When Xiahou Ba truly stopped to count it, he realized he had already followed his father into Guanzhong for nearly two years.
Yet after those two years, he found himself feeling increasingly unfamiliar with the forces under Chancellor Cao.
Take Wei Huang, for example. This was once an old acquaintance, yet the moment he arrived, he had not come to catch up or exchange pleasantries. Instead, he immediately took out his writing slips and began recording everything Xiahou Ba had said and done after falling into Liu Bei's hands.
Xiahou Ba endured it patiently. But after he finished answering, Wei Huang pulled out another bamboo slip, shaved thin and smooth, and said in a serious tone,
"Please state the names and native places of everyone who returned east with you this time, so the records may be cross-checked."
That was finally too much.
Xiahou Ba slapped the bamboo slip out of Wei Huang's hand and snapped,
"What, do you suspect that I, Xiahou Ba, have defected to Liu Bei?"
Wei Huang did not lose his temper. He bent down, picked up the bamboo slip, and said calmly,
"Qian Zhao of Anping and Tian Yu of Yuyang are both under suspicion now because of old personal ties to Liu Bei."
"Please proceed according to the law, Zhongquan."
In the end, driven by exhaustion and hunger together, Xiahou Ba gave in. He obediently reported the names and native places of everyone who had returned east with him.
Still, he could not help feeling that when Wei Huang left, the glance he cast back carried some deeper meaning.
Xiahou Ba had no strength left to care. He called for a servant, ordered hot food prepared, and planned to eat his fill and sleep until nightfall.
Before the food could even be brought in, someone pounded on the door of the temporary residence.
"Is Zhongquan here? Zhongquan, where are you? The sun is already high. Why are you not out of the city enjoying yourself?"
Pain immediately crept across Xiahou Ba's face.
Fortunately, the visitor proved reasonable enough. After learning of Xiahou Ba's condition, he laughed heartily and clapped him on the shoulder.
"No rush, no rush. Then we will go after noon."
"I am hungry myself anyway. Bring another bowl and set of chopsticks."
"Zhang Quan!"
Xiahou Ba said with mock anger.
"You are not leaving? What, do you plan to sleep with me later too?"
Before he even finished, he burst out laughing himself.
Back in the twelfth year of Jian'an, when General Who Broke the Qiang, Zhang Xiu, fell ill and died while campaigning with Chancellor Cao at Liucheng, his daughter had later married Cao Jun, the Chancellor's own son.
Zhang Xiu's only son, Zhang Quan, inherited the title and quickly became a rising figure among Ye City's younger generation. He and Xiahou Ba were on very good terms.
Zhang Quan's visit quickly dispelled the lingering displeasure Xiahou Ba felt from Wei Huang's interrogation.
When they sat down to eat, Xiahou Ba stopped holding back. He ate heartily while half-listening to Zhang Quan recount the changes in Ye City and the Central Plains over the past year or so.
He could also tell that Zhang Quan was intensely curious about the clashes between Guanzhong and Liu Bei's forces.
"So Liu Bei defeated General Xiahou. Is it true he only lost a little over a thousand men?"
Thinking of the matter for the third time that day, Xiahou Ba felt nothing at all now. He nodded.
"Not a thousand. Liu Bei likely lost fewer than that."
He was quite satisfied to hear Zhang Quan suck in a sharp breath.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Then did you personally see Liu Bei?" Zhang Quan pressed.
That familiar feeling returned. Xiahou Ba realized that his uncle and Wei Huang had both asked the same question.
He shook his head, focused on his food, and simply retold selected parts of what he had already told his uncle. Zhang Quan's expression soon filled with contentment.
The meal ended quickly, yet Zhang Quan still looked eager. Only when Xiahou Ba yawned three times in a row did he finally apologize.
"Then we will tour together tomorrow."
"Oh, right."
Just as he was leaving, Zhang Quan suddenly remembered something.
"When this campaign ends and we return to Ye City, I will definitely introduce you to an extraordinary person."
