Rather Than Zhang Ran, Zhang Bao’s Eldest Daughter

A few days after creating a moment of dark history, we left Luo Castle and set out for Chengdu. Though it’s said that the alcohol of this era is mostly cloudy rice wine with low alcohol content, seeing them drink so much without a hangover shows how good the physique of these warriors is.

My position in the march to Chengdu was in the center with Pang Tong. Huang Zhong was at the vanguard, Pang Tong in the center, and Liu Bei himself took care of the rear. This formation reflected Liu Bei’s intention to entrust the entire Yi Province campaign to Pang Tong’s command.

Though I had accumulated merits, I was still in the position of Acting Army Advisor as the war wasn’t over yet, and I was guarding Pang Tong’s side. But this time, I wasn’t alone.

“Army Advisor, seeing your sword dance the other day, you seem to have deep knowledge in swordsmanship. How about a sparring match someday?”

Wei Yan was accompanying the center.
Huang Zhong and Zhuo Ying were in charge of the vanguard, and Wei Yan was ordered to assist Pang Tong along with me. It was a measure directly taken by Liu Bei, who was anxious about Pang Tong being hit by an arrow, even though he had recovered fine.

“That sounds good. Though I learned spearmanship from my father, I prefer the sword too. Let’s make time after we capture Chengdu.”

“Oh, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Wei Yan was very friendly towards me. Perhaps he took a liking to me for stepping up to respond to his sword dance last time.

It’s a bit unexpected. While Wei Yan’s abilities are facts proven by actual military achievements, as attested by Liu Bei, there are many who say he fails in terms of personality.

Contrary to the Romance where Zhuge Liang opposed him, in reality, he was able to properly display his abilities thanks to the protection of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. After their deaths, he ended up with his predicted rebellion ending after conflicting with his fellow generals.

Wei Yan says he has some friendship with my father too, and he certainly belongs to the type of people my father likes, being capable.

Having passed Luo Castle, it was a highway to Chengdu. A road without rivers or mountain ranges. Liu Zhang seemed prepared for a siege rather than a field battle, as there were no soldiers to be seen even at Xindu County between Luo County and Chengdu.

“It would be nice if Liu Zhang accepts the situation and surrenders.”

Pang Tong spoke weakly, unlike his usual self.

“There are still abundant supplies in Chengdu. The weak Liu Zhang, despite having plenty of soldiers and supplies, was only concerned about his own safety and hoarded them in Chengdu. But because of that, it’s now difficult for us to overcome Chengdu.”

“They say there are 30,000 soldiers, but how could they all be real elite troops? They’re probably hastily gathered.”

Wei Yan spoke with confidence. I agreed with Wei Yan’s words too. How could it make sense that they had 30,000 real elite troops just holed up? There were so many fortresses and passes much easier to defend than Chengdu.

If they really had 30,000 but were too scared to send them out, there’s even less to worry about. It means Liu Zhang is that incompetent and cowardly, so if we fight a bit and alternate between intimidation and coaxing, he’ll surrender.

“I don’t think we’ll lose either. I hear Kongming is also gradually subjugating Yi Province from the Jingzhou direction and advancing north, so Chengdu absolutely can’t hold out. What I’m concerned about is the outside.”

“By outside, do you mean Cao Cao?”

Wei Yan asked, but Pang Tong didn’t answer affirmatively. I spoke, thinking of the future that would come after this:

“It’s both Cao Cao and Sun Quan, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I’m worried about both forces.”

“But isn’t Sun Quan our ally? I understand Cao Cao eyeing Hanzhong after defeating Ma Chao, but is there a need to be wary of Sun Quan?”

It seems Wei Yan hasn’t grown enough to see the big picture yet. Or maybe he’s really just a talent outstanding in tactics, enough to propose strategies like the Xiaoting plan.

Anyway, Pang Tong firmly denied Wei Yan’s words.

“I think we should be more cautious of Sun Quan than Cao Cao.”

“To that extent?”

