My first fic in the Dynasty Warriors side of . Hehe.
Anyway, The idea of this fic came from me reviewing some historical information regarding the Three Kingdoms period to theorize who could become Jin faction characters. I had a number of people under consideration, but ultimately settled on the idea of Shi joining his brother and father in having his wife in the game. Sima Shi had three wives historically, and I ended up going with the wife he had the coldest relationship with historically.
This'll be a nice few chapters in length. This story will revolve around the wife I choose, but it won't really star her.
As a newcomer to DW, please forgive me if my characterization of the characters isn't spot on.
The sun shone brilliantly on Mt. Tielong, offering light and warmth to all that lived in the area, be they man or beast. It was a work of art to see the mountain light up this morning, the light slowly stretched across the rocks, revealing crevasses, paths in the mountains, and even the Wei camp.
Wei had quickly set up camp in the area, in response to scouts reporting that a Shu army was advancing on the border. They had chosen this morning to attack Wei, apparently intending to mar this beautiful morning with their corpses, as all felt that today could only end in an overwhelming victory for Wei.
Sima Shi of the Sima clan was personally managing the defense of Wei today. Doubtlessly the enemy commander was Jiang Wei, who had proven across the years to be a most persistent thorn in Wei's side. These invasions of Wei, these Northern Campaigns as they were called, seemed endless. Jiang Wei's tenacity was almost admirable at first, but it soon became tiresome, and now all in Wei were thoroughly sick of these intrusions on Wei territory. Jiang Wei displayed some aptitude for strategy, true, but he was truly just another imbecile. Shi intended to make it clear today that the Shu strategist was an incompetent fool when compared to the intellect of the Sima clan.
The spirit in the camp was high. Shi had proven himself as a competent leader over and again after succeeding his father, and he had the complete faith and trust of the soldiers of Wei. Even many of the officers of Wei regarded him as the man who would undoubtedly lead Wei to victory in the war of the Three Kingdoms. He had many, many supporters, not the least of which was his wife.
Lady Xiahou Hui walked through the camp, far from a foreign setting for her. She was known for her loyalty to her husband, and though she had been torn by the Sima stripping the Cao family of its influence, she ultimately continued to follow her husband. When Shi had Xiahou Hui's brother, Xiahou Xuan, executed, she did not offer a word of protest, choosing her husband over kin. Though some hushed voices would tell you that she clung to Shi out of fear that she'd be the next one executed by him.
She received more then one glance as she walked around. Most would say that it was to be expected that a man as capable as Sima Shi would have such a stunningly beautiful wife. It was said that few Wei women could match Xiahou Hui, and that Wang Yuanji was one of her few rivals in that regard. Her cyan gown, which was made to not restrict movement, only helped her be more eye-catching.
Xiahou Hui had the same intellectual strengths that all members of the Sima clan were expected to have. And it was notable for her to have these traits as she wasn't born into the clan. Yet it was whispered that despite her talents she suffered from feelings of inadequacy, that she felt she wasn't worthy of being a member of the Sima clan. These feelings were said to factor into her decision to participate in battle.
"Lady Xiahou Hui." An officer of Wei addressed the woman, Hui turned and recognized the man as Zhuge Dan, one of the loyal vassals of the Sima clan, despite coming from the Zhuge clan. "Is it necessary for you to join the battle? Imagine how Master Sima Shi would feel if you were to be injured…"
Xiahou Hui already had the answer to that, as she had dealt with the question herself. "I understand what my injury or death would mean to my lord. But when I look at the capabilities of my Lord Sima Shi and Master Sima Zhao, I feel so lacking. I need to prove to myself that I have the right to call myself a member of the Sima clan."
Zhuge Dan's brow furrowed. Mostly, Xiahou Hui suspected, due to the fact that she just insinuated that Zhao was an extraordinarily capable man. Zhuge Dan was becoming well known for his dislike for the younger Sima brother.
"If that is your wish, I will not argue, my lady." Zhuge Dan said, though his tone suggested that he truly felt otherwise. "But I beg you, stay away from the front line. Stay where it's safe. Do nothing that would vex Master Sima Shi." He took his leave, most likely hoping that Xiahou Hui would act in line with that advice. Yet Xiahou Hui could not prove to herself that she deserved to be a member of the clan if she simply stayed where it was safe like some coward.
She felt a slight twinge of guilt that she'd be going completely against Zhuge Dan's wish, but still felt that she had to do this. She was blessed to be Sima Shi's wife, but she felt she had to show that she was worthy of that position.
