Xiahou Dun – Yuánràng
Cao Cao – Mèngdé
Zhang He – Jùnyì
Zhang Fei – Yìdé
Xun Yu – Wénruò
Zhao Yun – Zǐlóng
Zhang Fei – Yìdé
Liu Bei – Xuándé
Guan Yu – Yúncháng
Zhang Liao – Wényuǎn
Li Dian – Mànchéng
Yu Jin – Wenze
Yue Jin – Wenqian
Sun Ce – Bófú
Sun Kuang - Jizuo
"There just so much that I want to say right now. I just don't know where to begin," Yuan said as he looked to Xiahouji who walked alongside him. He could still scarcely believe that she was truly there, by his side.
"Uncle," she looked up to him with tear-filled eyes. "C-can we…go visit uncle Yuánràng and aunt Zhuyue before we go home? I...I need to apologize to them. It's because of me…because of me…," she let out a sob as she wiped her tears with her sleeve.
"It's because of me that Xiaolian is…is..." she paused to stop the sob that threatened to escape her from within her. She took a deep breath to calm herself then tried again.
"It's because of me that Xiaolian is D-dead. I-I need to apologize."
Yuan blinked. Xiaolian dead? So she didn't know? He fought to keep the grin that begins to form from spreading across his face. He could have done the mature thing and comforted the girl, let her know that Xiaolian was alive and relatively well, but Yuan could never be accused of being mature in situations like these. It would be infinitely more entertaining to see the surprise on Xiahouji's face when she saw Xiaolian in the flesh.
The very thought of his "ingenious" plan made Yuan giddy. "He turned his back from Xiaolian so she wouldn't see the wide smile that split across his face. He covered his mouth and his body shook from the laughter he so desperately tried to hold in. He regained control of himself after a few seconds and schooled his face to be as serious as he could muster.
"Yes…I think that would be best," Yuan replied, attempting to sound as somber as possible.
"It just so happens they were visiting us before Mèngdé called for me. They should still be there."
"O-okay," Xiahouji said with a shaky voice. She tried to steel herself for what was to come, but there was nothing she could do to quash the fear she felt twisting knots within her stomach.
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They arrived at Yuan's home. The servants, who normally bowed to their master and his family whenever they passed by them temporarily forgot themselves as they stared at Xiahouji dumbstruck. They were all very fond of Xiahouji and were overjoyed to see her. One of the servants, Xiahouji's personal handmaid even forgot her place and hugged her, overjoyed to see her alive and well.
It took time, but Yuan was finally able to usher her past all the servants to the inner courtyard where their family waited for his return.
The first person Xiahouji saw upon entering the inner courtyard was Jiao. She wanted to call out to her aunt, but her voice was stuck in her throat upon realizing that Dun and Zhuyue sat beside her. Guilt welled up within her and fresh tears threatened to spill. She knew she had to apologize, but seeing them made her realize how impossible the task would be. How can you apologize to a parent for causing the loss of their child? How could you even find the words?
"XIAHOUJI!"
Before Xiahouji could turn to see who had called her name, she felt a lean yet muscular body crash into her lithe frame. She felt her feet leave the ground, but she did not hit the ground as she thought she would. Instead, her body was being swung around in a circle. She held tightly whoever grabbed her, afraid that she would hit the ground if she let go.
"You're alive! I can't believe you're alive!"
Xiahouji was so stunned, she couldn't answer. Things were happening so fast she couldn't even figure out who was holding her. She felt someone else pulling on her and giving her a tight hug.
"You have no idea how much we missed you! Where did you find her father?"
Her mind finally registered who the voices were. It was Heng and Ba, her beloved cousins. She managed a weak smile as Ba took his turn spinning her around, delighted to see his cousin.
"Boys, let the girl breathe!" Yuan said with a chuckle.
Reluctantly, Ba put her down and both boys took a few steps back.
"Sorry Xiahouji," they said in unison.
Xiahouji didn't have time to respond because Heng and Ba's display attracted the attention of Jiao, Dun and Zhuyue.
"Oh my darling girl, you are safe!" said Jiao as she knelt down in front of Xiahouji and cupped her face in her hands. She looked over the girl, her eyes scanning her frantically to see if she had any injury.
"Did they hurt you?"
Xiahouji shook her head, tears pouring from her eyes as she threw her arms around her aunt and hugged her tightly.
"I-I m-missed you s-so m-much," Xiahouji sputtered out.
"I missed you too. I missed you so much!" Jiao replied, tears now in her own eyes. She pulled back and looked at Xiahouji once more. She wiped the tears from her cheek with the pads of her thumb and smiled.
"They really didn't hurt you?"
Xiahouji shook her head once more. "Lord Zǐlóng protected me."
"Zǐlóng?" Dun said questioningly. Xiahouji flinched upon hearing his voice. Not out of fear of him, but fear of what she had been dreading. The time to confront Dun and Zhuyue about the loss of their daughter was drawing uncomfortably close and Xiahouji was not ready to face it.
"One of Bei's men, Zhao Yun. Heard the kid is pretty good with a spear…pretty damn good actually."
"Huh," Dun said as he rubbed his chin in thought. Apparently not everyone in Bei's army was an asshole.
"Well how long are you going to stand there?" Zhuyue asked.
At first, Xiahouji thought Zhuyue was speaking to her; she thought Zhuyue had decided to confront her about what happened to Xiaolian since she hadn't said anything to either of them yet, but Zhuyue's attention seemed to be focused elsewhere.
"I thought you would be the first one over here!" Zhuyue continued.
Xiahouji's brows furrowed in confusion. She looked in the direction Zhuyue had been facing, the same direction Heng and Ba had come from, and to her immense surprise she saw Xiaolian standing there looking no worse for wear and very much alive.
"X-Xiaolian?"
Xiaolian seemed to be pulled out of a trance at the mention of her name.
"Xiahouji…" she whispered.
Xiahouji could hardly believe her eyes. She looked up to Yuan in confusion and Yuan only flashed her one of his trademark jovial grins. She was confused, but she wasted no time running over to her friend and giving her a tight hug. Xiaolian didn't react, but Xiahouji didn't seem to care.
"I'm so sorry!" Xiahouji cried out. Those words caused Xiaolian to stir. She pushed Xiahouji away.
"Why? I-I let him take you. You hate me."
"No!" Xiahouji protested. "You fought for me! I-I-I thought you were dead! Uncle Yuan said you were dead!"
Dun immediately punched his brother in the arm. "Why would you do that?"
Yuan rubbed his arm, the grin still on his face.
"Hey, I did not say she was dead. YOU said she was dead. I just didn't correct you."
Zhuyue punched Yuan this time. "And you are smiling about it?" she hissed.
"Ow! Now you got your wife abusing me?"
Jiao joined in, hitting her husband as well with a slap on the arm. "Why would you do that do her?" she admonished.
"What the hell? It was a joke. A JOKE people. Yeah I could have told her, but look at how happy she is seeing her. That's better, right?"
The looks on their faces told him he was not. Yuan gave an indignant snort. "You guys are so uptight."
"I thought it was funny father," Heng whispered to Yuan.
"Me too," said Ba.
Yuan threw his arms around his sons. "Because like your father you have a good sense of humor," he said with a laugh.
Xiaolian and Xiahouji ignored their parent's squabbles as they continued their conversation.
"If I was stronger, he wouldn't have taken you," Xiaolian said with a frown as her eyes drifted down to the ground. She couldn't bring herself to look at Xiahouji.
Xiahouji shook her head vehemently. "You protected me. H-he would have done worse if you weren't there. That man…that man was a monster. I really thought he killed you. I'm sorry you got hurt because of me."
Xiahouji threw her arms around Xiaolian for another hug and this time, the girl responded with a hug of her own. Xiaolian shed silent tears, a wisp of a smile on her face, happy to see her best friend was finally back.
"See? It's fine! No harm done!" Yuan said. Dun, Jiao and Zhuyue gave Yuan a look that made him clam up immediately.
"So this is what Mèngdé called you for?" Dun asked.
"Yeah," Yuan replied.
"And I'm guessing in the midst of doing this stupid "joke" of yours, you haven't spoken to her at all, have you?"
Yuan hesitated in responding. He didn't care for Dun's wording at all. It wasn't a stupid joke, it was a brilliant joke. His brother just did not have a funny bone in his body.
"I'll take your silence as a no," Dun said with a sigh. "You guys have a lot to talk about. We'll leave you to it."
Zhuyue retrieved Chong who had been playing off to the side with his cousin Cheng, both oblivious to the going-ons around them. Both boys raised a fuss at being separated as they were enjoying playing with each other. Jiao retrieved Cheng and shushed him, assuring that he would see his cousin again.
Xiaolian and Xiahouji gave each other one final hug and promised that they would meet again soon and share all that had happened to them during the time they were separated. Xiahouji made sure to give Zhuyue and Chong hugs before they left and surprising herself and Dun, she gave him a big hug too. Normally, she was frightened of him. He was never mean to her, but his gruff demeanor always terrified her. After being around the likes of Fei, she realized that there were worse things out there and she honestly missed all of her family, even Ai and Shan.
"You guys make sure to bring your butts here tomorrow. We are gonna have a feast to celebrate Xiahouji's return," Yuan declared as Dun and his family were led out by servants.
Dun gave a wave acknowledging his brother's words and soon, Yuan and his family were left alone.
"That was very mean," Xiahouji said as she went to Yuan's side.
She wiped the tear remnants from her cheek with the sleeve of her robe and cringed at the action. If Ai saw her, she would raise a fit. Speaking of Ai and Shan, where were they? They didn't come out to greet her, not that she was surprised. What did surprise her, now that she thought about it, was that Dun and his family were here at all. Had they made up? Exactly what went on while she was away?
