Played Dynasty Warriors 5...finally. Can't say it's a huge improvement over DW4, but at least I'm not experiencing excessive "fog o' war" and astrally projecting enemies (I think I just made up a word there.) Hah, I was waiting for the inevitable nunchaku fighter...Ling Tong, you make me giggle hysterically...
Oh, and Ling Mei is now referred to as Shang Xiang. She knows who she is, so it only makes sense that the rest of us do too.
Warning! This chapter contains trace amounts of Qiao silliness.
Warning! This chapter contains many setting changes…but nothing too distracting (I don't think…)
Disclaimer: As much as I like pirates and appreciate what they do (commit piracy and contract scurvy), I just don't own Dynasty Warriors.
Chapter 6: Preparations
...Luo Yang...
"Forgive me, my lord, but how will we find her? You said she was a commoner here; she could be anywhere by now." He argued. What could be so important about one common girl?
"Anywhere?" His commander repeated, incredulous. "No, she's with the Wu army in Jian Ye. As for finding her...I'd think even with one eye you could recognize the only daughter of Wu."
"As you wish, my lord."
...Jian Ye, Wu Fortress...
"Ce, Zhou Yu, something just occurred to me." Shang Xiang addressed her brother and friend as they ate. They had just taken a break from training for the inevitable battle. "You're horrible husbands."
Sun Ce nearly choked, and would have if not for Shang Xiang pounding on his back. Zhou Yu seemed shocked as well. "What?" Ce managed after a swig of wine.
"Honestly, do you even know where your wives are?"
Zhou Yu grinned the way he did when he found a hole in an enemy strategy, looking positively sinister. "I expect they're over at the Shu encampment, displaying their beauty and charm."
"Are you sure that's safe? When I was in Wei territory, I heard stories about the men of Shu that..." Shang Xiang trailed off, afraid to continue for the sake of their peace of mind.
"Oh, I'm sure those two can take care of themselves." Sun Ce replied calmly. "We sure can pick 'em, right brother?" He elbowed Zhou Yu playfully.
"Of course we can." The scholar answered off handedly.
"Lord Strategist!" yelled a rapidly approaching attendant. The man halted before Zhou Yu and heaved in a large breath before delivering his message. "Lord Sun Jian wishes to know exactly which messengers you sent the banner instructions with."
"What?"
"All of our messengers reported back, but none of them claim to have taken the banner configurations to Shu."
"Ah." Zhou Yu said, sharing a knowing smile with Sun Ce. "That's because we sent two of our best people."
"And which two would those be?" The attendant asked, obviously annoyed.
Sun Ce shrugged. "Our wives."
...Jian Ye, Shu encampment...
"Don't touch me, you jerk!" Xiao Qiao screamed at a Shu soldier. The man, obviously taken aback by her outburst, stuttered an apology and vanished back into the crowd surrounding Xiao and her sister. "Da, why are we doing this again?" She whispered to her sister.
"Curses if I know what those two men are thinking." Da answered. She and her sister were swept along with the crowd of soldiers towards what they sincerely hoped was the temporary dwelling of Liu Bei. The whole thing had been Zhou Yu's idea (of course, Da thought bitterly); he had rattled off something about symbolism and diplomacy, then sent the two sisters "directly" to Shu as messengers.
Of course, directly was a relative term when you were something of a myth.
...Jian Ye, Wu war room...
"Even united, we are outnumbered. Simply put, a total victory is impossible." Lu Xun summarized. The warlords before him obviously agreed. Any doubts the young strategist had about his superiors' willingness to trust someone so young had vanished, just as Lu Meng and Zhou Yu had assured him they would.
"So how are we to turn a loss into a win?" Zhuge Liang asked. If he harbored any resentment towards following Lu Xun's plans, he didn't let it show. The highest ranking of Wu and Shu leaders had agreed to give strategic command to Wu, while the Shu forces handled supplies.
"We'll give them enough of a run around that, hopefully, they withdraw and wait for fortune to turn their way. Since they're not expecting an attack until they reach our borders, we get our choice of terrain." Lu Xun turned to the map spread before the officers and pointed to an open plain edged by steep hills. "I discussed it with Lu Meng and Zhou Yu, and we believe this is the best spot. It's narrow enough that our forces can cover it, and open enough for us to engage a large portion of Wei's army."
"And what if they turn our advantages against us?" Zhao Yun asked skeptically.
"I won't say that it can't happen, but as I said earlier, communication is critical. Our smaller force will be better able to communicate and coordinate movements in response to changes on the battlefield. But, in the event that something goes horribly wrong, we've got this." Lu Xun's fingers moved across the map, back towards Jian Ye. "There's a narrow mountain pass here. I took the liberty of having a few rockslides planned. If nothing else, it will give us few days to prepare Jian Ye."
