Waiting was always the most difficult part. Zhu Ling understood this deeply.
From atop the city wall, the line of fire could be seen with unnatural clarity. It stretched across the darkness like a vein of light, unmoving, patient. Yet until the moon climbed close to its zenith, until the chill had already crept into his limbs and his body had begun to feel cold through and through, the foremost tip of that fireline finally drew near to Chang'an.
As the leading edge approached closer and closer, Zhu Ling lay prone on the wall and unconsciously held his breath.
Was it General Xiahou?
Or was it the enemy?
The lights at Chang'an's gate burned brightly, and with that illumination Zhu Ling quickly made out the outlines of the approaching figures.
With only a single glance, he knew.
The man riding at the very front was unmistakably General Xiahou.
Zhu Ling released a breath he felt he had been holding since dawn. He hastily smoothed his hair, then without the slightest hesitation turned and sprinted down from the wall.
He had to warn General Xiahou. Chang'an was no longer safe. There were traitors within the city, and no one could be trusted.
The enemy force that had broken the city must have known they could not face General Xiahou head on with their limited numbers. That was why they had disguised themselves as Cao troops, luring him close with ill intent.
His stomach was empty, and he ran at full speed. Zhu Ling felt as though his lungs might burst from his chest, but it did not matter. General Xiahou was already very close.
Soldiers within the city noticed him. Shouts rang out behind his back, but Zhu Ling ignored them completely.
The city gate had already been opened, likely as part of the ruse to deceive General Xiahou. Zhu Ling slipped through without hesitation and broke into another desperate sprint. Only when he reached the horse before General Xiahou did he finally stop, dropping to his knees at once and shouting at the top of his lungs.
"General, Chang'an has already fallen into enemy hands. There is deceit within the city. You must not trust it."
After that bow, silence fell.
Zhu Ling was just beginning to wonder why the general had not responded when he heard a deep, resonant voice burst into laughter.
"Your General Xiahou has already fallen into the hands of us bandits."
"Who are you?" the voice continued. "Will you surrender, or will you die?"
Zhu Ling raised his head in confusion. Only then did he notice what he had failed to see before.
General Xiahou wore no armor. He carried no weapon. He was looking at Zhu Ling, as though he wished to say something, but his lips moved slightly before he ultimately remained silent.
Beside him sat a dark faced burly man mounted on horseback, studying Zhu Ling with clear interest.
Zhu Ling could not understand what was happening. Xiahou Yuan did not speak. Zhang Fei waited for Zhu Ling to speak. And so the scene fell into stillness.
That silence was broken by Liu Bei, who rode up at a steady pace.
"I troubled Miaocai to wait," Liu Bei said warmly. "I had just gone to inspect the device my strategist devised to break Chang'an, and I became absorbed in it. I ask that you do not take offense."
"We may now enter Chang'an."
He paused and glanced at Zhu Ling.
"Hmm? Who is this man?"
After Zhang Fei explained the matter, Liu Bei burst into laughter, showing no displeasure at all.
"So he is a loyal and courageous fellow. Disarm him and let him follow Miaocai for now."
Zhang Fei smacked his lips in mild regret but raised no objection. He waved his hand, signaling Fan Jiang and Zhang Da to assist this brave warrior in removing his armor.
This matter was nothing more than a small interlude. The group continued forward and entered Chang'an directly.
Only Xiahou Yuan occasionally turned his head back, wanting to glimpse the thing Liu Bei had called the device that broke Chang'an.
But in the pitch black night, nothing could be seen. And so Xiahou Yuan's gaze fell instead upon Zhu Ling.
After Zhu Ling offered a simple explanation, Xiahou Yuan looked toward Liu Bei walking ahead and let out a quiet sigh.
"So that is how it was…"
Zhu Ling said that he had been knocked unconscious and did not know the details, but Xiahou Yuan had long experience on the battlefield. He could infer the rest himself.
A thing that resembled the work of ghosts and gods was a devastating blow to morale. With the commanding general rendered unconscious, the soldiers would naturally scatter in panic.
