A/N: Hello all! Really sorry about this one being late. I got sick during the last two weeks of November and it carried over to the first week of December. (Do not trust snot nosed kids no matter how adorable they may act towards you. They are evil virus spreaders!) I couldn't write anything during that time because my brain refused to work at all. By the time I got better I was crazy backed up at work and barely had time to write. I finally got this out, hope you guys enjoy. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Guan Yu –Yúncháng
Yuan Shao – Běnchū
Xun You – Gōngdá
Jia Xu – Wénhé
Xiahou Yuan – Miàocái
Xiahou Dun – Yuánràng
Zhang Liao – Wényuǎn
Zhao Yun – Zǐlóng
Zhang Fei – Yìdé

Liu Bei – Xuándé
Xu Chu – Zhòngkāng
Cao Pi – Zǐhuán
Zhou Yu – Gōngjǐn
Han Dang – Yìgōng
Sun Quan – Zhòngmóu
Sun Ce – Bófú
Guo Tu – Gōngzé
Cao Cao – Mèngdé
Guo Jia – Fèngxiào
Yue Jin – Wenqian
Guo Tu – Gōngzé
Wang Xiu – Shūzhì

Zhao Yun slipped out of the war tent. He grew tired of hearing Xun Yu and Zhang Fei bicker. The topic of today's dispute? Where to go next after the crushing defeat dealt to them at the hands of Cao Cao. They had been at it for over an hour and they were no closer to making a decision than they were when they first started.

Yun made his way to the center of the camp immediately feeling the despondency that hung in the air. The soldiers he walked past wore defeated looks as they tended to their wounds. Yun couldn't exactly blame them. Most of these men were farmers and peasants that had joined under Liu Bei's banner after hearing how virtuous a man he was. They barely knew how to hold a spear but they were thrust into a series of battles they couldn't win. The ones that survived were battered and bruised; forced to sleep on the cold ground with empty bellies and uncertainty about their future constantly weighing on their minds.

A few of the soldiers spotted Yun and made their way over to him.

"Master Zǐlóng," One said as he saluted him. "Do you have new orders for us?"

Though he asked the question, the soldier looked absolutely terrified to hear the answer. Yun put a hand on his shoulder in an effort to comfort him and shook his head.

"No, we are still on standby. Rest up while you can."

Temporarily forgetting whose company he was in, the man let out a sigh of relief that flowed through his whole body. He relaxed his previously rigid stance and even allowed himself a weary smile. He felt such unbelievable relief knowing that he wouldn't have to rush out to his possible death just yet.

The soldier felt Yun's eyes on him and he caught himself. He quickly bowed his head in repentance and asked for forgiveness. Yun shook his head and gave the man's shoulder another pat before going on his way. What exactly could he say to him? Condemn him for his relief at not being thrown into another battle? Scold him for not being eager to serve when things were quite possibly at their absolute worst? After all they have been through, how could he? It was times like this that Bei needed to be among his men. He needed to show that he still stood with them and that together, they will get through this period of uncertainty. But he wasn't around. Their leader hadn't been seen in days. He was much too busy lamenting his own misfortune in the solitude of his tent, drinking away their wine reserves to dull whatever pain he was feeling.

Yun frowned, feeling his thoughts shift to a darker tone, something that was becoming too common of an occurrence as of late. Since the incident with Xiahouji, he had found it hard to see the virtue that led him to pledge himself to Liu Bei. He could only see the corruption, hidden just beneath the surface cleverly disguised as honor and righteousness. Time only made it worse. More of Bei's mask cracked and Yun could see his true character beneath and what he saw, he did not like.

Yun crossed the camp to the tent they had designated for the soldiers that had been badly wounded during the last battle. Even before crossing its threshold, he could smell the foul stench of infected wounds and old blood seeping through the open flap. He took a minute to prepare himself then stepped inside.

The first thing he noticed upon his entrance was an empty straw mat. The last time he came here a young soldier with gash on his leg laid there. The wound was infected and he had a high fever for days. Yun could remember that in his state of delirium, he spoke aloud to his mother as if she was by his side. Seeing that empty mat, Yun could only assume that he had finally gone to his ancestors' side. The unfortunate reality is that with a lack of medical supplies and food to keep their strength up, it was likely he would not be the last one.

Yun headed to the back of the tent. There, on one of the straw mats lay a soldier by the name of Zhu Fa. He was a young peasant that like many others had joined under his banner after hearing tales of Bei's virtuous nature. He fought under Yun and proved to be a talented warrior. Given time, he could surely make a name for himself...rather he could have, until the last battle.

During the last battle, the young soldier, Zhu Fa, fought hard to ensure Liu Bei and the other's safety. His crowning moment was jumping in the way of an arrow that would have surely struck Liu Bei. The arrow struck him in his sword arm, severing several tendons. As it currently stood, he couldn't even make a proper fist.

"Lord Zǐlóng! You came to visit me again!" said Zhu Fa with a smile as he sat up.

Yun smiled and nodded. "I told you I would."

"It's really nice of you to come visit…It's…kind of depressing in here."

"I know," Yun replied with a frown.

"Chen Shang died last night," Fa said with a frown, his eyes moving to the empty straw mat at the other end of the tent.

"An unfortunate loss…he seemed to be a good man," Yun replied with a frown.

"Yeah, he was," Fa agreed. "His mother did not want him to join the battle. They had a big argument when he told her of his decision to leave. He was really close to his mother. I suppose that's why in his last moments he started talking to her. It was like she was right there next to him. It must have been nice to see someone you care most about in your last moments. I wonder if it will be the same for me when I go…"

"You aren't going anywhere," Yun said. "Your wound is getting better isn't it?"

Fa nodded as he placed a hand on the spot where he had been shot with the arrow. "You do not have an infection and it is healing well; but I still cannot properly use my hand. What good am I now in battle? I don't think I can even return to farm work. I don't know what I am going to do now."

"Stop that line of thinking," Yun scolded. "A warrior's battle begins with oneself. If you lose that battle, you will be doomed to lose all others. You were gifted at birth with two hands. You lost one but you still have the other. It'll take time, but you can train it. You can probably fight again or at the very least be a farmer once more."

"You really think so, Lord Zǐlóng?"

Yun nodded in confirmation. Fa gave out a breath of relief. "I wonder if I return like this is she will still accept me…"

"The woman you joined this war for. I believe you said her name was Daiyu, right?"

Fa could feel his face heat up in a blush as the mere mention of her name. He tried to stop the goofy smile from spreading across his face but was unsuccessful.

"Yeah, that's her. I joined lord Liu Bei in hopes to prove to her family that I am worthy of her."

"You were willing to give your life for your lord and you have the wounds to prove it. There is no higher honor than that. I'm certain both she and her family will see that."

"Thank you, master Zǐlóng. Tell me, do you have someone special waiting at home for you?"

"No, I have no one…" Yun replied after a few moments of silence.

"O-oh…I'm sure you'll find someone soon," Fa said awkwardly, feeling terrible for bringing the subject up.

Yun chuckled. "Thank you for the vote of confidence."

"Zǐlóng."

Both men turned to find Zhang Fei standing nearby. He seemed particularly irate as he glared at both men.

"Brother has called a meeting for his generals," Fei continued.

'So finally Liu Bei has stopped wallowing in his own self pity long enough to actually lead his army?' Yun thought bitterly. He stopped himself from continuing that line of thought. Liu Bei was still his lord; he was still sworn into his service. He shouldn't be thinking so negatively about him.

"Understood," Yun said as he saluted Fei. He turned his attention back to Fa. "Get some rest, okay? I will visit again."

Fa nodded. "I will, my lord. Thank you for the visit!"

Yun headed back to the front of the tent. Fei, however, did not follow. Instead he cast his intense gaze over Fa, making the man squirm under the scrutiny.

"I-Is something wrong, Master Yìdé?" Fa asked. Fei did not reply. He only continued to glare at the young soldier.

"Master Yìdé, Lord Xuándé is waiting for us is he not?" Yun asked from his spot near the entrance of the tent.

Fei finally broke eye contact and headed out tent followed by Yun.

=#=

Cao entered the war tent with a smile on his face. He was greeted by the grim visages of his strategists, his cousins and his son whom stood around the war table waiting for him. Of course he understood the reason behind their looks. They had just been attacked by the previously passive Yuan Shao…or perhaps it was because Guan Yu had just walked into the war tent behind Cao and not as a prisoner.

"I suppose we should get this bit of news out of the way first," Cao began as he looked around the room. "Guan Yúncháng has joined our ranks. He will be fighting at our side in this battle."

Guan Yu saluted the others, but the gesture was not returned. An icy silence permeated the tent at Cao's announcement. Yu could feel the eyes of many boring down on him, each with varying degrees of contempt. Cao may have been excited about him joining, but it was clear his people were not. It did not matter to Yu. He had no concerns of their feelings for him as he had no intention of being friends with them. He accepted Cao's offer because he intended on using him as a means to find out the whereabouts of his sworn brother. To meet that end, he would play the role of Cao's general.

"Now, proceed with the details of this attack," Cao ordered.

As he expected, they pulled their eyes from their newest member and focused back on him, ready to comply with his orders. He certainly did not expect all of his generals to embrace Guan Yu with open arms, but he knew that they would not act against his decision.

"It seems Yuan Shao has decided to shed his cowardice and attack one of our bases," said Jia Xu with a sigh and a dismissive wave of his hand.

"It is the outpost at Boma," Jia offered, answering the unspoken question that hung at the tip of Cao's tongue.

"According to the messenger sent by Liu Yan, they have been under siege for over five days," Xun You added.

"They tried to send out messengers before, but the siege made it difficult. This was the only messenger that managed to make it through alive," said Jia.

"Is Yuan Shao leading the attack?" Cao asked.

"No. According to our sources, he has stayed behind at Liyang with his main army. It is possible that he will try to cross the river and attack us," Jia replied.

"Hmm," said Cao thoughtfully as he stroked his chin. "Any suggestions on how we should handle this?"

"I have one, if you would allow me," said You with a bow.

Cao nodded his head giving him permission to continue.

"Liu Yan's messenger made it through to us with the aid of one of Yuan Shao soldiers that wanted to defect. Thanks to the information he has given us, I believe the best way to proceed is with a diversionary tactic."

