Wind Blowing from the North 3

As he rallied his soldiers and returned to the camp, Xiahou Ba thought:

‘It wasn’t just an empty reputation.’

The stories about Zhang Ran were no longer limited to just Yi Province.

At first, she was just famous in a local area. Zhang Ran’s appearance on the world stage began with the Southern Campaign, but she hadn’t really done much.

She did block Cao Ren’s lieutenant, Yu Jin, but she nearly died after only a few exchanges and was saved by Zhang Fei.

Afterwards, she gained some fame from anecdotes with Lady Sun and saving A’dou, but those were stories from Jingnan, including the Gong’an area.

Moreover, the latter was intentionally concealed, so Zhang Ran’s name was only known by those who knew.

Then, after the Battle of Luo Castle where Zhang Ran began to gain real fame, her actions were a series of dramatic events.

She single-handedly climbed Luo Castle, captured Liu Xun, and conquered the city. She rescued Ma Chao’s family members from Hanzhong with just a few generals.

And she gathered and eliminated the Ba tribes, leaving a strong impression on the ethnic minorities throughout Yi Province. All of Zhang Ran’s exploits spread as a kind of propaganda.

Of course, the upper echelons who heard about this thought it was propaganda to mislead the people and quickly stabilize the occupied territories.

Logically, how could a mere 15-year-old girl achieve a series of victories that would be difficult even for seasoned generals?

Xiahou Ba thought so too. That they were using a daughter with mixed blood from Zhang Fei and the Xiahou clan. He assumed it was a ploy to raise the reputation of the girl Liu Bei would take as a daughter-in-law to elevate himself.

‘I thought it was meant to mislead the people.’

But now, having crossed swords directly, he knows.

That all of those stories were true.

Unbelievable strength. Extremely refined martial arts. Active and quick-witted improvisation.

If the battle had continued just a little longer, Xiahou Ba himself would probably be dead or captured by now.

Zhang Ran had reached such a level that he felt more satisfaction from having competed with a great warrior than shame from being pushed back by a girl half his age of 30.

‘But she still doesn’t match up to Father.’

Xiahou Yuan’s martial prowess had already surpassed maturity and was approaching perfection. Even among Cao Cao’s army full of brilliant talents, his strength was counted among the best.

Cao Cao’s left arm, comparable only to Cao Ren and Zhang Liao. The name of Xiahou Yuan, the Ghost Speed General, carried immense weight.

Comparing such a being with a 15-year-old girl was already absurd and impossible.

But what Xiahou Ba himself had experienced was undeniable fact, and there was not the slightest room for doubt.

It was simply astonishing. Xiahou Ba could hardly believe the skills of his young cousin who was only half his age, but he had to believe it. Letting emotions interfere with judgment was something only mediocre generals did.

‘Is this what Father and His Excellency hoped for when they married Xi’er to Zhang Fei?’

Xiahou Ba experienced firsthand how terrifying a child inheriting the blood of the Man of Thousand Stratagems and the Ghost Speed General could be.

To the extent that he thought Cao Cao’s intention might have been beyond just trying to win over Zhang Fei, but to create such an unprecedented fierce general.

That’s why it was even more regrettable. That his niece, who might have served Cao Cao together and completed the great cause of unifying the world, was under Liu Bei.

‘What a sad thing.’

Recalling his niece who looked just like his cousin sister, Xiahou Ba bitterly glared at the sky, resenting it for no reason.

§

‘Xiahou Ba.’

Even after returning to the tent, my thoughts were filled with contemplation about Xiahou Ba.

Xiahou Ba. It might be an unfamiliar name to those who encounter the Three Kingdoms through the Romance and close the book after seeing Zhuge Liang’s death at Wuzhang Plains, but for those who read to the end, he was a figure hard to forget easily.

After Xiahou Yuan’s eldest son died and Xiahou Ba inherited Xiahou Yuan’s title, showing prominence in Wei’s military, he causes an event that shocks the world when the Gaoping Tomb Incident occurs where Sima Yi seizes power.

‘Defection to Shu Han.’

At that time, Xiahou Ba had lost his father Xiahou Yuan to Shu Han and was active on the front lines against Shu Han, burning with bitter hatred.

Moreover, even though Shu Han had already almost exhausted its momentum for the Northern Expedition and no longer had the strength to challenge for supreme power, Xiahou Ba crossed those treacherous mountains to Shu.

Shu Han gave Xiahou Ba the position of General of Chariots and Cavalry, which was given to imperial in-laws, and treated him generously. It’s said that Liu Shan even took his child and said, “This child is an outsider descendant of the Xiahou family.” Probably the offspring of me or Yueying in the original history.

“Can we recruit him?”

I shook my head and answered my own question.

The Gaoping Tomb Incident accounts for the vast majority of Xiahou Ba’s defection. If I twist the future and Shu Han revives, there’s a high chance the Gaoping Tomb Incident won’t happen.

And without such an event, Xiahou Ba will absolutely not come to Shu Han.

Because.