"Oh come on Xiahouji, not you too," Yuan said with a frown. "It was funny!"
Xiahouji gave him a pout showing that she did not agree, but she did not argue the point any further.
"Um…where is Lord Shan and Lady Ai?"
Yuan rolled his eyes at the titles. They were family. You shouldn't have to call family by their titles but that was what Ai and Shan insisted on. He was so damn happy they were gone.
"Well that's one of the things that we have to talk to you about—"
Xiahouji gasped and fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "T-they're dead?!"
Yuan's eyes widened. He looked to his wife and gestured towards Xiahouji. "You see? She just jumps to her own conclusions. How can I not take advantage of that?"
Jiao could only sigh at her husband's antics while her sons poorly concealed their snickers.
"Lady Ai and Lord Shan aren't dead—"
"Unfortunately," Yuan added earning more snickers from his sons.
"They only moved," Jiao continued, ignoring her husband.
"D-do I have to move to where they are?" Xiahouji asked. A lump formed in her throat and she struggled to swallow. She was terrified to hear the answer.
She respected Ai and Shan. She was grateful that they took her in and gave her a place to live, but she didn't like them very much. They weren't the nicest of people. They always seemed to want her out of the way and there was the fact that they tried to stop her from being friends with Xiaolian. She was happy they were gone and did not look forward to the prospect of being sent to them.
"That's one of the other things we gotta talk to you about. Jiao and I have adopted you. You are officially our daughter!" Yuan said with a wide smile.
"T-truly?" Xiahouji asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.
"Truly," Jiao confirmed with a smile.
"That's right! You're officially our little sister!" Heng said as he threw and arm around Xiahouji's shoulder.
"And we are training hard to make sure no one will mess with our little sister again, promise," said Ba as he threw his arm around Xiahouji as well.
How could she be so fortunate? First she was rescued from Zhang Fei's filthy clutches by Zhao Yun and brought back home, then she found out Xiaolian was still alive and now she finds out that she was adopted by her favorite uncle and aunt and she won't have to live with Ai and Shan any longer. This wasn't a dream was it? It seemed too good to be real. She had to ask, she had to make sure.
"This…this is real, right?"
"This is real," Yuan replied as he put a large hand on her head and mussed her hair the way he always did.
Xiahouji's face lit up instantly at his words. She threw her arms around Yuan and hugged him tightly before moving on and doing the same to Jiao, Heng and Ba. She went from what had to be her lowest low to such an unbelievable high. The heavens smiled favorably on her and she would forever be grateful.
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"So my brother is dead…" Yuan Shao murmured mostly to himself.
Chenglei swallowed hard. The only reason he managed to survive was because he had the forethought to run the minute he saw Bei's troops on the horizon. Shu underestimated Bei's troops and paid the price. When Chenglei saw Shu limping back to the castle wounded and with less than one third of the men he set out with, he knew his days were numbered. When Yuan Shu died, none of his men mourned him. They cursed his name and refused to give him a proper burial. To them, his death was the will of the heavens, punishment for Shu claiming to be the true emperor.
One by one, the remaining soldiers left Shu's castle and went back to their homes and Chenglei was left with a choice. Return back home, his vengeance against Zhuyue left unfulfilled or bow his head to the only other man that could help him exact his revenge, Yuan Shao. It was an easy choice for Chenglei to make. Of course some people may say that he is taking his revenge much too far, but he didn't care. No one got away with making him looking like a fool.
"Yes, my lord. I am sorry to bring you such unfortunate news."
"Yet you managed to survive?"
"I…was fortunate," Chenglei replied as he bowed his head humbly.
"Fortunate that your feet were fast enough to carry you far from the battle," Yan Ling quipped earning a laugh from his friend and constant companion Wen Chou.
Chenglei did his best to not let his annoyance show. He knew the favor Ling and Chou held with Shao and did not want to get on the bad side of his favorite generals.
"What of my nephews?"
"I am afraid they perished defending their father."
"Truly a waste," Shao said with a shake of his head. It was hard to tell whether he mourned their loss or simply considered it to be bothersome.
"Word of your family's passing is not all I brought," said Chenglei as he begin to unwrap the cloth bundle he held in his hands. The cloth gave way to reveal an object made of jade.
Shao's eyes widened. He knew what it was he was looking at. He stood up from his throne and descended the stairs to stand before Chenglei. Chenglei lowered his head and offered up the item humbly. Shao plucked it from its cloth bedding as he stared in amazement at the soft green luster. His fingers glided slowly over the detailed carving, marveling at the craftsmanship.
"The Imperial seal," he said in awe as he turned the object over in his hands. "At last it has made its way to me."
"What do you plan on doing with it father?" asked Shao's youngest and favorite son Yuan Shang.
"What do you mean what is he going to do? Father is going to use the seal to become emperor," said Yuan Xi in place of his father.
"No," said Shao as he returned to his throne. "Such a move caused the downfall of my brother. I will not follow in his footsteps."
"Then what are you going to do with it?" asked Yuan Tan, Shao's oldest son.
"I will hold it for now…After we deal with the menace that is Cao Cao, I will decide what to do with the seal."
Shao turned his attention to Chenglei.
"You did well to bring this to me, but I know that you do no favor without expecting something in return, so speak of what it is you wish of me."
"Our goals coincide. You wish to defeat Cao Cao and I wish for the death of one that serves under him."
Shao rolled his eyes in equal parts boredom and annoyance. "You speak of your revenge against the woman that spurned you? Do you truly still carry this grudge?"
Chenglei hand clutched into a fist and he grit his teeth in frustration. He did not appreciate Shao's flippant attitude.
"I swore on my honor that I would make that bitch pay. If I abandon my revenge now, what kind of man would I be?"
"Honor?" Ling said with a scoff. "Where was your honor when you called our lord a fool and abandoned him for his brother? You dare to ask a favor from him yet you do not even bother to show proper deference?! You should be groveling for mercy!"
"My lord, say the word and I'll remove this fool's head from his shoulders," said Chou.
Chenglei could see this situation was spiraling out of control. He thought the imperial seal would be enough to appease Shao but his subordinates did not seem keen on letting him forget the way he left his service.
"My subordinates have a point, Chenglei. Your head is a bit too high after all you have done," said Shao as he held the seal in front of him, still marveling over its beautiful design.
Chenglei felt sheer outrage at Shao's demand. He was a man of noble birth yet he wanted him to bow his head like a commoner? The cost of his revenge grew steadily higher. He had given both brothers grain, horses and taels to support their armies and now he is to give up his pride as well? Was it worth it? Chenglei was beginning to doubt it was.
"I will admit my fault. I was wrong to assume your brother was a better man to follow than you. He spoke honeyed words and I foolishly believed them, a decision I regret. I am prepared to supply your army with food, and horses and whatever else is in my power to provide if you give me the chance to get the revenge I desire. I will do all of this for you, but I will not bow my head as if I were some peasant. I will not show such deference to anyone but the emperor. If this is not good enough for you, then I shall take me leave."
Chou immediately drew his pike, ready to make Chenglei a head shorter. Had it not been for Shao's intervention, those would have been the last words Chenglei spoke. Shao raised a hand to halt Chou. The man stopped on his master's command, but he kept his weapon in hand and his muscles taut. If Chenglei even breathed in a way that displeased Shao, he would be dead before he realized what happened.
"It is because of your station that I will forgive your words and not have Wen Chou make good on his threat. You will give us double what you had originally offered."
"Double?! You must be mad!"
Chou moved towards Chenglei but Shao stopped him once more.
"How much is your revenge worth, Chenglei?" Shao asked with a smug smile. He would get his way. He knew it and Chenglei knew it. At this point, all he was doing was trying to save face; to make it seem as if he didn't bend so easily to Shao's will.
"Very well, you will have your resources, but I want assurance that I will have my revenge."
"When I win the battle against Cao Cao, I'll see that you have your revenge. Now go. I will let you know when you are needed again."
Chenglei hesitated. To be dismissed in such a way. Shao was truly throwing his weight around. He glanced at Chou and could see that he was poised to strike at any moment. Shao certainly had a vicious guard dog in this man. Taking a deep breath, Chenglei saluted Shao and exited the audience hall.
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"You look troubled."
Zhang He looked up to the speaker. He saw Zhenji standing behind him, her body turned to the side so he could only see one side of her face. He normally would have smiled and flattered her with flowery words, but he wasn't in the mood today. As he feared, Yuan Shu and his family were dead. Their deaths were senseless and could have easily been avoided if Shao had only listened.
"Lord Shu's forces met with Liu Bei. They lost the battle. Lord Shu and his family have died," Jùnyì said as he leaned his chin against the knee he had drawn up to his chest.
"If only they would have listened to you," Zhenji said softly as she wrapped her arms around herself to protect herself from the chilling breeze that passed by.
"Indeed," Jùnyì replied with a sigh. "Zhenji—"
Her eyes widened. He rarely called her by her name. Whenever he addressed her, it was always such endearing words. Whatever he was about to say was bound to be serious.
"I do not think I can remain here much longer. I have a feeling that soon, I will be leaving lord Shao's service."
This wasn't the first time he said that to her. What struck her was the seriousness in his tone when he said it this time. He truly meant it this time. He truly meant to leave Shao, he would leave her. Zhenji closed her eyes and turned her head towards the oncoming breeze. She enjoyed feeling its touch as it swept over her even if it made her shiver.
"Your friendship will be truly missed. I honestly do not know how I will get along without it."