"Explain," said Cao.

"The person leading the siege on Boma is a young general by the name of Yan Liang. He is considered to be one of Yuan Shao's greatest generals—"

"Ah, I know of him. Běnchū considers him and Wen Chou to be his priceless generals," Cao said with a mocking laugh. "From what I seen, his "demons of the battlefield" are overrated fools that made their names killing those weaker than them."

"I have heard much the same," said Jia in agreement. "But the fact still remains that Yuan Shao puts great faith in their skills. If we could kill both of them, the moral of his army would crumble."

"Exactly my thoughts," said You with a nod. "And we get our first chance with Yan Liang. Apparently, he is hotheaded. He thinks little of strategy and takes an all or nothing approach to war."

"So even the most basic of tactics should be enough to deal with someone like him," said Xu as he leaned an arm on You's shoulder.

"Um…yes…" You replied as he adjusted himself to support the sudden addition of Xu's weight.

"Well? Let's hear it," Xu encouraged.

You cleared his throat and proceeded to detail his plan.

"To ensure victory in this battle, we must stop Yuan Shao from reinforcing Yan Liang, which he most certainly would do if he sensed that his prized warrior was in danger. The best way to stop the reinforcements is to give Yuan Shao the illusion that he himself is in danger."

"Ho ho ho! What a smart guy we have here," Xu said teasingly. "You are betting on Yuan Shao's indecisiveness. Since he is so bad at making decisions under pressure if we press him into making a decision, he will certainly pick the one that benefits himself above all else."

"That was my exact thinking," You confirmed.

"So we split our forces. One attacks Yuan Shao at Liyang, the others go to Boma?" asked Yuan.

"Precisely," said You with a nod.

"It won't work," said Guan Yu.

All eyes turned to him, most of them wearing frowns as they gazed at the outsider that dared speak against one of their own.

"Forgive me. It is not my place to speak—"

"No, continue," said Cao. "Tell me why you do not think Gōngdá's plan will work."

"You say that Yuan Shao is foolish, but he is still a warlord of renown. If you do a feint attack at his back while attacking Yan Liang, I believe he will see through the ruse."

"Oooh interesting and you do have a point. I can see why lord Cao values you so much," Xu said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

How odd that not long ago, he wholeheartedly supported Guan Yu's joining, now the very idea left a bad taste in his mouth. Just looking at the man's standoffish stance and his eyes that kept drifting towards the tent exit, no doubt longing for escape, Xu could tell that Jia was correct. Yu had no intentions on staying with them. In Xu's eyes, that made him a fool and an untrustworthy one at that. He would keep his eye on him to make sure that his undoubtedly short tenure here would cause no trouble for the rest of them.

"Well Gōngdá? What do you have to say? Yúncháng here doesn't think your plan will work," Xu said with a smirk as he poked the other man in the cheek. You slapped his finger away. Xu seemed to get a rise out of messing with him.

"Cease your instigations Wénhé," said Pi in a clipped tone. "We simply have to make sure Yuan Shao sees the force coming towards him as a threat."

Pi turns his gaze towards Cao Cao. "Father, you will have to lead the distraction force."

Cao Cao folded his arms across his chest. "So I am to be the decoy…"

"Wow…sacrificing your own father; lord Cao must be so proud," said Xu.

Pi gave him a frosty glare and Xu merely shrugged.

"Silence, Wénhé . Pi's suggestion is the right one," said Cao. "Běnchū wouldn't resist the chance to kill me."

"Then you'll need protection," said Dun. "I'm coming with you."

"Me too," said Yuan."

Cao nodded to his cousins. Things have seemed to be a bit rocky between the three of them lately, but he was glad to see that they still cared for him enough to watch over him.

"You have my thanks. With that decided, all that is left is to decide who will lead the force to free Boma."

"I will," said Pi resolutely.

"No," said Cao.

Pi's eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting to hear his father say no to his initiative.

"I…understand, father," said Pi, hoping that his anger and disappointment weren't evident in his tone.

Cao put a hand on Pi's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. This was a gesture Pi couldn't remember his father ever doing to him in his entire life.

"Instead, you will be the commander of this battle. The decisions made today will solely be yours. My life and the lives of our men are in your hands."

"Great," Yuan muttered aloud.

Dun elbowed his brother in the stomach to silence him. Yuan rubbed the offended spot muttering that he was just saying what everyone else was thinking. Zhuyue covered her mouth to muffle the sounds of laughter spilling out of her, thanks to the antics of her husband and brother.

Pi ignored his second cousins. In truth, he barely even heard them, so stunned by his father's sudden declaration. This would be the first time Pi had ever had full command. In fact, this was the first time any of Cao's sons had been given full command. Cao may have not said it aloud, but Pi knew that this was Cao making his intentions on naming him as his successor known.

"I will not let you down, father," said Pi. And he meant it with every fiber of his being. He would do his father proud today so that one day he will be the one to lead Wei to a glorious future.

"We shall see," Cao replied.

He saw the look of determination on Pi's face and it stirred a sense of pride within him. Cao could see a glimpse of his younger self in Pi, but he wanted more. He wanted him to be better than he was at his age. If he was to leave his legacy in his hands, he needed so much more. He would use this battle to see just how far his son truly had come and if he was the worthy successor he thought him to be.

Cao turned his attention back to the others. With the exception of Zhuyue, they didn't seem too enthusiastic knowing that it was Pi they were going to follow into battle. This was one of the things Cao wanted to test Pi on. Could Pi to get them to respect his lead and follow him unquestioningly? Cao intended on using this battle to test that.

"Now to decide who will lead the charge to save Boma."

Cao shifted his gaze to Guan Yu.

"Guan Yúncháng, I entrust this task to you."

"You've got to be shitting me," said Yuan aloud.

This time, Dun did not move to silence him. The frown on his face showed that his brother's words echoed his thoughts.

"Father, I must agree with Miàocái. Yúncháng had only recently joined our team. To entrust such a task to him—"

"How else would you suggest we determine whether he could be trusted?" Cao asked with a smile. "This is a chance for him to prove his loyalty and his worth."

Pi frowned. So all choices in this battle were his and his alone except for this one apparently. Cao wanted to show off his newest warrior and it seems Pi had no say in the matter. Sometimes he just didn't understand his father's way of thinking. In Pi's opinion, he took too many chances.

"Then I insist we send someone else with him," said Pi in an attempt to wrestle back some form of control in this situation.

"You are the commander of this battle; tell me who you would send?"

If it was truly Pi's decision, he wouldn't send Yu at all. It almost felt as if Cao was trying to sabotage him by sending Guan Yu off alone. But that was fine. Pi was prepared to face his father's challenge. He was determined to win this battle and show his father that he was a worthy successor.

Pi considered his options. The ideal choice would be to send Dun, but he was already tasked with protecting his father. He did not want to pull him away from that role as they were going to be facing overwhelming odds. He knew Dun would do whatever it took to keep his father safe. He would need to send someone that he could not only trust, but someone that could put up a fight against Guan Yu in case he betrayed them. He had an idea of someone he could trust, but he wasn't sure that they could handle Guan Yu alone. Pi's eyes shifted to Dun and Yuan.

"Zhuyue, Yuánràng, Miàocái, out of everyone here, you three know Wényuǎn best; would he be an adequate choice to accompany Yúncháng?"

Yuan did nothing to mask the look of surprise that on his face at Pi's words. "The prodigal son is asking for our opinions?"

Pi sighed, immediately regretting the decision to do so.

"Sure you want the opinion of lowly soldiers? We aren't strategist after all," Dun replied flatly.

Pi sucked his teeth at hearing his words thrown back at him. He should have known better than to ask them. Zhuyue sighed. She understood that Pi could sometimes be a bit prickly, but she didn't think he was as bad as Dun and Yuan made him out to be.

"I would say he is trustworthy," Zhuyue replied.

Yuan looked at Zhuyue, put a finger to his lips and made a shushing noise. Zhuyue waved a dismissive hand, not interested in participating in her brother in-law's foolishness.

"If you are willing to trust my word, then I say he would be fine," Dun added after a few seconds of silence.

Yuan gave a sigh and shook his head in disbelief. "Brother, sister, how can you just answer him like that? This is a rare event; you have to drag these kinds of things out."

Pi eyed Yuan for a few seconds before returning his gaze back to Dun and Zhuyue.

"I'm glad at least some of you have sense. We will send Zhuyue and Wényuǎn to Boma with Yúncháng."

"Interesting choice," Cao replied. "Who will lead this little group?"

"Zhuyue."

"I'm sorry, what?" Zhuyue said in confusion as she looked between Pi and Dun.

"I need someone I can trust," Pi said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You are adequate for that role." Before Zhuyue could put up any further resistance to his decision, Pi turned from her and addressed his father. "I trust that is no problem with that, father?"

"I told you. The command is yours. The decisions and the consequences are yours."

"Then that is my decision. Go, prepare for battle. I will prepare the war council to inform the others of our plans," Pi said as he gestured out to the others within the war tent.

They saluted him and filtered out of the tent to prepare themselves and their troops for battle. Pi watched them, a ghost of a smile on his lips. To have men follow your orders so absolutely felt good. His eyes shifted to the palm of his hands which he held up towards him. He held the entire army within these hands. They would fight on his word…die if he commanded it. Such power…he had to be careful to not get intoxicated from the feeling. This is what caused the downfall of many men. Pi closed his hands into loose fist and dropped them to his sides. He looked up to see that the tent had emptied or so he thought. Feeling that he was being watched, Pi turned his head to see Cao still standing off to the side, watching him with an unreadable expression. After a few moments of silence between the two, Cao exited leaving Pi alone.

=#=

"I don't like this plan."

"So you've mentioned several times already. I'm not exactly in love with it myself," Zhuyue replied to her husband as she adjusted the saddle on her horse.

"This will be your first command."

"I know. I have no idea why Zǐhuán chose me for this," she said with a sigh.

"Do you think you can handle this?" asked Dun.

"I guess we'll find out."

"Just—"

"Be careful, yes, I know my love. I will," Zhuyue replied, cutting him off.

Dun frowned. "Such an obstinate woman; I can't even show concern for you without you giving me shit."

Zhuyue threw her head back and let out a laugh. Finished with her work on her saddle, she turned her full attention to her husband.

