Chapter 57: What a Sin (Please Keep Reading)

The dozen or so assault ships and battle-junks released by Gan Ning shot forward like arrows loosed from the bowstring. Fanning the fierce gales, they surged toward Cao Cao's naval encampment while ablaze.

The fire-ships were incomparably swift, striking like massive stone missiles hurled from catapults. Though the men in Cao Cao's camp wished to intercept them, they were utterly helpless and could only watch in despair.

With a deafening crash, the vessels collided, and the raging inferno immediately spread to Cao Cao's fleet.

Some men attempted to save their vessels, but the eastern wind howled savagely, driving a fire so ferocious that it defied all efforts to extinguish it.

Flying embers leaped onto the sails and coastal camps. Distant ships and shore fortifications caught fire in quick succession, spreading wildly with the wind.

At the points of impact, entire ships were instantly engulfed. Because Cao Cao's warships were linked bow to stern, they could not be separated in the chaos; the ignition of a single vessel meant the immediate doom of all those trailing behind it.

In the blink of an eye, thick black smoke blanketed the sky, soaring flames lit the heavens, and the naval camp transformed into a sea of fire.

At first, the Cao troops aboard the warships struggled to mount a rescue, but seeing that the conflagration was completely uncontrollable, countless men covered their mouths and noses and fled in panic. Their desperate shrieks and cries of agony shook the earth and heavens.

Some scrambled onto unburned vessels, while others plunged straight into the freezing water. Amidst the frantic scramble for survival, innumerable tragedies unfolded as soldiers trampled one another; many were crushed to death beneath boots, while others were trapped inside sealed cabins, unable to escape.

Standing at a high vantage point, Cao Cao gazed out as the magnificent and orderly armada of a thousand war-vessels—so formidable just yesterday—was reduced in an instant to a fiery abyss and a living hell. Cold sweat began to seep from his forehead, neck, and spine. His face turned ashen, his body trembled slightly, and the smug arrogance he had harbored for days vanished entirely into thin air.

"This, this..." Cao Cao stammered uncontrollably, unable to string a coherent sentence together.

His attendants were likewise frozen with horror, not daring to utter even the slightest sound.

In their ears echoed the hellish roar of leaping flames, the heart-rending weeping, pleading, and wailing of the dying, accompanied by the surging, unbearable wave of intense heat.

Every man felt his life hanging by a thread.

Jia Xu, Xun You, Xu Huang, Cao Hong, and the others all hurried to Cao Cao's side.

Despair was etched on every face.

The eastern wind continued to rage, and the fire had already spread to the shore. At this point, human effort was utterly powerless to save the situation.

Everyone realized the truth: this battle was lost!

Suddenly, a strange smell of roasted flesh drifted over, and the very surface of the river began to steam.

Xun You’s face turned pale as death; he felt nauseated and terrified. Glancing at the others, who still remained silent, he clenched his teeth and stepped forward. "Prime Minister..."

Cao Cao could scarcely believe that he would one day suffer defeat at the hands of Liu Bei. The horrifying spectacle before him held his gaze captive, preventing him from looking away. With a stiff and agonizing effort, he turned his neck to look at Xun You.

"Prime Minister, this battle can no longer be salvaged..." Xun You said through clenched teeth.

Cao Cao let out a sharp cry of anguish as a stabbing pain gripped his chest and head. He could not accept this reality!

At that very moment—

*Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!*

Earth-shattering drumbeats, like rolling thunder, echoed across the river.

Cao Cao jerked his head upward. A massive fleet had appeared within his field of vision.

The main force of Liu Bei’s army was launching its follow-up assault!

"Burn the remaining ships and retreat!" Cao Cao commanded with a crack in his voice, his eyes splitting with rage.

Having uttered these words, he seemed to expend the last of his remaining strength. No sooner had the words left his lips than he collapsed, prompting Xun You and the others to rush forward and catch him.

"Leave not a single ship for Liu Bei!" Cao Cao repeated in a trembling whisper, his eyes wide and unyielding.

The officers immediately set about organizing the retreat.

On the surging waters of the Yangtze, Liu Bei’s army advanced with banners flying and drums thundering, every man filled with high spirits.

Yet, upon drawing close to the Cao forces, the sheer carnage of the battlefield left even their ranks stunned, turning their faces ashen.