"Let us hope it doesn't come to that." Liu Bei said solemnly.
Sun Jian stood, and the other officers rose with him. "If there are no objections," he paused and swept the room's occupants with a glance that practically dared them to voice a dissenting opinion. When no argument was forthcoming, he continued. "If there are no objections, we'll prepare to move immediately. Dismissed."
"Lord Sun Jian." Liu Bei began, once all the other officers had left. "I heard that your recently returned daughter is to fight in this battle."
"What of it?"
"Are you certain that's wise? She may not be fully recovered."
"My family is my own business, Liu Bei."
"Of course," the lord of Shu said placatingly, "I meant no disrespect."
...Jian Ye, Shu encampment...
"Whoa, Shang Xiang, what are you doing here?" Xiao Qiao asked of the princess of Wu. She and her sister had finally done what they left the fortress to do, and were now on their way back.
"Taking a walk." Shang Xiang smiled. "I hear Ce and Zhou Yu sent you as messengers. Are they in for it now or what?"
"You better believe it!" Xiao agreed energetically. "When I get my hands on that man, I'll teach him a thing or two about strategic redeployment!"
"Well, don't be too hard on them. I'm sure they had their reasons."
"It had better be one hell of a story." Da Qiao snapped. Something about the look in her eye told Shang Xiang that Ce just might be sleeping outside. "Then again, the patterns for the signals were complex."
Realization seemed to dawn on Xiao's face. "Complex enough that it would take a trained dancer to do it right." She laughed. "They sent us because we were the only ones capable!" Xiao rationalized.
"How...thoughtful?" Shang Xiang said, her tone indicating extreme doubt.
"No, they're still in for it." Da sighed. "Would you like to join us on our way back?"
"Thank you, but I think I'm going to wander through the Shu camp."
"Just be careful. They're like a walking tide."
Shang Xiang watched the two sisters depart before continuing towards her own destination. For some reason, Zhou Yu had wanted her estimate of Shu's preparedness and strength; apparently simply asking the force's commander would be insufficient. She had questioned whether her presence would be accepted, but the strategist assured her that she was in good standing with the Shu troops and officers.
Shang Xiang felt invisible; no one seemed to mind, let alone acknowledge, her presence. So she meandered her way through the encampment, taking note of sleeping guards here and diligent supply captains there. By her estimate, the Shu were organized, if a bit lax. She made a mental note of what exactly she would tell Zhou Yu and began to thread her way back through the maze of tents.
"Lady Sun!" The voice was smooth, but it lilted with the accent of the mountains. Shang Xiang turned to find the source, wondering why a Shu soldier would have an accent. She squinted at the man approaching her, trying to place his face with a name. Failing that, she opted for politeness.
"Yes?"
"I thought you may not recognize me. I'm glad to see you do."
"Um, I don't actually."
He blinked. "Oh. Jiang Wei." He inclined his head in a bow, which Shang Xiang returned. "I just wanted to offer my apologies for what happened to Zhou Tai."
"Zhou Tai?" Even as she searched her mind for the name, Shang Xiang felt the color drain from her face.
Jiang Wei's jaw dropped slightly. He looked away, then back again. "So you don't know… I should have guessed." He smiled in what he hoped was a kind and calming manner. "It's of little importance now. You don't need distractions now, but I'm sure if you ask one of your brothers about it, they'd tell you. Forgive me." He left in a hurry, and in her shock, Shang Xiang was in no position to stop him. Suddenly exhausted, she decided to put off her report to Zhou Yu until morning.
…Jian Ye, Wu fortress…
By nightfall, Shang Xiang still found herself troubled by the words of Zhuge Liang's student. Even so, she knew she would be of no use in battle if she hadn't slept well. She pushed her endless questions to the back of her mind and tried to give herself over to sleep.
"Frustrating, isn't it?"
Shang Xiang bolted from the edge of dreaming, cursing the spirit's unfortunate timing. "Not nearly as frustrating as you." She retorted, turning to glare at Sao Li.
Sao Li laughed, which only furthered Shang Xiang's irritation. "Sorry, but I'm hardly here to trade barbs with you." She sat on the floor, crossing her arms and looking at Shang Xiang as a mother admonishing her children. "Tomorrow's battle is important, not only to the fate of the Three Kingdoms, but to you personally. I can see that you struggle with being unable to recall so many important details. Remember that struggle, that pain, and keep it in mind when you choose."
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Yeah, so chapters six and seven were originally going to be one, but that would have been a twelve page affair. And quite frankly, I couldn't sit through it, so how could I expect you to do so? Here's your Deep Thought:
Support bacteria! It's the only culture some people have!
Please review! If you do, perhaps I'll update before next Friday…