The Battle of Dingjunshan

“You say Ziliang… is dead?”

“…Yes, King of Wei.”

Cao Cao closed his eyes tightly. Cao Hong, what kind of person was Cao Hong? When everyone else had abandoned him and he was just waiting for death, Cao Hong was the brother who rushed to his side and offered his own horse.

He was the benefactor who allowed Cao Cao to grasp onto life again, saying that while the world could do without Cao Hong, it absolutely needed Cao Cao.

There were relatives more talented than Cao Hong, but none more loyal than him.

And now that Cao Hong was dead.

At the hands of none other than Liu Bei.

“Who was it?”

“King of Wei…”

“I asked who. Who killed Ziliang? Tell me!!”

Cao Cao’s eyes were bloodshot and burning red as he sprang up from his throne, pointing and shouting.

Despite being on the receiving end of Cao Cao’s fury, Hua Xin, the Minister of Works, calmly replied:

“It was Zhang Fei and his daughter Zhang Ran who killed him.”

“Zhang Ran…? You mean Miaozai’s great-granddaughter?”

“That is correct, King of Wei.”

Upon hearing the name Zhang Ran, Cao Cao laughed dejectedly and sank back into his throne.

It was Cao Cao’s own decision to marry Xiahou Ji, Zhang Fei’s wife and Zhang Ran’s mother, to Zhang Fei.

Cao Cao, who had coveted Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, tried to win them over by binding them through marriage.

“My greed has caused your death, Ziliang.”

It was a disaster brought about by his own hasty ambition. If he hadn’t married Zhang Fei to Xiahou Ji, Zhang Ran would never have been born. No, if he hadn’t been so confident that he could make those three brothers his own men from the start, if he had just killed them from the beginning…

“Prepare the army.”

“King of Wei!”

Hua Xin and the other officials rushed to object to Cao Cao’s words, but Cao Cao’s will was firm.

“Enough! I won’t hear it. From now on, anyone who opposes the expedition will be dealt with according to military law!”

Having dismissed his ministers with this sharp order, Cao Cao gritted his teeth and made a vow to his brother who had now left his side forever.

‘Ziliang, I will hold a memorial service for you in Hanzhong.’

A bloody revenge.

§

As a messenger arrived requesting reinforcements, saying the main force had reached Yangping Pass and was preparing to attack, my father and I were discussing what to do about Hanbian.

Liu Bei had delegated the decision-making authority to my father, the on-site commander. Whether to hold Hanbian and keep Wudu in check, or to give up Hanbian and move to Yangping Pass, was up to my father’s judgment.

“We should go to Yangping Pass.”

My father’s decision was the latter.

“Now that we’ve taken Mamingge, Hanbian’s importance has greatly diminished. It’s better to quickly capture Yangping Pass at this rate.”

Apparently, Ma Chao and Chen Shi had securely occupied Mamingge. When Xu Huang attacked to prevent this, defeating Chen Shi in the process, he was forced to withdraw without much gain due to the attack of Ma Chao’s forces who came down leading the Di tribes that had submitted.

The Di tribal chieftains Jiang Dan and Fu Sang entered Liu Bei’s service along with over 1,000 tribal soldiers. More accurately, they entered Ma Chao’s service.

“I think the same.”

When it’s time to move, move as swiftly as the wind. Following the “Military Contention” chapter of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, we quickly withdrew from Hanbian.

It was such a rapid operation that the Wei forces keeping watch from Wudu didn’t even notice before we were gone.

Passing through Mamingge guarded by Chen Shi, we faced Yangping Pass, where for some reason flags bearing the character 劉 (Liu) were fluttering.

“It seems it’s already been captured?”

“…I see.”

It had been a long time since I’d seen my father look so bewildered.

With the victory at Hanbian, he had been feeling like he’d returned to his old passionate self, confidently saying he would soon conquer Yangping Pass as well.

It felt like the steam had suddenly been let out of a pressure cooker.

My father and I leisurely entered Yangping Pass through the gates that were wide open as if welcoming us. Liu Bei himself was at the gate, arms spread wide to greet us.

Seeing him, my father and I were startled and quickly dismounted.

As if even waiting for us to approach was too much, Liu Bei strode over and embraced my father and me in turn.

“Welcome! How admirable. Thanks to my brother and niece, there hasn’t been a day without smiles. Come, you must be tired, let’s go inside.”

“My lord, if I may ask, what happened with Yangping Pass?”

“Hahaha, look at you. You’ve really become a general. Asking about that as soon as you arrive. I’ll tell you as we walk.”

Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He, who were guarding Yangping Pass, boldly abandoned it and retreated to the rear when they heard that Xu Huang’s attempt to cut off Mamingge had failed and that we were coming down from Hanbian as well.

Despite Hanzhong being literally ravaged by Liu Bei’s forces, Cao Cao remained quiet. It wasn’t like the calm before a storm. Cao Cao simply didn’t have the luxury to focus on Hanzhong right now.

