Cao Hong's head was taken back by Guan Yu.
Zhang Fei personally accepted it, then climbed up onto the well-tower, judged the angle, and hurled it down into the siege tower.
He then drew a deep breath and roared with all his might:
"Your reinforcements have been defeated! Cao Hong's head is here!"
Wancheng gave no response. In truth, Zhang Fei had expected as much. After so many days under siege—after being pressed into utter helplessness by the well-towers firing straight down into their faces—Wancheng's morale had long since fallen to a depth from which it could sink no further.
Cao Cao might speak with absolute confidence of inevitable victory, but soldiers were not made of such farsighted stuff. After all, it was not the Boss Cao who stood on the battlements beneath falling arrows and splintering wood. Faith in triumph was far easier to maintain when one did not have to personally catch it with one's own head.
As for the young and able-bodied men conscripted onto the battlements, they had long since lost even the strength to think about such things. Under shouted curses and the blows of cudgels, even if unwilling, they still had to pick up weapons and face the most perilous positions.
Hou Yin observed all of this with cold detachment. Beside him, Wei Kai's eyes burned with anger every time he witnessed such scenes, and every time he was met with a stern warning look from Hou Yin.
Cao Hong's head was retrieved, and Cao Cao, overcome with grief, personally dug the grave and buried him. He then made a solemn, heartfelt vow to Cao Hong—one that also served to rally those around him:
"I will surely take Zhang Fei's head to sacrifice to you!"
Cao Cao's assurance was concise and forceful:
"Cao Zixiao still commands fifty thousand troops. Whether or not Fancheng is taken, his return north will not be far off!"
Fifty thousand troops! Taking Fancheng might be difficult, but breaking a siege would be more than sufficient.
In his heart, Cao Cao still hoped that Cao Ren could retake Fancheng and then lead elite troops north.
But what everyone else was thinking was this: General Cao Zixiao, forget about Fancheng!!Cao, please be rational, Look at your grain stores—look at Wancheng!!!
They understood all too clearly that the supplies Cao Hong had been escorting were lifesaving provisions. If Guan Yu had been ruthless enough to burn them, Cao Ren's army would have plunged into catastrophe in an instant.
The news that fifty thousand troops would soon return spread throughout Wancheng. Even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, standing below the city walls, heard of it.
"Second Brother, it seems Wancheng will still be difficult to take," Zhang Fei said.
Guan Yu said nothing, only gazing quietly at Wancheng, as though he could feel the city's pulse and breathing.
"The day the city falls is not far off," Guan Yu suddenly said. After all, this heroic man had never been one for excessive patience.
Another day came to an end. Hou Yin threw himself onto the bed, so exhausted that he briefly considered sleeping in his armor—after all, if he had to die tomorrow, it would at least save him the trouble of putting it back on.
But rest was still a luxury he could not afford. He stripped off the leather armor, then moved quietly to the low wall and flipped over it. From there he vaulted another courtyard wall to the south, landing in a place that could only generously be called a courtyard.
It had changed owners many times. The original master was said to have gone to Luoyang, alive or dead no one knew. The next owner, a wealthy Li from Yanzhou, had also fled—south this time, no doubt in hopes that running in a different direction might change his fate.
Later occupants never stayed long, and in the end it fell into abandonment.
At this moment, Wei Kai was already waiting inside the courtyard.
"Elder Brother," Wei Kai whispered.
"The Cao soldiers say that fifty thousand troops will soon return. General Guan's defeat won't be far off."
Seeing his sworn brother's anxious expression, Hou Yin rebuked him in a low voice:
"How could General Guan be defeated? Even if the Cao bandits are truly overwhelming, General Guan can always escape by boat."
Both men were natives of Jingzhou. After Jingzhou suffered its great calamity, they had pledged themselves to Liu Huangshu (Liu Bei) and sworn brotherhood.
Liu Huangshu's ambitions were lofty, far beyond what Hou Yin felt he could match. Thus, what he and his sworn brother had agreed upon was simply to protect their homeland and keep the villages safe. Yet after the Cao army arrived, they realized even this wish was hard to fulfill.
And now…
Hou Yin thought for a moment, then made up his mind.
"We must help General Guan break the city."
Wei Kai's face lit up with eager excitement.
"Just tell me what to do, Elder Brother! Let's do it!"
