Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers apply. Also warning: A lot of swears in this one.
We Just Outsourced: Part 3
Cheng Pu ascended to his modest home on the hills along the Drenching Cliffs, named so for its frequent rains. He just couldn't wait to sit down, have some tea, and sleep and meditate until the young master Ce came calling again.
As he dismounted onto the gravel way, he became a little perturbed that this house was oddly quiet. He already lived with his family in relative solitude, but it seemed even more silent than usual.
As he stepped over the threshold, he uttered a soft greeting, keeping his eyes open, just in case.
"Hello?" he glanced over his shoulder briefly. "Anyone?"
"Demou."
His head jerked to the left as he heard the familiar call. Cheng Pu's normally rigid face softened, his home making him feel at ease, his house, and his wife. All was still complete.
Or so he thought.
"Jianyi," his voice lost all edge, and came out as a passionate whisper, the same voice that never failed to drive his wife to be extra passionate in return. He closed the distance and braced her shoulders, staring down into her brown eyes, "I live to see another day. Aren't you glad? I still have all my limbs!"
The woman didn't respond to his weary smile. In fact, she looked downright forlorn.
"Jianyi, what's wrong? Where's Cheng Zi?"
Her chin wobbled subtly, as she choked back a sob, "My lord Demou, I am…I am truly glad you are safe. My heart felt as if in a vice until I heard word of your well-being."
After she swallowed her tears, she let go of what she had been holding onto for so long in their marriage, "Cheng Pu, I...I sent Zi to my mother's. To live. In fact, it is where I have been staying. I only returned to be sure you didn't come home to an empty house before I gave you this message."
"What message?" Cheng Pu's voice took on a hard edge. And if his wife had been any other person, she may have flinched. But she was stronger than most when it came to Cheng Pu and his tendency to be overbearing when displeased.
"I can't stay here. Not without you."
"And I'm here!"
"Before when!" her eyes shined brightly, meeting his steely ones. "Before you run off again for heavens knows how long?!"
Finally, his wife began weeping freely, "You're never around. We nearly have gone bankrupt twice now. I'm doing what I can to keep us all together, but I fear Cheng Zi is suffering because of it."
Cheng Pu's mind had gone blank. Normally a blissful reprieve from the curse of his over analytical mind, but now it left a sour feel in his bones. He hadn't seen this coming. Sure things were stressful with the amount of campaigns being launched lately, but he never would have seen that his wife and son would be so ready to leave his homestead.
He tightened his lips, feeling just a bit spiteful. But not enough to try to force the outcome to be any different, "You know you cannot legally do this without a chancellor's permission."
His wife, his beloved, sighed, "I know. But you love me too much to stop me. Don't you, Demou?"
"But you don't love me enough to not go."
His wife shook her head, "My handsome Demou, I am still very much in love just as much as when we met at the lily fields when we were children. My love has never faded."
She reached out, tentatively, to caress the sash he had pinned around his shoulders, her fine, but strong fingers stroking fondly, wistful in a memory. But something obviously stopped her. "But I have found I have priorities over my love for you. My child. My family. I am not cruel, Demou, I won't take your son away from you forever. So long as you are home, you may see him. But when you leave, he is to be with my family. Where he is safe."
Caught off guard and defeated, Cheng Pu chewed on more words. He didn't trust his temper enough for them not to be hateful at that moment. That would only drive her and Zi away even more. He wasn't used to standing down, but he barely had the energy to do much else anymore. He relented, feeling his heart crumble as he and his wife shared one last cup of tea before she departed.
Han Dang hadn't made his presence known very much since the last battle with Zu Lang. Partially he was still recovering from his injuries, but mostly he felt that he couldn't show his face around the army again. All fifteen of his troops were dead, their families torn apart.
Master Cheng Pu always told him that his thirst for validation would bring him to ruin. Here it did.
It was only because of a note from Huang Gai that he even bothered leaving his small apartment near the river docks. He invited him and Zhu Zhi out for hunting, and Han Dang felt he needed someone to interact with.
The group, along with a few of their trusted officers managed to nab a deer that afternoon, and instead of returning to headquarters boasting of their catch, they decided to camp out in a clearing, still able to see the walls of the town from down the wooded hills.