"Perhaps it is because your concern is unnecessary. I've followed you into battle long enough to have an idea of what and what not to do. Besides, I am not going in with anyone inexperienced. They all know how to handle themselves."

"I'm not worried about Wényuǎn and Lingqi…I am worried about Guan Yu. Giving you your first command then putting such an untrustworthy person under you—"

"I'll be fine," Zhuyue said as she leaned down towards her husband. "I'll keep an eye on him and if he tries anything, I'll be sure to handle it. I am more worried about you. You are the one who will be facing overwhelming odds."

Dun pulled her into an embrace. "I have no intention of dying here. Even if you don't want to hear it, I'm going to say it. Be careful."

Before she could protest, Dun took hold of her chin and pulled it up. He pressed his lips against hers, silencing any protest she might have. Just as sudden as he initiated the kiss, Dun pulled away from it.

"I'll see you once the battle is done," Dun said as he turned away from his wife, leaving to join Yuan and Cao. Zhuyue watched Dun's retreating back, still feeling the warmth of his lips against hers.

"You too," she whispered to Dun, before finally turning away and mounting her horse. Zhuyue looked up to the sky, feeling the kiss of a passing breeze against her cheek. She closed her eyes and prayed to the heavens asking to keep her family safe in the upcoming battle.

Zhuyue sucked in a deep breath and opened her eyes. The aura around her changed as her mindset shifted, readying herself for the battle ahead. She kicked the hind of her horse and spurred it into action, riding towards the front of the camp where the others waited.

She arrived to find Guan Yu waiting there along with Dian Wei.

"Greetings, my lady," Wei said once Zhuyue pulled her horse to a stop next to him.

"Dian Wei, I didn't expect to see you here. Are you coming with us?" She asked, hopeful that he would say that he was. Him joining them would go a long way towards easing her nerves.

Dian Wei bowed his head respectfully to Zhuyue. "Yes, my lady. I was originally supposed to accompany Lord Cao and the others, but Lord Zǐhuán thought I would be of more use here." Wei's eyes shifted to Guan Yu, who sat silently upon his steed as he spoke the last sentence.

Zhuyue nodded her head in understanding as her eyes went to Guan Yu as well. He stood proud atop his steed as he waited for the others to arrive. Something about his demeanor irked her. He didn't act like a man that was just a prisoner a few days before. He held his head entirely too high for her liking. Guan Yu felt her eyes on him and he met them with his own.

"Is something wrong, my lady?"

"Why did you accept, lord Cao's offer?" she asked.

"You are…very blunt, my lady," Yu replied.

"So I've been told. Why did you accept?"

Guan Yu right hand released its hold on his reigns and he stroked the length of his beard seemingly considering how to answer her question. Before he got a chance to do so, Zhang Liao and Lingqi arrived.

"Lady Zhuyue, Dian Wei," Liao said as he saluted the both of them. Lingqi followed suit. Zhuyue and Wei returned the gesture.

Liao's attention focused on Guan Yu. "Greetings to you as well, Yúncháng."

Yu gave a nod of his head to Liao in response, grateful for the arrival as a means to avoid answering Zhuyue's question. Zhuyue noticed the obvious avoidance and sucked her teeth in annoyance. While she still wanted to know the answer, she knew her curiosity would have to wait. They had a mission to complete. She looked over the soldiers and generals awaiting her word and felt a sudden nervous sensation bubble up from within her. This was vastly different from having to worry about just herself or one other person. She had an entire force under her command. Why the hell did Pi give her this responsibility? She certainly didn't ask for it. Zhuyue took a deep breath and pushed her fears down. There was no point in whining about it now.

"It's time to move out. The destination is Boma castle."

=#=

"Oh do go faster you lummox," Yuan Shao said with a sigh.

The servant that was assisting Yuan Shao with donning his armor apologized profusely and tried to move a little faster. He tugged on one of Shao's buckles just a bit too tightly and Shao reacted immediately.

"Ouch! You moron! Be gentle!"

The servant apologized once more and tried to work more carefully.

"Idiot," Shao muttered loud enough for the servant to hear.

"Lord Shao! Lord Shao!"

Shao let out a dramatic sigh.

"What is it, Gōngzé?"

Guo Tu quickly entered Shao's tent, his face to picture of pure panic.

"Cao Cao is personally leading troops towards Yan Ford!"

Shao's eyes twitched at the mere mention of Cao Cao's name. How dare he try to strike out at him?

"What are you panicking for you idiot? Did you forget we have the advantage in troops? It doesn't matter if Cao Cao is attacking our rear. We will make him pay for his gall. Have our men come west along the northern bank of the river. I will personally lead them into battle and we will take Cao Cao's head."

Shao looked down to the servant that had stopped putting on his armor while he was speaking with Guo Tu.

"That is if this idiot ever finishes getting my armor on!" he added in irritation.

The servant bowed his head apologetically and went back to work and Guo Tu left to fulfill his lord's wishes.

=#=

"My lady, we got the signal. Lord Cao's forces have met with Yuan Shao."

Zhuyue didn't respond, her eyes staring off into the distance.

"My lady?" The messenger repeated.

"It seems the lady is unable to handle the pressure of leadership," said Yu as he stroked his beard.

The others stared at her, wondering if Guan Yu's words held any merit to them. There was a flash of silver, Guan Yu dodged backwards in his saddle, but not before part of his beard was sheered off by the thrown object. Guan Yu frowned as the severed strands fell onto his hands.

"Keep wagging that tongue of yours and you'll lose it," she said with a tone that carried a violate current within them, her hand holding another dagger to show him that her words weren't an idle threat.

She looked to the messenger. "Let lord Zǐhuán know that we will be beginning our attack."

The messenger saluted and ran off to deliver the message.

"Wényuǎn, Lingqi, the two of you will launch an attack on the forces attacking Boma. If you can break through to the strong hold, great, if not, just do what you can to keep their forces distracted."

Zhang Liao and Lingqi saluted, showing that they understood their orders.

"You," she said looked back to Guan Yu. "I'm going to put you to work. Do you see that standard over there?" she asked as she pointed in the direction she had been previously looking in.

Guan Yu's eyes followed her finger and landed on the standard in question.

"I do," he replied.

"That is Yan Liang's battle standard."

"Impossible," Yu replied. "No general would leave themselves open like that."

"You were at the same war council that I was, weren't you? Yan Liang is young and impetuous. Sending all his troops to attack Boma and leaving only a small group to guard him seems just like something he would do. I'm sure he assumed we would focus solely on liberating Boma and ignore him completely. You and I are going to show him the error of his ways."

"Hmph," was Guan Yu's response.

"What will you have me do, Lady Zhuyue?" Dian Wei asked.

"You will come with us. In case this one gets any ideas, you have my permission to lop his head off."

"Heh heh, gladly," Wei replied with a wide grin.

"That threat is unnecessary. I have sworn to fight under Lord Cao's banner for now and I will do so."

"The words "for now" do nothing to inspire my confidence in you. I'm also not thrilled that you continue to question my competence at every turn. So yes, the threat is necessary. Enough talk, we move now."

On Zhuyue's words, Liao and Lingqi charged forward. Their forces charged right into Yan Liang's own that were attacking the gates of the Boma outpost. Immediately, the forces abandoned their siege on the outpost and focused their attention on their new foe. Feeling that they were sufficiently distracted, Zhuyue led the charge towards Yan Liang's standard.

The closer they got, they were able to see a general sitting a top a horse, looking out towards the battle being waged on Boma. He was surrounded by no more than one hundred troops, which alerted him to their arrival, but it was too late, they were already on him. He was left completely open.

"Someone, get reinforcements from Boma and Lord Shao!" Liang shouted as he took his paltry forces and charged towards Zhuyue and her group. The messengers took off in different directions leaving Zhuyue with a decision. Do they go after the messengers or do they go after Yan Liang? Zhuyue decided to do both. She was the fastest of the three of them, and believed she had the best chance of stopping both messengers. That would leave Guan Yu and Dian Wei to handle Yan Liang. This was a dangerous gamble. Guan Yu could very well betray them and side with Liang. That would leave Wei alone. She could be sending him to his death. Zhuyue sucked her teeth in frustration. Time was ticking by and the messengers were getting further and further away. She had to make a decision now.

"You two take out Yan Liang. I will go after the messengers.

The men gave a shout of acknowledgement and Zhuyue turned her horse towards the messenger heading towards Yan Ford and broke out into a full gallop. She knew she needed to take this one out first. If he reached Yuan Shao, their ploy would have been for naught. She just hoped that the decision to leave Dian Wei alone with Guan Yu was the right one.

=#=

The hooves of Zhuyue's horse pounded the ground loudly as it gave chase to the messenger. Just a few more seconds and she would be in range. She took her right hand off of the reigns and unhooked one of her duck blades. Maneuvering as best she could, she uncoiled the cord she had wrapped around the handle.

The messenger heard the thunderous sound of Zhuyue's horse behind him and he turned around. He let out a surprised cry and tried to double his efforts in getting away. He was in range now. Zhuyue tucked her finger into the loop she made at the end of the cord and lined up her attack. With a cry she let her duck blade fly. Out of pure luck on the messenger's part, he stumbled forward, making him duck right under the attack. The messenger regained his footing and straightened back up. That was where his luck ended. Zhuyue yanked on the cord and pulled the duck blade back towards her. The messenger could only watch helplessly as the blade came spinning back towards him, severing his head from his body.

He stumbled forward a few feet before his body collapsed, his head landing close by. Zhuyue didn't waste any time steering her mount towards the messenger heading for Boma. She had a lot of ground to cover and little time to do it. Her horse gave out a loud snort as she pushed it harder towards her target. Finally the messenger came into view. He had covered a decent amount of ground while she was dealing with the other messenger. Given a bit more time, he would have reached the forces at Boma. Zhuyue pushed her horse harder. It neighed loudly as its powerful legs pumped harder towards their target.

Just like the last messenger, he heard Zhuyue's horse bearing down on him. Unlike the last messenger, he maintained his calm, and began to run in a zig-zag to make himself harder to target. Zhuyue tsked in annoyance. She couldn't properly aim at him like this. She was running out of time.

