255 BCE
NORTH OF DAI: XIONGNU MAIN CAMP
3 PERSON POV
There are so many moving parts to an army, so many important people who hold up the foundations for their leader to take the limelight. Whether they're a normal Commander, Lieutenant, General or Great General, all of them are significantly important to the function of an army; lose one, and it may not be a big deal, but lose multiple at the same time, and chaos will ensue.
Especially so if it was not a solid army that had built a foundation and bonds with each other, but a confederation of former enemies and now friends that had come together for a singular purpose.
How long would it take for such a group to implode?
The Xiongnu tribes that had been consolidated under the rule of Rozo were now experiencing just what it meant to have the attention of Sei Chou, and they didn't even know it.
"Hahaha, do not worry, kid, just follow me. I'm Geni, leader of the Geni army. Our tribe has never been defeated." A Xiongnu tribesman introduced himself to one of the younger soldiers. The boy seemed slightly awed but also terrified by the man's presence.
"Yes, sir!" The boy shouted his reply full of vigour.
Causing the man to laugh before shaking his head in amusement, "I'd like to speak with you more. Try to find me after the war council." Geni looked up at the sky before looking in the direction of where the war council was being held. "It seems I'm going to be late."
Geni turned, and his horse started to trot away. "I can see it would be your first battle, don't worry, kid, we'll win." The man said, waving at the boy over his shoulder. The boy looked down at his knees and saw they were shaking. They'd been shaking whenever he stopped moving and truly thought about what was to come, a battle against Zhao.
He knew his history; he knew some tribes had raided deep into Zhao lands. Plunder and took whatever they wanted whilst raising havoc; there was a time those stories had excited him. Stories of his ancestors doing great things, but now that he was on the starting line, he felt nothing but hesitation.
He sighed, "Best to try and get some sleep before tomorrow's march." He headed in the direction of his lodgings, but not before looking back to where Geni had gone. Seeing nothing but stone buildings and the open night sky above.
Geni moved languidly through the camp on the way to the war council; he was already late in his mind. So, there was no point for him to rush himself; if he was late, then he might as well take his leisurely time. There was also a part of him that didn't want to sit through, Rozo, the leader of the army's war council. To Geni, they were always a drag, with the only entertainment being if there was a dispute between two tribesmen. Because then there would be blood to be spilt.
But Geni commanded a considerable number of troops, so he had to be there…
"A moment of your time, Geni." He didn't recognise the voice, but there were so many people he didn't recognise, and this was deep into the camps of Xiongnu. A place that was safe for all who dwelt in felt tents and slept under a night sky.
"Hm?" Geni turned around at the voice. A man with long flowing silver blonde hair smiled at him, while slashing his sword vertically, Fu Jin cut deep through the neck of Geni.
Blood erupted from the slash and spurted from Geni's mouth as he died with an aggrieved and confused look on his face. Fu Jin watched him as he slumped and fell from his horse to the grassy floor of the plains. His blood leaked out of his open neck.
"Hmm, let's see… Who's next on the list?" Fu Jin's eyes scanned and saw his next target before moving.
"Lady Yuu's work is very efficient." He said, humming lightly after sheathing his sword.
….
Standing surrounded by corpses, Fu Jin took another look at his list. Blood stained the earth as men lay crumpled with slices through them.
"Lord Fu Jin, it's nearly time for our exit. The situation is starting to stir, and more of the barbarians are starting to clue in." One of the soldiers who followed Fu Jin on the mission said.
"Yes, yes, but we only have two names left to write off. After that, I believe we can call it a night and return home." Fu Jin replied before sliding the bamboo slips into his armour.
The covert operation carried out by Fu Jin and his men, who infiltrated the Xiongnu camp, caused a major ruckus as the Xiongnu tribes had drunk more than their fill. A celebration for the battle to come, they could not quickly grasp the situation which gave Fu Jin more opportunity.
The Xiongnu tribes were not used to living in stone walls and buildings; this slight change to their daily lifestyle had caused an unseen amount of trouble. As men ran around trying to find out what was happening.
"Another commander has been killed!"
"Who the hell is it?"
"Whoever it is, they're clearly aiming for the commanders!"
The confusion created panic, and panic led to distrust, as warriors looked towards their enemies for questions that couldn't be answered.
"You bastards, it was you I saw you with my own eyes!"
"Who the hell are you accusing?"
Two people, just subordinates of dead commanders, started a fight. Fists flew at each other, drawing blood and knocking out teeth. Soon enough, as they drew more attention, the one-on-one fight became a brawl of more than ten. Some of the fighters didn't even have a clue as to why they were even fighting.
In another area in a city north of Dai, a discussion was taking place. A young commander in the army of the Xiongnu had started to realise just what was happening, and it terrified him.