Zhao Shaojie found the sight particularly unbearable. The previous military engagements he had witnessed paled into mere children's games compared to this horrific spectacle. How could a person from the modern era have ever laid eyes on such carnage? Not only did his face drain of color, but he was seized by violent fits of vomiting.

Unable to bear another glance, he fled straight into the ship's cabin.

Liu Bei did not force Zhao Shaojie to stay, instead instructing him to accompany the division tasked with rescuing prisoners while he himself pressed on with the pursuit.

Meanwhile, at several other exits along the river, identical scenes were unfolding.

Because of the heavy fog, communication among Cao Cao’s various camps had been erratic. They had heard of Gan Ning’s defection, and upon seeing ships approaching, they simply assumed Gan Ning had bypassed Cao Cao’s main camp and come to theirs. By the time they realized the approaching vessels were blazing with fire, it was already far too late.

"What a monstrous sin we have wrought!" A profound sense of guilt suddenly washed over Zhao Shaojie. Perhaps it would have been better if Cao Cao had unified the realm; at least the endless cycle of warfare would have finally ceased.

Seated inside the cabin, Zhao Shaojie sipped some brown sugar water, his nerves gradually calming, though the carefree, playful lightness of his former self was gone forever.

Ma Su was likewise shaken to his very soul by the terrifying spectacle and dared not look upon it.

Even within the shelter of the cabin, the sickening stench of burning flesh drifted to their noses—a tormenting aroma beyond endurance.

"Shao-jie, we are young, yet we must endure sights like these if we are to mature into men capable of surviving these chaotic times." Ma Su noticed Zhao Shaojie’s distressed state and offered words of comfort.

Zhao Shaojie stared in blank astonishment. Indeed, having crossed into this era, he was destined to be a man of troubled times.

"The Cao rebel is ruthless, having slaughtered countless cities. If he were to unify the empire, the common people would be condemned to an era resembling the tyrannical Qin dynasty—a suffering that would span generations. By winning this battle, we have at least spared the people of Jingzhou from the tyrant's cruel governance! This is a righteous deed!" Ma Su consoled Zhao Shaojie while simultaneously steadying his own mind.

Zhao Shaojie recalled the historical records under Cao Wei's rule: the massacres of entire cities, the plundering of women, the omnipresent surveillance of the secret inspection bureau, the exploitative agricultural colonies, and how they had occupied the most prosperous heartland of the Han while dragging the economy back to primitive barter.

"Thank you for your guidance, You-chang," Zhao Shaojie said earnestly.

Ma Su smiled faintly. "Shao-jie was merely startled for a moment; naturally, you would have realized these truths in time."

...

While Zhao Shaojie and Ma Su conversed, Liu Bei’s army had already landed on the banks. The Cao troops in the water were either dead or had surrendered, while those on shore had scattered in panicked retreat, leaving only the sick and wounded wandering aimlessly in search of help.

Mindful of Zhao Shaojie's earlier warning, Liu Bei dared not approach those who might be carriers of plague. Instead, he ordered them to herd themselves into isolated enclosures guarded from the outer perimeter.

Having secured the remaining Cao forces on land, Liu Bei gazed back at the still-raging inferno upon the river, dispatching boats to patrol the outer edges and pull survivors from the water.

"My Lord, routine matters here can be delegated to others. We must pursue Cao Cao without delay!" Zhuge Liang advised.

Looking at the soldiers still struggling within the sea of fire, Liu Bei felt a complex swell of emotion.

These were, after all, the children of the Han!

Closing his eyes, Liu Bei steadied his turbulent thoughts and turned to his commanders, fixing his gaze particularly on Gan Ning. "Xing-ba, are you weary?"

Gan Ning, still flushed with the manic excitement of a warrior high on victory, shouted loudly, "Not tired! Not tired in the least!"

Knowing the course of events to come, Liu Bei issued his orders without hesitation. "Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang, take a force of fifteen thousand, advancing by land and water simultaneously, to capture Jiangling first and pursue the fleeing rebel second. Gan Ning, lead your own men westward along the river to seize Yiling. Your two forces shall support one another. Guan Yu, lead your troops directly between Jiangling and Xiangyang to intercept any reinforcements arriving from the north of Xiangyang."

With that, he glanced at the belatedly arriving Zhao Shaojie and spoke softly, "Shao-jie, take five thousand troops and hasten to Huarong Trail!"

To intercept Cao Cao was a deed of immense glory.

Liu Bei had intentionally reserved this honor for Zhao Shaojie.