Burning Ambition

8. Hanzhong/Impending Change

~~~ Sorry about the long wait, again. I wanted to publish the next chapter with this one, but it's taking a while to write, so I'm going to go ahead and publish this one. Enjoy! ~~~

Time: 219 C.E.

After taking the lands of Hanzhong from Zhang Lu a few years prior, Mengde purposefully left them sparsely defended to provoke an attack from Liu Bei's forces. He knew he didn't have much time left, and he didn't know how much longer it was, but that's why he was employing such a bold move. His risky decision proved fruitful because Liu Bei's men quickly stormed on Hanzhong, hoping to claim it for themselves. As part of his plan, Mengde left one of his best generals in charge, it was none other than Xiahou Yuan. While Xiahou Yuan fought against Shu Han at Hanzhong, Mengde had the others near Xuchang begin preparing for an assault by Guan Yu. The enemy army that attacked Hanzhong consisted of Huang Zhong, Zhuge Liang, and other loyal retainers of Shu Han who were unknowingly acting according to Mengde's plan. He knew he had to let Liu Bei's forces win this battle to lure out Guan Yu; however, that didn't ease the worry he felt.

Xiahou Yuan was initially able to beat back Huang Zhong's forces; however, that initial victory was quickly lost as the Shu Han forces began taking bases one after the other. Xiahou Yuan was trying his best to hold out, but provisions were lacking, and the enemy was quickly encroaching on their main camp. He was at a loss, but he knew that he had to hold out just a bit longer, so Cao Cao's plan would succeed; however, he wasn't expecting Huang Zhong's forces to charge down Mount Tiandang towards his main camp. They flooded the camp with their numbers, and Xiahou Yuan quickly readied his bow, managing to shoot a few of them before he and his men were completely surrounded. He pulled back his bow and aimed at Huang Zhong in one last attempt to fight, but luck just wasn't on his side and his bow snapped in two, leaving him helpless against the enemy raiders. At that moment, Huang Zhong pulled back on his own bow and released, killing one of Cao Cao's top generals and successfully seizing the lands of Hanzhong for Liu Bei.

After hearing of Xiahou Yuan's defeat, Cao Cao's forces quickly fell into disarray, and Zhang He, another one of Mengde's great generals, devised a plan for their gradual retreat. They were then able to successfully retreat, giving Liu Bei full control of Hanzhong; however, word of Yuan's death traveled fast and quickly reached the palace at Xuchang. Upon hearing of Yuan's death, Mengde then decided to amass an army and attack Hanzhong, leaving defenses at Fan Castle spread thin. After fighting for a little over a month, Mengde was surprised to receive the news that Guan Yu was mobilizing and heading towards Fan Castle. He was relieved that his plan had worked, but he was also full of remorse because it came at such a high cost.

"Dun, I'm heading out towards Fan Castle. Guan Yu has finally mobilized his troops and is heading north." Mengde stated.

"Mengde, I don't think that's such a good idea. You just got here all the way from Xuchang, that in itself is a long ride, but if you add riding from here to Fan Castle, then you're going to exhaust yourself. You're not getting any younger either. I think you should stay here for a while and let everything unfold, then, after the battle's over, you should head back to Xuchang and rest. We'll take care of the rest for you." Dun replied, hoping his Cousin would heed his advice.

"Dun, I... Thank you, I shall take your advice." Mengde said, surprising his Cousin.

"Are you feeling okay? You never thank me," Dun inquired light heartedly. He knew why Mengde was saying it, but he just couldn't believe that it was really going to happen. It seemed like only yesterday that Cao Cao, Xiahou Yuan, and Dun himself fought against the Yellow Turbans. My how time flies. Mengde, I'll miss you. If I don't make it back from Fan Castle in time to say goodbye, then I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself. But I promise that I'll keep fighting for your cause, even after you're long gone. Dun noticed that his Cousin was glaring at him, and he smiled. "I was only joking, Mengde. I'll set off for Fan Castle immediately. And if I don't make it back in time, then know that I and all of Cao Wei will miss you. You are truly great Cousin, and I am honored that I got to serve you from the very beginning."

"Yuanrang, you –" Cao Cao whispered as Xiahou Dun took off towards Fan Castle. "I can never thank you enough for all you've done to help me on this journey. You and Xiahou Yuan were a great help, but my planning lead to Yuan's death. I'm so sorry Yuan... I'll be joining you soon. Will you still welcome me as your beloved Cousin? Or will you choose to turn away and shun me?"

Meanwhile, near Fan Castle, Guan Yu was getting ready to attack. He thought now would be a great time to strike against Cao Cao since his defenses were weak in the area. He wanted to claim the land for his brother, Liu Bei, so he would have a foothold to attack Xuchang from; however, he should have been aware that his over confidence would lead to his downfall. And so, the pouring rain covered the battle field as the winds of change blew, shedding some light on the unforeseen future that lied ahead.

"Forward, men! We must capture Fan Castle for Liu Bei!" Guan Yu exclaimed, giving the signal to march, and the Shu Han forces under his command foolishly marched on Fan Castle to meet their fate.

~~~ This chapter is just a small filler that sets up what's going to happen next chapter, but I put this note at the end, so you would read it anyway. I'm mean, I know, but I had an idea about how I wanted to write this chapter a while ago before I completely forgot the idea. Anyway, I was dumb enough not to write it down, and now you got this mess of a chapter instead. I tried to hurry and finish this one because I'm planning on making the next chapter pretty long with perspectives from other people as well, and I have most of it planned out already, so it should be a lot better to read than this one. Overall, I'm enjoying writing this story, and I hope you guys are enjoying it just as much. Thank you for continuing to stick around! ~~~