STATE OF QIN: XIANGYAN/ KANYOU
Silence, there was only pure silence in the throne room of Qin, where King Shou presided over his war council. No one made a sound, but the silence thundered aloud in their ears. From court minister to strategist, from State Chancellor to King. The court of King Shou was stunned!
Even the messenger who kowtowed and didn't dare move a single muscle could not believe the words he had just spoken. It was as if his mouth was moving, and he'd had no control of the words that were coming out.
The first day of the battle of Nanan had completed, and with that, the reports had been fed back to the respective Kingdoms involved, for the State of Qin and their War God, it was only ill tidings. The disbelief was written plainly on the faces of the Qin officials and courtiers, as this had not been expected.
"Hooo," A single exhale from King Shou brought the eyes of everyone in the war council to him. Standing up, the King of Qin didn't even cast a glance at anyone before walking down from his throne, past them and out of the double doors at the end of the room.
"..." The war council he left behind did not dare to raise a tongue in protest.
Gazing out into the horizon in the direction of where the Battle of Nanan had taken place, King Shou gripped the cool stone wall. His mind replayed over and over the words of the trembling messenger, 'Lord Oukotsu has fallen in battle, slain by Zhao's Sei Chou.' The memories of him calling up Oukotsu and giving him a position as one of his Great Generals, the elation he felt when his decision had been vindicated after his Qin 6 Great Generals had shown their prowess for the first time.
"Gone… He's gone… And another will follow him." His grip tightened as if he wanted to claw into the stone.
"My King, all men will die…" A voice said from behind him, Han Sho, the current Chancellor of the State of Qin.
"Han Sho, is that the will of Heaven?" King Sho asked.
"Fated to die, will die. No matter what," Han Sho answered his King honestly.
King Sho clenched his jaw, "Shit."
"This… is just too much. After my firstborn and now this." King Shou held his face in his hands. His mind drifted to the time he'd given his Qin 6 the freedom to declare war, as it was that autonomy which caused this situation.
"I know what you're thinking, My King. However, you created and gave freedom to our 6 Great Generals because we valued speed. Speed is vital in war." Han Sho said he understood the King he served.
"Oukotsu left too fast… After Duke Hyou's defeat, we sent him there as a deterrent. While Oukotsu recovered, it seemed to be working, with the hope of gaining more time for Oukotsu to heal and then secure a total victory. Who knew he'd still be outside of our calculation?
The barely stifled external threats will return once more as soon as they find out about Oukotu and Ko Shou. This time, both external and internal will raise their heads. The aftermath will be unimaginable. This loss we've suffered has set us back; it will take many years to recoup.
Just defending against the external will be a challenge in itself, and then those with differing views will start to act. To even think about trying to conquer Zhao. For now… King Sho, the God of War, is nothing more than an empty shell." King Sho's eyes continued to look in the direction of Zhao.
"A new God of War has been born."
….
STATE OF ZHAO: HANDAN/KANTAN
In stark contrast to the throne room of Qin, the Zhao throne room thundered with a cacophony of shouting.
"REPORTING! THE BATTLE OF NANAN HAS CONCLUDED IN A SINGLE DAY OF BATTLE! QIN'S GREAT GENERAL OUKOTSU HAS BEEN SLAIN IN COMBAT BY GENERAL SEI CHOU!!
THE CHOU HAKU ARMY HAD OUTFLANKED THE BATTLEFIELD ATTACKING FROM LEFT AND RIGHT TO TAKE DOWN THE QIN HEADQUARTERS!!!"
"WHAT OUTFLANKED?!"
"THE CHOU HAKU ARMY!
The officials of Zhao shouted their questions to the sweating messenger, but the man ignored them, too excited to relay the entirety of the frontline report.
"DUE TO THIS, THE KO SHOU ARMY HAS RETREATED IN FULL TO SUI CITY WITH GENERAL SEI CHOU AND THE SEI CHOU ARMY HOT ON THEIR HEELS!"
The officials who were usually calm and composed erupted into cheers, clenching their fist and and cheering to the heavens. The noise threatened to rock the whole throne room and be heard all across the State of Zhao. King Xiaocheng of Zhao stood up from his throne with a bright smile across his face as he clenched a fist and shook it with joy.
The invasion of 2 of Qin's Great Generals, Ko Shou and Oukotsu, had frightened him to no end. Even with Sei Chou being sent there to halt the Great General of Qin, he'd worried that the might of Oukotsu would prove too much. With the feeling of anxiety being lifted, he celebrated.
"Hahaha, that is certainly a great victory. Once again, he proves himself worthy." The current Prime Minister of Zhao and one of the Four Lords, Hei Gen Kun/Lord Pingyuan, commented with a wide smile.