Oblivious to the slow and subtle shift that was about to occur within their army, Han Dang quickly realized why the veterans wanted to be away from the ears of the Sun family at the moment.
"I gotta ask you two what the hell went on that's got Lord Sun Ce spooked," Huang Gai barked as he placed thick twigs on the growing campfire. "I was ready to go on assignment, and he told me I am on standby. And he's got no future plans that I know of."
"I heard that Sun Ce is bringing in another military commander in. Or advisor, I don't remember what they said," Zhu Zhi said as he was flaying the carcass of the deer.
"Oooh, Cheng Pu is not going to like that," Huang Gai rumbled, shaking his head solemnly, almost as if he were concerned of what would befall Sun Ce should the veteran tactician hear of this.
"A lot of people aren't going to like it," Han Dang said softly, but couldn't hide the bitterness in his tone. He too didn't like to hear about Sun Ce looking elsewhere for guidance. Everyone there had served the Sun family faithfully since the days of Sun Jian, that should account for something. Was everyone obsolete now that Sun Ce has expanded his territory tenfold and was aiming for more?
"Heavens. That bad?" Huang Gai took his seat on a log by their small camp and began cleaning the pelts Zhu Zhi had carved from the deer carcass. They would send the skins to the tanners and the meat to the supply captain. It wasn't much but one deer could supply a little extra food and gear for a few of their soldiers.
"For most forces our size, it's easy to simply take a win as it comes. But as you have heard there were too many avoidable mistakes. And it cost our soldiers' lives."
Han Dang remained silent, the pang of the reminder of his unit coming back like a misplaced acupuncture needle. He roughly broke off the end of a wayward stick he picked up and tossed it into the flames.
As the three officers mulled about their future, they at least had knowledge of what was coming. Cheng Pu, who quickly left for home as soon as the army returned to base, would be one of the last. The three senior officers were anxiously awaiting the oncoming response when it would inevitably reach him.
After his wife had left, eventually Cheng Pu found himself loathing the silence of home. Odd for him, who usually found the quiet a nice respite from the fighting, arguing, and the normal constant noise involved with being a Sun family officer.
He was thankful that Lady Wu had summoned him for a talk around the small patch of greenery outside the barracks that they treated as a garden. It was an opportunity to get away from the painful emptiness he was feeling.
"Thank you for your correspondence during the last battle, Cheng Pu," she thanked him with a nod. "And for saving my son."
"It was of no consequence, my lady. I only seek to see the success of the army," he held his hands out in front of him in a courteous gesture. He straightened to his full height, adjusting his finer selection of robes.
In their younger days, Cheng Pu was considered to be the handsome one of the group, tall, magnificent, with slim slate-grey eyes, well-spoken and learned, and Lady Wu found him all those things when Sun Jian first introduced her to him. But he always had a grimness about him that pulled his exquisite features. Now, years later, Cheng Pu was still very much a catch, still a towering presence, but grey had colored his dark hair and beard, and that grimness had added harsh lines to his face.
"Where is our young master, speaking of?" he asked, ears perked to hear his lord's loud voice off somewhere in the grounds.
"He's writing messages to our new recruit. He has seemingly turned around to the idea of getting a little extra help."
A little extra help? Cheng Pu gave her a confused look.
"Excuse me?" he asked, caught off guard.
"They...didn't report this to you?" Cheng Pu didn't like the quizzical look his Lady was giving him. It quickly told him that he was supposed to know something long ago, and likely that something was going to make him very very upset.
"I am feeling foolish now, I don't know what you are talking about."
Lady Wu set her jaw tight, eyes flickering to the small butterflies around a patch of flowers near them. "Sun Ce is going to recruit outside assistance."
"In what capacity?" Cheng Pu didn't hold back the gruffness in his tone.
Lady Wu paused and shut her eyes, whispering, "...we cannot answer that yet. That is for Sun Ce and the recruit to decide."
He arched his brows, stunned. To let someone dictate their position upon entry was something.
"Has he sought the advice of his other advisers?"
"He has notified others, yes, which is why I am confused as to why you do not know of this situation."
He held back on voicing more of his frustration. He did not want to unsettle Lady Wu, but this unnerved him. It was no longer what it was years ago when Sun Ce made more friends than enemies, due to others underestimating the strength and size of his forces. Now that he was getting more renown, enemies and friends alike could be around every corner. It was best to be wary before more vetting could be done.
