Ray Tanaka: After a year of planning and getting things to work, this project is now live! Special thanks to MKDemiGodzilla-Warrior and Metal Harbinger for their help and input in this.
Sun Tzu
(A man with a black mustache and beard wearing leather scale armor over his red robe and a bronze helmet stands in front of a black background with a bronze sword in his hand.)
The ancient scholar from China credited with writing The Art of War.
(Sun Tzu leads his soldiers down a hill towards an enemy force as they fall back before reaching a soldier and slashes his Jian to cut open their throat.)
Joshua
(A man with a black beard wearing brown robes and a bronze helmet on his head has a spear in his hands that he thrusts at an unseen enemy while letting out a battle cry.)
The biblical leader who delivered the Promised Land unto the Israelites.
(Joshua charges with his fellow Israelites towards a group of Canaanite soldiers before thrusting his Israelite Spear into the chest of one of the soldiers.)
WHO IS DEADLIEST?
To find out, our world class fighters are testing history and fiction's most lethal weapons. Using twenty-first century science, we'll see what happens when the two warriors go toe to toe.
No rules; No safety; No mercy: It's a duel to the death to decide who is...
The Deadliest Warrior
In the Fight Club, four men are wielding weapons from the Bronze Age as they practice using them for the tests. Two men are using a bronze straight sword and a strange iron polearm respectively as the other two men practice with the first using a regular spear and the other has a bronze sickle sword.
Welcome to the Fight Club. Here we've gathered a team of scientists, combat experts, and doctors to see who would win in a battle between two leaders from the Bronze Age.
Sun Tzu: The Chinese scholar and general who would go on to write the book on warfare.
Versus...
Joshua: The leader of the Israelites who conquered the lands of Canaan in the name of God.
Sun Tzu
Height: 5'7
Weight: 160 pounds
Circa: 506 BCE
Origin: China
Armor: Leather Scale Armor, Bronze Helmet, Shuang Hu Dun
Joshua
Height: 5'6
Weight: 150 pounds
Circa: 1227 BCE
Origin: Egypt
Armor: Bronze Helmet, Cowhide Shield
A man with brown hair and gloves wearing a green jacket over a white shirt and brown pants with a lightsaber and blaster pistol in two holsters on his belt examines a bronze sword.
Lead biomedical engineer and Jedi Knight, Marcus Jendark, will use scientific equipment to determine the potential power behind the weapons.
"Both of these warriors are best known through association with famous books," Marcus says with some excitement, "However, what interests me is their weapons which you normally don't see in battles like this."
A woman with long, brunette hair wearing a white lab coat over light blue scrubs looks at a ballistic foam torso that's bleeding fake blood from several stab wounds.
Forensic scientist and medical doctor, Amber Wilson, will provide insight to the wounds that the weapons will deliver to an actual person.
"These two warriors have access to the same material for their weapons," Amber states, "However, the wounds that these things can cause are what I'm more interested in."
At a table that has many books on it, a man wearing a yellow polo shirt tucked into a pair of khakis reads a book and is type notes onto a document on his laptop.
Historian and researcher, Stevan Lloyd, has been preparing the coming tests and looking into the data to find info on the warriors.
"Research is one of the best things you can do for a battle like this," Stevan remarks, "As this will involve x-factors, we must ensure that no stone is left unturned for the verdict."
A man with a tan and a right cybernetic arm wearing a black overcoat over a gray shirt and green army pants types quickly on a keyboard in front of two computer monitors.
Former soldier and computer whiz, Dexter Reed, will input the weapon and x-factor data into a simulation program that will determine the winner.
"Both of these men are known for leading others into combat," Dexter says, "As such, this will be a squad on squad battle between these two men."
The simulation will run a thousand battles between Sun Tzu and four of his Wu soldiers against Joshua and four of his fellow Israelites. The winner will be the Deadliest Warrior.
A man with black hair wearing a brown shirt and black jeans has a bronze straight sword in his right hand as he slashes with it.
Johnny Leng, an expert on Chinese weaponry, will represent the ancient scholar in this fight.
"The legacy of Sun Tzu can be found in many forms of warfare," Johnny remarks, "It'll be hard for anyone from the Bronze Age to match him."
Another man with black hair wearing a blue shirt and khakis reads The Art of War next to a table with other Bronze Age weapons.
Kai Zhang, an expert on the ancient history of China, will help combat the latest opponent of Sun Tzu.
"By the time Sun Tzu had appeared in history," Kai says, "You're looking at China having been broken up into many kingdoms at war with each other."
Despite sources disagreeing as to where Sun Tzu was born, it is believed he was born in the late Spring and Autumn Period of China with the year of his birth traditionally being 544 BCE. Sun Tzu would be active as a general and strategist serving under King Helü of the State of Wu with him beginning around the year 512 BCE. One of the best known stories about the general comes from when he was challenged by the king himself to train his concubines to perform Sun Tzu's commands.
"This story shows the value of communication in the writing of Sun Tzu," Johnny explains, "After the king's two favorite concubines failed to perform his orders twice, Sun Tzu had them killed to make an example to the others."
This display of knowledge as a leader gained Sun Tzu a status of minister and general of the State of Wu with him helping train new soldiers. He would continue to be part of the Wu army upon them invading the State of Chu leading to the Wu-Chu War. Taking part in the five battles of the war, Sun Tzu would retire shortly after and is said to have used his experience in the war to write The Art of War.
"The tactics that Sun Tzu is said to have used are still being used even today," Kai remarks, "In doing so, he left behind a legacy in warfare strategy few can attest to."
Team Sun Tzu is confident that the Chinese scholar will gain victory. But Team Joshua is just as confident as to their own victory.
A man with glasses and short blonde hair wearing a green striped polo shirt tucked into black pants is holding a copy of the Bible as he reads a section.
Steve Harris, a biblical scholar, will lead the charge for the Israelite leader.
"Joshua was one of the many great leaders of the Israelites," Steve states, "If not for him, the Israelites may not have been able to gain the Promised Land as the Lord intended."
Another man with brown hair wearing a black shirt and blue jeans has a spear with a bronze spear head which he performs a mock thrust with.
Roy Evans, an expert on Bronze Age weaponry, will also represent the Bronze Age leader.
"Joshua and the Israelites wouldn't have given up until they gained the land God had promised," Roy says, "They had to as many groups had taken the Land of Canaan as their home as well."
Born in the land of Goshen, the Israelite known as Joshua would be charged by Moses with selecting and commanding a militia group to battle against the Amalekites in the first battles of the Israelites. He would later be one of the twelve spies to explore the lands of Canaan and is one of only two to give an encouraging report with the other one being an Israelite known as Caleb. By the time Moses died, Joshua was appointed to succeed him as the leader of the Israelites by the Lord with him leading the conquest of Canaan.
"Joshua's faith and ability to lead the Israelites ensured many victories for them," Steve explains, "The fall of the city of Jericho was largely successful due to their faith in the Lord and Joshua's ability to lead them in doing the Lord's work."
After gaining victory over the Canaanite City of Ai after a defeat, Joshua would lead the Israelites against an alliance of five Amorite kings at the city of Gideon. Asking the Lord to cause the sun and moon to stand still, he would lead his men to victory with the text saying the sun delayed going down for a full day. Securing much of the land of Canaan with more victories, Joshua would preside over the Israelite gatherings at Gilgal and Shiloh which allocated land to the tribes of Israel.
"Though his faith and leadership, Joshua was able to gain the land promised by God," Roy states, "The land that he secured would become the country of Israel in modern times."
So when these two warriors face off, which one would claim victory?
"Sun Tzu has tactics that very few others in the Bronze Age could match," Kai remarks with a grin, "I doubt someone like Joshua would be able to overcome his strategies."
"Joshua is the only man whose voice was obeyed by the Lord himself," Steve says confidently, "I doubt a man like Sun Tzu would be able to match his level of achievements."
"I probably have to go with Joshua at the moment," Marcus states with hesitation, "I think he's fought a bit more than Sun Tzu and experience would play a major role in a fight."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Sun Tzu ends up winning," Amber comments, "He's got some body armor which may help as both warriors have some wicked weapons at their disposal."