"If we look at what has already been happening, then we can see that only those who are commanders are being killed off. Especially those whose soldiers are known to have dragged their feet when it came to joining the confederation, it's almost as if whoever it is knows everything about our army." Zeki's eyes widened as he started to piece the picture together.
Beside him, Chida could scarcely believe his ears, but he kept quiet, trying not to disturb his friends' thoughts.
"I do not wish this to be true, but let's say if… if the person who is doing this is a General of Zhao… And they know we are not only here but what we want to do next and the inner workings of our army…" Zeki allowed his words to trail off, not daring to speak further, because if he did…
"You… you can't be serious, Zeki, there's no way Zhao would be able to know we're here. Our scouts and spies had completely locked down the area, and the invasion was quickly done. We even secured the region in less than half the time we'd initially predicted." Chida replied rapidly as if speaking faster would give him more confidence in his words, but Zeki could hear the trepidation in his voice. The sweat on his brow, he knew his friend shared the same concern as him.
"Would it truly be so far-fetched? How else can you explain what is happening today?" Zeki gestured to the noise being made in and around the city. He received no answer from Chida, who kept silent as if to agree with him.
"This current situation has been created by Zhao assassinating commanders in the army; they must've snuck into the city. It's the only reason high-ranking men are dying in such a way, without anyone being the wiser. Plus, they probably aimed for those who were not as well guarded as others, but also could cause the most disruption should they be killed." Zeki said before sighing in resignation, his body was tired, but his mind was still sprinting a thousand Li a second.
He shook his head before standing up, "Just be safe, Chida," Zeki said before continuing, "Should either of us die, I can see the entire army floundering helplessly. " He waved his hand and started walking towards where his unit was stationed.
That bit of humour seemed to take some of the gloom off of Chida "And you too, brother." Chida said back to him, "But who knows, maybe we will catch the little rats and see their heads roll! Hahahaha!"
By the time the sun rises on the next day, not a single Zhao soldier would be captured or killed… In one night, a total of ten Xiongnu commanders (relative to 1000-man commanders) would be killed. The actions of Fu Jin would force the hand of the Xiongnu tribe leaders, knowing they could not sit and rest any longer.
The army would commit to a full-scale attack.
….
255 BCE
STATE OF ZHAO: NORTH OF DAI
CHOU HAKU POV
"They're fast, really fast. The mighty army of the Xiongnu, how eye-opening it is to see for myself." General Chou Haku said he'd recently been ordered by the King of Zhao to station his army in the north past the major city of Dai. Should he have only received a summons by the King, it would've been a disaster.
"General, our envoys to the Xiongnu leader Rozo have all been killed." The messenger said with his hands clasped in a salute in front of him. The facial expression of Chou Haku didn't change in the slightest as he heard the news, because he had expected this.
"Worth a try, send word to Lord Sei Chou. Tell him that the Xiongnu are beyond redemption; only extermination will suffice." Chou Haku said.
"Yes, sir." Replied the messenger.
"Young Sei Chou may not like our response, My Lord. He thought he'd be able to divide the barbarians before defeating them one after the other." Shuu, who stood beside Chou Haku, commented.
"A neat trick to use, but it hasn't worked. These barbarians don't live by the same rules as we do. They believe themselves above our central plains, yet they forget that I understand them. They can't fool me; I know this attack is not done voluntarily. Something has forced their hand." Chou Haku replied evenly; he was no fool and understood strategy well enough.
"Those who surrender will be spared. We're not Qin, and Lord Sei Chou has asked me to do my best, and that was not just in commanding the army."
An outrider came back from the frontlines, as he'd seen something that made him want to alert Chou Haku.
"General! Enemies are incoming! They're smashing through our formation! Fifty thousand was the recent count, with a vanguard of 20,000 riders!" The man shouted.
"Their vanguard is small, should be enough to be blocked by our formation, no?" General Shuu asked.
"My Lord, THEY'RE HERE!"
A loud crash sounded out, men groaned, screamed and shouted as they were impaled on a massive glaive. A lone rider far away from the rest of the troops had three soldiers hanging off his glaive. His skinned wolf armour was drenched in blood, and his eyes took on a wild, inhuman look.
"Sir… The vanguard leaders are here, and our formation has been pierced through! The men have been smashed!" A soldier shouted towards Chou Haku.
General Chou Haku of Zhao, a man who had seen the armies of Great General Chi Ketus of Yan and had come out with a victory. Only glanced towards the imposing figure, watching as the man flung the three bodies of his glaive and pointed it in his direction. He could not look at the Xiongnu warrior with more contempt.
'So, the legend that has been rising from the Northern barbarian lands was not false. It's a pity, this man does not wish to submit.' He thought to himself.
Chou Haku did not turn his head away from the enemy warrior as he spoke his next words, "Inform Lord Sei Chou, killing season has opened."
CHAPTER DONE