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The Stuttering Stallion: Blazing A Trail
"We can think that other futures exist. We never know how the future shifts because of the slightest change. I want to believe that in our future, there are many possibilities waiting." (Ryou Fujibayashi)
Author's note: This is intended to be an alternate timeline for the events portrayed in The Stuttering Stallion, at least the events of Chapter 17 and beyond.
Basically, in The Stuttering Stallion Deng Ai married the daughter of Chen Tai, Chen Xin. Together they had four children, and during his military career Deng Ai was able to befriend Guo Huai, Chen Tai, Sima Wang, and Ma Dai. (Of course, in Ma Dai's case it was more along the lines of mutual respect, as both men served opposing factions.) The relationship between Chen Tai and Deng Ai was so close that the younger man considered his older counterpart as a second teacher and 'father.' However, with the death of Chen Tai caused by Sima Zhao, Deng Ai's loyalty to the Simas wavers dramatically, and, thus, he decides to blaze a new trail...
Also, General Ma Dai doubted the belief that Wei Yan was a traitor, and after investigating the matter with Jiang Wei, he was able to get Wei Yan pardoned, but during this time Yang Yi defected to Wei. Wei Yan thus continued his service to Shu, but after a defeat at the hands of Wang Jing, Jiang Wei and Wei Yan soon found themselves arguing about the best course of action, and Jiang Wei, infuriated with Wei Yan's refusal to obey his orders, branded Wei Yan a traitor and forced him to resign. Ma Dai became bedridden after this decision, and thus is unable to assist Shu's armies despite still being alive.
Chapter 1: No More
Shu and Wei had long been bitter foes. He knew this, and yet he began to doubt his very allegiance. The man whom he called 'father' had died, his death due to a tyrant of a superior officer, and Deng Shizai could no longer ignore the situation. Through his tyranny, Sima Zhao forced Shizai to make a choice, and he chose morals over duty.
But to turn upon the Simas now would be a betrayal of his family, so Deng Ai had to take care of those affairs first. He sent his close friend and longtime comrade Sima Wang to the house of Chen Wen, the current Administrator of Changan. Chen Wen was the second child of Chen Tai, thus he was Chen Xin's younger brother, and thus being such a close family member he was more than willing to listen to Deng Ai's requests.
"So that is his plan... This is far too risky. He's putting all our lives at stake... Here, did Shizai already make plans for...?" Chen Wen was cut off by Sima Wang.
"Yes, I am going to fetch Xin immediately."
"Ah, why did I even doubt him? Yes, bring my sister here, along with my mother, nephews, and niece. They cannot afford to stay in Runan any longer..."
With swift feet, Zichu arrived at Runan. Having been a longtime friend of Deng Ai, and the best man at their wedding, Chen Xin recognized Sima Wang immediately. "Zichu! Is something wrong? I thought you'd be helping Shizai on the battlefield..." (1.)
"Xin." Sima Wang nodded. "It is unsafe for you to stay here. I'll make my explanations later. Take your children, and I will escort you back to Changan. There, your brother will care for you. Is Li Hua here as well?" (2.)
"Yes. I'll go fetch her... But... This is just too sudden, and worrisome..." Chen Xin quickly sprinted back into the house.
"All we be explained in due time..." Sima Wang tried to reassure her.
With Chen Xin safely in Changan, Sima Wang quickly recalled Captain Deng Zhong from his station. With the excuse that Deng Ai wanted his son to be in his unit, Zichu was thus able to get Zhong out of danger. After all, once an officer defects, his family will be executed unless there is proof that the traitor alone is guilty of treason and the rest of the family is innocent. With Chen Wen as such a high rank in the Wei court, none would dare trespass his turf, and, thus, Chen Xin and their children were safe.
However, even though Deng Ai's mother-in-law, wife, and children were rescued, Shizai's own biological mother was nowhere to be found. The old shack where she lived had rusted and caved in on itself, and thankfully no one still resided within the collapsed structure. Unable to get any information from the neighbors, Zichu asked the Mayor to tell Shizai's mother to move to Changan when she could, and headed back for Chen Cang.
