A/N: Hello everyone, this is the first fanfic I have posted and I'm definately nervous about it. Reviews and ideas are welcome, but no flaming please. This is rated M for violence and some smut in later chapters. I hope you enjoy =)
Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors or any of the characters in it, Koei does.
"Strengthen the defenses!" shouted Cao Pi as the enemy started ramming down the gates to his castle. "Our forces, Wei, bows to no one! Get ready to counterattack!"
The Wei army lifted their weapons and gave war cries as they doubled their efforts to keep the gate closed.
Cao Pi gritted his teeth as he gripped his dual swords tightly, his lip pulling up into a snarl. We MUST win! If we lose this foothold then my conquest of the land will become nearly impossible!
"My lord!" A man in purple elegant looking robes called to his leader. "As your strategist, I advise you to have us retreat! The Wu forces have reinforcements on the way and we can't hold out for much longer." The snarling general turned and backhanded his strategist square in the mouth, his eyes raging.
"I will not back down you fool! Do you realize what we would lose if we turned tail and ran?" Cao Pi stared down at the general.
Yi put his hand on his cheek and flinched at his lord's words. His eyes narrowed at the younger man as he mumbled darkly "You bastard, you should learn to respect your elders…"
Before Cao Pi could respond, the gates to the castle slammed open and soldiers wearing the Wu color, red, came swarming in. The pirate Gan Ning was in the front of the troops, smirking as he eyed the depleted Wei army. "Straight for their leader! Let's get 'em!" He yelled.
Battle cries and the clanking of metal surged through the air. The sound of bones cracking and blood spilling rang in the ears of the warriors, but they did not stop or hesitate.
Sima Yi slashed his gloved hand through the air, bringing the whips on the ends of his fingertips upon his next opponent. The soldier screamed in horror as five deep slices appeared on his torso and he collapsed from blood loss.
Yi looked around him and saw that the Wu forces greatly outnumbered theirs and were quickly pushing them back. What a fool! That insufferable brat will singlehandedly bring down everything that his father worked so hard to build up. Cao Pi…I will help you for now, but once you gain enough of the land I will be the one to rule it.
The strategist called out to his leader. "If we don't retreat now, we won't have an army left!"
Cao Pi growled and gave the command to fall back and retreat. As much as he hated to admit it, Sima Yi was right. He mounted his white steed and urged it to gallop out the back entrance of the castle, his army following in his wake. Pi heard the victory screams from Wu and willed himself to concentrate on the pounding of his horse's hooves instead, ashamed to have lost.
Miles away from their former castle, Wei had set up camp in a forest clearing. Inside the commander's tent, Cao Pi as pacing around his tent while ranting and screaming with rage. "HOW COULD WE LOSE?"
He gripped the hilt of a small dagger in his belt and quickly thrust it into the wooden table in the center of the tent. Feeling a little better as he heard the wood crack, he continued pacing at a slower rate. His mind was buzzing with different conclusions about the last battle.
It was ambush after ambush….There was no way we could have anticipated each one, along with the amount of soldiers they had. I hate to admit it but the strategy was well thought out. Cao Pi stopped in his tracks as realization hit him, his face twisting into a twisted grimace. "It was all because of their new strategist, Lu Xun."
Pi began pacing again as his mind raced with possibilities of revenge and humiliation of the young man. He looked up when he heard his tent flap open and saw his own strategist stand before him.
Sima Yi's eyes were wide as he spoke. "My lord, a guard has spotted a small army approaching in the west, and they bore the Shu flag. They are approaching the camp and Guan Yu is leading them. They should be here a little less than an hour from now. What do you propose?"
"Damn it!" Cao Pi snarled as he pushed the table over with enough force that the wood splintered as it hit the ground. He loathed what he was about to say next, but knew it was necessary. "Send a messenger to Wu! Tell them that this is our only chance to wipe Shu off the map for good. Without Guan Yu, Liu Bei WILL fall, and only Wei and Wu will be left.
Yi looked appalled at the idea at first but slowly came to realize that this would be the best way to go about the situation. "Yes, my lord." He bowed and swiftly left the tent. He quickly made his way to his own tent to write the letter that would be sent to Wu.
Sima Yi rolled up the letter and quickly set out to find the fastest general he knew, who also had a way with words.
Once he arrived at the warrior Zhang He's tent, he announced his arrival and request for help. Zhang He emerged from his tent and set his gaze on the strategist in front of him. His long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail that nearly fell to his knees. The man's youthful face looked as if it was sculpted by a master artist, and his brown eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, his voice smooth yet masculine. Sima Yi handed the scroll to the general and quickly explained the situation. "Take this to Sun Quan, the Wu commander. It is a temporary truce so we can crush Shu for good. Take the white flag with you so they won't shoot you down on sight."
Zhang He bowed and made his way to the stables to grab his horse. Once there, he commanded the guards to tack his horse while he went to the weapons tent to retrieve the white surrender flag, his mind racing. Our lord must be in quite a fix if we have to resort to calling upon Wu for aid. This is very unlike his graceful self ho usually comes up with beautiful plans to crush our enemies. I look forward to see that same vigor in him again sometime soon.
The general jogged into the tent and looked around at the massive amount of weapons and quickly found his familiar claw-like ones. He wasn't about to go into enemy territory without any protection at all. Zhang He fastened his claws on his hands as he went to the back of the tent to pick up the white flag.
Once he was back at the stables, he put the scroll in his pocket, tucked the white flag under his arm, and urged his horse forward. The black steed reared and galloped off to the Wu camp, carrying his owner to an uncertain fate.