Disclaimer: I do not own Koihime Musou, Shin Koihime Musou, Rurouni Kenshin or anything that may appear or referred to in this Fanfiction.
Note: I'll be using their True Names to refer to characters except in dialogue now.
Chapter 10 – Enemies from Within
"Yue! Where are you? Yue!" A bespectacled, green haired girl marched through the halls of the palace. The girl's pace quickened to almost a dash as she searched for her friend. As she stepped outside of the palace, she noticed the pale light of the full moon. Then a moment of clarity came to her.
There's only one place she could be right now then.
The girl quickly headed towards the palace's courtyard, shivering slightly due to the cold breeze of the wind during night time. Eventually, she stumbled upon the person she was looking for, as the moonlight illuminated her fair skin, giving her a sense of ethereal beauty.
"There you are, Yue!" The green haired girl sighed in relief as she rushed to her. She then looked at her friend worryingly. "Mou...you shouldn't be out here, Yue. You'll catch a cold, you know."
"Ah...Ei-chan." Yue turned her attention towards her approaching friend Ei with a small smile and then took her hand within hers. Ei had to suppress a squeak as Yue's hands were rather cold. Yue then pointed at the night sky. "Look, Ei-chan. It's a full moon tonight."
Ei nodded as she knew Yue had a tendency to gaze at the moon. "Yeah, it is."
"Ne...Ei-chan? Did I ever tell you why I love to look at the moon?" Yue asked as she turned her gaze back to the moon.
Of course Ei knew why. She spent her life being together with Ei, and she practically knew everything about her. "No...why, Yue?"
"When I look at the moon, it makes me dazzled by its beauty. Such pure whiteness...as if it was a gift from the Heavens for us to look at." Yue's eyes glimmered with happiness as she explained.
"Under such a big sky, I wonder how many people out there that are also gazing upon this view. It makes me feel somehow connected to them...that if we couldn't be really different if we both love the moon. That we are just the same human beings who live under the same sky."
Ei noted how Yue was steadily grasping her hand harder. "Ne...Ei-chan? Why does there have to be war? Why do we have to fight our own people...?"
Ei knew the Yellow Turbans Rebellion was tearing her dear friend apart. She was a kind and gentle person who would never hesitate to help someone in her path...a kind and gentle person whose heart would break to see pain on another person. She shined like the white moon...pure and innocent.
I can't let Yue be hurt. I have to protect Yue. She can't be caught up in this war...
Those were the thoughts that ran through Ei's mind every day. She loved Yue so much. If Yue was hurt, she would hurt. If Yue would smile, she would smile. She could not let Yue have blood upon her hands...she would do anything to prevent that.
That was why Ei studied so hard every day when they were young. To the point where she had to obtain glasses because her eyes weakened from studying by candlelight too much. Ei knew she wasn't much of a fighter, therefore she had to protect Yue through the only way she knew of. If Yue were to get into any trouble, then she would have to help her with her intellect. If Yue was the bright side of the moon, then Ei shall be the dark side.
When news of the Yellow Turbans begin to stir throughout the land, Ei knew it was just a matter of time before Yue was "asked" to subjugate them like the other lords. After all, she was the heiress to the Toutaku family, one of the politically influential parties in the capital.
That wasn't to say that Yue was helpless without her. Far from that, Yue was raised with the knowledge to lead and care for the people. Her upbringing and her kindness gave rise to her unique charisma as she was able to attract generals like Kayuu and Shia to her service. She also earned the loyalty of Ren and Nenene because she took them in from the streets and fed them. Three of them were the finest generals in the land, while the last one was a blossoming strategist.
Ei believed that with experience, they'll cement their reputation throughout the lands, and she was right. Their campaigns against the Yellow Turbans proven it. Kayuu was a stalwart general, earning the respect of their soldiers as a headstrong leader. Shia's tactical usage of their cavalry and speed attacks made her well known as the Godspeed General.
Ren was a completely different story, even that Ei couldn't have foreseen the depths of Ren's power. Ren was forced to take on an entire battalion of Yellow Turbans by herself by the Imperial Court despite Yue's and Ei's objections. Taking on thirty thousand Yellow Turbans by herself without even suffering a major injury was nothing short of a miracle. Coupled with her partnership with Nenene, who tries her best to prevent Ren from falling into any potential traps, they were the most formidable combo in the Toutaku army.
That suicidal order was not forgotten by Ei though. Ei began having lingering suspicions about this war...or more specifically about the actions of the Imperial Court. Their orders became more erratic in nature as of late, and the insistent demand that the currently formed "Alliance" of Sousou, Enshou's vassals, and Enjutsu's vassals to invade the Yellow Turban fortress was alarming. It's almost as if they wanted the Alliance to lose more soldiers than necessary by taking a more dangerous route, rather than strategically attacking the fortress's supplies. There was also the rumor that the so-called Messenger of Heaven was also fighting with the Lords...
This made Ei believe that the Imperial Court may have been compromised by another force. This was the only possibility, and Ei will have to make sure that Yue should not be caught in their machinations.
"I don't know, Yue. There are many reasons to fight, some of them wrong and some of them right. All I do know is that I fight to help protect those I care about." Ei eventually answered her waiting friend.
"Then, I'll have to work hard and protect all of those that I care about then." Yue then looked back and gave Ei another one of her brilliant smile. "All I can do right now is keep them in my prayers, and hope they come back safe."
Ei watched as Yue took her gaze upon the moon again, as she knew that Yue meant not only her vassals, but also the people of the nation. Ei gave a slight fake smile as she thought. I only hope that nothing bad happens to Yue. I don't trust the Imperial Court, and I'll have to try my best to predict their actions...
At the Yellow Turban Fortress
It was if he had stepped into one of those horror zombie movies. Kazuto had no explanation for the seemingly impossible event that taking place before them. The forces slashed with their weapons, drawing blood from the Yellow Turbans. Yet as their red blood flowed and painted the grounds, the Yellow Turbans didn't appear to even flinch from the attacks. They continued moving menacingly even while suffering wounds that should have been fatal for any mortal being. Soon, the front lines fell into chaos as the soldiers lost their nerve at the seemingly immortal Yellow Turbans, and the unified front began to suffer more casualties.
