The first objective of waging war is to destroy your enemy's ability to do wage war. This could be accomplished by several means. In modern times, the reliance on ammunition and fuel means that depriving an enemy of the same would mean victory with less bloodshed. Hence, commando and strike units to hit supply depots became extremely common.

In ancient times, it's not so easy. Entropy based warfare theory predicts that the only non-lethal factors that might cause an army to not fight was food and morale. As long as an army has both food and morale in sufficient amounts, it'll be capable of sustained combat.

The only way to defeat such an army straight up? It's the same old tired answer, in the realm of lethality.

Kill them all.

-Caradoc 'Doc' Trevena

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Zheng De Zhao led the two women deeper into the forest, urging the stumbling women on with words of encouragement and a helping hand, which Sun Shang Xiang slapped away most of the time.

He could tell they were exhausted, but he dared no stop, not yet. He wanted them to move deeper into the forest before halting and setting up camp. The further they were from the forest edges, the less likely a pursuing unit, even if it had figured out that they had gone into the forest, would be able to find them.

But the women were obviously tiring fast from their ordeal, and Zheng knew they had to stop soon.

He gradually slowed to a walk, looking around carefully for some shelter. Some cave they might use.

"We should stop for rest now. Over there." He saw a hole. "Should be safe enough."

Yue Ying, or at least the lady who called herself Yue Ying, he reminded himself, unsure if they were telling him the truth, nodded, almost ready to drop dead. The other women, Sun Shang Xiang, glared at him, though he was uncertain how she could do that while exhaustion leaked out from her posture.

"And how would we rest with you, lecher, standing around us?" Shang Xiang accused.

"Hey," he shot back, "I have a name, and it's not lecher!"

"I don't care! You're staying away from us while we rest, and that's it!"

He threw up his hands in frustration. "Fine! Anything you say! Just get to that cave first!"

They trudged into the cave, looking around it suspiciously for any animal that might be using it.

Yue Ying then took over. She said, "De Zhao, we need firewood for a fire. Even if we have no food, at least we can keep warm."

"No problem," he answered. At least Yue Ying was more reasonable. Maybe she was having second thoughts over clubbing him in the head earlier on. He walked out of the cave. "I can even see if there's any game to be had. This quiver still has some arrows, and I have my bow. Time to get dinner."

An hour later, he was slowly roasting a wild duck on a spit over the fire while humming a nonsensical tune. The two women watched on beside the fire, an eye on the duck and an eye on him. He could tell they were hungry from their travels, and the enticing aroma of food wasn't helping.

"So," he asked, turning the duck over and over slowly to prevent any one side from being overcooked, "Mind telling me why Dong Zhuo is chasing you?"

"Why should we tell you anything at all, lecher?" Zheng rolled his eyes. Sun Shang Xiang seemed to have a grudge against him. Hell, he only cast a few leers at her back at the camp, and she already regarded him as a mortal enemy.

Yue Ying answered his question. "It isn't Dong Zhuo, I think, though he would certainly want us back in his dungeons at Luo Yang. No, the troops chasing us want to kill us, and they were sent by Ruan Shi."

She added, "When Han Rao had captured us, he was crowing about how they would display our bodies to the armies of Wu, so that their troops would be frightened and unwilling to fight, forcing them to defect, or at the very least, desert."

"Clever," said Zheng, "But instead of being demoralized, the armies of Wu might be even more determined to defeat Dong Zhuo. But it doesn't matter now, because I intend to see you safely to Jiang Xia."

"And why would you do that, idiot?" Sun Shang Xiang demanded.

"Shang Xiang! Stop being so rude!" Yue Ying chastised her friend, though Zheng could see that she was wondering the same thing.

He decided to play his cards close to his chest. "I wish to be a warrior for Wu. Sun Ce is a worthy ruler I can pledge my allegiance to. Dong Zhuo is just a fat bastard who bribed his way into being Emperor. The people will only suffer under him."

