Until they had completely left Lexiang, Shamoke kept turning his head back again and again.
Outside Lexiang City, a new camp had been set up. Most of those inside were wounded soldiers, and the population was extremely mixed.
There were men from Jiangdong, from Yizhou, from Jingzhou. There were warriors of the Wuling tribes. There were even a few natives from Jiaozhou.
Those from Jiaozhou were not prisoners. They were fierce young men who had been impressed by the spirit and bearing of Zhang Ni's soldiers and had chosen, of their own will, to follow them.
At this moment, all these people were living together under the same roof without hostility.
The Yizhou soldiers shared the medicinal powder issued by the army and, based on what they had learned earlier, carefully tended to the most seriously injured.
The Wuling tribesmen also brought out herbal remedies passed down through their clans for generations.
The greatest beneficiaries were the old Jiangdong veterans whose morale and spirit had already been completely shattered.
As they watched the Yizhou soldiers skillfully pull out medicinal powder and untie the bindings from their own legs to rewrap Jiangdong wounds, their eyes were filled with curiosity.
What was missing was vigilance.
Just one day earlier, the two sides had still been locked in a life and death struggle.
Just one hour earlier, Shamoke had been forced to personally execute Han Dang, who would rather die than surrender.
And yet now, these same people sat together, awkwardly attempting conversation, cautiously talking about their hometowns.
Shamoke found himself inexplicably fond of this atmosphere. He wanted to join them.
But he knew there were more important matters at hand.
Even so, after the army set out, Shamoke still could not help glancing back repeatedly, until Zhang Ni laughed and said,
"County Lord, if you wish to rest, you may go ahead. Jiangling is right before us. I am not about to lose my way."
It was clearly a joke.
Shamoke smiled in response, then turned back, lifted his spirits, and let out a long roar.
"Win this battle, and our homes will know peace."
This was the most direct and sincere wish of the Wuling tribes.
Three thousand battle-hardened warriors answered in thunderous unison.
At the top of Jiangling's walls, Jiang Wan was still seated, though he finally let out a solid breath of relief.
The Cao army in the north had already withdrawn. Though there was no sign of rout, the loss of troops was obvious at a glance.
To the west, the fighting at Lexiang had ended. Though the view was distant and unclear, the style of the raised command banners was unmistakably not that of Jiangdong.
"Victory…"
Two simple words, yet they were enough to disperse the gloom that had weighed on Jiang Wan's heart for days.
He had long anticipated this outcome, but knowing something and seeing it with one's own eyes were entirely different matters.
Now the only remaining trouble was…
Jiang Wan spotted Lü Meng at the front lines with a single glance.
He could guess that Lü Meng had also received news of the battle at Lexiang.
As for what decision Lü Meng would make, there was little need to speculate.
The warships had all been expended. The soldiers, forced to assault the city to their deaths, had accumulated deep resentment.
For Lü Meng, there was only one path left.
"Total annihilation?"
Lü Meng repeated the words in disbelief.
The messenger, terrified of being blamed, pressed his forehead to the ground and did not dare speak.
"Han Yigong!"
Lü Meng roared, then his voice softened with a trace of desolation.
"Yigong…"
What gave Lü Meng a slight measure of comfort was that Lexiang lay south of the Yangtze. He was attacking Jiangling from the north. Even if that force wanted to come reinforce, it would still take time.
But in the end, only one road lay before him.
Lü Meng sprang to his feet and shouted,
"Remember Yigong's valor. Follow his example and repay Marquis Sun with our deaths."
The chilling voice echoed across the riverbank.
The other commanders lowered their heads, their expressions shifting in the firelight.
Under Lü Meng's personal pressure, the Jiangdong assault grew ever more frantic.
Unnoticed, Lü Meng himself was edging closer and closer to Jiangling's walls.
From his first night raid on Gong'an County, when he had been shot into disgrace, to now, Lü Meng was no stranger to giant crossbows and knew their range well.
Within five hundred paces, they were unstoppable. At full extension, they could reach eight hundred or even over a thousand paces.
To maximize morale, Lü Meng personally took the front.
To avoid a direct hit from the giant crossbows, he maintained a distance of twelve hundred paces.
His shouted orders grew harsher and harsher. The Jiangdong soldiers even felt the urge to curse back.
But when they saw the military overseers watching them like hawks, they swallowed their curses and charged forward with lowered heads, gambling everything for a slim chance of survival beneath Jiangling's walls.
"General, the General Who Conquers the East has returned…" someone reported.
Lü Meng instinctively felt resistance and waved his hand to interrupt.
"Do not let him come disturb me."
At the thought of Zhang Liao's smiling face, irritation surged in Lü Meng's heart.
If not for that man's good fortune at Hefei, why would he, Lü Meng, be forced to fight to the death here?
Avoiding the thought, Lü Meng subconsciously took two steps forward.
At that moment, the Jiangdong soldiers attacking the city heard a crisp series of sounds.
"Tsang."
"Tsang."
"Tsang."
"Bang."
Along with the strange sounds came the scream of General Lü from the rear.
On the city walls, several elite crossbowmen secretly summoned by Prefect Jiang wore clearly disappointed expressions.
The four giant crossbows installed here were visibly different from the mass produced models.
Their mechanisms were longer and more streamlined. The original half wood, half iron construction had been replaced almost entirely with iron.
The bolts mounted on them were thinner, made of combined wood and iron, cold light flashing along their edges.
These four machines had been jointly assembled during the siege by Huang Yueying and master craftsmen transferred from Gong'an County.
