Author's Note: This is slightly AU or PU (or something) due to presence of characters who are supposedly dead. Also, forgive any of my mistakes with historical info and the length of the chapter. Read on.

Dynasty Warriors: Allegiance

Chapter 1

The lively chatter of his fellow officers made the spacious mess hall seem more packed than it actually was to Jiang Wei, making him feel slightly uneasy. It hadn't been long since he had joined the kingdom of Shu and, despite the more or less warm welcome he had received, he still felt like he didn't quite fit in. He got up, abandoning his still almost full plate and deciding that the quiet of his room would best cure his discomfort. No one paid him any attention as he left the hall.

The noise level dropped considerably as Wei closed the door behind him and he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. The corridors were empty save an occasional servant, and he was glad to be spared of the awkward moments of meeting a passing Shu general--he was still unsure of how to act in their presence.

The flickering light of a candle coming through a partially open door caught Po-yueh's eye and he paused to look. Immediately recognizing the form of his master clad in his usual white Taoist robe, the sight prompted him to remember that Zhuge Liang had been absent from the mess hall for the past few days. Perhaps he is busy planning an expedition, he thought distractedly. Either way, it's none of my business. He began to back away from the door, but suddenly the prime minister spoke up without turning.

"Jiang Wei, do you have a moment?" came the calm voice, startling him. Slightly ashamed at being caught, Wei meekly entered the room and stood next to him. Zhuge Liang glanced at the boy and indicated the map spread out across the worn wood of his table. "We have just received word from our spies in Wei that a certain Sima Yi has just set up camp on the peak of Mt. Qi near the borders of Shu. He is a new figure in our battle against Cao Cao's kingdom. Would you happen to know anything of him?"

Jiang Wei shook his head truthfully. "No, sir. Only that he is one of Cao Cao's most able advisors. However, I've never really heard any proof of his prowess in the battlefield."

Liang seemed thoughtful at this and fell silent. Wei, used to these periodical silences during the lessons with his master, simply waited for him to speak again. When he did, he turned to look directly at Jiang Wei. "This map shows Mount Qi and it's surrounding area. If the Wei camp is situated here-" he pointed at a symbol on the northeast portion of the scroll. "-how would you propose to attack them?"

"S-sir?" Why was he asking him that?

"I'm asking you what you would do in order to capture their camp," Zhuge Liang repeated patiently. "What would be the best strategy in this situation?"

Po-yueh, a bit nervous to be asked his opinion of an obviously important situation, answered after extremely careful though. "Since there are only three narrow roads leading up to the crest of the mountain with a cliff to the back of the camp, three legions would suffice to surround them," he said, tentatively watching his teacher's expression for signs that he was answering correctly or not. "However, ambush troops are most likely set along the roads so the best plan would probably be to concentrate on one road-"

K'ung-ming held up a hand, stopping his words. "Yes, that was also my train of thought," he said, seeming to approve of his answer. "On the other hand, a less experienced strategist would probably only go as far as thinking that the camp would be vulnerable if all three roads were cut off. If we follow that plan, the enemy will surely underestimate us, making them vulnerable to a different strategy. When planning a tactic, you must contradict even your own thoughts."

"Yes, prime minister," Wei answered obediently, taking to mind the lesson. Soon after this, Liang dismissed him and Jiang Wei bowed before leaving. When he was back in the corridor, he noticed that the torches lining the walls had been lit, signaling the nearing darkness. Not wanting to meet the crowd of officers returning to their rooms from the mess hall, the young strategist hurried for the safety of his room.


As soon as Zhuge Liang had received permission from Liu Bei for the attack on Mt. Qi, he had set off at once. Of the other leaders who had volunteered to assist him, he had chosen Jiang Wei and Wei Yan--thelatter probably not being the wisest choice, but he required someone with brute force for one part of his strategy. His legion of no more than two score of men followed behind the prime minister's trotting steed in relatively good order, knowing that the expedition was one of great significance.

The commander glanced back at his student who was just behind his own troop and noticed him looking at Wei Yan with something that was almost contempt. He couldn't reprimand him for this, however, since during the battle of Tian Shui, it had been Wei Yan who had attacked and injured Po-yueh despite Liang's warning. The masked general may have even killed the boy if he hadn't intervened… On the other hand, Jiang Wei may not have joined Shu if he hadn't experienced this act of kindness from K'ung-ming. Shaking his head slightly, he refocused his thoughts on the present.


The march towards Mt. Qi was luckily not so long and they managed to reach its base within a couple of days. Jiang Wei, despite his love for his steed, was exhausted from spending long days in the saddle. As the soldiers began to set up camp in an area walled in on one side by an outcropping rock, Wei went up a small rise near the edge of the clearing to take a look at the surrounding area. Since it was common for the earlier arriving army to attack the opponent when they were fatigued from a march, he made sure to keep his trident close at hand.

Since there were no nearby villages, much of the landscape was taken up by wilderness, making all of the three roads up the mountain hard to traverse. This was probably why the Wei army had kept their march so covert that the Shu spies had been unable to hear of it until after they had set off--soldiers struggling over terrain as difficult as this would make them easy targets. But now it was too late for that. Wei's golden brown eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to catch sight of the Wei camp from his position, but all that marked its presence were thin curls of smoke, presumably from cooking fires.

Looking off to his right, Po-yueh notice his master standing at a point not far away, apparently deep in thought, with the tip of his feather fan resting against his chin. Fearing for his safety with the enemy so close, he approached their commander and stood just behind him to keep an eye out for snipers. "What is my role in the attack on the Wei camp, prime minister?" he asked to give reason to his simply standing there in case Zhuge Liang would be insulted of having to be guarded.

Liang spoke though continued to sweep his piercing gaze across the entrances of the four passes. "There are three generals, supposedly guarding a pass each. You, Wei Yan and myself will each engage one of them at the same time. However, you must not harm the generals themselves just yet--I have another plan in store for them later. In this attack, it is imperative that you follow the orders I give; no matter how inappropriate it seems. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Wei replied promptly, but couldn't help wondering what K'ung-ming had in mind. It wasn't unusual for his teacher not to share his exact ploy, but the strategist-in-training wondered if he would ever trust him enough to ask his opinion… All in good time, Jiang Wei told himself firmly, following the commander back to the safety of the camp.