"Hey! Hey!" the messenger attempted to shout to his comrades. Luckily for Zhuyue and unluckily for the messenger, his cries could not be heard over the din of battle.

She needed to stop him, now. Zhuyue threw out her duck blade and it whipped through the air, right past the messenger. She quickly pulled it back to her hand and threw it out once more. Another miss, damnit! She could feel her frustration rising when she noticed something. He was running in a zig-zag, yes, but it was the same pattern over and over. Left and right; left and right. All she had to do was time her throw when he ran to the left, which was the closest to her. Zhuyue took a deep breath and aimed. The soldier dodged right and then began to move to the left. Zhuyue threw the duck blade and to her relief, her aim was true. The blade dug itself in his back. The messenger let out a pained groaned before landing hard on the ground, face first.

Zhuyue pulled her mount to a stop near the fallen body. She gave the cord a hard yank to pull her duck blade out of the messenger's back. She swiped through the air quickly in an attempt to shake off the excess blood that coated the blade. It would need a proper cleaning later, but this was better than nothing. Zhuyue looked out towards the battle of Boma which still raged on not far from her. To her surprise, at that moment, several bodies all clad in gold flew up in the air before hurtling quickly back to the ground. If that was any indication of how the battle was faring, it looked as if Zhang Liao and Lingqi had things in hand. There was no need to worry on that end.

She turned her mount to face the opposite direction where she had originally saw Yan Liang's standard. From her position, she couldn't see clearly what was going on. She would have to ride over to find out. Sucking in a deep breath, Zhuyue urged her horse forward and hoped that Guan Yu hadn't betrayed them.

=#=

Guan Yu urged his steed forward. In the corner of his eye, he could see Zhuyue speed by as she gave chase to the messenger heading towards Yan Ford. He focused his attention back on Yan Liang, the young impetuous fool riding towards his own demise. Contrary to what they may have thought, Yu had no intention of leaving them, at least not yet. Doing so would not benefit him in any way. Sure, he would have his freedom, but where would he reside while waiting for his brother? How would he eat? If Cao Cao wanted him so badly then he could be his patron until he finds his brother.

Guan Yu took hold of his weapon. Yan Liang glared at him, defiance in his eyes. He truly thought he would win this bout. Yu suddenly found himself eager to show this child just how wrong he was. Their weapons met; steel clashing against steel. Their steeds dancing around each other in a circle as the two clashed atop them. Liang pushed forward with all his might to disengage his great sword from Yu's guandao. Yu pulled back, giving Liang the illusion that he forced the action. Liang quickly reared back, bringing his great sword over his head intent on bringing down in an overhead strike, leaving himself completely wide open. Yu quickly spun his guandao around and thrust the butt of his weapon straight into Liang's abdomen.

Liang flew backwards off of his mount, landing on back with a thud. He groaned and tried to suck in the wind that was forcibly ejected from him upon his collision with the ground. Yu dismounted but kept his distance, allowing Liang to get back to his feet.

Liang stood, using his great sword to push himself to his feet.

"Looks like you have some skill," he said as he rotated his shoulders and got into a fighting stance.

"I heard stories about you. The big guy with an even bigger beard; always hanging on the word of that homeless sap Liu Bei."

Guan Yu took a calming breath to maintain his composure. He would not allow this little piss ant's insults to get him into an unsettled state of mind. He knew this tactic and he didn't respect anyone that used it.

"Heard you chumps go running from lord to lord asking for a handout. So you're kissing Cao Cao's ass now? Are your loser sworn brothers running around here too?"

Liang was probably fishing for information on Cao's troops, but he had instead unwittingly given valuable Intel to Guan Yu. His brother was not with Yuan Shao. Liang's taunting was meant to throw Yu off of his game, instead he strengthened his resolve. Knowing that his brother was not with Yuan Shao, he could fight with a clear conscience.

"What? Got nothing to say? Tell ya what; I'm in a good mood. Surrender and I will put in a good word with my lord. I'm sure we can use a good dog like you."

Yu remained quiet choosing instead to get into his fighting stance to prepare for any attack Liang might throw at him.

"Tch, guess that's your answer then," Liang replied. "Let's do this then."

They were at a standoff, each sizing each other up. Liang in his impatience attacked first. He brought his great sword around in a crescent slash. Yu parried the attack and attempted a counter attack. Liang blocked with the flat of his great sword and kicked the tip of his sword managing to cut through Yu's robe and beard, but not doing any other damage besides that. Yu took a few steps back to put distance between them. He resisted the urge to look at the damage done to his beard after its second unwanted shave today.

"Ha, made that dirty ass beard of yours a bit shorter. Come on big boy; let me take a bit more off."

Yu obliged Liang's wishes by thrusting his guandao at his mid section. Liang blocked but Yu continued to attack with thrust after thrust. Liang was being slowly pushed back and as a person who detested being on the back foot, he needed to change this as soon as possible. Instead of blocking the next thrust, Liang decided to parry the attack. Yu saw the subtle shift in Liang's stance and stopped his next thrust short, twisting his guandao so the blade was facing skyward and quickly performed an upward strike. Liang, was barely able to bring his sword into position in time to block the attack and only managed to stop the attack with the hilt of his sword.

Liang paid for his slowness as Yu's guandao managed to catch part of his hand. He let out a cry and nearly dropped his sword. Liang quickly back peddled, desperate to put space between him and Yu. Once he was a safe distance away, he chanced a glance down to his hand. Blood seeped from his wound, dripping between his fingers onto his hilt. The worst of it was his pointer finger had been cut at the knuckle and was nearly severed completely from the hand. It was no use to him anymore. Taking in a few deep breaths to ready himself, Liang ripped the finger off completely. He let out a loud cry, his eyes watering at the pain.

"Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Liang exclaimed as he tried to bear through the pain. He looked up to Guan Yu and saw that he wasn't moving to attack so he began to pat the insides of his robe in hopes of finding a cloth to wrap around his hand.

"You are going to pay for this you bastard," he cried out in frustration at not finding a cloth.

"You cut my beard…it is only fair that I pay you back for that."

Liang stopped his frantic search to stare at Yu. From his facial expression, you would have thought he saw Yu grow a second head.

"You are mad because I cut your beard? YOUR FUCKING BEARD?! FUCK YOU! YOUR STUPID BEARD WILL GROW BACK, MY FUCKING FINGER WON'T!"

Beyond frustrated, Liang dropped his great sword and ripped off the outer robe, which was a half robe that only covered his upper chest, with fur lining and a cape. He tugged at the cape part in an attempt to rip it.

"Need help?" Yu asked.

"FUCK YOU!" Liang screamed out in reply.

Yu shrugged and took the time to examine his beard. Between Liang's and Zhuyue's attacks on it, it was in a very sorry state. The beard was uneven and quite possibly five inches shorter. He would have to cut it again to even it out. Yu sighed lightly as he returned his attention back to Liang. It seemed he finally managed rip off part of his cape as evident from the gold piece of cloth, which was quickly becoming stained red, wrapped around his hand. Liang grabbed hold of his weapon and kicked his outer robe to the side so it would not get in his way.

"Why didn't you attack me?" He asked as he got back into a battle stance.

Guan Yu's eyes were focused on his hand. The cloth was almost completely red now. It was almost as if he didn't cover it up at all.

"It wouldn't have been honorable to do so," he replied.

"Tss, fuck you. I really hate guys like you. You probably think you are better than me. I'll show you!"

Guan Yu did not respond, instead, he got back into his fighting stance and awaited Liang's attack.

Liang's impetuous nature made him move first once more. His attacks were different than before. They were frantic and powerful, his anger channeled into each blow.

"DIE, DIE, DIE!" Liang screamed out as he continued his barrage. His eyes wild and filled with hatred, Metal screeched as Yu and Liang's weapon met blow after blow.

Liang was undaunted in his attack, with wild eyes he furiously struck out against Yu. Yu refused to be put on the back foot. He parried Liang's attack in an attempt to put him off-guard, but Liang recovered quickly. With a roar he struck out at Yu once more. This brazen attack would prove to be his undoing; their weapons clashed, the sheer force of the collision making both men recoil from the attack. Liang's injured hand gave way at that moment, causing him to lose his grip on his weapon.

Yu jumped at the opportunity, lobbying a horizontal slash at his head. His grip back on his weapon, Liang tried to block his attack, but the slick blood that had been pouring profusely from his wound had coated the hilt. When Yu's guandao clashed against his own, the force of Yu's blow was able to smack the blade right out of his hands.

"Fu—," was all Liang got to mutter before Yu's guandao sliced through his neck, severing his head from his shoulders.

The battle finally won, Yu allowed himself time to catch his breath.

"Took you long enough," came a gruff voice behind him.

Guan Yu turned to see Dian Wei sitting atop his mount, blood splattered across his armor and dripping from the axe he had perched over his shoulder.

"If you aren't happy about he speed in which I finish a battle, you could have assisted," Yu replied.

"I was busy," Wei replied.

And indeed he was. Yu took a moment to look around the battlefield and he could see Liang's men strew about, or rather pieces of them strew about. Wei certainly seemed to be a brutal fighter.

"I thank you for taking care of them while I handled Yan Liang," said Yu as he walked over to the remains of Liang's outer robe.

"Don't make me laugh. I didn't do a thing to help you. I just followed the orders I was given."

Yu picked up the outer robe remains and headed over to the spot where Liang's head landed.

"Even so, knowing I did not have to worry about his forces attacking me from behind made things easier. Lord Cao certainly has some proficient generals serving under him."

"Damn right he does, don't you forget it," Wei replied.

"I certainly will not," Yu answered as he picked up Liang's head, noting that face was frozen in a mixture of anguish and anger.

Yu privately felt pleased that he succeeded in wiping the cocky smile from his face. He was a warrior of some skill but not nearly as much as he thought he had. He wrapped the head in the remains of the outer coat and headed over to Wei. At that moment, Zhuyue returned, one hand on the horse's reigns, the other holding a bloody duck blade. Wei nodded his head to her and she returned the gesture.

"It looks like you guys were successful," she remarked as her eyes examined the battlefield.

"We were," Yu replied as he walked up to Zhuyue's mount and handed her the outer robe containing Liang's head. Zhuyue eyed the bundle, curious to see exactly where he got this curious piece of cloth. The white fur had been smattered with splashes of red and she could see blood pooling at the bottom of it turning the golden cloth a dark crimson.

