Waiting for the Time 5

Chang’an. Minyangdian Palace.

In Liu Bei’s bedchamber prepared within the palace, an oil lamp was still flickering and spreading light even late at night.

The shadow cast on the window was motionless, as if deeply lost in thought.

Then when footsteps sounded, only then did the shadow waver.

“Have you come? Enter.”

There was now only one man in the world who could come and go at night to Liu Bei’s bedchamber, the deepest part of Minyangdian Palace.

“Your Majesty.”

“No need to be so formal in private. Aren’t you now the only brother I have left?”

While burying Guan Yu’s coffin, Liu Bei accepted that one of the brothers he loved had now left his side forever. And he transformed that sense of loss into a desire for revenge.

However, the spirit that had felt like a fiercely burning desire for revenge was gone, and Liu Bei’s atmosphere was deeply submerged.

Zhang Fei sat down firmly at Liu Bei’s bedside.

“What troubles you so, Elder Brother?”

“…Didn’t you see Li Yiji’s divination today?”

“Hmph, were you the type to rely on such superstitions?”

Since they established themselves in Jingzhou and set up systems as a proper warlord faction independently, Zhang Fei had used humble speech following etiquette as much as possible. But Zhang Fei’s words now were in the rough tone from before that, when they were somewhere between a group of wandering knights and a warlord faction.

At Zhang Fei’s voice evoking nostalgia for the past, Liu Bei shook his head with a smile.

“How could that be? I believe only in myself and my people. Isn’t it we who create heaven’s will?”

“Then isn’t that fine?”

Zhang Fei’s attitude was indifferent even though his own daughter came up as the subject. Even for Zhang Fei who always prioritized state affairs over family, Liu Bei hadn’t expected him to be this nonchalant.

“Aren’t you worried about Ran?”

“What is there to worry about? She seems to have surpassed even her father now, who in the world could stop Ran? Lü Bu and Zhang Liao are long gone, and even the son Cao Cao cherished died at Ran’s hands. All that’s left now is just Xu Huang, and he’s old too.”

“Old, you say… Yes. Old indeed. Not just Xu Huang, but all of us have grown old.”

Liu Bei looked down at his own thighs.

Somehow his thighs had gained fat. His skin had lost elasticity, and his muscles had shrunk. It had already been decades since he had wept lamenting the fat on his thighs after spending 4 years at Xinye Castle.

Though he couldn’t properly make a place to lay his head until nearly fifty years old, in the recent dozen or so years Liu Bei had risen to become an emperor wielding hegemony over the world.

But time had not only given him gifts. In exchange, it had taken away Liu Bei’s health.

If only he could lament just the fat on his thighs, but now it’s difficult to freely ride a horse at full gallop without stirrups.

He couldn’t help but naturally know. That the time remaining for Liu Bei himself was not very long.

“The era, our era is coming to an end.”

After the warlords who rose up in various places declaring themselves the one to pacify the world disappeared one by one, three remained.

Yuan Shao, who once boasted the greatest power in the world, died, Liu Biao who entered Jingzhou alone and became a hegemon died, and even Cao Cao, one of the final three warlords who was just one step away from unifying the world, died.

Not just them. Countless others had repeatedly shone brightly and disappeared.

Guo Jia was like that, Zhou Yu was like that, Fa Zheng was like that.

In the current world, only Liu Bei remained of the early warlords. And even Guan Yu, whom he believed would never depart before Liu Bei himself, closed his eyes.

Who would be next? There was no need to ponder, the answer was clear.

“Yide.”

“Yes, Elder Brother.”

“I think this will be my last war.”

Probably next time, even if Liu Bei’s heart is moved, his body won’t be able to keep up.

Perhaps it’s the same even now. Maybe it’s only possible to lead a personal campaign that would normally be unreasonable because of his extreme feelings for Guan Yu.

“So I’m more impatient, and worried. It’s not just Ran’s matter. As you said, that child will overcome all sorts of adversity and shake them off with her own strength. Wasn’t that how you were in your youth too? So I’m trying not to worry about that anymore.”

“Elder Brother, then what are you afraid of?”

“If we fail this time, I’m afraid I won’t be able to personally honor Yunchang’s spirit anymore.”

Liu Bei’s true feelings that he couldn’t reveal to Pang Tong, Zhuge Liang, or anyone else.

He revealed to his younger brother the weak heart that he had to hide as a ruler.

Zhang Fei was silent for a while. Just staring at Liu Bei, Zhang Fei opened his mouth heavily:

“Before, I mean when we were fighting Cao Cao over Hanzhong.”

The moment when Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao alone for the first and last time.

If the Battle of Red Cliffs was the starting point for Liu Bei to break free from the fear of Cao Cao, the Battle of Hanzhong was the climax where Liu Bei finally overcame Cao Cao as an opponent and gained confidence in the great cause of unifying the world.

“Your words from that time are still vivid to me.”

“What words left such an impression?”

“‘Hanzhong is already mine, what will change even if Cao Cao comes?’ You said that.”

“Right. I remember.”

“At that time, Cao Cao’s might was tremendous. Xu Huang, Xu Chu, Guo Hui, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu. The generals Cao Wei put forth as chief commanders were numerous. But what was the result?”

We won. Liu Bei did. And it was a great victory.