"My lady." Another man stopped her as she was preparing to walk again. This one she didn't recognize. He was clothed in the standard garb of all Wei soldiers, and with his motions he made sure he was treating Xiahou Hui with the proper amount of respect due to someone of her position. "An order has been issued that all members of the Sima clan present at this battle be given a special drink."
He produced a small cup and offered it to Xiahou Hui. Yet Hui did not accept immediately. She enjoyed always knowing the face and background of everyone in the camp, and she was… puzzled, by her inability to recognize this man.
"Who are you?" She asked, the man seemed taken aback by the drink not being immediately accepted. "I know the face of every soldier who is joining the defense today. Yet yours I do not recognize. I had thought I knew everyone who swore allegiance to the Sima."
A peculiar expression, perhaps panic, briefly flittered across the man's face. Then his composure returned. "Forgive me. I pledged my loyalty to the Sima only very recently. There was not enough time before now for you to have seen my face."
"Oh." Xiahou Hui responded, bowing her head. "My apologies for my suspicions." Her eyes fell on the cup still in the man's hand. She noticed that the hand holding it had begun to sweat. Surely her moment of suspicion had frightened the man, she was of the authority to punish people she suspected were intruders in the camp. Moving to stymie his fears, she took the cup.
It clearly was not water, but beyond that, it was not clear what it was. It was a strange green liquid that Xiahou Hui was certain she had never seen before. She raised her eyes from the liquid and back to the man. "What is this?"
"It… it's a refreshing drink." His tone of voice was far from confident, and his atrociously vague description of the drink did not help his case. He was clearly reaching for some sort of answer. "It's a herbal drink. It will give you a great burst of energy. All members of the Sima clan must be at their best in this battle. This drink will help you remain focused."
Xiahou Hui did not look entirely convinced, but nodded to dismiss the man. The man bowed his head and departed.
Xiahou Hui looked at the drink she had been offered. It did not look very appealing, and she wasn't looking forward to drinking it. But all of the Sima had apparently been given the drink, so she was honor bound to take it. Bringing it up to her mouth, she took a large gulp, wincing a little at the foul taste.
She took a deep breath, then forced herself to take in the rest of the cup's contents. For a moment she was almost dizzy at the foul tasting liquid, but assumed that some effect would kick in after a while. She needed to get the name of the actual liquid after the battle. Normally she'd have preferred for drinks to be moments she could share with Shi, but this was before a battle, they didn't have their usual luxuries.
"My Lord Sima Shi." Xiahou Hui came to her husband as he stood in front of the gate to the camp. "Will we be leaving to engage Shu soon?"
Sima Shi regarded his wife. He nodded in confirmation, but kept a stern face. "Hui, you truly intend to take part in this battle?" Shi shook his head. "This isn't like the other battles you've participated in. You've only participated in light skirmishes before, not a full-scale battle. The possibility of death will be higher for you then ever before."
"That's exactly why I should participate in this battle." Xiahou Hui argued. "The Sima clan is filled with intelligent and capable individuals. Each of them possessing talent far beyond so many others in Wei. I need to show to myself that I deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as them."
Shi sighed. This was far from the first time his wife had wished to participate in battle for this reason. Xiahou Hui had not even been a combatant when they married, but the martial skills of everyone else in the Sima clan convinced Xiahou Hui that she was honor bound to learn war as well. As she learned the art of combat, she looked at the skills of the clan she married into, and that was the start of these feelings of inadequacy, though in truth she was extraordinarily skilled. Shi was tempted to decline the request for combat and order her back to the capital, but he could not condemn his wife to a lifetime of self-doubt. No amount of comfort after that would appease her.
"I'll allow you to participate Hui, but please ensure that you do not deviate from my strategy. Simply do exceptionally well at following orders, that is all you need to do."
Xiahou Hui's face lit up. "Fear not, my lord. I will do all you say in battle. I must convince myself that I am worthy of becoming the Sima clan's next matriarch."
Sima Shi almost smirked. Being the successor of his mother would be a stressful position. "Very well, Hui. Just remember to fall back if it becomes too much to handle. I do not wish to lose you."
Xiahou Hui felt heat build up in her cheeks. Her husband was normally aloof in his interaction with her, it was so rare to hear something like that from him. She might have tried to say something, but Shi moved to begin the battle, suddenly turning to address the army of Wei soldiers awaiting his command.
"Shu marches on our borders. Now, as always, we shall beat them back. But this time, we must make our victory absolute. We must demonstrate to the imbeciles of Shu that continued war against us is madness."