And one of these wicked weapons is about to be revealed.
"One of the weapons used by the Egyptians," Steve remarks, picking up a Khopesh from the table, "And a great weapon in the hands of the Israelites."
The Khopesh: A sickle sword from the lands of Egypt that the Israelites used to hack their enemies to pieces.
Khopesh
Blade Length: 16.9 inches
Length: 21.5 inches
Weight: 1.39 pounds
Substance: Bronze and wood
"This is the Khopesh," Steve tells the experts while holding the sword, "The best example of the sickle swords that were common in the Levant during Joshua's time."
"Why does Joshua have a weapon from Egypt?" Marcus inquires, curiosity in his voice.
"Joshua and the Israelites arrived to the land of Canaan after leaving Egypt," Roy explains, "Their weapons are based on those used by the Egyptians and others they found in Canaan."
"Well, we have a test set up for you over here," Amber says before leading the expert over to the first test.
To test the killing power of the Khopesh, a ballistic gel torso will be used as a stand in with simulated human flesh and bone.
Steve stands in front of a ballistic gel torso on a stand while holding a Khopesh before taking a breath and raising his hand to prepare his first strike.
"Steve, are you ready?"
"Ready."
"On three," Marcus counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Steve swings the Khopesh in a downward diagonal slash which goes into the chest and strikes a rib bone before the blade slides out of the torso. As blood comes from the wound, the expert steps back and aims low with his next strike which slashes open the stomach and spills blood onto the floor. Redirecting the sword, Steve is able to quickly perform a strike to the neck which embeds itself halfway into the neck before the expert pulls it out of the neck.
"Alright, that's enough," Steve says, stepping back as the experts come over to the gel torso.
"Okay, let's look at your first strike," Amber states, looking at the ballistic gel torso, "It seems you got the blade into the chest and hit a rib bone. It doesn't look like the bone is broken and it's not a killing strike, but it will bleed out pretty well."
"Figured as much," Steve replies with a nod.
"However, your second strike was to the stomach," Amber continues, "Not only did you cut it open, but you may have hit the organs as well. If you hit the colon or lower intestines, you'll send bodily waste into the body. The victim either bleeds out or dies later from the nasty waste spilling into their body."
"Not a pretty way to die," Dexter says, "The neck is pretty easy to tell from looking at it."
"That it is," Amber confirms, gently leaning the head to the side to reveal the extent of the wound, "You hit the spinal column, so you have a kill strike since the victim will bleed out pretty quickly."
"Pretty good work," Marcus tells the expert, gaining a nod from Steve.
Despite the Khopesh impressing our experts, our experts for Sun Tzu are not as impressed.
"So you have a lethal blade," Kai remarks, standing next to Steve, "But it's lethal against a naked target. Sun Tzu and his soldiers did wear armor in combat and it won't be as deadly if you went up against what they had.
"You know what," Steve states, looking at the expert with a smile, "I wouldn't mind doing another test with the Khopesh."
With the input from Johnny and Kai, Stevan Lloyd has set up a ballistic foam torso with the armor worn during the Spring and Autumn Period.
"During this period of Chinese history, the main body armor was a cuirass composed of leather scales," Stevan Lloyd explains, standing next to a foam torso on a stand with the armor in question, "This was made of boiled leather cut up into separate scales and then fitted onto a leather backing. In addition, the helmets of the time were made of bronze and the Shuang Hu Dun was in use at the time. The Shuang Hu Dun was commonly made of a lacquered hide on a wooden frame and will be on its own stand for this test."
Now it's time for the next test for Steve.
Steve stands in front of the armored ballistic foam torso with the Shuang Hu Dun on a stand in front of the torso.
"Steve, are you ready?"
"Ready!"
"On three," Marcus counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Steve performs a slash with the Khopesh that hits the face of the Shuang Hu Dun and partially goes through the lacquered hide. Pulling the bronze blade out of the cut, the expert performs a downward slash onto the rim which actually cuts into the wooden frame. After a good yank, Steve takes the Khopesh out before moving his hand to use the reverse of the blade's tip to hook onto the shield's frame and pull it to the ground.
Moving onto the foam torso, the expert performs a diagonal slash which stops upon hitting the leather scale armor before it slides off it. Bringing the sword back, Steve slashes the armor across the stomach only to get stopped upon hitting the scales once again. He brings the Khopesh back away from the torso and steps back as the experts come over to look at the results.
"Alright, let's start with the shield," Marcus says, picking the shield up and looking at the damage, "Looks like you cut through the hide which, while not deadly, would be dangerous for the user. You even cut into the wooden frame a bit."
"I could have kept going," Steve admits, "But the Khopesh was designed to pull away weapons so using it on the shield wasn't difficult."
"Well, the leather scales tell a different story," Amber states, looking at the body armor, "It looks like you cut into some of the scales, but the scales just absorbed the blow and stopped it. I don't see anything that says the strikes got through."
"I'm surprised you didn't go through the helmet," Dexter comments, pointing at the untouched bronze helmet on the torso.
"The Israelites use the same type of helmet in combat," Steve explains, "I doubt Joshua would try striking something that he knows wouldn't do much."
"Even so, our armor stopped your weapon," Johnny speaks up, putting an arm on the foam torso, "While you're having trouble with our armor, I'm taking you a part with our weapons."
After showing that their armor can protect them, Team Sun Tzu is ready to strike back with their own sword.
"When you need a good sword from China," Johnny states, picking up a bronze Jian from the table, "Look no further than a sword that lasted quite a long time though history."
The Jian: A straight sword from China that first appeared in the Bronze Age and often considered the weapon of a general.
Jian
Blade Length: 16.65 inches
Length: 20.27 inches
Weight: 1.5 pounds
Substance: Bronze
"This is the Jian," Johnny tells the experts, holding the weapon in his hands, "This sword originates from the Bronze Age and was called 'The Gentleman of Weapons' in folklore."
"Interesting," Amber says, "So, how much of it is made of bronze?"
"The entire thing is made of bronze including the hilt," Johnny explains, "However, examples from the later dynasties are made of later metals and have different hilts."
"Well, this is about the Jian used by Sun Tzu," Marcus states, "So let's go to test the weapon and see what you can do with it."
"Of course," Johnny replies, following after the experts to his test.
For this test, we will test this sword using the closest analog to a human being: a pig carcass
Johnny steps up to a pig corpse hanging on a hook from the ceiling while he holds a Jian in his hand as he walks around it. Reaching back to the front of the carcass, Johnny raises the sword as he gets into a fighting stance.
"Johnny, are you ready?"
"Ready."
"On three," Dexter counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Johnny performs a slash that cuts into the midsection of the dead pig causing blood to spill out from the open wound. The expert quickly redirects the sword into a thrust and gets the blade of the Jian into the neck of the pig. He quickly pulls the sword blade out of the pig before going to the lower body and stabs it into the carcass below the slash wound. After pulling the sword out, Johnny quickly swings the Jian and strikes the pig's left side with part of the previous slash wound being hit. This causes the lower half of the pig to split open more as blood pours out and Johnny steps back as the experts come over.
"Okay, this is a sight," Amber says, looking at the wounds as she talks about them, "Your first and last strikes cut into the waist of the pig and cut this carcass in half. Both wound would be delayed kills, but combined these would be a fatal injury and a person wouldn't be walking away from this."
"Strange you went for the waist," Marcus states, "Any reason why you didn't go for the chest?"
"The waist has fewer bones," Johnny answers, "The Jian would get past the ribs, but only by stabbing not with a slash."
"Speaking of stabs," Amber speaks up, getting the other's attention, "Your first thrust went through the neck and possibly into the spinal column. Even if you don't break the spine, you're opening up the neck so you have a death blow right there. Your final strike went under your slashes which would cut into your lower intestines and would be a delayed kill."
"Well, that was a nice job," Steve says, smiling a bit, "You did tear this unarmed pig to shreds. However, Joshua will be armored and have armor to protect himself with."