"So I'm being shut out?" Cheng Pu growled, failing to hide his distaste over the matter. "I cannot in good conscience sit by and let Lord Sun Ce make this arbitrary decision without consulting his allies first."
"He didn't make the decision. I did," Lady Wu announced. "I asked him to seek out this man."
At that, Cheng Pu went rigid. He didn't dare say a word, embarrassed that he had insulted the widow of his Lord. "I...I did not realize."
He shifted his weight and got to his knees, kowtowing, asking for supplication and forgiveness, an action he was not used to, but he would gladly eat his words if he truly realized he was in the wrong. "Please forgive me, my lady."
Lady Wu made a grand expression of exhaustive annoyance, "Get up, Demou. We're long friends. I do not care to have friends grovel before me over a minor insult."
Cheng Pu stood, getting back to his towering, majestic self, "Then as a friend, I must ask why you would recommend a total stranger to work so closely with our young general."
"He is no stranger. His family opened their home to us when we had to flee Shouchun ...And his ancestors had just a strong connection to Jiangdong as my beloved."
Cheng Pu's shoulders slumped, figuring there was no turning back from this at this point, "Could I at least see what the lad is made up of before I hand over the trust of my forces into the hands of this man?"
"You are not being replaced, Demou," Lady Wu assured passively as she stared back at her makeshift attempt at a garden. "I just worry, as my son's ambitions expand, people like you and Han Dang will be thoroughly overworked. Any help is surely a boon, don't you think?"
His jaw tightened.
"Surely, at the very least, it will allow you more time to be at home with your family."
There was another twitch and Cheng Pu's normally self assured voice began to crack, "They didn't tell you?"
"My word, missed messages seem to be the theme of the day. Tell me what?"
"My wife, my family. They left me. It seems my history with running off with our Lord Sun Jian and now his sons has left them strained on the homefront," Cheng Pu shook his head. "It...was too much for Jianyi and Zi."
Lady Wu shook her head in dismay, "You know my feelings of your...beloved. I consider her a sister. So suffice it to say I find myself disappointed in her, that she would abandon her own Lord."
He was finding himself losing his edge ever so slightly. He assumed he had come to peace with everything but it was apparent that no matter how much he tried, just thinking about that dreaded conversation left a sore spot.
"No...she's right. I was never around. I do not blame you or our late Lord, just...my inability to manage my time. But at the very least now I can dedicate every last drop of my energy to your family."
If he was expecting a smile out of the woman, he would be disappointed. She set her normally wistful lips into a rigid line, caught between being gratified for his sacrifice, or stricken with sadness and pity for the poor majestic of the Sun clan army. Suddenly, after some time, the Lady laughed.
"My dear Demou, you have given me a valuable lesson."
"And what's that?"
"My business is in the might of the Sun, as is my son's and my late husband's. I never had to dwell in the thoughts of other priorities, and perhaps I should be ashamed of it. I will do my best in making sure Sun Ce doesn't overdo it with the spontaneous decision making. So I put in his service another capable mind, to be sure his spontaneity is at a minimum. That way all our men can have their domestic lives in equal balance."
Cheng Pu was doubtful it would be as optimistic as Lady Wu seemed to foresee. But could not see the memories whirling in Lady Wu's head of late.
The Zhou brothers did not lie. Before the clouds turned completely black with the coming nightfall, a carriage with an escort arrived in front of their tiny room, causing quite the stir in the district.
Still, Lady Wu did not make her decision that evening. Her initial instinct was to apologize to the escort and send him away but she didn't think it polite to decline the offer right away without upholding her end of her promise of thinking things through. The storms arrived, and taking pity on the escort, they invited the man inside. The escort said one word of thanks, before standing at attention, unblinkingly near the door way.
Shaking his head, Huang Gai began rummaging in his things for his cloak.
"Where are you going, Gongfu?" Lady Wu asked as the large man slung his traveling cloak over his shoulders. Huang Gai glanced at the stoic escort and answered softly, "Doing an investigation."
He bowed before his lady, "I will return shortly. Do you think you can…?"