Though Sima Shi knew full well that no defeat would convince Jiang Wei that these invasions were futile. The man was a zealot who refused to abandon his predecessor's wish, and he was willing to spend countless lives on that unachievable goal. Yet these constant invasions had to have been doing massive damage to Shu's economy. Eventually the invasions would have to stop, if only due to Shu lacking the resources needed to keep them up.
"Now come. Shu's army is in sight. Let us do away with our enemy along with all their dreams of triumph. We shall choke any hope of victory out of our enemies."
A cheer erupted from the soldiers of Wei. Seizing the moment when the soldiers spirits were at their highest, Shi turned to the gatekeeper and nodded. Recognizing the command, the soldier opened the gate.
A lookout in a tower of the Wei camp took note of one soldier who, rather then join Sima Shi's charge, was instead fleeing out the back of the camp. The lookout could only be baffled that the man was forgoing the honor of taking part in repelling the invaders. Yet he just scratched his head before turning his attention back to the front. Keeping watch on Shu was surely more important then announcing that there was one single deserter.
Xiahou Hui ran as fast as she reasonably could. She could see the Shu forces up ahead, everyone knew what was about to happen. She inhaled once, bracing herself for the kill-or-be-killed carnage. This sort of situation was undoubtedly the norm for her husband, or her brother-in-law. Zhao was among one of the other units of Wei's army. Yet she had experienced this herself only a small handful of times.
She brandished her weapon, a blade of a similar design to her husband's. There were some subtle differences in the curve and the weight of the blade, and it was significantly shorter as well. The differences were small, but big enough to make a powerful difference in how she swung it. A foe who presumed that her style was identical to her husband's, or assumed her husband's was identical to hers, would be killed quickly for his foolish miscalculation.
Wei and Shu's army collided.
It took only another moment for the cacophony of war to kick in. Battle shouts and death cries mixed together to create an unholy symphony. Xiahou Hui quickly took to the fight, trying her hardest to shut out all thoughts save those relevant to the battle.
Yet try as she might, her thoughts focused on the performance given by the Sima, and by those who swore allegiance to the Sima. Sima Zhao, despite constantly being criticized as lazy and foolish, performed superbly on the battlefield, there was certainly a reason Sima Shi valued his brother as an officer. Jia Chong was making enemies fall with every swing of his throwing axes. Xiahou Hui caught sight of Jia Chong felling four enemies with a single slash, he seemed to only be aiming for one of them but another three had the misfortune to be in range of the slash. Xiahou Ba, who, as Xiahou Hui heard it, nearly defected to Shu when he misinterpreted the Sima clan's actions, was obliterating large chunks of his almost-allies with his siege spear. Above all of them was her husband. Sima Shi battled with a refined and powerful style, nowhere in his style could the slightest flaw be spotted.
Her husband's plan for dealing with Shu was to destroy Shu's manpower and supplies. These constant invasions of Wei, Shi reasoned, was placing a considerable strain on Shu's economy. Shu couldn't keep invading Wei indefinitely, but Jiang Wei likely would refuse to consider the damage being done to Shu and continue to invade. He'd be party to Shu's demise, just so long as Wei continued to beat these attacks back.
Sima Shi intended to speed up Shu's demise. Wei's objective was to kill as many Shu soldiers as possible. It was unlikely that any of them would surrender or defect, Jiang Wei likely selected those with unflinching loyalty for his campaign. Targeting Shu's manpower and ensuring as many of them were killed as possible might make many people in Shu question if Jiang Wei should be trusted with soldiers to command ever again.
On top of the man slaughter, they also had to destroy any supplies and provisions Jiang Wei brought with him. Since the Shu commander had likely prepared for a long campaign to Wei's capital of Luoyang, he probably had months of supplies ready. Xiahou Hui assumed that many of the farmers of Shu had been required to give the wheat and rice they grew to Jiang Wei, as well as offer up many of their animals to be slaughtered for meat. If Shu's supplies were destroyed so early in the campaign, many people in Shu would grumble about having to give up their goods only for Jiang Wei to waste it all. He may even lose favor with influential members of the Shu court.
Turning her head to the side, Xiahou Hui caught sight of a mass of wagons pulled by horses, escorted by a large mass of Shu soldiers. It was not in plain sight, Jiang Wei had likely taken measures to conceal it, but still she had spotted it.
"Shu's supplies has been found!" Shi had been a few moments ahead of his wife in noticing, and was already responding. "Deng Ai, take Zhuge Dan and Zhao and destroy their supplies. Everyone else, focus on the enemies in front of you."
"I cannot allow that!" A Shu officer declared. A woman suddenly jumped forward, seeming intent on ending Wei's defense by slaying Sima Shi. A fast acting Xiahou Ba activated his siege spear, letting it rocket up and force the Shu woman to abandon the attack and put up a defense.
