Cao Cao – Mèngdé
Zhang Liao – Wényuǎn
Chen Gong – Gōngtái
Li Dian – Mànchéng
Zhang Fei – Yìdé

Guan Yu – Yúncháng
Xun Yu – Wénruò
Xiahou Dun – Yuánràng

Jia Xu - Wénhé

The messenger finished delivering his report to Liu Bei and his brothers. Bei nodded and dismissed the messenger. Once he was out of the tent, Bei let out a sigh of relief. Cao Cao had agreed to help. Though he assured his brothers that Cao would help them, he wasn't entirely convinced himself. He knew that if the were in Cao's place, he might not have made the same choice.

"Only a single legion? That cheap bastard!" Zhang Fei growled.

"One hundred thousand men is more than enough," Guan Yu replied.

"How could you say that brother?" Fei yelled. As his anger increased, so did his volume.

Yu couldn't begrudge him of his anger. Their families were at the mercy of Lu Bu. They all wanted to get them back at any cost and a single legion realistically couldn't accomplish that. However, they weren't attacking Xiapi. What Fei sometimes forgot was that war was a game of inches. You can't always go directly for the main objective. Knowing this, a legion would be more than enough to secure their first objective, Xiaopei. It would give them a much needed foothold back in Xu Province.

"Peace brother," Yu said, adopting the same tone Bei used when calming him. "I am sure Cao will commit more forces once we secure a foothold in the province."

"Why do we have to wait? Telling us to attack Xiaopei! So stupid! Lu Bu is in Xiapi! We should go straight for him! We shouldn't have asked Cao Cao for help at all!"

Fei punctuated his point by slamming his hand down on the makeshift table Bei had set up in the war tent. The contents on the table rattled violently from the strike. A goblet that Bei had sitting on it toppled over and landed on his lap. Bei sighed as he removed the cup and stared at the dark red stained that quickly saturated his robe. Fei lowered his head and mumbled an apology.

"Brother, I understand your anger but it is unnecessary. Cao is only protecting himself. I knew he would send a small force to gauge the situation first. To be honest, I didn't expect him to send a force as large as a legion at all. I expected half of that. Truthfully, we do not even need his legion to assault Xiaopei. We only need him to help us hold it."

Both brothers looked at Bei in stark confusion. His words didn't make any sense. How could they hold what they didn't have? Bei could see the confusion on his brothers' faces and smiled, momentarily forgetting the annoyance of having a robe soiled with wine.

"I received good news this morning before the return of our messenger," Bei began. "We have friends in Xiapi. They have maneuvered behind Lu Bu's back. When we are ready, the guards will open the gates, allowing us to retake Xiaopei with ease. We only need Cao's forces to hold it when Bu tries to reclaim it. If we can keep them back, we will use Xiaopei to rebuild our strength."

Yu stroked the length of his beard as he processed this information. Fei on the other hand was not content to take this in silence. His mood shifted almost instantly. He went from incensed to excited.

"Tell me this isn't a joke, Brother. Who is it? Who is it that will help us?"

"It is the truth. The men I speak of are Chen Gui and Chen Deng."

"Ah, I know of them. They were within Xiapi before we left. Did they flee after Lu Bu took over?"

"No. They still reside in Xiapi as before. It was at great risk to them to even send us this message. There are others who do not respect Lu Bu's treachery. They are the ones that will help us get into Xiaopei when the time comes."

"So when do we leave?" Fei asked, his voice still holding childlike excitement. Whether it was for the upcoming battle or the fact that they were moving a step closer to reaching their families, Bei did not know.

"As soon as possible," Bei replied.

"What of Yuan Shao's war?" Yu asked.

Bei frowned. There was only one possible answer to this question but that didn't make it any easier. Bei would have no choice but to pull his forces out of the war. This means that Yuan Shu will easily be able to push the advantage and win this battle. He knew Yuan Shao would not take this well, but he truly had no choice. How funny that the idle pillow-talk he and Diaochan had turned into their reality.

An uneasy thought suddenly gripped Bei. What are the chances that Diaochan's scheme turned out to be their reality? Her suggestion was so close to the truth that it was eerie…or suspicious. No, he wouldn't go down that train of thought. He trusted Diaochan. When he was with her, he knew that the love she showed him wasn't false. He won't believe that she had anything to do with this.

"Brother!"

Bei jumped at the sound of Yu's voice. Both he and Fei were staring at him with naked concern. Bei felt foolish. It was clear that he had been caught in his musings. He couldn't voice his concerns to them. Both of his brothers' trust of Diaochan was shaky at best. He didn't need to raise their suspicion of her any higher than it already was.

"I…f-forgive me. I was just worrying over our situation. Yuan Shao will not take our leaving well. I was thinking of the possible problems that may arise from us abandoning this battle."

"You think he will retaliate against us?" Yu asked.

"It's possible, but there isn't anything we can do about it. We cannot continue to fight someone else's battle while we have our own to worry about."

"We'll have wolves at our back and tigers in front of us. We must be careful surrounded by so many fangs," Yu cautioned.

Both of his brothers nodded in agreement, frowns adorning their faces.

"We leave at dawn. The sooner we occupy Xiaopei, the better."

Both of his brothers saluted him and went off to get the troops prepared for travel.

=#=

Bei headed back to the tent he shared with Diaochan. He found her sitting atop the bedding they had laid out on the ground. What an amazing woman she was. Not once did she complain about the paltry accommodations she was forced to deal with, living out of a tent as they did. Though she must be used to it from her travels with Lu Bu. Bei's face soured at the thought. The last thing he wanted to do was think of her with Lu Bu.

The hair she normally kept tied up was currently draped down her back in a silken ebony wave. The hand holding the brush she pulled through her hair stilled at hearing Bei's footsteps.

Bei's strode across the tent to her side. He ran a hand through her silky black hair enjoying the feel. Diaochan shivered at his touch and leaned towards Bei, encouraging him to continue his ministrations. At that moment, she reminded Bei of a cat enjoying being pampered by its master.

"Diaochan," Bei said softly as he stilled his hand. Diaochan pouted, mildly upset that he stopped his 'petting'.

"I can trust you, right? You would never betray me, right?"

Diaochan recoiled from his touch as if it suddenly stung her. She stared at him with hostile yet confused eyes.

"Have I done something to earn your distrust?" She asked. "No, it is your brothers' isn't it? They hate me and now they whisper in your ear about me; Turning you against me."

"No. NO! It's nothing like that!" Bei exclaimed. He suddenly felt terrible at even questioning her. He could see the wounded look in her eyes and it drove a spear through his heart.

"Forgive me, Diaochan, my beautiful flower. I trust you, I swear it. It's just…" Bei trailed off.

"Just what?" Diaochan asked as she dabbed the corner of her eye with her sleeve. Seeing her sorrow made his heart clench.

"It was a stupid thought; A moment of madness. Please forgive a foolish man," Bei said as he pulled her into his arms.

Dioachan's body was stiff in his arms. Bei could hear soft sniffling as she buried her face in his robe. He felt stupid for even questioning her. There was no way she had betrayed him. It was simply a coincidence, nothing more. Bei whispered apologies into her ear as he rubbed circles in her back.

Even as she heard the soft murmurs of apologies from Liu Bei, she knew that she couldn't let her guard down. As long as his brothers were by his side, she would always be viewed with suspicion. They will make Bei continue to question her motives until they finally twisted his heart against her.

Diaochan's body shook as her tears came out harder. She could feel Bei's arms tighten around her. Why did her life have to be like this? What had she done to earn such ill fate? She had only ever done what others asked of her. Maybe that was the problem. She never lived for herself. She always lived her life according to other's will.

"I-I know this is a bad time to bring this up, but Cao Cao has agreed to our come to our aid. We leave for Xiaopei in the morning. Would you be okay to travel?" Bei asked.

Diaochan felt the rumble in Bei's chest as he spoke. She closed her eyes allowed his words to roll around in her mind. Cao Cao; So he had agreed to help them? Part of her was afraid that the time spent listening in on Chen Gong and Lu Bu's conversations were in vain and her theory would be wrong. Thankfully, Cao Cao proved her right. It didn't really matter though, despite her help, Bei and his brothers viewed her with suspicion. No, don't go back down that train of thought. Focus on something else. Diaochan decided to focus on the man himself instead. Cao Cao; what kind of man was he truly? She only heard stories of him. None of them were kind. He was known as a schemer and had a womanizer. It was truly a risk to trust a man like that.

Her thoughts shifted to the battle of Puyang. Lu Bu and Chen Gong had stolen it right from under Cao Cao's nose. Did he know that she was involved? How would he react if he found out? That vile woman that dragged her by the hair while on horseback. What was her name? Ling had told her once but she couldn't remember it. Or more accurately, she didn't want to remember it. She was with Cao Cao's army, wasn't she? She was in Puyang at the time, in the Xiahou family home. Would she remember her? Diaochan was sure she would. Every time they had come face to face with each other, it ended with Diaochan getting beat up. She detested that woman and the way she treated her. She looked down on Diaochan and the way she lived her life. She knew that Diaochan lived her life in accordance to others and she seemed to despise her for it. That had to mean that, that woman lived differently, didn't it? Diaochan couldn't help but wonder how she lived her life. Did she live her life according to her own rules? Was she happy that way?

Diaochan pushed the thoughts from her head. Who cares how she lived? That sort of life wouldn't suit Diaochan at all. She had been taken care of for the majority of her life. She wasn't suited to a life of struggle. That woman had no right to judge her. Diaochan could only hope that she met an early end somehow so she wouldn't have to see her face again.

She could hear Bei softly calling her name. He might have been calling it for awhile but she couldn't hear him so lost in her thoughts as she was.

"Yes…I will be ready to leave then," she replied softly.

Bei tucked his finger under her chin and lifted her face towards him.

"Are you sure you want to go, it will be dan-"

"You wish to be rid of me?" Diaochan asked, her eyes wavering and threatening to water once more.

"No! No my love. I just don't want any harm to come to you."

"My place is at your side, please don't push me away," she whispered.

"I won't. I will keep you by my side always," Bei replied before enveloping her in a hug once more.

Diaochan heard his words but she found it hard to believe them. As long as his brothers were around, she knew it would only be a matter of time before they would be driven apart. Perhaps…perhaps the best thing for her to do was get out before she could be hurt again.

