14.
As Zhou Que walked into the palace, he noticed that lord Zhou Yu and lord Zhuge Liang were discussing something. They're probably discussing the strategy for the upcoming battle, Zhou Que thought. He went onwards, but then he stood still. He was actually pretty curious about what they came up with, they had been discussing the matter for over a week now. He decided to ask them about it. "Good afternoon, my lords." He said as he walked in the room. The room was quite simple, in the middle stood a long table. On the table was a map, probably from the area were the two sides would clash. On the map you could see two sides of land, separated by the sea. On the north side was a twisting, winding path through the mountains, which would eventually lead to a field. On the south side, there were two parts of land. One at the bottom left and one at the bottom right corner of the map. In the middle of the two corners of land there was a large wooden platform. "How is the strategy going? Have you come up with something yet?" Zhou Yu pointed at the map, to the north side of the land. "This is where Cao Cao's forces will be at the beginning. We will be at the south side. Cao Cao will use a huge naval force to bring us down." Zhou Que sat down and rubbed his beard. "With how many are they?" "400.000 men at least."
Zhou Que's eyes widened. He knew that Cao Cao had an advantage of number, but he didn't knew it would be this big. "And with how many are we?" He asked unsure. Zhou Yu smiled. "Do I smell uncertainty in you, lord Zhou Que?" Zhou Que didn't fence about it. "Well, yes." He said shortly. "How do we stand a chance against such a large opponent?" Zhuge Liang stepped forward. "A battle is not won with strength alone."He said in the same wise and calm tone as always. "Certainly not with strength of arms alone. If lord Zhou Yu and I combine our minds, we will forge a plan greater than any other. With such a plan, the chance of victory will greatly improve." Zhou Que seemed more certain now. "I see…" He said thinking. "But don't underestimate this matter." Zhuge Liang continued. "This will still be a most difficult battle." Zhou Que stood up. "Understood my lord." And as he walked away, he said: "We better pray to the heavens then. If only they could just blow Cao Cao's forces away…" Zhuge Liang's eyes widened. Zhou Que turned around. "What is it my lord?" "Blow Cao Cao's forces away…" He mumbled. As he noticed that Zhou Yu and Zhou Que were watching him, he shook his head. "Never mind, it is nothing."
As Zhou Que walked out of the room he remembered that he actually had no idea who Liu Bei was. They were allies now, but who was he? He decided to ask Zhou Tai. He walked toward some guards who were chatting. As he came by, they immediately stood back into position. "Were is Zhou Tai?" Zhou Que asked. "He is taking a walk through the palace gardens," one of the guards said. Zhou Que made a grateful gesture and moved on.
As he saw Zhou Tai walking Zhou Que walked towards him. "Cousin, do you mind if I join you in your walk?" "No, I don't." Zhou Tai said shortly. As they walked Zhou Que said looked at Zhou Tai. "Can I ask you something?" "You just did." Zhou Tai said without looking back. Zhou Que sighed and continued. "Can you tell me who exactly lord Liu Bei is?" Zhou Tai looked at him. "You don't know?" "If I did, why should I ask you?" Zhou Tai rolled his eyes. "Lord Liu Bei is an actual descendant of the Han." He said. The Han is who ruled the land sometime ago. They made the Han- dynasty, but that ended sometime ago. "Why doesn't he claim his right to the throne then?"Zhou Que asked. "Because he doesn't have the strength to do so."Zhou Tai said. "He is a wanderer, serving other lords, despite the fact that he isn't serving one right now. He doesn't even have a place to call home. And even if he had, he is too soft to rebel against the empire. He is a man of virtue, and very merciful. But the very same qualities keep him from becoming stronger." Zhou Que nodded. "But how come that he survived this chaos then?" "He has the right men at his side. He is the sworn brother of Zhang Fei, and also of Guan Yu, the god of war." Zhou Que lifted an eyebrow. "The god of war?" Zhou Tai nodded. "Yes, and that is not just a title out of formality, that man is magnificent. And now Liu Bei has the legendary Zhuge Liang in his ranks. I think we might hear more of him, provided that we survive the upcoming battle, that is."