"Yan Liang's head?" she asked aloud though she already knew the answer.

"It is, as our leader, you should be the one to present it to lord Cao."

"Is that what Liu Bei does? Take credit for the work you do?"

Yu did not reply to her question, but the frown on his face showed that he was displeased by her words.

"That's not how we do it here. It was your kill, you get to claim it."

Yu bowed his head in understanding and mounted his horse.

"With no general and no reinforcements coming from Yan Ford, it should be easy to break the siege at Boma. Let's go help Wényuǎn and Lingqi," Zhuyue declared as she maneuvered her mount so it was heading back in the direction towards Boma. She kicked the hind of her horse stirring it into a galloping towards Boma.

Yu couldn't help but be impressed. She was a very prickly woman, but she was proving to be a competent leader on the battlefield. Yu took off after her with Wei following behind them.

When they reached the Boma outpost, they were surprised to see the gates open. Liang and Lingqi stood near the entrance speaking with Liu Yan, the general left in charge of Boma.

"I guess we did not need to rush over here," Zhuyue remarked once they got closer.

Zhang Liao respectfully saluted her before responding.

"Lingqi skillfully defeated the general that lead the siege. With no leadership and no reinforcements from Yan Liang, they were easily routed."

Lingqi blushed at the praise given to her by her husband. "I did nothing worthy of praise; he wasn't much of a challenge."

"Do not dismiss your accomplishments, Lingqi. You have come a long away and it showed today."

"Wényuǎn…" Lingqi said almost breathlessly as she looked up at her husband with adoration and love.

Zhuyue smiled at the sight. They really were quite cute together. She hated to break up their moment, but there was work to be done.

"Liu Yan, can you send out a messenger to lord Zǐhuán to let him know that the siege has been broken and that Yan Liang is dead?"

Liu Yan saluted and motioned for one of his men to carry out the order Zhuyue had given.

"In the meantime, we will wait within Boma for word. Use this time to rest in case we get attacked again," said Zhuyue.

They nodded and entered Boma. She lingered behind. She let out a shuttering breath, no longer feeling the need to keep up the bravado she adapted for this mission. She felt relieved that it was finally over and everything went according to plan. Her mind now turned to her husband and the others. She hoped that their battle was going as smoothly as hers had.

=#=

"Pathetic," Cao muttered as he thrust his sword into the belly of one of Yuan Shao's soldiers.

"You can't really be surprised by this turn of events," said Yuan as he fired three arrows in quick succession, each hitting a soldier in the neck, chest and head respectively.

"I am here, he has a clear opportunity to overwhelm me with the sheer number of troops he has and instead he sends this riff raff after me," Cao growled as he sliced through the chest of another foe.

"You are actually angry that he isn't trying to kill you more effectively?" Dun asked as he kicked off the body of a soldier currently impaled on his sword.

A wave of soldiers made their way towards Cao Cao. He glared at him, his eyes cold and a frown adorning his face. Cao held out his hand, stopping his cousins' advance. He wanted to take care of this personally. The air surrounding Cao became chilled. Some of the charging soldiers faltered at feeling the sudden frigid air that was enclosing around them. The ground beneath Cao's boots turned white, resembling a thin sheet of ice accompanied by wispy clouds of white that rushed outwards towards the approaching soldiers.

With the soldiers now a few feet in front of him, Cao moved his blade in a horizontal slice as if he intended to cut the air itself rather than the approaching soldiers. In the wake of his attack, large icicles sprang from the newly frozen ground, impaling the rushing soldiers with its sharp jagged peaks. Cao watched the now twitching soldiers dispassionately; their faces frozen in surprise, their blood rolling down the cold glass-like surface of the icicles they were impaled upon.

"Yuan Shao insults me by sending these miserable soldiers to fight me. He still does not deem me worthy enough to face me personally. He heaps insult upon insult on me and it is beginning to wear on my nerves," said Cao in a tone as frosty as the icicles he summoned.

"So I see," Dun replied as the last of the impaled soldiers ceased its twitching and remained still upon the large icicle.

"My lord!" A messenger called out as he ran up to Cao and the others.

"Lord Pi has called for a retreat."

"Hmph, I suppose this means the others have completed their task. Let us retreat. There is nothing for us here."

Cao turned quickly, his cape flapping gallantly behind him as he walked away. The icicles begin to splinter before completely shattering, causing the impaled men to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Huh…I think I want a cape," Yuan said as he watched Cao walk away, completely drawn into the effortless style exhibited during his cousin's exit.

"You think I should get a cape?" Yuan asked as he and Dun trailed behind him.

"You couldn't pull it off," Dun remarked with a smirk as he hefted his bloodied sword over his shoulder.

"Pfft what are you talking about? I could totally pull it off."

This banter between his cousins went on for the rest of the trip back to the main camp. Normally Cao would be amused by his cousins, but today his mood had been soured. Yuan Shao still did not consider him a threat and that was something Cao vowed to change before this war was done.

=#=

"You don't look well, brother," Zhang Fei said to sworn brother Liu Bei as they sat in the privacy of his tent.

"I've been better," Bei said with a sigh as he rubbed his cheek, feeling the stubble beneath his fingertips. He hadn't taken the time to groom himself and it was starting to show. He moved his hand to rub his tired eyes, taking time to examine the puffy bag beneath it with his fingers.

"You sure about joining Yuan Shao?" Fei asked.

He was surprised by Bei's declaration during the last war council. He settled within minutes what he and Xun Yu had been arguing about for days. What's more, Bei would not be dissuaded in his decision when objections were rose about it. Now in the privacy of their tent, Fei could not help but try to ask his brother once more if he was certain about his decision.

Bei remained silent for a few seconds as he considered his answer. Finally he looked up to his brother and spoke.

"Time and time again we have suffered at the hands of that villainous man Cao Cao. If we join with Yuan Shao…perhaps we can get some revenge."

"I guess so…" Fei said uncertainly. "I don't really like the idea of being indebted to another asshole, but I'll follow you wherever you go, brother. Tell me though, are you really okay?"

"I suppose I have indulged a bit too much in wine lately," Bei said with a guiltily half smile.

"That's not what I mean, brother," Fei replied as he examined his brother more thoroughly.

"You look weak. Not sure you are up to traveling right now."

Bei gave his sworn brother a weak chuckle. "I'm sure I am no worse off than any of our men."

"I don't care about our men, I care about you."

"Yìdé, don't say such a thing. Our men are important."

"Sorry, sorry, I just mean that you are our leader. Your health is paramount."

"There is nothing that can be done. We do not have much food. Until we reach Yuan Shao—"

I'm worried that you won't make it to Yuan Shao," Fei interrupted.

"Have faith in me, brother. I am not so weak," Bei replied.

"I know you aren't, brother," Fei replied.

"Good, then do not worry about me. I would like to get to Yuan Shao as soon as possible, but I know that we have a lot of wounded so it will take a few days for us to move. Can I trust you to take the lead in preparing our troops for the move?"

"Of course, brother," Fei said with a nod.

Bei shifted the topic to something a bit more mundane in an effort to lighten the atmosphere. Fei engaged along with him, but he couldn't help but worry, even though Bei told him not to. He would find a way to help his brother, even if he didn't want the help.

=#=

"Is he still drinking?"

Han Dang rubbed the back of his neck, distress clearly showing on his face.

"Well…"

Zhou Yu let out a disgusted sigh and pushed passed him towards Sun Quan's tent.

"W-wait Gōngjǐn! Be reasonable! He lost his father and his brother. You cannot expect a man to recover from such a thing so readily."

Zhou Yu paused in his steps and turned around to face Dang once more. His beautiful face twisted in unbridled fury. "Were he a regular man, I would agree with you, but remember who he is Yìgōng. He is our lord, the leader of the Wu. He does not have the luxury of wallowing in self pity for as long as he has."

Zhou Yu spun on his heel and continued his march towards Quan's tent with Dang following behind him, still begging for clemency on behalf of his distraught lord. They arrived before long and found Zhou Tai standing vigil before it. He nodded his head to both men respectfully but otherwise maintained his silence.

"I've come to see Zhòngmóu," Yu announced.

Zhou Tai frowned. His lord specifically told him that he did not want to be bothered by anyone for any reason and Tai had honored that request, turning away anyone that attempted to speak with Quan. In that time, he watched his lord slip further and further into the depths of depression. If he continued on this downward spiral, Tai wasn't sure he would ever find his way out. For the first time ever Zhou Tai would defy his lord's orders with the hopes that doing so may save his life.

Tai quietly stepped aside allowing Yu entrance. Yu wasted no time entering the tent and he was disgusted and disappointed by what he found. Slumped over in a corner of the tent was Sun Quan, his mouth open as he snored loudly, one of his hands still gripping the rim of a half full wine jug. Yu tsked aloud, angry at himself for letting this go on for as long as he did. He turned to Tai and Dang who had followed him into the tent.

"We need water…"

He turned back to Quan and eyed the jug he still held. He walked over to the man and pried his fingers off of it, causing Quan to stir. Quan let out an incomprehensible mutter before swiping at Yu. Yu dodged the sloppy attack and successfully wrenched the jug from his hand. Quan let out another nonsensical babble before falling back into his drunken slumber. Yu went back over to Tai and Dang and held the jug out to them.

"We can dump what's left in here and fill it with water."

Tai wordlessly took the jug and left the tent to do exactly as Yu suggested.

"I understand your frustration, Gōngjǐn, believe me I do. I feel it too," Dang began as he looked over at the pitiful form of Quan. "But please remember that he is still young. To have the pressure of ruling an army thrust on him so suddenly after the unfortunate passing of lord Bófú, you can't expect—"

"Was Bófú not young when the burden of ruling was thrust upon him? Did he act like this?" Yu countered.

Dang frowned. Sun Ce most certainly did not act like this. Instead of being dragged down by the pressure, he thrived in it. He used it to push himself to unbelievable heights. He swore to make Wu something that his father and their ancestors could be proud of and he did just that. Had his life not been cut so tragically short, Dang had no doubts that Ce could have truly ruled this land.

"He is not his brother," Dang said softly.

"No, he is not. More's the pity for us. Still, he is who we have now and I refuse to let him throw everything Bófú worked so hard for."