=#=

Yuan Shao listened to the messenger in silence. Each word that spilled from the messenger's lips was like little nails being driven into Shao's mind. He didn't want to hear this man anymore; he didn't want to think anymore. He just wanted the noise coming from this man to stop.

"Kill him," Shao muttered.

The eyes of Qu Yi, Wen Chou and Yan Liang went towards him. Reflected in those eyes were a mixture of confusion and surprise. The messenger himself looked suddenly fearful. He held up his hands in surrender.

"But why, My Lord? I have done nothing wrong! I only delivered the news as I heard it."

"Yes and you've given me a headache…why am I explaining myself to this mongrel? Why is he not dead yet?"

Wen Chou and Yan Lian exchanged glances at each other. Chou shrugged and moved behind the messenger.

"N-no!" He cried out as he tried to back away from the large man. Liang moved to the opposite side of Chou catching the frightened messenger in a pincer. The messenger, who had not noticed that Liang had moved, backed up right into him. Quickly he spun around and shrank back, like a rabbit that had just gotten caught by a predator; his eyes went wide with fear. Before he could run around Liang, Chou's large arm wrapped itself around the messenger's neck. He struggled and slapped at the beefy arm in a futile attempt to break free. His struggles were short lived as an audible crack could be heard. Chou released his now limp body which hit the floor with a thud.

"I didn't mean in front of me you imbeciles," Shao said grumpily as he stared at the whites of the man's eyes that had rolled up into his head; his face was frozen in shock with a hint of surprise as drool slid from his mouth onto the carpet below.

"You really ought to be clearer with your instructions, My Lord," said Liang with a smile.

To Shao, Liang's smile always reminded him of a fox. So very sly and not the least bit trustworthy.

"Idiots," Shao mumbled once more completely ignoring Liang's glib comment.

Liang never took offense to his master calling them names. Despite his condescending demeanor, Shao treated Liang and Chou extremely well. They were the highest paid generals in Shao's army. In return, the two men lived up to that preferential treatment. They were known the demons of the battlefield and the most feared generals among Shao's forces. If they were deployed, it was because Shao wanted something done right.

"Have someone get him out of here. I don't want to have to stare at him all night," Shao said with a scowl. The man had only been dead for a few minutes but he was already tired of looking at him.

Liang clapped his hands and two servants hurried into the room. At once they were taken aback by the dead body but they did not dare to show their discomfort to their masters.

"Get rid of this would you?" Liang said in a friendly tone. Much too friendly for the task he was asking of them. With a frown, the servants stood on either side of the body and hoisted him up by his under arms. They dragged the man out of the room and closed the door behind them.

"Why'd you want him killed anyway, My Lord?" Chou asked as he retook his place next to Liang.

"He was saying displeasing things," Shao replied grumpily.

"Forgive me for being so blunt, My Lord but killing him won't change the fact that Liu Bei has abandoned us and that Gongsun Zan is now attacking us."

Shao made a face at Qu Yi's words.

"I know that. I don't need to hear that from you," Shao hissed.

"Then what will you have us do?" Qu Yi asked.

Shao slumped down in his seat. He didn't want to think about this. That was precisely the reason he killed the messenger. He made him think about things he didn't want to think about. This was going wrong. It was going all wrong. Since Shu had walked out on him, things have been going from bad to worse. Everyone seems to think that they could test his power. Gongsun Zan's incursion just proved that. His plan to unify the land had been going so well before…now it was all going to hell.

"What a silly thing to ask. We already know the answer to that question. Why trouble our Lord with such things," said Liang with a smile that somehow looked even more mischievous than before.

"What are you babbling about?" Yi asked as he folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Lord Shao is going to send us to crush Gongsun Zan. By doing so, we can dissuade any others that may have the idea of trying to challenge our Lord's right to rule this land. Isn't that right, My Lord?"

Is it right? Shao mulled over this. He needed to eliminate Gongsun Zan but he also couldn't let Liu Bei just go without punishment. If he did others would look down upon him. Then there was his brother. Thanks to Liu Bei's desertion, he would surely win this battle. There was also the bigger issue that he somehow got his hands on the Imperial Seal. The fool was now calling himself the emperor! The nerve! If anything HE should have the honor of being the one appointed by the heavens, not him! Shao's blood boiled as he thought about it. How many more would flock to his brother's banner at this news? He was certain that with this turn of events would only embolden his brother's attacks against him.

Wouldn't it be best to take care of him before causes too much trouble? Shao let out a groan. He hated making these types of decisions. What was the right path? Perhaps he should just follow Liang's suggestion. He sounded confident, that meant he was sure he could win the battle against Zan easily. He also made a good point about preventing others from getting the same idea. Still unsure if this is the right course of action, Shao sat up straight in his seat. He regained that air of superiority he normally exuded and looked to his generals that were waiting on his word.

"Of course that was what I was going to suggest. I don't need you to speak for me!" Shao said in his usual arrogant tone.

Liang merely smiled at his Lord, knowing the truth but never daring to utter a word.

"Well? Why are you still standing here? Go! Bring Gongsun Zan to his knees. Let him know what happens when those of lower birth have the audacity to strike at their betters!"

"Yes sir."

"You got it."

"As you command."

The three men said in unison, saluting as they spoke. The moment they left the room and Shao was alone, he seemed to deflate as if all the air went out of him. Slumping in his chair once more, he couldn't help but wonder if this was truly the correct course of action.

=#=

Chen Gong walked quickly down the halls of the palace to a place he previously had no reason to venture to before. Zhang Liao walked by his side, his grimace seemed to get worse with each subsequent step. Both men knew which part of the palace this was. What they did not know was why their Lord had been spending so much time here.

They arrived at their destination. For once, Gong did not have any sarcastic quips about the current situation. He listened for any noise on the other side of the door. A strange wave of relief washed over him when he was greeted by silence. Not wasting any further time, he tapped on the door with the back of his knuckle.

After a few moments, he could hear shuffling from within the room. For the briefest of moments, Gong hoped that he didn't find who he was looking for despite knowing the futility of that sentiment. The door slid open and standing before him bare-chested was their Lord Lu Bu.

"Lord Lu Bu," Gong murmured. His eyes shifted past his master to the inside of the room. He could see the naked form of Liu Bei's wife on the bed behind him. Her body shook as she shed silent tears.

"Well?" Bu asked irritated. Before their interruption, he had been enjoying his time with Lady Gan. He did not appreciate the intrusion.

Gong forced his eyes to focus on his master. "Liu Bei has returned," he said. His usual flair was gone from his speech.

He noticed something shifting behind him and saw that Gan had lifted her head at the mention of Bei's name. She tried to not make it known that she was listening, but Gong could see that her full attention was on their conversation.

Bu's body tensed at this news. He scowled.

"He is in Xiapi?"

"No, Xiaopei," Gong replied.

"How is this possible? What of the men we had stationed there?" Bu roared. He wasn't bothering to control his anger at this point.

"Liu Bei seemed to still have some friends in the province."

"Was it not your duty to ensure that things like this don't happen?!" Bu growled as he took a menacing step towards Gong. Gong in turn took a step back.

"Sometimes it is hard to judge what is in the hearts of men," Gong replied as he eyed Lu Bu.

Bu narrowed his eyes at him. Before he could reply, Gong continued.

"The question is what do you wish for us to do?"

"We march to take it back from that weakling of course. Prepare our forces."

"As you command," Gong said with a salute.

During the entirety of this conversation Zhang Liao stood by with a silent fury. Bu hadn't paid attention to him during the duration of the conversation but he was focused on him now. He eyed the man whose anger and disgust was rolling off of him in waves.

"Do you have a problem, Wényuǎn?" Bu asked as he glared at him. The two men were at a standoff and Gong knew if he didn't intervene, it would have devolved into a dangerous situation.

"My apologies, I forgot to mention that Wényuǎn here wished to lead the advance guard to see exactly what our forces will be up against. The poor man has been cooped up in the castle for so long he was aching to stretch his legs a bit," Gong said. For the first time since they began this conversation, Gong let some of his usual mannerisms slip through, though to anyone who knew him, it was clear that it was forced.

Liao allowed his eyes to shift from Bu to Gong. He stared at the man for a few moments and he could understand what he was trying to do. He had just thrown him a lifeline. At this moment he had to make a decision, take it or allow the anger boiling in the pit of his stomach to erupt. He quickly considered his options and knew that the best decision at this time was to let it go. Swallowing his anger, he saluted Bu.

"Yes, that's it exactly."

What Bu did was disgusting, there was no doubt about it but it wasn't his place to question his lord. Lu Bu was hardly the first man to covet another's wife. Dong Zhou was a prime example of that. Liao, however thought Bu to be a better man than that. It seems that he and his former adopted father had much more in common than he originally thought.

"Hmph, go then," Bu commanded. "Gōngtái, ensure that our troops are ready to leave as soon as possible. I want that insect Liu Bei crushed as soon as possible."

Gong saluted once more and Bu retreated back into the room, slamming the door closed behind him.

The moment the door closed, Liao spun on his heel and was walking at a brisk pace. Gong had to hasten his own steps just to catch up to him.

"A moment of your time, Wényuǎn!" Gong called out to him, quickly growing weary of having to chase after the man.

Liao made an abrupt stop and turned to face Gong, his face set in a grim frown. Gong could understand it. Liao was probably just as disgusted by what they saw as he was.

"Can we still depend on you?" Gong asked.

"I will do my duty," was Liao's clipped reply.

Gong sighed. Lu Bu was making his job so much harder than it had to be.

"You will do your duty, yes…but for how long?" Gong asked carefully. He didn't want to blatantly ask him whether he was going to desert or not but he had to know where his mindset was.

"You know me to be a man of loyalty. Your questions are unnecessary."

"Everyone has a breaking point, Wényuǎn. I am merely testing to see if we have reached yours."

"It is not my business who he takes to warm his bed. The judgment for his deeds will be left to the heavens, not I. He is my lord as he was before."

Gong nodded in response to his words. Truly that was the best answer he could hope for. He was glad that Liao was a man of reason. Truthfully in an army full of idiots, Liao was refreshingly competent.

"Very well, off you go then. I expect to have a full report of his defense when we arrive."

