No Turning Back
Liu Bei's armies were closing in from every angle...
And though his comrades were practically routed, he cared little.
The Cheng Dynasty was no more. Even if Emperor Yuan Shu insisted on having everyone bow before that banner, the banner meant practically nothing now. Zhang Xun was dead. Qiao Rui was dead. Masters Jin Shang and Zhang Cheng were killed the moment this Empire was born, and with their deaths there was no mind who could possibly convince Yuan Shu to end his foolish ways.
He knew he was no strategist, hell, even as a general he was a bit too blunt to garner enough respect among his troops. Yet they knew that he was a fine warrior, and that he cared about them, and because of that they were still willing to fight for him, despite the fact that their lord was a tyrannical, greedy, insane freak who desired to take Han's throne despite having so little.
Capital Shou Chun would fall at any minute now, and there was no turning back.
The general sighed. Alas! Had only he listened to Zhang Cheng! But it was far too late. The enemy was coming, and they'd destroy everything, and he'd likely lose his life.
But, with this trident in his hand, he would not falter. No... The people of Shou Chun, despite the fact that they hated their ruler, counted on him. His soldiers counted on him. And, though heaven would laugh at this, Emperor Yuan Shu personally counted on him. He was the last of Cheng's finest officers, and he would die standing. He would die an honorable warrior.
Zhang Fei came closing in. That man was a terror to behold, yet he wasn't afraid. Reputation might be of use to a person, but not when they're facing a confident opponent. He knew that Zhang Fei was a hero, and was no pushover, but he personally was no weakling either.
So this trident-wielding warrior raised that weapon one more time. Today, he'd fight for his soldiers. He'd fight for Shou Chun. He'd fight for glory.
Charging forward, he raised that trident...
And even if he couldn't turn back now, well, why would he?
If you haven't figured it out already, the General mentioned in this fic is none other than Ji Ling. He was Yuan Shu's best warrior, and had quite a bit of talent (at least in the novel) on the battlefield.
Yuan Shu's Cheng Dynasty was short lived, and even when it stood as strongly as it did, people despised Yuan Shu for his greed and tyranny. I pity Ji Ling who fought so gloriously despite knowing that he was part of that despicable Empire. (Which held Shou Chun alone. Isn't that funny? Yuan Shu thought he could overpower everyone else even though he held a single city.)
So, yeah, I hope you enjoyed this fic, despite it being short and kinda lacking in violence or romance. Thanks for reading.