Rather Than Zhang Ran, Zhang Bao’s Eldest Daughter

Liu Xun felt the elation filling his chest rapidly drain away.
Until the moment his arrow struck Pang Tong and caused him to fall from his horse, Liu Xun had been overwhelmed with a sense of achievement for killing Liu Bei’s closest aide, while feeling relieved that they had overcome a crisis.
The sight of Liu Bei’s army retreating in disarray after losing their leader – how delightful it had been.
Thinking about how the detestable Liu Bei would suffer from losing his beloved advisor and failing to capture the city, Liu Xun felt as if a long-standing indigestion had been cured.
Of course, Liu Xun had also lost General Zhang Ren, but Zhang Ren versus Pang Tong – it was clearly advantageous for their side.
It was regrettable that he couldn’t go out of the castle to increase their military achievements since Zhang Ren had taken troops out, but without Zhang Ren, sniping Pang Tong would have been impossible too.

However, the joy was short-lived.
The unnamed general next to Pang Tong. No, as she called herself, Acting Army Advisor Zhang Ran. He didn’t even know such a person existed in Liu Bei’s army.
Though the name sounded vaguely familiar, she was still just a woman. How much strength could she possibly exert on the battlefield?
Liu Bei’s army, thrown into confusion with their commander fallen, had already lost their will to fight.
As he thought, at first only two or three squads turned back, following the girl general who took the lead by climbing up a ladder.
But more followed after that, turning around, and it spread like ripples caused by a single water drop.
From squads to platoons, platoons to companies, companies to battalions, and finally to the entire army.
The momentum of Liu Bei’s army, rushing back towards Luo Castle led by Zhang Ran, completely overwhelmed Luo Castle’s defenders who had become lax with relief.

“Haha…”
Hatred, resentment, all melted away into emptiness. Liu Xun didn’t know how to accept this situation.
Not the renowned strategist Pang Tong called Fledgling Phoenix, not the enemy leader and veteran of a hundred battles Liu Bei, but because of the efforts of just that young girl, Luo Castle was on the verge of falling – it was simply ridiculous.

“But you can’t go alone.”
Zhang Ran climbed onto the city wall, sweeping away the soldiers who had fallen into shock and creating space. The Liu Bei army that followed used Zhang Ran as a foothold to quickly occupy the wall.
Luo Castle was finished.
Even if Liu Xun fought hard, it was impossible to reverse the tide of battle that had already tilted so far, like trying to gather spilled water.
Knowing this, Liu Xun still fought. Knocking down Liu Bei’s soldiers one by one, he headed towards where Zhang Ran was.
And it was the same for Zhang Ran. Because Liu Xun had been her target from the beginning.
The two ordered their subordinates blocking each other to open a path.

“I’ll at least take you with me.”
Liu Xun, wringing out his last remaining anger, looked at Zhang Ran’s face and almost dropped his sword as strength left his grip.
‘How could such a young lady… how…’
The Zhang Ran he saw was a Rakshasi.
Cutting down soldiers with a single stroke, slaughtering enemies indiscriminately like a wolf among sheep – such fierce power that even Liu Xun himself wasn’t confident he could win against.
However, the Zhang Ran he faced directly was a girl with an appearance that absolutely didn’t match up. If he had met Zhang Ran in the marketplace of Chengdu instead of on the walls of Luo Castle…

“Useless thoughts.”
Liu Xun deliberately bit his tongue to wake himself up.
Zhang Ran, who had been waiting for Liu Xun to come to his senses, thrust her spear only after he properly raised his sword.

Clang!
“Ugh!”
Though he barely blocked the spear that shot out like an arrow, Liu Xun’s arm trembled from the shock traveling up his sword.
Surprisingly, the 14-year-old girl Zhang Ran far surpassed Liu Xun in strength.
As Liu Xun deflected the spear, Zhang Ran rotated her spear while still in contact with the sword.
Liu Xun’s arm, numbed from Zhang Ran’s initial strike and fatigued from the long battle, could no longer endure.
Following the rotation of Zhang Ran’s spear, the sword slipped from Liu Xun’s hand and fell to the bottom of the wall.
Liu Xun tried to grab another sword or spear lying on the ground, but Zhang Ran’s follow-up attack struck his body faster.

Thud!
“Kuhak!”
Hit in the torso by the spear shaft, Liu Xun exhaled all the air in his lungs and crouched on the ground, curling up his body while choking.
It wasn’t an act or a pitiful attempt to stay alive – his body truly bent over on its own.

“Capture that man alive, and make sure he doesn’t die. Then go down the castle, open the gates, and welcome our army.”
The gazes of the soldiers watching Zhang Ran, who had brought down Liu Xun with just three attacks, were tinged with admiration.
Zhang Ran’s orders now carried authority, having proven herself with astonishing martial prowess.
The soldiers followed Zhang Ran’s words and opened the gates of Luo Castle, and Liu Bei’s army outside poured into Luo Castle like a broken dam.

