world.

“Yes. That woman who is said to have beheaded Cao Hong and defeated Cao Zhang…”

“Is it really true? No matter how I think about it, I find it hard to believe that such a delicate woman defeated those two.”

“Hmm… honestly, I feel the same way. But isn’t that what everyone in the world is saying?”

When people who claim to have experienced the war firsthand are all saying things like Zhang Ran killed Zhang He, Zhang Ran defeated Cao Zhang, it’s not something you can completely disbelieve.

For the two brothers, who considered reading the trends and protecting their safety as the highest value, the world’s perception was the truth, even if it was a misunderstanding. Especially for Shen Tan, who believed Liu Bei was the dominant force.

Of course, in Zhang Ran’s case, it was actually true to begin with.

“Then could that other rumor be true too?”

Shen Yi asked in a low voice, lest anyone around might hear.

Though the point was omitted, it wasn’t a problem at all. Among the many rumors about Zhang Ran, the most interesting one from a man’s perspective was undoubtedly that one.

“Well… I hear she covers her face. I’m curious too.”

The most beautiful in the world.

An exaggerated and paradoxical modifier that seemed inappropriate for a female general.

Though both men were already married with children, in an era where having concubines was natural, how could curiosity about a beautiful woman disappear?

Shen Yi, his previous discomfort nowhere to be seen, said with a rather serious face:

“She’ll take it off at the banquet, won’t she?”

“…Let’s just go down.”