Liao saluted in response and returned to his brisk walk leaving Gong behind.

=#=

Dun sat astride his horse as he watched the troops that marched with him pass by. He turned his gaze from him men to the sky, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun's glare. They had been making good time. If they kept up this pace, they would arrive in Xiaopei within the week.

Dun didn't necessarily agree with this command. He felt that Cao Cao should have let that sniveling pretend noble drown in the troubles he created for himself. Once Lu Bu had exhausted himself with exterminating that pest, then Cao should move in and claim Xu Province for his own. Still, his Lord was in charge for a reason. There was something there that Dun didn't see, so he would follow his will, no matter how annoying it may be.

Dun could hear a horse approaching at his side. He shifted his gaze from the sky to the rider. He saw Li Dian, his face was devoid of his normal cheerful smile.

"What's your problem?" Dun asked once he was within earshot.

"Master Xiahou Dun, I'm getting a bad feeling... Please be careful," Dian replied as he scratched his cheek with his pointer finger, his eyes downcast and his lips drooped in a frown.

Dun was not normally a person for superstitions. Whenever astrologers would babble about the signs in the stars, he would mark them as fools. Dian however had been accurate in every decision thus far, for better or worse. Dun was inclined to at least hear him out.

"Hmm... You mean something's going to happen to me? Let's hear it."

"Something will fall from the sky to strike you. Something you can't avoid..."

Dun frowned. He didn't like this predication. He had so many questions. What was going to hit him? Would it kill him? Why couldn't he avoid it? He decided to start with what he thought the most important question was. If he knew what it was that would hit him, it would go a long way towards answering the other questions.

"Like an arrow?" Dun asked, his voice and features serious.

Dian shook his head and squinted as he looked at Dun searching for something, whatever it was, Dun did not know. He shook his head once more and finally replied.

"No, it seems to be more like something a bird drops."

If Zhuyue had been there to see Dun's face at the moment, there was no doubt that she would have fallen off of her horse in laughter. Dun's face contorted from incredulous to irritated to a hint of relief.

"You are bothering me about bird shit."

Dian let out a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I should have probably thought about that more before I spoke huh?"

"Mànchéng," Dun began.

"Yes, Master Dun?"

"Get away from me."

Dian let out another laugh and nodded quickly. "Probably a good idea."

Not wasting any more time, he nudged his horse forward. Dun let out a sigh feeling foolish for getting so worried. It was stupid to even get so worked up about it. He partly blamed Xiaolian for it. The girl was a mess when he told her he was marching off to war. One look at her and you would have thought he was marching off to his death instead of a war. The girl's view on life had become depressingly pessimistic since Zhuyue's death. He could understand it though. In her short life she had only known the sorrow of death.

He promised her that he would come home, alive and well and though she still looked skeptical, she nodded sullenly. He was adamant about keeping his promise to her. He wanted to show her there was another side of life beside sorrow. Dun couldn't help but laugh to himself. How did it come to this? When had he come to care for that little brat so much? She and Zhuyue somehow wormed their way into his heart and he couldn't dig them out, not that he wanted to.

He would not fall in this battle. He would fulfill his lord's wishes and return home to his daughter. With that resolution imprinted firmly in his heart he urged his horse into a gallop. What he did not know was that he shouldn't have discredited Dian's prediction so easily. During the course of this battle, his life would take yet another drastic change.

=#=

Lu Lingqi followed after Zhang Liao with her head held high. She tried to exude confidence but with each step, she felt her resolve wavering. If her father's reaction would be anything like Zhang Liao's then she was in for a world of trouble.

Before heading off to war, Zhang Liao had visited Lingqi to inform her that he was going off to war. Lingqi listened to Liao tell her that once again she was to be left behind while he and her father went to fight against Liu Bei. He assured her that they would return victorious but, Lingqi wasn't content to wait around this time. She knew of her father's plans to send her off to marry one of Yuan Shu's sons and she wasn't happy about it. She needed to make her father see that she could be of more use to him as a warrior than as some man's trophy wife. Talking to him wouldn't work. Her father was a man of action so it would take action to convince him.

Lingqi disguised herself and infiltrated Liao's forces. It wasn't until they were more than halfway to Xiaopei that he found her out. His reaction to that discovery was much worse than she expected. He was furious that she had followed him. He would have sent her right back to her father but he couldn't afford to spare the forces for an escort. He allowed her to stay simply because he had no other choice. She was thrilled by this development but Liao was anything but. He informed her that she was to remain in the main camp at all times. It was boring but she was still grateful to be on the battlefield at all rather than waiting pensively at home.

Now her father and the main bulk of their forces had arrived and she had to face judgment for her actions. She was determined to show her father her determination and beg for his permission to fight. This is what was going through her mind and she walked behind but each step became more daunting than the last.

Liao stopped at the entrance of the main camp. She could see her father's forces approaching. Feeling suddenly terrified of meeting him face to face, she hid behind Liao larger frame. Lu Bu brought Red Mare to a stop before Zhang Liao. Liao saluted his lord respectfully. Gong arrived shortly after and Liao repeated the gesture to the man.

"I already have a tent prepared for both of you if you wish to rest before we begin the council," said Liao.

"We'll rest later. I don't want to waste anymore time. I want that insect crushed!" Bu replied.

"Understood. Then I will lead you to the war tent…but first," said Liao as he stepped aside revealing Lingqi.

Lingqi felt suddenly exposed. Her initial reaction was to dash behind Liao once more but she forced her feet to remain planted in their position. Swallowing hard, she lifted her head to meet her father's gaze. He wore a frown on his face as he dismounted Red Mare. He took a few feet towards her.

"What do you think you're doing, Lingqi?" Bu's words were biting. Lingqi wanted to flinch from them but she forced herself to stand tall. She was determined to make her father see that she was useful.

Lingqi swallowed and forced herself to speak. She prayed that her voice wouldn't waver as she spoke. She couldn't show her father any weakness.

"Father, I'm going to battle with you. I will do what I can to help you make this land your own," she said as she placed a hand on her chest.

Bu let out a snort. "Forget it," was his simple reply.

It was such a quick rejection. He didn't even take a moment to consider it! Lingqi felt her resolve waver but she forced herself to remain focused. No. She would make him see.

"No, I insist."

Lu Bu glared at her. Usually that glare would make her shrink back but today she held her ground as she stared up at her father. Liao looked between the two of them. Part of him wanted Lu Bu to send Lingqi home. It wasn't because he didn't believe she would be of use in battle. He knew first hand just how talented of a warrior she was. He wanted her to go home because he wanted to spare her the hardships of battle. She had never taken a life, she had never truly drawn blood. She was still pure. Liao wanted to preserve that purity but he knew that as the daughter of Lu Bu that hope was a preposterous one.

The tension between father and daughter was palpable. The minutes stretched on and it seemed that neither would back down. Liao couldn't help but feel an odd pride warming his chest as he saw Lingqi's courage to stand before her father as she did.

Finally, Bu spoke, his eyes still boring into Lingqi's.

"Wényuǎn!"

Liao stepped forward immediately at the sound of his name. He awaited his master's orders. The odd mixture of feelings within him made it hard for him to determine whether he hoped Bu would send her home or let her stay.

"I'm entrusting you to look after Lingqi during the battle!" Bu continued as he finally broke off his gaze from his daughter and shifted to the man he was addressing.

The look in Bu's face spoke volumes. Liao knew that if any harm befell his daughter, his life would be forfeit. That was just fine with Liao. He had no intention on letting anything happen to her anyway. Liao saluted Bu.

"Understood," was the simple reply.

Lingqi wanted to break out into a smile and jump for joy. It took everything she had to retain her composure. She also saluted her father.

"I will give it my all, so that we may bring victory to our forces."

At her words, Lu Bu returned his attention to Lingqi.

"Just don't slow us down," he replied.

To anyone else, it might have sounded harsh but to Lingqi it was her father finally accepting her as a warrior. If she could prove herself in this battle, she could spare herself from the unfortunate future he had planned for her.

"Well now, since that is settled, might we head to the war tent to begin preparations?" Gong asked.

Bu looked over his shoulder to the Gong and nodded. Not wasting any further time, Liao turned on his heels and led the others to the war tent. Gong wasted no time in setting up the meeting. He stood by Lu Bu's side as he waited for all the generals to filter in.

"Your report, Wényuǎn?" Gong asked the moment the last general crossed the threshold.

"We have confirmed that Liu Bei and his forces have taken over Xiaopei. He has far less forces than our own and they are exhausted having to jump into another battle so soon after they fought for Yuan Shao. They have fortified Xiaopei and it looks as if they have no intention of leaving the safety of its walls. Liu Bei and his brothers have been taking turns to personally guard it."

"Hmm…" Gong said thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin.

"So what's the plan? We breach the walls?" Wei Xu asked.

"Xiaopei was already well fortified. If Liu Bei and his forces reinforced it, breaching it would most likely be a waste of our efforts," Gong replied.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Ask him to come out nicely?" Cao Xing retorted.

"Actually, that is a good idea," Gong replied with a smile.

"Wait-what?" Xing said, dumbfounded.

"As stupid as Liu Bei is, even he knows that he cannot win a battle by simply holding up in Xiaopei. That means he is expecting back up."

Gong looked to the tent's roof as he thought. His fist propped under his chin while his other arm crossed his chest to support it.

"It wouldn't be Yuan Shao. I'm sure he's in a pissy mood because Liu Bei abandoned his battle. It wouldn't be Yuan Shu either as we are already in the process of securing an alliance with him. I received word that Gongsun Zan had launched an attack against Shao so it can't be him either. That leaves Sun Ce and Cao Cao."

"Sun Ce? Sun Jian's whelp? Ha! As if that child could stand against me," said Bu.

"I wouldn't dismiss him so readily. While it is true that he is young, he has proven himself in battle under Yuan Shu," said Liao.

"It doesn't matter," Gong interjected. "I doubt he is the person coming to Liu Bei's aid.

"Why's that?" asked Wei Xu.

"As far as I know, Liu Bei and Sun Jian didn't really know each other. For that reason, it is highly unlikely that Liu Bei would reach out to him for assistance," Gong replied.

"Then that leaves that worm Cao Cao," Bu said with a growl.

