254 BCE
Battle of Rien
3RD PERSON POV
After such a tumultuous sixth day, a calm settled over the Zhao and Wei armies. With the carefully executed plan of Gokei not bringing the results the Wei Fire Dragon had hoped, and the losses that the Gyou'un and Chou Garyuu forces had been dealt. Both sides decided to lick their wounds and recuperate whilst only attacking each other in little skirmishes.
None of the big names left their headquarters, as both sides strategised and plotted their own path to victory. This stalemate continued for four more days, until an unexpected arrival in the Wei camp brought ill news for the ears of Earl Shi of the Wei Fire Dragons.
"Earl Shi! Urgent message from the estate in Dairyou!!" Two riders in the early morning raced into the headquarters of the Wei Fire Dragon; sweat from the rapid pace of the journey poured from their brow, but the messenger made sure he informed his Earl of just what had happened at the estate.
At first the messenger didn't understand just how to say the words, his voice leaving him before he looked down at his feet and said, "I-it…It seems Lady Shikika's wedding has taken place in Dairyou!!" The words thundered in the ears of Earl Shi, whose face twisted venomously, even before hearing the name of the man his lover was being sold off to; he had already mounted his horse and raced off towards Dairyouu.
Such a development was shocking, and of course Great Heaven Sei Chou did not miss it. Instead, the Great Heaven smiled and said, "Yuu Sui, I will dedicate this victory to you." Before he turned to Fu Jin, "It's time to go capture a big fish."
By mid-morning, the entire Zhao army mobilised and launched an attack directly onto the Gokei army.
…
STATE OF WEI: TAIROJI RESIDENCE
Wei Fire Dragon Tai Ro. His massive, hulking frame stared down at the young, pretty woman whom he was to marry with hollowed eyes. The woman fought bravely to try not to tremble under his gaze, but the reputation of Tai Ro Ji was too frightening for her.
"The rumours are greatly exaggerated. I assure you of this; I have never killed a single one of my wives." The Wife Killer said before continuing, "I've only cut down the dozen unfaithful women undeserving of being called ' wives'; no, I suppose it is closer to two dozen." Hearing Tai Ro Ji, the woman kowtowed before him.
"The definition of unfaithfulness varies from person to person, so let us draw a line and make it clear right now. The relationship between you and brother Shi Ei." The woman twitched slightly, her head still kept down. The movement was not missed by the beady eyes of Tai Ro Ji, who stared at her in silence before speaking, "Fine, as a fellow Wei Fire Dragon I can look the other way, but from now on you must swear before me… That with both your mind, body and heart you will devote yourself and love to only me, Tai Ro Ji, from this moment."
The woman looked down at her hands; she knew what coming here would mean for her, and the words Tai Ro Ji had just spoken were not words she could ever fulfil, as her heart did not belong to him but another. Yet she couldn't be with that person even if he held all of her love.
Still, she kept her head low, not looking up at Tai Ro Ji. "... I cannot, I've only ever given my heart to one and to one will my heart belong." She said, as a lone tear fell from her eye down to the stone floor. Tai Ro Ji had heard enough, and as a few motes of light radiated off the woman, he gritted his teeth with anger, drew his sword and sliced the woman's head in two where she knelt.
….
STATE OF WEI: SHI RESIDENCE
The rage of the Wei Fire Dragon was unquenchable, as he stormed around the residence his deceased mother had brought him to. He was searching for someone, and every second longer it took only caused his anger to grow. He looked everywhere for her, but he could not find a single trace; dread and anger warred in his chest, and realization that he was too late started to settle in. His lover was gone, given to a most despicable man who'd kill her because she loved another.
"ARGHHHHHH!!!!!" Shi Ei shouted in frustration, as his world began to crumble around him. He needed an outlet, a way to release all the emotion that was swelling in his chest. All the anger he held for not being there when she needed him, not keeping to his promise- had he not said he would definitely take her for his wife!
Shi Ei stormed out of the room with his spear still in his hand, before kicking open the double doors of the main quarters in the Shi residence. His eyes saw the old, overweight, decrepit waste who was the cause of all his anger and pain. Of all his sorrow and despair, the man had not only killed his mother, but now he took 'Shi…Shi..'
"BWAHAHAHAHAH!" Earl Shi Tai laughed heartily as he saw the Wei Fire Dragon; a great wide smile split his face. As he took no small amount of joy in seeing the furious visage of Shi Ei, "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET! A BASTARD LIKE YOU BEING HAPP-" The old Earl had to cough, but he didn't let it stop him from exclaiming his joy to everyone who could hear it, and especially to Shi Ei.
"BWAHAHAH!!! HE KILLED HER JUST LIKE YOU BITCH MOTHER!!!" The Earl roared with laughter once more.
Standing as if he were a sentinel, Shi Ei clenched his hand around his spear so tight it drew blood from his palm, yet he could not feel the small wound open. All he could feel was overwhelming, consuming rage; his eyes started to hollow as he stared at Earl Shi Tai.
