Chapter 2
The early morning mountain air felt cold despite the hurried movements within the Shu camp. Jiang Wei listened quietly to the noise of the soldiers around him as they ran about, taking up weapons and donning their armor. His own steed nickered quietly; flicking its ears in annoyance at the din and Wei hastily stroked its mane to calm it. Since the terrain was difficult, only the three generals had brought horses and because of this, they would be the ones who could most easily move around the battlefield. But somehow, this didn't make him feel any more at ease at facing his old kingdom.
"General Wei?"
Wei looked back and saw his lieutenant Ma Zhong approaching. He nodded in greeting, acknowledging the Shu officer before speaking, "What is it?" Zhong indicated the troops already in an orderly formation that stood a little ways behind him. "Your unit is ready to move, sir. Where shall I send them?"
Po-yueh took a second to remember his master's instructions before he gestured to the pass farthest to the west of the camp. His lieutenant bowed before leading the unit towards the specified direction. The boy sighed and mounted his horse, getting ready to follow, when a presence just behind him caused him to hesitate. When he looked down from his charger, he found the veteran general Wei Yan standing there, eying him.
The strategist-in-training stiffened slightly, but could do nothing since Yan was higher than he was in rank. "Did you need something, Master Wei Yan?" he asked with obviously forced respect. After a pause, the general said simply in a guttural tone, "Don't be disloyal." Then he walked off towards the opposite end of the camp where his own troop was waiting. Wei frowned after him, unable to work out if those words had been a threat or a friendly caution. Deciding to shrug it off, he directed his gaze back towards his unit and urged his horse after them.
Jiang Wei gripped tightly onto his mount's reins as he swung his trident in a deadly arc, cutting down a Wei soldier. The trampled earth about him was dark with the blood of both ally and enemy. The intense battle had stretched on into midday and Wei was beginning to tire. The narrow mountain path made it harder for both Shu and Wei to get all their men up at once, giving neither an advantage. Yet, with the hard efforts of the men, they both managed to hold their ground.
Turning aside an arrow shot by one of the blue-clad archers positioned on the trail ahead of them, Po-yueh decided to move to the back of his unit to somewhat take a rest. When he reached a calmer area, he dismounted and tried to regain some of his energy. As he was doing so, he noticed a Shu soldier, who he vaguely remembered to belong to Zhuge Liang's troop, hurrying towards him.
The man slid to a stop in front of Wei and bowed low before reporting hurriedly, "The prime minister has just given orders for all units to pull back from Mt. Qi. He has also specified that you must avoid further attacking of the enemy."
It didn't take long for Jiang Wei to catch onto his mentor's strategy. Of course. If we can lure them far enough, it will give us the advantage we need, he thought. He nodded to the messenger before getting back onto his horse and riding back into the crowd of soldiers. "Everyone, fall back!" he ordered loudly, riding towards the front lines so his whole unit would hear. "Fall back to the main camp!" The men, being trusting veterans, didn't hesitate to obey.
Fei Yao, the general of the opposite legion, seemed delighted in their decision to retreat. He flourished his sword as he ordered his men into pursuit. Wei, realizing that he had gotten a little too close to the enemy lines, reined in his steed in false panic and wheeled it back towards his fleeing unit. The young strategist deliberately wove across the pass to entice the enemy closer to their camp and only broke his horse into a full gallop as soon as the enemy troop was close enough.
Po-yueh soon caught up with his legion and they slowed their pace slightly as they prepared to move out of the battlefield. But then for the second time within a day, he caught sight of a Shu soldier--another messenger--coming towards him. This man, however, seemed more panicked than the first one had been. "Sir, General Wei Yan has deliberately ignored the prime minister instructions and is continuing his attack!" he cried. "Please, you must stop him-!" Immediately seeing how dangerous this action as to Zhuge Liang's strategy, Wei nodded and hurried to his lieutenant's side.
Catching Ma Zhong by the shoulder, Wei leaned down from the saddle to speak to him without being overheard. "Zhong, you must lead our troops along the back route towards Fei Yao and his men," he said in an urgent undertone. "When the prime minister gives the signal, launch the ambush. Understood?" Zhong nodded and ran off to guard the retreat of the unit while Jiang Wei went in the opposite direction through a small side path to talk to Wei Yan.
Wei pushed his horse as fast as it could go over the uneven terrain in his urgency. Trees and rocks flashed by and he had to guide his steed with the utmost care to keep it from tripping. As he emerged from the back road into the middle pass leading up to the summit, he briefly caught sight of Liang and his troop, but he didn't pause here for long, since Wei Yan was in the pass on the far side.
Dodging tree branches that threatened to sweep him from his mount, Po-yueh hoped he wouldn't be too late. Presently, the legion under Wei Yan came into Po-yueh's line of vision. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Xiahou Ba, the general in charge of the pass, was nowhere in sight. The plan could still push through, as long as he managed to convince Yan to follow orders. The mentioned veteran was close by, hacking away at the enemy lines from his dark-haired horse. Wei didn't give him a chance to continue up the now cleared path. He jabbed his heels into his horse's side and deftly blocked the general's way. "Master Wei Yan, you must retreat," he said forcefully, telling himself not to be intimidated by the higher-ranking general.
"I can still fight," was the rough reply as Wei Yan glared at the boy through his mask. He attempted to move around Jiang Wei, but the strategist's mind was set. He guided his horse back into Yan's path, knowing they would be in danger if they started to retreat when the enemy general arrived. "Please, general," he said desperately, hearing the approach of the horse presumably belonging to Xiahou Ba. They were running out of time. "You must protect the prime minister during his withdrawal!"
The general seemed to hesitate at the mention of Zhuge Liang. Finally, he wheeled his horse around and set off back towards the mountain foot without another word, followed by his relieved troop. Po-yueh let out the breath he realized he had been holding. Now the ploy can push through. Just then, he felt something heading towards him and ducked instinctively--a spear scythed through the air where his head had been. Fighting to control his distressed horse, he turned and saw that Xiahou Ba and his two lieutenants were already upon him.
Panic welled within Wei, and he urged his horse back down the road Wei Yan had taken. However this proved to be too much for his horse, exhausted as it was from having to run such a distance on rough grounds. It stumbled almost immediately and Jiang Wei was thrown from the saddle, his trident tumbling down the mountain road and out of reach. He struggled to regain his feet, but when he looked up, he found a spear leveled to his face. Glancing tentatively around, he found himself practically enclosed in a cage of enemies--he was trapped.