Liu Bei spent the night in Nanling.
To be precise, he brought troops with him and spent the night in Lady Sun's residence in Nanling.
Inside the estate, Liu Bei's personal guards and Lady Sun's female bodyguards faced each other in tense opposition, blades close at hand, killing intent thick in the air.
The servants kept their eyes lowered and their mouths shut.
Yet privately, they couldn't help but wonder:
To make Governor Liu—normally so mild and courteous—deploy such a posture… this Lady Sun truly is not someone to deal with lightly.
Following Liu Bei's instructions, several servants carried in a small table, two chairs, and warmed a jar of wine.
With a wave of his hand, Liu Bei dismissed the visibly nervous servants. They fled as if granted amnesty, carefully shutting the courtyard gates behind them.
Liu Bei sat down openly. Under the sparse starlight, cold wind drifting through the courtyard, he poured a cup of wine, raised it, and said:
"Madam—how about tonight we meet blade to blade? A true single-sabre parley."
"Stand down!"
At Lady Sun's sharp command, the female guards stepped back. She, too, sat down without ceremony.
She snorted, snatched Liu Bei's cup, tilted her head back, and drank it dry in one gulp.
Liu Bei laughed in admiration.
"Madam has excellent drinking spirit!"
Only now did Liu Bei finally have the leisure to study his new wife carefully for the first time.
Swordlike brows slanted down from her brow bone, plunging into a pair of eyes faintly tinged with green.
She was nothing like Lady Mi.
The hand holding the cup bore calluses worn by weapons.
Indeed—she carries the bearing of her father and brothers, Liu Bei thought, then silently added, except for Sun Quan.
Such a fierce woman—if she commanded troops, then beneath Hefei's walls, she might very well have led a countercharge against Zhang Liao herself.
Liu Bei shook his head inwardly and refilled her cup.
"Does my lord husband think I would cross the river and cry to Zhou Gongjin?"
Lady Sun asked after draining another cup.
Liu Bei shook his head.
"If you had no intention of crossing the river, how would you have known that I ordered my second brother to lock down the river crossings?"
They drank in silence.
Liu Bei continued:
"My lady is reasonable. But the Jiangdong retainers are of mixed quality. Tomorrow, my second and third brothers will select the worthy among them and incorporate them into the infantry."
"Those unwilling to join the infantry, yet refusing to return to Jiangdong, will be detained on the spot and later handed over to Marquis Sun."
Lady Sun tightened her grip on the cup, took a sip, and said:
"You and I are one body. Husband may handle it as he sees fit."
"One more matter," Liu Bei said, glancing at the female guards.
"The papermaking workshop at Tiger Crossing River happens to lack a batch of strong women…"
A female captain stepped forward, chin lifted.
"We exist to protect the Lady's safety—"
"As for the Lady's safety," Liu Bei thundered, cutting her off,
"Chen Dao has followed me through life and death. His personal guard surpasses even Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!"
"Under Chen Dao's protection, nothing can go wrong!"
Chen Dao stepped forward in silence, planted his sword, and stood behind Liu Bei—helmet firm, armor tight, murderous aura fully restrained.
The female captain, already interrupted, was now overwhelmed by Chen Dao's presence. She faltered, unable to speak.
Smash!
A ceramic wine cup shattered against the ground.
Lady Sun rose to her feet.
"It is late. Why doesn't my husband retire?"
"The wine hasn't been finished yet," Liu Bei said awkwardly, glancing at the fragments on the ground.
"Oh?"
Lady Sun's lips curved upward.
She said nothing—but somehow said everything.
Liu Bei tightened his grip on his short blade, lifted his chin, and stood.
"Then we retire together."
The two entered the bedchamber one after the other, separated by three or five paces. The door closed behind them.
Chen Dao remained silent.
He stood guard before the chamber, sword planted, boots crunching over wine shards with faint grinding sounds.
The female guards burned with resentment—but none dared speak under Chen Dao's pressure.
The Next Day
By Tiger Crossing River, Guan Yu and Lei Xu walked along the riverbank without armor, like ordinary farmers, stopping now and then.
"Zibu has endured much on this journey," Guan Yu said.
The thatched shelters raised by the Jianghuai refugees stretched as far as the eye could see.
The sight reminded Guan Yu of Zhang Liao.