The countless courtiers and friends of Earl Shi Tai only looked on silently, as the older man continued to laugh and make crude jokes at the expense of the younger man. Some started sweating, as they felt the aura of Shi Ei grow and grow until it started to fill the room and then… He moved.
Too fast for anyone who had no experience in combat, Shi Ei closed the distance between himself and Earl Shi Tai before thrusting his spear several times in quick succession, each one cutting deep into the flesh of Shi Tai, who screamed. The onlookers could only jump in fright at the sight of Earl Shi Tai bleeding from more than half a dozen deep wounds.
Shi Ei stood and watched with a vicious sneer as the light began to disappear from the eyes of Earl Shi Tai; he thought it was not near enough. Not for the terror the man had put him through; he wanted Shi Tai to suffer further, but his rage didn't allow it. "Not only him, Tai Ro Ji as well." He whispered to himself as he exited the room. No one dared to reprimand or rebuke the Earl; most had already fled the residence screaming 'Murder!'.
As Earl Shi left the quarters of the now deceased Earl, he headed to the room he and Shikika had secretly shared for years. However, unlike before, there was no trace of anyone in the room. Earl Shi stepped through the doors and saw a blonde-haired man with a skull eye patch sitting at a table drinking tea.
"Who are you?!" Earl Shi shouted towards the man, who turned and smiled at him.
"Wei can no longer keep you, but my master can." Earl Shi paused for a split second, caught off guard by what the man was saying; however, it was in that moment he felt a powerful hit to the back of his neck, rendering his body limp.
"How wise." The person said with a smile from behind Earl Shi, an eye patch with a silver skull engraved into it.
"A fire has been set at the rations depot and in the Earl residence. No more tasks for us to take care of?" Kai Kou asked.
"You guys go protect our merchants in this city, say you represent Earl Shi and win their favour. Lord Sei Chou wants to gain their favour." Fu Jin said.
"Yes, sir." Replied Kai Kou.
Looking at the knocked-out form of Earl Shi, Fu Jin simply rested his chin on a closed fist. "Shi Ei, the Sei clan of Zhao, cares not about lineage or connections. We simply welcome the capable."
3RD PERSON POV END
….
After Sei Chou had sent Fu Jin after Earl Shi…
254 BCE
BATTLE OF RIEN
WEI SIDE POV
"EH?!" Ka Toku exclaimed, looking in the direction of the Earl Shi army.
"What's the matter, commander?" An infantryman asked with slight concern.
"It's the Earl Shi army; they're in formation, but Wei Fire Dragon Earl Shi is nowhere to be seen." Ka Toku replied.
"Is that so shocking, Ka Toku? Maybe the Earl is resting, or perhaps he wants his army to command before he engages." Kan Ei, who was nearby, replied, though he himself found it strange that Earl Shi was not leading his troops from the front as he had done multiple times; he understood that further panic could unsettle their morale.
"Yes, there's not been a single time that the Earl himself did not lead his troops into combat, and now that Zhao's Sei Chou has mobilised his entire army…" Kan Ei gave Ka Toku a stern look, making the commander's words trail off. However, even if his mouth was closed, the mind of Ka Toku was not idle; instead, it raced and panicked with ideas of just what was holding up the Earl.
Yet, he couldn't dwell on that for much longer as a shout came from the frontlines, "IT'S GYOU'UN!" "GYOU'UN IS HERE!!" Soldiers of countless battles were killed with a single powerful swing of the General's glaive; Gyou'un struck fear into the hearts of the infantry and cavalrymen who glanced at his figure.
Sei Chou had sent out Gyou'un as the vanguard to shake the morale of the Gokei army. Wei Fire Dragon Gokei responded by adopting a defensive spear wall formation. Yet, it was not enough to stop the charge of Gyou'un and his men; their collective morale was unshakeable as they pierced straight through the spear wall with brutal efficiency.
Seeing Gyou'un charging his way, Kan Ei gritted his teeth and swore in his heart, 'I will stop you here!' With his spear raised high into the air, he charged towards the Zhao General with 4,000 cavalrymen and a further 5,000 infantry at his back. The hooves of their horses hammered the ground as they galloped; Gyou'un accepted the challenge with a smirk, urging his horse to speed up.
Watching all of this from a strategic vantage point, Gokei frowned, seeing the gap opened up into his formation by the reckless actions of Kan Ei. He would've preferred for his General to retreat a few paces and reseal any breaches into the spear formation, but his General had done the opposite.
"Send another message to Earl Shi's army," Gokei said to a messenger beside him. He had started to think something was terribly wrong with Earl Shi's army. As they were clashing heavily with Chou Garyuu and Chou Sou, their leader was nowhere to be seen.
"Yes, sir," The messenger ran off. Gokei listened to his footsteps receding, not taking his eyes off Gyou'un and Kan Ei, who were rapidly approaching each other.