The collision between Xiahou Ba's attack and the woman's defense sent her back. After landing the woman was briefly devoid of her bearings, she would have likely been killed if a unit of Shu troops hadn't rushed forward to form a protective circle in front of her. Eventually the woman, Xiahou Hui recognized her as the Sleeping Dragon's wife, Yueying, stood ready. Xiahou Hui took a small moment to turn to her distant relative, Xiahou Ba, she might have owed her husband's life to him.
"I will not allow you to destroy a year's worth of supplies all at once. It is what we have to sustain us as we fulfill my lord's wish." She raised a hand as a large contingent of Shu soldiers, a group that equaled the Wei army in size, rushed ahead of her. Behind her were the silhouettes of… something.
"Juggernauts…" She held the command for just another second. "Advance!"
Deng Ai and his unit were on the high ground. Beneath them was Shu's supplies. It was under much heavier guard then it seemed to be from the distance. Yet the odds were highly slanted in Wei's favor. Wei had the high ground, a terrain advantage, and they would not have to constantly put priority on guarding supplies in the skirmish that was about to begin. All that would easily mitigate Wei's moderate disadvantage in numbers.
"So we jump down and attack them?" Zhao asked. He craned his neck and gave an unenthusiastic grunt. "What a bother."
"Keep your voice down!" Zhuge Dan ordered, seemingly failing to realize that he was speaking with a much louder voice. Fortunately, while some of the Shu soldiers cautiously raised their eyes skyward, they didn't realize how close the enemy was. "This is simple, we jump down and destroy their supplies, and send Shu scurrying off."
Deng Ai readied the soldiers. He had already explained the plan on their march. A unit led by him to engage the Shu forces defending the supplies, another unit of soldiers wielding torches, a fire squad, who will wait atop the cliff for the opportune moment to strike.
With the preparations made, he raised a hand. Shu hadn't noticed them and was continuing on. Likely they had hoped to sneak around the main battle, and meet up with the main Shu army after the battle was done. But Deng Ai was here to ensure that the supplies did not get anywhere near that far.
Seeing that Shu had reached a position that would allow for Wei to deliver the most devastating damage in the shortest amount of time, Deng Ai made a single gesture with his raised hand.
Wei's troops rained down. One unfortunate soldier of Shu had the misfortune of being the man that Deng Ai landed on. Immediately Deng Ai led the troops into battle.
"I'll let no one get in the way of my duty. I'll see to it that Shu's supplies burn in fire."
Guan Yinping grunted in annoyance as her dual-headed mace met Deng Ai's drill lance. The sudden assault from Wei caught her by surprise and her defense was initially flimsy.
"I thought the battle was going to take place away from here." Yinping said as she tried to force Deng Ai to take a few steps back. "We should have been safe on this path to the meeting point."
Zhuge Dan ran past Deng Ai and Guan Yinping's duel, intent on decimating the guards closest to the supplies. Then what appeared to be a giant paint brush appeared in his field of vision.
Zhuge Dan ducked the attack and backed a step away, letting the wielder of the odd weapon present himself.
"Guess we shouldn't have been taking the path so quickly." Ma Dai said, as he pointed his brush at Zhuge Dan. "We'll just have to take Wei out so we can move on."
Dan rushed forward and a short exchange of attacks followed. The Zhuge eventually managed to knock the brush out of Ma Dai's hand and strike an exceptionally fierce blow to Ma Dai's chest that knocked him off his feet. Ma Dai scrambled away and started to rush to grab his brush, Zhuge Dan following immediately behind him. During all this, interference from Sima Zhao prevented the soldiers of Shu from rushing to the aid of their officers.
Yinping pushed her weapon against Deng Ai's, and finally started to push him back. Deng Ai saw the opportunity this presented him with. He allowed himself to be pushed back, but not making it obvious that he was allowing it, and Yinping foolishly continued to press the attack, and getting further and further away from the supplies she was guarding.
Eventually they had moved far enough way from the supplies. Deng Ai shouted for the fire squad to attack. The soldiers of Wei that remained on the high ground began tossing burning torches down.
"The supplies!" Yinping yelled in horror. She tried to race back, but Deng Ai stepped forward and struck a blow to Yinping's back that staggered her and cut her retreat back to the supplies short.
"It's my duty to see your invasion ended prematurely. I'll not allow you to save your rations and supplies." He readied himself for combat as Yinping picked herself up off the ground. Deng Ai's opponent turned around and visibly lost heart at the sight of all the supplies in flames.