Huang Gai didn't say it aloud, but Lady Wu understood. He wanted to know if she could defend herself should the escort change out of his stone facade and have ulterior motives. She wasn't Sun Jian's wife for nothing. Not the very least a bullish child like Sun Ce wouldn't make things any easier with him tumbling around.
The corner of her lips turned up as she gave a light nod. Huang Gai then turned and disappeared into the storm.
Hours passed as the family inside found themselves in a standstill. Though the escort had not moved or spoken since entering their quarters, it wasn't an easy presence to get used to. But the long lull of the storm outside was boring Sun Ce, who was fascinated by the escort as he was donned in light armor and held a sword at his side. Boldly, the boy approached the escort and stared up at the man's blank face, almost waiting for the man to warn him from coming any closer.
Sun Ce's eyes lingered on the pommel of the blade at the man's side. Intrigued, he reached out to touch it. Still yet, the escort did not budge, but he did blink.
"Ce!" his mother scolded. Sun Ce retracted his hand immediately. "Your father surely has taught you not to touch other people's weapons without permission."
Ignoring the fascination of a sword, Sun Ce turned to his mother, "He never taught me that! He taught me grabbing them is the best way to disarm an enemy!"
Lady Wu rolled her eyes but held a smile on her face.
Suddenly, in a rush of cold and wet, the door to their flat opened, Huang Gai's big body ducked into the dryness of the room.
"How did your investigation go?" Lady Wu asked. "I assume you were looking into the Zhou brothers."
Huang Gai began furiously removing his drenched cloak, "Well, all of whom I spoke to sing nothing but praises of the family, so at the very least they are popular among the locals."
He glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see the escort in the exact same position he was in when he left. "The younger one, Yi, was the Prefect of Luoyang a few years back. That and they have a military past to the Imperial throne. I had thought the name sounded familiar..."
"What do you think, Gongfu? Would you feel at ease with us staying with their family?" Lady Wu asked very patiently, as if she too were stewing on her own decision on the matter in her head. She did want to take her old friend's thoughts into consideration. Huang Gai could be trusted with their safety, as he always was.
"I would not feel at ease unless I have you in my sight at all times, my Lady. No matter where you are," Huang Gai eyes meeting Quan who had finally exhausted himself to sleep from being so disturbed by the storm. And then his eyes fell on Sun Ce. "But they do seem honorable and trustworthy. There is very little reason for them to want anything from us. Given their past with the military I think it stands to reason they may see something kindred in Lord Sun Jian."
Humming her agreement, Lady Wu stepped towards the escort. "Very well, sir. Allow us some time to get our things arranged, and then we will go with you."
The escort barked a simple confirmation, hands folded out in military acknowledgement, before turning to leave the flat, awaiting them outside.
The rains had stopped but the sky was still overcast when they arrived at the Zhou manor, a sprawling but spartan complex. The outdoor areas and courtyards of the property dwarfed the modest main house and the nearly equally sized guest house attached. The family, for how wealthy they were, very clearly did not spend that wealth on frivolous ventures and objects to display it.
As they were led through the courtyard gates, familiar figures of two men appeared outside, two younger boys in tow, as Zhou Shang and Zhou Yi stepped out to personally greet them.
The escort knelt before the two elder Zhou brothers, and bowed, sword in front of him, "My lords, I have completed this task asked of me. I thank you for your entrusting me with this assignment."
Zhou Shang leaned to the side and said lowly in his brother's ear, "Second brother, this man stood out in the rain and cold. We should give him double what we owe."
Zhou Yi nodded stiffly, eyes never leaving the escort, "Agreed. You, Master Escort, did well, we thank you. You may take your leave, sir, once you are paid."
The escort barked his confirmation of his order and stepped aside for the families to more formally get introduced to each other. The Sun family filed out of the carriage, loyal Huang Gai included, and were faced with the members of the Zhou household. Zhou Shang and Zhou Yi of course, but they were also met with two younger boys, the older one looking to be in his young adulthood, and the younger one had to be Sun Ce's age.
"My lady, I am glad to see you have arrived safely."
Lady Wu raised her eyes to the skys, "The Heavens must've been pleased with this decision, as the rains have stopped."