The moonlight was bright, the insects chirped crisply, and the whispers in the courtyard were swallowed by the night.
The next day, Hou Yin and Wei Kai volunteered for transfer to the southern wall—a stretch where two well-towers loomed outside the ramparts, beyond the city's ability to answer. It was precisely for this reason that Cao Cao seldom came here, and the nobles and decorated men never did.
The only one who faithfully kept watch was a personal guard of Chancellor Cao's—a man broad of shoulder and thick of limb. Yet whenever his gaze swept over someone, it made their heart jump.
With him present, it was difficult to act. Fortunately, Cao's soldiers did not eat the food of the common people.
Cao Cao understood that defending a city required able-bodied men, so he ordered that the commoners be given one meal per day. The instructions were not very specific, so what reached Hou Yin and the others was a coarse steamed cake.
Calling it tasty would have been extravagant, but at least it was edible.
The commoners would take their steamed cakes and retreat to the corners of the wall, eating quickly and quietly, because finishing the food usually only meant more labor waiting afterward.
Today, however, was different. Hou Yin and Wei Kai cradled their own steamed cakes and deliberately squeezed in among them.
They broke off half a cake and passed it around, grumbling a few choice complaints as they did so—complaints about the food, about the weather, about everything that was safe to complain about.
Then, in a tone halfway between a joke and a test of courage, they idly suggested that perhaps helping General Guan outside the city might not be the worst idea after all. As the cakes disappeared, so did their caution, and they began reminiscing about what Jingzhou had been like before the Cao army arrived—when grain had been grain, homes had been homes, and jokes did not need to be whispered.
Among these able-bodied men were two whose homes had been in Xinye. With them, things were even easier to talk about.
Hou Yin could not tell whether he possessed a natural gift for stirring men's hearts, or whether the Cao army had simply spent too many years saving up resentment and had finally begun paying it out with interest.
After only two meals, the anger among the young men was already pressing hard against its limits. The looks they cast toward the Cao soldiers were sharp enough that even Hou Yin felt his own pulse quicken.
He had not expected matters to unfold quite so efficiently. By the next day, one of the able-bodied men found the courage to talk back to a Cao soldier. The response was swift and lighthearted: two Cao soldiers, laughing as though at some small amusement, worked together to lift him up and toss him from the city wall.
That man was from Zan County, a large county, and there were several fellow townsmen here. They stepped forward, their eyes filled with grief and rage.
Hou Yin remembered them all too clearly. Among those who stepped forward was one whose aged father had died on the road—he himself had watched as his father's ears were cut away, a detail apparently worth remembering. Another had once lived contentedly with his wife, until Chancellor Cao took Jingzhou and his wife was duly "requisitioned," the word doing an impressive job of smoothing over what had actually happened.
The Cao soldiers' expressions grew more serious. Sabers were drawn.
Hou Yin felt that if he did not step forward, the situation might spiral out of control. He moved behind the Cao soldiers, put on a servile smile, and bent his waist low.
One of the Cao soldiers had just opened his mouth to speak to Hou Yin when a strange weakness suddenly spread through his body, as though the strength were quietly draining out of him.
He lowered his head in confusion and only then realized that, at some imperceptible moment, Hou Yin had already drawn a short blade. The weapon had slipped in beneath his armpit with cruel precision, finding the narrow gap in the armor and driving deep. Warmth spread across his side, and the words he meant to say never made it past his throat.
Wei Kai was overcome with excitement. With a sharp clang, he tore free the city-defense weapon issued by the Cao army, the sound ringing out across the wall as he shouted:
"Do it!"
Those two simple words carried immense force. Chaos instantly erupted atop the wall—and of course, this could not escape the notice of Liu Bei's troops on the well-towers.
Zhang Fei took the ladder three steps at a time and climbed up, immediately bellowing orders downward.
The soldiers below did not hesitate. With two axe blows they smashed the wheel on the side of the well-tower nearest the wall. Then two squads of soldiers pulled on the hemp ropes tied around the tower's midsection, straining together.
The soldiers on the tower clutched the nearby pillars in terror. Only Zhang Fei wore a bloodthirsty expression, calculating the distance the tower would fall. He even had the leisure to make a mighty leap:
"Zhang Yide has arrived!"
At the same time, he struck with perfect precision, knocking aside the blade that was about to kill Hou Yin.
