AN: Hey, I updated. Yeah, sorry bout dat. It might be kind of difficult to understand the area in this chapter, I tried to draw a map and put it on but apparently you can't do that. Anyway, if you have any problems or questions just ask me. Also please leave a review, the last chapter didn't get any reviews and it really hurts. I know I've had a problem updating but now I'm done the semester and I have a whole free week. I will be updating by next week. Please leave a review. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 26 "Final Cause"
While Get Chan was in the care of Da and Xiao, Gan Ning and Get Sin were called to the war council for the battle to come. They entered the main chamber, all the generals were gathered around a large table in the center, holding a map of the area. After a few greetings, Get Sin looked over the map. (This is kind of difficult to describe, just think of the battlefields from the Dynasty Warriors games) A large river cut, diagonally through the map. The Wu forces were drawn on the eastern section in red ink, while the Shu forces were drawn in green ink on the opposite side. Only two bridges were drawn on the map, both on the far sides of the river, these bridges were surrounded by forest on both sides of the river. The center of the map was mostly flat grasslands, on the Shu side this grassland was surrounded on the left and right by the forests around the bridge, and to the rear by a high cliff almost 2 li away from the river. A small fort was drawn was drawn at the base of the mountain.
Lu Xun stood up at the head of the table, "Generals, negotiations have failed, we will be at war tomorrow." A few of the generals turned to one another and spoke, but most already knew this would happen. "The Shu forces number over 200,000, our only hope is to hold them off and wait for our time."
Han Dang, sitting at the far end of the table, slammed his hand on the table. "Negotiations, retreating, now you want us to just sit here and wait! We must attack..."
"We don't have the numbers..." Lu Xun defended.
"Numbers do not decide the victor! Your teachers knew this! Why do you hide, when we should fight! Just because you fear them, doesn't mean our army does!" Many other generals called out their support.
Get Sin watched as Lu Xun slowly shrunk away. He was still such a young kid, and with the deaths of both of his teachers he still had much to learn. Still, there was no doubt that he was a brilliant strategist. He could not yet stand up against the other veteran generals and if it had not been for Sun Quan he would have broken.
"Lu Xun is the Grand Commander, what he says goes! Now you all will remain silent and listen to his orders!"
Lu Xun continued but was far less commanding, "We have broken down all the bridges in the area, except these two. Jiang Qin is taking care of the Shu navy, so they will not be able to cross the river anywhere else. We must not let them across." Lu Xun started to draw on the map, indicating which units would move where. "Zhou Tai and Zhu Huan will be in command of the forces at the northernmost bridge, Han Dang and Xu Sheng will command the other. The rest of you will fall under their command. Get Sin, Gan Ning you will remain here, you may be needed in time."
With their orders, the generals left, and the battle of Yiling would begin soon.
Get Chan looked with wide, curious eyes as the two women stared back down at her, their eyes filled with compassion. The smaller one on the right spoke first.
"Hello, little Chan. It's me again, your favorite auntie Xiao...or at least...I'm kind of like your aunt. It doesn't matter, what matters is that I will always be there to help you with your hair or your make up. And your aunt Da here, will always be there to help to."
Another face came into view. The man she had come to know as her father looked down at her, she smiled happily as she recognized his familiar face.
"Yeah, and you should always go to your aunts here when you have troubles with boys, because you don't want to talk to your mother about that stuff, and believe me, I won't want to hear any of it. So, you'd better listen to whatever they say."
Another man brought his face into her view. He was a much larger and rougher man than her father, but the smile on his face put her at ease.
"And I am your uncle Ning, and I...I...I will always be there to sneak you as much and whatever kind of alcohol you want."
"Yeah, I promise you, you'll never have to listen to him." Da said, as she pushed Ning out of the picture.
Chan giggled happily as she looked back and forth at the faces of her new family. She was perfectly content, till her stomach started to rumble, and her hunger took front seat. She began to cry again.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I almost forgot." Xiao found the bottle she had brought and held it in front of the small child's mouth. Chan took the bottle in her mouth and began to drink down the contents. When she had finished, her eyes began to grow heavy.
"You should probably put her down for her nap." Da Qiao said, as she watched the baby yawn.
"Alright, I was getting a little tired anyway." Get Sin gently took Chan from Xiao and carried her back to his room. He placed her into her small crib and watched as she began to fall asleep. "See, whoever said this parenting stuff is hard, was dead wrong." He began to walk away, but just as he turned around Chan began to cry. He quickly turned back thinking something had happened, she immediately became quiet and slowly drifted back to sleep. He turned again only to hear he cry again. He tried to back away slowly keeping an eye on her as long as he could, but as soon as he left, she cried. He finally gave up. She now seemed awake, looking up at him with her large eyes. "Fine." He picked her up again, "Have it your way."