Surrounded by Wu troops, yet still daring to charge—no wonder later generations would enshrine him in the Martial Temple.
But as for myself, Guan Yu thought, falling at Maicheng… how will history judge my merits and faults?
"I've endured nothing," Lei Xu replied.
"The ones who truly suffered are the people of Jianghuai."
Freed of heavy burdens, Lei Xu's face still bore traces of hardship, but color had returned.
He gestured toward the shelters.
"We started with over a hundred thousand. Cao's forces—Yu Jin, Zang Ba, Zhang He, Niu Gai—harried us without cease."
"Tianzhu Mountain took its toll as well. Those who made it here alive all lost family. Whole households—fewer than one in a hundred survived intact."
"Not easy at all," Guan Yu said quietly, falling silent.
Seeing this, Lei Xu instead laughed.
"Is General Guan thinking of recruiting soldiers?"
Without waiting for a reply, he continued:
"Among fifty thousand civilians, nearly all able-bodied men bear blood-deep hatred toward Cao's army. Even if you said nothing, most would still seek to enlist."
"And Governor Liu is benevolent beyond reproach—but fifty thousand mouths cannot live forever on relief alone. Enlistment is also a way to feed themselves and their families."
Guan Yu replied solemnly:
"I only feel that, after such suffering, they deserve fertile land and rest."
Lei Xu laughed loudly.
"General Guan jests. With the realm unsettled, where can peace be found?"
"To be honest," Guan Yu said plainly,
"I intend to establish a navy. I've heard the Jianghuai people are skilled boatmen—so I came seeking fine soldiers."
He pointed north.
"To the north lies Xiangfan, the great gate of the realm. Without a navy, Cao's forces cannot be broken."
He paused mid-sentence.
Why did it just look like elder brother walked past holding his waist?
Lei Xu said excitedly:
"In that case, I am willing to give all my troops to General Guan!"
"They're selected one in a hundred—raiding ships, swimming assaults, river combat—true experts."
"This…" Guan Yu hesitated. Is that appropriate?
Lei Xu laughed and led Guan Yu onward.
"General Guan's name at Baimacheng is known to all. The Jianghuai men admire your bearing."
"They're used to life on the rivers and unruly by nature. They'll need the General himself to discipline them."
"That is no issue," Guan Yu said decisively.
"Where does General Lei intend to go afterward?"
"I had planned to lay down arms and farm," Lei Xu said with a smile.
"After clashing with Zhang He at Tianzhu Mountain, I learned what true heroes are like. As for military strategy—I am but mediocre."
"But having just arrived here, the fifty thousand people will still heed me for now. I can only shamelessly serve as a guarding general under our lord."
"Now that I can entrust my troops to you, one burden is finally lifted."
"In that case," Guan Yu said,
"Would you be willing to accompany me somewhere for a look?"
Lei Xu agreed.
They returned to Gong'an County.
After passing several layers of guard posts, their view suddenly opened.
A vast hall lay before them.
At its center stood a sand table constructed of rice, soil, bricks, and stone.
Lei Xu approached under lamplight and quickly recognized it.
Such precision!
At a glance, he identified the Jianghuai terrain he had occupied for ten years—the rivers he knew like the back of his hand, reproduced with uncanny accuracy.
"Brother brought Zibu here?"
Zhang Fei's trademark booming voice rang out.
Lei Xu turned and recognized familiar faces:
Ma Su.
Fu Rong.
Fu Shiren.
Xiahou Lan.
Gao Xiang.
Chen Shi.
And finally, the late-arriving Old General Huang.
After exchanging greetings, Guan Yu stroked his beard and announced:
"Today we conduct a war game."
"We will simulate how—if our lord holds Jing Province—we might take Xiangfan."
The generals examined the unfamiliar sand table.
Small figurines represented troop formations.
Understanding dawned quickly:
Their lord already held Yi Province and was pressing toward Hanzhong. Jing Province had thirty thousand mixed infantry and naval troops.
How, then, should Xiangfan be taken?
After observation, Ma Su spoke first:
"Jiangdong is our ally. Why do they not attack Hefei to divide Cao's forces?"
Zhang Fei waved dismissively.
"They're useless. Recently they got routed—eight hundred broke a hundred thousand. Their morale is shattered; they won't dare fight!"
Ma Su stared steadily at Zhang Fei.
"General Zhang. War simulations require rigor. This is no time for jokes."