"Shunran!" Karin quickly realizing that they were in a bad situation and tried to contain the situation. "Send words to the others to try and maintain our forces' morale. Order them to hold the lines, and then proceed to retreat outside of the fortress. At this rate, we'll suffer massive losses due to confusion. In the meantime, we need to figure out how to continue."
"Yes, Karin-sama!" Even as Shunran rode off, neither Kazuto or Karin knew how exactly to deal with this situation. They were essentially wasting troops against the Yellow Turbans as their attacks seem to be ineffective.
"Now that...we can't press on our forces without further information. We need to find a weak point or something, otherwise this campaign will end in failure." Everyone agreed with Karin's assertion. They can't afford to lose more soldiers when they were already outnumbered in the first place.
The allied vanguard retreated from the chaotic fortress, each step reminding them of the horrors that took place and the lives lost in vain. It was an extremely crippling blow to their morale.
"Sousou and Hongo, what's going on here? Why are our forces being pulled out" Sheren, Renfa, and her vassals rushed towards them at the hastily established command post Shishun and Minmei quickly joined up with them. Touka and the others also followed behind to meet up with Kazuto and Aisha.
Karin scowled as she didn't know how to explain it well. "...We ran into a major problem. Our attacks are having no effect on the Yellow Turbans. We had to make a retreat before we suffered too many losts."
"No effect?" Sheren and the rest of them were confused and puzzled at the turnabout. How could their plan have no effect at all. "What do you mean? Explain."
"Yes, Sonsaku-sama. We tried cutting the Yellow Turbans down, but they still were able to move around, even with fatal wounds." Minmei explained to general horror, while Shishun could only nod in silent agreement. A grim pallor gripped the mood of the command post.
"What in the Heavens is going on?" Sheren and the others were in disbelief, then they turned their gaze towards Kazuto. "Then again, we do have a Messenger of Heaven here..."
"...Indeed." Karin nodded with a grimace on her face. "Strange things seem to happen around Hongo."
Everyone turned and stared at Kazuto as if they expected that he should know what is going on.
"Sorry...I only know as much as you all do..." Kazuto frowned as he shuffled his feet awkwardly, unable to think of anything. He felt helpless and useless. He thought that his plan was going to work and that the Forces would be able to win without too much trouble. Perhaps it was overconfidence and arrogance that he didn't realized that the Yellow Turban might have an ace up their sleeves. Though, what would one even do against supernatural events?
Karin sighed, looking back at the chaos ahead. "Well in any case, we need to figure out how to deal with this problem."
Shuri spoke up, realizing that need to confirm the situation. "First of all, when did this 'phenomenon' happen? That could give us a clue to figure out how to stop it?"
"Let see..." Kazuto closed his eyes to try and recall the events. "Aisha and I managed to scale the walls with the ladders and we met up with Kannei and Shuutai on the way to the gates. I opened the gates for the rest of our forces to charge in. Our initial attack was successful in driving the confused Yellow Turbans back..."
"Then, we heard voices...as if they were singing." Aisha remembered the chilling voices that rang out through the midst of battle. "Once we started hearing those voices, confusion erupted on the front lines."
"That means this must be some sort of a spell. It's possible that this must be a taoist technique." Hinari looked at Shuri to confirm of her suspicions, receiving a slight nod.
"Taoist technique?" It was almost the first time that Kazuto heard such a thing. Come to think about it...Kakouton did call me a Taoist when I first got my sword.
"From ancient scrolls that we've read under our teacher, Shibaki-sensei, Taoists are said to be capable martial artists." Hinari explained to everyone present, trying to project her soft voice louder than usual. "They were also known to be able to use various techniques and rituals. They were said to be able to manipulate the energy of the body, and other things."
Kazuto and the others began to understand what was being implied. "Then, this singing...it's some sort of Taoist ritual that's manipulating the Yellow Turbans' bodies?"
Shuri and Hinari weren't too sure as they looked at each other, giving everyone else a slight nod. "I would assume so."
"Then by disrupting this ritual, we would stop their technique upon their soldiers?" Sonsaku inquired as she clenched the hilt of her sword harder. .
"Quite possibly. However, I would also assume that the source of the singing would be well protected." Shuri glanced towards the center of the fortress and everyones' eyes followed her gaze. "The source has to be in the most fortified place in this fortress, which is the castle."
"Even though we know the cause and the location, we still need to find a way to deal with the Yellow Turbans first." Karin interlocked her hands together as she began to think out loud. "Our army right now cannot open a pathway to the castle. Especially when they're seemingly impossible to kill right now..."
Indeed, Sousou is right. Kazuto began to think about how to approach this new dilemma. While we did get an advantage with our surprise attack, it was quickly nullified with this strange technique. Wait...could it be possible that they anticipated this and laid out a trap for us...?
Kazuto's train of thought was interrupted when one of Karin's soldier dashing towards them to deliver an apparent urgent message.
"Sousou-sama! Sousou-sama!" The frantic messenger stopped to regain his breath before continuing. "An army approaches us from behind, requesting for an audience!"
"What?" Everyone was not expecting any reinforcements. Kazuto had a sense of deja vu when he recalled that moment when Karin joined them their battle for the first time. "What flags are they running under?"
"They run under two flags! Chou and Ryo, it's said to be the banners of the Godspeed General Chouryou and the Flying General Ryofu!" Everyone was stunned to hear their names, especially the name of the last one.
"Very well, I grant them their audience. Hurry!" Karin ordered the soldier to beckon them forth as she turned to the others and a slight smile rose to her lips. "Interesting. Chouryou, well known for her speed on the battlefield as her enemies were never able to escape her charges, and Ryofu, the monster warrior who took out an army of thirty thousand Yellow Turbans by just herself. These two famous generals are under the service of Toutaku."