He looked at Yue Ying. "Besides, by saving the two of you, I could get into Sun Ce's good graces much more easily. Especially by saving Lady Sun. That was a bonus I did not expect."

"I wish you would die and go to hell, lecher." Shang Xiang threw a rock at him, which he caught in one hand without looking at her. That raised the eyebrows of both women.

"Dinner is ready!" Zheng said cheerfully, lifting up the spit with the duck. He held it out to Yue Ying first. "Take a leg. Be careful, it's hot."

Yue Ying smiled at him gratefully, and tore off a leg. Zheng then took one look at the sulking Sun Ren, and grinned to himself.

"Okay now, I have the rest to enjoy for myself!" He declared. "Wow, such a big duck! How to finish on my own?"

"What about me?" Shang Xiang leapt to her feet, furious at him.

"Oh, you?" Zheng frowned theatrically. "Oh my, it seems as though somebody is upset…"

Shang Xiang stalked over to him angrily, reaching out for the duck, which he pulled away, "Of course I'm upset, you damn lecher! I'm hungry too!"

He smirked at her. "Fine. I'll let you have the food. On one condition."

"Name it."

"Ask for it and call me by my real name once," said Zheng, then he added, "Nicely."

Lady Sun seemed to bristle at his demand, but she opened her mouth, and grudgingly spoke, "Zheng De Zhao, can I have some food?"

"Of course!" De Zhao then swung the duck up to her nose, and Shang Xiang plucked out the other leg. Then she uttered softly, "Stupid lecher."

Zheng's grin grew even larger. Looks like the next few days are going to be fun, fun, fun.

After their dinner, Zheng said, "You ladies need to rest now, since we're moving off early tomorrow morning. I'll take watch for the night."

"You're not sleeping?" asked Yue Ying.

He shook his head, "I can't sleep. The drugs I used on Han Rao and his men was supposed to help me sleep. Now without them, I'll just stay awake, no matter how tired I am."

He waved her away, "Go to sleep. I'll take watch."

"Don't touch us, lecher," Shang Xiang warned him as she huddled down in a corner.

"An ugly hag like you? I don't think so!" Zheng laughed as he ran out of the cave in time to dodge another rock thrown his way.

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They awoke early the next day, as Zheng had planned, and quickly made their way after a light breakfast comprising the meager remains of the duck they had for dinner.

Yue Ying noticed that Zheng ate very little, saving most of the food for her and Shang Xiang. She wondered if Shang Xiang had noticed his act of kindness, and reminded herself to have a good talk with the girl. Her insults towards Zheng were wholly undeserved, and Yue Ying knew that while part of it was due to her frustration at being away from her family, another was that Shang Xiang did not like being indebted to any man, especially one who seemed to be of no rank and title like Zheng.

Zheng himself was a mystery, frightfully competent and secretive. Yue Ying knew he told them only what he wanted them to know, while keeping the rest hidden away from them. She herself was left questioning if they should have told him who they were at the very start. Maybe false names…

Yue Ying frowned. If that had happened, he might not be helping them get to Jiang Xia. And she knew that without his help, they would have been caught again by Dong Zhuo's men.

They made steady progress through the thick forest, Zheng leading the way confidently, and in what Yue Ying hoped was the correct direction.

By noon, Zheng assured them they were making good time, and that just less than two more days of travel would bring them to Chang Jiang and beyond to Wu.

When it was almost evening, something happened which made Yue Ying very curious about their benefactor.

Zheng was already on the lookout for dinner when they came across a tiger tearing out chunks of meat from a dead wild boar. Normally they would have just sneaked past quietly, but this time Zheng actually went up to the dead carcass of the boar.

"What are you doing?" Shang Xiang whispered harshly.

"Watch." His reply was cool, calm.

The tiger stared at him warily as he stood before it near the body of the dead boar. Then the two stared at each other for long moments.

Then incredibly, the tiger bowed his head, and moved to one side, all the while chewing on the meat in its mouth.

