Pact of Vengeance (Counter attack at Sizhuang)

[Li Wang]

It is a clear night in the district of Shou Chun. The moon is full, the stars are shining, and the banners of Wu can be seen encamped on Wei's side of the river. The forces of Wu have won a bloody battle at Er Ba Zhen, but joviality is not the mood one would feel when walking into camp.

The battle had started out on a good foot; villages evacuated by Zhong Gan, dragon bones excavated by Dailai Zhangba and Pang He, bandits under Ku Ren routed by Huang Shao. Coupled with the momentum gained by publicly executing Zhang Liao in Jian Ye, Wu's forces stood poised to win the day without much of a fight. That, however, was before the grove.

Li Wang, Prefect of Gui Ying and General of the Right would never forget the events of that parley. That bastard Shen Ha had ridden in as brazenly as you please, wearing Zhang Liao's signature hook swords as if he had a right to do so. Nevermind that he wasn't even the commanding officer for Wei's forces; that was an honor Li Dian held. In fact, Yu Jin, the garrison's second in command, could have ridden forth and the Wu forces wouldn't have been insulted, but instead they sent this completely unknown officer Shen Ha to treat with the King of Wu himself. That alone had been enough to infuriate Wang.

Wang had remained infuriated throughout the parley, and then came the heads. Though they'd been dipped in tar, they were already in a state of advanced decay, retaining nought but the facial structures. Whilst he'd not been entirely certain, they'd seemed right, and apparently his liege had thought so too, for at that all pretense of diplomacy failed and Sun Quan had ridden back to his lines. Li Wang, however, found himself in a state of shock. This bastard had taken the head of the woman he loved for fucks sake! Sun Shang Xiang had been a diplomat on a mission of peace, Zhang Liao a prisoner taken in battle. Lu Xun had been a merchant gone to review his holdings, Zhang Liao a warrior defeated in a duel. The Kingdom of Wei had had no right to slay Sun Shang Xiang and Lu Xun, though they claimed to do so in retaliation for the death of Zhang Liao.

For all Wang's grief and rage, however, he could not risk his life and the battle in a duel against Shen Ha. He had an army to lead, and thus had been forced to leave Shen Ha with a threat of vengeance. Wang's passion and rage inspired the rest of the Wu lines, and though Shen Ha's initial cavalry charge had inflicted heavy casualties, Wang's forces eventually drove Shen Ha back while Sun Quan battled Yu Jin, and the timely arrival of Taishi Ci set Li Dian and the entire Wei army to flight, though they'd outnumbered Wu. Wang's only regret was that he'd not been able to slay Shen Ha in the minute and a half the battle had thrust the two men together, just before he'd realized his situation was FUBAR and retreated.

Now, the armies of Wu, with Sun Quan, Taishi Ci, and Li Wang at their head, were encamped only an hour's march from Juchao, the last obstacle on the path to the Bronze Spire of He Fei, which could be seen gleaming to the North. Li Wang's army had replaced their uniforms of red with black, in mourning for Sun Shang Xiang and Lu Xun, but also a promise of vengeance. The banners were still as red as the rest of Wu, as were their hearts, but the black tide would set them apart when they attacked on the morrow, and these men would not offer quarter.

Shang Xiang... Wang murmured as he gazed up at the moon, letting himself imagine her face gazing down upon him. You shall be avenged, on my life I swear it! Li Wang's shout drew stares from men clustered around the campfires, but Wang paid them no mind, preferring to stay motionless outside his pavilion, gazing mournfully up at the moon.

(EDIT: Renamed per Justin's request)

[Sun Quan]

There was little else that consumed Sun Quan's mind at this moment than that of the face of his sister. Her smile, her tousled hair, her riding bareback out the northern gate of Jian Ye, just as she had a million times before, every time her father upset her, every time their brother had upset her, every time he had upset her.

It was like clockwork with that one.