"That means Toutaku must have sent them here to help us in this battle." Sheren deduced, looking equally as pleased by the possibility of reinforcements.
"Extremely good timing on their part, don't you think?" Karin mused around rhetorically. "Whatever, it doesn't matter now. If they are formidable as their reputations, then we will have enough power to end this campaign."
What Karin had said returned Kazuto back to his former train of thought. His eyebrows furrowed in deep thoughts.
I don't know much about Chouryou from the stories besides that he was a brave and loyal warrior. So it doesn't surprised me to hear that Chouryou would have such a reputation here. However, Ryofu Housen, the one that was said to be the strongest warrior in the Three Kingdoms period is here. Taking out thirty thousand Yellow Turbans by herself may seem to be an exaggeration to some, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. After all, he took on Kanu, Chohi, and Ryubi at the same time, and he wasn't even exhausted..
Aside from that, Sousou mentioned something about good timing. I have to admit, it seems really suspicious. It seems oddly convenient that we happened to have an accurate map of the fortress as well... It's like some sort of jigsaw puzzle, but I can't seem to piece it together right now.
Hearing the announcement of newcomers, Kazuto and everyone else turned their attention to the group of three that were walking towards them. The first woman with purple hair was drabbed in a billowing purple cape and what appears to be wrapped bandages around her chest. Her face was filled with confident and pride, evident by her cocky smirk as she walked through.
Wearing her black cap that hid the most of her green hair, the second person was shorter than the rest, about the height of Rinrin, Shuri, and Hinari. She looked slightly intimidated by the presence of the taller people.
Following behind the other two, the red haired woman caught Kazuto's attention the most. While he can somewhat sense that the purple haired woman was as strong of a warrior as Aisha and Rinrin were, the red haired woman's aura appeared to be on a scale much higher than theirs. Her face was rather emotionless, which made Kazuto slightly afraid and eager. Afraid because he had never met such a strong person before in his life that he couldn't read any of her intentions. And while he was eager to test his strength against her, he had no doubt that he would lose if he fought her right now.
The three of them gave a customary greeting bow. The short girl worked up enough courage to begin to talk. "I assume that you are all the leaders of this campaign?"
"Correct." Karin gave the short girl a brief glance before introducing everyone. "I'm Sou Motoku, this is Son Hakufu, Ryu Gentoku, and Kouson Hakukei. You are the vassals of Toutaku, correct?"
"Yes. My name is Chinkyuu, the strategist for this army, and this is Chouryou-dono and Ryofu-dono. Our lord Toutaku-sama has ordered us to help you in this campaign. Toutaku-dono would like to send apologies for the late response, but there were delays before we were able to set off to help you."
"Well never mind that." Karin gave them a grim smile. "We already have a situation at the Yellow Turban fortress, and we can take any help we need right now. How many soldiers did you bring with you?"
"We were only able to provide twenty thousand soldiers for this fight. May I inquire about that "situation" you speak of?" Nenene asked as if confirming something.
"They're using some unknown Taoist technique to prevent their deaths. We were unable to maintain a foothold in their fortress because of that, causing us to retreat. The only good news so far is that we managed to break down their doors."
Shocked, Nenene nodded as it confirmed something what Ei had told her before they marched out to assist the Alliance.
Flashback
The preparations to assist the Forces were finished finally, and they could begin marching to assist in the final attack. The Imperial Court planned to not let Yue assist them under the reasoning that the allied Lords had it contained, and it was unnecessary to waste time and supplies doing so. .
Yue then consulted with Ei about the odds of the allied Lords against the Yellow Turbans with the information they have currently composed from their own scouts and reports..
Ei frowned in anger, realizing it was almost as bad as the time where the Imperial Court demanded Ren to take on thirty thousand Yellow Turbans by herself. "It's a known fact that the Yellow Turbans vastly outnumbers the Forces by at least a factor of two. It's only worse that they have to also invade the fortress as well. The chances of success depends on how fast they bring the doors down. Even if they do so, it gives the Yellow Turbans a chance for a trap."
Yue shook her head in sadness at the desperate situation. "Then we have to assist them somehow...we can't let the allied Lords fall at this battle. Too much blood has been shed already. It's our responsibility to the people to end this war. Ei-chan, how fast can we organize our army?"
Ei knew what Yue was thinking. She was planning on disobeying orders to send reinforcements. Doing so would ensure that the Lords would have a better chance of winning against the Yellow Turbans. However, Ei knew that the Imperial Court would not accept this without any repercussions.
"We can send out a small portion of our forces under the guise of a training exercise. Any larger, and they'll realize what we are planning."
Yue nodded as she knew it was the best they could afford to do. "Then I'll have to distract them somehow. Ei-chan, I'm counting on you."
Both of them separated to perform their respective tasks. Ei quickly sought out Ren, Shia, and Nenene and gave them orders to prepare the troops for a "new marching exercises". Ren nodded as emotionless as ever. It wasn't anything new to her; all she was told to do was kill people and they would feed her. Shia grumbled about not being able to drink the wine that she just bought from the market, but she knew that Ei was hiding something about this "marching exercise.".
As the two set off to prepare themselves, Ei pulled Nenene to the side, while making sure no one else was around to hear them. She pulled out a sealed letter and gave it to her. "Nenene, listen to me. This "marching exercise" is just an excuse to prevent the Imperial Court from catching onto Yue's and my plan. Your real objective is to assist the allied Lords against the Yellow Turbans. Make sure to acquire enough supplies and tell Ren, Shia, and the soldiers once you set outside of the city."
Nenene nodded as she knew that officially Yue was not allowed to order them to fight, but she frowned as she realized the implications. "But Ei-dono, what will happen to you and Yue-dono once the Imperial Court finds out about this?"
Ei tried to give Nenene a reassuring smile, but she wasn't able to pull it off. "Yue is planning to distract them the best she can. But don't worry about that now, I have a feeling that there is more to it than it appears about the final attack on the Yellow Turbans."