Pang Tong, who had just opened his eyes on the other side, watched clearly the moment when the gates of Luo Castle were flung wide open.

‘The phoenix does not appear in times of peace. Only when the world is chaotic and turbid does the phoenix appear, showing off its blue feathers and singing beautifully and sorrowfully. And when the phoenix appears, the world finally regains peace.’
Pang Tong could see it.
The blue wings sprouting from the back of the girl standing on the city wall, commanding the world. Blue feathers containing the azure sky.
‘Become the phoenix. The phoenix that will burn up this chaotic world.’

That day, Liu Bei’s army overcame Luo Castle.
It was spring of 214 AD.

§

Liu Bei, who had been observing the battle of Luo Castle while entrusting Pang Tong with direct command, was immersed in regret for the first time in a long while.
He should have taken the field himself. Even if it meant losing more soldiers.
When he first heard the news that Pang Tong had been hit by an arrow and fallen from his horse.
And when he saw the retreating soldiers, as if confirming that news was true.
Liu Bei lamented the cruelty of heaven.

How had he obtained such a talent, such an opportunity?
Sleeping Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix were his brains. While Guan Yu and Zhang Fei became his arms to fight enemies, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were the ones who presented his future through administration and military strategy.
Because of them, Liu Bei had endured and risen through the numerous trials he had faced so far, and because he had obtained them, he had created a foothold to achieve his great cause.
And stepping on that small foothold, Liu Bei had finally built a force encompassing Jing and Yi, and could stand at the starting point of the grand plan of unifying the realm that Zhuge Liang had envisioned, the Longzhong Plan.

Not just the Longzhong Plan. Liu Bei also had his own picture that he was directly drawing.
He would have Zhuge Liang, his Zhang Liang, oversee all state affairs, while Pang Tong would present realistic means to draw Zhuge Liang’s picture through grand strategy and military tactics.
Following the framework created this way, he himself would lead loyal and peerlessly brave warriors like his brothers, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan to plan for the realm.

Even without Pang Tong, there are talents who could fill his empty position.
There’s Fa Zheng, whom even Pang Tong acknowledged as his equal in ability, and Li Yan who just surrendered is no less capable than them.
But in the grand plan Liu Bei was drawing, there was no talent as suitable as Pang Tong.
A being who was wise yet open-minded, friendly with both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and could become the greatest understanding of Zhuge Liang, having studied together.
Pang Tong was the only talent who could maximize cooperation by maintaining friendships with all the most important core personnel forming Liu Bei’s force.

‘Yuan Yi…’
The fact that Liu Bei, who had been at the very rear, came all the way to where the battle of Luo Castle was taking place was proof of how much he cherished Pang Tong.
To personally greet Pang Tong who had been hit by an arrow, and if it was an irreversible injury, to be by his side in his final moments.

Thanks to this, Liu Bei was able to see.
The back of the girl who alone went forward when everyone else was retreating.
The march of soldiers counterattacking, led by the girl.
The moment she opened the gates of Luo Castle, displaying matchless bravery as she climbed the city wall without hesitation, Liu Bei heard news of Pang Tong’s safety. With the detailed explanation that he could be safe thanks to Zhang Ran embracing Pang Tong.

‘Heaven, are you finally acknowledging this Liu Xuande’s dream?’
He had always been smiling. He had to smile.
Even when losing his base and being chased away, scattered in disarray, living pitifully under others’ feet, Liu Bei himself had to smile and remain composed.
Even if inside his heart was crumbling and shedding tears of blood, as a leader he had to firmly believe in his mandate and remain steadfast.
How long were those days of anguish watching Cao Cao rise like the morning sun?
How many moments seemed utterly hopeless as talents left him?

But now Liu Bei felt that light was finally shining on him too.
Since Chibi, he had known no defeat. He defeated Cao Ren and gained Nanzhong, conquered Southern Jingzhou.
Now Yi Province was practically in his grasp as well.

“Yide, did you give birth to a phoenix? For this elder brother?”
Looking at the girl who saved Pang Tong, straightened the collapsing military discipline, and captured Luo Castle, Liu Bei projected a very distant past.
Those old days when the three brothers faced the Yellow Turbans together. Zhang Fei was like that too.
With bravery that ten thousand couldn’t match, he swept away the Yellow Turbans. Just like Zhang Ran was doing now.

How much time had passed, Liu Bei drew the faces of his missed brothers as he watched their children’s children now playing active roles.
“She resembles you so much, Yide.”

Walking with light steps towards Pang Tong, Liu Bei smiled.
Not a false mask, but a genuinely cheerful and satisfied smile.