"Perhaps we should test that armor," Johnny remarks, using a towel to clean the blood of the Jian.
Using the input of Steve and Roy, Stevan has prepared another ballistic foam torso with the armor most likely used during the Conquest of Canaan.
"Due to the climate of Canaan during that time, the Israelites didn't use body armor," Stevan explains, standing next to a foam torso on a stand with a bronze helmet, "However, they did have the means of making helmets and used oval shields. These shields were much like those used by the Egyptians, a wooden frame with cowhide stretched over it. Much like the Shuang Hu Dun, the Cowhide Shield will be on its own stand for this test."
Now it's time for the final test for the Jian.
Johnny steps up to the foam torso and looks at it with confusion before turning around to the experts.
"That's it?" He questions, shaking his head, "I don't even need to worry about the helmet. It won't be that difficult to kill him."
"Alright, alright," Amber says, the experts watching as Johnny turns back to his target and raises the Jian into the air.
"Johnny, are you ready?"
"Ready."
"On three," Marcus counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Stepping in time with his swing, Johnny brings the blade of the Jian down onto the top rim of the shield with the bronze blade cutting into the wooden frame. Pulling his weapon back, the expert thrusts it into the face the shield with the weapon going halfway into it before pulling it out. He then quickly slashes the front of the cowhide before grabbing the rim and shoving it to the floor.
With the foam torso now without its shield, Johnny brings the Jian into a thrust and stabs the torso in the left side of the upper chest. He pulls the blade out and steps back as the experts come over to see the damage.
"Alright, so first the shield," Marcus says, picking up the Cowhide Shield from the floor, "So, looks like your final slash went into the hide a bit, but not enough to cut through the entire thing. That said, the rim is still cut into and your stab into it shows that it can still pierce it."
"Your target isn't much to talk about," Amber adds, pointing to the stab wound on the foam torso, "You got the blade between the ribs and more than like struck a lung. If you got the heart as well, this would be a fatal blow though it still is a lethal one on its own."
Steve remains silent for a moment before says, "Well, I don't really have much here."
Both blades have been proven to be deadly, but which one gives its warrior the edge?
"Looking at things, I have to go with the Jian," Marcus tells Amber and Dexter, "It can be used in a thrust along with its slashes while the Khopesh can only slash into an opponent."
"I have to agree," Amber states, looking at both men, "Both caused some deadly wounds, but the Jian has more means of killing thanks it the way it's blade is designed."
"You also have to look at armor," Dexter points out, "Both men have similar shields and helmets, but Sun Tzu has body armor and it did stop the Khopesh from causing any lethal blows."
For close range, Sun Tzu gets the edge with the Jian.
Our experts are preparing for more rounds of testing to see who would gain victory between two military leaders from the Bronze Age. However, before a contest of these two can play out, one must consider the x-factors that would be involved in this contest.
"Looking over all the research done," Stevan says, "It appears that five main factors would be at play in the fight. Those would be tactics, experience, ferocity, generalship, and troop quality."
These x-factors will be analyzed and then input into the simulation to help determine who would win between these two warrior. However, the experts of Sun Tzu believe that their next weapon will put an end to the fight before it begins.
"During the time of Sun Tzu, one of the biggest elements of an army was chariots," Kai states, picking up a Ge Halberd from the table, "As a result, this weapon became a major element of the armies of China."
The Ge Halberd: The latest version of the 'Dagger-Axe' which was combined with a spear head to make the weapon even more deadly.
Ge Halberd
Length: 96 inches
Weight: 4 pounds
Substance: Bronze and wood
"This is the Ge Halberd," Kai tells the experts, having the bronze polearm in his hands, "This is the latest version of the weapon which was also the first version of the Ji Halberd and commonly used by infantry."
"I'm surprised you have something that isn't just a spear," Amber says, "I was just expecting a regular spear rather than a polearm."
"Well, this was a more common sight on the battlefield of the Spring and Autumn Period," Johnny explains, "It was even used by charioteers during the time and in later periods by cavalry."
While Sun Tzu's experts are confident, so are Joshua's experts when it comes to their medium range weapon of choice.
"The Egyptians were a great model for how the Israelites fought in combat," Roy states, picking up an Israelite Spear from a table, "So obviously they'd go with a tried and true weapon to take into combat."
The Israelite Spear: A spear based off those used by the Egyptians that can deal death from up close and at a distance.
Israelite Spear
Length: 60 inches
Weight: 3.15 pounds
Substance: Bronze and wood
"This is one of the major weapons used in history," Roy tells the experts, holding the spear in one of his hands, "The spear used by Israelites is much like those used by the Egyptians as it was based off those used from where they migrated from."
"So, would it function much like the spear used in Egypt?" Dexter asks, pointing towards the weapon.
"Of course," Steve answers, "It can be used like a normal spear, but also be thrown like a javelin if needed."
To test these weapons, our experts will perform a test with them having the same type of target.
"For this test, we have two ballistic foam torsos set up here," Stevan tells the two experts while next to two foam torsos on stands, "They will have the armor used by the other warrior placed on them and will have the shield set up as well."
"Seems pretty simple," Roy remarks, looking at the two foam torsos.
"The idea is to take out the armored target," Marcus says, "You will take on the shields first and then move on the targets."
"Alright," Kai states, nodding his head.
With the armored targets ready, Kai will go first.
Kai steps up to his target with the Ge Halberd in his hands while looking at the ballistic foam torso wearing a bronze helmet and having a cowhide shield on a stand in front of it. After a moment, he brings himself into a fighting stance as he prepares to perform the test.
"Kai, are you ready?"
"Ready!"
"On three," Marcus counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Kai steps forward as he thrusts the Ge Halberd forward with the spear head going into the shield face before he pulls the weapon back. As he steps back, the expert swings the weapon with the dagger blade going into the shield just above the previous strike. Pulling the weapon out, Kai quickly uses the dagger blade to hook onto the rim of the shield before pulling the shield to the ground.
Stepping up to the foam torso, he quickly performs a downward swing with the dagger blade striking the bronze helmet though only leaves a dent as its deflected off. Bringing his weapon back, Kai performs a thrust which strikes the center of the foam torso causing blood to spurt out. The expert quickly takes the Ge Halberd out and brings it into another downward swing to hack into the right shoulder with relative ease.
Tearing the blade out with a piece of foam, he quickly brings the polearm into another swing with the dagger blade going into the left side of the jaw. Taking the Ge Halberd out of the target, Kai quickly performs a thrust that goes into the neck causing more blood to pour out of the foam torso as he pulls the weapon out.
"That should do it," Kai remarks, bringing the Ge Halberd up and stepping away as the experts come over.
"Okay, let's start with the shield," Marcus says, picking the shield up from the floor, "Both strikes were able to punch through the cowhide through they wouldn't cause much harm unless it was up against the user."
"Of course, but it would still be effective," Kai replies, "Besides, enough strikes would make the shield unusable."
"Well, let's move onto your target," Amber states, looking over the wounds on the foam torso, "Starting from the top, the strike to the jaw wouldn't kill but it could rip it off partially. This could cause a delayed kill if he's not taken care of fast enough."
"The wound on the neck is pretty simply," Dexter points out, getting a nod from Amber.
"The same can be said with the chest wound," Amber continues, pointing to the other wounds, "It'll cause a kill pretty quickly if placed right. Now, the shoulder strike would cause a nasty injury and make the arm useless, but it's more of a long term wound. You could survive, but it'll leave you without the use of your right arm."
Marcus take off the bronze helmet to show a clean head before stating, "Looks like the helmet did it's job. The only major thing you caused from it was a dent which would only daze a person for a moment."
"Yeah, it was pretty fancy how you killed this guy," Roy says with a bit of amusement, "But it took more energy out of you than just using it like a spear."
"Well, you can show us just that," Dexter tells the expert.
With the Ge Halberd proven a deadly weapon, it's now time for Roy to prove that the Israelite Spear can match it.
Roy holding an Israelite Spear in his hands stands in front of his target which is a ballistic foam torso wearing Leather Scale armor and a bronze helmet with a Shuang Hu Dun on a stand in front of it. After a brief moment, he steps back as he begins to prepare himself for the testing.