Zheng nodded in return, then leaned down with a knife, cutting away a chunk of the boar's meat. Then he stepped back, nodded again to the tiger, and walked back to them. "Our dinner for tonight."

Yue Ying had never seen anything like that before, and her respect for Zheng went up another notch.

Dinner was largely uneventful, except that Sun Shang Xiang decided that she wanted to avoid doing anything for the man she insisted on calling a lecher. She took up a piece of wood that was on fire, and threatened to burn off his beard if he didn't give her dinner.

Yue Ying enjoyed the fun when Zheng had ended up running away from a furious Shang Xiang. In the end, he had given in, but part of his beard had been burned off. He had stalked out of the cave muttering to himself as they got ready to sleep.

When they awoke, both women were stunned.

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Sun Shang Xiang had just wanted to avoid paying that damn lecher any compliments when she had thought to use fire to threaten him, but she never expected him to walk into the cave in the morning looking like that.

His beard and moustache were gone, but it was a decided improvement since they had looked so silly on him. Now clean shaven, his strong jaw and rugged face revealed his handsome features.

Shang Xiang half wondered if he had used his looks to lure young girls into trouble, then decided that a pervert like him would certainly have done so. She would only need to wait for him to slip up, and then she'll set the dogs on him, literally. She grinned inwardly at her plan, which she'll carry out once they'd returned to Wu. Yes, that lecher would get what he deserved!

"What?" He frowned at them when neither of them moved for long moments, "Is anything wrong?"

Yue Ying responded first, "Your… beard is gone."

He scoffed, "After what Lady Sun here did to it, did I have a choice?" He shook his head in resignation. "Come on! Let's go already!"

Because of the rest they had, Sun Shang Xiang and Yue Ying felt much better after their nonstop escape from Luo Yang, and had regained much of their strength and vigor. Shang Xiang herself was confident that she and Yue Ying could now outfight any patrols they came across, without the aid of the lecher.

Only problem was, neither of them knew the way out of the forest, so they had no choice but to stick with the lecher.

Shang Xiang noticed Yue Ying picking out some plants and herbs as they walked, and asked, "What're you doing?"

Yue Ying glanced once at the lecher, who was about twenty paces in front of them, "De Zhao there hasn't slept for two nights running. Tomorrow is important, and we might need to fight our way past any of Dong's patrols. We'll need him to be well rested. Look at him, he looks tired." At that moment, the lecher stumbled over a root, and caught himself in time to avoid falling down. His movements were a tad slower than on the first day. "See?"

Shang Xiang didn't like the concern for the stupid lecher she heard in Yue Ying's voice, but she listened anyway as Yue Ying continued talking.

"These herbs should help him sleep. Tonight, the two of us will share the watch."

"What?" Shang Xiang was aghast. "For that lecher? Yue Ying, why are you doing this?"

Yue Ying sighed, "Shang Xiang, why are you so angry towards Zheng De Zhao? He's been nothing but a true gentleman to us, and you would treat him like he was Dong Zhuo!"

Shang Xiang stared at her friend, then replied, "You're doing all this because you like him, don't you?"

Yue Ying did not reply, but the slight blush on her cheeks told Shang Xiang all she needed to know. "I can't believe this!"

"Hey, you are lagging behind!" It was the lecher again, shouting at them to hurry up. Shang Xiang shook her head as she followed Yue Ying in quickening their pace.

Dinner for that day were two birds Zheng had shot down. They weren't very tasty, but Shang Xiang could care less. Yue Ying, meanwhile, had managed to brew a foul smelling herbal concoction for Zheng. Shang Xiang tried to deny it, but she did feel a bit worried when she saw how exhausted the stupid lecher was. Maybe he should take a rest.

"Okay, as usual," Zheng was saying, "The two of you get to sleep. And don't worry, Lady Sun, you're too ugly to touch." He winked tiredly.

"I wish you'll shut up and die, lecher." Shang Xiang snapped back.