Nenene paled as she worried as Ei appeared to be extremely serious. "What do you mean, Ei-dono?"
"If something suspicious happens, then it means that the fortress is a trap for the allied Lords. It confirms Yue's, and my suspicions that it was a plan to cripple their forces. Keep up your guard. There is a reason why I have not assigned Kayuu-dono to assist you because I am not sure about the actions of the Imperial Court yet."
Nenene puffed her chest, trying to hide her worries. "Hai, Ei-dono. I'll do my best!"
Flashback Ends
"Our lead strategist, Kaku-dono predicted that if there was something amiss about the attack on the Yellow Turbans, then it was an apparent trap for the armies of the allied Lords." Nenene revealed to them, shocking most of them.
Kazuto processed what Nenene just said and groaned out loud, causing everyone to look at him. Suddenly the jigsaw puzzle fitted together. Everything began to make sense to him now.
"Goshujin-sama, is there something wrong?" Touka asked the question that everyone had.
Kazuto rubbed his forehead tiredly as he pierced together what he knew. "We were manipulated from the start. It wasn't a coincidence that Enshou had the map to give to Kousonsan. It was given to us on purpose. Anyone who can study the map would realize the blind spot, which would suggest infiltration as a course of action. Once we open the doors, it would mislead us into a sense of confidence that our plan was working well until they lured enough of our forces for the trap. The other thing is that we were forced into this plan of action because the Imperial Court gave us little choice but to do so with their demands..."
The mood was even darker after Kazuto's explanation. However, Nenene was impressed by his deduction as she scowled at the thought of the mechanizations of the Imperial Court. "That is correct, Mister. Kaku-dono was also suspicious of the Imperial Court as well. She believed that they have been behaving erratically for some time."
"Then that means..." Touka clasped her hands together in shock and gasped to what Kazuto and Nenene were suggesting to them.
"Someone or some force in the Imperial Court is in league with the Yellow Turbans. They have been compromised and this battle was meant to weaken our forces." Karin concluded as she gave a long sigh. All of this was enough to give her a minor headache. "It matters not. Even if it was a trap, it is our responsibility to finish the job. We can deal with the issue with the Imperial Court afterwards."
Even as Karin said that and she would never admit it to any one, she was shaken by the amount of manipulation that had occurred. Sure, she had some odd suspicions about the Imperial Court, but it was another thing to have all of them be proven true. Nevertheless, there was a more pressing issue to be dealt with. She steeled herself as she needed to explain the situation to the Toutaku army.
After the explanation of the situation and their theory on how to stop it, Chouryou gave a low whistle. "You ain't yankin' our chains, righ'?"
The serious looks on the faces on Karin, Kazuto, and the others told her otherwise. Chouryou sighed as she was looking forward for a good fight, not something that was supernatural in nature. "Well damn...if we hadn't gotten here 'n time, there's no guarantee you coulda taken tha fortress with ya numbers."
"It was an elaborate trap, one that was able to trick all of us. I'll have to give them credit, but my forces shall be prepared the next time." Karin commented as she had to respect their ingenuity as they could have easily gotten rid of both the Yellow Turbans and the upcoming Lords in this one battle. She vowed that they would not catch her off guard again.
Karin looked back at everyone with renewed vigor. "Now that we have your reinforcements, we can attempt another assault on the fortress. First, what's the status on our remaining supplies and forces?"
Sheren conferred with Meirin and Sai, and then nodded grimly. "We have roughly only forty percent of the arrows we brought. We also only have less than thirty percent of the oils used for burning arrows. Most of them were used in the covering fire for the initial decoy forces. I estimate that we only have enough for one more final assault."
"As for our forces, we lost nearly twenty percent in the initial assault, Karin-sama. Ten percent are injured, but they are still able to fight in a lesser capacity." Shuuran added after compiling the status reports of each regiment. "However, since our food supplies were not damaged, we should last a few more days than expected due to the lost of soldiers..."
Running mental calculations, Karin noted that the general status wasn't too bad. Their army totaled around eighty thousand. Toutaku's reinforcements replenished their numbers back to hundred thousand again. The second assault shouldn't take as many soldiers since the doors were now broken...but then there was still issue of this taoist technique. "The Yellow Turbans still outnumbered by a factor of two, plus there's the ritual in place. Anyone has a idea on how we should approach this?"
Shuri stepped up to present her idea as everyone surrounded the map of the base. "From the looks of it, our major objective is to stop the ritual technique that the Yellow Turban taoists are using. In order to accomplish that objective, we would need to assault the main castle where they're holding the ritual. First thing, we should talk about the ritual. It appears to make the Yellow Turbans "immortal" since they cannot be killed. However, judging from your reports in the front line, they are not immune to damage. We can still make use of that fact."
"That is true...I was still able to cut them with my sword." Kakouton asserted as she recalled the details of the previous battle. She slashed apart several of the Yellow Turbans when Karin ordered her to maintain morale. Their blood wet the ground as they fell due to her powerful strikes. "Even if they got back up, they still were cut."
Minmei and Shishun gave their experiences as well when they fought the Yellow Turbans, stating it was the same case for them as well.
"I see what you mean." Keifa realized what Shuri meant by 'making use of that fact' and spoke up. "Karin-sama, this means we should take advantage of crippling and incapacitating means instead. If they are not immune to damage, then if we take away their means to attack us, it's the same as killing them. However, this would put a heavy burden on our soldiers' endurance until the ritual is disrupted."
Kazuto studied the map in order to find something that can help. The layout was straightforward; there were three large paths towards the castle. This meant that the castle could overlook all three paths, so it couldn't be sneak attacked as easily. It also meant that there were two pathways where the Yellow Turbans could overwhelm their forces if they were not cut off somehow. Remembering one of their previous strategies to lure the Yellow Turbans into a narrow valley, containing them in one pathway was the best way to ensure a higher chance for victory for a smaller force.
