Chapter 86: Different Paths

The battle raged through the night, and it was not until the third watch that the casualty figures were finally tallied.

One could say the fight had been won, or one could say it had been lost.

The Liang army’s great general, Li Jue, was slain; more than a thousand of the Flying Bear Cavalry were killed or wounded; over five thousand of the Western Liang heavy horse were killed or wounded; more than fourteen hundred were taken prisoner; and over three thousand broke through Hugu Pass and fled west.

On the allied side, more than four thousand cavalry were lost, over thirty-five thousand infantry were killed or wounded, and seven hundred thousand measures of provisions were burned.

By the bare numbers, it was clearly a defeat. The Liang army’s dead, wounded, and captured together did not even reach eight thousand, while the allied host had taken a crushing blow, losing more than forty thousand men in all, along with part of its grain stores set aflame.

But in terms of significance, it was a complete victory for the alliance.

The Flying Bear cavalry’s myth of invincibility had been shattered, and Chen Cong and the others had returned in time to relieve the front, keeping the casualties entirely within a controllable range.

The main point was that the warlords numbered eighteen.

That night, Wang Kuang and Kong Zhou were stationed in the forward camp, and the bulk of the losses fell upon those two. The rest had paid almost no price at all for defeating the Western Liang horsemen, and their spirits were naturally high.

Once they withdrew to Hulao Pass to rest and recover, they would advance on Luoyang to claim their share of the spoils.

As for what Wang Kuang and Kong Zhou thought of it, that had nothing to do with anyone else...

After the battle, the alliance gained twelve new nobles of the inner pass, one county marquis, and one general who established might.

At any time, being ennobled and commissioned as a general was the romance of all men of arms.

In particular, when Sun Ce was granted the title of noble of the inner pass, he was only fifteen. It could be said that a fierce tiger had bared its belly and golden bile fell in tears.

Liu Bei had originally not wanted to accept, still less acknowledge the authority by which Yuan Shao conferred titles in the name of heaven. But the matter was already decided, and with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei gazing at him with ardent eyes, he simply accepted it顺势.

Though Gongsun Zan was made Marquis of Ji, in truth it amounted to little. He had long been the uncrowned king of Beiping Commandery, and Ji County was itself the seat of Beiping’s administration. It was only another pleasant-sounding title.

Chen Cong had picked up a miscellaneous general’s commission, which counted as officially getting himself into the roster. Henceforth, when others called him “general,” it would no longer be mere flattery, but the proper title of a general.

In the end, all such outward honors were mostly empty names; the truly substantive things would never be set on the table.

Evening atop Hulao Pass.

The Thirteen Protectors, each wrapped like a rice dumpling, gathered again and drank from jars.

Chen Cong offered his usual broth and homily.

The evening breeze brought warmth, yet could not dispel the faint sadness of parting.

“Now that we’re about to advance on Luoyang, why must Brother Xuande leave so soon?”

“That’s right. When the time comes, follow Brother Chen Invincible and pick up a bit of merit. At the very least you’ll be granted a noble rank, won’t you?”

“Forget about noble rank for now. Didn’t the alliance lord say it himself? The first to enter Luoyang gets a reward of ten thousand gold.”

Liu Bei had already taken his leave of Yuan Shao that morning and would depart on the morrow. Once Liu Bei left, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would naturally follow.

At one stroke, the Thirteen Protectors would be reduced by three.

Everyone talked at once, trying to persuade him, while Chen Cong alone leaned sideways on the battlements with his broth bowl in his arms, silent, savoring a brief moment of peace.

He saw things clearly. There was no banquet that did not end in parting.

Besides, who knew? Maybe one day, after Liu the Runner shouted that line about the Han and the traitors never coexisting and the imperial enterprise not resting in one corner, he would be obliged to see him every day whether he wanted to or not. What was there to pine over?

After a while, Ji Ling came staggering over with a jar of fine wine in his arms.

Slurring badly, he said, “Chen Wudi, why do you not go and per-suade him?”

Apart from the times when he himself was drunk, Chen Cong disliked drunks the most.

He glanced at Ji Ling lazily. “If you can’t straighten your tongue and speak properly, I can help you.”

Ji Ling jumped in fright.

“Ahem. I said, Chen Invincible, why don’t you go and talk him out of it?”

“Each man has his own ambition. What is there to persuade?” Chen Cong raised his broth toward Liu Bei in a distant salute and said loudly, “I admire Brother Xuande for saving Han and preserving the realm without seeking fame or profit.”

It was a fact that Yuan Shao looked down on the three brothers.

Now that they were about to reach Luoyang and divide the fruits of victory, rather than suffer the embarrassment of being handed some trivial little post at the end, Liu Bei was better off taking his leave now. At least he would earn a reputation for valuing no fame or gain.

