Beyond Allegiance

Author: Atthla

See disclaimers and warnings in chapter 01

Chapter 02

"You are mad."

Zhao Yun looked up from his engaging task of cleansing the tip of his spear, inwardly grimacing as the imposing presence of Ma Chao strode into the tent, face wearing a deep shade of unnatural red under the insufficient light of few candles, his large hand clasping his own spear as if ready to strike.

"Halt," the older general commanded firmly, the half-cleaned edge of his spear now was pointed to the face of his wrathful guest. Ma Chao, seething and boiling, quite oddly did stop even though he looked absolutely ready to devour the sharp blade conveniently put before his mouth and just get down to whatever business he was coming for. One had to wonder why instead of doing just that he decided to show a rather astonishing level of patience and settled on issuing a low threatening growl.

Unimpressed by the inhuman sound, Zhao Yun did not lower his spear, but glowered at his newly arrived comrade instead. "Contrary to what you may have in mind, I am able to make a guess of what you're about to say, General. So please do us both a favor and leave me in peace."

The redness on Ma Chao's face had soon dissolved into disturbing shades of white at the given reply, which quickly alarmed Zilong despite his armed state. The taller commander seemed to be battling a giant urge to thrust his spear into the man who was so daringly pointing a sharp object at him, fellow Tiger General or not. Few moments had passed with the two of them glaring at each other mutely but heatedly, before Ma Chao managed to articulate through gritted teeth, "I hope you also realize that it is the stupidest act I've ever seen pulled by anyone, sane or not."

Falling in with the undeclared offer of a truce, Zhao Yun pulled his Fierce Dragon back onto his lap and replied defensively, "It seemed to be a good idea back then."

"Oh yeah, it was flawless," the other man said acidly, taking a few steps forward to loom in his full height over his much-inferiorly-sitting comrade. "So flawless that it was downright stupid. I'm really waiting for you to get chewed by Kongming for being such an idiot."

"I have, in case you need to know," was the Little Dragon grave retort.

"Good, you deserve that," Ma Chao spat, not taking a breath of pause in rebuking the other general. "Do you have any idea how pale our lord looked when he heard about you charging alone into the enemy's fortress? You and your foolish bravery! Why couldn't you just wait like a good boy until I arrived? It couldn't be that long!"

"I suppose I owe you an apology," Zhao Yun said, still with a steady voice even though one could plainly see the rebellious ocean reflected in his eyes.

"I don't need that," the taller general hissed as his hand reached forward to grasp the front fabric of his friend's battle gown. "You owe it not to me, but to those who believe so much in you that their hopes and dreams may shatter if you are to die so inanely. You owe it to your lord, whose hopes in you are so high and substantial, and to your men, who trust you so blindly though I can hardly understand what they actually see in you. Not to me, you see?

Zilong was silent for a moment, either to keep his unvoiced rage firmly under control or to prepare the cruelest of answers the other man did not know. But his tone reflected nothing else but plain quietness when he inquired, too quiet to Ma Chao's liking, "Does it mean you do not trust me?"

The question, simple and clear, made his breath momentarily caught in his throat and he stared at the other general, incredulous and – if one chose to have a closer look – more than a little hurt. It did not suppose to appear, not with a friendship like theirs as support. But perhaps his friend did not understand, did not see his panic when he had entered the battlefield and found not a glimpse of him. Recalling his breath of relief when Zhao Yun eventually appeared from behind enemy lines, not uninjured but quite safe nonetheless, the younger general found out that he was rather annoyed by the impassiveness displayed before him. His grip tightened, creasing the cloth under his fingers even more, his voice rough and bitter. "You know better than to ask me that question."

Emotions trickled back into the Little Dragon's eyes and he raised his hand to clasp the other man's wrist, feeling the blood pulsing erratically under the warm, rough skin, a hint of remorse buried deep within his tenor. "Let me convince you that no such foolishness will take place again in the future."

It took Ma Chao long to respond, during which time they only stared at each other, wondering, contemplating. Slowly, almost gently, he released Zhao Yun but made no attempt to escape the firm grip fastened upon him. The anger had dissolved from his countenance when he replied, though still evenly, "Show it by actions, Zilong, not mere words."