But that strategy was for killable soldiers. While it would make their force more manageable in size, it would be a battle of attrition between their soldiers' endurance against an "immortal" force. That wasn't in their favor at all. The ritual had to be disrupted for any chance for victory, therefore the plan had to be a two-pronged attack again. One force to endure the flow of the Yellow Turbans, while another force assaults and infiltrate the castle.
Even as Kazuto understood the situation, the question still remains unsolved. How would they be able to open a path to the castle? What could they do with the remaining amount of the supplies and soldiers when they cannot kill their enemies?
Amount of supplies...? What did Sonsaku say again...?
' We have roughly only forty percent of the arrows we brought. We also only have less than thirty percent of the oils used for burning arrows.'
Oil used for burning arrows. Incapacitation and crippling means. There was a way to make use of this, but it was a plan of chance that was fraught with risk. There was a way to solve both of their issues, but he was hesitant to mention it. Kazuto closed his eyes and recalled how easily they fell into the previous trap. While it was true that he nor the others could have predicted all outcomes, it still felt responsible for the lives lost due to his plan. No doubt, his confidence took a huge hit, but it reminded him something what his grandfather told him during his kendo lessons.
It was during a spar between him and his grandfather. He trained enough of the basics and it was time for him to begin actual combat. Of course, Kazuto lost the spar badly, but the reason why he lost wasn't due to skill. Kazuto became frantic during the fight as none of his strikes landed a direct hit on his grandfather. They were either blocked or avoided, and the worst part is that his grandfather only used the mere basics against him. Eventually Kazuto was knocked down to the ground with a hit to the chest.
His grandfather walked up to him as he removed his kendo helmet; his expression was unreadable. "That's no good, Kazuto. Do you know why you lost right now?"
Kazuto grimaced as he struggled to regain his standing as he looked up at his grandfather's impassive face. "I lost because I wasn't good enough."
His grandfather sighed as it wasn't the answer he was looking for. "No, Kazuto. You lost because you were beginning to doubt yourself during the spar. Once you begin to doubt yourself, you begin to hesitate. Once you begin to hesitate, you begin to fear. And once you begin to fear, you will lose."
Kazuto looked up in surprise at his grandfather's lecture.
"You began to doubt your skills during our spar. Because you doubted yourself, you began to hesitate on moves you could perform. And then because you hesitated, you began to fear my strikes. That led to your defeat."
His grandfather's expression then lightened as he placed a hand on Kazuto's shoulder. "It's a lesson that every martial artist will learn eventually. Your father did, and so did I. This is what I shall teach you the most. Through discipline and training, you will gain confidence. With confidence, you will no longer hesitate to do what you need to."
'That's right, I can't begin to doubt myself right now. I can judge myself after the battle is over.' He sighed as he suppressed his tumultuous feelings; his eyes opened once again as he build up the resolve to suggest his reckless plan.
The Imperial City – Throne Room
The doors to the throne room of the Emperor opened as Yue and Ei stepped inside. The Emperor sat at the top with a displeased and confused expression. The Eunuchs were whispering to themselves about the newcomers. There were also some unknown veiled white robed people that Yue and Ei haven't seen before in the throne room, but they were much more worried at the presence of the Ten Attendants, the group of Eunuchs which held much power in the Imperial Court.
Yue and Ei then prostrated herself before the Young Emperor. Her calm voice did not betray the comprehensive worry for her soldiers. "Your Royal Highness, your vassals Toutaku and Kaku has arrived according to your summons."
Kensaku, one of the leaders of the Ten Attendants then stepped forward and addressed the two of them haughtily. "Tou Chuei and Ka Bunwa, you are hereby summoned to answer for your insubordination and treachery to the Emperor!"
Yue and Ei were both startled by the accusation. They both knew that there would be some repercussions to what they did but not to this extent. Through sheer will, Yue did not let it show in her demeanor and replied with calmness. "My apologies, Kensaku-dono, but on what evidence do you have to accuse this lowly vassal of insubordination and treason?"
Hoku, another leader of the Ten Attendants snarled at Yue's stalling response. "Do not play us for fools, Toutaku! You and your little subordinates moved twenty thousand soldiers under the false pretense of training exercises. What you have really done is deployed the force without proper authorization! That is already enough to get you executed!"
"That's enough, Hoku. That would be going too far. " Emperor Ryuben interrupted quickly, not wanting to kill one of his most loyal vassals. The young Emperor was confused on Yue's action as he knew that the Tou family had been loyal for years. He also knew she was a kindred soul and would not do such a thing without a reason. "Toutaku, please explain your actions. Why have you deployed thousands of soldiers without permission?"
Yue briefly glanced at Ei as her friend gave a slight nod. It would do them little good to lie right now. "It is true that I have authorized that movement for twenty thousand soldiers. However, I did not deploy them with any treacherous thoughts in mind, but only for the betterment of our nation. I have sent them to reinforce the allied Lords in their campaign against the Yellow Turbans' fortress."
Emperor Ryuben nodded, but he was confused on why it was necessary. "While your motives were no doubt noble, I can not overlook that it was done without permission. Furthermore, I was told by the Ten Attendants that the Lords there would be enough to subdue the Yellow Turbans threat."
"That is correct, your Majesty. The local lords have enough soldiers to deal with the Yellow Turbans." Hoku sneered at Yue and Ei as he snobbishly denounced their claims. "There was absolutely no need for you to mobilize the army. I'm afraid they're planning something more treacherous, your Majesty."
"That is a lie, your Majesty!" Ei could not hold her silence any longer as these Eunuchs were obviously trying to indict Yue and her. "The Yellow Turbans outnumber the Lords' forces by an extreme amount! They requested for our help in the battle, but we were forbidden to send any help! Not only that, they demanded that the allied Lords take the fortress as soon as possible!"
Ryuben drummed the arm of his throne with his fingers as he frowned at the contradicting stories that the Attendants and Kaku presented. Someone was clearly lying to him. "Is this true, Kensaku? Why was I told otherwise?"