There was no chance the Shu forces could put out the fires in time to save the food at this point. This exchange between Wei and Shu and gone completely in Wei's favor, and had likely done fatal damage to Shu's latest invasion.
"How could I let this happen?" She bemoaned. The soldiers of Shu that survived Wei's initial attack appeared to defend Yinping. Pointing their weapons at Deng Ai, it was clear that they had no intention of allowing him to get any closer.
"We have to accept that our supplies are lost. We must retreat back to the main camp." Ma Dai, bearing several bruises and bleeding in other areas, appeared beside Yinping. Yinping made a final glare at her enemies, then followed Ma Dai in retreat.
"Should we give pursuit?" Zhuge Dan asked. He seemed ready to chase them down and ensure that those two never bothered Wei again. Zhao, beside him, didn't seem nearly as willing to leap up and give chase.
"That won't be necessary." Deng Ai answered. "Shu has lost the supplies that were to serve as their lifeline. Their invasion has already failed. Let us return to the main battle."
Yueying's juggernauts proved to be formidable. They were more powerful then Shi remembered them being, it seemed likely that the wife of his father's rival had made a breakthrough that offered them more power. The stench of burning corpses, the remains of several Wei soldiers, but also of some Shu soldiers unfortunate enough to be caught in the path of the flames, filled the air. On top of that, Shi has never seen ballista constructed so quickly, their hailstorm of fire severely complicated Wei's offense.
At the very least, most of the contraptions had been destroyed. The battle, which had been briefly in Shu's favor, quickly fell back into Wei's control. Against Sima Shi, Yueying had no choice but to fall back, and back, and back.
"No!" Yueying suddenly yelled as she looked briefly to the side. There was smoke rising in the distance, it could have only been the supplies. Her horror lasted only a moment before she returned to the battle, not one of the soldiers fighting with her seemed eager to runaway either.
Shi felt a twinge of confusion. The Shu forces were continuing the attack, even though they had lost their supplies? Even if Shu won this battle, they'd die from starvation on their march into Wei. Shu's fighting spirit was not diminishing, and it didn't diminish even when Guo Huai fired a barrage from his cannon that inflicted a grievous enough injury on Yueying that there was no chance she'd have any further role in this battle.
This continued defiance made no sense. Unless…
"Shu did not put all of its supplies in one place!" Sima Shi declared. "Spread out, push the attack and locate Shu's other reservoir of supplies. If you do not find the supplies, push on to the enemy main camp."
Taking advantage of a slight lull in the combat, Shi turned to check on his wife. Xiahou Hui was doing well, she had evaded the juggernauts flames, and Shu troops were falling in scores around her. It was almost amusing that this was the woman who feared she wasn't worthy of being a member of the Sima clan. Most of Wei's officers were staggeringly inadequate compared to her combat skills, and Zhao could learn something from her dedication.
Then he noticed something… wrong, with his wife. Her body was trembling, but Xiahou Hui was not the sort to grow fearful in combat or get overly excited. After cutting down a duo of Shu soldiers who sought honor beyond their wildest dreams by slaying him, he moved to his wife.
"Hui, are you okay?" Shi inquired. Not only was his wife trembling, but now that he was close to her he took notice of her skin color. She was unnaturally pale, did she foolishly join this battle while she was ill?
"I am fine my lord." Xiahou Hui answered, though her voice seemed shaky. "I'm ready to start looking for Shu's supplies. I'll look to the west, on one of the longer paths."
Xiahou Hui ran off, a fire unit following after her. Her husband cautiously eyed her as she left. A part of him said that it was time to order her off the field, but, oh, how she would protest to that. Unfortunately, even at the risk of losing her, Shi did not have the luxury to follow her, he had to be in command of the army that engaged the central unit of Shu's invasion force.
"Yuanji." Shi addressed his brother's wife, and the most trust worthy officer still with Wei's main unit. "Go with Xiahou Hui and protect her, I'll need to tend to her immediately after the battle."
Wang Yuanji nodded without speaking, then turned to follow Xiahou Hui. Yuanji and Hui became good friends with each other after they had both married into the Sima clan. Shi was certain he could trust Zhao's wife to keep his own wife safe. He turned and re-focused himself on the battle.
Wei was advancing towards Shu's main camp, using every path available. Shu's second set of supplies had to have been somewhere. Jiang Wei presumably wouldn't keep them at the main camp, he'd hide them somewhere else in case the main camp fell. Xiahou Hui believed that to be the most likely possibility.