Get Chan finally slept on the bed with her father. Lying comfortably in the crevice of his arm, her head lightly resting on his shoulder. Get Sin was perfectly content staying there, listening to his daughters untroubled breathes, and staring up at the ceiling in thought. He would eventually drift off to sleep as well, awaking a couple hours later, as the baby in his arms began to stir. She awoke. Get Sin picked her up and carried her around the room. She began to point towards the window and looked wondrously at the outside world. Seeing this, Sin took her outside to walk through the gardens. She pointed at almost everything she saw, looking happily at the graceful butterflies, the colorful flowers, and the flying birds. The two remained outside together until the sun began to fall and dinner was to be served. After a quick meal and a quick bottle, the pair began to roam the halls. Coming to a balcony looking out over the eastern sky, Lu Xun stood looking up at the now bright stars.
"Hey."
Lu Xun turned quickly to the voice. "Get Sin...ahh, and lady Chan. How are you?" Lu Xun jokingly bowed to the young lady.
Get Chan cooed and pointed the strange hat that lay on top the man's head.
"What, you like this?" Lu Xun took the half off his head and handed it to her. "Here, consider it a gift."
She giggled, as she waved the hat around. Then she chomped down on it and began sucking on it. Get Sin pulled the hat out of her mouth, only to have her shove it right back in.
"Get Sin, you mind if I ask you something."
Sin gave up trying to keep the hat out of Chan's mouth, "Sure, go ahead."
Lu Xun looked out at the sky, hesitating but still continuing. "You've been in Wu even shorter than I have, yet everyone respects you. How did you do it?"
Get Sin laughed quickly at the question, he was kind of expecting it. "You can't really compare the two of us, we had completely different situations. I'm nowhere near as smart as you are."
"Well, I have to do something. None of the other generals trust me, none of them listen to me or believe in my strategies."
"You have to realize that what they think doesn't matter. You are the commanding general, a rank held by only three men before you. You did not gain this position by accident or mistake."
"I am not Zhou Yu or Lu Su or Lu Meng, I am not the great strategist that they were."
"A great strategist must have two things, he must have wisdom and he must be clever. Wisdom can only be gained through experience, but you can only be born clever, as you were. It is only a matter of time before you surpass even your even your teachers. The most important thing right now is that you believe in your strategies because there the best that this kingdoms got."
Lu Xun looked up at the sky just in time to see two stars dart across the sky and disappear. The two remained silent until Get Chan grabbed their attention. The hat she had been waving around had escaped her grasp and fell to the ground. She was pointing at it and looked back to her father. Her eyes began to water and it seemed she was going to burst.
"Oh, don't worry, I got another one, don't cry." Lu Xun tried to comfort her and was about to run off in search of another hat, when a soldier came onto the balcony.
"Lord Lu Xun, Lord Get Sin, Sun Quan urgently requests your presence." The soldier quickly spoke, then turned and began to walk off.
The two men decided not to ask questions. Get Sin quickly handed Get Chan into the Qiaos' care, then went quickly to the main chamber. There Sun Quan, Gan Ning, and Lu Xun were already looking over the map.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Han Dang went against orders and attacked." Lu Xun continued, "Thinking I had given the command Zhou Tai did as well."
"What happened?"
"Slaughter." Gan Ning added grimly.
"Well, we're still here, so I guess they didn't get across." Get Sin concluded.
Lu Xun spoke, looking down at the map. "Yes, Xu Sheng and Zhu Huan were able to hold the bridges. But...the casualties were too many. By morning Shu will be renewing their assault...we won't be able to last."
"Lu Xun, I know you have a plan, what do you have for us." Sun Quan asked.
"The original plan, had been to wait till the heat drove all of Shu's forces into the woods. Clearing out this plain in the middle. This summer had been especially dry, a fire attack would have don't a great deal of damage. Because we also have forces in our part of the woods the only suitable place to begin the fire attack would have been here in the center. If we were to commence the attack now our archers and catapults would be easy targets for the enemy on the opposite bank. We need find a way to drive them out of the center." Lu Xun looked at Get Sin who nodded back, he thought for a minute before proposing his plan. Finally, he hesitantly drew his strategy on the map. Taking a deep breath he stood up, and looked at the others with a mournful face. "This plan...is very dangerous. There is only a small chance that it will work...and the survival rate for the participants is even lower."
All were quiet as they took in the strategy. Sun Quan finally spoke. "Gan Ning, Get Sin, I can only entrust this task to you. I am not commanding you to do it, but...will you accept it?"
Get Sin looked at Gan Ning before turning back to Sun Quan. "A long time ago, Gan Ning and I made an oath. Not only to live as brothers and die on the same day..."
"But also, to die for a cause of our choosing!" Gan Ning yelled almost angrily.
Silence reigned again. Gan Ning and Get Sin looked angry and it seemed that they had refused to take part.
Get Sin finally smiled, "I guess...dying for the kingdom of Wu isn't such a bad cause."
"Hell yeah." Gan Ning added enthusiastically.