Kensaku bowed slightly as he rolled his eyes when no one could see his face. "No, Your Highness. She is clearly lying to you, do not believe her lies. There was no request from the Lords at all."
"How dare you suggest that we're lying when you're the one denying information to his Highness!" Ei yelled out in frustration, but Yue raised her arm to calm Ei down. Yue looked into the Young Emperor's eyes.
"Please believe us, your Majesty. We have proof that they really did send a letter to request for help." Yue walked towards Emperor Ryuben, went down on one knee as she pulled out an envelope and presented it to him. Ryuben recognized that the red stamp of Sou Moutoku on the envelope's opening as he pulled out the letter. It clearly stated that they have found the Yellow Turban fortress, but they required more soldiers from other lords to assist them as the scouts' reports suggested that the Yellow Turbans' numbers were greater than expected.
This was conclusive proof that Toutaku and Kaku wasn't lying to him. Ryuben could not believe that the Attendants were lying to him about this matter. If they lied to him about this, what else were they lying to him about? What else were they planning? "Kensaku, Hoku, explain yourselves. Why have you seen fit not to tell the truth to me? You do know the penalty of lying to an Emperor, do you?"
There was nothing but silence for several moments. Then, unexpected by the Emperor, Yue, and Ei, the Ten Attendants began to laugh. Their laughter grew in intensity, bewildering the trio. Kensaku paused for breath as he gave them a large sneer. "Well then, I surely did not expect for the timid Toutaku to reveal the truth faster than expected."
"What do you mean by that? Explain yourself, Kensaku!" Ryuben demanded as he wasn't going to let them laugh at him like a little child.
The Ten Attendants stopped laughing as they drew their swords, causing Ryuben, Yue, and Ei to stiffen in surprise. Kensaku tutted his tongue. "Such a foolish Emperor, you were so easy to mislead. But I'm afraid your purpose is over once everything was revealed. Your incompetence had made things much easier for us. Though, I believe there is one final use for you."
"Put down your weapons! Guards, restrain these fools for drawing their weapons on myself!" Ryuben yelled out his orders, but to their surprise, none of the guards made a move to stop them.
Ei gasped as she drew closer to try and protect Yue. "No...don't tell me you replaced the Imperial guards with your men, Kensaku. How long have you been planning this?"
"I should be asking you the same thing. How long have you had suspicions about the Eunuchs, Kaku?" Kensaku slowly raised his sword to Ei's throat as she felt the cold steel nicking her slightly. "Such a shame...a sharp mind and a good body. Too bad we have to kill you because you know too much, but not before we each have some fun with you and Toutaku-chan here."
The Attendants laughed and whistled in delight as their lecherous looks and lip licking frightened Yue and Ei, while eliciting a look of hatred from Ryuben. It was a rather hopeless situation as the three of them were surrounded by the Attendants, the veiled men, and the fake Imperial Guards.
"Have you lost your decency with your treachery, Kensaku!" Ryuben hissed as he was cursing himself for putting so much trust in the Eunuchs that he didn't see the signs of their betrayal.
"Such brave words from a man who is about to die." Kensaku gloated as his eyes gleamed with maniacal fervor. "Perhaps I should rape these two in front of you so you can see how much you have failed as an Emperor before killing you. But first thing first, where is the Imperial Jade Seal?"
"So this was all this was about? The Yellow Turban Rebellion and this treachery was to obtain the Imperial Jade Seal?" Ei spluttered incredulously.
Kensaku opted to gloat even more as he believed it wouldn't matter to reveal something to people that were going to die anyway. "It plays a far more important role than any of you will ever comprehend. Combined with the other two, it will give us everything that we ever desired! But enough of this, tell us where you hid the Seal!"
Ryuben was not told much about the Imperial Jade Seal aside from the fact that it was the symbol of the true Emperor of Heaven. It proved that they were destined by the Heavens to rule the people. He had not questioned any further about it, but now he realized that it may be much more important than he expected. "You'll never lay your hands on it, you wretched traitors."
"Is that so? I don't think you're in any position to be so compliant..." Kensaku grabbed Ei's arm and pulled her close to him. He snipped part of Ei's top off, revealing her undergarments to the hooting crowd as they were eager to take a look at the white flesh that was now visible. Ei shrieked as she tried to cover her chest, but the sword in front of her prevented her from doing so. "Ah, despite that defiant little face you always put on, you have a quite body Kaku-chan. Now tell me where the Seal is before something irreparable happens."
Yue was fraught with worry as she could not risk Ei getting hurt, while Ryuben was split on whether to protect the Seal or his loyal vassal's chastity. He knew he would fail as an Emperor if he were to let his loyal subjects be hurt due to his foolishness. "Alright...the Seal is..."
"No, your Majesty, don't worry about me, you can't – ughhhh" Kensaku then slapped Ei hard to silence her, leaving a bright red mark on her cheek.
"Ei-chan!" "You bastard, Kensaku!"
Kensaku grabbed Ei by her hair and yanked her upward hard, eliciting a shriek of pain from her. "Now, now, don't start listening to her. Otherwise, I'll make sure she won't ever talk again if you don't tell us where the Seal is!"
Ryuben gave in as Ei's safety was more important right now. They could deal with the traitor Eunuchs once they found the real Imperial Guard. "Fine, fine! Just leave her alone! The Seal is locked away in the Imperial Treasure room! You can find the key in my room!"
"Is that so?" Kensaku signaled at one of the veiled men to search for the Seal. "Very well, one of us will go look and confirm. Then I may let her live as my personal sex slave. But until then, we might as have some fun until he comes back, right?"
Kensaku snipped Ei's undergarments off, revealing her modest chest bare to everyone and groped her hard. "Ah...just like a tender peach. It's best to enjoy such delicious fruit when they're ripe for the taking."
"You bastard, let her go! I already told you where it is!" Ryuben snarled in outrage and indignation.
"Let Ei-chan go! Take me instead!" Yue tried to kneel down and plead for her best friend's safety to Ei's eternal horror.
