255 BCE
STATE OF QIN: SUI CITY
QIN POV
"So, we've finally found a remedy for my headache."
"He is dead, My Lord." The one-eyed man opened a small wooden box, presenting the severed head of Sei Chou to Great General Ko Shou. The strategist inspected the head before nodding and accepting the man's words to be true.
He'd sent out multiple soldiers to join Sou Ka in their attempt to assassinate Zhao's Sei Chou and cause mass disruption to the Sei Chou army. It was a delaying and morale-crushing tactic all in one. If Sei Chou falls and his army is further impacted by the deaths of several of its commanders, the army will be paralysed, but there will be just enough time for Ko Shou to actively train and bring the army at Sui City up to fighting quality.
Ko Shou knew it was a risk, but one that paid off. "In warfare, the one who hits his opponent's vulnerable points wins." He lectured the high-ranking Qin commanders before dismissing the one-eyed assassin who bowed before exiting the war council.
"Haha, this death could not have been timed better." The Young Master of Sui City, dressed in gaudy armour, smiled widely, pointing at the severed head. He'd shown that he was more than happy to join Great General Ko Shou in defending Qin from the oncoming Zhao army, led by Sei Chou.
Ko Shou glanced at the Young Master from the corner of his eye. The boy had no experience in warfare or battle experience and the fancy outfit that the youth war was going to attract a lot of attention. The Great General had sent people to warn the youngster, but the boy would not listen.
The boy was a dandy, a good-for-nothing who thought he knew it all. Still, Ko Shou needed the youngster; the current Lord of Sui City was old and bedridden, and the Great General of Qin understood just how much keeping the morale high would benefit Sui City.
"Indeed, Young Lord. With the death of Sei Chou, we have less to fear about; the Zhao army will not be in the same condition." A remnant of the Oukotsu army replied.
"Yes, it will be like plucking low-hanging fruit from a peach tree."
The sentiment in the Qin war council was one of optimism.
QIN SIDE POV DONE
….
SIEGE OF SUI CITY: NORTHERN GATES
The Sei Chou army had moved under the cover of darkness while taking out or luring away the scouts of Ko Shou's army. Now, just before the sun began to rise, the Zhao soldiers were given orders to start a fierce attack on the main gates of Sui City. Seeing that it was Chou Garyuu and Gyou'un who were leading the offensive only served to boost the belief that Sei Chou was well and truly dead.
"My Lord, they are attacking with nothing held back!"
"Such anger and a want for revenge!"
The men under Ko Shou who were pessimistic also started to be swayed. Even as they were outnumbered, the men fought vigorously.
"Kill every last one of the damned bastards!" The soldiers of Oukotsu screamed, throwing themselves into combat, swords, spears and glaives, cut, pierced and sliced through armour with powerful movements.
Standing in a tower alongside Ko Shou was the young master of Sui City, sweat pouring down his face, as if he were trying to see every part of the battle at the main gate. This was the first time he'd seen so many warriors going at each other with only the intent to kill, but instead of being scared, the youngster was only excited by the display.
"UOOOOHHH!!" Shouted the Oukotsu soldiers, as they pushed back the Zhao troops who'd just gotten a foothold on the wall. "Surely we should defend all of the walls?" The Young Master asked Great General Ko Shou.
"No, that would leave us spread too thin. The Zhao are only attacking this part of the city, and the southern gate is being protected by a small but loyal force. Should we repel them here, it would go a long way to securing our victory." Ko Shou replied. It was just over two hours into battle, and he'd set up the deployment as best he could in the trying circumstances.
Having the powerful warriors under Ouktosu and his own troops available to switch out at a moment's notice for the lesser experienced Sui City troops was working wonders for his defence.
"I'VE NOT HAD MY FILL!!!" Shouted a warrior under Ko Shou's army, before he ran forward and killed a few Zhao men brutally. The display of his overpowering the Zhao troops he'd faced emboldened those around him, who renewed their initial vigour after taking a breather.
"They're crushing the vanguard expertly." The Young Master said, nodding his head. Looking at Ko Shou, wanting the man to see what he was seeing and agree with him, but Ko Shou had a slight frown.
"Too fast… It's all too fast." Ko Shou, as the hours ticked on, Ko Shou felt that the battle was going at a relentless pace; the Zhao army was not letting up, committing more troops to have more of their men climb up the ladders. The battle at the northern gate was getting to a point where the Oukotsu and Ko Shou soldiers were now not even getting a moment to rest, and the gap in quality was steadily starting to show.
Battering rams were pounding at the gates below, and rocks were being thrown down on those below who readily used shields to try to block the rock attack.
"This is just as you said. Defend the northern gates and repel the force at the northern gates!" The Young master had to shout over the cacophony of noise coming from the Sui's main gates.
"Yes, but the pace of battle is a gallop, not a trot." Ko Shou replied before looking towards where the flags of the Sei Chou army were. 'Their Lord is dead, so it only makes sense they would overwhelm us with numbers, drawing on their troops' vengeance for blood as a morale boost! However, neither Gyou'un nor Chou Garyuu have set foot out of their camps.' Ko Shou had men on lookout for the moment when either of them decided to commit their forces to the battlefield.
