On the walls of Jiangling, Jiang Wan stood with his hands folded, posture straight and unmoving.
Behind him, Jiangling burned.
Flames climbed along rooftops and towers, smoke rolling upward into the dim sky. Across the river, separated by nothing more than flowing water and fate, Lu Meng had long since shouted himself hoarse, his voice cracked raw as he raged like a madman, personally directing the assault.
From the west of the city, reports arrived at regular intervals. Fighting near Lexiang County remained locked in a brutal stalemate, neither side able to gain the upper hand.
Inside the city, fire brigades moved with practiced efficiency. Outside, Wu troops hurled themselves at the walls in endless waves, dying without pause.
All of it reflected clearly in Jiang Wan's eyes.
And yet, none of it truly held his attention.
The movements of the Cao army were no secret. They had come openly, made their preparations in full view, and then surged northward without the slightest attempt at concealment.
Jiang Wan's gaze stretched far into the distance.
Green earth merged with the darkened sky, blending into a murky gray that unsettled the heart. Somewhere within that haze, the Cao army had vanished.
Jiang Wan had his suspicions.
That distant place was likely where the true outcome of this war would be decided.
But the distant battlefield lay beyond his reach. After a moment of wandering thought, Jiang Wan reined in his mind and returned his focus to the fight before him.
With the addition of thunder carts and incendiary oil bombs, the pressure on Jiangling had visibly increased. Lu Meng grew ever more excited, bellowing orders on the battlefield until his throat gave out, yet he seemed completely unaware of the pain.
Watching all this, Jiang Wan murmured softly to himself.
"They are getting closer…"
To the north, Zhao Yun's face showed unmistakable exhaustion.
After passing Tong Pass, he had received an urgent command from Strategist Zhuge. Zhang Fei and Huo Jun were ordered to make a grand display by exiting Tong Pass, drawing Cao attention and forcing part of the Cao forces confronting Guan Yu to fall back toward Hongnong.
Zhao Yun, meanwhile, was ordered to lead elite cavalry through the Ba River valley, passing Shangluo, crossing Wu Pass, and entering northern Jing Province.
To be fair, it was not an easy route.
Once within the mountains, the Ba River valley was nothing like the broad and gentle Wei River plain. Sharp bends were common, and the river's erosion had created shallow, rock-strewn fords. In some places, they even had to wade directly through water to advance.
Fortunately, before departure, every mount in the relief force had been fitted with horseshoes. Otherwise, even the finest steeds might have been lost along the way.
Skirting around Zhongling Mountain via the river valley brought them to Shangluo. Because of its proximity to both Chang'an and Luoyang, this region had been plagued by routed soldiers since the chaos began. Those with any sense of danger had already fled south with their families. Those who remained had mostly been relocated and turned into Cao military settlers.
As a result, Zhao Yun's passage caused little disturbance. From there on, the road became clearer.
After passing through the equally ruined Shang County, the terrain began to rise again.
Halfway up the mountainside, a formidable pass suddenly came into view. Towering cliffs and deep valleys hemmed it in. The road was narrow and treacherous. With just five hundred elite soldiers stationed here, even an army of ten thousand could be stopped cold.
A truly strategic choke point.
Fortunately, it now stood empty. No one barred their way.
"This is one of the Four Passes of Qin," said Xi Zhen, his expression stirred as he examined the fortifications with great interest.
Hearing this, Deputy General Zhang Yi also grew contemplative, sighing along with him.
Wu Pass, formerly known as Shaoxi Pass, together with Hangu Pass, Xiao Pass, and Dasan Pass, were collectively known as the Four Passes of Qin. Zhao Yun knew this history well.
But after the unification of the realm, these mighty passes gradually lost their former glory. Wu Pass was no exception.
Zhao Yun, however, thought a little further.
He remembered the vast, turbulent sweep of future history he had once glimpsed through the light screen. Wu Pass, buried deep in mountain ravines, would likely be abandoned in later ages. But Dasan Pass and Xiao Pass lay on the front lines against foreign tribes. Over centuries, would future generations leave behind legends worth remembering?
The thought passed in an instant.
Zhao Yun raised his voice, urging the soldiers to quicken their pace. The mountain air was cold, and they were scheduled to spend the night ahead in Xi County.
Before leaving, however, Zhang Yi and Xi Zhen did something that left Zhao Yun both amused and helpless.
Moved by Wu Pass's storied past, Zhang Yi ordered a special unit to carve a line of large characters into a flat section of the wall using their weapons. Xi Zhen read it aloud at full volume.
"Here passed Han General Zhao Yun, whose spear secured Jing Province."
Zhao Yun nearly covered his face in embarrassment.
But Zhang Yi and the others knew their commander's temperament well. They immediately stirred the soldiers into shouting together.
"General, will we win this battle?"
Zhao Yun sighed and answered loudly.
"Victory is certain."
The soldiers erupted into cheers.
Laughter and shouts of certainty echoed from the mountainside, cascading down into the valleys and lingering at the edge of the Qinling range.
This unexpected reinforcement delighted Xu Shu beyond measure.
Before Zhao Yun's arrival, Xu Shu and Guan Yu had debated for days whether to send troops to aid Jiangling.
Xu Shu's judgment was based on the prolonged stalemate at Jiangling. If the siege dragged on, the Cao army might seize an opening to intervene.
After all, Cao forces stationed in Yingchuan lacked neither soldiers nor capable generals. Diverting a cavalry unit as a surprise force would be easy enough, especially with the northern Jing front already locked in confrontation.