However, as prototypes, one of the four broke its bow arm before the bolt could even be fired.
The remaining three clearly struck Lü Meng, but judging by his condition, they were not immediately fatal.
Thus, the summoned crossbowmen all wore expressions of regret.
Jiang Wan, however, looked relaxed. He clapped his hands and said,
"The danger to Jiangling is resolved. You brave men deserve great merit."
One of the younger men could not help but speak.
"Prefect, the enemy general yet lives. We dare not claim merit."
Jiang Wan strolled to the edge of the wall, feeling the river wind brush his face. His spirits soared. He glanced at the chaotic floating bridges below and shook his head.
"Lü Meng will die."
For Lü Meng, what he felt was a sudden chill in his leg, followed by his body uncontrollably toppling sideways. Only afterward did the delayed air splitting booms reach his ears.
Heavy crossbows. Powerful crossbows.
Lü Meng was horrified, but had no time to dwell on it. What he noticed first was that his left leg had bent into an unnatural angle.
The leg was broken.
Most likely the bone had been shattered directly by the bolt. Even if it could be healed, he would be left crippled.
Suppressing the agony, Lü Meng's fury already sky high now exploded further.
"Help me up. Once Jiangling falls, I will take the head of this prefect and hang it from the north gate."
The surrounding officers looked at Lü Meng's thigh, blood pouring out like a spring. Thoughtful expressions appeared on their faces. Some even took half a step back without realizing it.
Consumed by rage, Lü Meng noticed nothing and continued shouting curses.
Still, there were decent men in the world.
A captain stepped forward and said,
"General, I will help you."
Lü Meng let out a breath, forced himself not to look at his shattered leg, and fixed his gaze on the city ahead.
As long as…
A sudden pain exploded in his back, shattering his thoughts completely.
Lowering his head, Lü Meng saw the tip of a blade protruding from his chest.
That blade pierced not only his body, but also all of his ambitions toward Jiangling.
Instinctively, he broke free from the captain, but without support, he collapsed into the mud.
From this low angle, Lü Meng clearly saw the faces of his subordinate officers.
Mocking. Contemptuous. Calm. Relieved. Gloating.
And on the captain's face, unmasked hatred.
They formed a loose semicircle, isolating Lü Meng from the few remaining loyal guards behind him.
The soldiers at the front continued to fight desperately, but in Lü Meng's ears, there was only silence.
At the final moment, clarity returned. He did not waste breath asking why.
Turning his face eastward, Lü Meng left behind his last two words.
"Marquis Sun…"
Then his consciousness sank into darkness.
When Shamoke and Zhang Ni finally crossed the river with great difficulty and arrived at the north gate, what they saw was a group of soldiers who looked as if a burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
After their identities were reported, they were ordered to set up camp on the spot. Then the two were led up to the city walls, where they saw Jiang Wan drinking alone.
There were only a few cups of wine.
Opposite Jiang Wan sat a severed head. Though they did not recognize the face, both Shamoke and Zhang Ni had their suspicions.
They were not familiar with Jiang Wan, but Ma Liang often spoke with Shamoke about his close friend Jiang Wan, so Shamoke felt an instinctive sense of closeness rather than distance.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Zhang Ni spoke frankly.
"Prefect, why do you not celebrate the victory?"
Jiang Wan sighed softly.
He could hardly say that seeing Lü Meng beheaded by his own men had reminded him of the future vision of the flood that drowned seven armies, stirring countless emotions.
At this moment, Jiang Wan missed Ma Liang deeply. Had Ma Liang been here, he would surely have understood.
Explaining was too troublesome, so Jiang Wan brushed it aside.
"General Zhao has gone in pursuit of the Cao army. When he returns, we shall celebrate this victory."
"Could it be General Zilong?"
Zhang Ni exclaimed.
Seeing Jiang Wan nod in confirmation, Zhang Ni had nothing more to say, only an intense anticipation of whether he might obtain a cup of wine when he finally met General Zilong.
For native Yizhou men, among Lord Xuande's generals, only General Zilong held fame that truly resonated.
The White Water Army trampling formations and suppressing powerful clans was something they had witnessed firsthand.
In this regard, even General Guan Yunlong could not compare.
After all, the ferocity of the Cao army was distant, something most had never seen.
The exploitation by great clans was right before their eyes, endured for nearly twenty years.
Zhao Yun's pursuit of Zhang Liao amounted only to expulsion.
Zhang Liao retreated toward Jiangxia. There were still many Jiangdong garrisons here, and with the river in between, Zhao Yun had no better option.
By the time Zhao Yun returned, night had already fallen.
For Jiangling City, this posed no problem.
There were plenty of merchants, and after more than a month of anxious endurance, they generously scattered their wealth to celebrate the reopening of trade routes.
At such a time, no one mentioned curfew.
Bonfires were lit at many intersections. People tossed copper coins into the flames to celebrate victory.
Jiang Wan did the same.
Reaching into his sleeve, he found a single five zhu coin.
It was the warding coin given by his lord in the first year. Since taking up the heavy responsibility of Jiangling, Jiang Wan had carried it with him at all times.
The coin spun several times between Jiang Wan's long fingers, came to rest on his thumb, then with a flick, flew into the bonfire.
Reflected in the firelight, it traced a captivating arc before vanishing into the flames.
Only then did Jiang Wan finally release a breath from the depths of his chest.
"Lord Xuande, I have not failed your trust."
As for the fine head presented by the surrendered Jiangdong soldiers, Jiang Wan made the same decision as Zhao Yun.
"Send it by fast horse to General Yunchang."