Okay, I'm thinking of adding in more things than what actually happens in the game. I don't know if it will turn out to be good or not, so if no one likes how it goes in the next chapter or 2 , I'll remove the parts that lead up to it and rewrite it so it leads more towards the game version of events, okey doke?
I'm tired of the Notes thingy, so if you don't understand something, just ask and I'll answer you or something.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors. Or the novel if any part of it is used.
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CHAPTER 6 START
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The allied forces were on the river, organizing their naval fleets. A spy had come a few days back saying that Cao Cao was planning to cross the river to attack, so the allies decided to stop the attack before the enemy got to land. The spy had also said that a strange man had suggested that Cao Cao chain his ships together so that his men and horses would have more space to move around. Zhuge Liang had questioned the spy a bit more about the strange man he was talking about. He had then smiled, seeming to know this man, and came up with a plan to defeat Cao Cao.
"We must set Cao Cao's ships on fire," he had said at the war council held on the bank of the river in a tent.
"But to do that, we would need a southeastern wind," said Zhou Yu.
"Precisely."
"You do not understand! There has not been a southeastern wind for ages!"
"Then we shall make it blow southeast."
"What do you mean?"
"I will perform a prayer ceremony to the winds. The wind will then blow southeast. Someone will set Cao Cao's fleet on fire. The flames should catch quickly, as the ships are chained." Zhou Yu was still a bit skeptic of this plan. Could this man really make the winds blow in a direction they had almost never blown in? The Shu generals seemed to be very confident of the Sleeping Dragon's skills, and therefore many of the Wu generals also grew confident in him as well. There was really no other way, Zhou Yu would just have to trust this Zhuge Liang...
x-x-x
That night, after the war council, Yue Ying and Zhuge Liang were back in their own tent. Ying was polishing her scythe and checking its blade, as well as polishing and checking over her armor. Liang was sitting in one of the corners of the tent. He had made a sort of makeshift library and had a few of his books opened on the table in front of him, studying them. Ying looked up over at him.
"That strange man the spy talked of a few days back, you seemed to know him." He didn't say anything, still pouring over his books. Ying knew that he sometimes didn't answer right away when someone was talking to him while he was reading, so she turned her attention back to her scythe and armor. After waiting for a few moments, he finally answered, though he was still looking at his books.
"Yes, I know of the man the spy talked of. And so should you. He stopped by our farm quite a few times in the past."
'There were many men who stopped by the farm in the past...' Ying thought. She stood up and put away her scythe and armor and sat down where she had been sitting before. She put her hand in her chin and thought about what the spy had said of the strange man. Apparently he was a bit on the short side and wore a cloak over his clothes. He also wore a hat with a cloth under it so it hid his face and carried around a strange bent staff. The man had seemed to have a good sense of humor and liked to play tricks. Ying continued to think of who had stopped by the farm that looked and acted like this. When it finally hit her as to who it was, she stood up and gasped. Liang, who had been still studying, looked up with a slightly annoyed look.
"What is it?" he asked, his voice also having a hint of annoyance. Ying, embarrassed by what she had done, blushed.
"Oh, I... Sorry, it is just that I figured out who the man was."
"Yes. It is surprising that he came out of his hiding. He generally has no will to help out any of the armies with anything. He would much rather live out in the country and live a simple life." Liang returned to his studies and Ying looked around. She had already taken care of her weapon and armor, so she really had nothing to do. She could get a book out of the things she had brought and read as well, or she could always go outside and walk around the camp and see who she could find to talk with. She considered her choices for a moment before deciding to walk around the camp. Liang looked up momentarily as she left, and then once again returned to his studies.
x-x-x
There were surprisingly many people outside. You would think that with a battle so near that they would be getting as much sleep as possible at night and as much training and preparation done as possible in the day. Many of both the Shu and Wu generals had gathered around in the center of the camp, though some broke off into their own smaller groups of friends. Yue Ying sat beside Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, who seemed to be depressed by the fact that he had been forbidden to drink any wine before the battle.