"DIEEEE!!!!" KAN EI shouted, thrusting his spear at Gyou'un. Seeing the weapon aiming for his throat, Gyou'un pulled his arms back and put everything into a single glaive swing, his sadness at losing his previous master, and his joy of seeing his Lord's will be passed on to another and being able to serve that person.
The single swing was devastating; the blade of his glaive cut through and bisected Kan Ei. So powerful was the impact that Kan Ei's top half flew into the air and towards the troops who had yet to catch up behind him. The deceased Wei General's horse did not come off unscathed, as the follow-through of Gyou'un's attack split the horse's head in two.
The overwhelming display of strength and power from Gyou'un shocked and frightened the Wei soldiers who had yet to engage the Zhao vanguard. They halted and hesitated as fear gripped their hearts; even if they wanted to look away, they couldn't, as the bloodied half-corpse of Kan Ei served as a reminder of the power Gyou'un held.
Just as they were about to rally, a dust cloud started to swirl as the sound of tens of thousands of hooves galloping across the plains could be heard.
Gokei looked towards where the dust cloud was, and his frown deepened. There was only one person in the Zhao army at Rien who could cause such a commotion.
The Great Heaven of Zhao, Sei Chou, finally took to the field.
….
254 BCE
BATTLE OF RIEN
TEI KA POV
He supposed this was fate; his Lord had abandoned him and the army to save his sister that was already gone. Truly, he never liked Shi Ei or his father Shi Tai, but he served both men as they were loyal and righteous to their soldiers. Even if they had both had their own deficiencies and differences with one another. In this war, everything was going as well as one would expect; they were up against a "God of war", but they held their own and fought on equal footing with him.
As one of the Generals in Earl Shi's army, he took command, seeing as the soldiers were floundering. Yet, he'd never thought it would be so challenging to be in command of an entire army; never had he thought he would be in this position. Yet, here he was, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Tei Ka wondered if either of his Lords truly cared about the army, whether the bonds they had truly meant anything or if they were simply a means to an end for both of them. However, his idle thinking had to be cut short by the unstoppable force moving with speed towards Wei, and he could imagine just how destructive that force would be should it be left unchecked.
He made it his duty to stop and halt the forces of Chou Garyuu here. With the troops he had left to him, he was neither a right-hand man nor a left-hand man, nor was he overly important to Shi Ei or Shi Tai. However, it was he who would be the one to step up. Crushing any nervous feeling in his chest, he saw the Chou Garyuu army using a pincer attack formation to divert his troops' attention; 10,000 to each side was enough to make his troops take notice. Then another 5,000 charged into the centre, which was already thinning to deal with the flanks. With morale already low, Tei Ka could see that his troops did not have the fight in them, even if they outnumbered the Chou Garyuu army.
He'd purposely kept 10,000 in the rear because of this; his troops needed a new surge of morale; they needed to feel they were winning. He sent his 10,000 forward with the only task being to turn the tide of the battlefield; he watched them depart with a certainty that they would be able to complete the objective.
However, to the shock of Tei Ka, a messenger rushed to him and reported ill news, "My Lord! Chou Sou of Zhao is leading a 5,000-man troop here! They've added to the 5,000 that were charging through the centre! I saw the first two lines be smashed! Soldiers are fleeing in their hundreds! They do not want to fight anymore! A retreat must be ordered! General!"
Tei Ka shook his head ruefully. "Just my luck, isn't. And Chou Garyuu hasn't even shown himself just yet." A set of footsteps hurriedly rushing towards him caught his attention. "General! Chou Garyuu has set out with 8,000 troops!" Tei Kai scoffed without a hint of amusement; he understood what was happening clearly and the situation he found himself in.
"How vicious a planner that Chou Garyuu is, and his Lord more so, placing that man against us. He's used our low morale to attack on each side except from behind, only offering one path to retreat. Morale is low, and having no time to launch a counterattack, the soldiers have started to rout. With Chou Garyuu leading them, there is no longer a chance to escape." Said Tei Ka.
There is only a single thing he can do, and that is to fight. Fight as a General of Wei and hope the heavens favour me. "Allow those that are fleeing to go, sound the gong of retreat, and inform Lord Gokei of our decision and just what has happened here. With any hope, Lord Gokei will not be slain and be given ample time to retreat and recuperate."
Stepping towards his warhorse and mounting it, Tei Ka gave the two young messengers one last look at their tear-stricken faces. Before nodding, he unsheathed his sword and bellowed a war cry, "For King Anxi, we must fight to our last! Let's spill blood in the name of Wei!"
Leading the charge, he rushed towards where Chou Garyuu flags were sighted; they reached him and fought bravely. In the end, he was the last man standing; they'd managed to halt the Chou Garyuu army.
He sat with his head tilted to the heavens, blood dripping out from more than a dozen cuts, his sword and armour broken. Tei Ka saw the large glaive of Chou Garyuu rapidly approaching his head.
"I did my best." Were Tei Ka's last words.
TEI KA POV DONE