She truly meant that. Interacting with Zheng He was a bright spot in her life. With him gone, she would have nothing beside her flute to bring her joy and even that did not bring her the pleasure it use to. All of the melodies she played echoed the sadness in her heart and she would end up crying before she could get through a song. The only time she could play something beautiful was when she played for him. With him gone what was left for her?
Zhang He did not have to look at her to know the sorrow she was feeling at his sudden announcement for he felt it as well. Zhenji was precious to him and he knew how much she suffered as Yuan Xi's wife. The man was vile and did not deserve her. He would never be able to forgive himself if he left her alone.
"When I leave, I intend to take you with me."
Her eyes widened. She had to have heard incorrectly. She must have. It was her pitiful wish to not be left alone that made her hear such sweet words. Jùnyì stood and walked over to Zhenji. She tried to turn away from him, to stop him from seeing what she futility tried to hide, but He would not let her. He gently took hold of his face with one hand and turned it to him. He frowned upon seeing the swollen purplish bruise that adorned her eye.
"He hit you again. What was the reason this time?" Jùnyì asked softly.
Zhenji shrugged her shoulders lightly. "He believes lord Shao favors lord Shang over him. To ease his bruised ego, he decided to drink and take his frustration out on me."
Jùnyì sighed. He pressed his forehead lightly against hers. "I cannot leave you alone with such a monster. When I leave, I swear I will take you with me. I will not leave you here alone."
"You owe me nothing, Jùnyì. Take care of yourself. I will survive as I always have."
"Do you think I could be at peace knowing that I have left someone I hold so dear to such an ugly fate?"
Zhenji wanted to believe, but living through such a bleak existence for so many years, she found it hard to get her hopes up.
"Please do not give me false hope, Jùnyì. Do not play such a cruel joke on my heart."
Jùnyì pulled back from Zhenji. He produced a dagger and before Zhenji could ask what it was for, he cut his hand.
"Jùnyì! What are you—"
"Let this blood be proof of my oath, Zhenji, my beautiful butterfly," He curled the cut hand into a fist and squeezed. The blood dripped in steady drops to the grass below. "I will not leave you here to suffer under that brutish husband of yours. When I leave, I will make sure you leave with me."
"Oh Jùnyì…I believe you. Thank you." She said as she took his bloody hand in hers.
Unbeknownst to both of them, they were not the only ones in the garden that night. Hiding just out of view and eavesdropping on the pair was the strategist Guo Tu.
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"Don't go to Yuan Shao?" Liu Bei asked Xun Yu in confusion.
They had been traveling long and hard with the intent of asking Yuan Shao for refuge in exchange for joining him in his fight against Cao Cao, a suggestion put forth by Xun Yu; now that same man was telling them to scrap that idea.
"Not immediately," Xun Yu clarified.
"Tch, I don't know why we trusted this fool; he doesn't seem to know his ass from his elbow. You tell us one thing and now you tell us another, why should we continue listening to you?!" Fei spat out angrily.
"Peace, brother," Bei said. "I must admit, Wénruò, I do not understand. Why do you suddenly want us to change our plans?"
"My lord, strategy isn't only about following a well laid out plan. It is also adapting when unforeseen circumstances arise."
"So something unforeseen has happened?" asked Guan Yu as he stroked the length of his magnificent beard.
"I'm afraid so," Xun Yu replied with a solemn nod. "It seems that someone has slipped through our fingers. Yuan Shao knows that we were the ones that caused his brother's death."
Liu Bei frowned. That was bad news indeed. He doubted that Shao would be willing to give shelter to the men that killed his family.
"So all hope is lost," Bei said sadly. Why did it seem like the heavens continually tested him? He had such misfortune when trying to unite the land for the better, yet villainous men like Cao Cao seemed to be favored. He couldn't understand why.
"No, my lord. All hope is not lost. I have adjusted our plan and have another course of action we should follow."
Bei perked up at Xun Yu's words. Perhaps the heavens haven't turned their back on him just yet.
"What is your new plan?"
"We go to Xu Province," he replied.
Bei's eyes widened. "Xu Province?" The land once entrusted to him, stolen by Lu Bu then stolen once again by Cao. The thought of going back there stirred up mixed feelings in Bei.
Xun Yu nodded. "The current provincial governor is Che Zhou. I know him well. He does not yet know of our defection and he will welcome us with open arms, especially since we still march with the army Cao had given us and still fly his banners. We can trick him just as we have tricked Zhu Ling. Once inside, I will convince him to join us. Once Xu is under our control, we will have a stronger position and Yuan Shao will have to take us more seriously seeing as how we struck the first blow against Cao Cao."
"And what if this plan of yours doesn't work? What if this Che Zhou doesn't want to join us?" Fei asked.
Xun Yu frowned. He made sure to keep his attention focused on Bei instead of that detestable man when he replied.
"I am certain Zhou will see things our way."
"Yeah, and if he doesn't, I'll handle him personally."
"My lord, can you please control this beast? There will be no need for violence."
"Call me beast again and it'll be the last thing you do," growled Fei.
"Please, both of you, stop it," Bei said tiredly. "I agree with this plan of yours Wénruò. It gives us a land of our own and we won't be relying solely on Yuan Shao. If you think you can convince Che Zhou to join us, I will give you the opportunity to do so, however, if it seems that he is not going to join us, we will have to deal with him."
Xun Yu frowned but saluted Bei. "I understand."
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-A week and a half later-
"It is so good to see you again, Wénruò. Tell me, how is the family?"
Xun Yu felt a pang of regret at the mention of his family. He had missed them terribly, but he couldn't let Che Zhou know that. He forced a smile and replied.
"They are well, thank you for asking."
"Good. Good!" Zhou replied with a jovial smile. "I trust the food is good?"
"It is very good. We thank you for getting this ready in such a short amount of time," said Bei.
The minute Che Zhou heard of their approach, he had his servants slaughter a pig and prepare a feast. The spread that was laid out before them was nothing short of impressive as was the jugs of wine that accompanied it.
"How could I not properly greet such honored guest? So tell me, do you bring word from Lord Cao?"
Xun Yu and Liu Bei exchanged glances. It was time to see whether Xun Yu could sway Zhou to their side.
"No, but we do bring word from the emperor," Xun Yu said carefully. He watched the man to gauge his reaction and could see the confusion on his eyes at his words.
"The emperor?"
"Yes. He is not pleased with lord Cao's actions as of late. He bade a few men to stand up against him."
The smile on Zhou face slowly disappeared. "Speak plainly, Wénruò. Why are you here?"
"I wanted to ask you to join us, in the name of the emperor, I ask you to stand up against a new tyranny that has taken root in our land."
Zhou looked between the men that sat around him and it was clear that he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
"Wénruò, have you abandoned lord Cao? Have you defected in favor of Liu Bei?"
Before Xun Yu could answer the doors to the hall opened. A servant bowed quickly and hurried to their master's side. The servant whispered something to Zhou and once again, Zhou was eyeing the group before him. Zhou stood from his seat and gave the group a strained smile.
"It seems there is a problem with the rest of the food…Please excuse me."
He walked as calmly as he could towards the exit and he had very nearly made it when he found himself blocked by the imposing figure of Guan Yu.
"Please excuse me, Yúncháng," Zhou said as calmly as he could muster, unfortunately the shakiness in his voice was easily heard. Whatever the servant whispered in his ear did not bode well for them.
Guan Yu did not move out of the way, nor did he reply.
"Yúncháng, please mo—"
Zhou was cut off by a sudden blinding pain. His eyes went wide in surprise as he looked down to the source of the sudden ache and was shocked and alarmed to see his blood flowing freely from his stomach and jutting from the wound he could make out the handle of a dagger, which had Guan Yu's large hand wrapped around it. He tried to wrap his hands around Guan Yu's own and pull the dagger from inside of him, but Yu's hand would not budge. Zhou's hand quickly became coated with blood making it impossible to get a good enough grip. Yu twisted the blade making Zhou wince at the new pain that assaulted him.
"W-What are you doing?!" Xun Yu asked as he shot up from the table in surprise.
Zhou tried to speak but blood bubbled out of his mouth instead. He reached a bloody hand towards Yu's face, but Yu pulled back so all he could grasp at was air. Zhou sucked in shaky breathes and felt his strength abandon him. He fell to his knees before Yu, pulling himself free of the dagger as he did so. He glanced up at the face of his killer one last time before falling onto his back dead.
The servant screamed and tried to run, but he did not get far. Guan Yu grabbed him by the collar and yanked him backwards; driving the dagger into his throat once he was in range.
Xun Yu fell back, shocked at what he was seeing. He might have expected something like this from Zhang Fei, but Guan Yu? He wouldn't have fathomed that he would do something like this.
Bei, who had a remorseful look as he watched the scene unfold, stood and looked at the rest of his men.
"Kill anyone that does not surrender."
"Haha! You got it brother," Fei replied a bit too enthusiastically as he bounded out of the hall to fulfill his orders. Guan Yu followed silently behind his brother with a grim countenance.
Xun Yu looked up to Bei in utter shock. "W-what are you saying?"
"Wénruò, I am sorry for the lost of Che Zhou, but it was clear he was not going to join us. The way he looked at us when his servant whispered in his ear, he looked wary of us. If we let him leave, I do not think we would be having this conversation. I know you saw this."
Bei was right, Xun Yu had seen it. He could see how disturbed Zhou looked once he realized that Xun Yu no longer served Cao. He could see the anger and disgust that flashed in his eyes at the very concept of abandoning Cao for Bei. He did not miss the way Zhou glared at them when the servant whispered in his ear. His rational mind told him that he failed. He was not able to sway Zhou to his side, but there was a part of him that still wanted to try. To see him killed in such a cowardly way…it was shameful.