Yue Ying went up to him with the bag of herbal tea. "Zheng De Zhao, Shang Xiang and I will take watch tonight. Drink this. It'll help you to sleep."

He looked at Yue Ying skeptically, "Sure?" He sniffed the drink once, and winced.

"Drink it up," Yue Ying insisted, and Shang Xiang laughed at the sight of the grown man trying to shrink away from the drink. In the end, he had finished the whole thing, but only after holding his nose to block out the smell.

Almost immediately, he was flat on the floor, snoring softly. Yue Ying shook her head, then gestured for Shang Xiang to help her pull him over to a corner.

"I'll take first watch." Shang Xiang offered.

"Thank you." Yue Ying nodded off.

Shang Xiang spent her time staring at the stars, until it was time to wake Yue Ying up. Then as the two women prepared to switch places, Zheng started mumbling to himself, his arms moving in front of him, obviously having a dream, or perhaps a nightmare.

"Please, Yu Lin, don't die. I want to marry you. Why was I so stupid? Why did I wait so long? Please come back to me. Don't die." His voice was different from his normal confident, cocky manner. It was full of pain and anguish, and Shang Xiang felt pangs of sympathy in her own heart. Maybe, just maybe, he isn't so bad after all…

The two women stared at each other, and Shang Xiang realized that Yue Ying was sobbing softly.

"I miss Kong Ming." Yue Ying admitted. "The calm tone of his voice, the way he would hold me. Why did he have to die?"

Shang Xiang did not know how to reply, but she held Yue Ying's hands as the other woman cried, trying to comfort her friend.

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They moved off early the next day, all of them with their hands on their weapons and ready for battle.

Zheng was back to his old self, moving swiftly through the woods and leading the way. This time though, they did not stay close behind him, but rather moving ahead only after he had signaled for them. The dense wood was slowly giving way to scattered trees, and there were even a few well trodden footpaths on the ground.

They soon came to the banks of Chang Jiang, drawn by the roar of the mighty river as it surged towards the faraway sea.

"There're no bridges nearby," Zheng said while studying the map, "but there's a small pier. We get to the pier and get a boat to get us across."

"It's not so simple, is it?" Yue Ying asked, and Zheng nodded. This lady's sharp.

"They'll likely have soldiers at the pier, so we might have to fight our way through in any case. Either that, or we get disguises. At this point in time, I don't think that'll work, so that leaves the first option."

"Can we cross the river elsewhere?" Shang Xiang asked.

Zheng shook his head, "Not a good idea. The further we go, the more likely a patrol will stumble across us. Right now, our best defense rests on the fact that they do not know where we are. The moment our tracks are found, you can be sure they'll be on us very, very quickly."

There was suddenly a shout in the distance, and all three of them turned to see a group of soldiers desperately fighting a rearguard action against the brown armored soldiers of Dong Zhuo.

"Those are Wu soldiers!" Sun Shang Xiang yelled as she started running towards them, drawing her sword from her scabbard.

"Then again, all that planning doesn't matter now." Zheng muttered under his breath as he followed her, taking his bow out and quickly notching an arrow on the string. Yue Ying had already moved ahead with her sword. The two women had told him of how their weapons had been taken away by Han Rao's troops, which was why they had been reduced to using swords.

Zheng didn't have any problem with swords. He knew how to use many other weapons, but there was a good reason why the sword and its many variations were so popular throughout the world over and in many cultures. The shape and manner of the weapon offered an excellent blend of attack and defense that no other weapon could match.

As they ran closer to the battle, Zheng could see a distinguished man in robes directing the battle, along with two other women, plus about 40 soldiers in red armor.

"Sun Quan!" Sun Shang Xiang exclaimed, which drew the attention of the Dong soldiers. Zheng fired off his arrows, which all missed as the Dong soldiers either stepped away from his arrows or used their swords and shields to block.

"Diao Chan! Zhen Ji!" Yue Ying identified the other two women, who were also fighting desperately against the enemy force, which seemed to be about two hundred men.