King Xiaocheng stepped down from his throne, not caring one bit and clasped his uncle Hei Gen Kun on the shoulders with an excited smile, "Yes, he most certainly has. He's proven himself time and time again. Without him, where would we be? With this news, I will grant him the greatest honour bestowed upon a General of Zhao. With only Ren Pa left, I believe it is time we add another."
Hei Gen Kun smiled at his nephew, understanding where the conversation was going, "Indeed, my king, at just 18 years of age, he's shown such great feats, he fully deserves it." The Prime Minister of Zhao could not agree more. It had been he who'd studied and helped in gaining Sei Chou a footing.
The King of Zhao nodded excitedly before turning to the messenger, as the noise had quietened since he stepped down from his throne. "Messenger, give us all a full retelling, nothing is to be left out." The messenger nodded before retelling the battle of Nanan.
The eyes of Hei Gen Kun looked over the royal throne room as the messenger was speaking, his eyes searching for someone in the crowd before they stopped and stared at the person. Slowly and very subtly, he inclined his head and looked down at the person, with a measure of disgust and revolution.
The person he was staring at was handsome, with earrings and dressed in fine royal robes. Beside him, an overweight man stood beside him whispering to the people around them.
They were the Crown Prince Tou Jou, the presumptive heir to Zhao and his advisor Lord Kaku Kai.
STATE OF ZHAO: NANAN
SEI CHOU POV
As I looked at the kneeling man before me and the box he'd presented, I rested my jaw on my knuckle and raised a brow. "What do you think of this, Chou Garyuu? Lie or truth? Swindle or truthfulness?" Chou Garyuu chuckled, and I knew he was shaking his head behind me.
The man in front of us raised his head almost reflexively to exclaim that he was no liar, but I raised my hand and halted him; his head went back to the ground just as quickly as it had risen.
"I've fought against Ko Shou in the past," Chou Garyuu began, looking from the kowtowing man before us, then to me. "I hold him in high regard; the death of Oukotsu wouldn't shake him so much."
"Ah, that doesn't spell good news for you, dear messenger," I said, watching the man intently. He mumbled something to himself before quickly rising to his feet and darting towards me. Two short knives came out of his sleeves, and with a shout, he ran and thrusted towards my chest and neck.
*SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING*
Several swords left their sheathes out of my view. Fu Jin stepped past me and cut the man down with a single brutal swing. However, the man was not the only assassin sent by Ko Shou; there were, in fact, many more. The next two were cut down by Gyou'un and Chou Garyuu, and for the last one, Kai Kou, the leader of the handicapped warriors.
Throughout the action, I remained in the same position; the adrenaline from the battle had long since left me, and my body felt thoroughly battered and bruised. However, luckily, there were no legacy injuries that would impede me in the future.
"What a cunning man, Ko Shou is," I remarked, looking at the dead man at my feet, his blood being soaked into the earth below. This was only the first round of attack from Ko Shou, and I knew he had more in hand to use against me, but why allow him to do that?
"Indeed, a cornered animal will still strike at you with enough intent to take you down," Gyou'un replied.
Ko Shou had sent assassins into my army; the majority of them had joined us as hangers-on from the start of the battle. It was a good decision that Chou Garyuu had told me not to take the Chou Haku army with me into battle, and instead race ahead of their march.
If not for that, who knows how the best strategist in Qin would've reacted to finding out we had another army battle-hardened and ready for deployment. Possibly, Oukotsu would've been even more cautious than he was and drawn out the battle. It was no secret that my troops were tired and needed rest; I only hoped that by the time we marched up towards Sui City, the troops would be able to recuperate.
"Hmm, since he's cornered and pressured… Shall we alleviate his greatest worry?" I said, with a slight smile on my face. If Ko Shou wanted me dead so much, then why should I not give him what he wanted?
"Sei Chou, what are you thinking?" Fu Jin asked, wiping the blood off his sword with the clothes of the dead men.
I twirled a ring in my hand, it was black with a single skull in the middle, before giving my answer, "Kai Kou, have the news of my death be fed back to Ko Shou." I didn't need to look at Kai Kou to know he nodded.
My finger drummed a beat on my forearm, "Once we besiege the city, and Ko Shou sees you leading the army. The confusion will clear, and Ko Shou will still attempt to take as many of us with him." Chou Garyuu pointed out.
My drumming stopped, "That's why I am not leading the army personally." My reply drew raised eyebrows and confused faces. "I will already be in Sui city by the time the siege begins."
SEI CHOU POV DONE
After hearing Sei Chou's words… The one-eyed assassin smirked. Because he knew what was coming next.
CHAPTER DONE