"I understand your reluctance to take part in what comes next. We will handle it. Please remain here," said Bei as he exited the room with his brothers.
Xun Yu rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe this situation spiraled out of control so quickly.
"Liu Bei is not the man I thought he was," he whispered sadly.
"No, he is not," a clear voice replied. His head snapped towards the source of the voice and felt his nerves ease slightly at seeing Zhao Yun.
"You looked relieved to see that it is me," Yun remarked.
"I suppose I am," he replied. "Out of all those who serve lord Xuándé, you seem to be the most honorable."
"Lord Xuándé is an honorable man—"Yun begin, but his words died in his throat at seeing Yu shake his head in disagreement.
"He pretends to be an honorable man, but an honorable man does not let a girl that has been kidnapped from her family be the wife of the man that kidnapped her. An honorable man does not order the slaughter of innocent people just because they do not agree with their view and don't tell me he had no choice. There is always another way…we could have simply kicked them out of Xu Province. This butchery is not necessary."
"If they surrender—"
"Do you honestly think Yìdé will care if they surrender?" Yu asked cutting him off once more. "The very fact that lord Xuándé knows how despicable of a man his sworn brother is and has done nothing to stop him tells you how honorable a man he is. Cao Cao is a villain, one of the worst in this age, but he does not hide his nature…I didn't realize how refreshing that honesty was."
Yun did not reply this time. He seemed to be considering Xun Yu's words.
"I suppose you will tell lord Xuándé what I said."
"Do you plan on betraying him?"
"No…even if he is not as honorable a man as I originally thought, I still feel as if he is the best hope for this land. Perhaps…perhaps I could sway him to a truly honorable path."
"If that is how you feel, there is no reason for me to say anything. You are allowed to have your grievances."
Xun Yu nodded. "As I said…you are truly an honorable man. I knew it the moment you I saw you spirit Xiahouji away from the unfortunate fate that awaited her."
Yun tried to not show surprise, but for a brief second, the surprise in his eyes were hard to miss.
"I have been sleeping poorly as of late," Yu explained. "I'm lucky if I could more than four hours of rest. I often sit outside and enjoy the night sky during those times. You can spot the most interesting things in the dead of night."
Yun remained quiet as he listened to Yu's explanation. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about him knowing what he had done.
"You did what I had no courage to do and I was happy that you did. You needn't worry about me saying anything."
"You have my thanks then…" Yun said softly feeling his own sense of relief.
"No, you have mine. Zǐlóng, I hate to thrust this burden on you, but please, save as many of Che Zhou's people that you can. They are good people and do not deserve to die."
Zhou stood and headed for the door. He looked over his shoulder to Xun Yu.
"I already planned to," he said before exiting.
Xun Yu breathed a shaky sigh of relief. All hope was not lost for Liu Bei's army.
=#=
"You are wearing a hole in my rug." Zhuyue said with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.
"S-sorry, I'm just trying to prepare," Lingqi replied as she forced herself to cease her pacing.
"It is a wedding, not a battle, Lingqi."
"I know that!" she replied louder than she intended.
Zhuyue only shook her head, the smile playing on her lips that had only gotten wider as she observed Lingqi's increasing nervousness as her wedding drew ever closer.
"If you know that, then you also know that at one's wedding, they usually smile and don't look like they are about to kill someone."
Lingqi blinked. "This is how I normally look," she replied with a frown.
"I know. You constantly look as if you are trying to decide the best way to attack something. Good for battle, bad for marriage. Wouldn't you like Wényuǎn to see your beautiful smile when he comes to retrieve you?"
"You're right…you're right," Lingqi said. She sucked in a deep breathe and forced the biggest smile that she could muster.
Zhuyue's eyes widened.
"Wow…that is…um…terrible. You know what? Forget the smiling. Just be yourself."
"I look terrible," Lingqi said with a groan as she looked down at her robe.
Since they had such a short amount of time to plan for the wedding, Lingqi couldn't get a traditional wedding robe. What she currently wore paled in comparison to the robe she wore when she was to marry Yuan Shu's son, but it was beautiful in its own right. Instead of having intricate gold embellishing throughout the robe, she only had it lining the edge of it. It was the best she could have done in such a short amount of time.
"You look beautiful," Zhuyue replied. It may not have been as elaborate as some other wedding robes, but it was still beautiful and most importantly, it looked comfortable. Zhuyue absolutely hated her wedding robe. She didn't have a choice in what she wore, as Ai took that away from her, and she felt uncomfortable for the whole day.
"You are just saying that," Lingqi replied with a pout.
"Xiaolian, how do you think she looks?" Zhuyue asked as she looked over to her daughter.
Zhuyue had insisted, in that way that only a mother can, that Xiaolian take part in assisting Lingqi in preparing for her wedding. While Zhuyue was still not enthusiastic with the idea of forcing Xiaolian to marry, she was even less enthusiastic with the idea of Cao using her as political leverage; so here they were, Xiaolian helping with Lingqi's sudden wedding in a thinly veiled attempt to get her use to the idea marriage itself.
Xiaolian who had been looking idly out of the window turned to the room's inhabitants and regarded Lingqi in silence.
"Nice," she replied after a few moments.
Lingqi's eyes widened. That was quite possibly the nicest thing Xiaolian has actually said to her.
"See? Xiaolian doesn't lie."
"Thank you," Lingqi mumbled appreciatively. "And thank you Lady Yue."
"Zhuyue," she corrected. Just hearing the name given to her by her Ai and Shan made her cringe. They didn't give it to her because they accepted her; they gave it to her as a way to change her into the daughter they wanted. She refused to be called by that name any longer.
"Sorry," Lingqi said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it. It was what you knew me as when you met me so I imagine it is a bit weird to suddenly start calling me something else. Anyway, you don't have to thank me."
"But I do. It was kind of you and Yuánràng to stand in as my family."
"You are like family, so your thanks is unnecessary."
Zhuyue's words warmed Lingqi's heart. After Xiapi, Lingqi made it a point to not think about the loss of her parents. She wanted to forget the pain she felt at the loss of her mother and the shame of finding out how vile a man her father was. Her efforts were a bit too successful because she had completely forgotten that she had no parents to stand with her on the day she would wed Zhang Liao. She will always be eternally grateful to Zhuyue for volunteering herself and Dun for the role.
"I have to say though, the timing you two have is terrible," Zhuyue remarked as she stood and straightened a wayward stray strand on Lingqi's head.
Just a day after they announced the date of their wedding, Cao Cao called for a war council. He informed them that he had executed the traitors and their families and that it was now time to move against Yuan Shao. They couldn't very well have their wedding while marching to war so they had to move up the date of their wedding. Lingqi refused to wait until after the war as it wasn't a guarantee that they would survive the ensuing battle.
Lingqi shrugged in response. "I didn't want to wait anymore…we never know what the next battle will bring."
Zhuyue sighed but nodded in understanding. That was the reality of the life of a warrior. One never knew when their next battle would be their last.
"He's here! He's here!" announced one the servants in a sing song voice.
"Time for you to get married," Zhuyue said with a smile in an effort to lift the somber mood that had descended upon them. "Are you ready?"
Lingqi nodded, a look of determination on her face that made Zhuyue chuckle. They headed towards the entrance to greet Zhang Liao.
=#=
The wedding was an intimate affair, attended only by those that had become their closest allies and their families. This wasn't a surprise to either of them since they were still mostly ostracized by most of Cao's forces. Cao also did not attend since he was in the midst of planning for his march against Yuan Shao, but he sent them gifts and his well wishes. Despite all this, Lingqi felt as if the wedding was absolutely perfect.
She looked over to her new husband, curious as to whether he was enjoying himself as well. It was impossible to tell because like always, he wore a stoic mask that hid all traces of emotion. When all this was over, and they were alone, she would ask him if he enjoyed himself and she knew he would answer her truly. Seeing him break that façade of his always made Lingqi so giddy. She knew that he only showed that side of himself to her and she felt special because of it.
Zhang Liao seemed to feel her eyes on him and he turned his head to face her.
"What's wrong?"
Lingqi shook her head. "Nothing."
She returned her gaze to the others. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Yuan wasn't quite drunk, but it was evident he was well on his way from his rosy cheeks and his growing boisterous tone. He threw an arm around Guo Jia making him spill a bit of the wine in his cup. Jia didn't seem to mind as he threw his own arm around Yuan and the two enjoyed a laugh together. Lingqi was surprised when Guo Jia and Jia Xu showed up for their wedding. She thought they would be preoccupied with assisting Cao with his planning. It made her happy that they took time out for her and Liao.
Everything was perfect. Lingqi couldn't have asked for anything more at the moment. Best of all, when the clamor of the wedding dinner had died down and everyone had gone home; she would be able to spend the night with Liao in their new home. Lingqi's eyes widened at the sudden realization. She and Liao would be spending the night together. She sprang up from her seat so suddenly that she captured the attention of everyone in the room.
Instead of providing and excuse for her sudden action, she walked as quickly as her wedding robe would allow over to Zhuyue. Without providing an explanation, she grabbed hold of the woman's arm with a crushing grip and pulled her out of the room.
"Ow, ow, OW!" Zhuyue protested as she pried her vice like grip from around her arm.
Lingqi didn't seem to even realize she had been holding Zhuyue so tightly. Her heart was beating so rapidly it was drowning out all the sounds around her. The only thing she could think of was that she would have to sleep with Liao.
"What is wrong with you?" Zhuyue asked angrily as she rubbed her arm where she was sure Lingqi had left a bruise.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry," Lingqi said apologetically. "I just needed to talk to you."