“Cao Cao is our mortal enemy who can never coexist with us from the start. Both Cao Cao and we only need to think about defeating and overthrowing each other. But Sun Quan is different. He’s not just an opponent to fight and defeat, but someone we need to cooperate with for now, yet both sides are secretly sharpening their knives. It’s a situation of ‘smiling while hiding a dagger,’ not knowing when the other will draw their blade.”

“Just like the saying ‘Yan and Yue sleeping in the same bed.'”

“With Cao Cao around now, he can’t move rashly, but given the chance, Sun Quan will surely try to swallow us and complete Zhou Yu’s plan to divide the realm in two.”

As Pang Tong warned, Sun Quan would later stab Guan Yu in the back and swiftly devour Jingzhou while Guan Yu was busy fighting Cao Cao.

“It’s important to stabilize Yi Province as quickly as possible. Only then can we firmly defend Jingzhou and focus on the battle with Cao Cao.”

Already, Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, and even my father have led troops into Shu for the rapid absorption of Yi Province. Right now, Guan Yu must be struggling alone in Jingzhou.

In modern times, Guan Yu is sometimes criticized as overrated, but seeing how he not only defended against overwhelming odds but even attempted a northern expedition, he was truly an extraordinary person. It’s not for nothing that Liu Bei entrusted Jingzhou entirely to Guan Yu.

“Don’t worry. If I, Army Advisor Zhang, General Huang, and General Zhuo each take charge of one direction and attack from all sides, how could Liu Zhang withstand it?”

“How can the Army Advisor, who is an Acting Army Advisor, take the vanguard?”

“What? But considering the martial prowess shown at Luo Castle…”

“Try proposing that to our lord. Then I’ll say nothing.”

Wei Yan clams up at the mention of Liu Bei. Everyone in Liu Bei’s army now knew how dearly Liu Bei cherished me. With the incident at the banquet hall and Liu Bei keeping me by his side constantly afterwards, how many people must have seen that sight?

If Wei Yan were to suggest sending me to the dangerous frontlines to such a Liu Bei, even Wei Yan, who is favored by Liu Bei, would get an earful.

“With Liu Xun here too, we should urge surrender. I hope Fa Zheng writes a good letter.”

As Pang Tong worried, Liu Zhang locked the gates of Chengdu tight and expressed his intention to resist. Fa Zheng sent a letter urging surrender, but no white flag was raised over the city.

Unlike at Luo Castle, there was no siege battle, only a prolonged standoff. The four-sided attack Wei Yan boasted about was realistically difficult, as there wasn’t much difference in numbers between Liu Zhang’s forces in Chengdu and Liu Bei’s army surrounding Chengdu.

The policy was decided to maintain this standoff and wait for follow-up reinforcements. It was a battle already won, so any further loss of troops would be a waste.

A kind of vacation until my father arrives? Since it’s come to this, I decided to have the sparring match I had promised with Wei Yan earlier.

“I’ve seen the Army Advisor’s martial prowess with my own eyes, so I too will give it my all.”

“Yes. I’ll do my best too.”

Word of my sparring match with Wei Yan must have spread, as other generals not assigned to surround Chengdu gathered in small groups.

From non-commissioned officers like Dunzhangs and Junhous to Colonels like Wei Yan, and even Liu Bei who had been in the rear, they all came running at the news of my sparring with Wei Yan and took their places.

Liu Bei seemed to intend to use this sparring as a kind of event to raise the morale of soldiers tired from the boring standoff. As expected, it was typical of Liu Bei with his excellent showmanship.

“Both of you, show off your skills to the fullest, but be careful not to harm each other.”

With Liu Bei’s words of encouragement, Wei Yan and I faced each other.

Wei Yan had the first move. His sword was fast. Among those I’ve faced so far, only Yu Jin could compare. He easily surpasses Liu Xun or Lady Sun, but still falls far short of my father.

However, Wei Yan too has built up his skills through countless real battles. His war-honed sword, specialized solely for killing enemies, is incredibly sharp even with the killing intent removed.

If I were the 9-year-old me who first went into battle, I would have been knocked down in a few exchanges, like when I faced Yu Jin.