"Roy, are you ready?"
"Ready."
"On three," Marcus counts down, "Two, one, get them!"
Letting out a cry, Roy performs a thrust with the Israelite Spear and strikes the Shuang Hu Dun which strikes the face of the shield. The spear head goes into the shield with it going three inches past it before trying to pull the spear out. However, the angle of the pull ends up causing the expert to pull the shield to the ground before stepping on it and pulling the spear head out of the Shuang Hu dun.
Moving onto the foam torso, Roy thrusts the spear forward and strikes the torso in the left eye before pulling the weapon out and causing blood to flow out of the wound. He quickly lowers the Israelite Spear and thrusts forward hitting the leather armor in the right side of the chest. Pulling the spear out, he quickly performs a more powerful thrust which hits the armor between two scales in the stomach.
After doing a rough tug to pull the spear head out, he turns around and walks away from the foam torso as blood still flows from the face. However, he stops and turns around before throwing the spear at the target with it hitting the Leather Scale armor and staying in as the weapon pushes the target over.
"How's that for a test?" Roy asks, smiling as the experts come over with Amber picking up the foam torso.
"Okay, let's start with the shield," Dexter says, picking up the shield from the floor, "Looks like you were able to punch through it by just a little bit. However, you didn't exactly pull it out correctly."
"Well, I had the angle wrong," Roy explains, "It wouldn't have happened if I pulled it out at the angle it went in at."
Amber gets the foam torso back up though missing its helmet before Marcus grabs the spear right up to the leather scales before pulling the spear out of the torso. Holding the spear towards the expert, Marcus says, "I believe this is yours."
"Thank you," Roy replies, taking the spear as Marcus steps back from the foam torso.
"Alright, so your first hit was to the eye," Amber states, looking at the wounds on the foam torso, "A strike like this could go through the skull with enough force so this would be a kill. As to the other three, we'll need to take the armor off."
With the help of Stevan, Amber removes the armor showing it nearly perfect except for blood coming from a larger hole in the stomach and some foam pierced in the left upper chest.
"Looks like you got through the armor," Amber continues, looking at the wounds now on display, "The stomach wound most likely be a delayed kill if not treated. The leather scales probably absorbed some of the energy, but it would still be lethal. The other one is your throwing strike, which seems to have done only damage to the skin."
"So, you only had one good kill and a delayed kill," Kai summarizes, still holding his Ge, "My strikes were able to score more kills and I didn't throw away my weapon."
"That may be true," Roy counters, "But the spear I have does give me more to work with despite its simple nature."
The experts on both sides are confident that they have the better polearm, but our experts only see one result.
"The Israelite Spear is just your average spear that can be thrown," Amber states, "But the Ge Halberd has more options in combat with its two blades and a longer reach even if it's not a throwing weapon."
For medium range, the edge goes to Sun Tzu with the Ge Halberd.
Coming up, Joshua is ready to strike back with a long range weapon to pin down his enemies, and Sun Tzu counters with a unique weapon ready to tear into his foe.
Sun Tzu or Joshua: Who will be the Deadliest Warrior?
In the Fight Club, we're one step closer to an all out war between Sun Tzu and Joshua.
Despite Sun Tzu having the lead in weapons, the experts of Joshua are ready to even the odds with their choice of long range weaponry.
"The Israelites are known for using the sling for combat," Roy says, picking up a Hyksos Bow from the table in front of him, "But like we've stated before, the Israelites adopted many weapons from the Egyptians including this type of bow."
The Hyksos Bow: The bow which was adopted by the Israelites from Ancient Egypt to use in combat against the enemies in the lands of Canaan.
Hyksos Bow
Length: 50 inches
Weight: 1.65 pounds
Substance: Wood, horn, and string
"This is the Hyksos Bow from Egypt," Roy tells the experts as he walks over, "This is a tried and true weapon under the Egyptians making it a perfect weapon to use in combat."
"And here I thought you'd bring the sling for this fight," Dexter says, a bit of a smirk on his face.
"Well, the sling was as effective as the bow during the Bronze and Iron Ages," Steve replies, "The sling would have been used by Joshua, but the Hyksos Bow was as great of a weapon on foot in combat."
Despite the confidence of the Joshua's experts, the experts of Sun Tzu are more than willing to keep their lead with their own ranged death dealer.
"When it comes to warfare in Ancient China, the bow was a prominent weapon," Johnny explains as he picks up a Recurve Bow from a table, "So the use of the bow by Sun Tzu was pretty obvious."
The Recurve Bow: A bow used during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty which was as deadly on foot as it was when used from the chariot.
Recurve Bow
Length: 54 inches
Weight: 1.8 pounds
Substance: Wood, bone, sinew, and string
"This is the Recurve Bow," Johnny says to the experts upon walking over to them, "This type of bow was similar to those used by the Scythians and used by many states during the Spring and Autumn Period."
"So, you guys are bringing a bow into this match as well?" Amber asks, looking at the bow in question.
"Well, of course," Kai answers with a smile, "It was an almost universal weapon used by humans in combat for over a millennia."
Much like the last round of testing, our experts will do the testing against the same group of targets. However, this time the testing will take place outside of the Fight Club.
Roy and Johnny are outside with the rest of the experts as Stevan walks away from two groups of three foam targets with one of them wearing armor with shields on stands in front of these targets. Upon reaching the group which is thirty feet from the targets, Stevan tells the two experts, "Alright, we have three targets for you two with one of each trio being armored."
"Sounds pretty simply," Johnny says, nodding his head.
"Not as much, as you'll only have five arrows to take them out," Stevan continues, "In addition, you will be back here thirty feet away from the targets since you are using ranged weaponry."
"Alright, I'm game," Roy states, "I can easily kill those targets with ease."
"Hope you can prove that," Marcus replies, "Since you'll be going first."
With the targets set up and the test ready, Roy is first to prove how effective the Hyksos Bow is.
Roy steps up to a line that was drawn in the dirt with the rest of the experts behind him with five arrows on a small stand next to him. Looking ahead at the trio of targets he will be taking on, the expert takes the first arrow from the stand and nocks it onto the string of his Hyksos Bow.
"Roy, are you ready?"
"Ready!"
"On three," Marcus counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Roy raises the Hyksos Bow and draws the string back as he steadies the bow before letting go of the string and the arrow flies through the air. As the arrow flies down towards the target, it strikes the middle target in the left side of the chest just off from the center of the torso's chest. Taking up the second arrow, he nocks the arrow onto the string before pulling the bowstring back as he aims it.
After a moment, he lets the arrow loose and watches as it hits the neck of the other unarmored foam torso. Nocking the third arrow onto his bowstring, Roy soon lets it loose as it flies through the air and strikes the same target in the right side of the chest. He quickly nocks and takes aim with his fourth arrow before letting it loose as it flies through the air towards the armored foam torso.
As the expert picks up the last arrow, the fourth one hits the Shuang Hu Dun and goes into it a bit through fails to fully punch through it. Pulling the bowstring back, Roy aims his last arrow before letting it fly as it quickly hits the leather scale armor on the last target.
"Done!"
"Alright, let's see how you did," Marcus says, the experts walking out towards the first trio of foam torsos which now have arrows in them.
"Alright, we'll start with your second target," Amber states, next to the targets as she points to the arrows, "Your second shot was to the neck which is a dangerous wound to have. The arrow head is inside the neck and pulling that out would cause bleeding, so this would be a delayed kill at worst. However, your third arrow seems to have hit the right lung judging from its position. This would be a lethal wound as you'll need medical attention to take it out safely if you can remove it."
"So, we'll mark this guy as a potential kill," Marcus says, drawing a marker to make note of it as Amber moves on.
"Alright, your first arrow is rather easy to talk about," Amber continues, looking at the middle foam torso, "You hit this guy in a spot very close to his heart. This would hit the lung and an internal strike to the heart would cause internal bleeding so this guy will die pretty quickly."