After a noise of agreement, and nods from the men, Zhou Yi gestured to the two younger members. "Let me introduce you to my oldest, Zhou Yan," Zhou Yi placed a proud hand on the shoulder of the older boy next to him, who smiled broadly.
"And we don't mean to brag, but he's about to head to Lujiang for his first administrative test," Zhou Shang clapped the boy on the back, his own chiseled smile shining. "We are eager to hear what good things await his hard work."
"I wish you the best, young master Zhou Yan," Lady Wu said softly and bowed her head. Zhou Yan responded in kind. "Thank you, Lady Wu."
Zhou Yi then gestured to the younger boy, "And my younger son, Zhou Yu…"
His younger son was silent and devoid of the casual smiles that graced his Uncle and older brother, and for a child who had such a fair face, and beautiful long dark hair, he held a sternness more reminiscent of Zhou Yi on his temperamental days.
Despite the boy's comparatively delicate features, he looked strong for his age, much like Sun Ce was, but while his bullish strength at that age took the form of overall...roundness, this Zhou boy already appeared to have the strength of the careful discipline of a budding soldier. For a child, he stood straight, carrying himself like a small adult.
"...I suppose he would be close to your eldest son's age."
Lady Wu could sense Sun Ce at her side, carefully eyeing the boy, but there was a sparkle in his eyes, finally excited to see a peer ever since traveling with his family on their journey. Zhou Yu didn't look as eager. In fact, he seemed more uncertain than anything. The boy probably was caught off guard in realizing complete strangers would be living in his home.
"It is a pleasure to meet you." Lady Wu, dressed in the best robes she had for the move-in, bent down to the ground before the young boy. A smile on her face, soft and gentle, as she often gave their own children whenever they became upset during their uncertain lives. She held out her hand, waiting for the boy to accept it, as boys usually desire to do at this age. Assuming he still held a connection to his mother.
Zhou Yi clasped his arms behind his back, and looked down on his son, waiting, not seeing the way young Zhou Yu could only regard the Lady in confusion. The father's brow twitched when Zhou Yu ignored the hand Lady Wu offered him and instead, the boy held his hands out and bowed his head tightly, but properly. Impressive for a boy his age, but not at all what the Lady was expecting.
Zhou Shang chuckled while Zhou Yi said rigidly, "You'll have to excuse the boy, my lady. He has been raised around mostly men since a young age, so he doesn't always understand the difference in finesse and elegance offered by the female gender. Especially mothers."
As weighted the explanation was, the sigh Lady Wu gave was one of pity. But she managed to hold the boy's gaze for a moment. "Now I'm sure a son from the Zhou family is equally familiar with elegant pursuits."
The brothers glanced at each other briefly, and Zhou Yi casually shifted his weight in his robes glancing back down at his son.
"Well," he smiled, the barest of attempts. "Zhou Yu has a good ear for music. He likes to play when he gets a break from his studies."
Lady Wu beamed, and reached over to lightly touch the boy's shoulder, "Well, I should like to hear your beautiful music sometime then, young Master Zhou."
"You can call him Zhou Yu, my Lady," Zhou Yi's deep voice cut in. "You are his elder and an honored guest, you can treat him as an inferior."
She chewed on an opinion. An opinion on how she really felt about all the regulatory protocol that came with elite families. Especially upon the children of those families. She often pronounced, while she admired gestures of respect, the stringent adherence to traditional terms wasn't for her. The terms 'inferior' and 'superior' rattled her and she did not raise her children to care about such concepts.
"Sun Ce," Lady Wu turned to her oldest son at her side. "Please give your thanks to your peer and his family."
In a surprisingly sheepish fashion, Sun Ce stepped out from behind his mother's robes to face Zhou Yu. Sun Ce contemplated the boy and then thought it best to copy his fashion of greeting, hands out in a courteous, yet awkward bow. "Nice to meet you."
"Jiiingg!" a small boy whined after his older brother as they walked along the dirt path from their small farm towards the forest. Jing wasn't going far, just across the bridge over the stream. That's where he heard a gathering of voices. That's where the thieves went.
"You gotta keep up, Gan," the nine year old told his younger brother over his shoulder. "Them bandits ain't gonna steal our chickens and get away with it."
The smaller boy, Gan, struggled to keep up with his elder brother, all the while getting more and more anxious the further away Jing dragged them away from home.
