Ma Chao's Wrath

Chapter 9

Tides of War


Nearly a month had passed without incident. I followed my lord wherever he went, always with the flirtatious Ma Dai at my side. My new attire actually made me feel better about myself; it was attractive and functional and kept curious eyes off of my body. One downfall to pants were that they had a tendency to outline my ass and that was something that made Dai very happy indeed.

"Damn it's hot." Dai lamented and then gave me a wink. "Bet you want to take some clothes off to cool down."

"Dai, shut up." Ma Chao barked and looked back over his small column of one thousand volunteers. He had been on edge for a good while now as we approached Hanzhong. We were racing to the aid of Pang De who alerted us to the presence of Cao Cao's forces; he was in dire need of assistance, having only recruited 800 men himself. We all knew that a force of less than two thousand against any number of Cao Cao's was a suicide mission….but we followed our lord none-the-less.


"Alright so the archers will take the eastern wall and cavalry the southern gate…" Ma Dai reread his strategy proposal to me for the tenth time.

"With Ma Chao at the northern gate ready with the ambush…and Pang De the western gate with the flank attack…and you and me in here. Wonder what the missing page of the proposal says." I lay on my back in the grass looking at the sky. I was stuck with Dai for most of the afternoon preceding the pending battle. Lord Ma and General Pang were discussing matters….and my lord was using his typical discussion voice-nothing less than an agitated holler.

"You really want me…I can see it in your eyes." Dai dropped to his knees next to me and leaned over. "Maybe you just want to be dominated…eh? Is that what I'm missing?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "You're missing a hell of a lot more. Try again when your balls drop."

He chuckled and leaned closer. "I love the way you talk…so dirty. Makes me want to spank you."

I was thinking of a reply and failed to notice the screaming stopped. When I realized it, poor Ma Dai was aloft and being thrown across the small courtyard. I sat up just as Dai hit the fence and cringed. What made my lord so angry? "Sir?"

"Dai, I thought I made myself clear." The cold snap to his voice….I looked back to Pang De to make sure he was close. There was no telling what would happen when he was like this. Seeing his rage…I began to feel guilty. I had been encouraging Dai perhaps? It didn't take much but still…I was older and wiser I should have stopped him instead of playing along. This had been going on for weeks, why now?

"What the hell is wrong with you Mengqi!" Dai stood and rubbed his head. "I'm beginning to think you can't handle the pressure."

"Pack your goddamned things." My lord turned and gave Pang De a glance. "We're moving out."

"Moving out? But we can't outrun them…" Dai picked up his parchment paper and dusted himself off, obviously rattled by the whole situation.

"That's why I'm staying here and awaiting reinforcements. Now leave soon…or your reinforcements aren't going to get here in time." Pang De's solid and resounding voice added a disillusioning calm to the scene. However even I could not accept these orders without protest.

"We'll never make it back on time…we've recruited every available man in 100 li!" I stood and tried to look convincing but then his eyes turned on me. Gods, I hated that look.

"This is what we have decided, and last time I checked neither one of you was qualified to lodge a protest. Now obey your orders and get your asses in the saddle. Get the men ready to move out…NOW!"

I stood staring at him for much longer than I believed possible, was this my lord? Only Dai's gentle tug on my arm was enough to make me snap out of it. I never saw him like this, not towards his closest officers. What was going on? Why was he looking at me like I was the enemy now?

"You heard the General, let's go." Dai muttered bitterly and I followed. I couldn't resist one last look over my shoulder. He kicked a crate and pointed an accusatory finger at Pang De. His mentor only shrugged and walked back inside the small house leaving Ma Chao to fume outside.

We rode in silence away from Hanzhong. Neither Dai nor I could muster any interest in saying a word to Ma Chao and our lord did not show any discomfort because of it. It was a long ride back to Nanzheng and we all knew that we weren't going to find any men there. I kept my head down and focused on my horse's mane….my thoughts weren't far from my lord. Now I could only think of his anger and those eyes. Often I had found his dark eyes arousing, especially when they were oozing with his ferocity….but not when they turned on me. How could something I enjoyed so much at times be used against me?

"Looks like the people have already left."

I looked up as my lord spoke and saw the town half deserted. So news had already spread that a battle was nearby. Not surprised at the lack of people I glanced over at Dai's disgusted face. He was going to say something stupid.

"Observant aren't you. Obviously you missed your calling as a strategist." Dai spat with a heavy dose of venom

"Why don't you make yourself useful, Dai? Find us some accommodations for the night. I'm going to help the men set up camp and find supplies." My lord was unfazed, which was peculiar. He had overreacted to everything recently but overlooked his cousin's rancorous comment.

I held my tongue as he rode off. "What is with him, do you know?" I asked Dai who bounced out of the saddle and began to walk up the stairs to the fortress wall.

"This whole thing…is shit. We're not going back…he just sacrificed Pang De. That's his fucking mentor! How the hell can you do that to a man who trained you?" Dai paced around and finally clenched his fists. "Spent more damned time with Pang De than with his father in the past ten years, yet what does that amount to? Nothing!"

"I…don't know." I answered honestly. I knew we weren't going to be able to get back in time…even if we did find an army. The closest help was in Cheng Du…too damned far away. Pang De was lost.

"Well I do. He's losing his battle for vengeance. So why not help Cao Cao? Trap your family in a fortress for his allies to find them….then do the same fucking thing to Pang De. I guess I can save my money on the fortune teller….I can see what will be the end of me." Dai jumped on a crate and looked around the outskirts of town.

"Dai…" I couldn't say much, his words weren't far from my own thoughts. How long before we too were sacrificed?

"Come on, you're safer with me than him. Let's go find somewhere nice to stay. It may be the last night we have on earth…might as well be in comfort."

I nodded meekly and followed him down the stairs, he seemed like he had an idea of where he was going. I hated to doubt my lord, I had sworn to give my life in his defense, however my resolve was wavering. When we first left Cheng Du I couldn't have been happier to be alone with him, away from the main force of the Shu army. Now I longed for our return to the capital. Without the structure of the army, my lord treated each situation as he would have fighting the barbarians of the North. So much was different down here; the terms we fought on were so drastically dissimilar that I was beginning to doubt his ability. I couldn't believe that I had come to that, but his actions would have been under close scrutiny had the rest of the officers been here. I shook off my treasonous thoughts and jumped on my horse. I could not be the one to doubt him, not after all he had disclosed. What a despicable person I was becoming.