As such, she chose to go down a side path that looked like it wouldn't see much use in the battle. It seemed like a likely spot for Jiang Wei to hide the second set of supplies. Shu appeared to have tried to sneak the supplies past the battle, likely to meet up somewhere. Now half of their supplies was gone, if word of that had spread, Shu's remaining supplies would have been under much heavier guard.
A much denser guard, and she would have to defeat that almost entirely by herself. The fire squad behind her were trained on how to start fires and make the fires as destructive as possible, but they were not trained to fight. As such, any combat would have to be handled by her alone, which-
"Be cautious on going off on your own, Lady Xiahou Hui." Yunaji cautioned as she caught up to the woman. "Shu's supplies will likely be under very heavy guard. You might not be able to overcome by yourself."
"Yuanji?" Hui was surprised to see her good friend running beside her. "Why are you here? Surely there was another path for you to take."
"The only nearby allies you had were non-combatants." Yuanji quickly said. "I know you want to prove yourself, but you cannot shoulder this much on your own. Now let's go through this path on our way to Shu's main camp."
Hui smiled, then kept up her pace. The presence of a good friend would be the source of much comfort or encouragement. She hoped to find Shu's supplies on the path so she could aid her husband. It did not take long for Hui's wish to be granted.
Shu soldiers were tensely standing around a number of crates. The knowledge of the burning of the other supplies had clearly reached them, they weren't moving, they were just guarding, quietly studying the area around them for any sign of Wei. They were in a formation that was clearly designed to beat back an aggressive attack by a large, organized force. Unfortunately for them, what was about to attack wasn't a large, organized force, which would give Wei the advantage.
They hadn't been spotted. They were obviously on the lookout for a larger force that displayed little interest in subtlety. They were so focused that Xiahou Hui suspected that they would severely overreact to an inconsequential noise. A plan popping into her mind, she picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it. Every soldier of Shu immediately adopted a fighting stance and pointed their spears and swords at a rock that was tumbling along the ground.
As the enemy soldiers were starting to release a bit of tension and return to their formation, Yuanji took advantage of the slight lull in their focus on theit surroundings, she readied some of her throwing knives and let them fly. Three Shu soldiers died without even realizing the impending danger. Xiahou Hui ran forward just as the Shu forces were noticing that some of their allies had fallen dead.
"The enemy? The enemy is here!?" One Shu soldier yelled in a panic. He was almost immediately silenced by Xiahou Hui's sword. The remaining Shu soldiers rallied, forming a protective wall between the enemy and their supplies. One soldier of Shu, wearing a unique set of clothing, stepped forward, a nunchaku in hand.
"So the Wei forces found our remaining supplies. But we won't just hand them over to you." Guan Suo brandished his weapon. "This invasion is going to result in the end of Wei. As the son of the God of War, I'll see to it that it succeeds."
"These invasions will never succeed, not so long as my lord Sima Shi is here to meet them." Xiahou Hui boasted. "Half of Shu's supplies are already gone, and my lord is already advancing toward your main camp. Shu's latest invasion ended with its first battle. Which is exactly how all future invasions will… ugh!"
Xiahou Hui suddenly and unexpectedly lurched and had a coughing fit. A startled Yuanji went to her friend, placing a hand on Xiahou Hui's shoulders to steady her and completely ignoring Shu. Even Guan Suo momentarily paused at the display. Xiahou Hui quickly recovered, standing firm, but clearly exhausted. She was visibly trembling, even as she prepared for combat.
"Are you…" Guan Suo began, but he quickly cut himself off. "Please retreat. I do not want to harm a sick woman, please do not force my hand."
Hui pointed her weapon at the adversary, ignoring his sympathies. "I will not retreat. For the sake of my lord, I will see to it that those supplies are destroyed."
The words came through heavy breathing. Yuanji's hand were still on Xiahou Hui's shoulders, and she seemed to be debating whether or not to drag her friend back to a safer location, even if it meant exposing their backs to the enemy.
"Don't be foolish. You'll only get yourself killed if you fight in your condition. Your faith and loyalty in your lord is misplaced if he let you fight while-"
"Speak ill of my lord at your own peril!" Xiahou Hui shouted. Her sword arm began to tremble in anger. "My lord is the one who will be left standing once the chaos has ended. I'll not let you slander him like that."
Guan Suo sighed. He had misspoke if that passionate reaction was any indication. There was now no chance this woman would retreat for her own sake. He made a twirl of his nunchaku and adopted a fighting stance. He turned to his allies and made a distinct facial gesture, they were to focus only on defending the supplies, he would deal with the attackers himself.