"Yes…," Gong confirmed. "Though I'm sure he is only offering his aid because he plans on taking Xu province for himself."

"That still leaves the question of what do we do," Xing said.

"Now that we know exactly who will be coming to his aid, we have an idea of what kind of opposition to expect. It wouldn't be good for us to get caught between Liu Bei and Cao Cao's forces. We should take care of Liu Bei before Cao Cao's forces arrive."

"We are still at the same problem!" Wei Xu cried out irritably.

"If you would stop talking, I will explain how we can overcome said problem," said Gong. Though he was smiling, his words were biting. Xu bowed his head apologetically remembering his place.

Satisfied, Gong turned his attention to Lu Bu.

"We need to draw Liu Bei out into the open. We feign a retreat and have him follow. Once he is far enough away from the safety of his walls, we will ambush him. We should be able to deal with him easily then turn our attention to Cao's forces. Master Lu Bu, you are essential to this plan. You are the one who has to draw them out."

"And how do you propose I do that?" Bu asked in a gruff tone.

"Just be your normal charming self," Gong replied with a smile. The look Bu gave him told him that he needs to explain himself clearly under threat of bodily harm. Gong gave an awkward chuckle and continued.

"Wényuǎn said that the three brothers take turns guarding the walls. That means that Zhang Fei will be one of the guards. It is no secret that he detests you. When he is on duty, simply challenge him to a duel. Being the fool he is, he will charge out and when he does, fight with him a bit to make it believable then retreat. Pull him right into our ambush."

Gong turned his attention to Zhang Liao.

"Wényuǎn, you wouldn't happen to know the schedule they keep do you?"

"Zhang Fei usually guards the gate at night," he replied.

"Ah! I couldn't have asked for a better set up. We can use the cover of darkness to hide our forces. Still, I don't want Cao's forces to catch us unaware. It may be prudent of us to split our forces to handle both threats."

"Hmph. I'll leave you to handle the details, Gōngtái," Bu said as he stood. He held out his hand and his servants knowing the signal carried his halberd to him. He grabbed his halberd from the two struggling men and held it easily in one hand."

"Uh, Master Lu Bu?" Gong asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"Night is going to fall soon. That means Zhang Fei will be on duty. I'll draw him out and crush him."

"But shouldn't we allow our forces to rest? We did just march here…' Gong's voice trailed off as he took in the ill-tempered look on his master's face. This wasn't up for debate. Gong sighed. This man never listens to him. "As you wish, Master Lu Bu. I shall have our forces prepare for the ambush."

Bu nodded in agreement and marched out of the tent leaving the other generals behind. They looked at each other with a mixture of confusion and worry.

"What are you doing just standing there?" Gong's voice cut through the silence that filled the tent.

"We all have tasks to do, there is no time to stand around. Gao Shun, Cao Xing and Wei Xu, you will intercept Cao Cao's forces…"

Cao Xing gave a big smile at this news. He was actually going to request that he be put as one of the defenders against Cao but luckily, Gong assigned it to him. He had a deal with Ling, you see and that deal involved Cao Cao's favorite lap dog Xiahou Dun. He was sure that if Cao Cao was marching to war, his favorite hound would be nipping at his heel as always.

"…The rest will ambush Liu Bei forces," Gong continued.

The generals saluted and began to filter out of the tent. Lingqi went to leave the tent as well but she was stopped by an arm blocking her. She looked up to see the grim visage of Zhang Liao. He moved them to the side so the remaining generals could exit the tent unimpeded. Once they were alone, he turned to her. His lips were pressed into a thin line. She was just about to ask why he stopped her when he spoke up.

"I know you are eager to impress your father with your fighting prowess but for the duration of this battle, I need you follow my instructions."

"Okay," she replied quickly as she tried to hurry past him, eager to find her father. Liao's arm barred her way once more and she glared at him, annoyed. Her eyes softened when she saw the look on his face. He looked…worried? But that's impossible. In all the years she has known him, she has never seen him look worried about anything.

"I'm serious, Lingqi. This is your first battle. The enemies you have faced will not go as easily on you as I do in training. They will be trying to kill you. If something happens to you…."

He trailed off and she frowned. She knew this was a real battle. Hadn't her training up until this moment been in preparation for just that? Perhaps she wasn't taking this as seriously as she should. The look on Zhang Liao's face told her that. She didn't want to disappoint him or her father. She wanted to prove to both of them that she was a warrior that could be depended on. Lingqi saluted Zhang Liao.

"I will follow all instructions you give me. I am yours to command."

Zhang Liao looked at her face, searching for any trace of deception. He could find none. Satisfied, he nodded and lowered his arm to allow her to leave.

"Spend this time preparing for battle. I need you ready to move at a moment's notice."

Lingqi saluted once more and headed out of the tent to do exactly that.

=#=

Zhang Fei was in a bad mood. Since they had arrived in Xiaopei, his brothers' had forbidden him to drink. As a result, he was having a serious case of withdrawal and the target of his ire was his subordinates. He snapped at the slightest mistake and punished them with regular floggings. Tensions were running high and the soldiers under his thumb had low moral as a result.

Zhang Fei had just gotten back from his latest flogging of a soldier who had snuck a drink. Since Fei couldn't have a drink, he banned the rest of his men from drinking as well. When he saw a man under his command sneaking a drink from a flask, he was livid. The man's companions tried to plead for him but Fei wouldn't hear it. . He beat the man far harder and longer than necessary for such a small miniscule crime. The men were in lower spirits and Fei was still in a bad mood despite punishing the soldier.

By the time Fei had gotten to the wall for his normal rounds, it was past two in the morning. His brother Guan Yu would take over for him in a few more hours so he just had to wait it out. He let out a huff as he glanced into the still darkness beyond the wall.

Another boring patrol. He still had a lot of tension to work out and honestly wished Lu Bu would attack. He let out a low growl as he thought of the man. He knew that bastard wasn't trustworthy, but did his brother listen to him? No! He was always too forgiving and now look where that left them! Fei clenched his hands into a fist. He needed to beat something…now. He turned around, hoping to find one of his soldiers so he could work out his aggression when he heard someone calling his name.

=#=

"Zhang Fei! You worthless piece of scum! How long do you intend to cower behind those walls?" Bu shouted out as he sat astride Red Mare. His voice boomed powerfully across the field making the soldiers which were still safe behind the walls tremble in fear.

Fei peered over the wall to see Bu there. It looked as if he were alone save a few men who held torches to light the surrounding area. He couldn't believe it. He wished that Lu Bu was here and here is the man now. He could hardly contain his excitement.

"You've come to die? I would be happy to oblige!"

He didn't waste any time scrambling down the walls to retrieve his weapon. Several soldiers tried to stop him knowing that his intention was to confront Lu Bu but he tossed them aside.

Fei mounted his steed, his viper spear secure in hand and he made his way to the gate.

"Open it!" he commanded but the soldiers guarding it refused to move.

"L-Lord Liu Bei told us to keep this shut at all times. No one is to open it unless it is his orders."

"When I am on watch, I have authority! Open the gate!" Fei shouted. Spittle flew from his lips as he glared at the soldier, his weapon pointed menacingly towards him.

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances but in the end, they complied. They watched as he galloped out of the gate to meet Lu Bu in battle.

"W-we should go wake Lord Liu Bei," one of the soldiers stammered as he watched Fei's retreating back.

"Or we can just shut the gate and be rid of that maniac," the other replied.

The original speaker turned to the other soldiers with eyes wide in disbelief.

"We cannot just leave him!' he protested.

"Can't we? He is not like his brothers. That man is a monster and deserves everything he gets," he argued.

The two were at a stand off. They looked at each other, challenging each other. It was the original speaker who broke first.

"I cannot betray Lord Liu Bei", he declared before dashing off to go find Guan Yu.

The man tsked and watched him run off towards the lodging Yu had claimed for himself.

=#=

Bei thrust himself into Diaochan in a steady rhythm. He was drowning in pleasure. So much so, that he didn't notice the vacant look in her eyes. Normally, Diaochan would enjoy their lovemaking but since they had that talk, she couldn't bring herself to take pleasure in it. Her mind was constantly worrying over her place at his side. When would he betray her? Where would she go when he did?

Bei's grunts were coming out louder now. He would be done soon. She had to play her role once more so that she didn't raise his suspicion. How odd. She didn't think she needed to do this after she left Dong Zhou, but here she was again, playing the actress.

Bei's climax got closer and closer. As he got louder, so did the noise around him. Bei took note of the noise and begin to slow his movements.

He looked at Diaochan and was about to voice his concerns when his door was slammed open. It was Guan Yu, dressed in full armor with his Guandao in hand. He averted his eyes once he saw the precarious situation he had caught his brother in and spoke in a gruff tone.

"Brother, we are under attack. It is Lu Bu."

"What?!" Bei asked as he climbed off of Diaochan. She quickly grabbed at a blanket to cover herself. Her heart pounded wildly at the mere mention of Lu Bu. Was it fear or something else? She couldn't tell.

"Yìdé has met Lu Bu in battle-" Yu continued only to be cut off by Liu Bei who moved to dress quickly.

"Why!?" Bei exclaimed loudly. He gave his brother explicit instructions to not open the gates for any reason.

"I'm not sure. His men said Bu insulted him and he ran out to face him."

"He ran out simply because Lu Bu wounded his pride?" Bei let out a weary sigh. Though he cared for his brother, his hot blooded nature got them into trouble more often than not.

"There is another issue. None of Yìdé's forces followed him into battle."

"So he fights alone!? Is he mad? He cannot fight against that beast alone!"

Yu nodded in agreement. Bei finally saw the gravity of the situation. He could see his brother had more questions but there was no time to ask them. Bei finished donning his armor in record time and grabbed hold of his dual swords.

"Diaochan, get dressed but stay in this room. If anything goes wrong, I'll come back to get you. I swear it."

Diaochan nodded and watched as he hurried after his brother. She felt dazed. Lu Bu was here. The two men that she held dear in her heart were going to fight against one another. It pained her to admit it but she didn't know which man she truly wanted to win. Was it naïve of her to want both of them to live? That was impossible, she knew it. Maybe it would be better for them to both die? There was no point in thinking about this now. She would deal with it when the time came. With a heavy sigh and a heavier heart, Diaochan slipped out of bed to get dressed.