The fighting grew more brutal. As time passed, the Sei Chou army gained more footholds. The Zhao soldiers started to clump together and move cohesively, pushing back the Qin soldiers, allowing more of their troops to scale ladders and join their ranks. Seeing this, the Young Master of Sui City decided to take action: "I'm heading down." He said and left before getting the approval of Ko Shou.
His personal guard and soldiers of Sui City formed up around him, "We have to break up their groups and push them back!" He shouted to his right-hand man.
"UOOOOH!"
QIN SIDE POV DONE
….
3RD PERSON POV
With a second wind, the Qin soldiers started to fight back once more, and the energy they'd lost returned to them. The wounds that had pained and stung numbed as they charged at the Zhao soldiers. The change in the momentum was not missed by the Sei Chou army; one of the commanders instantly saw who was the cause of it.
'It's the flashy one, with that appearance, he is definitely not just an ordinary soldier.' Turning to the troops under his command, "You men with me!" and they answered him. The Zhao commander and his troops pushed with all their strength, cutting and killing any Qin soldiers in their way.
The screams and shouting were not missed by the Young Master of Sui city, 'They're targeting me?' He questioned himself, narrowing his eyes at the troops that were gaining momentum, overpowering the troops that separated them.
"Fine, since you want a piece of me! Come and get some!" The youngster shouted before running past his guard and towards the Zhao troops.
Though his guard had shouted for him to stay behind them, he didn't listen, instead backing himself and his ability. "MOVE ASIDE OR DIE!" He shouted, swinging his sword at the first Zhao soldier he saw.
*CLANG!*
The strike was blocked, and the young lord's eyes widened, not expecting it. The Zhao commander swung next, looking to pierce his opponent's chest. His sword made contact, but it was a fleeting scratch.
Not missing a beat, the Young Master of Sui City lashed out with his sword reactively. The swing went wide of his target, and he lost his footing, becoming unbalanced before slipping onto his backside. Seeing their Young Master at a disadvantage, the guard tried to rush and help him, but the Zhao soldiers, under the commander their Young Master was facing fiercely blocked them.
"Move aside or die… Was it?" The Zhao commander said as he looked down at the Young Master, walking forward, he kicked the ornate sword to the side and stared into the eyes of the boy.
"I was much younger than you in my first battle; I probably performed much better as well." The man said. "I'll assume you're someone important, seeing as your guards are fighting tooth and nail to get to you." Following where the sword was pointed, the heir of Sui City saw his men fighting and dying in all the want to help him.
He gritted his expression, flickering to sadness before he frowned and gritted his teeth back at the Zhao commander, "Guards are to protect." The heir replied.
"That they are, and you didn't allow them to do their job." The Zhao commander smiled, "Want to know a secret? I can share their sentiment, many times My Lord has done what you just did, acting so recklessly." The man pointed his sword back at the young heir, "However, unlike you, his recklessness always seems to pay off."
"Wh-who are you?" Asked the young heir of Sui City.
The Zhao commander smiled, "Fu Jin, leader of the Sei Chou cavalry."
The Young Master of Sui City's eyes widened as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, "Th- that means i-if you are here…" Fu Jin's smile turned into a smirk. "Indeed, My Lord is also here."
The young Master turned back quickly and opened his mouth desperately to shout, "HE'S HERE! SE-" The sword of Fu Jin thrust downwards, cutting through the back of the young heir's throat before he could shout his message.
"Never turn your back on the enemy." Fu Jin said. Before taking a quick look around at the Qin troops, he wanted to measure their reaction and see just how important the person he'd killed was to them.
"YOUNG MASTER!!!" The Sui troops cried out in shock, horrified to see their young master being killed. They dropped to their knees, tears pouring down their cheeks, all they wished to do now was grieve. They couldn't care about fighting anymore; to them appeared both hopeless and meaningless.
Fu Jin looked back at the dead person, then to the grief-stricken troops. "Very, very important it seems."
….
SIEGE OF SUI CITY: SOUTHERN GATES
As a calamity for Ko Shou happens at the main northern gate of Sui City, a second calamity is taking place at the second…
With everyone focused on the northern gates, the men placed at the southern gates of Sui City started to act strangely. Kai Kou, the one-eyed leader of the handicapped warriors, sat amongst the Qin troops that had been placed on watch over the southern gates.
Qin soldiers lined up atop the walls as lookouts for any unexpected arrivals, hoping that if an army was to show up, they would be an ally and dreading the prospect of them being the enemy.
One of the soldiers spotted something over the horizon, something that was only seeming to get closer and closer the more he looked at it. "Flags! He shouted, "I spot flags in the distance!"
"What?!" A soldier exclaimed in alarm, "Can you read what flags they are?" The man shook his head, "They're too far right now, but there are flags. Look for yourself." The man replied.