Liu Bei understood this, and Chen Cong understood it too, but Zhang Fei did not.

He immediately howled, “If you ask me, this Chen Zining is the most pretentious of the lot, always talking nonsense and never saying anything straight.”

“Yide!” Liu Bei rebuked him instinctively, but then suddenly thought of the bond among brothers in arms and felt that he had perhaps been too cautious. He shook his head and smiled. “Very well.”

“Haha, hear that, Chen Zining? My brother says you’re pretentious too.”

A bunch of thick-skinned brutes who knew nothing of the matter laughed along foolishly.

Xu Chu said in a booming voice, “You’d best not laugh at that fellow. You lot are too clumsy of tongue to outtalk him.”

The others:...

Xiahou Dun added bitterly, “And if he no longer wants to argue, he’ll just start fighting. That fellow is the least honorable of all.”

Le Jin nodded. “He’ll even give you ugly nicknames and shout them at you every day.”

Uh...

The others exchanged glances, and looking at it that way, there really did not seem to be much to laugh about.

Liu Bei twitched the corners of his mouth and gave an awkward laugh. “Zining hasn’t given me any nickname, has he?”

Cao Hong, delighted to stir the pot, said, “This one knows. Liu Runs-Away.”

“Hahahaha!”

Chen Cong leapt down from the wall and stuffed the broth into Liu Bei’s hands. “Don’t listen to their nonsense. As a parting gift, I have nothing else to offer you, Brother Xuande, so drink half a bowl of hot chicken soup. Safe travels.”

With that, he turned to slip away.

The wind had blown enough. It was time to go back and hold his beauty close in sleep.

“Zining.”

Chen Cong stopped and turned his head slightly.

Liu Bei drained the broth, holding the empty bowl, and said with sincerity, “The Master’s Way lies in loyalty and forgiveness. You are a true hero, Zining. Do not take one false step and leave lifelong regret.”

Chen Cong knew Liu Bei had taken offense at his notion of conferring titles by acting in heaven’s name, but he had not expected him to actually speak up and lecture him.

Loyal to whom? Forgiving whom?

The Han house, of course.

And who, then, represented the Han house?

That lecherous emperor Liu Hong? The late young emperor Liu Bian? The present Son of Heaven Liu Xie? Or the future Emperor Zhao Lie of Han, Liu Bei?

As a major shareholder in the Cao Wei faction, did he really need all that?

He smiled at once. “Brother Xuande, I’ve already had my fill. Too much chicken soup really does get cloying. I’m off.”

With that, he waved a hand and strode down from the walls.

Though Liu Bei had never studied the literature of chicken soup, he still understood the hidden meaning in those words. The gentle smile on his face froze.

“Big Brother, why did you end up driving Chen Zining away? I still haven’t made him pay for my serpent spear.”

“Yide...” Liu Bei said with a trace of disappointment, reaching out to pat Zhang Fei on the shoulder.

“Forget it, forget it. I’ll demand it from him next time we meet.” Zhang Fei muttered, then went on looking for someone to drink with.

The bustle around them seemed unchanged, yet something had in fact changed.

Liu Bei gazed at the vast and hazy Hulao Pass, feeling a great many emotions.

In the end, their roads were different. The next time they met...

it would likely be as enemies, not friends.

Chen Cong had barely stepped off the battlements when he saw Cao Cao sneaking about at the foot of the wall, circling in place like a dog.

At one moment he pounded his fist; at another he clasped his hands; at another he shook his head and sighed.

He had not even noticed Chen Cong coming down...

“Father-in-law, what are you doing?”

The sudden voice made Cao Cao jump, and then he quickly composed himself.

“Ahem, Zining. They’re still drinking up there?”

Who else could “they” be?

As the trusted son-in-law of the grand traitor Cao, Chen Cong knew exactly what this father-in-law was plotting.

“Are you thinking of recruiting Liu Bei?”

“Hahaha. Those three brothers are all heroes. If they cannot be used by me, would that not be one of life’s greatest regrets? How could your father possibly imitate that blind Yuan Benchu?”

Chen Cong curled his lip in disdain.

Whether Yuan Benchu truly had no eyes, he did not know, but Cao Cao was plainly mistaken about Liu Bei.

True enough, Liu Bei was now in straits, and this was indeed the best time to win him over.

True enough, a favor from a patron can be tantamount to a rebirth for many men.

But Cao Cao clearly had not seen the deeper meaning behind Liu Bei’s present poverty.

Those three brothers had been struggling and clawing their way through the world for so many years. Could they truly have never encountered discerning eyes at all?

With those three muscular brutes standing there, would anyone really think they were merely foolish strongmen?

So why had they fallen into such hardship?

“Very well. Then this son-in-law wishes Father-in-law every success.”