Tai returned; the jug now filled to the brim with water. Yu took the jug from him, the water sloshing around violently within, spilling over the lip of the container and onto Yu's hands. He ignored it as he reared back and then stepped forward quickly, bringing the jug forward with the built up momentum, tossing out the cool contents right into the face of the sleeping Quan.

Quan woke with a start, coughing and sputtering as he spit out the water that had gotten into his open mouth. Groggily he pushed aside the hair that had matted over his eyes and looked up angrily at Yu.

"Wuh-what do you think you're doing?"

"Helping you sober up since you seem to have the inability to do so on your own."

"Tch, juh-just leave me alone."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Zhòngmóu. You are our leader and we have been without your guidance for too long."

Quan muttered something that Yu and the others could not hear, but he ignored it and continued.

"We are still within enemy territory. We either need to go ahead with Bófú's plan and attack Xuchang—"

At the mention of his brother, Quan began to sob loudly. Yu sighed in frustration and thrust the jug back towards Tai.

"More water, if you please."

Tai took the jug and exited the tent once more.

"You are bringing shame to your family name," Yu said, focusing his attention back on Quan.

"Shut up," Quan muttered as he avoided Yu's gaze.

"You carry the will of your father and your brother within you. Do you think they would be proud of what you are doing?"

"SHUT UP!" Quan shouted. "You don't know how I feel! He wasn't your brother! Not your true brother! You can't possibly know how I feel!"

Quan's words sparked something within Yu. He was on the man in a matter of seconds, grabbing him by the collar of his robe and yanking him to his feet.

"Bófú may not have been my brother by blood, but he was my brother. You think I do not mourn his passing? You think there isn't a night when I have to come to terms with the fact that I lost my best friend? Don't you EVER say to me again that he was not my brother."

Yu released his hold letting a stunned Quan fall to the ground.

"Bófú asked that I watch over you and out of respect for my brother's last wish, I shall and I refuse to let you wallow in your own self pity and throw away everything your father and brother had achieved. I will drag your miserable ass to be the man that Bófú believed you to be whether you like it or not."

Yu turned away from him and exited the tent with Dang following after him. They ran into Tai upon exiting, who was carrying the newly filled jug.

"Give him that to drink. He needs to sober up. Ensure that he drinks water and water only."

Tai nodded and entered the tent to give Quan the water.

"Do you think he can pull himself out of this?" Dang asked as he watched Tai disappear behind the flap to Quan's tent.

"He has to," Yu replied. "If he doesn't, the Wu army is doomed."

=#=

"We will be falling back to Guandu," Cao announced to his generals during the war council.

"What of Boma father?" Pi asked.

"It will be abandoned. I have already informed Liu Yan. He will be ready to move the supplies at Boma on my word."

Zhuyue and Pi looked crestfallen. The battle to free Boma was significant for them. It was the first time they were both given command. They had done an admirable job, but instead of being commended, Cao chose to abandon it making all of their efforts pointless.

"My lord, are we just abandoning Boma or are we abandoning everything we have gain thus far?" asked Yue Jin.

"We are abandoning everything," Cao clarified.

Yue Jin fought off the urge to let out a heavy sigh. Yu Jin had made such a big deal about capturing those encampments and now they were leaving them all behind? What a complete waste of time.

"My lord, why are we giving up everything we have gained?" asked Xu Huang, speaking aloud the question that was undoubtedly on everyone's minds.

"Because Yuan Shao does not respect me."

The other generals glanced at each other, confused by this statement.

"He does not consider me to be a worthy opponent, despite the advances we have made. He still does not see us as a true threat. We will use this to our advantage," Cao continued.

"Yuan Shao will see our retreat as a clear sign that we acknowledge his power. He will grow overconfident and make foolish mistakes, such as attacking the supply convoy that will be leaving from Boma."

"And then we ambush them! Genius, cousin!" Yuan exclaimed.

"I'm glad you approve," Cao replied. "This will not happen for another month or so. We dealt a great blow to Yuan Shao by killing one of his beloved generals. He will not be eager to strike at me again. When the time comes however, I want this camp packed up and ready to be moved quickly."

"I will be returning to Guandu tomorrow," He paused and shifted his gaze to Guan Yu. "I wish for you to join me when I go, Yúncháng. When I return is when we will begin our plan. With that business out of the way, there are some acknowledgements need to be made."

Cao turned his gaze to Cao Pi.

"You handled your first command adequately…but I do not believe it was enough of a challenge for you. I will be testing you again soon."

"Understood," Pi said with a bow of his head.

"Zhuyue, you also handled your first command well. Good job. You will be rewarded when we return to Xuchang."

Dun could help but have a smug smirk at hearing his wife praised by Cao. He was proud of her.

"Thank you, my lord. Zhuyue said with a salute.

"Now to the real hero of this battle," Cao said as he turned his attention to Guan Yu.

"Yúncháng, you killed one of Yuan Shao's precious generals. I think that deserves a great reward. Follow me."

Cao walked past his generals and out of the tent causing murmurs of surprise amongst the generals. Guan Yu followed Cao out of the tent and the other generals begin to exit as well, curious as to what this gift could be.

They found Cao Cao standing beside a massive steed. It was an intimidating beast, which looked as prideful as it did fierce. Lingqi felt her breath hitch as her eyes fell on the powerful steed. It as one she knew well.

"Red Hare," she whispered with eyes wide in surprise.

Her father's horse. It had survived. Why wasn't she told? How could Cao Cao keep this from her? Memories flooded her mind. She could recall the times she spent brushing his mane and body while speaking to it about anything that was on her mind. Her father valued this horse so much that to her, it was almost as if she was connecting to him when she spent time with it. Talking to Red Hare was her way of talking to her father.

Lingqi suddenly felt an ache in her heart. The feelings that she thought she had buried had come rushing back to the surface. She took an unsteady step forward, suddenly desperately wanting to be near the last piece of her past.

Zhang Liao also knew this horse the moment he saw it. He didn't know that Cao had it. He should have known that he wouldn't have gotten rid of such a unique steed. His attention immediately turned to his wife. He knew how close she was with it. He remembered watching her grooming the horse and speaking in hushed tones with it. He could only imagine what seeing it again did to her. He saw his wife's eyes transfixed on the beast; her mouth slightly open in surprise as she took another unsteady step towards it.

"This is my gift to you, Yúncháng," Cao said as he gestured to the horse.

"No!" Lingqi exclaimed as Cao's words snapped her out of her stupor. She rushed forward to Red Hare.

"You can't!" she cried out she put her body in front of the horse to block Guan Yu's access to it.

Red Hare leaned its head down and sniffed the back of Lingqi's head. Remembering her, it nudged her with its head, wanting her to give it the attention she had in the past. Tears bubbled up in the corner of Lingqi's eyes before spilling freely down her cheeks. She turned to Red Hare and hugged the beast.

"Please, this is all I have left," she said aloud.

Cao frowned as he crossed his hands in front of his chest. "Wényuǎn, I suggest you get your wife."

Liao stepped forward and saluted.

"My lord, this is her father's horse. I know you intended on it being a gift to Yúncháng, but please. I ask you to reconsider. I will give you as many teals as you desire for Red Hare."

"Her father's horse?" Cao scoffed. "Last I checked, her father was dead and if I remember correctly, she was meant to be as well. You told me that you would control her. This does not look like control."

"My lord, please just—"

"Get your wife or I will personally see that she joins the father she seems to miss so much," said Cao.

Liao felt anger unlike any he had ever felt stirring within him. Cao threatened the life of his wife, of the woman he loved. In that moment, Liao wanted to kill that man, no not want, he would kill that man. Before he could make a move, a hand clamped down on his shoulder. It wasn't oppressive in anyway, just something to let him know that they were there.

"Come on, Wényuǎn. Get Lingqi, I have some wine back in my tent that I think we all need right now."

Liao looked over his shoulder to the owner of the hand and saw Jia who offered him a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Liao took a deep breath and nodded. He went over to Lingqi and pulled her gently away by the arm. She offered no resistance, but tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

The atmosphere became incredibly tense as Jia led Lingqi and Liao away from the front of the war tent.

"It seems this gift has caused some trouble," Yu remarked as he watched them go. "Perhaps it would be better if you gave the horse to the girl."

Cao let out a bitter chuckle. "She only wants it for sentimental reasons. Giving her Red Hare would be a waste. This is a powerful beast and it needs a powerful master. It is a temperamental animal and won't let just anyone ride it. I'm sure you will prove yourself worthy."

"If that is how you feel, then I am honored by your gift."

Cao nodded with a smile. "I'm glad you like it. During our next battle, I would like to see you ride out atop it…provided that you can tame it that is."

"I'm sure I can," Yu replied as he eyed Red Hare. The horse eyed him back and blew harshly out of its large nostrils as if challenging him.

Cao laughed and gave a clap of his hands. "Wonderful. As for the rest of you, you have your orders, get to it."

The generals saluted and began to disperse, a few giving disproving glances to Cao and Yu as they left to carry out their lord's will.

=#=

"Here you are," Jia remarked as he handed Liao and Lingqi cups, then filled them.

"Thank you," said Liao.

"No, thank you. You are giving me a perfect excuse to drink during the day. I usually get so much scolding for my peers when I do so. I think they are just jealous because they cannot hold their drink as well as I can," Jia said with a grin before taking a sip from his cup.

"I meant thank you for taking me away from that situation. I…suspect I would have lost myself had you not."

Jia let out a thoughtful hum. "I can understand that. The both of you were blindsided by lord Cao."

"Yo, we're coming in," called Yuan's voice from just outside of the flap to Jia's tent.

Yuan, Dun and Zhuyue entered without waiting for a response.

"More people to join our drinking party?" Jia asked with a soft smile.

"We just wanted to check on Lingqi and Wényuǎn," Zhuyue replied as she glanced over at the pair with worried eyes.

"Speak for yourself. I wanted a drink." Yuan quipped.

Both Zhuyue and Dun elbowed him in the sides causing Yuan to make an exaggerated yelping sound.

"What? We all know by this point that Mèngdé is a dick. Mentally prepare for it and it won't surprise you as much when he does something shitty."