The boys entered the forest, an area known to them well when they would go out and play after morning chores. Jing tried his best to follow the distant chatter of where the thieves stationed themselves.
"There they are!" Jing hissed and pointed to a clearing of well armed soldiers laughing and chuckling over a chicken one of them had held between his hands.
"Maybe we should go tell Mom-" before Gan could finish, Jing marched through the clearing gaining the soldiers' attention. They all immediately fell silent and turned their heads towards the boys.
"Hey!" he yelled, eyes on the soldier with his family's chicken in his hands, "That's our chicken! Give it back!"
Now the soldiers were laughing at them, taunting. "I don't see how. Seeing as it's in our hands."
"You stole it!"
Gan stumbled up behind his brother to grab his hand in an effort to try to keep him from causing any more trouble.
"We need that chicken to feed our family!" Jing shouted at the men over his little brother's whimpers. The soldier frowned and stood, chicken still in his hands. He rounded on the boy, holding out the animal just above Jing's reach.
"You want this thing?" the man growled glaring down at the boy.
The chicken clucked.
"Then come and take it-"
"What's all this then!?"
A stern voice drew their attention, and heads turned to find another soldier approaching them through the trees. The soldier was dressed more finely, and his blue and white-plated armor spoke of someone of rank, but he was definitely of the same army as the camping soldiers.
However, the encroaching soldier's youthful and handsome face made his band of allies highly skeptical. Probably a local lord's son wanting to play war. Whatever rank he had, they assumed, was likely not achieved through the same means they had to go through.
The soldier with the chicken seethed, "None of your business."
The young soldier stopped, but didn't look perturbed. Instead he replied, matter-of-factly, "It is my business, so long as we fight under the same banner. Where is your captain?"
"Not here. So it's just you and us, kiddo."
The chicken-napper was properly annoyed, and, staring daggers at the young man, then, like with Jing, the thief held out the chicken in front him, daring the young soldier to approach, "How about you give it a go then. See if you can take this chicken from me."
The young man's face was unreadable, even as he slowly stepped forward, within reaching distance of the poor animal, quietly accepting the challenge.
The thief was confident in his skills in the martial arts. Not a master by any means but he lived a life where he had to hold his own for much of it. The idea that a handsome-faced youth such as the soldier in front of him could at all have near as much experience in fighting as he was laughable.
But things didn't go as planned for the thief.
There was a twist, a snap, and a sharp cry as the thief fell to his knees, the young man holding his wrist in his hand. The chicken fluttered to the ground, flapping it's useless wings until it drifted safely and obliviously to its feet. The young officer had, in a blink of an eye, reached out, grabbed the thief's wrist and twisted the arm out of his socket, causing incredible pain. The other soldiers jumped back, aghast and shaken by the swiftness of it all.
"Normally I don't make it a habit to do this," the young man spoke over the soldier's cries. "But you should know that thievery from locals is punishable by death."
"That is not Lord Zhou Yu pissing off his own soldiers is it?"
Everyone turned their heads, seeing a contingent of mounted officers trot towards them, recognizable to everyone.
"Lord Sun Ce," one of the privates murmured in awe. The soldiers bowed their heads before one of their allied generals.
Sun Ce reared his stallion, fixing the young officer and the now wounded soldier with an amused stare. "I never took you to resort to breaking your soldiers, in the literal sense, General."
"You're...the General?" a soldier attending to the man whose arms were just broken gazed at the long haired young man in awe, and horror. Everyone in the unit looked positively ashamed.
"That is correct," Zhou Yu's voice hardened into a more commanding tone as he noticed their captain emerge from the woods, adjusting his trousers after relieving himself. The captain did not expect to see several of the armies generals around his men when he returned. "Captain, I do not like harming my own soldiers, so I would be most grateful if you could do a better job to keep them in line."
The captain bowed and accepted his scolding, "Of course, General."
"And give them a run down of who's who next time. Our high ranking officers are readily available that any mistakes in identity should not be present in this army. Additionally, we have plenty of supplies, so there is no need to be stealing from locals. Either way, I am now out of a soldier. One less than what I had promised General Sun Ce. Your shame and your soldiers' shame is now also mine."