"Aw, isn't that cute. Little Toutaku-chan wants to offer herself willingly for her little friend Kaku-chan" Hoko snickered as he grabbed Yue by her arm and pulled her upwards. He licked her tear-stained cheeks, savoring the saltiness. "My, my, Little Toutaku-chan. What soft skin you have."
"No, don't you swines dare touch Yue!" Ei yelled out in desperation as she tried to kick Kensaku, only for her to receive another hard slap causing Ei to spit out blood onto the ground.
"You bastards, do you think you can get away with this afterwards! You'll be hunted down as the traitors you are!" Ryuben tried to taunt them into stopping, but it only made them laugh even harder.
"Now, now why would be hunted down?" Kensaku sang mockingly. "After all, the real story will be that the two traitors Toutaku and Kaku were planning a coup, and that we were too late to stop them from killing our beloved Young Emperor Ryuben."
Ryuben had nothing to say to that, it was a hopeless situation. Then the door opened again as the one that was sent to retrieve the Seal returned, signifying that the end was almost coming.
"Well, then I believe that's our Seal." Hoko threw Yue towards the ground as he turned around to address the returning person. "Well, do you have it?"
The veiled man stepped forward, bringing him closer to Hoko as he reached into his sleeves for the Seal. Instead, with swift movements, the veiled man pulled out a small dagger and threw it directly into Hoko's chest. Unable to comprehend what just happened, Hoko fell down to his knees as the veiled man drew his sword at his side. He quickly ran towards Kensaku and slashed at his arm, forcing Kensaku to let go of Ei. Ei quickly got up and rushed to support Yue.
Kensaku roared in anger at the veiled assailant as he and the rest of the Eunuchs and veiled men attempted to surround the four of them. "Who are you to foolishly enter the lion's den?"
"One that's loyal to his Majesty and Toutaku-dono, you pathetic traitorous swines!" A proud, feminine voice shouted back with intensity as she removed her veil, revealing herself to be Kayuu. Ei and Yue were relieved at the sight of her.
Ei knew from the beginning of the summons that there was something the Imperial Court was after. So she had Kayuu hide outside of the throne room to listen in just in case. It was then an easy matter for Kayu to follow the man sent to retrieve the Seal and take his place.
"Now's our chance, your Majesty! We have to make an escape now!" Ei andYue rushed towards Ryuben and pulled his arm. Kayuu pressed a bundle of cloth into Yue and whispered to her to keep it safe, while pushing them towards the doorway as she held off the fake Imperial guards and veiled man.
As they ran through the door and into the palace, they encountered more of the fake Imperial Guard. Kayuu caught up to them and fended off the attackers. "Your Majesty, from what I've seen, the Imperial Court is completely taken over by the Kensaku and the Eunuchs. We have to leave the Palace. There should be a wagon down this road, we must get to it at once."
An arrow whizzed by as she ducked her head. She scowled as she swore. "Damn it, they alerted the archers as well. Hurry, there it is!"
Ryuben, Yue, and Ei were not very physical people as it was very evident by their heavy heaves of breathes due to their enforced running. As a result Yue tripped over a rock, which caused her to fall down and separated herself from the others. The archers now had a stationary target as they took aim. Ryuben's eyes flashed at the sight of the archers nocking their bows. Kayuu was already preoccupied fending other foot soldiers, while Ei herself was still injured from the slaps that Kensaku gave her.
There was no other choice. Ryuben made his decision to make up for his mistakes. He leapt in front of Yue and took the arrows meant for her. He fell to his knees as blood streamed down from his wounds.
Yue and Ei gasped in shock and horror, while Kayuu's eyes widened as she roared at the opposing soldiers. Yue and Ei retrieved the fallen Emperor and placed him on the wagon, while Kayuu leapt into the front and whipped the horse into moving.
Ryuben's eyes began to fade his wounds took his tolls. Yue's and Ei's tears fell down on his face as they tried to look for a way to bandage his wounds. He smiled as he beckoned to them as he murmured his last words. "Don't...cry...it was my choice...to protect you all...it's the Emperor's...responsibility...to protect...his people...a responsibility that...I have neglected...remember this...and promise me...to protect the Seal from them...the Imperial Jade Seal has...a power that we could never...understand...it was the Emperor's ...role to also...protect it as well..."
"Yes, your Majesty..." Yue's and Ei's shoulders hicced as they sobbed for their fallen Emperor. Even Kayuu had tears in eyes for failing her duty to protect her Emperor. "We promise to protect the Imperial Jade Seal and the people."
Contented with their answer, he gripped the hands of Yue and Ei. He heaved a glob of blood to the side as he had to tell them the last important thing. "One last...thing...I was told by my late mother...that...there was another one who...also has imperial blood...find that person...they will...be my rightful successor...as...I am the last one...they...should have...an imperial sword...promise me..."
"Yes, your Majesty."
Smiling at their promise, his grip slacked as they no longer processed the will to continue living. Yue and Ei hugged each other as they mourned at the lost of their Emperor, while Kayuu swore to herself that she will never let the ones she was charged to protect die on her watch again.
The Command Post of the Allied Lords
"Is it possible, Sonsaku...?" Karin asked after they listened to Kazuto's suggested plan. They were all astonished by his strategy that it was either revolutionary or downright crazy. If they can successfully pull this off, then it could be enough to turn the tide in their favor.
Sheren conferred with Meirin and Sai about the finer details and then gave her approval to everyone. "Yes, we should be able to do this." She then gave Kazuto a sly smile. "I have to say, Hongo. Where do you even get such ideas?"
Only those with valor can unsheathe it. Kazuto looked down at his sword as he clenched the hilt of his white sword. To be have valor is to have the courage to push away your doubts and hesitation and accomplish your objective.
'What my Grandfather taught me was valor. I will not doubt myself again I will make this plan work for the sake of everyone and myself.