Though she had kept him on his toes more than any other object in his life, be it the kingdoms on his borders or the internal struggles in his own mind. Little else could even compare to that latter problem, but Sun Shangxiang always seemed to be right there.

And now she was gone. Gone forever. Gone like his brother and his father before him.

Quan sat huddle in his room, scattered wine flasks and broken goblets abounds. His few servants were afraid to enter, but one man would not be, he being Guan Shao. Even now, looking over the near comatose form of his lord and master, he merely clucked his tongue.

"You're a fucking mess."

He leaned over and pulled his lord up, and shook him back to consciousness. Quan moaned loudly at he motion, and tried to fight but for a second, Shao holding him at arms length to avoid the flailing. This was nothing new for the man, merely another night in a long life of drunken fits. He was more than used to such behavior from his lord, who held his own with kings and dignitaries, but as soon as he was in his cups, his entire demeanor broke down.

Quan finished his action before composing himself, his eyes bleary with drink. The haze of his sister's face began to fade, and with it Shao's ugly mug replaced it, eyes wide with disappointment.

"Oh... Shao... Just thinking of Xiang. I miss her so."

"Shut the fuck up and get dressed. We need to prepare. Scouts aren't returning, and others say they've seen dust on the horizon. It looks like Wei doesn't want to wait out your period of mourning."

Quan yawned and shook his head, taking a glass of water from Shao who poured while he spoke. Swishing the first gulp in his mouth and spitting it onto the floor, he downed the remaining contents, sighing loudly as he finished.

"Good. I'll need the red outfit again. Set a maid to it. Tell her I want two black bands, on each arm, and the black overcoat. My bannerman should have two black flags under my own standard. We will say goodbye to my sister in a most momentous fashion.

Then, rally all the men, including the generals. I'll meet with them before hand, tell them to be here in an hour. Go. We must hasten."

Shao smiled as Quan ordered him around, and he could not have been happier, all considered.

Quan hustled around and shirked out of his ragged bedclothes, stepping into the bath a few feet away. He cleansed and walked out, mentally tracking the time. His head had cleared with the water that had poured over him, as well as the way the maids giggled slightly as they cleaned him.

He strode through the door, shrugging into the clothes that his maids had prepared. The black bands stood out against the fire red of his shirt sleeves, and the robe was of the finest silks. He put on his armor overtop, a breastplate so that his sleeves would show through. Grabbing Rising Phoenix, he walked out and towards the meeting hall, hastily constructed in the fortress that now stood on the outskirts of Er Ba Zhen; Sizhuang.

He walked the few feet of open air into the command tent, the meeting hall. There, a giant table stood with the map of the outlying areas. He'd await his generals there, purposely ahead of schedule so that they wouldn't know the state he was in, or at least think that something was wrong. The black was stark, and he wanted to tear them off, to forget it ever happened.

But he couldn't. He wouldn't.

[Li Wang]

Wang was still gazing wistfully up at the moon when Guan Shao came for him. He'd noticed some dust on the horizon about 10 minutes ago and donned a new set of armor, steel scale lacquered black over chainmail over boiled leather. He was armored from head to toe; helm, gorget, chest plate, gauntlets, greaves... Li Wang would be fighting in a completely different style through the rest of this campaign. For weapons, he would now wield a triple morning star, each ball spiked, in tandem with a steel studded oak shield; Wang was no noble, however, so the face was solid black. He also wore a dirk at his side. Li Wang was a force of vengeance now, and his fighting style would shift to reflect that, emphasizing physical presence rather than finesse. Right now, though, his helm was under his arm; it too was lacquered black, but the plume was blood-red.