"Use your words next time," Zhuyue chided. She then gave a sigh as Lingqi looked at her with her brows knotted up in worry.
"So you got me out here, what is it?"
"I have to sleep with Wényuǎn."
"That's usually how it goes, yes."
"I…don't know what to do," Lingqi confessed. She cast her eyes down, ashamed at her lack of knowledge. Her mother tried to tell her before on how to please her husband when she was to be married to Yuan Shu's son, but she always refused to hear any of it. She swore that she would be able to prove to her father that she would be a capable enough warrior and avoid the marriage altogether. Now she was regretting her stubbornness.
"Oh," Zhuyue said softly. "I guess your mother didn't teach you this?"
"She tried…I refused to listen," Lingqi replied with a frown.
"Well, no one ever told me what to do either. My mother died when I was born and I did not have any other women I could talk to."
"But you had to have slept with Yuánràng to consummate your marriage, right? What did you do? Please, anything you can tell me will be helpful," she said pleadingly.
This would be their first night together. Her first night to show Liao that she was truly a woman and that he made the right choice in choosing her. She wanted to impress him.
Zhuyue could hear the sincerity in her voice and feel the nervous energy rolling off her in waves. So, Zhuyue thought back to her first time with Dun so she could try to tell her something to help her. Her first time with Dun was…strange. It was just after she killed Xiulan. She was a bundle of emotions and when she returned to the room she shared with Dun, he was up waiting for her. Months of teasing each other came to a head and even though she had the blood of someone she once called sister splattered on her, they slept together. It was rough, passionate and something they both needed at the time.
"Um…I don't think our first time is the best example."
Lingqi frowned at her answer. "Was it bad? Did you both not like it?"
"No, it was actually pretty damn amazing; it's the circumstances in which it came about that's makes it strange."
Lingqi had a lot of questions but she could pick up on the fact that Zhuyue was being purposely vague so she decided not to press her on it.
"So there is nothing you can tell me?" Lingqi sounded so crestfallen when she spoke that Zhuyue knew she had to tell her something, anything to help her out.
"Since I was so new to everything, I just followed his lead and did what felt right. The biggest thing I think I did was that I didn't over think it. I don't think he did either. We just did what felt right in that moment and it worked out fine."
"That's it?" Lingqi asked. Her tone denoted that she wasn't quite convinced with her response. She wanted instruction. She could follow instructions, but telling to not think and go with what she felt? How exactly was she supposed to do that?
"That's it," Zhuyue said with a smile. "It'll work out fine. Remember, don't think, feel."
Lingqi sighed. Don't think, feel. At least there was still time to figure out how exactly she would do that.
=#=
After Lingqi had abruptly dragged Lingqi out of the room, Yuan coax Xiahouji into dancing for the group to distract them from the bride's odd behavior. This left Xiaolian alone giving Dian a perfect opportunity to speak to her, something he hadn't had a chance to do since he rescued her in the forest a few months ago.
"Enjoying the wedding?" Dian asked as he took a seat next to Xiaolian. She turned her attention from Xiahouji to Dian. It seemed like it had been a long time since they spoke. She was surprised that she found that she missed him as much as she did.
"I like it better than the ones my parents had," she replied.
"Oh really? Why?"
"Less noisy," she replied.
Dian chuckled. He knew that she wasn't a fan of big crowds so that answer didn't really surprise him.
"I want my wedding to be like this," she added. This surprised Dian. He didn't think she was the type of girl to think about such things.
"I'm surprised. I didn't think you thought about stuff like that. So you want to get married huh?" Dian asked before taking a drink of water from the cup he had brought alone with him.
"My parents," she began as she fiddled with her fingers. "They say I must marry."
The water Dian had just taken into his mouth ejected in a spray, showering Xiaolian. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance and Dian shot up out of his seat.
"I'M SO SORRY!" He shouted out, somehow suddenly unable to control his volume. His outburst garnered the attention of everyone else in the room making Xiaolian feel even more uncomfortable.
Dian cringed. He could hear how loud his words had just come out. He certainly did not intend for that to happen, but he was having a hard time controlling himself. He was just so surprised by what Xiaolian said that his brain seemed to temporarily shut off. He thanked a servant that had witnessed the scene and brought them a cloth profusely. Cloth in hand, he knelt down before Xiaolian begin to gently wipe her face. The entire action felt so intimate to Xiaolian that she could feel her face heating up. This was entirely too much for her to deal with right now.
"I'm so sorry," he repeated, this time at a much more reasonable tone. He was seemingly oblivious to Xiaolian's increasing discomfort.
Xiaolian could feel everyone's eyes still on them and she couldn't stand it. She never liked being the center of attention and that is exactly what Dian had unwittingly done. Xiaolian plucked the cloth from his hands and pointed to his seat. Dian got the message and backed away, but not before uttering one more 'sorry'.
Xiaolian wiped the rest of her face and neck off with the cloth. Xiahouji mercifully begin to dance once more, pulling the attention back of most of the people in the room. Dian fidgeted in his seat as if something was ready to burst out of him. Finally, unable to hold it in anymore, he spoke up.
"You're getting married?"
"No," Xiaolian replied as she wiped her side of the table with the cloth.
"But you said—"
"I said I must get married," she clarified as she dropped the cloth onto the table and pushed it off to the side out of the way.
"O-oh," Dian said. So she wasn't immediately getting married. That's good, but from her words, it seemed like she had to get married soon. It made sense considering her age.
"I don't want to get married," Xiaolian said with a frown. Her eyes were focused on the table in front of her as her fingers traced the spiral pattern on its wooden surface.
"Why? I thought all girls wanted to get married someday."
"Remember Xiulan?" Just saying her name brought a bad taste to Xiaolian's mouth. Despite the time that has passed, she hadn't forgiven her. She wondered if she ever would.
"Your sister, yeah."
Xiaolian's eyes shot to him at the term 'sister'. Even if it was the truth, she hated the reminder that she was ever related to someone so horrible.
"She's not my sister…not anymore."
"I see…sorry…" Dian said apologetically.
Xiaolian lowered her eyes back to the table. She shouldn't have snapped at him. He didn't say anything that was false and she was fairly sure he wasn't aware of how deep her hatred of Xiaolian truly was.
"After mother took us in, Xiulan made me take lessons on how to become a proper lady. She planned to use mother's nobility to have me married off to a wealthy man…so she would be taken care of. She had no plans on giving me a choice. She only thought about herself."
"Geez, no wonder you don't like her," Dian remarked as a servant a came over to them and placed plates of food in front of them before moving on to the other guest.
Xiaolian nodded in response. She inhaled the pleasant scent wafting from her plate but did not move to eat any of it.
"But this isn't the same right? I mean, Master Yuánràng and Lady Zhuyue would never marry you off just so they are taken care of."
"I know. I know that but…I can't help but remember…"
"Tell me, did they tell you who they were planning on marrying you off to?" he asked as he pushed his food around before giving up on the pretense of eating completely.
She shook her head. "They asked me to choose."
"So you can choose?" Dian gave her a smile. "That's pretty lucky for you; usually women don't get a choice in the matter."
Xiaolian shifted her eyes up to him then quickly returned them to her plate. "I don't feel lucky."
Dian frowned and pushed his own plate aside. "You really hate the idea of marriage? Of having a husband? Someone who would love you and take care of you? Someone you could build a family with?"
"It scares me."
"I guess you are pretty young…I mean last year, you probably weren't even—"
"No. I mean it scares me to have someone else to lose. What…what if I love him and he dies?"
Dian gave an awkward chuckle. "Geez, you really have morbid thoughts."
Xiaolian did not join him in his laughter. He gave a sigh and reached across the table to take her hand.
"You can't be afraid of loving someone just because you might lose them. I know you've lost a lot in your life and it hurt, but tell me, would you preferred to not know them or care for them at all? Would you have been happier that way?"
Xiaolian thought about this. She thought of her brother, her mother, her father. Their faces were faded in her memories and she could barely recall the sounds of their voices, but what she could recall with perfect clarity was the feeling of happiness the memories of them stirred in her heart. She never wanted to lose that feeling. It was the same with her new family. She didn't want to imagine a life without them, without their love and the warmth.
"No," she finally replied.
"Well there ya go. Don't let such a silly fear stop you."
Dian pulled his hand away from Xiaolian and the two fell into a comfortable silence. Xiaolian's hunger got the better of her and she pulled her food back in front of her and began to eat. Dian followed suit, sneaking glances at her whenever she wasn't looking.
"So, you have anyone you might like?" He asked, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible.
Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own.
"Did you mean it when you said I was pretty?"
"Are you worried that whatever guy you like might not find you attractive?"
"Just answer."
"You know, you are pretty bossy," Dian said with a chuckle.
"Answer," Xiaolian repeated.
"Okay, okay. I don't recall saying pretty," he began. Xiaolian's face fell, but Dian continued.
"I believed the word I used was beautiful."
"I'm not beautiful."
"So you keep saying, but I wholeheartedly disagree. The man that gets to marry you will be lucky indeed," Dian said as he picked up a healthy helping of food from his plate to eat.
"Would you marry me?"
The question completely took Dian by surprise. He promptly dropped the food he had been bringing to his mouth onto his lap.
"Damnit," he said as he pulled his chair back and examined the mess. He couldn't believe he was getting flustered so easily today.
Xiaolian kept her eyes focused on him, waiting patiently for an answer. Dian on the other hand looked everywhere but at Xiaolian. This was an action he regretted as that left his eyes to lock with Dun who had been watching them intently since his outburst. Dian swallowed hard and pulled his eyes away from Dun and focused them back on Xiaolian. She was gazing at him with an intensity that matched her father's making Dian question whether she and Dun truly weren't related by blood.