"Shang Xiang!" The man in robes said, then he winced as an enemy arrow hit him. Two of his bodyguards surrounded him, their sword flashing as they sought to protect their commander. It was clear that Sun Quan was already badly wounded, with his robes torn and with blood seeping through many places.

"Ah… Hell!" Zheng bellowed as he put on an extra burst of speed, running ahead of Shang Xiang and Yue Ying. He drew out his sword, then rushed into the midst of the Dong soldiers.

Several soldiers surrounded him immediately, stabbing their spears at him, but Zheng ducked and spun around in a circle, his blade slashing through all the men and making them fall back desperately. He moved into a stance for the 'Zhuan' technique, twirling around rapidly, his sword cutting into anybody foolish enough to step within the radius of his spin.

Several more Dong soldiers fell under his furious assault, and then Yue Ying and Shang Xiang were in their midst as well, stabbing and slashing with their swords. Zheng stepped forward, engaging the soldiers as the Wu soldiers took advantage of their arrival to counterattack.

The area was almost clear of Dong soldiers when a small unit of archers suddenly appeared behind a ridge. Zheng was by now roving behind the front lines of the skirmish, keeping an eye out for changes in the situation when he saw them.

"Archers to the front! Watch out!" He shouted to get their attention, but he realized that Shang Xiang was still in the thick of the battle, too engrossed to pay attention to his words.

Then the archers fired, the black stubby arrows arcing down towards the daughter of Sun Jian.

Shit! They're firing on their own men! Zheng was already dashing forward, his sword raised. He reached Shang Xiang in time, pulling the surprised woman down to the ground in time behind a Dong soldier who was hit by several arrows. Then he grunted as an arrow hit his left shoulder, the force of the projectile punching all the way through his shoulder.

"Stupid lecher! What are you doing?" Shang Xiang yelled at him angrily as she pushed herself away from him. Yue Ying, meanwhile, had chased the archers away, leaving the field in the hands of Wu for the time being.

"Well, sorry for saving your life." Zheng murmured.

Then she turned around to see the robed man, and she shrieked in delight. "Brother!"

"Shang Xiang!" The robed man's face lit up in a bright smile as well, despite his injuries. The two siblings hugged each other tightly, while the others looked on with approval.

Yue Ying came up beside Zheng, "You're wounded!"

Zheng grimaced, "Not a big deal. Snap the shaft, then pull the arrow all the way through." He winced once as Yue Ying did as he instructed. "Just bind the wound tightly. Stitches will have to wait." The wound isn't too bad, but the blood loss is a problem. Never mind, I just have to keep going first.

Yue Ying tore off some cloth from a dead soldier, wrapping the cloth round the open wound. She talked to the other two women as she worked. They were also helping out the wounded Wu soldiers, and the remainder were anxiously looking at the ridge, waiting for more enemies to appear.

"Diao Chan, Zhen Ji, have you seen any of the others?" Yue Ying asked.

The elegant woman in beautiful blue robes nodded. "I saw the Qiaos heading west, but there were patrols between us, so we could not link up. Diao Chan and I were forced here when we ran into Sun Quan's unit."

Sun Quan spoke now, his voice tinged with pain, "Zhu Rong has reached our side of Chang Jiang. She told us what had happened, and I decided to send patrols out to this side of the river to help you. We have rafts not far from here."

Shang Xiang stared at him with worry, "Then what about Sun Ce? Why isn't he here with more men and warriors?"

Sun Quan shook his head, "Dong Zhuo is massing a huge force at Jiang Ling. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu are heading for Chang Ling to prepare the defenses. They had already waited three days for you, and had just left this morning. I volunteered to stay behind." He smiled weakly, "It was the right decision."

"Well, the Qiao sisters are still out there, somewhere to the west." Diao Chan said nervously. "What do we do now?"