January 218: The rebellion of Jin Yi, Jing Ji, Wei Huang, and Ji Ben in Xuchang.

April 218: The rebellion of the Wuhuan chieftain Moushizhu in You Province.

And though it hasn’t happened yet, the rebellion of Hou Yin and Wei Kai in Wancheng, Jing Province in October 218 in the original history.

Rebellions erupting one after another without respite, and covert plots by palace officials.

Cao Cao was busy going back and forth between Ye and Xuchang, trying to quell rebellions and conspiracies.

Even if he somehow managed to come to Chang’an, it was questionable whether he could properly involve himself in the battle for Hanzhong.

Perhaps due to such calculations, Liu Bei held a banquet to celebrate the capture of Yangping Pass. The official purpose was to commend my father and me for our great victory at Hanbian, and to soothe the minds and bodies of the soldiers tired from battle.

Soldiers aren’t machines, they can’t fight non-stop, so giving them appropriate rest was necessary.

With Ma Chao and Chen Shi keeping Xu Huang in check at Mamingge, and Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong blocking Xiahou Yuan, it wasn’t as if they were thoughtlessly indulging in victory right away.

And above all, with the war situation progressing much better than expected, they had requested more support from Zhuge Liang in Yi Province. It was a moment of catching their breath before the final sprint, planning to completely push forward and take Hanzhong in one go once reinforcements and supplies arrived from Yi Province.

As they prepared for the banquet, a warm and pleasant atmosphere prevailed. Even the anxiety and fear towards Cao Cao’s army had been diluted and blurred by the series of victories.

The banquet finally began. Though no alcohol was served due to being at war, the atmosphere itself made the banquet enjoyable.

In the midst of the festive mood…

Fa Zheng’s expression rapidly cooled after hearing a whisper from a soldier.

“Xiaozheng, what on earth is the matter?”

“…My lord.”

The peaceful demeanor Fa Zheng had shown just moments ago was nowhere to be seen as he looked at Liu Bei with a stiff face.

The relaxed mood given by the banquet had vanished at some point. The ripple of tension starting from Fa Zheng spread throughout the banquet hall.

As everyone’s attention focused on Fa Zheng, his lips parted.

“I hear that Cao Cao has left Ye and marched towards Chang’an.”

Cao Cao!

Where else in the world is there a name of just two characters that can grip the souls of such great heroes?

Yet the name Cao Cao made it possible.

Liu Bei too wiped away his smile from just moments ago and set down his cup with a grim expression.

“It seems everyone’s expressions are not good enough to continue the banquet.”

At Liu Bei’s words, the generals finally tried to manage their expressions. There were exceptions like Zhao Yun who hadn’t moved a muscle from the start, or those like Ma Chao and my father who burned with even more fighting spirit at the news of Cao Cao’s coming, but they were few.

In the depressed atmosphere, Liu Bei understood his generals instead of scolding them.

“I feel the same. Cao Cao! He is a fearsome man. I have suffered countless defeats to Cao Cao in my life. I lost Xuzhou, and had to flee when I couldn’t protect the Emperor. Cao Cao’s power, having taken the north and the central plains, is terrifying beyond measure. To see him move so quickly despite suffering so many defeats and internal rebellions, he truly lives up to his reputation.”

Liu Bei stood up and slowly began walking to the center of the banquet hall. Making eye contact with each person one by one, Liu Bei acted as leisurely as if he were out for a stroll with his generals.

“But how is it now? Who was the victor at the Battle of Chibi? Who was defeated in the struggle for Jingzhou? Was there anyone who stopped us on our way here to Hanzhong? Hmm?”

Despite always losing to Cao Cao in their confrontations, Liu Bei had not lost confidence.

Whether it was genuine confidence or an act of feigned composure, it seemed clear that Liu Bei would not yield to Cao Cao.

Liu Bei spoke to everyone in the banquet hall, calling them by name one by one. Shaking hands with some, patting shoulders of others, and putting his arm around yet others.

Liu Bei did not utter empty words telling them to overcome their fear.

Instead, he impressed upon them that he was by their side. He reminded them that they too had memories of victory.

This was Liu Bei’s leadership.

Not the tyrannical charisma like Cao Cao, but a gentle charisma. It was a magic that drew people in and made them willingly give their lives for him.

Before long, the faces of those who had frozen at the news of Cao Cao’s coming had thawed with the fervor of victory.

“How about now? Don’t you think we can do this?”

At these words from Liu Bei, who had circled the banquet hall once and now stood before the high seat again, everyone shouted with one heart, one expression, one mind:

“Yes, we can!”

Despite the shocking news of Cao Cao’s advance, our army instead raised its morale.

However, the same applied to the enemy as well.

The Wei army would fight for their lives from now on.

The commander-in-chief Xiahou Yuan would be enraged at the death of his kinsman, and the soldiers would hold out in the hope that reinforcements led by Cao Cao would arrive if they just endured a little longer.

The banquet was over.

Now the true battle would begin.