“How about now? It’s no different from then. Xu Huang, Zhang He, Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang. Cao Pi will bring others, but it’s more of the same. But you’ve changed, Elder Brother.”

Though Guan Yu has left Liu Bei’s side, more people have gathered around Liu Bei. More people are supporting Liu Bei than during the Battle of Hanzhong.

Guan Yu is dead, but Zhang Lan, who inherited the name of God of War That All Fear, is here, and though Fa Zheng is dead, Pang Tong still remains to be Liu Bei’s strategist.

Huang Zhong’s empty place has been filled by Zhao Tong, Wang Ping, Ma Chong, Zhang Yi, Zhang Lin and others growing up, and scholars in charge of internal affairs and supplies in the rear densely fill the Prime Minister’s Office and Imperial Secretariat.

When Wei and Wu were struggling unable to fill their continued losses, only Han kept growing.

Because he saw that, felt that, Zhang Fei proudly said:

“The world is already in Elder Brother’s embrace, what will change even if they join hands?”

Zhang Fei was certain. Though the harsh heavens did not allow all three brothers to achieve their dream together, they had made the brothers’ dream their own will.

At Zhang Fei’s words firmly grasping his wavering heart, Liu Bei’s face became clear and peaceful like a morning when the dawn mist has lifted.

Liu Bei, whose worries had disappeared, spoke. It was words to Zhang Fei, while also words he was telling himself:

“When winter passes and spring comes… I must rise. Before this body stops before my heart. I must go to show our brothers’ dream to the world.”

§

After Liu Bei called Zhuge Liang once more for a conversation, Zhuge Liang realized he could not change Liu Bei’s mind and stopped gathering the anti-war faction.

If the will of Liu Bei as ruler was firm, forming a faction opposing that will was not good.

When Zhuge Liang, who had been the representative of the anti-war argument, followed Liu Bei’s will, the anti-war argument sank below the surface. Thinking that if they couldn’t stop it, they should at least try their best to win, Zhuge Liang became the host of a military meeting and gathered people.

I was also one of those members.

A grand meeting with Liu Bei personally observing.

The military meeting attended by Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Ma Liang, Father, myself, Zhao Yun and others could be considered almost an assembly of only high-ranking officials.

As Liu Bei announced the start of the meeting, Zhuge Liang, who was hosting this meeting, opened his mouth first:

“Now that it’s confirmed Cao Pi and Sun Quan have joined hands, we must assume this war will face two forces simultaneously like last time.”

Zhuge Liang’s feather fan pointed to Jingzhou on the map.

“Therefore, the battlefronts will largely be in two places: the Jingzhou front where Sun Quan will be the main enemy, and.”

The feather fan moved north from Jingzhou to point at Luoyang.

“The Luoyang front where Cao Pi will be the main enemy.”

Pang Tong, who had been quietly listening to Zhuge Liang’s words, added his opinion:

“Like how Cao Wei attempted to infiltrate the rear through Bingzhou and Hetao in the last war, isn’t it possible for us to attack Cao Wei’s Bingzhou this time?”

“If we coordinate with Kebineng, with whom the Prime Minister has formed a cooperative relationship, it should be possible to significantly disperse their forces.”

As even Ma Liang added strength to Pang Tong’s assertion, Zhuge Liang suddenly looked towards me.

“I thought about that too. If we unite the ethnic groups in Hetao, we could achieve high efficiency while not committing many of our troops. So I was hoping the General of the Guards could put in some effort.”

“Me?”

Why me? Wouldn’t it be right to entrust this to people like Ma Chao or Fang De? As I tilted my head and asked back, Zhuge Liang smiled faintly as if to say it’s not what I’m thinking and said:

“Of course, the Marquis of Zhaoxiang is suitable as the overall commander to attack the enemy’s Bingzhou. But among the ethnic groups in the Hetao region, the General of the Guards’ reputation is highest, so if the General of the Guards summons the Hetao ethnic groups, they will become our country’s vassals.”

It seems I left quite an impression on them in various ways when fighting in Hetao.

‘Well, since the Tuoba and Dugu clans that currently dominate the Hetao region follow me, it makes sense.’

Next is Luoyang, but that’s obviously the main battlefield so it was decided that Liu Bei would personally take the field.

All of Han’s top elites will gather there, and Pang Tong was planning to follow directly as an advisor.

Then the problem is Jingzhou.

Though it’s said there’s not much to fear if Sun Quan leads personally, if Sun Quan puts forth Lu Xun, we don’t have many who can match Lu Xun on our side.

‘They say Yi Yan is capable of defensive battles against Lu Xun. If Father and I go to Luoyang, is Yi Yan about right?’

As I was about to recommend Yi Yan, heated discussions were taking place in the meeting hall about who to send to Jingzhou. As I was opening my mouth to add my opinion, words that ended this discussion in one stroke were heard:

“The one to send to Jingzhou, I’ve already spoken to His Majesty and decided on the right person.”

At Zhuge Liang’s words, the eyes of those present focused on him.

“Oh, as expected of the Prime Minister.”

“Who is the right person? Is it the General of the Right indeed?”

“Wouldn’t the Marquis of Bao be sufficient?”

Amidst various opinions coming out from several people, Zhuge Liang spoke leisurely while fanning his feather fan:

“Me.”