Sima Wang returned to his friend's side to find that Deng Ai was arraying his armies for an attack.
"What are you doing?"
"I need to set up my forces so that they appear to be marching against the enemy. Though all of you are old friends or veterans of mine, it's still wise not to make ourselves too noticeable among the many military units of Wei."
"True, but since when were we not 'noticeable?' With Chen Tai's death, the fact that you haven't been contacted by the capital means that, by default, you are the General Who Conquers the West. That means that you are the highest military authority currently in this region, for neither the Regent Marshall nor the Prime Minister are in charge in this area. As long as you are in the Western portion of the Empire, you are its highest military authority. The same goes for the General Who Conquers the South and all similar ranks of the compass rose. Your authority is only subordinated to the Regent Marshal, Prime Minister, or to the General Who Conquers that specific direction, if you happen to be relocated. At this time, no one can defy your authority, not even Wang Jing, and he's the current Inspector of this entire province... He has both Civil and Military authority, but you currently outrank him by a very high margin." Sima Wang reminded him.
"So this means that wherever I go, I might inspire a myriad of reinforcements to follow me in case anything goes wrong?"
"That's right."
"Then why was it that Chen Tai had such a difficult time when Jiang Wei invaded this region?"
"That was probably due to the fact that, at that time, Qiang invasions had recently weakened the militia. Your wall helped hold off many of them, that much is true, but there were still several Qiang tribes living south of the wall's southernmost perimeter. They were able to slip through the various mountain provinces west of that position and strike. Most of the Militia were sent to Jin Cheng and areas to the northwest, from which the Qiang would be coming. Because of that there were too few troops to assist Commander Guo Huai. That, and because Guo Huai was merely the "Commander of the Western Legion," he did not have enough authority to punish any straggling bands of soldiers who would not provide him aid in time."
"So you're saying that our troops do their duties only when they have the chance to be punished? How cynical of you..."
"Unfortunately, friend, I speak the truth. But, enough talk. The moment you surrender to Shu, these areas will be far easier to conquer, as the entire military structure of the region will be thrown into disarray."
"Hmph, then what if I fell in battle during this campaign had I continued to fight under Wei?"
"Well, my cousin would have probably considered your replacement before then, but now that he hasn't yet, it would be easy for Jiang Wei to gain some ground."
"No, I think I know that he already has found my replacement."
"Oh? What makes you so sure?"
"Why do you think Zhong Hui exists, old friend?"
"Ah, I see your point... Sima Yi was already wary of your talents. His son would probably use all of his father's old loyalists, including Zhong Hui himself... Gah, if he can utilize Zhong Hui's greed, he'll be able to crush Jiang Wei once we've joined Shu, and it will be near impossible for Boyue to take this area once Zhong Hui arrives..."
"Wait, wouldn't you call him your uncle, by now?"
Sima Wang smiled. "Ah, true, I neglected to give him that family respect... Not that he deserves it, of course." (3.)
Jiang Wei rallied the warriors of the Han. It seemed fitting that, with the death of General Chen Tai of Wei, an attack should be in order. After all, Chen Tai was known to be a fearsome warrior. When Jiang Wei invaded Tian Shui, he defeated Guo Huai easily enough, but Chen Tai, Guo Huai's second in command, gathered a guerrilla force at Jin Cheng and led several raids on the Shu invading force, terrorizing their army for weeks before Sima Yi and Deng Ai arrived with reinforcements, driving these Shu soldiers out of the field.
But now that Chen Tai was dead, the only threat he had to worry about was Deng Ai. At least, that's what Jiang Wei thought, until he met Wang Jing, who crushed his invading army at a border city, unnamed because it was rather minuscule, but apparently a perfect place for an ambush.
Boyue felt troubled, and even Xiahou Ba would be unable to provide him with any comforting plan of attack. With both Deng Ai and Wang Jing in the area, their invading troops might suffer from some major counterattacks.