Thank you, ser. I will report forthwith. Wang bowed before striding off to the command tent. On the way, he yelled at anybody he passed, telling them to "Get your ass in to gear, those bastards from Wei are coming!" To the men, Wang appeared to be holding together quite well, his only sign of mourning being the black armor. The men of his bodyguard were not fooled, however; it was no secret to them just how deeply Wang had cared for the princess. The acting captain even went as far as to promise Wang that they would have vengeance as he fell into step just off Wang's right hand. Dailai Zhangba was the man who would normally sit in on council, but when the man had not turned up amongst the dead at Er Ba Zhen (it was commonly assumed he'd been carried off by the Wei force in the swamp when they'd fled), Wang had been forced to temporarily name a replacement.

That we shall. Is your unit prepared?

Aye, ser. We've been sleeping in our armor ever since we noticed that dust cloud.

Good. I'm proud to have you by my side.

And I'm proud to be here, ser. What do you think King Quan wants?

I'm not entirely sure. But mind your tongue; there are many who would take that as sarcasm and have your tongue out.

Sorry... ser. But are you sure you've no idea?

Well, we were supposed to attack Juchao either today or tomorrow, but seeing as we've probably got an army of Weiners in our way, Quan probably wants council before we attack. And knowing him, we most likely will.

I see...

They were at the command tent, now. Wang was as yet a few minutes early, but he was not surprised to find Quan already awaiting him. Wang noted the black bands on his sleeves as he took his seat, and grieved just as greatly (if not more) than the King of Wu, but he could not find it in him to offer any sympathy to the man; for one, he'd married the princess off to Liu Bei in the midst of Wang courting her, and if any one was to blame for her death it was Quan. Wang understood why he'd killed Zhang Liao, and with out a doubt would have done the same in his place, but all the same Wang could not forgive him for that blunder. Not yet.

My lord. I look forward to the day we can stick Shen Ha's head on a pike and tear down that accursed Spire.

His voice was a little stiff, and he'd started with a croak, but it was likely Quan would attribute it to grief; he had to know by now how Wang had felt for the princess; if he hadn't known before, the black armor would have to have given it away.

[Sun Quan]

Quan's mouth tightened when the general walked in. Li Wang had long held a military position within the hierarchy of Wu, and was considered one of the most trusted men. He strode in bedecked in armor dyed black, his melancholy closely matched with the armor that encased him.

Quan listened intently as he spoke, offering to murder Shen Ha. Quan grimaced, the thought of the man holding the two heads aloft as if they were some sort of prize made him queasy. His sister's blood was on his hands just as his brothers was. It was not something he wanted to be reminded of.

However, Quan could not bring himself to blame the man in front of him. Unfortunately, Wang was the only general left in this area that could help Quan lead the troops, with the unfortunate injury of Taishi Ci...

Quan was on the field of battle, and the going was tough. They were evenly matched with the Wei troops; outnumbered but not outskilled, and the forces under held against the waves of Wei men that crashed against them. Quan gave the signal and a great drumming was heard from the rear lines, the signal for Taishi Ci and his men to charge forth.

For glory, for Wu, for Quan, they yelled, a great castrophony that would be heard by the gods themselves, even as the reinforcements for Wei arrived. It was too little too late for the blue clad warriors to the north, and their lines were smashed, the elite cavalry forming up on three fronts against them, north, south, and center, even as the two wings of the split forces crashed into the middle, horrific amounts of recurve shot arrows piercing the oncoming reinforcements, dead before they even joined the battle.

Quan smiled at this destruction, from his place on a slight hillock above the fight, until he saw the banner of Taishi Ci, streaming in the wind as it rushed forwards, heading directly into the frontlines, attempting to take the head of Li Dian or perhaps Yu Jin, their standards mixed now with the slowly retreating Wei forces. There was still much fighting, but Wei knew the battle was lost, and was intending to save as many men as possible.

Taishi Ci would not let that stand.

As he crashed forth, men died around him and his, their bodies being thrown into the air like so many dry leaves during an autumn gust. They fell broken and bloody, a swath of destruction from the great beast that was Taishi Ci.