And if that thing could casually hurl a stone weighing three or four hundred jin, then smashing a city gate would be nothing more than a trivial matter.
To break Chang'an in this way would require no more than half a day.
Zhu Ling understood this as well. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke.
"Zhong Siling…"
Du Xi, who walked alongside them, did not seem overly concerned. He shook his head gently.
"Zhong Siling is still Zhong Siling."
Since being captured, Xiahou Yuan's brow had carried a constant trace of sorrow. Upon hearing this, that sorrow deepened further. In the end, he spoke only a single sentence.
"Zhong Siling has no shame before the Han. It is Cao Gong who has shame before Zhong Siling."
The defeat in the Wei River valley could be called a complete rout. And now, this Chang'an, taken in a single day, struck heavily at his heart.
At this moment, Xiahou Yuan understood clearly that even if he himself had commanded thirty thousand troops to defend Chang'an, the final outcome would likely have been no different.
This battle's conclusion had already been decided the moment Ah Man rejected Zhong Yao's proposal of securing Guanzhong before turning south.
Only one question remained.
Where had Liu Bei found such a minister worthy of ruling the world?
Liu Bei himself had no time for idle thoughts. Among this group, he rode the fastest.
This Chang'an had once flourished, then declined, until it became the broken ruin now before his eyes.
For a moment, he recalled the later generations' lament of dreaming of Chang'an thirty thousand li away, marveling at the splendor of the prosperous Tang capital.
Yet at the same time, he remembered the common people who had welcomed him at Yangping Pass when he entered Guanzhong. Most were from Hanzhong, but many were from Guanzhong, and quite a few were even native Chang'an residents.
They had endured Dong Zhuo and countless warlords whose names were barely remembered. They survived with difficulty, fled Chang'an, and struggled to live within Guanzhong.
In the end, even Guanzhong could no longer sustain them. Forced onward, they fled to Hanzhong.
The people of Chang'an, the people of the Three Adjuncts, and the people of Hanzhong all regarded Liu Bei as hope. Hope that they might return to the peace and prosperity of the Former Han.
But the surge of ambition within Liu Bei's chest reminded him that this was not enough.
Recovering Chang'an was merely one step closer to that distant dream.
Still, for Liu Bei, this moment called for celebration.
After riding forward for a short distance, Liu Bei saw Kongming waiting for him. He immediately rode over and spoke with feigned anger.
"Kongming, you did not wait for me."
Kongming laughed loudly and pointed beside him.
"In that case, my lord may retreat outside the city with me and ask Zhong Siling to cooperate in staging another siege."
In the dim night, Liu Bei only then noticed Zhong Yao standing quietly nearby.
What Zhong Yao did not expect was that Liu Bei dismounted at once and bowed deeply.
Zhong Yao hurriedly protested. "Duke Xuande, there is no need for this."
But in strength, Zhong Yao was no match for Liu Bei.
After completing the bow properly, Liu Bei said, "When I was in Hanzhong, I often heard the name Zhong Siling spoken by the common people."
"With a single pillar, Zhong Siling supported what was already collapsing. Your efforts exhausted your very heart and blood."
There was no need for further words. Zhong Yao could only let out a long sigh and wave his hand.
"Whatever Duke Xuande wishes to say, let us speak of it inside."
Liu Bei smiled.
"I ask Zhong Siling to wait a moment longer. Upon entering Chang'an today, I still have one matter to attend to."
"Oh?" Zhong Yao was puzzled. His thoughts immediately went to the ruined imperial palace within Chang'an.
Yet shortly after, Zhong Yao and Xiahou Yuan stood together, watching as Liu Bei once more returned and ascended the city wall from the gate.
Kongming and Zhang Fei accompanied him on either side. Upon the wall, this imperial uncle of the Han gazed at the torches forming a continuous line, stretching from the distance and flowing into Chang'an.
They all knew that the root of this line lay in Guanzhong, in Hanzhong, in Jing and Yi, and in Zhuo Commandery.
Drawing in a breath, Liu Bei raised his voice and declared loudly.
"Today, Chang'an is recovered. The Three Qins are restored."
The words fell, and the night bore witness.