But he could not let such troubling thoughts bother him. Today, he would fight as a warrior of the Han, and nothing could sway him from that sacred duty.
Deng Ai's men continued moving forward, and their commander was uneasy.
Deng Zhong looked at his father, confusion written all over his face. "Why do you seem so distressed, father? You've been victorious in many other engagements, or, at least, you've kept most of the army alive... What's wrong?"
Deng Ai smiled at his son. Though he was fifteen, he seemed to be able to sense people's emotions quite well.
"It is nothing, just don't be so surprised when I do something shocking later, ok?"
"Alright, dad..."
Jiang Wei and Deng Ai met. But before a shot could be fired, Deng Ai stepped forward, and placed his banner on its side on the ground, before the shocked Shu army. "Do you know what this means, father?!" Deng Zhong gasped.
"Yes... Yes I do..." Deng Ai nodded.
"Does this mean you surrender to me?" Jiang Wei raised his eyebrow.
"No, not at all. I surrender to the nation of Shu-Han, to the General of the Central Army Ma Dai, and I hereby accept myself as his subordinate, not yours. You are the type of man who, consumed by want of fame, refuses to realize the true nature of things. You've suffered so many defeats at the hands of the Wei nation, and thus I'd advise you to fall back and allow others to lead the charge."
"You dare speak thus to the Regent Marshall?"
"Yes. Since I assume you've accepted my surrender to Shu, I have the right to advise my superiors if I believe that they are wrong. Your current warpath has only succeeded in causing havoc for the Shu army, and we as Shu officers have seen too many casualties in our lines. Thus, it would be wise for you to stand down, sir."
Sima Wang and Shi Zuan blinked. They had followed Shizai for so long, and even though they knew of this plan, well, they were still uncertain if they were going to follow him this far.
Yang Xin stepped forward and bowed. "I, General Yang Xin, formerly a General of the Wei army, hereby submit myself on the condition that I remain Deng Ai's direct subordinate."
"As do I..." Shi Zuan bowed.
"I may be Sima Zhao's cousin, but I believe that my family has gone too far with their schemes. Their actions are an insult to the Sima clan, so to uphold my clan I shall continue to serve as Deng Shizai's personal tactician." Sima Wang was the last to bow.
"Fair enough..." Jiang Wei scoffed. "Deng Ai, you are hereby given the rank of General of the Right Flank. I hope that you utilize this rank for the good of Shu. Now return to headquarters and announce your surrender to the Emperor himself. Meanwhile, I shall continue my assault on Tian Shui..."
"Sir, did you not hear Deng Ai's argument just now?!" Sima Wang shouted.
"Yes, but I shall disregard his commentary. As the Regent Marshall, I am not compelled to listen to objections from trivial officers." Jiang Wei lifted his head and strutted off.
Xiahou Ba bowed low. "I apologize, new friends, for his retorts. My commander has been... Well... Distressed as of late, and this causes him to be very irritable."
"No worries, commander. You should follow him. He will need a voice of reason to keep him from letting his troops get slaughtered." Deng Ai nodded.
"Fair enough... Have a safe journey, comrade." Xiahou Ba turned and hurried after Jiang Wei.
With uncertain steps, Deng Ai marched for Chengdu. The annals of Nan-Han state that this was, perhaps, the dawning of a new age. Han's fate could have never been certain, as the mighty states of Wei and Wu barred the path for its restoration. Yet, it is said that this moment alone may have changed the flow of time... But perhaps that view is merely superstition...
1. Zichu is Sima Wang's style name. To make my life easier, I might often refer to him as such.
2. Li Hua is Chen Tai's beloved wife. She therefore also serves as Deng Ai's mother-in-law. She did exist, but for now we'll consider her an OC.
3. Boyue is Jiang Wei's style name.
Well, readers, I wanted to add this when The Stuttering Stallion was done. As it turns out, I spent more time on this than on the latest chapter of The Stuttering Stallion, because I find alternate history much more exciting than something that's forty percent accurate or so. Thus, this fic was born...