=#=

Their blades clashed causing a brief spark of light to erupt from the collision. Fei's muscles bulged as he competed in a test of power against Lu Bu. It was a battle he was losing. One false move and he would be a dead man. He always looked down on Lu Bu but after this duel, it was a mistake he wouldn't make again.

Bu had a grim smile on his face as he pushed his weapon towards Fei. The man's face was beet red from exertion. Bu had the advantage in raw power and he knew it. Just a bit more and he would be able to knock Fei off balance.

He was almost disappointed at how easy this was. This loud-mouth drunkard always threatened to duel him but this was the best he could muster? Pathetic! The very thought alone made Bu see red. How dare he think he could stand toe to toe with him? Bu would show him just how truly far apart in skill and strength they were.

Emboldened by his anger, Bu let out a mighty roar and put his full strength into pushing his weapon against Fei's. Fei was surprised by the sudden burst of raw power. His arms felt as if they had been lit on fire as they strained to keep his weapon from being pushed back further. He couldn't keep this up. He had to do something. Before he could react, Bu lifted his weapon. Fei's muscles felt instant relief from the lack of strain but it wasn't a reprieve that would last long. Bu bought his halberd down again, the strikes hard and heavy. Fei blocked with his spear, the force of the two weapons clashing with each other sent vibrations rippling through his arms causing him to nearly lose his grip. Bu lifted his weapon again and he brought down another powerful strike. Fei's arms burned in pain. He knew that he wouldn't be able to bear the full brunt of this blow. He had to do something and he had to do it quickly.

Making a snap decision, Fei threw himself backwards, sending him careening off of his horse. In his place, his steed took Bu's blow. The beast's head and most of its body were cut in half as Bu's halberd cut mercilessly through it. A fountain of blood exploded from the beast as it gave one last miserable whine. Had Fei stayed, he had no doubt it would've been him split in twain along with the horse. He quickly scrambled out of the way narrowly missing being caught under the body of his fallen horse; the blood, which was still squirted wildly from its dying form splashing across his face in the descent. Fei hurriedly got to his feet and readied his weapon.

Bu tsked as he swung his blade in the air to rid it of the horse's excess blood. He was slightly annoyed that the drunkard managed to dodge in time but was also pleased that he was at least giving him some sort of challenge. Fei's labored breathing told him that the fight wouldn't last much longer, especially now that Bu had the advantage of mounted combat. He would end his worthless life in the next blow.

Fei swallowed hard as he looked up at the grim visage of Lu Bu. Atop his massive mount, the man looked like a demon and fought like one too. He horse gave a loud snort through its nostrils. To Fei, it looked as if the beast was disgusted with him. He must be going crazy if he thought that a mindless animal had an opinion. He had to focus. Bu's next attack would come at any moment and he was at a serious disadvantage. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Red Mare jumped forward. Bu raised his halberd into the air and brought it down in time with Red Mare connecting with the ground once more.

Shit, shit, shit! This isn't good! He had to block but his arms still ached and he wasn't exactly quick enough on his feet to dodge.

"Fuck!" Fei exclaimed aloud as he prepared himself to block the blow. To his surprise and great relief, he didn't have to. Bu's weapon clashed with a very familiar Guandao.

"Brother!" He exclaimed happily. Yu did not reply, focusing his attention on rebuffing Bu's attack.

"Yìdé!"

Fei turned to see Bei riding towards him while pulling a steed beside his own. Relief washed over him like a cool breeze. He was saved. His dear brothers had saved him. As soon as Bei was close enough, Fei climbed onto the new mount.

"Brother, it's good to see you."

Bei nodded in agreement.

"We have to help Yúncháng"

Fei nodded and urged his horse forward.

"Thought you could get rid of me that easily huh!" Fei cried as he brought his viper spear down in an overhead strike. At the same time, Guan Yu brought his Guandao down towards Bu in the same fashion.

Bu easily blocked the two attacks with his halberd.

"You have to do better than that!" Bu roared.

"You forget there are three of us!" Bei cried as he brought his twin blades in a side strike to Bu's now exposed midsection.

Shit! He had forgotten. He wasn't going to be able to block that. How sloppy of him. There wasn't any way he could avoid getting hit. Fortunately, Bu was not fighting alone. Red Mare suddenly shifted away from Liu Bei making his blades slice harmlessly through the air.

Red Mare, his trusted ally in battle. They have fought side by side for so many years. Most people only think of horses as dumb beasts but Bu knew better. The saying was true, among Men, Lu Bu, among horses, Red Mare.

He would not squander the chance Red Mare had given him. With a mighty roar he pushed his weapon hard against Fei and Yu's causing them to get slightly off balance. Not missing a beat, he pulled back and sung his halberd in a wide arc from left to right. The three brothers were forced to lean backwards in their saddles to avoid being hit.

All three of the brother's were out here now along with a sizable army on their way. It was time for him to pull back.

Bu spat on the ground.

"It seems we will have to continue our duel at another time Zhang Fei since you had to have your brothers rescue you."

Bu said adding one final insult before guided Red Mare away from the battle and had him gallop quickly away.

Fei took the bait hook line and sinker. "You coward! You dare run from me!" Fei spurred his own horse forward to follow.

"Yìdé! No!" Bei cried out as he too followed after his brother.

Guan Yu had a bad feeling. They shouldn't be chasing. They should return to Xiaopei. He knew this in his head but his heart would not allow him to leave his sworn brothers alone. With a grunt, he spurred his own horse on to follow after his brothers. He looked back to the group of men that followed them.

"We are giving chase! Keep up!"

The men gave a cry to show their acknowledgement as they chased after their masters.

=#=

Bu knew that Fei was following him. The fool kept hurling insults at him which let him know that he was right behind him. Bu kept Red Mare at a slow pace. If he wanted to, he could have his steed easily outrun him but he needed to keep pace with Fei in order for this plan to work.

Fei was so incensed about following Bu, he didn't even realize how far he had come from Xiaopei castle. He had a singular purpose. Kill Lu Bu. He finally became dimly aware of this fact when Liu Bei had finally managed to catch up to him.

"Brother! Pull back! We need to return to the castle!" He called out over the sound of thundering hooves.

He managed to get a look around. They had gone fairly far, but it was too late to turn back now. "We cannot run back now! If we kill Lu Bu, we can end all of this!"

Bei opened his mouth to speak but promptly snapped it closed when he saw something flying towards him. Bei managed to block the attack at the last minute. He wasn't prepared for the sudden attack and the sheer force of it threw him off his horse. He landed with a hard thump to the ground below. He felt the air in his body be forcefully expelled from his lungs. It took him a few seconds to gain the ability to actually breathe again. He sucked in a few quick breaths before sitting up with a groan.

He got up just in time to see the weapon he had blocked ricochet back to its owner. It was…a girl? There was a fierce look in her eyes as she caught the weapon in one hand while the other remained gripped on the reigns. Bei felt like he had seen her before but he couldn't quite place it…wait! He remembered! Lu Bu's daughter! Heaven's above, that small girl wielded that sort of strength? Beside her, Bei could see the sullen face of Zhang Liao. It then dawned on him why Bu had fled. This was an ambush!

"We need to retreat!" Bei cried out as he mounted his horse once more. He was grateful that he had a well trained steed that didn't run off on him.

"We can't! We are already surrounded!" Yu shouted as he joined his brothers.

Bei's eyes widened in fear. He was correct. The shadows around them seemed to melt and take the form of soldiers. They cried out as they charged from the inky darkness to the prey caught in their trap.

The sounds of battle erupted around them as Bu and Bei's forces clashed.

"We need to break free!" said Yu.

"Don't think I'll let you cowards go!" Bu cried as he charged into them. Yu moved ahead of his brothers to block the attack. He knew out of all of them, he was the best to stand against Lu Bu.

"I'm your opponent!" Yu declared out as he readied his Guandao.

"Hmph, fine with me!" Bu roared as he readied his halberd. The weapons clashed, with a loud clang as metal met metal. Their weapons made a grating sound as they struggled against each other. Finally realizing that neither was going to get the upper hand, they broke apart.

"Hmph, you're not as weak as your brother," Bu said. It was as close to an acknowledgement of someone else's skills as he was going to get. Yu however did not care to be praised in such a way.

"Enough talk, fight," he cried out as he dug his knee into his horse's side signaling that it was time to move forward. The horse listened to the unspoken command and galloped towards Lu Bu. Bu let out a smirk as he readied his halberd and urged Red Mare forward.

The two clashed again, their weapons ranging out loudly as they struck each other over and over with sparks dancing between them from each strike. They were evenly matched in this bout. It would be a matter of endurance to determine the winner.

"Brother!" Liu Bei cried. He moved to assist Guan Yu when Lingqi blocked his path.

"I am your opponent!" She said. Bei's eyebrows furrowed. She had the look of determination but he couldn't take her seriously. She was just a child.

"I will not fight you. Please, move aside."

"Even if you won't fight me, I'll fight you!" She declared before spurring her horse forward.

Bei had no choice but to block. Lingqi was relentless in her attacks. She continually slammed her cross-bladed voulge into his twin swords. Bei didn't want to hurt her so he remained on the defensive. He pleaded with her to give up the battle but she wouldn't stop her attack. He couldn't keep up this defense forever. Perhaps he could knock her out without hurting her too badly. Just as he thought this, Lingqi's weapon struck his once more. He foolishly got lulled into the pattern of attack she had been using thus far and wasn't prepared for what she did next. As soon as her voulge was blocked by Bei's blades, she separated the weapon and quickly whipped the one she held in her left hand into his side.

Bei cried out as her attacked aimed true, the blade biting into his side. He fell off of his horse for the second time today with a loud thud, gripping his side in agony.

"Brother!" Fei cried out as he spurred his horse forward to help his brother. His horse suddenly made and awkward pitch forward before falling face first into the dirt. Fei was thrown from his horse, his arms flailing in the air before sliding to a stop on the ground below.