Lady Xiahou Hui readied for combat, Yuanji cautiously followed suit, still keeping half an eye on her friend. Xiahou Hui rushed forward, Yuanji following close behind. Guan Suo readied his defense. He nimbly dodged Xiahou Hui's swipes, then struck her in the face with his nunchaku.
As Xiahou Hui stumbled back from the blow, Guan Suo turned to Yuanji. He nimbly dodged the first few thrown knives, then one managed to nick his shoulder.
Guan Suo barely felt the knife, but it threw off his movements just slightly. It threw him off enough that he was a split-second too slow to react when Xiahou Hui returned to the battle. Xiahou Hui slashed her sword, and Guan Suo wasn't able to get away from it in time. The swipe of the blade cut a deep wound across his chest.
Guan Suo leapt away, getting a safe distance from his enemies before he allowed himself to wince at the pain. He could feel the blood coming out of the wound and going down his chest.
Seeing her opportunity, Yuanji gave the signal for the fire unit to advance. Guan Suo attempted to block out the pain and put a stop to Wei's plans, but Yuanji's throwing knives forced him to stay where he was in order to effectively block and evade Yuanji's attack. Meanwhile, Xiahou Hui's sword decimated the defenders of the supplies. Guan Suo was kept on the defensive, up until the point his eyes widened in horror at the sight of Shu's remaining supplies burning.
As the Shu soldiers broke off to retreat to their camp, Yuanji finally desisted in her offense on Guan Suo, falling back to Xiahou Hui's side.
Guan Suo allowed pain to fill his face. A combination of his wound and the shame of his failure. He took a final look at his enemies, thinking of the black mark this failure would put on his honor, then turned to retreat.
"That went well." Xiahou Hui said. "Their invasion has already been ruined. And now we have a clear path to their main camp."
"Lady Xiahou Hui, perhaps returning to lord Sima Shi's army would be wiser." Yuanji consoled. "You've proven yourself enough with this, and you seem to be in poor health."
"Nonsense." Xiahou Hui protested. "I feel fine. A few coughs doesn't mean it's time to withdraw."
Xiahou Hui was already running again, Yuanji was left with little choice but to run after her friend. Yet it was clear that something was wrong with Lady Xiahou Hui, despite her insistence to the contrary. The signs were overwhelming that she was ill, and what Xiahou Hui had experienced was most certainly not a 'few' coughs. If Xiahou Hui partook in combat again, it might not end well.
Shu was fleeing in defeat. At least, Yuanji could hope there would be no more combat for Xiahou Hui to risk herself in. Once the battle was over, she would petition that Sima Shi call a physician to check Xiahou Hui. If Sima Shi insisted that a doctor look at her, Yuanji doubted that Xiahou Hui would try to stop it.
Unfortunately, at the end of their march, they found the Shu main camp, clearly still manned. Wei's main army was in sight, but it would still take a short while before they reached the enemy camp.
"Let's wait, Lady Xiahou Hui." Yuanji urged. "What Shu forces remain will likely panic once lord Sima Shi attacks. If we make a surprise attack at that moment, there will be no chance that Jiang Wei could coordinate a stable defense."
Xiahou Hui was wobbling as she stood. One look at Xiahou Hui's inability to stand straight placed the thought of not attacking at all in Yuanji's head. If Xiahou Hui was having trouble just standing straight, she was in no position to take part in the final exchange of this battle.
"If we attack and send Jiang Wei off, we'll do a great service for my lord." Xiahou Hui said slowly, looking ready to rush forward. "And the skills necessary to do it would be the skills of a worthy member of the Sima clan."
"Lady Xiahou Hui, no." Yuanji's words were sharp with a tone of warning. "We should not attempt to attack Shu's main camp by ourselves. We should launch a surprise attack once lord Sima Shi attacks."
"My lord Sima Shi said to push on to the main camp whether or not you found Shu's supplies." Hui countered. "We must attack."
A number of counters to Xiahou Hui's argument immediately came forth in Yuanji's head. There was clearly something wrong with Hui's health, Sima Shi could likely handle Shu's main camp easily by himself, that destroying Shu's supplies had done more then enough to prove Xiahou Hui's abilities…
But Xiahou Hui was already off. Yuanji bit her lip in annoyance at her stubborn friend. At times she was almost as aggravating as Yuanji's husband, but whatever was wrong with her health might have been affecting her rationality as well. For Xiahou Hui's own good Yuanji followed after her.
"Wei officers? Here?" Jiang Wei immediately turned to the two foreign women who had entered his camp. Immediately the remaining Shu soldiers appeared to reinforce him. With his double-edged trident in hand he took careful note of the both of them. He had never seen either of them before, but he could easily recognize them from the descriptions he had been given. Xiahou Hui and Wang Yuanji, the wives of Sima Shi and Sima Zhao respectively.