"Your fourth arrow managed to go into the Shuang Hu Dun," Dexter says, looking at the shield, "The arrow head only just got pass the hide which wouldn't cause much harm on its own."
"Now, onto your last arrow," Amber says, looking at the armored torso, "It seems you only got past one of the scales with the arrow head being stopped by the one under it. So, this guy is still alive just with an arrow in his armor."
"Okay, so a real quick recap," Marcus states, looking at the foam torsos, "You used your five arrows to score two potential kills and a man still alive. Johnny, think you can match that?"
"Of course," Johnny answers with a smile.
Now it's Johnny's turn to prove how effective the Recurve Bow is.
Johnny stands at the line and next to the small stand to his right as he picks up one of the five arrows from the stand before nocking it onto the bowstring.
"Johnny, are you ready?"
"Ready!"
"On three," Marcus counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Raising the Recurve Bow, Johnny pulls the bowstring back as he takes aim before launching the arrow at the middle foam torso. The arrow quickly strikes the middle target with it landing in the right side of the stomach before the experts picks up another arrow and nocks it on the string. He takes aim once again and lets the arrow loose with it striking the left side of the middle torso's chest while he grabs the next arrow.
Taking aim with his bow, Johnny moves his arrow at the target right of the middle torso before letting the arrow fly towards the foam torso. Upon the arrow striking the second torso just over the left eye, Johnny grabs the fourth arrow and nocks it before aiming the bow at the armored target. Letting the arrow fly, he watches as the arrow strikes and just goes into the face of the shield close to its rim.
Picking up his last arrow, Johnny pulls back the bowstring before letting the arrow fly towards the final target with the arrow striking the rim of the shield and is redirected into the foam torso's jaw.
"Done!"
"Alright, let's go see the results," Marcus tells Johnny as the experts walk over to the second trio of foam targets.
"Okay, let's start with the easiest one to talk about," Amber says, standing next to the first target, "You got this guy in the forehead and possibly entered his head. A shot like this, without a helmet, is a kill shot as you're striking his brain. Even if you don't kill him now, then he'll die from an infection since he'd need modern medicine and tech to survive."
"So, this guy is a confirmed dead," Marcus states, pulling out a marker and writing the info on the forehead of the foam torso.
"Now, your second target took two arrows into the torso," Amber continues, looking at the next foam torso, "Your first arrow struck him in the stomach which could hit his intestines which could cause internal bleeding. The other arrow hit close to his left lung which would be a serious injury during the Bronze Age. So, this guy will die from his wounds."
"The fourth arrow you had got into the cowhide shield," Dexter points out, "It seems like a repeat with the Shuang Hu Dun. It only just got pass the hide and not doing any damage to the man behind it."
"Speaking of the man behind it," Amber says, looking at the final foam torso, "The arrow has only caused a shallow wound since it first hit the rim of the shield. It'll cause him to bleed and possibly get an infection, but that's about it and he'll keep fighting before that happens."
"Alright, so to recap things," Marcus speaks up, looking at the foam torsos, "You used five arrows to score a confirmed kill, a potential kill, and a man still alive."
Both experts have showcased the ranged weapons of these Bronze Age leaders, but the decision is easy for our experts to make.
"Honestly, in the end this is even for both," Dexter states, "Both are bringing bows which are very similar to each other and deliver the same types of wounds to their foes."
For long range, the edge is a draw between Sun Tzu and Joshua.
With only one more round of testing to go, we're one step closer to determining the victor in a battle between Sun Tzu with his Wu soldiers and Joshua with his Israelites.
When it comes to taking on armored foes, Sun Tzu and his men have another polearm which our experts now willing to use on their newest opponent.
"Sometimes you need to take on a foe with armor," Kai says, picking up a Zhua from the table in front of him, "Which this brute of a weapon was made to take on."
The Zhua: A metal polearm with a clawed hand that's great for taking away shields and tearing into human flesh.
Zhua
Length: 72 inches
Weight: 18 pounds
Substance: Iron
"This is the Zhua," Kai tells the experts as he shows them the weapon in his hands, "This was primarily used to rob a foe of their shield, but it's just as useful at killing a target."
"An interesting weapon," Marcus says, being given the weapon and giving a look of surprise, "Damn, this thing is heavy. What's it made of?"
"By most accounts, it was likely made entirely of iron," Johnny explains, "It's weight helps with its killing potential and ensures that it couldn't be cut through by another weapon."
"Well, let's see how it does against a normal target first," Amber suggests, her fellow expert returning the weapon to Kai before they lead him to the test.
To test the killing power of the Zhua, the weapon will first go up against a normal ballistic foam torso.
Kai steps up to a foam target on a stand with the Zhua in his hands before getting into a fighting stance with him raising the Zhua to prepare for the test.
"Kai, are you ready?"
"Ready."
"On three," Amber counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Kai raises the Zhua up before bringing the back of the metal clawed hand down onto the top of the foam target's head which causes the foam to be dented and cracked. Bringing it back, he spins the polearm around in his hands and swings it again with the weapon striking the target's jaw. The clawed hand goes into the foam and stops inside the lower jaw as blood comes pouring out of the wounds.
Pulling the Zhua out, the expert takes a step back before bringing the weapon down again with the clawed hand striking the top of the torso. The metal claws and fingers go into the foam before getting stuck and Kai waits a minute before pulling the weapon out of the target as the other experts come over.
"Nice job," Dexter comments, "You made sure this guy would bleed out."
"Well, let's look over things real quick," Amber says, looking over the bleeding foam torso, "Your first strike to the head causes it to cave in a bit which would break the skull and harm the brain. The other strike to the jaw would have enough power to tear off the jaw which would cause it to bleed out quickly. Both of these strikes would cause the target to be killed with the jaw wound causing them to bleed out."
"Man, that's brutal," Marcus remarks, "Not surprised you'd use it for a fight."
"Now, onto the third wound," Amber continues, looking at the chest wound, "This would cause the target to bleed and could hit major organs if you hit it right. However, this does lack bones so your strike could also be hindered by the ribs if you tried this type of strike."
"I already see a problem with this weapon," Steve states, looking at the results, "But I'll let it slide for now. After all, I want to see how you do against armor."
"I'm ready to take on that challenge," Kai replies, smiling a bit.
With the weapon now proven to be capable of killing, it's time it took on a foe with armor.
Kai steps up to a new ballistic foam torso which has a bronze helmet on its head and a cowhide shield on a stand in front of a target. After a moment, he steps back and prepares himself for the newest test.
"Kai, are you ready?"
"Ready."
"On three," Marcus counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Kai quickly steps forward and swings the Zhua downward causing the metal hand to strike the rim of the cowhide shield and causes the part of the rim hit to shatter a bit. Pulling the weapon back, the expert quickly drags the shield to the ground before spinning the Zhua around in his hands. Kai quickly repeats the downward swing onto the bronze helmet causing a large dent to be formed and the target to wobble a bit from the blow.
"That should do it," Kai says, stepping back as he pants a bit.
"Alright, let's start with the shield," Dexter says, picking the cowhide shield up from the floor, "Looks like you shattered the top part of the shield's rim. Even if you didn't pull this thing away, the target is throwing this thing away as it's now pretty useless."
Amber takes off the bronze helmet to show almost no trauma to the form torso before explaining, "So, you dented the helmet but left no visible injury. However, the injury would cause a crack to the skull and would cause a concussion which would leave him wide open to a lethal strike."
"So, you destroyed the shield and left him open to a kill," Steve states with a smile, "However, you wasted energy to swing that metal polearm and anyone would see that thing coming quickly."
"Well, I'd like to see what you'd bring to the table," Kai remarks.
The experts of Joshua are ready to counter the Zhua with another weapon that the Israelites had access to.
"Joshua and the Israelites had access to many types of weapons," Steve explains, picking up a Type F Sword from the table in front of him, "Which includes them having a few types of swords like this one."
The Type F Sword: A bronze short sword from Mycenaean Greece which could deliver quick kills in melee combat.