For Guan Yu, however, resources were painfully tight. Troop numbers were limited, and the few capable generals he had were all pinned on the front line staring down Cao forces.
Zhao Yun's arrival resolved the dilemma neatly, and Xu Shu's reasoning was sound.
From Yingchuan to Jiangling, Cao forces would have to detour via Yiyang, cross mountains to Jiangxia, then proceed to Jiangling, a journey of over a thousand li. Alternatively, they could detour through Lujiang to Jiangxia, stretching the march to more than fifteen hundred li.
Zhao Yun's elite cavalry, on the other hand, could ride straight south from Wancheng across open ground, a distance of only seven hundred li.
What surprised Zhao Yun was that before even reaching Jiangling, scouts reported encountering Cao scouts near Changban Slope.
With the enemy ahead and the situation unclear, Zhao Yun chose to camp and rest at Bian County, eighty li north of Changban.
Scouting intensified immediately. Both sides' scouts clashed repeatedly around Dangyang, each striving to break through the other's screen and probe deeper for intelligence.
"Zhang Liao is commander, leading nearly five thousand elite cavalry, stationed at Mai City."
Zhao Yun repeated the report to confirm accuracy, then patted the scout on the shoulder and sent him to rest.
"Zhao Yun commands, stationed at Bian County. Numbers unclear, estimated around three thousand cavalry based on horse count."
Zhang Liao listened with interest, likewise dismissing his scout.
After brief contemplation, both commanders issued identical orders.
"We eat at dawn. Once the sun's properly up, we advance on Bian County and Mai City."
Each was a favored general of Liu Bei and Cao Cao respectively, and both understood the broader battlefield situation far better than most.
Cao Gong had sent Zhang Liao on a thousand-li detour, intent on a swift victory in Jing Province.
Xuande had ordered Zhao Yun to strike through Shangluo, determined to ensure Jiangling's safety.
Zhang Liao relied on the prestige of last year's great victory at Hefei, which had shaken the world.
Zhao Yun knew his opponent well. And now, with a hidden elite force under his command, he was confident of victory.
After a night's rest, the two proud armies met at Changban Slope.
Stepping onto this ground again stirred Zhao Yun's heart. Years had passed. Once more he faced Cao forces here. But now Liu stood in the north and Cao in the south, a reversal that made fate's strangeness impossible to ignore.
There was no need for pleasantries.
Zhang Liao did not know Zhao Yun well. Zhao Yun knew of Zhang Liao, but was never one for idle talk.
At the moment of contact, both men shouted orders.
Cavalry surged.
From Zhang Liao's perspective, the enemy was clearly outnumbered. His tactic was straightforward and brutal.
A frontal cavalry charge.
With superior numbers, he sought to smash through directly. Plain, unadorned, and utterly practical, it was the style Zhang Liao knew best as a son of Bing Province.
Crush the enemy head-on, then pursue like hungry wolves, gnawing away until nothing remained.
Zhao Yun, however, immediately ordered his cavalry to avoid the frontal clash and attempt an oblique engagement.
This was a tactic inherited from the You Province raiders, and Zhao Yun executed it with everything he had.
You Province cavalry specialized in sudden strikes and ambush-like assaults, never in brainless head-on charges. They were accustomed to fighting outnumbered, and every cavalryman was precious. Even trading one rider for ten enemies was still a loss in their eyes.
Thus, the solution was singular.
Use mobility as the blade, treat the enemy as dough, and execute angled strikes that split, encircle, and annihilate, like slicing a cake with a sharp knife.
At first, seeing Zhao Yun also advance, Zhang Liao nearly laughed.
Then he realized the charge was not aimed at his center.
He reacted instantly.
Hold formation and withdraw to lure the enemy away from open ground? Turn to strike the flank in counter-charge? Or…
There was no time for hesitation.
Like a raging wind, Zhao Yun's cavalry swept past Zhang Liao's flank. More than a hundred riders, poorly integrated with the main formation, were cut down with surgical precision, scattered like fallen leaves.
The unfavorable opening snapped Zhang Liao fully awake.
Something was different.
"The horses…"
This cavalry was nothing like the laughable Jiangdong mixed horse-infantry he had crushed beneath Hefei's walls. Compared even to the Wuhuan cavalry at White Wolf Mountain, these were superior.
Powerful steeds. High morale. Perfectly executed tactics.
A formidable enemy.
Zhang Liao felt his blood boil. Five years had passed since White Wolf Mountain. Only now had he encountered cavalry worthy of true battle.
And there was fear as well.
Back then, Liu Bei had fled like a stray dog at Changban. Now he had defeated Cao Gong in Jing Province and possessed such elite forces.
For Cao Gong, and for the pride of Bing Province warriors, Zhang Liao could not lose.
Soon, thunderous hoofbeats filled the battlefield, while the sounds of killing remained strangely sparse.
The two cavalry forces constantly adjusted direction, racing and crossing. Zhang Liao sought a decisive frontal break. Zhao Yun watched the flanks relentlessly. Each clash was brief, separating almost as soon as contact was made.
For command efficiency, both commanders personally led from the front.
But the strain fell heavier on Zhang Liao.
He had more troops and fought defensively. He had to remain utterly focused on the enemy vanguard, reading Zhao Yun's intent and intercepting in advance.
Before long, the elite force across from him seemed to tire of this game.
After a sharp, piercing whistle, Zhang Liao watched as Zhao Yun's cavalry wheeled in a clean arc and repositioned squarely on his flank.
The killing move was about to fall.