"Cheer up! You know what usually happens when you drink to much before a battle. You end up being late and mess up the plans that you were supposed to carry out." said Guan Yu to his sworn brother. "You can have all the wine you want when this is over." This seemed to cheer up Fei a tad, but he still seemed a bit depressed.
"So, what is Master Liang up to?" asked Zhao Yun.
"Studying his books, as he always does in his free time before battles," Ying answered. Yun nodded and said,
"You would think he had memorized all his books by now." At this, Ying laughed.
"Yes, though I suppose he probably picks up something he missed every time he reads them." The four Shu generals turned the discussion towards the upcoming battle.
"Do any of you know who told Cao Cao to chain the ships together?" Yun asked and both Ying and Yu nodded.
"I heard Master Liang telling Liu Bei about the man after the spy had gotten finished reporting. Almost everyone else had left by this time. Apparently his name is Pang Tong, the Fledgling Phoenix. I hear he's quite the strategist, almost as good as Master Liang himself. Though it sounds as though he's a bit odd looking from what the spy reported," said Yu. Ying nodded.
"He's one of Master Liang's old friends. He is very intelligent, though he's not the serious type like most strategists. He likes to joke around and play pranks. He used to always cause trouble when he stopped by Master Liang's farm," she said and then, as an afterthought, added, "I wonder if he still rides that old donkey of his, Daisy, or if she's finally keeled over?"
x-x-x
The next morning, it appeared that there were still a few days before Cao Cao's fleet would finally arrive. Once again, most of the generals had gathered around in groups for breakfast instead of eating in their tents. It seemed that only the ones that didn't have a spouse in the army did so though. The only person who was married to someone in the army and was outside for breakfast was Yue Ying. Zhuge Liang was once again studying his books while eating, so there was no use trying to start a conversation with him. You would think he would eventually get bored of reading, wouldn't you? Anyway, breakfast passed and everyone began training and preparing for the upcoming battle. Some of the generals started a fighting competition just to make things interesting, while other generals helped train the soldiers for battle. Everyone was encouraged to train or meditate or do something besides laze around, so anyone caught doing so was "volunteered" to help check and pack supplies and other such things.
x-x-x
Yue Ying trained with her scythe until around noon, in which she took a break with the other generals to have lunch. After this, she went back to her tent. Mostly this was so she could also study some of her books on war and strategy, but also it was to see what Zhuge Liang was doing. When she entered, she found that he had stopped taking a break from studying and was currently meditating. He opened one eye for a second just to see who had come in, then closed it again. So that she would not disturb him, she opened her chest, took a few of her books out, and walked back out of the tent. She knew that no one was supposed to leave the camp without permission, but who would really notice if she was only gone for an hour or so? Everyone was so busy that who they had seen or who they hadn't seen probably didn't register much in their minds. She walked to a deserted part of the camp and looked around carefully to make sure no one caught her. It looked as though it was clear, so she went on into the woods. She continued walking until no sound from the camp could be heard, only the sound of the nature around her. She sat down on a log, opened up one of her books, and began reading. She soon became lost in her book and didn't take much notice to things around her.
x-x-x
After awhile, Yue Ying began to finally hear the strange noises that had been going on around her for quite some time. She heard an occasional snap of a twig and other such noises that any animal walking around would make. Regardless of the fact that is was most likely an animal, Ying still drew herself out of the book and became more alert, listening with as much concentration as possible. The log she was sitting on was underneath a large tree and she began to hear it's leaves rustling more than the wind should allow.
'It's probably only a bird or something,' she thought. The leaves continued to rustle and eventually a few began to fall to the ground. Ying looked at some of the leaves that had fallen and slowly began to turn her head so she could look up.
'Please just let it be a bird or something! I don't have my scythe with me!' she prayed. When her eyes finally reached the part of the tree where all the rustling was coming from, she gasped and jumped up. There was a man crouching down on one of the limbs! Before she could react any further, the man jumped out of the tree and landed beside her…
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CHAPTER 6 END
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Uh oh! Who is the person that jumped out of the tree? A friend or foe? Only I know! Actually, I don't... I haven't decided who it's going to be yet --grins--