With a hand to block the sun and squinting, the man looked towards the horizon where the flags were, "Tch," He clicked his tongue, watching the flags get barely within readable view. "I can only read the characters CHOU!" The man announced.
"Chou?" A soldier asked him, "Then that means they're reinforcements, right? The capital sent reinforcements!" The soldier exclaimed bulling his fist and shaking it in jubilation.
"It's coming from our south, where the capital can only be General Chou Tou's army, surely?!" The Qin soldier started celebrating. He'd been a bag of nervous energy since the loss at Nanan, and being under siege from the Sei Chou army was not helping his nerves one bit.
"Hold on, call for the commander and tell him." The senior next to him said sternly, though he couldn't help but feel happy as the younger Qin soldiers' celebration was infectious.
The younger man bowed quickly before rushing off to where their commander was, "General, an army has appeared, and the flags bear the name of the Chou Tou army!" The man announced.
The commander turned to him in shock, "What?!" He couldn't believe the words he'd just heard because they had to be false.
"I'm sure of it, General, I spotted the flags, and old man Ei also confirmed the name 'Chou' was written on them." The General of the Southern gates of Sui City stood up to his full height before bolting out of the room, leaving behind the war council that he'd been presiding over.
There were a few high-ranking soldiers dressed in the armour of the Sui City militia in the council room. All but three acted with stunned surprise, without raising suspicion; the three of them glanced at each other. Before one of the trio flicked two fingers forward and pointed downwards.
'Time to act.' The signal was given, and the war council quickly descended into chaos.
Reaching the walls, the youngster saw that the army had gotten closer, and the men who had slight smiles before did not have them any longer. He was greeted with frowns, furrowed brows and dread. In confusion, he asked, "What happened to old Ei? Why's everyone so morose?" He asked the older man.
"The flags…W-we read the flags wrong, young one."
"What!" The youngster whispered back, looking over the horizon. He squinted harshly, trying to read the characters. And still seeing the words were Chou, but the characters were not the same as the ones he'd seen in Qin.
"Wait, that's not the Chou Tou army…Th-then who's-"
"It's Chou Haku of Zhao." Came the grim confirmation, the words were like thunder to the youngster's ears. Cold sweat poured down his neck as the implications of the Chou Haku army showing up began settling in.
He turned to old man Ei, who didn't look at him but tightened his grip on the pommel of his sword. "We're being pincered." Was all Old Ei said to him.
…
SIEGE OF SUI CITY: BACK TO THE NORTHERN GATES
"YOUNG MASTER!!!"
"YOUNG MASTER WAKE UP!!!"
"HEAVEN WAKE OUR YOUNG MASTER!!"
Ko Shou was at a loss for words; an absolute calamity had befallen him. The young master of Sui City had been slain for all to see, and the morale crumbled.
"My Lord!" One of his strategists called out to him, "The morale of the Sui city militia is destroyed; they're not even trying to fight back anymore." Ko Shou could see that, but he was so stunned at the speed at which it had happened that he lost his bearings, one moment he was dissuading the young fool, and the next, the fool was dead.
"Great General Ko Shou!" A scout ran to him before bowing quickly and shouting, "Both Gyou'un and Chou Garyuu have left their headquarters; they're committing their full army to a frontal attack." The scale continued to tip.
Ko Shou took a steadying breath before giving out orders, "Order some of the men to recover the body, and more of the Oukotsu and my own personal units to the very front of all combat, and more of the militia army back. Only those who still have a fire should fight!" Ko Shou's orders were precise with no mincing of words.
"Yes, Sir!"
He knew this moment was crucial, "Clump together on the walls, those of the militia that can fight must be mixed in the Oukotsu troops and my own, they will be able to draw on the thirst for revenge that way."
"It will be done, Great General!"
"Lord Ko Shou, smoke behind us!"
"What?!!" Ko Shou turned and saw black smoke billowing into the air behind them; it was coming from the southern gates.
"Heavens… Go over there and find out what is happening." It was one hit after another for Ko Shou.
After all of the orders were given out, the Qin rushed off to action, looking to fulfil their Great General's orders. The men who returned from the southern gate brought terrible news, "Chou… Haku? That's impossible…"
"Was it not his army that was stationed to block off our retreat?"
"Shou Hei Kun has not returned, which means he managed to follow my orders and retreat safely back to Qin." Ko Shou said the scouts had reported that Chou Haku set up a blockade, and he used Shou Hei Kun as a distraction for the Chou Haku army there.
"So close yet so far, we only opened the trap for a moment, and he managed to fly through. It was not part of the plan, but when do all plans go as you want them to?" The voice was unexpected and unknown to Ko Shou, who turned to see who it was that was speaking.
A man dressed like a Qin scout slowly started to walk forward. "Lord Ko Shou, I wanted to ask, did you like my present?" The man removed his helmet and revealed himself.
Ko Shou's breath halted as he stared at the face of someone he'd seen earlier in the day, but this one was very much alive. "It took us a lot of time to find the right dead person who could pass off as similar to me."
"Y-you are… Sei Chou?!!!"
CHAPTER: DONE