He spat out the dirt that had gotten in his mouth when he landed. There was a metallic taste that wouldn't leave his mouth and he just knew that he split his lip when he fell. To his surprise, his opponent didn't make any moves to attack him while he was still on the ground. The only thing they did was go towards the horse and retrieve the weapon that was thrown. He looked at his fallen steed. To lose two horses in a day, what luck he had. His mount had one of its legs sheered right off. It whined in pain as it attempted to stand back up on its remaining three legs. He saw an axe quickly bury itself in the horse's neck. The horse's struggle ended immediately. It was a mercy kill and the beast was lucky to not have to suffer any further.

Finally getting to his feet, Zhang Fei faced the man that would be his opponent. Zhang Liao stood next to the horse, one of his axes slick with blood that dripped steadily to the ground below.

"Why did you wait?" Fei screamed over the sounds of battle that raged all around him.

"It would not have been honorable," was Liao's simple but clear reply.

"Ha! You speak of honor but you serve such an evil man. Don't make me laugh."

In response, Liao readied his weapon. He was not a man that indulged in small talk before a battle. Fei sucked his teeth and spit again to get rid of the blood that had pooled in his mouth. If he wanted a fight then a fight he shall have. With a roar, he charged forward. Liao did not move but blocked his attack once he was in range. He didn't make any outward attempts to attack Fei, he only guarded against his attacks. Fei was tiring himself out. This man had rock solid defense. Realizing that his plan was not working, he pulled back, his breath coming out hard as Liao relaxed his stance.

"Is that all you got?" He asked. When Fei did not respond, he shrugged.

"Very well, I will then come to you."

Liao charged at Fei. His attacks were fast and furious. Fei quickly found himself being pushed back. That familiar burn began to course through arms. He was still fatigued from the last fight. He wouldn't last very long like this.

Despair filled the hearts of the three brothers. Each being pushed back by their foes. Their army was on the brink of defeat. They had played right into the enemies hands. Bei staggered to his feet, his hand clutching his wound. He tried to rally his men but their morale was too low. This was the end for them. At least that is what they thought until one of their soldiers shouted the words that injected hope into the hearts of all of his men on the battlefield.

"Reinforcements! Coming from the east!"

=#=

Xun Yu had a simple job. Scout ahead and report back. He had intended on executing that task to the letter. That was until he saw the man known as Liu Bei being pushed back. He didn't know Liu Bei personally but he had heard of him. From what he heard, Liu Bei was a relative of the Emperor Xian, an uncle or cousin, he wasn't completely sure of the relation. What he was sure of was that the blood of the Emperor's line flowed through his veins. Xun Yu, being loyal to the Han as he was, felt this was more than enough reason to spur him into action. He would not let the Emperor weep over the loss of his cousin or uncle or whatever, nor was he interested in letting another pious man of the Han die. There were already too few of them left in this world as it is.

He hoped that Xiahou Dun would understand his reasoning and forgive him for not following orders. Besides, if he didn't move now, there might not be a person left to aid.

Yu looked to the messenger that waited pensively at his side.

"Tell Lord Dun that I went ahead and joined the fray. Had I not, our ally would have been overwhelmed for sure. Please tell him that we are in desperate need of aid and to hurry."

The messenger nodded and ran off to complete his task. Without wasting anymore time, he ordered his forces, meager as they may be, to charge.

The force Xun Yu brought with him could hardly be called reinforcements at all. They were only twenty men strong as their only task was to scout ahead and report back. Still, Xun Yu didn't charge in with the hopes of turning the tide of battle. His only concern was with rescuing Liu Bei who looked to be currently wounded.

He and his forces were focused on one task, punching through the enemy line to get to Liu Bei. He battered the enemy troops aside with the formation wand he had gripped in his hands. It was an abnormal weapon to wield in battle but it was one he wielded efficiently.

Finally he was able to reach Liu Bei's side. Linqi refused to be daunted in catching her prey. She charged forward switching her focus now to the new arrival. Xun Yu did not seem the least bit flustered at the approaching attack.

He held his staff at an arms length distance from him and placed one hand above it. The tip glowed brightly for a brief moment before a beam of blue light erupted from the ground with fragmented lines of energy crackling arching and stretching seemingly at random with in it. Lingqi. couldn't stop her charge in time and ran right into the blue pillar. The light engulfed her and instantly the crackling energy within it attacked her. Searing whips slashed at her exposed skin, her body shook violently as surges of energy left as residue from the hits coursed through her. The pain that followed was agony. Bit by bit her skin felt as if it were being sheered off. She cried out, her hands dropping her weapon as she frantically rubbed her arms to stop the pain.

"Lingqi!" Liao cried out. He cast one glance to Zhang Fei who was still on the back foot from his attacks. This man was too tired to run after him. He leveled a heavy front kick to Zhang Fei who wasn't expecting the switch in attack. He doubled over and fell to his knees. Liao quickly abandoned the fight to run to Lingqi's side.

Lingqi was dead to everything around her. The only thing that commanded her senses was the anguish that enveloped her within the pillar of light. It was a pain unlike any other she had ever felt before and her mind couldn't even begin to process exactly what was happening. Lingqi dully felt something grab her at the waist. She swore it was an enemy and she would be dead within a few moments. Perhaps that would be okay, the pain as bad as it was. The hands yanked her out of the light and almost immediately the pain that was surging just beneath the skin simmered and she was left with the last surges of crackling energy making its way out of her body.

Liao held her in his arms. Her body was still trembling as the lightening finished running its course through her body. He looked up to Xun Yu who had lowered the wand in his hand.

"So he is one of those…" Liao muttered. He cursed himself for never teaching Lingqi on how to fight against someone who could project their chi use it to manipulate the four elements. If he had, she would have known how to defend against this attack. It was his failure as a teacher that led her to this. He glanced over to Lu Bu who was still engrossed in his own battle. He had to have heard Lingqi's cries as they tore across the battlefield but he didn't even bat an eye. Did he truly not care for his daughter?

Liao needed to get her off the battlefield. It would leave Lu Bu at a disadvantage but he couldn't allow Lingqi to get hurt.

"Protect our Lord until I get back!" Liao shouted. He could hear cries of acknowledgement from his soldiers as they began to position themselves closer to Lu Bu.

Liao mounted his horse with a still twitching Lingqi and made his way back to the main camp.

Finally relieved of the pressure, Zhang Fei weakly made his way to Liu Bei's side. He glared at Xun Yu with hostility as he helped his brother to his feet.

"Who are you?"

"Currently a friend. I believe it would be best if we save proper introductions for when we are at a safer location."

Fei wanted to argue but even he had to admit that the situation was heavily skewed in the enemy's favor. Besides, why would an enemy bother helping Liu Bei if they wanted him dead?

"So you are with Cao Cao's group?"

"I am. I am the forward scout group. When I saw Liu Bei in danger I couldn't stay back. I sent a messenger to our reinforcements, they should be coming soon," Yu replied. He gestured to his forces to set up a defensive perimeter around Liu Bei while he took a look at the man in question's wound.

"We cannot take care of this properly, but at least we can stem the bleeding," Yu said to Bei as he took off his outer robe and tied it tightly around his side.

"I cannot thank you enough," said Bei. "Would you at least honor me with your name?"

"I am Xun Yu, styled Wénruò. It is an honor to finally make your acquaintance."

"Finally? I believe you have me at a disadvantage," said Bei.

"I'm sure that I do, but we cannot talk about it now, your brother is getting overwhelmed."

Bei looked over to Guan Yu and saw that what he said was true. Thanks to Zhang Liao's last order, most of Bu's troops had moved to assist their lord. Yu now had to fend off not only Bu's attacks but others as well.

Fei sucked in a deep breath. He ignored the protesting aches of his body and shouldered his spear. "Brother, stay here, I will assist Yúncháng."

"With all due respect, you aren't really in the condition to fight. Please conserve your energy for now. While I admit I am not the best fighter, I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve."

Fei was about to argue when he felt Bei's hand grab his arm.

"Please stay with me brother. I don't think you realize how bad you look at the moment."

Fei frowned but nodded in agreement to his brother's wishes. He could take a few moments rest. It wouldn't be the worst thing to do. He put Bei's arm behind his neck to support him.

"I'll only rest for a minute," he said to Xun Yu before helping Bei to get from the center of the battlefield.

With Liu Bei relatively safe, Xun Yu went off to assist Guan Yu the best he could.

=#=

"This is taking too long," Dun said aloud as he stared up into the sky. The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon; the reddish glow washing the land and everything in it in a red light which resembled flame. Xun Yu should have sent a messenger back by now and he was worried that something went wrong.

"Am I the only person that can think of one hundred things to do rather than help Liu Bei?" asked Yuan in a bored tone. He was always up for a good battle but he would rather it have a cause he could get behind. This wasn't one of them.

"No, but it isn't our place to question," Dun replied.

"Yeah, yeah…I know. You know, you're no fun. I miss Zhuyue, she would gripe right along with me."

He saw Dun's body tense slightly but he didn't reply. Realizing that he said something he probably shouldn't have, he attempted to change the topic.

"Think he ran into trouble?" Yuan asked.

"He must have. Wénruò is usually dependable. If he hasn't reported back by now, it's best to assume the worse. We move now, give the signal," said Dun.

Yuan gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Some orders really aren't worth following, eh brother?"

Dun didn't reply but Yuan could tell from the dark look on his face that he agreed wholeheartedly.

The army rallied to Dun's call. They now had another fool to rescue.

=#=

Dun's army moved as quickly as they could towards Xiaopei. He hated going in blind but they didn't have any other choice. He looked at the trees that lined the road they had taken. There was something…off about them. Yuan seeing that he slowed down galloped to his side.

"What's wrong?"

"Something feels…off," said Dun as he peered into the darkness. Yuan followed his gaze.

"I don't see anything…We need to keep moving, brother."

Hesitantly, Dun agreed, spurring his horse on once more.

They would be entering Xiaopei soon. He hoped that nothing was wrong but his gut told him that there was something wrong. As if to prove his gut correct, Li Dian let out a cry that broke through the monotonous sound of their troop march.

"AMBUSH!"

Arrows flew out from the darkness and imbedded themselves in several of the ground troops. They let out pained cries before dropping dead to the ground below.

"Fuck! Defend!" Dun cried as he unsheathed his podao and cut down a few arrows aimed at him. The war drums began to beat loudly to signal the order given. Hearing his command, the disorientated soldiers rallied and brandished their own weapons. Shield bearers took position in front to shield their allies from further arrows. Seeing that this attack was no longer viable, the ambush force left to intercept Cao Cao's forces charged out of the forest.

