Early spring had arrived, yet the river valley road was still desolate.
Winter had technically passed, but the land had not yet recovered. The ground lay bare, the grass thin and weak, and the cold lingered stubbornly in the air.
A sharp sound split the silence.
An arrow flew from the bowstring, and a wild boar drinking at the riverbank collapsed instantly.
Two scouts emerged from their hiding place, crossbows held tight. They carefully checked the surroundings, making sure no other beasts were nearby. Only then did they approach and drag the carcass away.
"With this one added, we can head back," one scout muttered.
"What a pity," the other said with some regret. "After a whole winter, it's lost most of its fat."
They worked together to load the boar onto a horse. Both mounts were already hung with assorted game, leaving no choice but to lead them on foot.
Neither man minded.
The fighting had ended for the moment. Compared to risking their lives clashing with Cao scouts, leading horses laden with prey along the road felt almost leisurely, like a spring outing.
"I reckon there's still a bit of fat on the hind leg," one said. "Roasted, it should taste pretty good."
"Don't even think about it," the other laughed. "Yesterday we captured the entire Cao army. That's twenty thousand extra mouths overnight. The cooks are running nonstop. Who has time to roast boar legs for you?"
"I thought Cao soldiers ate pretty well."
"Hah. Wealth belongs to the generals. What does that have to do with foot soldiers like us?"
"But Huangshu and General Zhang eat and live just like we do."
"Huangshu isn't like the Cao bandits."
"Of course he's different."
The two fell silent.
One was a seasoned veteran from Xinye in Jing Province. The other was a fresh recruit from Yufu in Yi Province. The same words carried different weight in their hearts.
After a short pause, they changed the topic.
"I heard the Cao general has an unusual relationship with General Zhang."
"Oh?" The older scout raised an eyebrow. "Tell me."
"Everyone who's been around knows it. General Zhang's wife is surnamed Xiahou."
The younger scout's eyes widened.
"So this battle was a son in law fighting his father in law?"
"Keep your voice down."
"Oh come on. General Zhang has a thunderous voice, not ears that hear with the wind. Besides, it didn't look like either side held back."
"Held back? I heard that if Huangshu hadn't stopped him, that Xiahou fellow nearly killed himself on the spot."
"Hah. That temper really does match General Zhang."
"Maybe General Zhang just snatched his daughter away."
"No wonder that Cao general couldn't save face."
"Tragic."
They walked on for a while. The bustle of the main camp was already visible in the distance. Then the younger scout hesitated.
"If the Cao army is destroyed, does that mean we still have to attack Chang'an?"
For soldiers, sieges were nightmares.
Out of a hundred men, perhaps one survived.
Cold spring sieges were even worse. Practically suicide. That fear was exactly why the Cao army had collapsed so quickly.
They had suffered nearly a month at Linwei, dreaming of returning to Chencang for hot soup and warm beds. Then they suddenly learned they would have to attack a city.
At that point, surrendering to Liu Huangshu sounded far better than dying meaninglessly.
The older scout hesitated before replying.
"Attacking Chang'an probably has little to do with us."
"How so?"
"Last night, Huangshu ate with us. He joked and said, just wait and see what Military Strategist Zhuge does."
The younger scout blinked.
"So the strategist plans to send cinnamon twig soup to Chang'an's defenders too?"
Of course not.
After Zhao Yun and Ma Chao captured Chencang, Zhao Yun's first action was to repeatedly dispatch troops to break Cao control over the Chencang Road.
When the news reached Hanzhong, Zhuge Liang immediately understood that the fate of Yong and Liang provinces was already sealed. What remained was simply how Pang Tong would plan and how Liu Bei would choose to exchange the smallest cost for the greatest gain.
Only one matter still stood before them.
Chang'an.
Compared to the slow, grinding tension along the river valley, events in Guanzhong unfolded with frightening speed.
The moment Chencang fell, Zhao Yun assigned Ma Chao to closely watch Zhang He, who still retained troops.
The intention was clear. Stay close, pursue relentlessly, and use superior numbers to strangle Zhang He's mobility.
Next, Zhao Yun sent elite troops south to reopen the Chencang Road, releasing Xi Zhen and his thousand defenders back into the Guanzhong battlefield.
Xi Zhen carried barricade materials such as caltrops, and Chencang's stores held more of the same. Under Zhao Yun's orders, he was free to use them.
As Du Xi had predicted, Xi Zhen did not defend Chencang.
Instead, he fortified the western exit of the river valley road, sealing it to prevent Xiahou Yuan from breaking through.
With all arrangements complete, Zhao Yun did not pause.
He led elite cavalry east along the Wei River valley, passed Chencang, crossed Beiyuan, and struck directly at Wuzhang Plains.
He launched an immediate assault on Zhu Ling and ordered soldiers to shout across the battlefield.
"Xiahou Yuan is dead!"
