Broken Bonds (Huang Zhong)

Xiahou Ba was resting his head when he felt a unbearable heat come over his tent. He got up grumpy and shot to the entrance of the camp to check the weather. He found flames springing around and the Shu army within the walls.

In frustration he grabbed his sabre again, he hadn't slept a bit and he was worn out for the battle. His arm didn't hold him back he could still fight, it just stung as he moved it, but he would have to deal with the pain.

The Wei army was not small, they could have held out for a long time if the camp was not ablaze, there was a huge mass of Wei infantry pounding on the Shu troops that were flooding through the gates. The cavalrymen looked on ineptly as the infantry dammed the tide of green.

The camp was glowing red if it was not for the high sun it would be impossible to distinguish friend from foe. Zhang He was directing the infantry on foot behind the lines, his spear ready under his arm.

Even if they repelled the Shu forces, the camp was on fire, it was as good a time as ever for a withdrawl call. Xiahou Ba came running out to Zhang He, who said to him, "Young master move the cavalry, go to Nanzheng and inform Cao Hong of all this, I have already dispatched a messenger to the King."

"I won't abandon the men." "Stop being stupid, there'll be no men to save if we stay here, go." In his heart Xiahou Ba knew Zhang was right. He turned in acceptance and taking a unit of cavalry made for the path around the mountain and disappeared into the distance heading for Nanzheng.

Zhang He meanwhile, gathered the cavalry around him, "Relay the order to all non-embattled camps to pull out, and retreat to Nanzheng, then come back to me." The horsemen bolted off in multiple directions.

The outpost was pretty large and held a lot of supplies, which were getting wasted by the flames. The cavalry returned quickly enmassed around Zhang He, "The rear infantry camps are in retreat General, what are your orders for us?" "Stand your ground, they need time or we're all going to get run down."

Zhang He's hopes of holding out were dashed when Huang Zhong and Ma Dai both charged together their cavalry bursting in and running down friend and foe until they smashed the Wei troops and more infantry pured in after them, the entire army was advancing and the catapults were back online.

Discharges from the siege engines pounded the burning camp knocking out the command tent with one blast, "Just fall back, we can't hold that." He looked on at the infantry of the forward camps fighting valiantly to hold back the Shu attack, but it was futile. He hated himself. "There's nothing we can do for them, just retreat."

The guards of the rear gate shut it behind the cavalry as they pulled out, and formed a last ditch sacrificial defence to stall the Shu army should they choose to pursue.

The mountain trail was crammed with retreating soldiers, it would take them a good while to escape, but finally the road to hope had begun. The rider that Zhang He had sent to Yangping returned, and announced "I didn't need to go to Yangping, General, the King has already set forth and is advancing as we speak to Nanzheng to meet combine forces with General Cao Hong, he orders you to meet him there."

((...Yup, for now.))