Chapter 5: Pang De's Plan
Chang An. The Xiliang troops had come to avenge their fallen commander.
"The governor is Zhong Yao here?" inquired Ma Chao.
"Yes. He is the commander of Chang An, my lord," replied the scout. The gates opened up and Zhong Yao rode forth with his army.
"How dare you oppose us, you untrained savages of Xiliang!" taunted Zhong Yao.
"What about your lord Cao Cao? He mercilessly executed my father!" Ma Chao shouted back.
"May I attack, cousin?" asked Ma Dai.
"Sure," answered Ma Chao. Ma Dai unsheathed his sword and twirled it around before it got caught up in a fight with Zhong Yao's sword. Zhong Yao ordered retreat in only a few bouts. His skills were too low and the army flocked back into the safety of the castle. Ma Chao charged the enemy but the gates slammed shut on them.
"Dammit," said Yun Lu. The doors were shut fast and wouldn't allow anything in or out. Pang De came over.
"There are other gates. We could try and make one of them open…" suggested Pang De.
"How?" asked Ma Chao, delighted that there might be still some chance.
"Set fire to that patch of trees, they might open up to investigate it. But first, we have to make them think we've retreated, so that they won't think we're the ones who set fire," said Pang De.
"Ah thank you Pang De! I'm so dumb," said Ma Chao.
"Yah, I realised," said Yun Lu.
"FALL BACK!" yelled Ma Dai to try and stop the siblings from bickering at each other again.
"Hmph, they're funny," commented Pang De.
And so we all just split up into groups. We made camp in the fields away from Chang An's sight. Hopefully those people inside the castle will lessen their guard when they don't see us.
Three days later, we quietly left the fields into the loose forests nearby Chang An, late at night. Ma Chao sent out a group of people to set fire to a patch of trees in front of the West gate. We'll see how good that Pang De is. He seems like a loyal man, and smart too. Hopefully his plan pays off well.
All around the castle, we had people in hiding.
Then there it was, a bright cone of hot light licking up the patch of trees in front of West gate. A few clasped their hands together and prayed for success. Yun Lu decided not to copy them. After all, she didn't have a god.
"Guys!" she whispered rather loudly to wake up the soldiers in a praying trance.
The castle gates were opening. A group of enemy soldiers came out to look at what the fire was all about. Zhong Yao's brother, Zhong Jin was standing on the top of West Gate, observing his scouts. They thought the Xiliang troops had retreated and the suspicion that they could've set the fire had diminished. The gates were now wide open, Yun Lu saw the signal and the groups charged out into the gate. Zhong Jin ordered the gates to be quickly shut but Ma Chao's forces were faster and they wedged themselves in, forcing the gates to open.
Taking the advantage of surprise, they charged in, taking down Zhong Jin and the men inside Chang An. Zhong Yao fled as soon as he knew his city had succumbed to Ma Chao.
"Let's get that Zhong Yao!" shouted Yun Lu, pumped after the action.
"Leave him, he should be long gone. He's not worth killing, running from his besieged city just like that!" Ma Chao clicked his fingers together. "Now my men! Reward for your great efforts!" They cheered.
"Very pro Pang De," said Yun Lu.
"Thank you. It is my point here isn't it? To help bring victories," replied Pang De.
"Tomorrow we're going to advance towards Cao Cao and avenge father," informed Ma Chao.
"You have become a fine warrior and leader Ma Chao, said Han Sui, walking up to them. Ma Chao smiled his thanks.
"Men, rest up today for we shall be purging injustice tomorrow!" cried Ma Chao.
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Yun Lu was walking around surveying the area and trying to calm the terrorized civilians of Chang An.
"It's alright guys, no one's gonna do you any harm now," she soothed a stricken family.
"AHHHHHH!" a scream was heard. Yun LU spun her head around in the direction of the scream.
"W-What happened?" asked the mother.
"I dunno, I'll go check. Promise me you people will keep calm alright?" Yun Lu sprinted off.
"AHHH! Get away from me!" came the scream again. Yun Lu followed the sound to a small house. A vase shattered inside. The door was flung open and Yun Lu stormed inside to see one of her soldiers trying to rape a Chang An woman. Yun Lu grabbed the collar of the man and ripped him away form the woman. She promptly smashed a fist into his face, red blood oozing out of his nose.
"No raping or killing or harming the villagers in anyway! It's part of the rules for signing up into our army. Didn't you read them?" yelled Yun Lu.
"Sorry Lady Ma…" uttered the man. He was in his late twenties. Yun Lu looked at the woman. She was older than her and was very beautiful, but her clothes were in tatters.
"You alright there? Did he…"
"No he didn't. You got her in time…thank you," she replied. Yun Lu turned her attention back to the man.
"Do you have a wife?" she asked.
"Yes…" he mumbled. Yun Lu growled at him.
Anyone would've have said 'no' to that question, idiot.
Yun Lu forcefully kicked him in the groin.
"I pity the unfortunate one who had to marry you," she snarled as the man skidded to the floor in pain. "Bastard." Yun Lu grabbed him and dragged him out of the house.
"Thank you Lady Ma." The woman waved goodbye. "And take care!"
"You too! What's your name?" asked Yun Lu.
"Diao Chan."
Yun Lu stopped in her tracks.
Diao Chan, the one who single handedly brought down Dong Zhuo with her beauty?
But before Yun LU could ask anymore, the door had already closed.
So she stayed here after bringing down two powerful men, Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo and then disappeared from the world. What an honourable woman, to live humble in a small house, instead of marring a random rich dude and living in luxury. She must want to keep her identity hidden or something. Well, I won't be telling anyone.
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The man was brought up to Ma Chao.
"This man tried to rape a citizen here," explained Yun Lu.
"The penalty for that is death here. I despise it so much," said Ma Chao.
"Please give me another chance generals," he cried.
"A man with thoughts of doing that to an innocent woman deserves to die," argued Yun Lu.
"Yes, I agree, take him out and kill him," ordered Ma Chao. The criminal hung his head and he was dragged out to his death.
"Is the woman okay," inquired Ma Chao.
"She's fine," replied Yun Lu.
"What's she like?"
"Just a normal lady." Yun Lu smiled.
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Lol, I have no idea why I even put that Diao Chan bit. Me and my weirdness. Maybe she'll come up sometime in the future or Yun Lu will mention her or something. I dunno.
This story's gonna take a while.