Type F Sword
Blade Length: 11.8 inches
Length: 15.35 inches
Weight: 14.08 ounces
Substance: Bronze and wood
"This is the Type F Sword," Steve tells the experts while holding the short sword in his hands, "This is one of a few bronze swords from Greece which was in use during the time of the Joshua."
"How would the Israelites have access to a sword from Greece?" Dexter asks, looking at the weapon in confusion.
"The Israelites are often depicted with straight blades as well as the Khopesh," Roy explains, "Since there are areas that Mycenaean Greece traded with, the idea of a Greek sword being in the lands of Canaan isn't that far fetched."
"Well, let's see what it can do," Marcus suggests, leading the experts to the testing area.
Much like with the Zhua, we will test the Type F Sword against a normal target. This time, a ballistic gel torso is in the line of fire.
Steve steps up to the ballistic gel torso on a stand with the Type F Sword in his hand as he looks over the target. After a moment, the expert brings his arm back and waits for the signal.
"Steve, are you ready?"
"Ready!"
"On three," Marcus counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Steve quickly performs a slash at the gel torso's neck causing it to be torn open and pour blood out before he moves to slash at the stomach. This causes more blood to flow out of the newly open wound before the expert steps back. After a moment, he moves forward and plunges the short sword into the chest with it getting past two ribs before taking the weapon out. Steve then stabs the gel torso right above the stomach wound and pulls it out before finally stepping back as the experts come in.
"Damn, you didn't hold back," Dexter remarks as he and the others look on at the bleeding target.
"Okay, we'll start with your first wounds and work from there," Amber states, looking over the gel torso, "The stomach wound has been discussed before with the Khopesh, so we don't need to go over that one. Your strike to the neck has ripped it open so we're looking at this guy bleeding out quickly so already you've killed this guy."
"No problems there," Steve says, shaking his head as he wipes the Type F Sword down with a cleaning cloth.
"Now, your other two wounds are pretty nasty," Amber continues, "The first one got between the ribs and looks like you hit the left lung. It's low so it didn't hit the heart, but that doesn't mean this guy is off the hook. Your second strike was right below the rib cage, which would hit the liver and cause internal bleeding which they won't know about until it's too late."
"So, you've managed to kill this guy," Marcus tells Steve, "You think you can repeat it with the armor on."
"Well, of course," Steve replies with a smile.
With the lethal potential of the Type F Sword now known, it's time to see what it can do against a foam torso wearing armor.
Steve steps up to the foam torso wearing the leather scale armor and bronze helmet with a Shuang Hu Dun on a stand in front of it. After a moment, the expert pushes the shield and its stand over before turning back and saying, "The shield isn't giving anything new data than it did with the Jian, so let's set this one off to the side."
"Alright," Dexter says, watching as Steve looks at the target, "You ready, Steve?"
"Ready."
"On three," Dexter counts down, "Two, one, go!"
Steve begins with a slashing strike which strikes a few leather scales before sliding off only partially cutting into the scales. However, he quickly aims high and slashes the foam torso across the face and nose causing blood to pour from the rather shallow wound. Moving his arm back, the expert stabs the armored target in the gut before taking the blade out and moving to strike the chest. This causes the blade to be plunged halfway into the chest and armor before being pulled out.
Steve quickly performs another thrust which gets the Type F Sword into the right side of the chest before pulling the weapon out and stepping back as the experts walk over.
"Alright, so your first slash was a waste," Marcus states, "But let's see what the other three strikes were like."
Marcus helps Amber take the leather scale armor off which ends up showing the three stab wounds having gotten through the armor with the torso bleeding.
"Looks like you got through the armor," Amber says, looking over the wounds, "You got a strike to the gut and two to the chest. The first would hit the intestines while you would hit the lungs with the other two strikes. These would cause delayed kills while the strike to the face would mostly be little other than making him bleed and maybe loose his nose."
"So you basically only caused some harm to this guy," Kai says with a smirk, "Plus, you need to get in close to use that weapon. At least with the Zhua I have more range to strike you."
"Perhaps, but you would tire yourself out using that," Steve replies, "Besides, it wouldn't matter if I close the distance and strike you before you can use that weapon."
Both weapons have proven their lethality and potential to take out armored foes, but which one gives its warrior the edge?
"I honestly have to lean towards the Zhua here," Dexter tells Marcus and Amber, "It has a longer reach and isn't able to be destroyed by the bronze weapons of Joshua."
"I have to disagree with you," Marcus replies, "The Type F Sword is much lighter which won't tire the user and can get past the armor of Sun Tzu."
"Plus the short sword has more options in its usage compared to the Zhua," Amber adds, "The Zhua can only strike by swinging the weapon which limits how a person can wield it."
For special weapons, Joshua gets the edge with the Type F Sword.
Now that the weapons have been tested, the armor of both warriors has also been analyzed during the testing. So, which one gives its user the edge?
"Between these two, I have to go with Sun Tzu," Amber states, "While both have the same helmet and same type of shield, Sun Tzu actually has body armor which gives him more protection compared to Joshua."
For armor, Sun Tzu gets the edge with the Leather Scale Armor, Bronze Helmet, and Shuang Hu Dun.
With the testing now complete, Dexter will now load the test results and the x-factors gathered by Stevan into the simulation that will determine the winner.
Coming up, the final battle begins. Sun Tzu versus Joshua, who will be crowned the Deadliest Warrior?
The moment of truth has arrived. It's time to find out who would win in a battle to the death between Sun Tzu and Joshua.
For Sun Tzu, we tested four of the weapons the State of Wu had access to: the Jian, the Ge Halberd, the Recurve Bow, and the Zhua.
For Joshua, we also tested four weapons out of the arsenal used by the Israelites: the Khopesh, the Israelite Spear, the Hyksos Bow, and the Type F Sword.
For long range, the Recurve Bow went up against the Hyksos Bow.
"Both warriors have almost the same type of weapon," Dexter says, "As such, neither weapon would offer any advantage over the other."
Edge: Draw
For medium range, the Israelite Spear clashed with the Ge Halberd.
"This one is rather simple," Amber states, "You have a polearm with two options to take a foe out against a normal spear that could be thrown."
Edge: Sun Tzu
For special weapons, the Zhua butted heads with the Type F Sword.
"You have two weapons that are very much different from each other," Marcus summarizes, "But the Type F Sword is lighter and gives the user more options to take out a foe."
Edge: Joshua
Finally, for close range, the Khopesh fought it out against the Jian.
"This is one where armor really does matter," Dexter comments, "The Jian has more options than the Khopesh and the armor of Sun Tzu can stop any injury from the sickle sword."
Edge: Sun Tzu
With the weapon testing complete, our experts are now ready to input the x-factors gathered by our researcher Stevan. These x-factors would be graded on a scale of 1 to 100, with the average score being a 70.
"Alright, Stevan," Marcus says, standing at a table with the other three experts, "What do you have for these two?"
"Well, we'll start with the x-factor of tactics," Stevan replies, "This is a rather lopsided one as Sun Tzu is considered a great military strategist who was able to apply many types of tactics into his battles. That isn't to say Joshua wasn't capable since he did use spies and split his forces up against Ali, but often just lead his forces to attack his enemies in open combat. As such, I had to rate Sun Tzu at a 91 while Joshua is at a 65."
"Not that surprised by that," Dexter remarks, "But what about the x-factor of experience?"
"This one is a bit of the opposite for the two," Stevan says, "We only have Sun Tzu fighting the Army of Wu during the Wu-Chu War which was just five battles based off what I could find. On the other hand, Joshua lead the tribes of Israel against the Canaanites with him loosing only once in his conquest. Due to this, I rated Sun Tzu at a 64 compared to Joshua at 79."
"Well, that is a bit of a flip," Amber states, "However, experience doesn't mean much if they don't have something to help it."
"And that's where the x-factor of ferocity comes in," Stevan tells the three, "Here, Sun Tzu has a rating of 72 and Joshua has a rating of 81. While Sun Tzu could have his men kill their foes using his tactics, Joshua was willing to have the Israelites kill entire cities and was doing so in the name of the Lord."