Zheng spoke up, his voice firm, "Shang Xiang, Yue Ying, take Lord Sun Quan back to Jiang Xia. Lady Diao Chan, Lady Zhen Ji, go with them." He picked out the bodyguards and three more men. "You, you, and you! Escort Lord Sun and the ladies on the rafts back to Jiang Xia and wait for further news." He turned to speak to the other soldiers. "The rest of you, follow me."

"What?" Sun Quan was stunned as he tried to reassert his authority, "I'm in charge. Who are you to give orders?"

De Zhao spun around to face him, "My Lord, you are wounded badly, and your survival is of utmost importance to the Kingdom of Wu. If you come along with us to look for the Qiaos, you'll only hinder us."

"But you're wounded yourself!" Shang Xiang pointed out. "Stupid lecher, it's too risky!"

"Don't worry." His reply was grim, yet full of confidence. "I've fought with worse wounds than this before. It's no problem." He started walking off towards the west, with the soldiers following him in a daze at the rapid shift in events, "Besides, don't you want me dead, Lady Sun?" He smiled, "Maybe you'll get your wish after all."

"But I was only joking…" Shang Xiang whispered, too softly for anyone to hear.

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It was almost nighttime in Jiang Xia, and they were getting worried. Most of the patrols had returned with severe casualties, and neither of the Qiao sisters had been found yet. And Zheng De Zhao and his detachment had yet to return.

"Let me take some men and go across the river, brother!" Shang Xiang pleaded for the umpteenth time, only for Sun Quan to refuse again. They were in the command mansion of Jiang Xia, in the audience hall, with food arrayed before them for dinner. Yue Ying, Diao Chan, Zhen Ji, and Zhu Rong watched the Sun siblings argue, none of them feeling the mood to eat while the Qiao sisters were still in danger.

"Shang Xiang, you have only just returned to Wu from the clutches of that fat bastard Dong Zhuo, and you would leave for such danger? No, I cannot forgive myself if you are lost again."

Then he turned towards the other women, "And the same goes for all of you. And since I'm too wounded to lead the battle, it's all in the hands of the brave soldiers of Wu."

Just then, a soldier ran into the hall, "My lord, the Qiao sisters are back!"

Everybody in the hall rushed out into the courtyard at once to see the two Qiao sisters being escorted in by a group of battered and weary soldiers. Yue Ying recognized them as belonging to the unit Zheng had commandeered.

"Shang Xiang! Sun Quan!" Da Qiao exclaimed with joy as she hugged her friends and brother-in-law fiercely. Xiao Qiao's greeting was no less enthusiastic, and she even broke down in tears at their successful escape. The tears seemed infectious, and soon many of the noble women were in tears, finally glad that their long ordeal was over.

"Where's the officer of the troop?" Sun Qua asked.

"Right here, my lord." Zheng De Zhao answered, walking in from the darkness tiredly, his steps heavy and slow.

"Good work, warrior, good work!" congratulated Sun Quan.

"Thanks." Zheng answered softly, and Yue Ying felt a pang of panic at the listless way he replied. She ran over to him just as he suddenly collapsed to his knees, panting hard. Then she saw the makeshift bandage she had placed on his shoulder wound. It was soaked red with blood. She looked behind him, and her blood chilled as the sight of trail of blood marking his path.

"Zheng De Zhao!" Yue Ying screamed as his eyes rolled up and he fell face first onto the floor.

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Shokyo: Realistic strategy? Other than an excess of miniatures wargaming, and several books worth of military history by Keegan and Hanson, I have no idea what you're talking about. :D

Anybody would like to suggest romantic pairings? I seem to have noticed that shippers comprise a sizable fraction of fics here.

Available ladies: Zhu Rong, Zhen Ji

Available generals: Dian Wei, Jia Kui, Xiahou Yuan, Yue Jin, Jian Yong, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Gan Ning, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai

Frankly speaking, I'm thinking of a Zhu Rong/Zhao Yun matchup. Should be interesting! After all, Fire and Dragons go together! :D