"I always do," Zhao Yun was fast to answer, his tone somber.

"I know," the other general murmured, but then realized that his voice was a good deal too soft for the warrior he was famous as and, much to the embarrassment which suddenly had risen inside his chest, pried his hand out of his friend's fingers. Clearing his throat to ease the awkwardness, he muttered afterward, "Well, I guess it is my turn to apologize for lashing out at you so...mercilessly."

There was a small glint of amusement, radiant in the middle of vast, green oceans that were Zhao Yun's eyes. "You know better than to apologize to me, Mengqi."

"Don't turn my own words against me, you bastard," Ma Chao retorted sharply – or at least tried to – but failed entirely to cover the same amusement which had coloured his voice.

"It's called tact, my friend," was Zilong's calm but victorious reply.

"You're spending way too much time with Jiang Wei," the taller general shook his head in disapproving manner, all the time struggling not to grin too wide. "As you wish I will leave you in peace now, but do not forget that I have your words."

Zhao Yun had a little smile on his lips, but maintained a degree of sincerity in his voice. "I shall remember it by heart."

After Ma Chao had left, the Little Dragon returned to the cleaning task with a much lighter heart and evidently better mood. He was about to turn his attention to the Fierce Dragon's shaft when a loud voice boomed and Zhang Fei appeared at the entrance of his tent.

"Hey you, smartass boy! I have something to say to you!"

While Zhao Yun was dealing with his fellow Tiger Generals, in another, much larger pavilion sat Zhuge Liang with his renowned student. The esteemed strategist was currently evaluating said student's countenance which had assumed a small yet noticeable nonetheless frown for the last five minutes. Now and then, a soft, long sigh would be released even though those keen eyes never strayed far from the lesson that was being given, which evoked even greater curiosity from the older man albeit no hint of this interest was perceptible.

A minute later, after much weighing and eliminating, Kongming stopped in the middle of his sentence, deliberately but not too suddenly. Jiang Wei turned a pair of inquisitive eyes to him which, to his queer satisfaction, was a little later than he expected as an initial reaction. For a long uncomfortable moment, he only smiled, his fingers running a slow track on the length of his beard, a gesture which was returned with a politely confused gaze from the other occupant of the room. After sufficiently did so, he then decided to inquire pleasantly, "Jiang Wei, am I correct to assume that I do not have your full attention here?"

"No, Prime Minister. You do have my full attention, I can assure you that."

The answer was quick to come and yet not too quick to rouse suspicion from lesser people, a definition which unfortunately excluded Zhuge Liang at once. It was still a nice effort though. Evidently he was not wrong in his judgment about this young man.

Leaning back to his chair to assume an innocuous pose, the Sleeping Dragon said afterward, "Well then, please repeat what I have just instructed to you."

It took only a fraction of a second for Jiang Wei to prepare an answer, his voice echoing prudent confidence. "You were instructing me to prepare a battalion at the east side of the plain as a counterattack for the previous aggression dealt to our second advance guard."

"At the east side of the plain," Kongming repeated amiably, still wearing a peculiar smile on his face. "Regrettably I have to inform you that you have just killed one third of our army."

For the first time, the cool, calm and collected mask cracked. "I– I have, Sir?"

"Utterly," the older strategist emphasized, a morsel of congeniality ebbing from his voice although the smile was still there. "It was not at the east side of the plain. I was saying at the east side of the plain and north of the river. The southern bank of the river, as you may be able to see, is an area enclosed by woods. I do prefer my student to be able to recognize the threat in setting an ambush at such area." He paused, relishing the little triumph as colours started to surface on the younger man's face before continuing, "Now, if you can be honest enough as to disclose to me the reason of this grave inattentiveness."

Jiang Wei fell silent at the demand, merely looking at the tip of his master's feather fan. His eyes were still cast down when with a small voice he finally answered, "Prime Minister, I do not think it is of any importance to have to bother you."

"I shall be the judge of that," Kongming stated firmly.

"Really, Sir, the matter is too trivial. I do not suppose it is even worth thinking as a 'matter'," the apprentice insisted, panic lending rough edges to his usually gentle voice.