"Which would also lead into their skills as generals," Marcus comments, "Since both were able to have their men do as they needed."
"Correct, and here both are basically tied," Stevan answers, "We have Sun Tzu at a 71 and Joshua at a 70. Both of them were capable leaders on the field with Sun Tzu helping train new soldiers and Joshua being able to rally the Israelites without the tribes rebelling against him."
"Then that just leaves the last x-factor," Dexter says.
"Yep, and that's the x-factor of troop quality," Stevan states, "And here Sun Tzu has a 81 with Joshua having a 68."
The other three experts look at him in slight shock before Marcus asks, "Seriously?"
"Of course," Stevan explains, "For Joshua, he has men from the tribes of Israel who were capable of using weapons and were brought up when combat arose. However, the soldiers of the State of Wu were most likely part of a standing army who were trained for war. That sort of thing wasn't common during the Bronze Age, and as such we had to rate Sun Tzu higher than Joshua."
"Alright, let's get the x-factors into the simulation," Dexter says.
With the x-factors now being placed into the simulation, Dexter will load the data into the program that will simulate a thousand battles between Sun Tzu and four Wu soldiers and Joshua and four Israelites.
It'd be a battle of opposites.
Military Tactician...
(Sun Tzu fights against several Chu soldiers alongside a few Wu soldiers in a narrow valley as he slashes an enemy soldier across the neck with a Ge Halberd.)
Versus Conqueror
(Joshua battles with the Israelites against an army of Amalekites as he blocks a strike with his cowhide shield before chopping his foe's neck with a Khopesh.)
Who would come out as the victor?
"We have all the data and the simulation is ready to go," Dexter states, turning around and pressing some keys on the keyboard.
-X-x-X-
In an area of grassland which has some hills dotted around, a man whose wearing brown robes followed by four men in white tunics are walking through the area of land. All five of them have bronze helmets on their heads with their leader having an Israelite Spear and a cowhide shield in his hands with a Khopesh tucked under his leather belt. The man behind him has a Hyksos Bow in his hand with a quiver of arrows hanging off and a Type F Sword tucked under his leather belt while the third man has an Israelite Spear in his hands and a Khopesh tucked under his leather belt.
The man that followed also has a Hyksos Bow in his hand with a quiver of arrows hanging off and a Khopesh tucked under the leather belt that he wears. The last man has an Israelite Spear and cowhide shield in his hands who also has a Khopesh tucked under the leather belt that he was wearing. The leader of these men is Joshua with two Israelite archers and warriors who are on their way to scout out for more land to secure for the tribes of Israel.
Joshua: 5
On top of one of two large connected hills, four men wearing leather scale armor over their red robes and a bronze helmet are resting at a small camp on it while a fifth man watches the ground below. The man looking down at the ground is standing while holding a Ge Halberd in his right hand with a Shuang Hu Dun in his left and a Jian in a scabbard on his belt. The man sitting at a small campfire and is the closest to the one on watch has a Zhua laying in front of him while a third man next to him holding a Ge Halberd and having a Shuang Hu Dun resting on the ground.
Across from them are two men with one having a mustache and the other having stubble with both having quivers full of arrows on their belts and having a Jian in a scabbard on their belts. The fourth man is holding a cup in his hands with a Recurve Bow on the ground while the last man has a Recurve Bow in his right hand. The look out of these men is Sun Tzu whose with two Wu soldiers and archers who are preparing for the day to look into rumors of a hostile army coming towards the State of Wu.
Sun Tzu: 5
Joshua: 5
As Joshua leads the Israelites through the grassland, Sun Tzu spots the small group and turns to his men before raising his Ge Halberd which gets the second archer's attention. The archer alerts the other three who quickly gather their weapons and move over to their leader. Looking towards the sun over their shoulder, Sun Tzu picks up his shield and motions to the archers to get in position.
The Israelites continue to walk along the path before the second Israelite soldier notices a shadow being casted on him and look up towards the hill they're passing. Though partially blinded by the sun, he's shocked to see five men on the hill and shouts to Joshua getting the others on alert.
Joshua shouts for his archers to prepare for battle, but Sun Tzu raises his Ge Halberd and swings it down causing his Wu archers to launch their arrows. The Israelites back away to avoid the incoming arrows, but one strikes the first Israelite soldier in his left eye and he topples to the ground dead.
Sun Tzu: 5
Joshua: 4
Drawing their arrows before aiming their Hyksos Bow, the Israelite archers and fire their arrows which only hit the side of the hill due to the sunlight making it hard to aim. Once the Wu archers pull the strings of their Recurve Bow back, Sun Tzu signals to his archers to launch their arrows with one hitting Joshua's shield when he raises it to block the hit.
As the second Israelite archer cries out as he takes an arrow to his left thigh, the first Israelite archer squints his eyes as he makes out one of the archers and launches an arrow at the figure. The arrow flies through the air and strikes into the neck of the second Wu archer making him grab it. After a moment, the second Wu archer falls forward to the ground as he quickly dies.
Sun Tzu: 4
Joshua: 4
The other Wu archer draws the bowstring of his Recurve Bow as Sun Tzu signals him to fire and lets the arrow fly towards the Israelites with it defecting off Joshua's helmet. Stepping to the side as he shakes his head, Joshua watches as the arrows from his archers fail to hit their foe again before telling his men to charge up the hill. The two Israelite archers toss their Hyksos Bows to the ground before drawing their swords as their leader leads his men up the hill.
Seeing this, Sun Tzu orders his men back to the camp with them quickly rushing back to prepare for a fight. When the Wu archer reaches the camp, he places his Recurve Bow on a log before drawing his Jian from its scabbard and joining his fellow soldiers. At the same time, Joshua leads his men up the hill rather slowly due to the incline to stop them from reporting their presence with his second archer limping behind due to the arrow in his leg.
The Israelites make it to the top of the hill with them a bit tired from the uphill run before Joshua sees Sun Tzu and his soldiers standing ready to combat them at their small camp. Sun Tzu has his second soldier follow him with their Shuang Hu Duns ready to block any incoming strikes as the first soldier and Wu archer follow after them.
The first Israelite archer rushes past his leader as they get closer to their enemy with his Type F Sword at the ready to strike the leader of their newest enemy. However, Sun Tzu gets within range to swing his Ge Halberd at the Israelite archer in time to rip his throat open and send him to the ground.
Sun Tzu: 4
Joshua: 3
The second Israelite soldier charges forward with his leader following close behind with the remaining Israelite archer limping after his allies. Seeing the soldier coming towards him, Sun Tzu backs away as the second Wu soldier moves forward and blocks a strike from the Israelite Spear using his Shuang Hu Dun. Taking his spear out of the shield face, the Israelite soldier sees the Wu soldier swing his Ge Halberd at him and raises his cowhide shield which only gets a shallow slice into the shield face.
However, the first Wu soldier rushes forward and swings his Zhua which crashes against the top rim of the cowhide shield and breaks the wood. As his fellow soldier backs away, the first Wu soldier pulls the shield out of the hand of the Israelite soldier before he swings the Zhua once again. The Israelite warrior backs away to avoid the strike, but turns his face as the metal claws slice his cheek open causing him to cry out.
However, he sees Joshua rushing at him and the first Wu soldier swings his Zhua at the Israelite leader who manages to lean back to avoid it. With his foe now opening, Joshua thrusts his Israelite Spear into the man before the Israelite soldier delivers another thrust into the man's body. The soldier drops his Zhua before the two spears are torn out of his body and he drops to the ground.
Sun Tzu: 3
Joshua: 3
The Israelite soldier tries to thrust his spear at the remaining Wu soldier, but they back away and thrust their Ge Halberd into the side of the man. However, as they pull it back, the Wu soldier is stabbed in the leg by Joshua who pulls his Israelite Spear out of their leg. Seeing something coming, he steps back as Sun Tzu slashes at him with his Ge Halberd and keeping him away from his soldier.