However, it was not enough. His own men died around him as he pierced deep into the heart of Wei, as they slowly but surely began to convince him to retreat. Quan ordered a full march to attempt to save his general, but it was not enough, the man being struck down, three arrows into his flank, his horse crumpling beneath him even as Quan's own horsemen rushed forward into the gap created by the stalwart general.

Thankfully he was recovered before he expired, a full medical team now waiting on him day and night. He was not struck mortally, but with time he could die if proper care was not given. Quan only worried that his day would grow even sadder with every passing minute.

His vision blurred back to reality as Wang sat at the table that was prepared. Guan Shao entered the tent with some of the other captains, and all were accounted for; a pathetic force of no names lead by two generals who were both more bereaved than they rightly should be.

He did not have high hopes at this juncture.

"Let us hope that we both can live to see that day. Taishi Ci is not well. I fear he may not make it."

The words hurt to say, but they were the truth. His condition was grave, and without a certain amount of time and rest, Ci may never recover.

"I have ordered him back aboard the ships, to sail back across the Yangtze. Hopefully Pang He and Zhong Gan will return with more men... but I fear that it may not be soon enough. We must prepare. There is a Wei attack force on their way here right this minute, and we must repel them; we must not lose Sizhuan. This is the only chance we have of taking Juchao and eventually toppling that bastard spire that is He Fei.

We must succeed. For both our kingdom, and the sake of our fallen comrades. We must succeed."

[Li Wang]

Wang grimaced as well upon mention of Taishi Ci; he'd been foremost in the march to extract him from the Wei lines. He'd even been close enough to hear him cry out when the horse crushed his leg. It'd been all his men could do to hold together around the body of their fallen general for the minute it'd taken Wang to get there. Ci had been a bloody mess by the time he had, and Wang was surprised he wasn't dead. He'd personally dragged him out from beneath the horse after the remaining Wei forces quit the field, and had not expected Ci to live. He might have even escorted the man to medical triage, but with Ci out of commission and Sun Quan in the rear, it'd fallen on Wang to rally both his forces and Ci's to harry the retreating enemy, sans the heroics that nearly killed Taishi Ci. Wang had only ordered a halt once they'd reached Sizhuang and the sun was beginning to set. The army had been here for a few days now, recovering from the battle and preparing for an even crueler one to come.

My lord, if that is so, perhaps we should send for another general to join us here. Pan Zhang, perhaps, or even this son of Lu Fei's out of Gui Ying. If the tales are to be believed, he is over 6 feet tall and has as much muscle as the father has fat. Even if he's not ready for command of an army, he might help to rally the men.

Wang did wonder why Quan did not seem to count his bodyguards as generals; Guan Shao, Zhong Gan, and Pang He were all older than him, and at least as competent. It made no sense for the mantle of Executive Officer to fall to Wang... even if he was up to the job; there was simply no other officer of note within the camp with Dailai Zhangba captured and Taishi Dun gone back across the river to tend to his father; it would be an amazing feat if the officers that were here could keep the men together through Juchao. It served no purpose dwelling on this, however, so Wang shifted his focus back to the words of Sun Quan.

My Lord, they may be on their way, but there's no way in hell they're going to get through our outer defenses without heavy casualties. I have the pikes, and crossbows posted at the pickets to hold up their initial charge, spears and archers further back for the enemy to break themselves on, swords at the ready to fall on the enemy, and cavalry in the center to respond where needed. My Lord, we will not lose, provided the searjents remember their orders and the captains can keep our men disciplined.

Nobody present, captains included, needed to be reminded that morale was definitely an if with two heroes of Wu dead, another gravely wounded, a fourth captured by the enemy, and only two remaining in camp of the five who marched forth with a siege and another hard fought battle to come.

We will succeed here. My King, that spire shall fall! The fervor in Wang's voice was real; he may not have liked Sun Quan the man very much, but Sun Quan the lord, Sun Quan the king, he was sworn to serve, and serve he would; Wang was certain Shang Xiang would have wanted that.