The battle ensued. Dun charged forward, his podao cutting through enemy forces. His blade sliced through their bodies with ease. Their bodies were lifted off the ground only for gravity to forcefully drag the dissected remains back down. He had already killed over fifty men and didn't even break a sweat. They may have gotten the drop on them with this ambush but Cao Cao had superior forces.

"Push forward!" Dun commanded.

His troops cried out in acknowledgement as the drums of war changed its beat to a forward march. His forces began to push the enemy back.

=#=

Cao Xing was bored. They had been tasked with delaying Cao's reinforcements but so far no one had shown. He was anxious to see if Dun was truly among Cao Cao's forces but he couldn't leave his post. Ling wanted Dun's head. He told Xing he wouldn't get the rest of the money unless he brought back proof of his brother's demise. He didn't know what Dun had done to him, but Ling seemed to really hate him. It didn't matter, Dun was a meal ticket and he intended on cashing in.

He thought that he would finally get some action when he saw the scouting party pass by but Gao Shun stopped him. Apparently Chen Gong had predicted that a scouting party would be sent and commanded that they be allowed to pass. They were only to interfere if they tried to leave to warn the main body of Cao's army. He was surprised when only a single messenger tried to return. He used the poor fool as target practice and his fun was over before it had truly begun.

As dawn began to break, they saw Cao Cao's army marching right towards the ambush point. He was giddy with anticipation as he scanned the army to find the well known face of Xiahou Dun. There in all his smug glory he sat atop his horse scanning the tree lines. He seemed to have good wits about him if he suspected something. Though dawn had arrived, its gaze had not yet reached their hiding spot. They were still shrouded in shadow. After what felt like an agonizing wait, the army had finally passed the invisible threshold and the ambush was launched.

Cao Xing certainly did not expect them to rally as quickly as they did. It seems Cao's troops were better trained than he was led to believe. Dun was a competent commander, all the more reason to take him down. He watched from his hiding spot as the man shouted out orders for his troops to advance. Their forces which once had the advantage were now on the back foot.

"We should pull back," said Gao Shun.

"We can't pull back now! We-" he struggled to think of a legitimate excuse. If he told Gao Shun that he needed to kill Xiahou Dun, the first question would be why. He had no intention of informing the man of his arrangement with Ling.

"We need to buy them more time," was the excuse he managed to come up with. Shun eyed him suspiciously.

"We are losing this battle. Their forces dwarf our own."

"Just a little bit longer. If we can help Lord Lu Bu by just holding out a little bit longer, we should," Xing pleaded.

Shun eyed him again but this time he nodded in agreement. Xing let out a breath of relief that he had bought the lie. He needed to move quickly. If things kept going the way they were, he would lose his opportunity to kill Dun. He moved quickly ahead of the enemy forces. He wanted to get a lead on him. Finding a spot where he could hide, he waited with baited breath.

The man in question came into view once more. The podao he had hefted over his shoulder was dripping with blood and his clothes were similarly splattered with it but he looked like he hadn't broken a sweat. This man was an impressive fighter. Xing knew that if he tried to fight him one on one, he would lose. If he could just get a good shot in when he wasn't paying attention, he could fell even this man.

Dun moved closer and closer, his sharp eyes scanning the area for more threats. His eyes swept over Xing's hiding spot more than once but to his luck, he wasn't discovered as of yet. Some of their forces ran to Dun to try to engage him once more. Poor fools, hadn't they seen what become of their allies that tried? Dun dispatched of them easily, his blade severing the heads of his foes in a single stroke.

Xing felt pity for their deaths but he wouldn't let them go to waste. Thanks to their foolhardy attack, Dun was distracted. Xing quickly notched an arrow and aimed. He needed to kill him. If he missed, he was certain that his life would be forfeit. As Dun turned to face forward on his horse, Xing let his arrow fly. It whistled as it cut through the air on the way to his target. He held his breath as it flew and rejoiced when he saw that his aim was true.

=#=

Another wave of enemies had come to attack him. "Fools," Dun muttered as he cut them down from atop his horse. This couldn't be all of Lu Bu's forces, there weren't enough of them. Did that mean there was another battle raging somewhere else? This force was never intended to stop them, only slow them down. If the bulk of Lu Bu's forces weren't here, then that meant they were launching a heavy attack on Xiaopei castle. They had to go assist them.

With this thought in mind, Dun turned to face forward on his steed once more. At that exact moment, he felt something slam into his left-eye. For a brief few seconds he felt as if the world around him became weightless. It wasn't until his back was slammed against the hard ground that he realized he was thrown from his horse.

He tried to move his left-eye and pain blossomed from it. There was a flash of blinding white light that was quickly snuffed out by a thick darkness. It was enough to make him want to cry out but he grit his teeth to prevent himself from doing so. He could hear Yuan and a few others calling out his name but he ignored them as he gingerly put his hand to his eye. His hand brushed against the arrow shaft accidentally moving it. Fresh pain exploded from the small jostle adding to the excruciating pain he was already feeling. He had been gritting his teeth so hard by this point he swore his gums were bleeding. No longer able to contain the pain, he let out haggard, pained grunts.

"Brother! Shit! Are you okay?" Yuan asked as he dropped from his horse and knelt by his side. Dun pushed himself off the ground into a sitting position. He only rested for a few seconds before pushing himself to his feet. Yuan attempted to help him but Dun slapped his hand away.

He swayed on his feet, the pain intensifying with each movement. He had to get rid of this arrow; it would only cause him further pain the longer it stayed in there.

"I'm…fine…" he managed to get out.

"You have a fucking arrow in your eye! You are not fine!" Yuan yelled to his brother. It was easy to hear the concern in his voice.

"Master Dun, please, let us help you retreat!" said Dian's hurriedly. He knew that something like this was going to happen. He saw it but it wasn't clear. He wished that he had a better idea as to what was coming so he could have prevented this. Damnit! It hurt him to see Dun wounded like this.

"I…said…" he took a few deep breaths and steadied his footing. "I'm fine. If anything, this arrow helped me open my eyes."

At the word eyes, Dun did something utterly unexpected to everyone around him. He wrapped his right hand around the arrow's shaft and yanked hard ripping the eyeball straight out of the socket. Blood dripped from the now empty socket, making it look as if Dun had been crying tears of blood.

The eyeball sat perched on the arrow head with the stringy remains of his severed optic nerve dangling to the side. Blood dripped in quick intervals down the arrow shaft to the ground below, the men's eyes darting between the eye and Dun in disbelief at what he had just done.

"Shit…," came the quite murmur of Yue Jin. It was barely heard over the din of battle that was still carrying on around them.

"B-brother," was all Yuan could say, his eyes fixed on the eyeball still.

Other soldiers had stared to gather. He could hear the uncertain murmurs flow through them like a subtle wave. They saw their general had been wounded. Dun knew that this was just the type of thing that could affect moral. He had to inspire them. He had to let them know that he was okay so they would keep fighting.

"Essence of my father, blood of my mother, I cannot throw such a gift away…"

"Brother, what the fu-" Yuan's word were cut off and he was left with his mouth gaped open.

Dun had taken the tip of the arrow which held his eye and put it into his mouth. His teeth grated against the metal arrow head as he pulled the eyeball off of it. The optic nerve hung stubbornly onto his lips and he had to use his tongue to pull it in. Once the eyeball was fully in his mouth, he threw the arrow to the ground.

He could taste a mixture of blood and some other liquid that he could not name. It was an odd taste and he could feel his gag reflexes pushing against him in rejection to his choice in food. He wasn't sure he would be able to safely swallow the eyeball down whole as it was so he bit down into the chewy ball with his rear teeth. There was an explosion of that same odd liquid in his mouth again, some of the clear liquid that was tinged with blood managed to dribble out of the side of his mouth. Satisfied that the eyeball was squished enough to go down smoothly, Dun made a mighty gulp swallowing it down.

The entire action took less than a minute but to everyone watching, it took hours. Some of the soldiers were gagging while others were watching him with a mixture of confusion and awe.

"What the fuck are you all looking at?" Dun asked in a gruff voice. "We are in the middle of a war! Fight!"

Yuan was the first to recover. He closed his mouth and looked to the bewildered crowd that had surrounded them.

"You heard him! If our general hasn't given up after suffering an injury like that, you better not quit either! Fight!"

This snapped Yue Jin and Li Dian out of their trance. They nodded in agreement and cast one more perplexing look at Dun before resuming the battle.

Once the crowd dispersed, Yuan saw Dun scanning the tree lines with his remaining eye.

"Brother you shou-"

"There!" Dun suddenly shouted, seeing the still stunned Cao Xing after witnessing the grotesque scene, standing in the open, the bow he used to take out his eye still gripped in his hands.

Dun picked up the podao that had fallen to the ground when he was thrown from the horse. Truthfully, he knew he had to withdraw from this battle. This injury was a major hindrance to him. He now had a huge blind spot and anyone with half a brain would know to take advantage of it. Before he withdrew from the battlefield, he would take down the fucker that did this to him.

With a roar, he charged straight at the enemy. Xing, who had been stunned into inaction suddenly got his wits about him and saw a very pissed off Dun charging his way. He turned to run but screamed when he felt a sharp pain in the tendon at his ankle. He fell forward to his knees and looked back to see an arrow embedded in his foot. He could see the frowning face of Xiahou Yuan who was lowering his bow. He had no intention of killing him. He only wanted to slow him down long enough for Dun to catch up.

Xing let out a cry as he struggled to his feet. He tried to limp away but he wasn't making much progress with his injury. Dun finally caught up to him, the sneer he wore made him look as if he had the visage of a demon rather than a man. He advanced on him slowly, menacingly. Xing tried to hobble away faster but felt a boot collide with his back. He was propelled forward but this time he didn't land on his knees. He hit the ground face first. He turned over, spitting out the grass that had gotten in his mouth when he landed. Dun was staring down on him with his good eye; the injured one squeezed shut though it only barely stemmed the trickles of blood that seeped through.