It surely was something new. Not that Jiang Wei always confessed every little thing to him, but the young man was generally quite honest and most of the times would speak of his trouble frankly though cautiously to him. Such development, of course, was not unforeseen to the Sleeping Dragon, especially when the fact of his trusted student's still young age was taken into account. Suppressing a smile, Zhuge Liang replied with a touch of austerity in his voice, "Well, if you do not see it fit to confide in me, I will not press you further. But show me another hint of inattention, Jiang Wei, and I will immediately dismiss you from my side without a doubt."

"Understood, Sir," the scolded student responded meekly.

"Now if you may be so kind as to summon General Zhao and Xing Cai here. There is a plan I need to discuss."

Following Jiang Wei' departure from the pavilion, the Sleeping Dragon fell deep into his thoughts. This so-called plan was necessary if not important, even though he doubted the latter much. There was nothing such unimportance in the word of endless scheming, but to send out one of the best generals... Kongming frowned. His lord had clearly pointed out that his prime minister should have every required authority in military matters and he did not doubt the Little Dragon's ability as well as common sense. However, if the worst were to happen, his regret would be boundless, not to mention eternal.

Someone still had to do it. Shu might have many spies who excelled in stealth, and yet this task required not only that but also a skill more than average. Temper was indispensable, which eliminated Zhang Fei from the list at once despite the impatient general's hard efforts to control his lately. Age mattered too, as it was a crucial aspect of the undercover, and that left Huang Zhong out. General Guan was too recognizable due to his beard, not to mention he was not present here at the moment, and Ma Chao was to depart tomorrow to guard Xiabian Pass. Any other general would not meet the requirements, which meant that Zilong was the only option. He might be risking a discovery since the Tiger General was renowned throughout the land, but as his many orders had illustrated again and again, he trusted the Little Dragon through and through.

Even though he did have to talk with the general about the definition of bravery, especially concerning the most recent incident.

Settling his decision at last, his thoughts now visited a less grim subject – his trusted, sharp, and yet still green disciple. The notion involuntarily brought a smile to his lips although Kongming was still unsure if this would not lead to a more detrimental effect, as the earlier event had implied. The burden was not new and Jiang Wei had done quite well in concealing it, he had to admit, but not well enough. That in itself had told him much about the younger strategist's state of mind.

But one could not help but to smile at the mentioning of love. Love was such a beauty, such rareness at this age of conflict and chaos. The Sleeping Dragon was fairly sure that it was the case in Jiang Wei and, believing that his student was not as well-versed in matters of heart as he was in strategy, he did hope everything would turn out fine whoever the person was. He had his own guesses, of course, but sometimes it was more interesting to see things unfolding by their own accord rather than to find out by himself.

Kongming nodded, a contented smile spreading across his face. Little things like this made life worth its hassles. To spend his next to Xuande and among these people was a choice he had never regretted.

The sound of approaching footsteps informed him of the arrival of his guests, on which cue he immediately straightened his position. The three officers soon entered the pavilion and the two of them gave him their greetings as Jiang Wei took his own place on his right. Then, with a calm voice, the Sleeping Dragon began.

"I thank you both for coming here at my request. As you may have known from our earlier meeting, continuing our siege to this castle is more than doable but hardly advantageous. The Southland Army is threatening our border and defending it before they can put any pressure to our capital is a more pressing matter if we are to win at the end. However we cannot leave Wei out of our surveillance. In fact I have a small idea which may turn the tide of this battle to our favor."

Pointing to the desk which was covered abundantly with maps, he explained, "The main army will pull back to Chengdu, but to the borders of Fan Castle I will send spies to reconnoiter. Cao Ren is the commander put on charge at the castle, a man of great skill and caution. Regular spies will not do. Therefore, I have to ask the two of you, General Zhao and Xing Cai, to carry out this task for me."

At this point, Zhuge Liang paused, his keen eyes quietly observing his officers who seemed only a trifle surprised, before resuming, "Under the pretense of man and wife."

The reactions he harvested from his last words were various. A small, faint blush was tinting Xing Cai's cheeks, making them glow even more under the burning of the candles as she opened her mouth, was about to speak when wits suddenly left her and so she settled on stealing looks to the man standing next to her. Aforementioned man had astonishment and incredulity fighting for dominance on his firm visage, which origin was rather clear to the illustrious strategist. At last, a sidelong glance to his right notified him that Jiang Wei might have not moved a muscle, but his lips appeared thinner than they were a moment ago.