Jia sighed. "I don't believe he is…as you so colorfully describe him as. I just think he is driven. He is willing to do anything to achieve his goal. He believes Guan Yu can bring him closer to doing so and wants to do everything in his power to keep him with us."

"Like I said, dick," Yuan replied as he accepted the cup that Jia filled for him.

"Did any of you know?"

All of the tents occupants turned in surprise to Lingqi who had been quiet thus far.

"Did any of you know that he had Red Hare?" she continued, lifting her head to stare at them. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying for as long as she had, her cheeks still wet with tears she hadn't bothered to wipe away.

"Nope. Mèngdé didn't tell us shit about that one," Yuan replied before downing his drink.

"What Miàocái says is true. Despite being part of his inner circle, there are many things our lord keeps from even us. Lord Cao certainly has many games that he likes to play and we aren't always allowed to join in. This was unfortunately one of those times."

Lingqi nodded and wiped at her cheek with the sleeve of her robe.

"Are you okay?" Zhuyue asked.

"I don't know why I reacted like that," Lingqi replied. "It was stupid. Just…seeing Red Hare…it stirred up a lot of things I thought I buried."

She turned Liao and bowed deeply to him.

"Please forgive me for embarrassing you. I did not mean to cause trouble."

"You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong," Liao remarked as he lifted her chin with a gentle touch.

"Excuse me, master Fèngxiào, may we enter?"

"See, Miàocái? That is the proper way to enter someone's tent," Jia said with a hint of mirth in his voice.

Yuan dismissed him with a wave and held out his cup to be refilled. Dun plucked the cup from his brother's hands not interested in having to baby sit him while he was drunk. Yuan protested this, but he didn't make any move to reclaim his cup from his brother.

"Enter," Jia said to the visitors waiting outside his tent.

The visitors this time was Yue Jin and Li Dian. Yue Jin's eyes took in the surroundings of Jia's tent while Dian immediately searched out and found Liao and Lingqi.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Jia asked.

"You have a big tent," Jin muttered in awe as his eyes swept over it once more.

"Surely you didn't come to just admire my tent, Wenqian," Jia said with a grin.

"We came to check on master Wényuǎn and lady Lingqi," Dian answered in place of his friend.

"Oh, what caring comrades you two have! Much better than when you first arrived, hmm?" Jia said teasingly.

"Well…we train together a lot so it was bound to build camaraderie," Jin replied in a soft voice. For some reason, he looked a bit embarrassed by the whole thing.

"And I commend you for it, here, have a drink. Oh…it seems I am out of cups. Anyone finished with theirs mind sharing?"

"I-It's fine, master Fèngxiào, I don't really drink."

Jia gave a pout. "Are you sure? I have plenty."

"How much is plenty?" Yuan asked with an arched brow.

"That is none of your concern, Miàocái," Jia replied quickly.

"Hey…why wasn't I offered a drink?" Dian asked with a frown.

"Because you don't have any grievances to drink away do you? Poor Wényuǎn, Lingqi, Zhuyue and Wenqian have all felt the sting of our lord's recent actions. Have you?"

Jin frowned. "I don't really have any reason to complain," he said, his eyes avoiding Jia's own.

"So you are not angry that he plans to abandon the encampments you worked so hard capture?"

Jin's silence spoke volumes to Jia. He gave a soft chuckle.

"As I said, everyone has grievances except you," he said pointing a finger at Dian.

Dian's eyes skirted over to Dun and Zhuyue then snapped back to Jia before they could notice.

"Um, no. I don't. You are correct."

Unfortunately for Dian, the ever observant Jia caught the entire thing. "Or rather, you have a different sort of grievance," he replied with a fox like grin.

"I think it's time to break up this little party," Dun interjected. "With so many of us missing, someone is bound to come looking."

"Yes. I thank all of you for the concern you have shown Lingqi and myself. It means a lot to us," said Liao as he saluted all those present in the tent.

"Yes, thank you," Lingqi said softly as she bowed her head to the others.

Jia watched them filter out of his tent. He sighed and poured himself another drink. In an effort to gain the favor of one, Cao was risking his relationship with the others. Jia was convinced that Guan Yu was not worth this risk. Jia could only hope that Cao would see that for himself before it was too late.

=#=

"Brother, can I enter?"

"Of course," said Liu Bei. His voice carried a frailty to it that shook Fei to his core.

Fei entered the tent with his hands behind his back and found his brother sitting up with in. He wore a tired smile that Fei was sure was forced.

"You look weak, brother," Fei remarked with a frown.

"You have been saying that for days, yet I am still here. As I said before, I am no worse than anyone else," Bei said softly.

He meant it as an assurance to Fei, but the truth was his troops were doing quite poorly. They were suppose to leave for Yuan Shao days ago, but no one had the strength. The healthy hadn't eaten a bite in days as priority for food was given to the injured in hopes of bringing them back from the jaws of death.

Bei turned his nose up to the air as a delectable smell wafted into his nose. He did not even realize he was salivating from the heavenly smell.

"Brother…do you smell that?" he asked. Bei's stomach growled loudly in objection to not having whatever that delicious smelling thing was in it.

Fei smiled and revealed what he had hidden behind his back. In a wooden bowl was a stew of some sort filled with meat of an unknown origin. That point was of no concern to Bei however, he just knew that his body began to ache for it.

"W-where did you get meat? The hunters said they could find no animals."

"They weren't looking in the right places," Fei said cryptically as he pushed the bowl towards Bei.

Bei looked at it, half suspicious that it was real and the other half surprised that his brother would offer it to him instead of eating it himself.

"Take it brother," Fei urged.

Bei did not need to be coerced any further. He took the bowl and dug his hand in, scooping out a particularly big piece of the meat and shoving it in his mouth. He let out a groan as he chewed on the sinewy morsel and to him it was the most succulent thing he had ever tasted. He shoveled more and more of the stew into his mouth at one point nearly choking on it in his haste. Finally done, he set the bowl aside feeling more content than he had in days. Regaining his manners, Bei picked up a cloth and used it to clean off food remnants from his face and mouth.

"I hadn't been quite so sated in what feels like a long time. I give you my thanks brother but at the same time I feel shame. I ate it without a second thought to you and your hunger. Forgive me."

Fei gave him a wide smile.

"Don't worry about it brother, got more where that came from. I snacked before bringing it to you to make sure it tasted good."

"It is amazing how much a good meal can invigorate you. We need to share this with our men. We will finally all have the strength to march to Yuan Shao."

Fei's eyes lowered and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Not sure if we can feed everyone with what I got...but we can feed a few I guess."

"Tell me, what animal did it come from? It didn't taste familiar."

Fei now shifted, his face screwed up into one of guilt. Before Bei could question him further, Zhao Yun requested permission to enter the tent. Bei bade him to enter, completely missing the increasing discomfort on his sworn brother's face.

Yun entered, his nose immediately catching the dissipating aroma of Bei's meal. His eyes spied the empty wooden bowl next to Bei with flecks of food that hadn't been eaten slowly drying against the interior. He could tell it was more than the rice the rest of them had been forced to eat, but he couldn't identify exactly what it was. It was disappointing to discover that their lord was hiding food for himself, but that was an issue for another time. Right now, he needed to speak to Fei about a more pressing one.

"Zǐlóng, what can I do for you?" Bei asked.

Yun saluted his lord and turned his attention to Fei. He kept his eyes trained on him as he spoke.

"Forgive me, my lord but I actually did not come here to speak with you. Someone said they saw Yìdé enter and I needed to speak to him."

"I see," Bei said. He eyed the two men and hoped that another fight would not break out between them.

"I just went to visit someone that served under me, a man by the name of Zhu Fa."

Fei seemed to show no recognition of the name and Yun's eyes hardened. He KNEW Fei knew him, but for some reason, he wanted to pretend as if he did not.

"I know you know him because according to the others, you were the last one seen with him."

Fei gave a non-committal shrug. "That kid you were talking to the other day? Yeah I remember him. He was healed up enough from his wound so I told him to get off his ass and get back to work. We need all the hands we can get."

"He was not healed enough. He can barely use his wounded arm. He still needed time to recover, yet when I went to visit him, I was told he hadn't returned to the tent after going off with you."

"So your man deserted. Don't know why you are coming to me unless you want me to hunt him down for leaving us."

"He did not abandon us," Yun replied angrily. "A man that would go so far as to take an arrow for lord Xuándé would not suddenly abandon us!"

"Yet you can't find him. Seems like he did exactly that," Fei replied.

Yun clenched his fist, his teeth mirroring the action. He knew Fei was lying. He knew where Zhu Fa was, but he wasn't telling and his reluctance to tell him most likely meant the worse for him. Fei has been known to go overboard when disciplining his own soldiers; leaving some with disfiguring wounds and broken limbs. Yun wouldn't put it past him to do the same or worse to one of his soldiers simply because he didn't like him. Yun tried to calm himself down. He needed to find out where Fa was and getting angry wouldn't get him what he wanted.

"Please, just tell me where he is," Yun implored.

"Not sure what you are insinuating, boy," Fei growled. "But I don't know where your little shit deserter is. Perhaps you should keep a better eye on your men."

Yun could feel more and more of his grip slipping. Fei was purposely pushing his buttons. He wouldn't get any answers from him. He decided a change of tactics was in order.

"My lord," Yun began as he focused his attention solely on Bei. "Please, I only want to find Zhu Fa."

Bei's brows furrowed as he looked between his brother and Yun.

"I am not sure what you want me to say, Zǐlóng. It sounds as if Zhu Fa was not happy about being pushed back into duty and decided to leave. We cannot afford to chase a deserter. The heavens will have to be our judge."

"He did not desert!" Yun cried. Bei's eyes widened, surprised that Yun raised his voice at him. Fei moved towards Yun but was stopped by Bei's hand. Yun caught himself and bowed his head low to Bei.

"My apologies, my lord. I did not mean to yell it's just…I know he did not desert. He was willing to give his life to save yours, so why would he leave now?"

"I'm sorry, Zǐlóng. It seems as if he is gone. There is nothing we can do. We need to take care of those who are here."

"But—"

"Enough, Zǐlóng," Bei said in an authoritative tone signaling that he was no longer addressing him as a comrade, but as the lord he served. Yun fist clenched even tighter, but he bowed his head once again in deference.