"Zhang He has surrendered!"
"The Cao army is defeated!"
At the same time, Huo Jun at Xieyu Pass saw the movement and personally led his troops, firing heavy crossbows across the water in support.
Attacked from two sides, Zhu Ling held for half a day. Enemy reinforcements continued arriving from Chencang and Xieyu Pass, while no aid came for him.
His soldiers had no will to fight.
Zhu Ling made his decision.
He broke out with over two thousand men, formed defensive ranks to block Zhao Yun's cavalry, and withdrew slowly toward Chang'an.
With this, the Shu Road from Hanzhong into Guanzhong reopened.
Zhuge Liang reassigned Fa Zheng to oversee Hanzhong, then personally led Jiang Wei, Ma Jun, and the craftsmen corps through the Baoxie Road into Guanzhong.
At the burned ruins of the Wuzhang Plains camp, Huo Jun nervously explained everything to Zhuge Liang, weighing every word.
"This was once empty land. On your advice, we built a camp here and harassed Cao forces for over half a year."
"In early February, Cao troops marched west. Their strength was overwhelming. We retreated to Xieyu Pass and burned the camp to prevent capture."
The ruins themselves offered little to see, yet Zhuge Liang examined them carefully before letting out a long sigh.
"Zhongmiao, how far is this place from Chang'an?"
Without hesitation, Huo Jun replied.
"Two hundred forty li via the river valley road."
"Fifty more li if using the Huaili Maoling road."
"With good horses, half a day round trip."
Zhuge Liang climbed a small earthen watchtower and gazed eastward.
"Half a day…"
His words faded into the wind.
"Master, the umbrella."
Jiang Wei did not understand his teacher's thoughts, but he noticed the fine drizzle beginning to fall.
The first rain after spring arrived like needles, cold and piercing.
Jiang Wei ran to fetch an umbrella.
Zhuge Liang was tall. Even on tiptoe, Jiang Wei could barely cover his shoulders.
Seeing this, Zhuge Liang bent down, took the umbrella, and drew Jiang Wei to his side.
"You are still too small. Let your teacher handle it."
Jiang Wei let out a confused sound.
The hand on his shoulder tightened gently. Ma Jun, who had stood silently behind them, was also drawn under the umbrella.
One umbrella was not enough. Rain dampened Zhuge Liang's robes.
Seeing Jiang Wei's worried gaze, he smiled and placed the feather fan into the boy's hands.
Then he grasped Liu Bei's sword at his waist and spoke loudly.
"The lord's sword is here. Zilong."
"I am present."
Holding the umbrella in one hand and drawing the sword with the other, Zhuge Liang pointed forward.
"At dawn tomorrow, break camp at Wuzhang Plains."
"Punish traitors. Restore the Han."
"March on Chang'an."
Jiang Wei clutched the feather fan, eyes shining. The familiar yet unfamiliar figure before him seemed impossibly tall.
Huo Jun was baffled. Strictly speaking, they were camped in Mei County. Wuzhang Plains was rubble. What camp was there to break?
Zhao Yun, however, responded without hesitation.
"I accept the order."
"Punish traitors. Restore the Han."
"March on Chang'an."
That night, Huo Jun urgently requested an audience.
Before he could speak, Zhuge Liang said calmly.
"I know your concern. Attacking Chang'an is not impulsive. Watch."
Huo Jun left, deeply puzzled.
From his perspective, their forces were mixed and limited.
Zhao Yun's two thousand elite cavalry.
Three thousand Qiang riders left by Ma Chao.
Two thousand infantry and over a thousand crossbowmen under Huo Jun.
Barely a thousand men Zhuge Liang had brought from Hanzhong.
The rest were laborers hauling supplies.
Barely eight thousand combat troops.
Half were cavalry, poorly suited for sieges.
How could Chang'an fall?
After Huo Jun departed, Zhuge Liang returned to working with Jiang Wei and Ma Jun on a model.
"Boyue, Deheng, let us continue with the principles of counterweight trebuchets."
Ma Jun was thrilled.
Jiang Wei struggled, but learned eagerly. Earlier that day, his master had said the method to break cities lay within these principles.
A small model was set up. Diagrams were prepared.
Jiang Wei grasped the concept quickly.
Then came the mathematics.
Weight ratios. Arm length. Projectile mass. Distance.
He broke into a sweat.
Meanwhile, Ma Jun and Zhuge Liang excitedly discussed twisted and folded lever designs, sketching shapes that made Jiang Wei's head spin.
Jiang Wei vaguely remembered asking Pang Tong once what it took to become a great general.
"Understand human hearts," Pang Tong had said.
He had asked Zhuge Liang the same question.
Zhuge Liang had handed him a multiplication rhyme.
Now came weight theory.
Before sleep, Jiang Wei sighed.
Becoming a great general was truly difficult.