Though utterly exhausted, Xiahou Ba felt a flicker of interest.
"What sort of extraordinary person? From where? What is so extraordinary about him?"
Zhang Quan waved his hand with a grin.
"A man from Jiyin. Wei Feng, courtesy name Zijin."
"As for what makes him special, you will understand once you meet him."
With that, Zhang Quan nodded and strode off.
Xiahou Ba was curious, but after a sleepless night and a full stomach, drowsiness surged up quickly. He no longer had the energy to think about it.
As Xiahou Ba fell into deep sleep, Wei Huang, after running back and forth all day, returned to his own residence.
Before him lay seven bamboo records, all broadly similar. Aside from Xiahou Ba, the others Liu Bei had allowed to return east were chosen at random, so their views of Liu Bei differed.
Those views did not interest Wei Huang.
What mattered to him were the shared details across all the records.
Guanzhong and Yongliang were once again connected as a whole. Han Sui had been driven out. Ma Chao had submitted. Canals were repaired, houses restored, fields cultivated. Everywhere one looked, the common people appeared settled, content with their customs, and secure in their livelihoods.
What impressed Wei Huang most was Liu Xuande's victory. His main force advanced deliberately and slowly, while elite cavalry looped around Jieting, riding a thousand li to strike at the root.
The enemy's morale collapsed. Victory was achieved without a decisive battle. This was warfare at its highest level.
After pacing the room twice, Wei Huang could barely contain himself. He sat down, carefully took out a sheet of Jiangdong paper, and without hesitation wrote the opening line.
"To Ji Ping, may you be well…"
But almost immediately, he froze.
He took out a small blade, carefully cut off the written opening, then stuffed the ink-stained strip into his mouth and swallowed it calmly, as if eating a meal.
As an official directly responsible for supervising all officials on the Chancellor's behalf, Wei Huang understood better than anyone how dangerous that instinctive action had been.
After steadying his emotions, he resumed a neutral expression, organized the records, and placed them on the shelf behind him, as though handling the most ordinary piece of official business.
That very afternoon, the records were taken by an assistant from the Western Office and presented to Cao Cao.
"Gongda, just take a look," Cao Cao said.
After resting for a while, Cao Cao looked much better, even smiling slightly.
"That defeat at Red Cliffs truly turned this man into a hero."
Xun You now oversaw the Chancellor's administration. He had already learned the general outcome of Guanzhong through other channels. This was merely confirmation.
Quite aside from anything else, Duyang City stood like an iron nail driven into the main route into Jing Province. That alone was enough to demonstrate Liu Bei's strength.
Hearing Cao Cao's amused sigh, Xun You echoed politely,
"Only my lord can truly recognize heroes under heaven."
After the laughter faded, reality demanded attention.
"What do you think should be done now?" Cao Cao asked.
The question was broad, but after nearly twenty years serving a wise master, Xun You understood him perfectly.
After a brief pause, he spoke softly.
"Now that new grain has been stored, our army can strike northern Jing from three directions."
"If Guan Yunchang is forced back to Xiangyang, Jiangdong's crisis can be resolved. Taking Shangyong would also sever the link between Hanzhong and Jing Province, allowing Jiangdong to remain secure."
"In this way, Jing Province and Guanzhong will stand isolated from one another, and Liu Bei's momentum will end there."
Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction.
"That is exactly what should be done."
Jiangdong's old grain supplies were not yet exhausted, Ye City's new harvest was complete. With Duyang, Wuyin, Biyang, and Yiyang advancing together, Guan Yunchang would be trapped on all sides.
Yet as Cao Cao imagined it, he could not help brooding over Lü Meng's disastrous defeat and death at Jiangling.
Back then, Zhou Gongjin had dazzled the world at Red Cliffs.
How could it be that now, with a hundred thousand hired troops besieging a lone city, he still suffered such a crushing defeat?
After all, as Xun Gongda had just said, one aim of attacking Jing Province was to aid Jiangdong and prevent Liu Bei from exploiting the situation.
This ally of theirs.
Could they really rely on him?