"You…uh—you are really taking me by surprise today."
"Answer," Xiaolian demanded, seemingly oblivious to Dian's efforts to avoid the topic.
Instead of replying, Dian chose to clean up the mess he had made on his lap. He didn't have to look at Xiaolian to know that she was still watching him nor did he have to look at Dun to know he was doing the same. He already knew the answer to her question. He knew it a long time ago. Knowing and verbalizing it however, were two entirely different things. How would she look at him when he told her his answer? They had only just gotten this close and he was afraid that he would scare her off. Unfortunately, it didn't look like she would take his silence as an answer. He would have to tell her the truth and hope for the best.
Dian took a deep breath. "Yes. I would."
He could have said more. He could have told her that when he first met her, his gut told him that she was someone that would be important in his life. At first he thought that meant that he would care for her as he would a little sister, but as time went on, he knew that she would be so much more. He could have told her all this, but he was afraid. It was hard to explain his gut feelings to others without sounding like a mad man so he just resolved himself to a simple answer and hope to the heavens that she wouldn't ask for an explanation.
Before Xiaolian could say anything more, Xiahouji's dance had concluded and she rejoined Xiaolian. She eyed Dian cautiously and he didn't think he could take the pressure of so many eyes staring so intently at him. He gave a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head.
"Well…that was…an interesting conversation. I'll leave you two ladies alone."
Before Xiaolian could protest, he had gotten up and hurried back to previous seat next to Yue Jin.
By this time, Lingqi and Zhuyue had returned to the room. Lingqi retook her seat next to Liao and Zhuyue took her next to Dun. Zhuyue took note of the glare Dun was currently levying at Dian and decided to question him on it.
"Is there a reason why you are looking at Mànchéng like you want to strangle him?"
"Did you know Xiaolian and Mànchéng were friends?" Dun asked in place of answering her question.
Zhuyue arched a brow. "She sees him all the time…It's no surprise they are familiar with each other."
"That wasn't just familiarity I saw. They are close. How many people do you know that Xiaolian would allow to touch her."
"Could count them on one hand," Zhuyue replied.
"Yeah, well at Mànchéng to that."
"Okay…clearly I missed a lot."
"You did," Dun replied. He finally broke his gaze from Dian, much to the latter's relief, and looked at his wife.
"What was that with Lingqi about anyway?"
Zhuyue leaned closer to Dun and he leaned over as well, anticipating her reply.
"Can't tell you," Zhuyue whispered with a smirk. Dun pulled back and looked at her.
"Tch, whatever," Dun replied.
Zhuyue cackled at his moodiness. "Don't be mad. It is a secret between us women."
"Uh huh," Dun replied as he took another drink of wine from his cup. He would let her have her fun now because he fully intended on making her pay for it later. Too bad they couldn't have too much fun as Cao would have them march the next day. Speaking of—
Dun stood and walked over to his brother. He took the fresh cup of wine a servant had just brought him from his hands just as he was bringing it to his lips.
"We march tomorrow. Can't have you too drunk to get your ass out of bed."
"Bah! Party pooper!" Yuan said gloomily, but he didn't try to take the cup back from his brother. Despite his protest, he knew he was a light weight when it came to drinking.
"It seems we should all retire," Liao said as he stood from his seat. "Since the majority of the people in this room will be setting out tomorrow."
Lingqi stood as well and tried to pass off a façade of clam that she certainly did not feel.
"Thank you all for coming. It meant a lot to us."
Goodbyes and well wishes were exchanged and their guests were escorted out by the servants. Before long, all that remained was the two of them.
"We should retire as well," Liao said as he looked down to his new bride."
Lingqi swallowed hard and nodded her agreement.
=#=
Lingqi paced outside of the entrance to their bedroom chambers. 'Their bedroom chambers'; just the idea of that made a nervous feeling flutter inside of her stomach. While prepping for bed, she had been thinking non-stop about what Zhuyue had said. 'Don't think, feel.' She still couldn't quite wrap her head around it. How does someone stop thinking and just act on a feeling? No. She needed a plan. Liao was waiting for her behind that door and she had to be prepared for him. Should she initiate? Just run in there and kiss him or do as Zhuyue suggested and let him take the lead? Her head was swimming with these sorts of questions, increasing her nervousness by the second.
The door to their bedchamber opened making Lingqi jump.
"I thought I heard something," Liao said as he eyed Lingqi. "What are you doing out here?"
"I…um…" she couldn't think of a suitable excuse so she just fell into silence.
Liao stepped aside and Lingqi hesitantly walked into the room past him. Once inside, her skittish nature seemed to immediately evaporate once she took in the scene in front of her.
"What is this?" she asked as she looked at a pile of bedding Liao had arranged on the floor.
Liao entered the room and closed the door behind him.
"It is where I will sleep," he replied.
"Why?" she asked with a hint of anger in her tone. "We are married now."
"I didn't want to force you into anything you weren't ready for," Liao replied.
She frowned. "I am not a child any longer, Wényuǎn."
"I know that," he replied.
"I am your wife," she continued.
"I know you are," he replied once more.
"Then what is this? Do you not want me?"
"As I said…I did not wish to force you—"
"It wouldn't be forcing me! We are married now! I know what that entails."
"Then why were you pacing in front of our room door?"
Lingqi balked as his question and lowered her head in shame. She didn't want to tell him she had no idea how to do what they need to do, but she wanted him to understand that she wanted it. Lingqi felt a calloused hand lift her chin. She found herself staring into Liao's eyes.
"You looked beautiful today."
"Truly?" she asked skeptically.
"Truly," he replied as he moved his hand from her chin to her shoulder. He felt her shudder beneath his touch.
"Do not feel like you are forced to do this."
"But we must!" she argued. "For our marriage to be validated before the heavens—"
"As long as it is validated between us, isn't that all that matters? The heavens know what is in our hearts."
'Don't think, feel.'
Zhuyue's words echoed in Lingqi's mind. Is this what she meant by over thinking things? Was that what they were both doing right now? Thinking too much? Lingqi knew that she wanted this and if she read between the lines correctly, so did Liao.
'Don't think, feel.'
Perhaps Zhuyue was right. She needed to stop thinking. They both did and Lingqi decided she would take the first step. Lingqi stood on her tip toes and leaned up towards Liao and kissed him. Liao responded almost instantly, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. Both of them ceased thinking at that moment and did only what they felt.
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Zhu Ling was sure that Cao Cao had condemned him to his own personal hell. First he had to escort Dong Zhao to Jing province. Whiny, demanding, entitled Dong Zhao. Their progress was painfully slow because the man found anything and everything to complain about. He didn't like the way his horse walked, or his saddle was comfortable enough or it was too hot to trail or he refused to travel in the rain.
Ling was very tempted to kill the man to put him out of his misery but he stayed his hand and fulfilled his mission. As he predicted, when they finally arrived in Jing, Yu Jin was not enthusiastic about their tardiness. Even though Ling tried to explain that it was clearly not his fault, Jin was completely unsympathetic to him. Both men were punished with caning administered personally by Jin and told to reflect on the error of their ways.
Now, Ling stood, his back still aching and probably bleeding anew, in a meeting with Liu Biao as Yu Jin demanded his surrender to Cao Cao. The only solace Ling had was that it looked like Zhao was suffering even more than he was.
"You must be joking. I have no reason to surrender to Cao Cao," Biao replied incredulously.
"If you don't wish to be crushed, you will surrender. It is a simple as that."
Zhao cringed. Why did this meathead warrior think he was fit for diplomacy? The whole reason Cao sent him here was to negotiate a deal between the two but after their lateness in arriving to Jing, Jin deemed both men incompetent and refused to give either of them any responsibility at all.
"That sounds like a threat," Biao said with a frown.
"It is not a threat. It is a promise. Our lord will be marching on Yuan Shao soon. Once he finishes with him, Jing will be the next place he would conquer. I am offering you a chance to surrender. Do so, and lord Cao will see that you still allowed to govern your lands. The only thing that will change is that you will do so under his rule."
Biao's frown only deepened. "Cao Cao marches on Yuan Shao?"
"Yes and make no mistake, he will win this battle."
"So sure you are of your lord's victory. It is foolish for you to underestimate Yuan Shao. He has troops that outnumber Cao Cao's own as well as the taels to support an army for months."
"You don't believe my lord will win?" Jin asked. There was an undeniable anger that laced his tone. Ling wondered if he would have to restrain him if only to prevent a war with Jing.
"I do not know the future and neither do you. You are so certain of your lord's victory but I am not and since I am not, I see no reason to surrender to him. Now get out of my lands before I consider your presence here a threat and declare war on Cao Cao myself."
The two men stared each other down, neither willing to relent.
"Uh, my lord, we completed our mission. We should be going now. No need to cause any unnecessary trouble for lord Cao."
Ling's words made Jin break his eye contact with Biao. He was right. They had a mission to fulfil and he fulfilled it. He will report back to Cao as commanded.
"Very well, let us depart," he said as he gave one final scathing glance to Biao before leaving with Zhao and Ling.
"That went terribly," Zhao muttered once they were outside. "You should have let me speak. I could have convinced him."
"I do not trust such important task to incompetent people," Jin replied.
Zhao was seething at the comment but he knew better than to speak out against him.
"Prove to me that you are not a fool and I will give you more responsibilities. Until then, you will only do what I instruct you to do."
"As you say, my lord," Zhao replied bitterly.
"So, uh, what's next?"
"We leave Jing province. Lord Cao's army will be heading towards Ji province to face Yuan Shao. Our orders are to meet him en route."