The owner of that blade was none other than Xu Chu. Zhang Fei showed no fear—indeed, he seemed greatly interested.
With saber in hand, he threw himself forward.
But Xu Chu took a step back, sized up Zhang Fei, then glanced at the fallen well-tower that had wedged itself against the city wall and now served as an improvised ladder. He turned and fled.
With Zhang Fei joining the fray and Xu Chu retreating, the wall was quickly cleared. Zhang Fei then led the charge down into the city.
That well-tower ladder was barely usable at best. Opportunities to take a city were rare—it was far more important to seize the southern gate.
Xu Chu's escape brought Cao Cao yet another piece of news that nearly made him spit blood.
But none of that mattered now. There was only one urgent course of action:
Break out!
Upon hearing news of his third brother, Guan Yu did not hesitate. He immediately led his troops toward the western side of the city.
The southern side was already engaged in taking the gate. To flee through the eastern gate would require detouring north or south. The safest course was therefore to reinforce the west, then move to the south.
But compared to detouring outside the city, taking a straight path through the streets was clearly faster.
Thus, when Guan Yu rode to the western side, what he saw were the retreating backs of more than a thousand cavalry fleeing for their lives.
There was no need for Guan Yu to explain. Everyone knew that those fleeing ahead were mobile merits enough to make one a marquis and a minister. All it took was their general's single, simple word:
"Pursue."
A thousand riders stirred up clouds of dust. A band of Jingzhou soldiers, their eyes tinged red, drove their mounts with all their strength and gave chase.
At such a moment, it might have been fitting to hurl some words to enrage Chancellor Cao. Guan Yu searched his mind, but in the end found only one sentence:
"Chancellor Cao, do you not wish to know why your sons have died young, one after another?"
At this moment, Guan Yu somewhat regretted that his third brother was not with him. Had Zhang Fei been there, perhaps he could have cursed Cao Cao into turning back to fight.
Guan Yu's words had no effect. Instead, they reminded Cao Ang and Dian Wei, who had died at Wancheng. His flight only became more desperate.
Watching the Cao troops gradually change direction, finally heading south, Guan Yu understood Cao Cao's intent—to reach Cao Ren and his hundred thousand troops.
At once, Guan Yu grew anxious, for just yesterday morning he had received a secret report from Adviser Xu, stating that Fancheng had already been relieved.
Cao Ren could appear ahead at any moment!
Guan Yu urged his horse on even faster, but soon a Cao guard turned back to fight.
With a sweep of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the man was cut down, yet the delay cost him precious momentum.
Thus one chased and the other fled. After Guan Yu had slain more than a dozen riders, both sides had already raced more than a hundred li to the south.
The situation had arisen suddenly, and with everyone driving their horses to the limit, only a few dozen riders remained behind Guan Yu. Ahead, very few Cao cavalry had fallen behind.
Farther still, Cao scouts could already be seen riding north from the south. Guan Yu was unwilling to give up just yet, so he drew a short blade and hurled it with all his might.
His aim was off by a few inches. The blade struck the horse's rump instead, making Cao Cao's speed increase yet again.
With that, Guan Yu could only stop in regret. He could feel his own mount beginning to tire. If he pursued further and crashed into Cao Ren's battle formation, there would be no turning back from disaster.
Moreover, now that Wancheng had fallen, the Cao army's planned encirclement could be said to have reversed roles. There would still be opportunities to capture Chancellor Cao.
Thus, under their general's rueful laughter and curses, Guan Yu's guards turned back step by step, glancing back again and again as they reluctantly left this place of heartbreak.
Everyone felt a deep sense of loss. Even upon seeing the character Guan raised atop Wancheng's walls, they could scarcely muster any excitement.
Even Zhang Fei found it strange. By all measures, this had been a great victory—yet it felt as though they had suffered a defeat.
After hearing his second brother explain the reasons, Zhang Fei scoffed:
"If we'd been busy chasing that Cao bandit and lost Wancheng in the process, that would've been trading the great for the small."
He said so, but seeing the expressions of the guards, Guan Yu knew that for a long time to come, this regret would weigh heavily on them.
On the other side, Cao Ren listened to the account given by those at the Chancellor's side and felt his teeth ache.
Again? First Fancheng, then Wancheng—how was it always just two days too late?