It was not amusing. It was not supposed to be amusing, but Kongming had to raise his fan to his lips – as natural as possible – to cover a smile which was threatening to betray him at any moment. The light in Xing Cai's eyes reminded him of Yue Ying, whom he had left to guard their lord, and to the few yet sweet times they had so rarely shared because of the war. But Xing Cai was just a girl, really, one who had just experienced the splendor of love for the first time, and that fact made him smile.

Zilong cleared his throat and Zhuge Liang let his eyes traveled back to the general, who uttered in a tone of uncertainty, "Man and wife, Sir?"

"Yes, General," he replied promptly, adding a trace of impatience to his calm voice. "Do you have any objection to it?"

The unspoken warning hardly escaping him, Zhao Yun bowed with hands clasped together, receiving his order. "I shall perform my duty as you wish, Prime Minister."

Noting the crimson color which only seemed to intensify on the other officer's cheeks, Kongming moved to elaborate. "There is a reason behind this pretense I request from both of you. I apologize from any impropriety I may have implied and further discomfort this cover may cause for you in the future. In this case however, the presence of a 'wife' will lessen suspicion greatly and two will surely be able to work better than one. You will be able to help each other lest one of the unwanted should happen."

With that he gave a fleeting look to Xing Cai and added solemnly, "Which quality an ordinary lady does not possess."

Aware of the Prime Minister's implicit query, the young woman quickly answered, "Of course, Sir. I shall carry out your order to the best of my ability, I assure you."

Satisfied with the compliance, Zhuge Liang rose from his seat and gave them both a sincere albeit slight bow. "I am grateful that you two raise no heavy opposition over this plan. Now if we may move to the details."

"You will depart two days from now at the crack of dawn dressed as commoners," he started, the tip of his fan following a route drawn in the map. "If no considerable hindrance should occur, you will arrive at the border of Fan Castle in four days by taking the main road. There is a small village located at the southwest of the castle, and at the tavern of the village, you will meet a man bearing an insignia on his left hand."

From the fold of his robe, he produced four small pouches, which he then presented Zhao Yun the first three and Xing Cai the last one, and began to explain first to the Tiger General. "In the first pouch I have put a copy of the insignia I have mentioned about, also the name you will use during this mission. I suggest for the two of you to see it after this briefing and commit the symbol and names to your memory. Burn the paper afterwards and this you should do to every counsel each pouch contains."

"The second pouch has a detailed instruction I do not disclose here tonight. This both of you should read once you have arrived and meet this man who will take you to your temporary place. Please follow every instruction written there word by word as the slightest mistake may endanger our plan. As for the third one," Kongming paused, fastening a somber look at the pair of straight, green eyes, before repeating with a lower voice, "the third one is not to be opened under any condition unless Xing Cai goes missing and you have absolutely no clue of her whereabouts or what to do. This situation, of course, we should try to avoid at all cost."

To Xing Cai he repeated the same order in case the worst befell her companion. Finally, to end his briefing he stared hard at the two officers and offered them the last piece of advice. "You have perceived the importance of these pouches I gave you; therefore I ought to warn you not to let them part from your body. If you come to an imminent danger where the secrecy of these pouches may be exposed, burn them before it happens."

"One problem remains, Sir," Jiang Wei suddenly spoke up, which brought all present attentions to his oddly glinting eyes. "One significant problem actually."

The Sleeping Dragon was just about to respond to his apprentice's statement when a shout erupted from the outside. "Kongming! What absurd mission are you sending my daughter to?"

At this Jiang Wei could no longer restrain his amusement and broke down into peals of laughter, followed by Zhao Yun with a smile. Xing Cai, meanwhile, only had enough grace not to drag her red-faced father, who had appeared at the threshold and was glaring at them all, out of the pavilion and only returned the glare with its more vicious version. At the center of these all, Zhuge Liang released a long sigh.

"I shall deal with this."

P.S.: Is it obvious enough now that I love Zhao Yun? I haven't decided the final pairing though. The next update may be slower since I am currently dividing my attention to my other works as well. Thank you for everyone who has reviewed the first chapter. Review again, please