The captain swallowed, eyes widening, and mouth open over a boundless apology he couldn't begin to vocalize. Zhou Yu shook his head, folding his arms over his chest, voice softening just slightly, "Learn from this and do better to set expectations for your men, understood?"
The captain bowed again and pulled his unit together, a few dragging the wounded soldier to get him patched up as best they could. The young peasant boys gathered their chicken, but froze when Zhou Yu's eyes fell on them before he politely instructed one of the petty officers at his side to escort the boys home.
Sun Ce dismounted as Zhou Yu approached him with a calm smile, "You know it's because they're expecting their generals to be old grey men, not...you."
Ignoring his quip, they both embraced, clapping each other's backs, long time friends meeting together once again.
"I made it here as quickly as I could, vetted as much as possible, but obviously I had to account for a few that have slipped through the cracks," Zhou Yu glanced over in the direction where his shamed captain took his unit. "There's still much room to improve from, and I aim to get there quickly."
"I wonder how many are going to stay when they find out it's actually going to be really like they're in the army. Like Imperial-grade army. Not some rinky dink bandit team. You know, the people I recruit."
"You were always about letting a person's strength come out through their freedom. It has worked for you."
"And intense, back-breaking, controlling discipline is still very much your modus operandi I see," Sun Ce's eyes took another good look at his friend he hadn't seen in a year, especially the way he and most of his men carried themselves. It was an impressive looking group to see in the Southlands. "Worked for you in some ways. Still, you got here with practically a whole 'nother army in tow on short notice. Man, am I happy to see you."
Sun Ce smacked Zhou Yu on the back, hard, and turned to his officers, Cheng Pu and Han Dang. "Master Cheng Pu, Master Han Dang, I don't know if any of you guys met Zhou Yu before. We're like brothers. Go way, way back. He's probably got some horror stories to tell if you're interested."
Zhou Yu gave a wide courteous bow before the two older generals, "An honor, Master Cheng Pu, Master Han Dang. Sun Ce has told me tales of your ventures."
Han Dang readily responded in kind, but Cheng Pu could not resist a frown. Already not on board with new blood unfamiliar with the Sun army forces, he wasn't all at ease seeing this new 'help' was not a year above Sun Ce's age.
The young officer didn't pay any mind and motioned for Sun Ce and his officers to follow him, "I want to show you something, Sun Ce."
Already giddy with excitement and glee, Sun Ce stared after his old friend just wondering what more he had up his sleeve.
He took them to an area with a mess of unopened crates soldiers were unloading from carts. Zhou Yu instructed the soldiers to pry open one of them, and as they lifted the top, Sun Ce's eyes sparkled as much as it's contents.
"Ho-leee fuck…" Sun Ce whispered aghast as he bent down to pick up a shiny, perfectly sharpened sword.
"Brand new weapons from blacksmiths in Niuzhu. Should be enough to get the advanced guards some new gear at least," Zhou Yu explained but Sun Ce was hardly interested in the details at the moment. He was absolutely stunned speechless.
"How did you get all this on such short notice?" Cheng Pu asked, his suspicious gaze still on Zhou Yu. A whole army prepped and stationed, with brand new weaponry in a matter of days, he would admit was impressive. It's almost like the kid prepared for this a while ago.
"You'd be surprised what money can do as an incentive. That and Sun Ce's name carries some prestige. With a little nudging they were willing to put their other orders on hold to get these made."
Pleased couldn't begin to describe Sun Ce's state. He was in a state of complete ecstasy at everything he was hearing. He thrust both muscular arms in the air and hollered, "YES!"
He slapped Cheng Pu on the shoulder and pointed enthusiastically to the young Zhou Yu, "See, with this fucker around, we aren't losing a goddamn thing. Ever."
Everyone missed Cheng Pu's immediate expression of disgust.
"I mean, guys, with all this just...fucking done already...if we don't win this then I truly don't deserve to be the leader of this army. Can't make it any easier."
He turned and roughly grabbed his friend by the shoulders, Zhou Yu's smile quickly matching his in their mutual excitement, "Ready to kick ass, pal?"
A/n: Already I made a big boo boo in terms of historical accuracy on style names, like Sun Ce wouldn't be technically called 'Bofu' until he's a much older young adult. Instead of fixing in the flashbacks of previous chapters I'm just going to quietly drop it.