‘It’s been 5 years. I haven’t been idle for 5 years. It’s different from back then.’

Clang!

I parry Wei Yan’s sword with a heavy metallic sound. I’m not overwhelmed in strength at all. If anything, I’m slightly stronger than him.

Wei Yan’s sword trembled unsteadily, perhaps shocked that he was overpowered in strength. If this were a real battle, even if I couldn’t behead him here, one of his limbs would have flown off.

As if to avenge being overpowered in strength, Wei Yan made his movements even larger. It was a clever tactic. In a real battle, it would be a bad move as the openings would increase, but in a sparring match where we’re not taking each other’s lives, it’s a method to maximize power, isn’t it?

Clang!

‘Not bad…’

The impact traveling down my arm is heavier than before. But it’s not enough to break my composure. A sense of how times have changed fills my entire body.

Five years have grown me from a mere girl into a proper general.

My height, which wasn’t even 120cm, has now exceeded 160cm, and the body that was knocked down by Yu Jin’s single strike now easily withstands Wei Yan’s full-powered blow comparable to his. The eyes that could only see death now spot the opponent’s openings, and the two feet that could only run away have learned how to advance.

One step. And one sword strike.

A sword strike rising from below. Unterhau. I deflect Wei Yan’s downward strike while drawing a large arc.

As his sword is swept away by my upward slash, Wei Yan’s empty upper body is exposed, and I thrust my sword forward.

“It’s over.”

My sword stops precisely at a position where the blade is almost but not quite touching the side of his neck. Though it doesn’t touch, cold sweat runs down Wei Yan’s cheek from the chilling coldness felt from the sword.

“I’ve lost.”

As Wei Yan concedes, I withdraw my sword. Wei Yan also lowers his raised arm and sheathes his sword, and thunderous cheers and excited stomping erupt from the onlookers.

It must have been an exciting spectacle. A sparring match with real swords, not wooden ones, so it must have been thrilling enough to make their palms sweat. Wei Yan, resembling his lord, had his own showmanship, and I matched him with large and flashy movements, so it must have been quite enjoyable to watch.

Especially Liu Bei, who probably didn’t expect me to defeat even Wei Yan, couldn’t hide his surprise and had a face full of pleased smiles.

“Wei Colonel is material for a fierce general comparable to General Huang, but our niece even surpasses that. Isn’t that right, everyone?”

I hope the narrow-minded Wei Yan doesn’t sulk about losing to a woman like me. While feeling elated at Liu Bei’s praise and the flattery from those around, worry sprouted in one corner of my mind.

Wei Yan doesn’t seem to have much complaint, which makes me wonder if he’s a meritocrat like my father, but seeing how he also conflicted with Zhuge Liang, that might not be the case. I hope it’s not a development like “He’s not angry because he saw my face” – but that seems the most likely, which leaves me with very mixed feelings.

Though I felt uneasy even after winning, Liu Bei just approached me happily and said:

“Well done. Truly Yide’s daughter. Seeing the bravery that brought down Luo Castle, the nickname ‘Little Flying Swallow’ is not excessive at all.”

Ugh. That nickname has spread even here? It must have been spread by the soldiers I brought. I should have made them keep quiet.

“Cao Cao said this, didn’t he? If you’re going to have a son, have one like Sun Zhongmou. Then if you’re going to have a daughter, shouldn’t she be like our niece?”

How much do you intend to gild me? Gild? Come to think of it, among the Five Tiger Generals, I haven’t seen Ma Chao yet. Doesn’t Ma Chao surrender around this time?

I sank into thought, feeling like I was about to realize something. If there was a change that could end this boring standoff at Chengdu, making Liu Zhang realize it’s no longer possible, it would clearly be…

“Ran, are you alright? Did you get hurt somewhere during the sparring…”

“Uncle.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I think I’ve come up with a way to make Chengdu surrender.”

“What? Chengdu? Tell me quickly.”

“It’s to make Ma Chao submit to us.”

It must be Ma Chao’s joining.