After a moment of observing them, his eyes widened in a horrific realization. "The route you took to the main camp! Did you…?"
"Your supplies are up in flames." Xiahou Hui boasted. "Your latest invasion of Wei has failed, just like every invasion you've tried."
Jiang Wei took a step back. He was disheartened for a moment, then a look of determination appeared. "You may have impeded Shu today, but the next invasion will be different."
"It will fail as well." Xiahiou Hui said. "They will always fail."
Jiang Wei twitched in anger at the comment. "I know who you are. You are the wife of Sima Shi. If I cannot destroy Wei now, I'll take this chance to eliminate the ones who have ruined this invasion, and leave Sima Shi in grief."
Taking his weapon in hand, he charged forward ahead of his men. Xiahou Hui managed to block the first strike, but the single clash made it clear the difference in strength between the two.
Jiang Wei might have ended the fight with a second slash, but was suddenly forced to defend against Yuanji's knives. After dodging and blocking a few, he managed to deflect one back at Yuanji. The knife slashed the bicep of the arm that was holding all of her knives, and the sudden pain made her lose her grip on her weapons.
As Yuanji's knives fell to the floor, Shu soldiers started to advance on her. Jiang Wei turned to Xiahou Hui, who was intent on attacking him. With one slash of his weapon he ripped Hui's sword from her hands and knocked her to the ground.
Jiang Wei advanced, intending to slay the woman, and after that he would take Yuanji's life as well before retreating back to Chengdu. He could at least dishearten the leaders of the Sima clan and make it a pyrrhic victory for them. Xiahou Hui was in the process of picking herself up, but then had a coughing fit. Jiang Wei, unsympathetic to the Wei woman's pain, lifted his weapon up…
Then the crashing sound of the camp's gates being smashed down rung through the air. Jiang Wei looked up to see a ram had burst down the gates, and the army of Wei was surging. First among them was Sima Shi. The young leader of the Sima clan looked at the figure of his wife, and then his eyes locked onto Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei took a step back as he looked disbelieving at Wei's advance. To think that Wei would take this battle so quickly. Reacting quickly, he made the signal for the Shu soldiers in the camp to immediately begin retreating back to safety, while he made an attempt to strike a blow to Sima Shi.
The fight between them lasted only a moment, Shi outmaneuvered Jiang Wei and with his Lightning Blade he carved a deep and bloody wound into Jiang Wei's bicep. To Jiang Wei, it felt like the arm had been set on fire, he immediately dropped his weapon as he stumbled back, trying his hardest to not move the arm and tear the wound open.
Before him was Sima Shi, and the Sima's army. Sima Shi had seen to the destruction of Shu's supplies, and perhaps the death of half the soldiers Jiang Wei had brought with him. Left with no choice but to accept that his invasion experienced miserable failure in its first battle, he turned and fled.
Sima Shi could have pursued, but instead turned to his wife. Xiahou Hui was still trying to pick herself up. As Shi's army was securing the camp and checking for any unpleasant surprise Shu might have left, Shi helped his wife to her feet.
"My lord, I-" Xiahou Hui gave into a cough again. "We… we won."
"Yes, Hui, but…" As he supported his wife, as she wasn't standing so much as leaning on him, he took note of her appearance. "What about you?"
"I… am fine, my lord."
"There is nothing fine about your skin color. Or temperature. Or the way you tremble." Shi brushed a hand over his wife's forehead. "You were fighting while you were sick. Why?"
Xiahou Hui groaned in a sudden pain. With the battle over and the adrenaline leaving, she was becoming aware of just how miserable she felt right now. "I… I wasn't sick when the battle started. I don't see how it could have happened. After… taking that drink…"
"Drink?" Shi reflected on the word. The last time Xiahou Hui had drank anything that he knew of had been during a private meal between the two of them, and she had only drank water at that time. If a drink was the cause of this ailment in his wife, then the only point if time she could have taken the drink was… as he looked at the pain his wife was in and the signs she was showing, he suddenly realized exactly what had happened.
"Get a horse!" Shi ordered. "And send a messenger ahead to Luoyang to notify the doctors." He looked down at his wife, on the verge of losing consciousness on his chest, still wearing a face of pain. "Xiahou Hui was poisoned."
That's it for chapter 1. Look forward to the rest.
Oh, and, uh, I hope I don't have to actually say it, but... Lady Xiahou Hui should not be confused with a different, male Xiahou Hui, who would be one of Ba's brothers. (And is currently a generic officer in the series.) Hehe.
Please review.