As this happens, the Israelite archer limps over towards the Wu archer who charges at him and tries to slash his foe only for the Israelite to redirect it with the back spine of his Khopesh. This leaves the Wu archer open with his foe slashing at his chest only for the bronze blade to fail to cut into the leather scales. Despite stepping back due to the hit, the Wu archer performs a thrust that gets the Israelite in the throat before ripping the blade out with the man collapsing to the ground.
Sun Tzu: 3
Joshua: 2
As Joshua gets his shield slashed by the Ge Halberd of Sun Tzu, the Wu soldier ducks as the Israelite soldier throws his spear at him and misses as it goes into the camp. However, the Israelite charges forward as he draws his Type F Sword and grabs the Ge Halberd as he stabs the soldier in the gut. The Wu soldier lets out a gasp as the short sword is drawn out of his body before his neck is slashed open and sprays on his foe.
Sun Tzu: 2
Joshua: 2
Throwing his foe to the ground, the Israelite soldier sees Joshua thrusting his spear into the Shuang Hu Dun of his foe before drawing it out. As the soldier steps forward, his leader looks over to him before bringing his Israelite Spear up as if to throw it. The soldier steps to the side as Joshua throws the spear with it going past the Israelite and into the Wu archer's chest as he tries to charge the Israelite soldier. Said soldier looks to see the man stumbling back before rushing over and stabbing him in the neck with him causing blood to gush out when he tears the blade out.
Sun Tzu: 1
Joshua: 2
Joshua steps back as he avoids a strike from Sun Tzu and draws his Khopesh to continue the fight as the Wu general sees the Israelite soldier moving over to them quickly. Drawing his weapon back, Sun Tzu swings his Ge Halberd with it catching the rim of the cowhide shield and knocking it out of Joshua's hand.
The weapon continues as the Ge Halberd goes in an arc with the second blade striking the soldier in the neck with the man stopping in place. Joshua moves in to slash at his foe's arm, but Sun Tzu lets go of the polearm and pulls his arm back to avoid the strike as the Israelite soldier collapses to the ground on his side.
Sun Tzu: 1
Joshua: 1
Joshua moves forward and performs another slash which Sun Tzu manges to block with the Shuang Hu Dun as the blade cuts the shield face as he draws his Jian. Turning the sickle sword around in his hand, Joshua swings the Khopesh again which hits the rim of the shield and moves it to leave his opponent open. However, Sun Tzu quickly thrusts his Jian forward with it striking Joshua's right leg before pulling it out and raising his Shuang Hu Dun.
The sickle sword cuts into the shield face once again causing a hole to be formed before the Israelite leader tries to perform yet another slash that the Wu general moves to his right to avoid. Joshua turns to face his foe, but the Jian comes up in a diagonal slash and cuts through his robes across his chest. Stepping back as he grabs his chest, Joshua looks at Sun Tzu as he keeps his Shuang Hu Dun before the Israelite leader moves forward and swings his sword once again.
Striking the shield's rim, Joshua is able to knock it out of his foe's hand making them step back before he follows the strike up with another slash. However, the Khopesh fails to cut through the leather scales and the Israelite leader cries out as the Jian is stabbed into his gut. Joshua steps back as the sword is taken out of him, but is unable to react in time as Sun Tzu uses the Jian to slash his throat open.
Dropping his Khopesh, Joshua grabs his throat with both hands as he looks at his opponent before turning his gaze to the sky. After a few moment, the Israelite leader falls backwards to the ground and lays there motionless.
Sun Tzu: 1
Joshua: 0
Sun Tzu stays still with his Jian at the ready as he watches the body of his foe for a few moments before lowering his Jian and taking a sigh of relief. Giving his fallen foe a nod, Sun Tzu grabs the scabbard for his sword before putting the Jian away and looking over the fallen men in silence.
-X-x-X-
"Out of a thousand battles, Sun Tzu was able to win over fifty-one percent of the time," Dexter explains, "This is thanks in large part to his better arsenal and armor along with his edges in the x-factors."
Sun Tzu was able to claim the victory with a total of 515 kills. His Ge Halberd and Recurve Bow claimed the most kills in the simulation, but his Zhua ended up lagging behind.
Sun Tzu
Jian: 117
Ge Halberd: 198
Recurve Bow: 132
Zhua: 68
Total Kills: 515
However, Joshua wasn't far behind with a total of 485 kills. His Israelite Spear and Type F Sword prove to be his most effective weapons with the Khopesh being his least effective.
Joshua
Khopesh: 97
Israelite Spear: 149
Hyksos Bow: 113
Type F Sword: 126
Total Kills: 485
However, it was the x-factors which ultimately decided this match. Despite Joshua having the greater experience and being more ferocious, it was ultimately the better tactics and troops of Sun Tzu which decided this match.
X-Factors:
Tactics: 91/65
Experience: 64/79
Ferocity: 72/81
Generalship: 71/70
Troop Quality: 81/68
"This was ultimately Sun Tzu's game to win," Stevan explains, "The Wu soldiers were better trained than the Israelites under Joshua and his tactics were simply far more advanced. However, Joshua was able to bridge the gap here thanks in part to having fought more battles."
"I'm honestly a bit surprised that Sun Tzu won," Marcus states with some thought, "However, Sun Tzu did have a better arsenal of weapons at his disposal in this contest compared to Joshua."
"One major factor that helped Sun Tzu was armor," Amber says, "The leather scale armor used by him and his soldiers gave them a margin of error that Joshua and his men couldn't afford by comparison."
"I don't think this simulation was completely truthful," Steve remarks, a smirk on his face, "After all, a computer simulation is unable to factor in the will of God."
"I respect Joshua as a great leader for his people," Johnny says with a smile, "However, Sun Tzu's legacy is in the tactics of warfare which Joshua simply couldn't compete with."
(Sun Tzu sits at his home as he examines the Khopesh he held in his hands before setting it down on the table next to several bamboo slips. Picking up a quill, he dips it into ink before he continues to write down his tactics and insights into warfare.)
Apologies to those who are religious...
Next time:
The Lizardfolk: The tribal reptilian humanoids who are willing to hunt down any who trespass in their swamps.
Vs...
The Argonian: The race of reptilian people who make use of guerrilla tactics to take on any threat to their home.
WHO IS DEADLIEST?
Ray Tanaka: Hey, everyone! I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of this new version of my old story. This was something I've been planning since last year and the reason why Lizalfos vs. Demon Hunter was delayed for so long. So, I did change the special weapon around for Sun Tzu since I didn't want to use the same arsenal that I did for the Historical Series. That said, I would like to point out that the Zhua is actually from the Han Dynasty...which, given that it uses iron, isn't too surprising. As for Joshua's special weapon, I've had him with the Type D Sword but switched it out since that was gone by his time and I know that I could have given him an axe for the category. However, I went with a straight sword as he's often depicted with that and a Khopesh for his sword.
I honestly wasn't trying to make this have over 13,000 words, I was just typing this out and it happened to come out as having that many words. However, I am thankful to have done the x-factors rather than ignore them as I feel that it helps show how things have changed from the first story. Special thanks to Metal Harbinger for helping point me in the way of figuring out how to do the x-factors. As for next time, it's a battle of fantasy lizard people which will be fun to look into. Also, I will be getting the next four matches done before I return to the Historical and Versus Series since I would like to get this up and running. I hope you all enjoyed and looking forward to the next chapter!
Edit: Something that I forgot that I was going to do, I would like to give a preview of the matches that I have planned for this series.
Matches for Part 1 (in no particular order):
Papal Swiss Guard vs. Yeoman of the Guard
Demon Hunter vs. Paladin of Bahamut
Spartan Rangers vs. NCR Rangers
Irish Republican Army vs. Brown Shirts
Matches Planned for Later
Japanese Self-Defense Force (Showa Godzilla Era) vs. Confederate State Army (Timeline 191)
Spartacus vs. Robin Hood
Imperial Legionary vs. Gondor Soldier
Peter the Great vs. George Washington
Byzantine Cataphract vs. French Knight
Chiang Kai-shek vs. Douglas MacArthur
Rebel Alliance vs. Red Faction
Jacob Frye vs. Gabriel Van Helsing
Anyway, that was it. Like I said, hope you guys enjoyed!