A soldier saw the predicament Xing was in and tried to help him. He charged at Dun on his right side with a spear. Dun grabbed the spear shaft with his left hand and yanked it forward. The solider, unprepared for the sudden pull went with it, his neck flying right into Dun's outstretched left hand. He lifted the man off the ground and squeezed, his teeth bared as he did so, his eye returning to Xing as if to let him know that he too will soon be experiencing the pain of death.

The soldier grabbed at Dun's hand but he was unmoving. His struggles slowly began to die down and once they completely ceased, Dun dropped the body. He thrust his podao into his back for good measure, pinning the man to the ground. Xing let out a cry in surprise and pain. He slid on his butt backwards through the grass in an effort to get away from this madman leaving a slick trail of blood from his wounded ankle as he went.

Dun took his time with his actions. He picked up the spear that the soldier had attacked him with and walked towards Xing. Xing tried to move faster but he could not, his injury was sapping all of his strength from him. Tears were streaming from his eyes.

"Please, I'm sorry! I only did it because of Ling. Ling paid me!" He screamed out. He would say anything at this moment to avoid being killed.

Dun did not reply verbally. His only answer was when he placed his boot on the man's chest, kicking him down to the floor. Xing felt the air from his lungs rush out of his mouth in a flurry as he was kicked back. He tried to suck in a breath but Dun's crushing boot pressing down on his ribcage was causing him too much agony to breath correctly.

Dun held the spear in his hand, the tip dangling dangerously over the man's face.

"Please," he wheezed.

"Be a man," Dun said with a snarl. With those simple three words he thrust the spear into the man's left-eye making the principle and eye for an eye a literal term rather than a figurative one.

Xing cried out in pain, his hands flying up to grab the spear's shaft as he tried to pull it out. Dun obliged and pulled it the spear up and out of the socket. Xing's hands left the shaft and covered his left-eye, his cries louder as he tried to shove the mangled remains of his eye back into his socket.

Dun kicked his hand away with his free foot and pinned it down the same way he had did his chest. Xing struggled against him but it didn't last for long. A new pain erupted through him when Dun stabbed the spear into the right eye.

Xing's cries became deafening. Dun left the spear in its place and moved back to his podao. Xing was dealing with a pain unimaginable it was too much to bear and he could feel himself blacking out from it. Before he could slip into unconsciousness, Dun leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"Ling will be joining you in hell soon."

With those words, Dun brought his podao down onto Xing's neck, cleanly severing it from the rest of his body. The reddish-black blood sprayed from his body in gushes, staining the green grass around it. The thick sticky substance drenching Dun's boots and some of his legs as well as Xing's severed head which still lay close by. His face, frozen in horror as it was, caught a fair portion of the blood in its open maw.

Dun turned from the body, leaving the blood to continue emptying out onto the grass below. So Ling wanted him dead huh? The feeling was mutual. He would be sure to pay his dear brother back ten-fold.

He returned to Yuan's side. While he dealt with Xing, his army had managed to push Bu's forces back even further. They had turned tail and were beginning to retreat.

Yuan's eyes examined his brother. The concern was naked on his face as he examined him.

"We press forward," said Dun.

"But brother, you have to get your eye looked at," Yuan argued.

He understood his brother's concern and he was right. He needed to do something with this eye. Still he couldn't stop here. He had to push on. He took hold of one of the sashes that adorned the front of his travel robe. He pulled out one of Zhuyue's dagger that he had taken to carrying around with him and sheared the piece he had been holding off. He took the newly severed piece and tied it around his left-eye.

"There, it's taken care of. Let's move."

"You are seriously crazy, you are aware of this right?"

"Move," Dun growled.

Yuan sighed. There was no arguing with his brother. The only thing he could do was stay by his side to make sure he no further harm came his way.

=#=

Things were not going their way. They were getting fatigued and they had lost many of their troops. Liu Bei and Zhang Fei couldn't stay out of the fight for long as the forces that were bearing down on them were just too numerous. Guan Yu was having a tough time as well in his battle against Lu Bu. The attacks he once blocked with ease were now getting sloppier and sloppier. More than once he had almost been caught in a blow that would have killed him. The effort of having to divide his attention between Bu and his forces had taken its toll. Xun Yu's help was a boon to him but the damage was already done. Yu knew that he wouldn't be able to keep up his defense and attack for much longer.

Just as things were look its most dire, from the east they saw the banners of the Cao army. Against all odds, the reinforcements from Cao Cao's army had arrived.

They charged to the battlefield with a thunderous roar. The sun rising in the sky behind them gave them a soft glow making them look like some sort of heavenly deities to those who desperately needed their rescue. The sudden arrival threw Bu's forces into disarray.

"We have to pull back, Master Lu Bu," cried Chen Gong who had rode to his master's side once he saw that the tide was now flowing against them.

Bu sucked his teeth in anger. They shouldn't have lost this battle! He shouldn't have to flee! But he knew he had no choice. The forces that Cao Cao army had brought was more than what Lu Bu could muster. They would get overwhelmed by sheer numbers. There was also the fact that Bu and his forces had been fighting for hours now. A mighty warrior he may be, he was still besieged by fatigue.

"Signal the retreat," He called out. Gong nodded, happy that he didn't argue with him and did exactly that.

Dun gave the order to his forces to not follow. Thought they were able to break through the ambush, they did suffer losses and they had to speed their march up. He knew his forces were tired and he still needed to get treated for the loss of his eye.

Guan Yu rushed to his brother's side. He was exhausted and was relieved that the battle ended when it did.

"Brother, you are injured!" he exclaimed.

"It is not too deep. I will live," Bei replied with a weak smile. Yu was not convinced. He wanted both of his brothers to receive aid as soon as possible.

Bei gave a soft chuckle which broke into a cough at Yu's concern. Sometimes, he reminded him of an old woman with his worrying.

"I will get help, I swear, but first we need to thank our rescuers."

Leaning on his brothers for support, they made their way to Xun Yu.

"Would you mind getting your leader for us?" Before Xun Yu could reply, a imposing man with a piece of cloth over his eye stomped his way over to them. Guan Yu remembered him to be Xiahou Dun. He and Zhang Fei had butt heads when Fei had a bit too much to drink and tried to make advances on his woman. Yu hoped that Fei didn't remember that incident. If he did, this would be a turbulent alliance.

"Why did you leave the castle?" he asked in a gruff tone.

"You dare address my brother in such a way!?" Fei asked jumping protectively in front of Liu Bei.

Yuan, who had been on Dun's heels stepped in front of his brother protectively, his lips drawn into a frown.

"Back down, it's a fair question. Because of your stupidity, we ran into a lot of trouble, loss a lot of our forces and my brother was injured."

Fei was intent on arguing back when he felt Bei's hand on his shoulder.

"Stand down, Yìdé, he is right," Bei's voice was soft but the look of regret in his eyes spoke loudly Zhang Fei knew that this entire debacle was his fault. His foolish pride is what made them abandon the safety of Xioapei castle walls and that single action caused an avalanche of events, none of which were in their favor. Now his brother had to apologize on his behalf for his stupidity. Fei felt ashamed at himself for causing his beloved brother so much grief.

Liu Bei pushed away from his brothers and stood shakily on his own. He saluted Dun, bowing as deeply as his wound would allow him.

"My apologies; To be honest, I am not sure what happened. It was not our intent to leave the safety of the castle, things happened so fast….no, there is no excuse. I am sorry for the injury you have suffered. I know mere words will not make up for it but please, accept my apologies and my thanks for your aid."

"We are all here still alive right? Perhaps you could forgive him for this, Lord Dun," said Yu with a small smile.

Dun's gaze turned to him; he narrowed his eye before returning his gaze to Bei.

"Our men need rest and treatment. Can you provide this in the castle?"

"Yes, we can and we will. Please, follow us."

Leaning on his brothers once more for support, they helped him to his mount. With a groan, Bei set off leading the way back to Xiaopei castle. Xun Yu moved to followed after the men but was stopped by Dun.

"Remember who you serve," was the icy message he gave the man before mounting his own horse and following after the men.

Xun Yu was stunned to silence at the weight of Dun's words. Was he accusing him of showing too much favor to Liu Bei? He only acted on the orders given to them. Their orders were to aid Liu Bei. If he left him to die, then who would be left to aid…even as he said it in his mind, Xun Yu knew that it wasn't one hundred percent true. He acted not because of his orders but because he was a man that loved the Han as he did. He acted shamefully today and had to be certain to not do so in the future. With a heavy sigh, Xun Yu lifted his weary body onto his mount and followed after the others.

=#=

Cao Cao held the scroll that detailed the events of the battle in Xiaopei. He let out a loud sigh as he tossed it to the small table before him.

"Bad news?" Guo Jia asked as he eyed the rolled up scroll, curious of its contents.

"They managed to secure the castle but thanks to Liu Bei's stupidity, our forces took heavy losses. Yuánràng lost an eye as well."

"Lost an eye? But he still breathes?" Jia asked, his usual smile disappearing at once after hearing the news.

"He still breathes…but his days as a warrior may be over," Cao lamented.

"I don't think so," said Jia with a shake of his head. He isn't the type to let something so small stop him. He will have to retrain himself of course but I believe we will see him on the field of battle once more."

Cao sighed. "I hope you speak true…he is one of my best warriors and it would pain me that my command stole his livelihood from him."

"Don't think that way, My Lord. It was not your command that stole his eye. We go into battle for you because you fight to quell this chaos in this land. We are willing to give up our lives for that goal. While I'm sure he would have preferred to keep his eye, he isn't saddened to lose it if it helps you achieve your goal," said Jia.

"You have such honeyed words…I only hope they are true. The weight of the sacrifices I carry are getting heavier with each step," Cao replied.

"And only a great man such as yourself could bear such a burden," Jia replied with a slight bow of his head.

"Hmph…so I am. Get our forces ready, we leave at once. It is time to take Xiapi."

Jia saluted Cao and moved to leave.

"Wait, before you go…I wish to put Wénhé in charge of strategy for this battle."

Jia's eyes widened in surprise. He wants Jia Xu as the lead for this battle? He didn't expect that but he supposed it was time to asses his skills, though he didn't think he would use such a pivotal battle as the testing ground.

"You disapprove?"

"No, I am eager to see his skills as well."

"Good, go make the necessary preparations. This will be the last battle Lu Bu will ever fight."

"I expect nothing less," Jia said as he regained his whimsical smile.