Kazuto then looked up at Sheren, and he smiled as he gleamed with the necessary resolve befitting one of his proclaimed title, and everyone else could have sworn that his sword hummed. "Because I'm the Heavenly Messenger of the White Sword."
Author's Note:
First thing to address, I do not know the Japanese names of Emperor Liu Bian, Jian Shuo, or Feng Xu. At best, I could only approximate their names to Ryuben, Kensaku, and Hoku so hopefully you guys aren't too upset about it. If you do know their Japanese names, please tell me!
I wasn't planning on having characters like Liu Bian, Jian Shuo, or Feng Xu, but after some discussion with one of my reviewers (Genesis SBX), I realize that it might be good way to introduce some more antagonists which will hopefully demonstrate the importance of the Three Treasures. Please note that I do not know much about the actual Three Kingdoms era so they are probably won't be as "canonical" or "faithful" to actual history.
Some background on why I chose these three characters. Liu Bian was the Emperor that Toutaku (the original one, not Yue) killed in order to take over Luo Yang. Jian Shuo was the head of the Ten Attendant Eunuchs which held a bunch of power in the capital, while Feng Xu was conspiring with the Yellow Turbans to take over the capital. While I will not be likely going to much into technicalities, I hope you all can see why I chose them.
Next thing is that some reviewers suggested I give my own true names to characters that do not have them like Kayuu. I could try and incorporate this, and if you guys have suggestions for good ones that fit the character, I will take it into account.
Now let me explained what was going on with this chapter. I originally wrote around 6-7 word document pages, but I had to scrap all of it because the dialogue was too awkward, the reason behind the Toutaku reinforcement was weak, and the proposed original plan to deal with the Yellow Turbans was bad.
Originally, I was going to try and conclude the Yellow Turban arc with this chapter, but then I felt it would have been too much for one chapter with what I've done with Yue, Ei, and Ryuben.
Now to address some concerns about Kazuto that some reviewers and myself included have. I am well aware that Kazuto is almost a Gary Stu right now. There were some concerns that Kazuto was too strong for someone not born in a wartime environment. I would like to say that that all he has been fighting were Yellow Turbans, which were mostly farmers, peasants, and some retired military people. They, aside from those former military would most likely not know how to fight as well as Kazuto has been taught. Furthermore, Kazuto would have gained experienced from several war campaigns during the months leading up to this chapter. I know it's a weak justification; I have not yet shown his power compared to any of the other generals though so it can be fixed if needed.
In any case, if I left anything unanswered or if you have any criticisms, please leave a review or send me a private message!
Notes about the Characters:
Just a heads up, I'll be using the Japanese names and their "True Names" for the most part of the story. I'll only use the Chinese name if only I decide to introduce a character that was not originally from Koihime Musou, and I do not know their Japanese name. Please correct me if you find a name that is incorrect. Also, this does mean that all of the characters haven been introduced yet. I'll update the list with each chapter if new characters are introduced.
I will also apologize beforehand because I believe I have introduced the characters' name wrongly because I don't know the subtleties for Chinese names. I have listed family name and courtesy name to hopefully avoid confusion.
Shoku Faction:
Ryubi Gentoku – Liu Bei Xuande – Touka
Kanu Unchou– Guan Yu Yunchang – Aisha
Chohi Yokutoku – Zhang Fei Yide – Rinrin
Shokatsuryo Koumei – Zhuge Liang Kongming – Shuri
Hoto Shigen – Pang Tong Shiyuan – Hinari
Gi Faction:
Sousou Motoku – Cao Cao Mengde – Karin
Kakouton Genjo – Xiahou Dun Yuanrang – Shunran
Kakouen Myosai – Xiahou Yuan Miaocai – Shuuran
Kakuka Hoko – Guo Jia Fengxiao – Rin
Teiiku Chutoku – Cheng Yu Zhongde– Fu
Juniku Bunjaku – Xun Yu Wenruo – Keifa
Gakushin Bunken – Yue Jin Wenqian – Nagi
Riten Mansai – Li Dian Mancheng – Mao
Ukin Bunsoku – Yu Jin Wenze – Sawa
Kyocho Chuko – Xu Chu Zhongkang – Kii
Go Faction:
Sonsaku Hakufu – Sun Ce Bofu – Sheren
Sonken Chubo – Sun Quan Zhongmou – Renfa
Sonshoko – Sun Shangliang - Shaoren
Shuuyu Kokin – Zhou Yu Gongjin – Meiren
Rikuson Hakugen – Lu Xun Boyan – Non
Kannei Koha – Gan Ning Xingba – Shishun
Shutai Yohei – Zhou Tai Youping – Minmei
Ryomo Shimei – Lu Meng Ziming – Ashe
Kogai Kofuku – Huang Gai Gongfu – Sai
Sonken Bundai – Sun Jian
Toutaku Faction:
Ryofu Hosen – Lu Bu Fengxian – Ren
Chouryou Bun'en – Zhang Liao Wenyuan – Shia
Chinkyuu Kodai – Chen Gong Gongtai – Nenene
Kayuu – Hua Xiong
Totaku Chuei – Dong Zhuo Zhongying – Yue
Kaku Bunwa – Jia Xu Wenhe – Ei
Yellow Turbans Faction:
Choukaku – Zhang Jiao – Tenho
Chouho – Zhang Bao – Chiho
Chouryo – Zhang Liang – Renho
White Robes Faction:
Saji – Zuo Ci
Ukitsu – Yu Ji
Imperial Court/Ten Attendants Faction:
Ryuben – Liu Bian
Kensaku – Jian Shuo
Hoku – Feng Xu
Other:
Kanro – Guan Lu
Kousonsan Hakukei – Gongsun Zan Bogui – Pairen
Choun Shiryu – Zhao Yun Zilong – Sei
Enshou Honsho – Yuan Shao Benchu – Reiha
Josho Genchoko – Xu Shu Yuanzhi
Shibaki – Sima Hui
Enjutsu Koro – Yuan Shu Gonglu – Miu
Choukun – Zhang Xun – Nanano