Jin gave a steely glare to Ling and Zhao. "You two will not slow us down, understood?"
Ling raised his hands up in surrender. He had no trouble with hard travel for long hard stretches. He glanced over to Zhao and saw him gulp. It was clear he wasn't as confident that he could keep up with whatever pace Jin set but he wasn't keen on getting another punishment. He would just have to suffer through as best he could. There was one thing he knew for certain, the minute he saw Cao Cao again, he would beg him for his old position back.
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-A month and a half later-
As planned, Cao's forces had marched toward Ji province. As they drew closer to the yellow river, Yuan Shao forces attacked. At best it was a pitiable attempt to slow Cao's forces from pushing further into Ji province, but it did not amount to much. Cao's troops forced their way in and had set up camp around Guandu. The final battle between him and Yuan Shao was drawing near. He knew it and he was sure Yuan Shao knew it. The next time these two met in battle would be their last. But it seems that battle would be delayed as Cao had just gotten word of Liu Bei's theft of Xu province.
Cao Cao was livid. First Liu Bei and Xun Yu had betrayed him and now they dared to steal Xu province from him? He would wring those little bastards neck with his bare hands.
The war council stood ready for Cao's next command and it was a command he gave without hesitation. "We march on Xu province."
"Would it be wise to split our forces? If Yuan Shao attacks us at full force—"
"Did I say we were to split our forces?" Cao snapped, cutting Man Chong off. "I said we march on Xu. That means all of us."
Guo Jia let out a soft sigh. He could practically see the steam coming from Cao's head. When he was angered like this, there was no way to calm him down or sway him from his set path but Jia would be remiss if he didn't try.
"My lord, if I may?" Jia began.
"Speak," Cao commanded.
"If we turn our entire army east to face Liu Bei in Xu province, we will be exposing our northern flank. We fought hard to gain the foothold we have around Guandu. To give it up now is insanity."
"So I should let this insult stand? You suggest I let Liu Bei keep Xu province?!"
"Not at all; Left alone for too long, Liu Bei will become a problem. I agree with your decision to march on Xu province; I only think we should also launch an attack against Yuan Shao to distract him from attacking our flank. Yuan Shao is known for his indecisiveness. If we keep him distracted with small skirmishes, it will make him hesitate in taking action against us. "
"So you ask that we split our forces? Liu Bei has talented warriors on his side, splitting our forces would put us at a disadvantage."
"Not split our forces…not entirely. We only need two generals to remain and launch the offensive against Shao."
Cao rubbed his chin. Jia's plan was a reasonable one. It was one he could agree to. Man Chong could only shake his head in disbelief at how adapt Jia was at getting Cao to see things his way.
"Wenze, Wenqian step forward," Cao commanded. Both Yue Jin and Yu Jin did. They saluted their lord and waited for his further instruction.
"Wenze, you will guard our flank. If Yuan Shao makes a move, your job is to hold him back at all costs."
"I will be an unmovable wall," Jin said resolutely.
Cao nodded, pleased with his response.
"Wenqian, your role will be to keep Yuan Shao distracted. He has several detached encampments set up. I want you to strike them hard and fast. Set fire to every camp you come across."
"As you command," Yue Jin replied with a salute.
"I will leave you five thousand cavalry and infantry. Split them up amongst yourselves however you choose.
Both men gave their acknowledgement and saluted Cao once more.
"The rest of you will join me in our assault of Xu province. Time is of the essence, we march in a few hours. Be prepared."
The other generals saluted and filtered out of the war tent to prepare for travel.
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Sun Ce wore a large smile on his face as he read the report given to him.
"He must be an idiot," Ce said as he tossed the unfurled scroll onto the table.
"Or perhaps he trusts in the alliance he made with us," said Zhou Yu.
"Like I said, an idiot," Ce quipped.
"Some people actually honor their marriage alliances, Bófú."
"And I would too if Cao Cao wasn't such an evil prick. He is holding the Emperor hostage, using his name to throw his weight around. How can we, good little servants of the son of heaven, ignore his current plight?"
"Is that what you are going to say when others ask for you to justify your attack on your supposed ally?"
"Yeah, how does it sound? Believable?"
"Eh," Yu replied as he waggled a hand to say so-so.
"Oh well, screw them," Ce replied with a laugh.
"So you truly intend to attack Xuchang."
"Yes," Ce said growing serious. "The emperor is too much of a powerful tool to leave in the hands of someone like Cao Cao. By attacking Yuan Shao and turning his back on us, he left us a prime opportunity to take that tool out of his hands."
"Careful, people make take offense to you calling the emperor a tool."
Ce scoffed. "That is what he has been for years. I know it and so does everyone else and it's not like I'm going to call him that to his face."
"Just checking. Sometimes I worry about you."
Ce waved his sworn brother off. "I'm not that stupid."
Yu quirked a brow and looked as if he wanted to object to that but he decided he had teased Ce enough for now.
"According to my reports, Cao recently executed a few ministers and their families on the grounds that they planned to assassinate him and the emperor."
"What reason would they have to assassinate the emperor?"
"None. As you alluded before, the emperor is a powerful tool and since he is kind enough to make himself so malleable, it would be easier and more beneficial to use him rather than kill him."
"Which means Cao killed those men because they wanted to rescue the emperor."
"Most likely," Yu agreed.
"So the emperor wants to be rescued."
"If our assumptions are correct, yes."
"Having an emperor grateful to you isn't a bad thing."
"No. It isn't a bad thing at all," Yu confirmed. His had a soft smile on his face that would have made any woman swoon had they been present.
"Shall I get our men ready to march?" Yu asked as he turned on his heel to leave the room. He already knew the answer; asking Ce now was just a formality.
"Yeah. While you do that, I'm going to have a chat with Jizuo to let him know we are about to go to war with his new wife's family."
Yu frowned. Sun Ce's youngest brother had only just married the daughter of Cao Ren. She seemed like a nice girl and it seemed like a good match. He hoped that Kuang's wife would decide to stay with him, but he knew that the likelihood of that was slim. She would most likely request to return to her father which was a shame as the youngest of the Sun clan had taken quite a liking to her.
"I hope he doesn't take it too hard," Ce said, giving voice to Yu's unspoken concerns. "He's still young and can definitely find another wife, but he was quite taken with this one."
"I'm certain your little brother will be fine. We gave him more than enough warning that this was a possibility."
"You know this is Jizuo we are talking about, right? Everything you say to him goes in one ear and out the other. He'll have no choice but to deal with it though, I just hope he doesn't throw a fit," Ce replied.
"Well I am certainly happy I will not be the one dealing with that. Good luck."
With those parting words, Zhou Yu left to prepare their army to march on Xuchang. If he noticed the obscene gesture that Ce was making behind his back, he made no mention of it.
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"So Yuan Shao has refused to launch an offensive against Cao Cao?"
"Yes," Sun Qian replied.
Bei sighed and rubbed his temples to stave off the oncoming headache. They needed Shao to attack Cao to keep him from turning his sights on Xu. Without that distraction, they knew Cao would come for them the moment he found out about what they had done.
"Did he at least say why?"
Qian winced. He didn't want to repeat what Shao had said. None of it was favorable to Liu Bei. Bei noticed his hesitation.
"What did he say?" he urged.
Qian sighed. If Bei insisted on knowing, he had no choice but to tell him.
"He said that he would rather die than take orders from some homeless sandal maker that can only grasp at the crumbs dropped by his betters."
Qian purposely left out when Shao questioned Bei's so called lineage to the emperor or the part where he called him a worthless sandal maker that decided to play at being a general and failed miserably.
"I see," Bei replied with a sigh. "Well thank you for your efforts."
Sun Qian stepped off to the side and Bei turned his attention to Xun Yu.
"Cao Cao will turn his eye on us, won't he?"
"He would be a fool not to," Yu replied.
Bei sighed once more. "We should prepare ourselves for battle as best we can then."
"Tch, don't you worry brother. Cao's people are all talk. We will beat them into the ground," said Fei as he punch his meaty fist into his hand.
"I wish I had your optimism, brother," Bei replied with a weak smile.
"I think we do have a fair chance against Cao,' said Yu.
"Do we? Truly?"
Yu nodded. "If we do not leave the safety of our walls, I believe we stand a chance." Yu made a point to look at Fei as he said this. Fei sucked his teeth in annoyance and avoided his gaze.
"I believe we can weather any attack Cao throws at us," Yu continued."
"But he outnumbers us in forces," Bei replied skeptically.
"But he would be a fool to bring all of them. That would leave him open to attack by Yuan shao. No, Cao knows that you lack forces. He will only bring a paltry force to oppose you."
"Tch, he always was a cocky bastard and it will be his undoing," said Fei.
Bei nodded in agreement with the two men. "Your words make sense. We will fortify our defenses in preparation for his attack. I also want a messenger sent to Yúncháng to make him aware of the situation, just in case."
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"We need to attack!" urged Tian Feng, one of Yuan Shao's advisors.
"You ask that we walk blindly into a trap!" argued Guo Tu.
"Cao Cao has abandoned his own front line to chase after Liu Bei. That is a fact! If we do not attack now, we will miss an opportunity to get an advantage in this war that we so desperately need!" argued Feng.
"Enough, ENOUGH!" shouted Shao. His advisors had been bickering for hours. Their voices were like hammers against his skull, each passing minute threatening to split it in two.
The advisors immediately settled down upon hearing the thunderous shout of their lord. They lowered their heads in repentance. Shao rubbed his temples, grateful for the temporary reprieve. He was loathed to break the blissful silence but he had a war to win.
"Cao Cao himself has gone to face Liu Bei?"