‘I won’t prevent Xiahou Yuan’s death.’

He will become a relationship of love and hate, both blood relative and enemy.

Nevertheless, the vow I made on the day I first awakened my past life memories and asked my father to teach me martial arts still remains vivid in my memory.

The promise that if someday he, my mother’s cousin, wishes to submit, I would go out first to welcome him and give him the best treatment. Would it be possible to welcome him even after killing Xiahou Yuan? It was a future I could hardly imagine.

“It’s difficult.”

“What is?”

“Ah, Father…”

I stuttered, feeling suddenly caught off guard. But Father patted my shoulder with a knowing expression and said:

“You met Zhongquan?”

Zhongquan (仲權) was Xiahou Ba’s courtesy name.

“Yes…”

“Are you worried about your mother?”

“It would be a lie to say I’m not.”

“I am too.”

“What?”

I openly questioned, unable to believe the words that came out of Zhang Fei’s mouth.

This is Zhang Fei. Liu Bei’s sworn brother and the strict Zhang Fei with clear boundaries in human relationships. How should I take it that such a person says he’s troubled about fighting the Xiahou clan?

“Why are you looking at me like that? This father has emotions too. It’s something I can’t do to Xi. Xiahou Yuan and his children are like real parents and siblings to Xi.”

Zhang Fei’s love for family was not much different from ordinary people. Just.

“But I have made our elder brother’s great cause my life’s work. I swore to prioritize it above all else.”

He simply had something he loved more than family.

“From tomorrow, don’t go to the front lines, but stay by my side.”

After that, I observed the battlefield and oversaw the deployment of troops from Zhang Fei’s side.

The battle continued without major changes. No matter how much I had gathered Shu Han’s rookies under my command, Cao Cao’s army was not to be underestimated. There was Xiahou Ba whom I met, and the famous veteran Bi Yao was also following Zhang He.

But I knew. That all the battles so far were necessary preparation processes for Zhang Fei to set a trap.

“Mencius said that worldly affairs are determined by three things.”

“Heaven’s timing, Earth’s advantages, and Human harmony.”

The time given by Heaven. The benefits given by the land. The power achieved by human cooperation.

“War is also part of the world. It follows those principles. We’ve lost the Heaven’s timing. But the Earth’s advantages are on our side. So the direction of the battle lies in who achieves superior human harmony. Currently, the human harmony on both sides is evenly matched. Zhang He must be feeling impatient.”

When Zhang He advanced south, Badong Commandery did express intention to submit. But Badong was out of our reach anyway. It wasn’t an achievement that met the goal of inflicting damage on us.

Moreover, even that was only half-complete, as we would inevitably lose it if we repelled Zhang He and perfectly secured Baxi.

“Soon, Zhang He will be at a crossroads.”

“So you deliberately created vulnerabilities.”

Father’s military tactics were certainly amazing. It’s only because I followed him around, seeing exactly what he saw and hearing everything he said. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even known there were weaknesses.

In most cases, it would appear to have occurred naturally as the complex mountain warfare repeated, not intentionally created. Zhang Fei succeeded in such delicate military operations without much difficulty.

“But will Zhang He move as intended?”

No matter how great Father’s military tactics are, Zhang He is also a formidable general. Even among the Five Generals of Wei, Zhang He ranked high in terms of wisdom and strategy.

“An unnecessary question. You already know the answer.”

I smiled awkwardly at his words. I was the one who knew the answer sheet of history.

“Because Zhang He’s options are limited.”

“That’s right. That’s Zhang He’s weakness. No matter how excellent he is, it’s his original sin that he can’t do anything about.”

Zhang He’s weakness.

It was that he was a surrendered general.

§

“Is it a trap, or not.”

Zhang He muttered, looking down at the military map with wooden pieces placed on it. It was suspicious. While rationally thinking that this was a measure to break the stalemate of the battle, a general’s instinct was saying to be cautious.

Zhang He trusted his instincts. But he was equally confident in his tactical plans. When both pointed in the same direction, he invariably achieved great merit. Sometimes they differed, but even if he misjudged, he had broken through with his leadership skills.

However, Zhang He was also clearly aware of his weakness.

Zhang He’s strategy and tactics ranked at the top within Cao Cao’s army, but he was somewhat lacking in orthodox methods. Straightforward power struggles and frontal breakthroughs were not Zhang He’s specialty.

The Battle of Tangge so far flowed in a form closer to the power struggle Zhang He disliked rather than involving strategies. Rather, it was a form advantageous to Zhang Fei, who relied on familiar terrain and engaged in a war of attrition with brute force.

The moment he detected the gaps created in that process, Zhang He realized it was finally time to demonstrate his strengths.

‘But why? The uneasiness doesn’t disappear.’

The faster the decision, the better.

Indecisiveness on the battlefield is a sin. Zhang He closed his eyes and imagined how things would unfold if he attacked and if he retreated.

The time for deliberation was short. When he opened his eyes again, Zhang He had made his decision.

“We retreat.”