"Forget about Zhu Fa. He has deserted us and there is nothing we can do. We need to look towards those who are still with us and in that regard, I have some fortunate news. Brother has gone hunting and managed to get meat for us. There is enough for it to be shared with some of our men. We will get as many to eat as we can, then we need to prepare to move. We have tarried here long enough and we need to make our way to Yuan Shao."

Yun looked at Fei with fire in his eyes.

"What animal did you manage to catch? I sent out dozens of hunters and went myself and there were no animals to be found. How have you succeeded where we had not?"

Fei gave him a grin, one that infuriated him. There was such a patronizing air to it that it made every fiber in Yun's being bristle.

"Perhaps it is because you weren't looking for the right prey," he replied.

There was something in Fei's cryptic statement that did not sit right with Yun, but his anger blocked all thought but the most basic. He needed to get away from this man, to get away from both of them. He would continue to search for Zhu Fa on his own. He knew in his heart that he would not have deserted them. Without another word and without saluting either man, Yun left the tent.

Bei did not notice the lack of salute. His mind was focused elsewhere. He thought the exact same as Yun, that there was no animal to be found, yet his brother had found some? He looked at the wooden bowl which still sat beside him, then to his brother.

"Yìdé, tell me truly. What animal was this?"

Fei remained quiet, shifting his eyes to the ground once more.

Bei joined him in silence, his mind fitting the pieces together like a jigsaw until the entire picture could be seen. He took a deep breath, his mind trying and failing to rational what he had just uncovered.

"Why, brother? Why would you do this?"

"Because you needed food; real food," Fei replied, dropping all pretense of innocence.

"But he saved me. If not for him, I would have been injured."

"As he should have," Fei replied. "He swore to serve you and in this way, he has."

"But…he was recovering…to do this to him."

"He was recovering, but he would have been of no use to us. His sword arm was wounded. It would have taken probably years for him to lean how to wield a weapon in the other hand. To use him as I did helps us now. It helps YOU now."

"I…I don't know," Bei said softly.

Despite his words, Bei was already swaying to his way of thinking. It was not unheard of for poor villages to turn to cannibalism when their fields were ravaged by locust and there were no alternative sources of food available. He wasn't exactly appalled by the idea that he had just eaten another human, a soldier that fought under his banner. What held him back was how would people look at him if they knew? Would they think him a monster? Would they understand that desperate times called for desperate measures?

"You have an ambition brother…one that must be fulfilled. If you fall now, your vision will never come to light. Evil men like Cao Cao or selfish men like Yuan Shao will be the ones who rule. The heavens will forgive us brother…they know that what we do is for the greater good."

And that was it. Fei's words had completely swayed him. Bei nodded slowly, allowing Fei's coercion to edge out his reason and silence his morals.

"We do need the food to make the journey…we have many injured and many that have gone too long without food."

Fei nodded in agreement.

"If we have need to do this again…make sure it is from those who are no longer able to fight only."

Fei nodded once more. "Of course brother. As soon as we get to Yuan Shao, we will have the rations we need and we won't have to resort to such methods anymore. We only do this because we must."

"Yes…of course you are right. Just…let me know the next time you are to do this. I will help you cover the disappearance up. And Yìdé? Knowledge of this need not go to anyone beside us."

"Of course, brother."

Bei nodded again, this time more to himself than to Fei. This was a necessary evil. The heavens will forgive him, they had to.

=#=

-Two weeks and a half later-

"My lord, please! Give me a thousand men. Just a thousand men! Give me this so I can avenge Yan Liang. I will bring you the head of the craven that slew him!"

Shao frowned. Wen Chou had come to him every day with the same request since they got word of Yan Liang's death. While Shao felt for him, he could not in good conscience give him men solely for the purpose of revenge. He had a war to win.

"I understand your anger. My heart aches with yours. But we cannot rush out without a plan."

"So Yan Liang will be un-avenged?! He served you faithfully, my lord. Please do not let him die so dishonorably."

Shao gave a dramatic sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. They were going around in circles and Shao was rapidly losing patience with his favored general.

"What do I have you advisors here for? All you have done is give me bad advice! Yan Liang's death might as well be on your hands!"

If Yuan Shao couldn't get Wen Chou to stop bugging him about avenging his partner, perhaps he could get him to redirect his frustration.

'Sometimes I am so smart it is scary,' Shao thought to himself with an inward smile.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourselves?"

At times like this Ju Shou would remain silent. He would keep his head down and let Yuan Shao vent his anger. But this time he couldn't. Ju Shou specifically warned Yuan Shao that it was a bad idea to send Yan Liang alone. He warned him that he was too young and too brash to lead the attack alone. But Shao ignored him. Why? Because that slimy boot-licker Guo Tu assured him that all would be well if Liang went into battle alone. Enough was enough. Shou would not let Tu get away with his incompetence. He would not let Shao pass off the blame for his screw up. Their ally lay dead because of their stupid decisions; because of their refusal to listen. Wen Chou was right. Someone needed to answer for Liang's death.

Shou stepped boldly forward, his head held high. Zhang He was about to move forward to stop him, but the determination on Shou's face froze him in place. He had never seen his easy going friend so focused before. He was determined to be heard. Jùnyì couldn't help but admire his resolve.

"Lord Shao, I have something to say," said Shou. His voice was strong, clear and full of determination.

"Unless you are stepping forward to take the blame for poor Yan Liang's demise, I am not interested."

"The blame does not lie at my feet, my lord, but at Gōngzé and yours!" Shou declared.

There was a resounding gasp as all in attendance inhaled air at the same time, shocked by Shou's words and audacity.

Shao recoiled as if he had been wounded. He quickly regained his regal bearing and gave Shou a fiery glare.

"You dare accuse me of his death!?"

"As he should!" Tian Feng exclaimed. The elderly man stepped forward, aided by his walking stick and moved to Shou's side.

"I too have warned you about several things, but you shrug them off as the ramblings of an old man. Well here is a young man who has warned you and your vanity put you in the same predicament!"

Shou did not back down from his lord's glare. He met it head on, determined to have his say. Emboldened by Feng standing with him, Shou forged on.

"I tried to warn you. I tried to tell you he was not fit to lead the troops against Boma, but you ignored me and Gōngzé insisted that all will be well. We would still count him amongst our number had you two just listened to me!"

"I will not listen to this ridiculous slander! Guards! GUARDS!"

At his words, guards began to rush towards Shou and Feng. Shou's eyes widened and his knees buckled. He was not a fighter and to see such heavily armed men rushing at him filled him with dread. He put his hands up defensively, making him look more like a mouse than a man. Feng on the other hand held his walking stick up with both hands, prepared to defend himself to the death if need be.

The situation was spiraling rapidly out of control. Blood would be drawn today and Zhang Fe would not let it be the blood of Shou or Feng. With claws out, he quickly moved to their side in defense.

"I understand you are only doing what you are ordered, but if you take another step forward, I will ensure that you have a very ugly death," He said to the guards. His normally flowery speech replaced with a hard edge usually reserved for battle. The guards knew of Zhang He's prowess in battle and seeing him battle ready made them falter.

"Jùnyì! How dare you?! Stand down!" Shao shouted.

"Jùnyì, you best do what Lord Shao says or you know what will happen," Tu said warningly.

The countenance of Zhenji flashed in his mind; her smiling face that was beautiful and sad at the same time. He understood Tu's threat well. If he continued on this path, Zhenji would be in danger. Yet how could he ever think of facing her again if he did not stand up for another of his dear friends.

"My lord please, spare them. We are all grieved by Yan Liang's death. This is just merely a moment of insanity," said Wang Xiu, another of Shao's strategist.

Shao was ready to rebuke him when another strategist stood up in defense of them and another. There were many voices begging for the men to be spared and Shao knew if he ignored them, there would be unrest in his camp, something he could not afford right now.

Shao sucked his teeth in disgust.

"Cease your prattling. I will spare their lives. Never say that I am not merciful."

There was a sigh of relief, but Shao was not finished.

"However," he continued. "They will lose a rank and will spend time in the prison. I cannot reasonably allow them to speak so ill of me without reprimand."

"But my lord, we are at war," Wang Xiu argued. "To lock them up would put us at a disadvantage."

"I will not change my mind on this, Shūzhì. Continue to push me on this and you will find yourself in their company."

Xiu quickly bowed his head in deference and stepped back. He did as much as he could for them and while it was not ideal, it was better than the trio ending up dead.

"Guards, relieve Jùnyì of his weapon and throw these fools in prison."

The guards moved cautiously towards Jùnyì and he handed them his weapons without a fuss. Feng refused to give up his walking stick and considering him to be of little threat, they let him keep it. With a rough shove to their backs, they were led away.

Shao rubbed at his temples. The entire ordeal had given him a headache. He wished to retreat to his quarters and get a massage to work out his stress.

"If there is no other business," he said as he stood up, intent on doing just that.

"There is, my lord," said Xiu.

Shao let out a frustrated sigh.

"What is it now?"

"There is someone here to see you. He wishes to fight Cao Cao under our banner."

Shao rose a brow in mild interest. "And who might this be?"

Xiu called in their guest and in walked Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. Shao rolled his eyes at the sight of the two men.

"I thought you had someone of worth."

Bei put a hand on Fei's shoulder, preemptively stopping his advance towards Shao.

"My lord," Bei began as he saluted. "I know we are lowly warriors, but we are eager to prove our worth to you. Cao Cao has wronged us just as he had wrong you. Our only wish is to help put a stop to this evil man before it is too late."

Shao remained silent for several moments, his hand rubbing his chin in thought. The truth was, they weren't doing well in this war. They were losing battles at an alarming rate and he did not have the luxury to turn away able help. So Shao would swallow his pride and allow Liu Bei to join him, but of course he would make it seem as if he was doing him a favor. It couldn't hurt to have Bei in his debt.

"So you seek to use me for your revenge?"

"We would of course serve you loyally afterwards for giving us the opportunity," Bei replied. Fei bristled at this but remained quiet.

"Very well. I will allow you the honor of serving me. Never say that I am not a magnanimous person."

"Yes, my lord. Thank you," Bei said as he saluted him.

Fei begrudgingly followed his brother's lead and Shao looked to the both of them with a smile. Yes. Having Liu Bei in his debt couldn't hurt at all.