Dynasty Warriors: A Love Worth Fighting For
Chapter 10 of my Dynasty Warriors story enjoy.
Reviews
KaiAbelinda: Thanks, actually no, if you read it carefully enough you would've realized it was actually Dong Zhuo vs. Zhang Lu.
Diao Lover: Well, he does have one advantage, but it won't last forever, terrain.
kkman57: Don't know how you came to that conclusion, Dong Zhuo is currently one of the four greatest powers in the land at the moment along with Sun Jian, Cao-Cao and Liu Bei.
Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors belongs to Koei.
Chapter 10: Battle of Hanzhong
Deciding to completely overwhelm his foe, Dong Zhuo assembled a massive army and marched into Hanzhong. Word quickly reached Zhang Lu, who was not only the regional lord of Hanzhong, but also the head of the religious sect Five Pecks of Rice. The name came from how much he charged for his religious services. When word reached him of Dong Zhuo's invasion the populace fell into a panic. He quickly called a council. His brother, Zhang Wei, stepped forwards.
"My brother, we may be vastly outnumbered but we still have the advantage." He stated, "They are unfamiliar with the terrain and do not know the vantage points. We can use them to turn their massive army into a panicked mob."
Zhang Lu accepted and so with Yang Ang, Yang Bo and Yang Ren, Zhang Wei headed out with his army to meet Dong Zhuo's. Zhang Lu stayed in the city with Yan Pu and Yang Song and attempted to calm the populace. Zhang Wei led his army to the main fortification that separated Hanzhong from Tian Shui, Yang Ping Gate. He garrisoned his troops there to take advantage of the gates natural defences and vantage points so they could attack Dong Zhuo's army from above. He then called his officers to council.
Once his officers were gathered Yang Ang and Yang Bo immediately called out, being the more militaristic of the generals, they wanted to go out and immediately fight the army as it arrived and was tired from the march. Their brother, Yang Ren however disagreed.
"I have studied the weather patterns, if we wait a day before going out then this area will be covered in fog." He explained, "We can use the fog and our terrain advantage to launch several ambushes and defeat them utterly."
Zhang Wei agreed to this plan and so it was set in motion, all the men were in place. When Dong Zhuo's vanguard, led by Li Jue, Guo Si and Niu Fu arrived. When they saw the fortifications they immediately made camp, deciding to wait for the main body so they have a greater chance. Despite Niu Fu's protests Li Jue and Guo Si saw their men were weary and allowed them to rest immediately, without setting proper guards in the camps.
"If the enemy decides to ambush us, we will be vulnerable." He argued, Li Jue and Guo Si laughed.
Guo Si then replied, "The enemy does not have an ambush unit in place, look at the flags up there." He gestured to the gate which showed a multitude of flags, each representing a unit of at least 100 men. "They are all cowering in there, refusing to come out and fight."
Li Jue nodded.
"I am in charge of the vanguard, I say we rest." Niu Fu glared.
"Do what you will, but I am placing guards in my camp."
With that he stormed out of the tent and headed to his own camp to do just that.
Guo Si made to go after him but Li Jue stopped him.
"No, leave him. I will report his insubordination and when we achieve victory he will have no share in the glory."
Satisfied Li Jue and Guo Si settled into their main tents and relaxed. Niu Fu was tense and on edge, despite their exhaustion he ordered his men to set careful guards in the camp before retiring. Despite what Li Jue and Guo Si thought, his men did not resent him for his actions, in fact they agreed with him and had already been halfway through setting up the guard themselves when he returned to give the order. So it was that when dawn came the next day and the fog rolled in Niu Fu's men were on high alert. The ambush forces came out of hiding and attacked, taking Li Jue and Guo Si completely by surprise. Due to his preparations however Niu Fu was ready for them and was able to beat them back with some effort, finally he turned and, abandoning his camp, he went to aid the other two, eventually breaking them free of the press and retreating. The ambush units returned to the gate and Zhang Wei began plotting their next move. The fleeing vanguard soon fell in with the main body led by Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, Diaochan and Li Su. The rear guard was being manned by Fan Chou, Hua Xiong and Li Meng. Dong Zhuo was surprised when he saw his vanguard fleeing towards him. They delivered their report, the troop's reports corroborating Niu Fu's version of events. Dong Zhuo was enraged and would have executed them had Niu Fu not begged him off.
"My lord they are important members of your army, if you kill them morale and your entire purpose will suffer a huge blow."
Everyone was surprised, Niu Fu had after all been ridiculed and ignored by the two hapless commanders and yet here he was defending them.
So Li Jue and Guo Si were simply demoted in rank and Dong Zhuo stopped his army and camped there. As they waited Dong Zhuo heard murmuring outside his tent and sneaked out to listen. It was his men; he listened to what they were whispering.
"I hope our lord isn't planning a direct assault, this place is treacherous and would take too long to traverse, we'd run out of food." One man stated. The others agreed with him.
Another man then spoke, "If only there was some way he could achieve a quick victory."
He returned to his tent and pondered. He knew his troops were right, however he was stuck. There was no way he could get word to Li Ru in time. Li Ru was in the capital, ensuring that Xingcai wouldn't attempt to escape again. Luckily he got his answer when Li Su came to his tent with a plan.
"My lord, I know a way to succeed, without the expense of any more men." He revealed, "Yang Song, he is an officer of Zhang Lu, but he is corrupt to the core."
Dong Zhuo listened to the plan and smirked, he gave Li Su a horse, laden with gold and a letter. Li Su left on the horse and rode through a secret byroad he had found and soon made it to Hanzhong. He was able to slip in and presented the letter and gold to Yang Song. Yang Song, upon receiving the gift, let Li Su slip away and acted as the letter had instructed. Soon Zhang Wei and his army heard from their lord. He was in a panic and wanted the army to return, according to what he had heard; Dong Zhuo's army was heading down a bypath that would lead them to Hanzhong. In a panic the army immediately left Yang Ping Gate and returned to Hanzhong. Dong Zhuo's army surged forwards, they claimed Yang Ping Gate and Lu Bu led the charge of the fleeing army slaughtering them and soon Dong Zhuo's army had taken charge of the gate and had Hanzhong surrounded. Yang Song's treachery extended further and opened the gates for them, Yan Pu however caught and killed him, but it was too late and Yan Pu was also slain. Zhang Lu and those that would follow him all fled from Han Zhong and scattered throughout the land until finally Zhang Lu died of illness. His followers wept openly and looked for new places to call home. Meanwhile Dong Zhuo and his army settled into Hanzhong and made preparations for their next conquest. On Dong Zhuo's orders more of his troops and officers came over to Hanzhong, including Li Ru. Xingcai was also to be brought over and soon they began making plans for their next target, Liu Bei.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.