"Yes, my lord. Our reports say that he personally led his troops to Xu province days ago," said Feng.
"So the little beggar has managed to catch the eye of the tyrant," Shao mused. "At least he was good for something. Cao Cao will win this fight, yes?"
"Cao Cao's troops greatly outnumber Liu Bei's own. He will be wiped out quickly," Tu replied.
"That explains why he begged us for aid," said Shao as he lowered his hands from his temple and allowed them to rest on the arms of his throne. "So Cao Cao won't be distracted for long…"
"This is why we need to act now. Our window of opportunity is rapidly shrinking," said Feng.
Shao raised a hand. He didn't want this debate to start up again, especially since his headache had begun to abate.
"Cao Cao is already on his way to Xu province and he will eliminate Liu Bei quickly. By the time we set up a proper attack, he could be on his way back and we would be caught off guard. On the other hand, if we could take out his main camp, he would be forced to fall further back from Guandu."
His advisors remained quiet. When Shao thought aloud like this, they knew better than to interrupt his train of thought.
"Ugh, how detestable this decision is. It seems both are risky ventures. Perhaps we should sit back and watch the situation."
"My lord," Feng began as he took a step forward. "With all due respect, you have given us the same answer for days now. We have run out of time, we need to act now or we will lose this chance."
Shao gave a labored sigh. "You have no idea the pressure it is to be me; to have these choices weighing on my shoulders."
"I-I," Feng sighed. "No, my lord. You are correct. I do not."
"So do not rush me. The lives of my men hang on my word. It is not a decision I shall make carelessly."
Defeated, Feng saluted and moved back to his original place amongst the other advisors.
Shao gave another sigh. "We will send a small force to attack Cao Cao's base and test his defenses. The outcome of that battle will determine the next step I take."
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"My lord, the enemy approaches."
Yu Jin looked up from his war trident that he had been sharpening to the soldier.
"What is their number?"
"No more than fifteen hundred strong, my lord," the soldier replied.
Jin scoffed. "They underestimate us. Let us go show them the error of their ways."
Jin stood with trident in hand and made his way towards the front of his camp. He did not have to speak a word to his men. He trained them well and they knew what his presence with weapon in hand meant. It was time for battle. They quickly gathered their things, and jogged to catch up to him as Jin would not break his stride to wait for them. Before long, Jin stood before the main camp and his two thousand soldiers stood behind him like an impenetrable wall.
Chen Rong, the general who had drawn the short stick, was the one leading the attack against Cao's main camp. He bravely led his men in battle towards their objective with spirits high; at least it was high until they finally came upon Cao main camp and got a glimpse of Jin and his men. He and his men halted their march and he could only stare in wonder at Jin and his men standing before him stone faced and ready for battle.
The aura that Jin and his men were giving off unnerved Rong. He was fairly certain that if he engaged in battle with this man, he would die at his hands. He had the urge to turn tail and return to Shao, but he knew that doing so would result in his death. To die as a coward or to die as man with a spear in his hand. Rong spat. How pathetic it was to even think of running away. The answer was obvious. Rong lifted his spear to the sky and let out a cry rousing his men. They responded in kind and feeling emboldened Rong led the charge forward.
Jin and his men did not budge an inch; even as the enemy drew closer they stood their ground. It wasn't until the enemy was almost upon them when Jin reacted. He slammed the butt of his war trident into the ground. From this simple action, a shockwave burst outward towards the enemy. The sudden burst made a few soldiers take pause. Not because the wind itself was strong, it was nothing that could not be weathered; what made them take pause was the energy they felt crackling within it.
Jin twirled the trident in his hands, forcing his chi into it as he did so. A blackish-red aura wrapped itself around his weapon making it seem as if the weapon itself was alight by an unholy blaze.
"Prepare for your execution," Jin said as he leapt off the ground, sweeping his trident in an upward arc as he did so. The aura that was wrapped around the trident was forcefully ejected, creating a pillar of flame that tore through the enemy forces like a mini tornado.
The men who felt his chi in the shockwave were spared. The hapless warriors that did not were consumed by the flame. Their screams could be heard as the unnatural flame greedily ate at their flesh. Rong was one of the smart ones. He knew what was coming, but chose to save himself instead of warning his men. He knew that the heavens would look down on him for such cowardice twice in one day.
Rong's forces were in disarray and Jin's men sprang to live, swarming on the remaining men before they had a chance to understand what was going on. The minute Jin's boots were back on the earth, he dove into the fray, his trident sparing no man's life. He had taken out over twenty more men before Rong got the courage to face him in battle.
"This battle will be your last!" Rong taunted. It was all bluster, but he hoped to hell that Jin didn't know that.
Jin decided to let his trident speak for him. Spear met trident as both men matched each other blow for blow. Rong felt himself being pushed in this battle harder than he ever had before. He felt fatigue creeping in while Jin looked as if he barely exerted any energy. If they kept going as they were, Rong knew he was eventually going to lose this battle so he decided to take a chance.
Rong deftly dodged backward and tried to counter with a musou attack of his own. Having significantly less chi than Jin, his attack wasn't nearly as flashy or effective. He charged all of his chi into one big side swing of his spear. The attack was suppose to be two-fold, a swing from the right and a swing from the left but to Rong's dismay, Jin parried the slow moving attack coming in from the left and countered with an attack of his own.
Jin did a quick vertical slash from left to right then another from right to left. Both attacks found their mark, slicing easily through Rong's armor leaving a bloody X carved into his body. Jin's third and final attack pieced the center of the X, Rong's chest, impaling him on his trident. Jin pushed forward, thrusting the trident ever deeper while Rong futility held onto the trident's shaft as his feet skidded across the ground, unable to stop Jin's momentum.
"This is the fate of all who oppose me," said Jin as he titled his trident down, bringing Rong's impaled body crashing to the ground.
Rong cursed his miserable luck with his last breath as Jin wrenched his trident from his chest. Cheers erupted around him and Jin took a look around the battlefield. The last foe had fallen dead and his forces had won a total victory. He looked around and saw a few men clad in their colors amongst the dead. So they lost a few in this fight, but it did not look like more than a handful. Disappointing, he wanted to try and get through with no fatalities. He would have to give his men an extra training session to ensure they performed better in the next fight.
"You are proud of this?" Jin shouted over the cheers. His men quickly settled down so they could hear the words of their general.
"Look amongst the dead. You'll see your brother in arms right along with them. This is nothing to be proud of."
He could see his soldiers looking down, their faces slowly shifting into frowns as they took in the battlefield around them.
"This failure cannot happen again. We will have training before our next battle to ensure that it doesn't."
Jin's soldiers saluted somberly, the joy of their victory replaced with the sting of failure. Jin summoned one of his soldiers to him.
"You will take a message to Wenqian. Let him know that Yuan Shao has made his move. It is time for him to take action. Once we are sure that Shao's forces will no longer attempt to take the main camp, we will join our forces with his."
The soldier saluted and quickly saddled up to take the message to where Yue Jin and his men laid in wait.
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Yue Jin listened to the message relayed by Yu Jin's soldier. He nodded in understanding and offered the soldier a moment's rest and some rations before he rode back to his master. The soldier hesitated, it looked as if he wanted to take Yue Jin up on his offer but thought better of it and left hastily.
Jin wasn't entirely surprised. He heard that Wenze was strict with his forces and severely punished anyone that stepped so much as a toe out of line. There was a rumor going around the army that Jin's men feared him more than his enemies. He supposed it was good for something as Jin's forces were a force to be reckoned with in battle, but he thought that pushing his men so hard would one day make them snap. In the long run it didn't matter. Wenze was free to command his men in the way he wanted. Jin just hoped he would never be put directly under his command because he was pretty sure the two of them would not get along.
"Listen up," Jin said. His men focused on their leader as he spoke.
"We finally got word that it is time for us to move."
Jin heard mummers of approval from his forces. He could understand the sentiment. They had been laying in wait for days for Yuan Shao to make a move. He wasn't use to such idleness and was itching to get into battle.
"We move out tonight. You all know the plan; we hit the encampment, quick deaths. Behead them if you can. If any surrender, accept it. When all is done, pillage the camp then set fire to it."
His men saluted and set off to prepare for the battle.
Hours passed, night had fallen and the only thing that lit the way for Jin's forces was the soft light of the moon. They had to move quickly and quietly. Jin was only use to doing one of those things as "quiet" was not usually his style. Still, he and his men managed to make their way to the camp without arousing the suspicion of Shao's guards until they were already on them.
He ordered his a few of his men to don bows and take out the guards. Once they were down Jin and his men hit the camp hard. They jumped in with wild abandoned, taking the enemy by complete surprise. They found some of the men sleeping, others eating and a few milling about aimlessly. The battle was over in the blink of an eye. Blood soaked the ground still streaming from the headless bodies strewn across it. The few captives they had were marched out of the camp while Jin's men went about pillaging whatever they could from the camp before setting it ablaze. When Yuan Shao woke up to greet the day, the first thing he would see is smoke billowing into the sky from one of his encampments and it would be the first of many.
When they hit the next camp, they would not have the element of surprise and Jin was okay with that. He enjoyed a stand up fight more than sneaking about but he couldn't deny the ease of it. He knew as they went along Wenze would be joining them. Jin cringed at the thought. He really hoped Jin wouldn't try to force his will on him and his men. They were good at doing things their way. Only time will tell how they will get along. Jin sent a few of his men to escort the prisoners back to the main camp while the rest moved to their next target. He could feel his blood humming in anticipation for the next battle. Things were going well for them so far and Jin couldn't help but wonder how Dian and the others were doing with their battle against Liu Bei.
